บท 5: Chapter 5: Defective
Appearances are often deceiving. - Aesop
The door swings open. A woman, at least, she appears to be a woman, enters with a bag. She has short-cropped, tentacle-like hair that's a pale shade of red with pink transparent tips.
Her eyes are green, and glow like Vlad's. The woman intentionally avoids eye contact.
Vlad withdraws from the couch and stands. His body is long and lean and his movements graceful.
Standing toe to toe, they're almost the same height. But she's a few inches shorter.
Images and static noise bombard my mind. Cradling my head between trembling hands, I squeeze my eyes shut.
Crap. The room is spinning.
It's silent. But the faint murmur of voices rings in the distance. Zeroing in on the sounds, I isolate Vlad's voice. But when I open my eyes, his lips aren't moving.
'What have you learned?' The pitch of his voice echoes in my head. It's soothing and has a calming, almost hypnotic effect, but it leaves me disoriented.
'Nothing new as of yet; however, a new team of human scouts now scour the pond and surrounding area.'
'Keep me informed of any changes.'
'As you wish.' Her words screech in my thoughts. 'You should not have brought the girl here.'
'I had to save her. And that was not your decision to make. It was mine.'
Tipping my head back, I glance at him. His facial muscles pull taut over his jaw.
Wait. Did he just say he had to rescue me?
'By saving her, you have exposed us. You have endangered the colony, and you have done this for what? Look at her.'
'I had to save her. She is different. And Gaila, need I remind you of your place within the colony?'
'I know my place. She is a defective human girl that lives under the cloak of darkness.'
"Defective." I spring from the couch. "Who the hell are you calling defective?"
My vision blurs, and my knees buckle.
He wraps an arm around my waist, drawing me into his lean frame. At five-foot, four-inches, the top of my head comes to his shoulders. He well over six-foot tall.
The woman's eyes narrow. 'Vlad, what is this?'
'I told you, she is different. The girl can link into our conscious thoughts. She can hear us.'
The redheaded woman clenches her teeth. 'That is not possible. She is human. What trickery are you playing?'
'Sarah, can you hear me?' he asks without uttering a single sound. 'And Gaila, I do not play games, you know this. Do not try my patience. You are my subordinate.'
My mind clouds over for a few seconds, then clears. "Yeah, I can hear you. And I heard her, too." I point a shaky finger in her direction.
'Answer me with your thoughts.' His voice remains calm, soothing.
"How do I do that?" I ask, barely above a whisper.
'Think your response and direct it toward me.'
I turn to the woman. 'I'm not defective, you red-haired freak.'
The woman hisses and takes a step forward.
"If you got something to say just spit it out." I push away from his chest to face her.
Vlad slides a hand to the lower section of my back and tightens his hold.
The contact of his fingers under my blouse, on bare skin, sends an electrical surge up my body that makes me shiver in his arms. He twists sideways, shifting me away from the young woman.
'Gaila. Sarah. Stop it.' Vlad's voice booms in my thoughts.
"I am not the freak." Gaila's tone drips with venom. 'At least, I am normal among my people, unlike you.'
"Oh. You didn't just say that to me." I narrow my eyes with a seething gaze.
'Gaila, put down the clothing and leave us. I will summon you if and when I need you.'
'I will leave you and your pet, but only because I want to.' She tosses the bag on top of the couch. 'Not because you told me to.'
"Pet," I repeat the word. "Did you just call me a pet? What the hell's wrong with you people?"
I lunge forward. He pulls me back, keeping me planted firmly in place.
Gaila promenades out of the room with a smirk. Her chortle continues to boom from the other side of the door.
"You know where to find me, you freak."
"Stop." He holds me at arm's length. 'Enough.'
"I'm not the one who started it."
'That is not the point.' He shakes his head. 'You are young and impulsive.'
"Wow, really?" I place my hands on his chest, shoving him. The contact makes him stumble back a few steps.
'Stop. Do not push me away.' He reaches out, grabbing my arm.
I recoil and make it to the door on shaky legs. My head is swimmy.
How in the hell do I stop his voice from rolling around in my head?
His long pale fingers grip my shoulder, and he spins me around to face him.
"Don't touch me." Fear builds in the pit of my belly.
Falling against the door, my fingers wrap around the handle, and I push down. But it won't open. I feel for the lock, but the handle is smooth. Why won't it open?
'You are safe. But the door will not open.'
I rattle the handle again.
He moves away from me. 'Sophisticated programming allows it to open only for those who have authorization.'
