Channeler's Choice Read online

  The alluring mixture of brown and green in his eyes drew her in with the strength of a vortex. They seemed to glow with the light of his power behind them. Out here, alone at their spot by the river, it almost felt like they were the only two people in the world. The image of those eyes so close to her own, started to blur and she sighed and looked down.

  From somewhere above them the sweet song of a bird rang out. Eren’s gaze followed the noise to a small black and white bird that sat on a branch nearby. She could both see and feel its energy, a small green glow that surrounded it.

  “It’s the wrong time of year for birds isn’t it?” she asked.

  “That’s a snow bird. They’re around through most of the winter,” Aiden said.

  Seeing the creature’s energy made Eren wonder about something she heard last year.

  “How do our kind control animals?”

  Aiden moved behind her and slid his arms around her waist. The warmth of his body seeped into hers, making her aware of how chilly the air was.

  “You can feel the bird’s energy, right?” he asked.

  “Um hmm.” She could, but at that moment the bird’s energy wasn’t what she was focusing on feeling. Having the length of his body pressed against her back was very distracting.

  “Gently, try to will the bird’s energy toward you,” he said. There was a hint of laugher in his voice, as if he knew the effect he had on her.

  Holding out her hand, Eren envisioned pulling the bird’s energy to her like inhaling a breath. It dove from the branch and flew to her, landing on her outstretched hand. Tiny talons bit at her flesh as it struggled to hold on while fluttering its wings. A moment later it tucked them in and sat shaking so badly that Eren feared it may fall.

  “Think soothing thoughts and pour a little of your energy on it to calm it down,” Aiden said.

  She did as he instructed and the small bird stopped shaking almost instantly. It perked up and looked at Eren with its head cocked. The soft, smooth appearance of its feathers tempted her to touch it, but she resisted, not wanting to frighten it again.

  “Do I have to be able to see it to control it?” she asked, wondering about the other birds that sang from the trees around them.

  Giving her his half-crooked smile, Aiden held his arm up. There was a pulling sensation to his power but it wasn’t directed at her. Spruce boughs rustled all around them and feathery wings beat at the air. Close to a dozen of the little black and white birds emerged from the trees and alighted upon Aiden’s arms. Eren laughed and the birds started to sing as if in response. They soon quieted and Aiden’s energy switched from a pulling sensation to a slight pushing. The birds took to the air in an organized flock and disappeared into the trees.

  “Nope, you just have to be able to feel them,” Aiden said.

  Looking down at the bird still perched on her arm, Eren was surprised to find that it looked content, and not in the least worried about the departure of the others. She released the gentle grip she had on its energy and lifted her arm to help send it on its way into the bright blue sky. Watching it made her wonder.

  “It would be cool if we could see through their eyes,” she said.

  “Some Rectors can.”

  Eren’s heart pounded hard against her chest as she grabbed Aiden’s arm. There was no hint of humor or teasing in his eyes, he was serious.

  “Teach me how.”

  Aiden laughed. “It takes years of practice, they say, and even then you can only see through the eyes of a creature whose energy you have controlled often and have mastered,” he said.

  The excitement drained away and Eren’s heart slowed to its normal rhythm. “Oh.”

  Sparks of energy trailed down her arm as Aiden’s fingers slid along it and took her hand. “Come on, we’d better get home. It’ll be dark soon,” he said.

  Groaning, she let him lead her from the river’s edge and back to the forest path. She grabbed her jacket off the branch where she’d left it, and pulled it on. Shadows were starting to spread their way across the forest and they were bringing a chill with them. They’d spent the afternoon practicing channeling and Eren’s energy was left feeling too depleted to raise her body temperature.

  As if sensing that she was cold, Aiden wrapped his arms around her. The heat pouring from him was more than enough to ward off the chill. How he could have so much energy left after hours of using his power to run then blow big rocks into little ones, Eren had no idea. Then again, the warmth she was feeling may have more to with him than his power.

