“You forget, my husband was murdered. I know someone was in the house,” she answered firmly. “I felt it.”
He winced inwardly at the word husband. John. Her husband, John. Dayan had to get over that sick feeling whenever she mentioned him. John had been a part of her life for many years, first as a childhood friend, then later as a husband. A part of her loved him, would always love him. His hand bunched in her hair and he brought the silken strands to his face, inhaling the fragrance that was so unique to her. “There were two men in the house. They had guns and orders to kidnap both of you.”
Her large eyes moved over his face. “Why?”
“A few months ago our band received word that we were on a hit list. That was how I first met Cullen. He risked his life to warn us. There is a society, a group of fanatics who believe in vampires.”
Corinne lifted her head off the pillow to stare at him in shock. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Vampires? In this day and age? And what does that have to do with me? Or with you, for that matter?”
“You said you were different, that John had gone to talk to someone about his differences. That is the kind of thing these people target. The moment he set foot in the Morrison Center, you were noticed. How are you different, Corinne?”
His voice was like magic in the darkness, soft velvet brushing over her skin and in her mind. She loved the sound of his voice, his interesting accent, which she could not identify. The way he twisted certain words and sounded such a mixture of Old World and modern. “I can move objects without touching them.” Somehow it was easier to make the confession in this dark room with his body lying close to hers, with her palm resting over the steady beat of his heart. She waited for his reaction, his derision, his shock. She waited for him to get up and quietly move away from her. Corinne didn’t realize it, but her heart had gone crazy, beating irregularly again as she waited for Dayan to respond.
Dayan captured the hand over his heart, brought her knuckles to his mouth so that his breath moved over her skin, warm and reassuring. “What an amazing gift you have. I too can do such a thing.”
Corinne turned her head to look at him. “You can? I’ve never met anyone else who could. It’s so cool. Lisa doesn’t like me to do it, but I can’t help myself. John knew things. Like the telephone was going to ring and who would be calling. I’ve never met anyone else who could move objects.”
“I can do other things too,” he told her softly, his white teeth scraping along her fingers, back and forth in a soothing rhythm so that her heart settled down into the steady pattern of his.
Tears of relief were burning behind Corinne’s eyes. Somebody who could understand. Even Lisa, who loved her, didn’t really understand. She wanted Corinne to hide her differences from the world, and from her. Lisa pretended that Corinne was like everyone else. They had enough trauma in their lives without adding any more burdens. “Can you read minds?”
Dayan nodded solemnly. “Yes. I do not have to touch the person to read his thoughts. I was very relieved to know you found me attractive when you saw me, because you took my breath away.”
A slow smile curved Corinne’s soft mouth. “That is so cheating. You honestly can read my mind?”
“Right now you are attempting to keep your mind totally blank and you are wondering if there is any way you can censor your more, ah… how shall I put this delicately…?”
Corinne burst out laughing, the sound soft and inviting in the privacy of the bedroom. Dayan closed his eyes in an attempt to control himself. His body was burning with need, a hard, urgent ache. Little jackhammers seemed to be ripping at his skull. Her body was soft and tempting against his, her curves fitting into the hard angles and planes of his body. Fitting just right. He ached with need and loneliness. Inside him the beast was fighting to break free, raging against the restrictions Dayan was placing on himself. He reminded himself over and over that first and always came her health and well-being. He allowed the scent and sound of her to wash over him, into him, through him, so that he felt centered and balanced.