Chapter Thirty-eight
I raised my eyes and searched his face, hoping for some kind of emotion to fall through his reserved façade. It was flat. “There are people – normal humans – in this world who can do the things I do,” I began. “They are rare souls, much like how Ashley is perfectly balanced. Nick is one of them. But in his case, he’s even more extraordinary.”
Ooh, wrong choice of words. Silas’ face shut down even more. I took in another deep breath and continued, “Nick is a Maven and a Reader. And he’s a chimera.”
If Silas knew what that meant, he showed no sign.
“A Maven can manipulate a person’s soul, but usually he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Others will assume that he’s naturally charismatic. A Reader can do just what it sounds like – search and read a person’s soul. The combination of a Reader and a Mave is what I can do. But in my knowledge, no human has ever been able to do both…until now.”
Silas pushed back into the dark leather cushions of the couch and crossed his arms. “Go on.”
“Nick can do both because he is a chameleon, that type of person that holds two genetic codes in his body. He was conceived as a twin, but somewhere during the early stages his mother’s pregnancy, one twin was absorbed by the other. That twin was born as Nick, a Maven and a Reader.”
“And this has to do with you…how?”
“I’m getting to that,” I said, nearly twisting my ring off my finger. “Remember when I told you all about my past – or at least what we were able to get to?”
He nodded impatiently.
I folded my hands together again and sighed. This was going to be a long story. “In 1884, I met a man named Harlan…” I said the words as swiftly as I could, leaving out no details, but in the end, even the whole narrative lasted into the next hour. Silas listened without interrupting.
“…Nick was only doing what he could to save his little sister,” I concluded. “It’s no different than what I did to be sitting here today. I can’t condemn him for something I had done myself.”
*****
He listened with a heavy heart. His legs began to cramp from tensing his muscles and staying put on his side of the coffee table. Even now, he wanted to take her in his arms and soothe away all her worries. Holy hell, he loved her!
She was protecting a man that manipulated her soul and seduced her against her will, and she did voluntarily. There was that selflessness again. Min embodied self-sacrifice. And that was the true reason he had to leave her. She couldn’t give herself to him yet. Her duties to Ashley and the other girls in her care came first in her mind.
And he loved her even more. But the nagging trust issue wouldn’t go away.
“Why did you not tell me any of this before?” he asked.
“I didn’t want you to worry,” she said quietly, staring at her feet. A faithful Min answer.
“You didn’t trust me,” he prodded.
She shook her head, “It was my problem—“
“You didn’t trust me,” he repeated louder.
“I do trust you,” she insisted. “I just didn’t think you would understand. You’ve been so jealous of every man that’s crossed my path lately and…”
A second of silence. “And?”
She closed her eyes and exhaled. “I didn’t trust you,” she finally admitted.
YOU ARE READING
The Summer of Bells: The Essences Saga - Book #2
General FictionIn this sequel to The House of Bells, Min Meyer is faced with another set of issues. A secret group, called The Watchers, are focusing on Min and her brood of girls. And Silas is determined to have as normal of a relationship with Min as is possib...