  A slight pressure settled between Eren’s shoulder blades as they wove their way through the black and white, leafless aspen trees. By the time they reached the spruce trees, she realized it wasn’t a pressure so much as weight, the weight of eyes. An icy feeling traveled through her, stirring her tired power awake. Pausing, she turned and cast her gaze across the forest. She couldn’t see anything suspicious, not even by looking for the glow of energy that existed in all living things.

  “Do you feel that?” she whispered.

  Not relinquishing his hold on her, Aiden turned and looked in the direction she was looking. “Feel what?”

  Eren searched for words that wouldn’t make her sound crazy, and couldn’t find any.

  “I don’t know. If feels like we’re being watched.” The way that sounded made her cringe. It was worse out loud than it had been in her head.

  Eyes intense with a look she knew meant he was searching for energy signatures; Aiden scanned the forest around them. The muscles in his body coiled up like a spring, making it feel like she was in the embrace of a lightning bolt. After a few moments of looking around, he relaxed and his power pulled back to his center, leaving Eren feeling a bit exposed. His eyes softened as they turned to her and his brow furrowed. She knew what that look meant. He was worried about her being paranoid again.

  “I don’t feel or see anything. Are you having nightmares again?” he asked, his voice growing quiet on the last part.

  A sliver of pain poked at her heart.

  “No, actually I’m not. I know how it sounds, but Aiden I swear, I felt something watching us.”

  His brow creased deeper and his eyes darkened, becoming harder. With his energy pulled in so tight, it was hard to tell if he was worried that she was right or wrong. Either way, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

  So they could make better time, she slipped out from under his arm and took hold of his hand. Once they started moving Eren felt the weight of a gaze settle on her back again. Resisting the urge to look back, she sped up her pace and stayed close to Aiden’s side. The lengthening shadows all across the forest now held more than just a chill for Eren. There was a menace to the darkness that she very much wanted to be away from.

  When they stepped from the forest onto the road, she glanced back. Yellow fur and golden eyes flashed through the underbrush. Whatever it was, had been big, and it had been tracking them. It slipped back into the forest and disappeared. Fearing Aiden’s disbelief, she kept the sighting to herself.

  Though it was over half a mile from his adopted parent’s home, Aiden insisted on walking Eren all the way to her grandfather’s place. After her glimpse of fur and eyes in the forest, she wasn’t about to protest. Upon arriving at the alleyway leading to her door, she found herself reluctant to let Aiden leave.

  To delay him, she pulled him down for a kiss. Breathing heavy, he finally pulled back and shot a worried look in the direction of the kitchen window that looked out over the alley. Despite the fear that still gripped her, Eren let out a small laugh.

  “Don’t worry, he’s usually working downstairs in the archives about now,” she said.

  “Easy for you to say. You aren’t the one he’ll blow to pieces,” Aiden mumbled.

  Hands on his chest, she took a step back. “That’s exaggerating a bit.”

  A crooked smile pulled at one corner of his mouth. “You think so, huh?” he said as he leaned in for another kiss.

  Light su
ddenly pinned them to the spot, as the porch light above them buzzed to life. Drawing in a sharp breath that took a bit of Eren’s power with it, Aiden leaped back. His wide-eyes drew a laugh from her.

  “I should get going,” he said as he walked backwards.

  He stumbled on the last step, but recovered into a graceful spin that turned him in the other direction and carried him away a few steps. Laughter bubbled from Eren again.

  “See you in the morning,” she said.

  Waving, he jogged down the alley. The growing darkness swallowed him after a few steps and shortly after that, the light of his energy turned the corner, leaving a queasy feeling in Eren’s stomach. Those yellow, predatory eyes from the forest flashed through her mind again. Surely it wouldn’t have followed them into town. Of course not. An animal wouldn’t do that. Chances were they had just crossed into its territory and now that they were gone it couldn’t care less. Fighting back the instinct to go after Aiden, she turned and went into the house.

