The Truth Behind Those Eyes

Chapter Thirty-One

Nikki stared unseeing at the over-sized television, ignoring the large colourful screen in favour of mulling over her thoughts.

"What do you know about Sally?"

Sam stabbed the TV remote, plunging the picture in to darkness, and sighed.

"What do you know about her?"

Josh, with his hand securely around Nikki's had ambled back to the hotel suite, his mood strangely peaceful after his sudden revelation. However, as soon as he had delivered her to the safety of their suite he had made his excuses and left, leaving her in the care of her Sam. Nikki knew he was heading straight back to Dee, probably to relieve some of the tension they'd created in the bar and sith her hopes crushed, she'd curled up on the opposite side of the sofa to Sam and accepted that no matter what happened, she would never get any closer to Josh. Sam had tried to convince her to go to bed but she was having none of it. The very last thing she wanted was to be shut in a room alone with her macabre thoughts so she'd opted to stay awake with Sam.

"I know she was killed and that you couldn't help her like you did me. I also know that Josh blames himself for her death."

"He told you that?"

"No. I'm psychic."

He ignored her sarcasm. "Well what else do you want to know?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

He raised his brows, her vagueness arousing his suspicions further.

"When you're assigned, to someone, a Power, what's it like?"

"In what respect?"

"Well, how do you feel about that person? I mean," she chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip unsure where her question was going, "I felt safe with Josh when I first met him." Her troubled gaze met his. "What's it like from your side?"

"Hmm." His eyes clouded over as he deliberated. "It's different with each person but generally you feel like a family member to us, like a son or daughter, sister or brother; we're compelled to look out for you, protect you."

"So what would it take for you to leave your Charge?"

"It wouldn't happen. I couldn't leave my charge. It's like no matter where you are or what you're doing, they are always on your mind. You're always worrying about them. You can't settle properly until you're with them and sure they're safe. I guess it's similar to how a parent feels, only we know that there's a very real danger."

A sudden thought popped in to Nikki's head. "So you don't have a Charge at the moment then?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Not unless we're talking about borrowed ones." He winked.

She rolled her eyes but smiled back.

"Where's all this coming from?" he asked, leaning forwards.

"I don't know. I'm just trying to figure some stuff out." She shrugged. "Is this my life from now on? Unanswered questions, demons and hotel rooms?"

"No, it's not going to be like this forever. We just need to regroup." Sam scooted across the gap and held out his arms to her. "We've never experienced a Power like you. Usually it's a simple case of stopping the demons getting too close and watching over you but you've got three Guardians protecting you and we still can't stop them getting through. Plus this whole episode with Unus, it's unprecedented. You're unique and we're not sure what our next move should be."

She closed her eyes and snuggled into his warm hold. She trusted Sam and even though he had lied about their meal, she still felt unusually comfortable around him. For some reason, personal space wasn't a big issue with him. Leaning her head against his shoulder Nikki conceded he'd been right about her being tired but her mind wouldn't stop buzzing.