"So, I take it both you and your redheaded bulldog have authorization?"
Vlad runs a hand through his hair. "Come."
Individual tentacles loop and curl around his fingers, flowing around his shoulders.
'You are cold and need to change.' He picks up the bag from the couch. 'It appears you are used to warmer temperatures.'
"I'm fine in my clothes. And stop talking in my head." I try the door handle again, but like before, it remains locked. "I want my cat, now. Plus, you either take me home or to someone who can."
'You are not free to leave.' He takes a step forward. 'And I will continue to address you through telepathy. It is the only way you will learn how to control the ability. Plus, it is how my people communicate.'
"What the hell do you mean, I'm not free to leave?"
'I am charged with your well-being. Now, you have two options. You may shower and put on the dry clothing, by yourself, in the bathroom. Or I can summon Gaila, and we will help you bathe and change. Decide which of the two options it will be. It does not make a difference to me one way or the other.'
"You wouldn't dare. You're bluffing."
'Do not test my patience, little one.' He drops the bag at my feet. 'I never bluff.'
"Who the hell are you to call me that? You don't look any older than me."
'You are wrong.' He opens a door. 'I am older than I appear and more so than your fifteen or sixteen years of life. Plus, you are vertically challenged when it comes to height, hence the name. Now, the bathroom is in there. I suggest you pick up the bag.'
"For your information, I'm eighteen. Not that it's any of your business." I cross my arms over my chest, squaring my shoulders. Tilting my head upward, I hold his smoldering gaze.
'Pick up the bag.' The corners of his lips twitch upward, and I can't tell if it's in contempt or an attempt at a smirk like smile.
Holding my ground, I shake my head. "No. I want to go home."
'I do not have time for this. Again, I suggest you pick up the bag.'
"Or what? Are you going to call your six-foot tall bulldog?" I place my hands on my hips. "Go ahead. Bring her back."
'No. I do not need Gaila to supervise since you are eighteen human years old.' He closes the gap between us in only a few strides. 'Take the clothing and change. I know you are cold."
"So, you intend to keep me here against my will."
'It is not safe for you to return to the pond or to your home. Consider yourself in protective custody until further notice. And know this, my people do not mean you any harm. I will not hurt you. You are safe here. I assure you.'
His voice booming in the recesses of my mind brings on another wave of vertigo.
My vision blurs, and the room spins. Blackness closes in, and I close my eyes.
"Easy now." Arms encase my swaying body, pressing me against the cold stone surface of the wall.
Vlad cups my chin, tipping my head back. His touch sends another electrical surge shooting from my head down to my toes.
"H-how are you doing that?" Swallowing hard, I fight to keep my voice from quivering. "W-when you touch me?"
His breath is warm on the side of my cheek. "Look at me."
My eyes spring open, and his haze features come into focus.
The tips of his fingers trace my jawline, leaving feather-light sparks of hot energy on my skin. His hand comes to rest on my neck.
Shivering under his touch, I turn away from his dark, hot gaze.
His lips brush over my jaw and down my neck, leaving a quivering trail of hot flesh.
Rising emotions wash over my body. I don't know if I want to push him away or pull him closer.
"Wait. Stop." I cling to his shirt.
'Are you sure that is what you want?' His probing eyes study me. 'Remember, I can hear your thoughts. And there is a tug-of-war raging in there.'
Pressing my hands against his chest, I shove him back, placing a few inches between us. "You have no right to read my thoughts." The warmth of his body radiates through his clothing.
'Then you should learn to control your emotions and safeguard them better.'
His voice makes my head feel fuzzy, as if it's stuffed with cotton.
'Stop it. And get the hell out of my head.' I scream the thought in the recesses of my mind.
'Good, you are learning. Now, pick up the bag so you can shower and change.' He releases me with a wolfish grin. 'Or shall I assist you in the grooming process?'
"That's not funny." I rest my gaze on his mouth.
The memory of his warm lips on my skin surfaces in my thoughts, and my cheeks warm.
He leans close to an ear, tracing the line of my jaw with his fingertips. 'Remember, I can hear your thoughts, and they are immensely distracting.'
"Then stay out of my head." My voice cracks. How the hell do I block my thoughts or turn them off? "Perhaps, you should move out of the way and stop touching me."
Vlad takes a step back, bowing in the process, and then he points at the clothing.
I pick up the handles of the bag, keeping an eye on him.
"Destiny awaits." He motions toward the open door.
Drawing in a deep breath, I enter the bathroom wondering what the hell that was all about.
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