A Touch Of Lightning (COMPLETED!)

Chapter 13 Touch Experiments 1

Chapter 13 Touch Experiments

"Callin?" Carmen's voice sifted faintly through the woods, and Callin could hear her footsteps drawing steadily nearer.

Even though her steps were muffled by the soft ground and thick underbrush, he could still easily identify her by the cadence of her footsteps. He had never learned the pattern of someone's footsteps so fast before, usually needing to know that person for some months before he was able to recognize them that way. He wondered once again what power Carmen had over him, why it was that nearly everything she did seemed to have so much impact on him.

A pang of unease accompanied that thought as he imagined the blocks and telepathic suggestions in his mind making him dance like a clueless puppet, unaware of the strings that controlled its direction and actions. Was that all he was when it came to girls?

He had certainly never imagined needing to build walls against them before, so now, presented with living with so many beautiful girls, he felt so vulnerable and unprepared it made him want to bolt like a rabbit before the wolf.

He clenched his hands, resisting the urge to run, and sat still, listening, using his keen nose to sift through the scents that played on the shifting air. The scent of strawberries and thorns rode the air alongside Carmen. Raina was with Carmen, the unmistakable scent of the shampoo she used and the even more unmistakable thorny scent of her fierce nature popping out amidst the other scents in the woods. The perfect way Raina's scent matched her personality always made him grin.

Callin now understood how they were able to track him so easily. Neither girl had any experience in woodcraft, but Raina's empathic ability enabled her to sense people, and a general direction as to where they were in relation to herself. He carefully kept his mind blank and his emotions under tight rein. He liked Raina, but he still hated anybody spying on him in any way, even something as simple as the way she was able to sense his current mood.

He stood up when they came into view, not happy about having his solitude disturbed. He had been going for long walks by himself after breakfast for the last week, using the fresh air and quiet to clear his mind from the chaos of the morning routine. Now, he figured he had been quietly meditating out here long enough that he seemed to have a solid enough grip on his emotions and his defenses. He figured he could deal with these two without any problems. He figured that dealing with two people who didn't mean him any harm shouldn't wear on him too hard.

Carmen stepped out around a tree and stopped immediately when she saw him. Callin frowned when he saw her obvious reluctance to come any closer. What was this?

"Uh...hi." She stammered, her face inexplicably flushing bright red.

"Hi Callin. Sorry to come out here and bug you, but Ahleena told us to come get you." Raina said, rolling her eyes about Ahleena.

Callin said nothing, not taking his eyes off Carmen. She was very nervous, he could clearly scent it in the air, and he could hear the rapid beating of her heart. It was fast enough to mean that she was either very nervous, or about to do something dangerous. Or both. Raina glanced over at Carmen, then back at Callin. The subtle nuances behind that little glance was not lost on him. He knew telepaths all too well, knowing when they were communicating silently. It instantly made him even more suspicious.

"Ah...Carmen asked me if I would help her with a little experiment. With you and her. Before we go in." Raina said, sounding a bit nervous herself now. This fact was really curious, as very little seemed to shake Raina.

Then, to his complete shock, Carmen's scent began to shift, to become an enticing mix that meant only one thing. She was attracted to him and was imagining something involving him right now, a mental imagery obviously powerful enough to influence her physically. Callin could hardly believe his nose.