Eleos (Book two in The Empaths series)

Chapter Thirteen

"This is so friggin' crazy!"

Riley was frantically making notes on his computer as Lucy retold her story to both him and Lilith.

"I can't believe we missed it," Lilith exclaimed, her hands in her hair. "That must have been amazing."

"It really was," Jared replied. "That owl was something else."

"My mom says they're really smart too," Rachel added. "And she'll never leave you. She'll never bond to anyone else. It's kind of like an animal soul mate. It's for life."

"This is incredible," Lucy said, still trying to recover from the shock of it all.

They had tracked down Lilith and Riley soon after the events in the village clearing, agreeing to come back to Lucy and Jared's to have a meeting so that Riley could take down all of the information.

"Do you think it'll happen to all of us?" Riley asked. He had stopped typing and was looking up at Lucy hopefully.

Lucy shrugged. "I have no idea. I imagine there's an animal out there for each of us, it's just a matter of finding them."

"Well, I already have Teddy," Lilith said. "Nothing can replace him."

Lucy smiled. "Of course not. That little dog is far too attached to you, Lil. I'm not sure he'd allow another animal to bond with you, anyway." She finished with a laugh, gently patting Lilith on the shoulder.

"Damn right," Lilith replied. There wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind how much she loved Teddy.

"Well, I hope I get something cool," Riley said. "Like a lion or, like one of those half bird, half horse things."

"Dude, this isn't Harry Potter," Lilith said, rolling her eyes.

"You never know," Riley pouted, but he returned to his notes, typing away fervently.

"You'll have to show us how you were able to do that thing with the trees, too," Lilith added, looking at Lucy. "The way they were able to show you their story. That sounds really cool."

"Oh, and would you be comfortable showing us that swimming hole you found?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"Of course, I would be," Lucy replied. "You guys have to see this place. It's so beautiful. And a really great spot to go swimming, too. Although, we should probably check with your parents first, Rach, just in case there's something in there that bites." Lucy pulled a face and Rachel laughed.

"It would be pretty cool to have a spot that's just for us, you know?" Lucy added. "And that swimming hole is so perfect. It reminds me a bit of Blackwood – on a much smaller scale, of course."

"Maybe we could all go there tomorrow?" Lilith asked.

"Excellent idea," Riley added.

Lucy nodded. "I second that, it's an excellent idea. We'll pack lunch and explore a bit. Who knows Riley, you may even find your soul animal?"

Riley's face lit up. "Hells yeah!"

"Oh, I also spoke with Cora today about how I can prevent the way I'm feeling from impacting you guys so much, and she said she's going to come back tomorrow to teach me."

Jared sighed loudly. "Oh, thank god."

Lilith reached over and pat Lucy lightly on the hand. "Thanks, Lucy. It's not that we don't love being connected, but it would be nice to know that the feelings we're having are actually our own."

Lucy nodded. "I'll shut it down as soon as I can, promise." She smiled across at Lilith before her eyes drifted to her brother, waiting for another of his comments.