  The mouth-watering aroma of her grandfather’s homemade refried beans drew her into the kitchen. Humming to himself, he hovered over the stove, stirring a large pot.

  “Nice trick with the porch light, Grandfather, subtle,” Eren teased as she skipped over and kissed his mocha-colored cheek. He grinned but didn’t say a word.

  A glance across the hall at the dining room table showed it to be bare. Loading her arms up with plates, silverware, and glasses, she set the table. The sound of her grandfather’s humming haunted her, tugging at her memory. Something about the tune was so familiar. As she placed the last fork on the table, it hit her like a slap. He was humming the same tune her mom used to hum while she cooked. Chills settled over Eren like cold rain.

  The song. Her mom’s murder. The eyes in the forest. Her parents had been killed by wolves that had been under the control of Virgil and Camilia Moldovan. What if that animal in the forest was under someone’s control?

  The chills grew so severe that she shuddered, making the glass in her hand clang against a plate.

  “Oh Eren, there is a letter for you on the shoe bench,” her grandfather called.

  Rubbing her hands along her arms, Eren walked back into the hallway to the shoe bench. An envelope sat upon it, a bright white square against the brown leather. There was no return address on it and the postage said it came from Denver. Odd. She didn’t know anyone in Denver. More chills raced up her arms.

  “Hey Grandfather, do I have time for a shower before dinner or do you need my help?” she asked.

  A hot shower was the best way she knew to kick the chills that accompanied her bouts of fear and paranoia. Whether it was the warmth or the water, it always worked to help her ground herself and get both her imagination and her power back under control. And right after that she’d call Aiden, just to make sure he made it home okay.

  “I don’t need any help, dear. You go ahead,” Zolin called from the kitchen.

  Fingers working at the letter’s flap, Eren started for the stairs. She pulled the single sheet of lined paper out just as she reached the second story of the house. Wow, an actual letter. She didn’t think anyone wrote these anymore. The penmanship was a nice, flowing script, the kind people had once used in formal letters.

  Dear Eren,

  I’ve been an idiot of the worst kind. You are more important than you can possibly know, to me, to everything. I was jealous and out of control and for that I’m sorry. But there was something powerful at work that stopped me from ruining everything. I understand that now. You and I will be together again soon, even if only for a little while, and things will be different, so different. The future of our kind is at hand. You and I will bring about the end and the beginning. Until then, I’ll be watching.

  ~Lucian Moldovan

  Screams built up inside Eren, but nothing would come out. Her power rose along with the unvoiced screams until her arms and hands were glowing blue. The letter crumpled as her fingers closed into a fist that shook with the effort of holding back her anger. Blue tendrils of energy wrapped around the letter, encasing it. The energy flared brighter and the letter disintegrated. Fascinated, Eren opened her hand and stared at it.

  Not even the smallest trace remained. If only she could get her hands around Luke’s neck and reproduce that. Would he never leave her alone?

  “Once the bond between Society members is made,

  there is nothing stronger—not even blood.”

  ~from Life In A Society

  Chapter 7

  The girl across the ring from Eren looked like the Mayan version of an Amazon warrior. Her hair was styled into dozens of little braids that were all pulled back into a ponytail. Though she wore a typical, white martial arts uniform, it wasn’t hard for Eren to imagine her in furs and leather. The spear in her hands was tipped with a blunt end instead of a sharp point, but it looked authentic enough.

  The girl lunged in and swung the spear like a staff in a sweeping arc at Eren’s legs. She jumped it easily, clearing it with over a foot to spare. Letting the momentum of the staff carry her, the girl continued to spin and brought the spear swinging down toward Eren’s head as she completed the turn. Eren lifted her own spear to block. The shock of the impact reverberated down her arms. Damn, the girl was strong. She kept up for a few more blocks and thrusts until the girl finally disarmed her.

  Arms thrown out wide, frustration burning her eyes, Eren remained motionless with the other girl’s spear pointed at her neck. It wasn’t that the gym was filled with other high school girls in their different classes that bothered her, nor was it that most of them were watching her. It was that her skill level was so outrageously far behind the others that it made her want to scream. Much to her surprise, her maestro walked up behind her and clapped her on the shoulder.

