A Spell of Hate

Don't Say That Word

"Too?" I shoot him an annoyed look. "You just said you didn't—"

"--remember saying something like that. I've thought about it a lot in my dream-memories though." His eyes darken with desire as he looks down at me, "I've dreamed about a lot of things."

"Maybe you should show me those things," I challenge, heart racing, body tingling with awareness.

Fear replaces his desire, as quick as a switch being flipped. He pulls away, and I nearly choke on the nausea he's feeling.

"Cal?" I call, reaching for him.

"Well, that's a lot of jumbled emotions. What's up with you two?"

Cal and I both jump back and spin towards the speaker—Jackie.

"Nothing," Cal says harshly.

Jackie doesn't flinch, doesn't even blink at his vehement answer. Instead, she stares at him, seeming to read him for a moment. If she was a Vampire, I would think she was using her power on him; as it is, I don't see even a tiny strand of power coming from her. Still, somehow, she seems to learn something.

"You're afraid of being intimate with her," Jackie murmurs. "You're afraid it will... end up like last time...what happened last time?"

Cal's eyes grow large and frightened, and he begins to back away from his father's girlfriend. "What are you?"

"A shrink," Jackie says offhandedly, turning her attention to me. "And you... you're afraid you won't be able to go through with anything because of your past."

I shrug. Anybody could have guessed that about a rescued Vampire.

Jackie studies us for a moment. I somehow manage to look half-bored while not laughing at Cal... who has half-hidden himself behind a rack of jeans, as if denim is the one thing that could protect him from Jackie's weird powers of observation.

A smile flickers over Jackie's face, and she winks at me. "That is funny."

My mouth drops open, and I stare at her, realization making my stomach churn, "You're really reading us, aren't you? How?"

"Not important. Look, I know it's kind of against the grain to encourage teenagers to have sex, but with the two of you... you've not even kissed yet, have you?"

Cal and I both look away, and I can feel the same unease from him as what's drifting through my own body.

"I'm not trying to make things awkward. I just think this is something you two need to confront directly. As Mates, you'll have to sooner or later... and if it's later, it could drive a wedge between you."

Cal looks like he wants to melt into the floor, and I feel a spark of anger knowing this woman is making him feel so uncomfortable.

"Look, Jackie," I say a bit more harshly than I meant, "that's our business, not yours."

She studies me for a moment more, but I hold her gaze, promising bodily harm if she keeps harassing Cal.

"I'll let it drop," she finally says, "but you do need to address it together. He's afraid he won't be able to please you. You're afraid you won't be able to be in the moment without falling back into your past. I think your past is where the solution is. Both of you frequently think about you dominating him, sexually and otherwise."

We stare at her in horrified shock for a long, long moment before I blurt, "How are you doing that?! You're literally reading our thoughts!"

She looks away and gives a half-hearted shrug, "I'm not really sure. I'm supposed to be a Blank, but I always Know things, Hear them, as if people are speaking out loud."