  “Very well done. Again.” he said.

  Eren’s opponent stepped back and allowed her to retrieve her spear. When she picked it up and took a defensive stance, the girl’s brown eyes widened in surprise. She hadn’t really expected her to give up, had she?

  This time, Eren lasted a bit longer and even got a few strikes in. By the fifth round, sweat was beginning to bead on her brow and she was having trouble holding the spear steady. She took more than a little pleasure in watching her opponent shake with exhaustion as well. Finally, their maestro called an end to class, his announcement echoed by the other three teachers in the gym. The Mayan girl surprised Eren by extending her hand to her.

  “While you may not be able to beat me yet, it took me years to get as good as you have in months. You’re a natural,” she said as Eren shook her hand.

  Eren managed to mumble a shocked thank you before getting swept up into the press of sweaty bodies headed for the showers. The girls in the locker room treated her as if she was invisible, but she didn’t mind. At least they no longer sneered or made rude comments. Compared to being discriminated against, anonymity was something she could handle.

  After a quick shower, she found Caitlin at the lockers and they went to have lunch with the guys.

  “You should have seen Eren in fight practice today, she was brilliant. Patli beat her like five times and she just kept coming back for more.” she exclaimed.

  Groaning, Eren crossed her arms on the table and dropped her head into them. “Thanks, Caitlin,” she mumbled.

  Aiden laughed as he rubbed her back. “That’s a bigger compliment than it sounds like, E. Patli is the reigning champion of the Mayan girls, and she’s Rector material. Most girls can’t get up and fight once—let alone four times—after they’ve been defeated by someone like her,” he said.

  “I don’t understand,” she said as she lifted her head and fixed him with a confused look.

  “When you’ve been defeated by someone whose power is greater than your own, the will to fight them again all but disappears. It’s nature’s way of keeping peace within our own Societies. Only Rector’s retain the desire to fight no matter what,” Fane explained. He was smiling and giving her
an impressed look.

  “Told you it was wicked awesome,” Caitlin said.

  Eren smiled at the enthusiasm in both of their voices. This would explain the surprise she had seen in Patli’s eyes, because Eren knew it sure didn’t have anything to do with her talent. In that department, she had a long way to go, despite what Patli said.

  The bell rang, calling them off to their afternoon classes. Aside from a torturous hour of Calculus, the rest of the day flew by. During the walk home, the rain drizzled down but none of them really cared. They were too busy discussing which fighting style was the best and laughing at Fane and Aiden as they demonstrated different moves on each other. Before Eren knew it, they were approaching the bookstore.

  “Do you guys want to come in?” she asked.

  “Sure,” Caitlin said.

  Fane’s disappointed gaze shot briefly in Caitlin’s direction. “I can’t. I promised my mother I’d cook tonight,” he said.

  Eren laughed. She knew all too well that his mom could not cook unless it came out of a box or can, and even then it was iffy.

  “I’m really sorry, I can’t. Your Uncle Alin and I are going to talk about the Rector book,” Aiden said. He chewed his bottom lip as he gave her a regretful look.

  She could tell he wanted her to come along, but it was a guy’s night and she didn’t want to intrude. It was too important to her that Aiden and her uncle got along. Alin was the closest thing she had to a dad now and his approval of Aiden meant everything to Eren.

  “You guys have fun,” Eren said as she rose up on her toes and kissed him lightly.

  “Yay! Girl time,” Caitlin exclaimed.

  Aiden kissed the back of Eren’s hand like a gentlemen before stepping away. She giggled, knowing he must have picked up such an old romantic notion from being around Fane. Watching the boys disappear into the misty rain, she marveled at how wonderful her life was. When she first came to Spruce Knoll, she had no family or friends and the entire town shunned her. While she was still somewhat feared by most, no one outright shunned her anymore and she had both family and friends.