Once Forbidden(18)

“Devlin, I don’t understand,” she said irritably. “I am thinking of your kitchen, but I can’t make myself appear there!” Sarah was frustrated. She just couldn’t do this! “I can’t do it!” The lover of only hours before was now in the role of teacher, and she wanted to hit him!

Devlin glared at her and put his hands on his hips. “You can do it, Sarah. You’re not concentrating hard enough. Close your eyes again,” he ordered.

Sarah returned his glare with one of her own. “I might love you, Devlin, but I don’t like you very much right now!”

Devlin grinned at that. “Tough. Do what I said. Close your eyes.”

Sarah huffed out an irritated breath and closed her eyes. Instantly, she thought of taking a hammer to his thick skull, though—she was certain that wasn’t the image he wanted in her head.

“Damn it, Sarah!” he roared.

Sarah opened her eyes and gasped in horror. Devlin was holding a hammer in his hands. “What happened?”

“Instead of the kitchen, you thought of braining me?” he said incredulously.

Sarah suddenly giggled. She put her hands quickly to her mouth to stifle them, but her eyes were lit with humor. “I’m sorry,” she finally choked out between giggles.

Devlin sat the hammer down very carefully on the table. “Sarah, you can obviously do this—if you get a hammer to materialize.” She didn’t know it, but making objects materialize was a skill some older vampires he knew had never mastered.

Sarah stopped chuckling. “I really didn’t mean to hit you,” she said.

Devlin sighed. “I know, love. Strong emotion is needed for this exercise, though. Close your eyes again, love,” he said gently.

Sarah nodded and closed her eyes again. She heard his voice coming to her softly.

“Think of opening the refrigerator, Sarah. You want a soda—you want it more than anything in this world. Go get it.”

Sarah tried to concentrate, she really did. Where she really wanted to be, though, was back in his bed. She was tired of the teacher and wanted her lover back.

Devlin smiled when she disappeared before his eyes. He closed his own and went to the kitchen, but was surprised that she wasn’t there? “Sarah!”

“In here,” came the reply.

Devlin stalked into his room and put his hands on his hips. “Well?” he said, his brow rose in inquiry.

Sarah sighed. “I tried, Devlin. I thought about the silly kitchen, but then thought that I really wanted to be back in your bed.”

Devlin walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down next to her. “Well, at least you got to another room. Enough of that lesson for now. He brushed his fingers over her brow, rubbing the crease of irritation away. “This is important, love. I only want to make sure that you’re safe.”

“I know,” she grumbled. “But I didn’t think it would be so hard.”

“Only at first,” he assured her. “Then it gets easier.” He took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. “You’re doing well.”

Sarah frowned at that. “You’ve been yelling at me for hours.”

Devlin smiled and kissed her pouting lips. “No I haven’t—well, not much. I’m sure I only yelled when you tried to brain me with a hammer. Remind me never to make you truly angry with me,” he teased.

Sarah smiled at that. “All right. What’s next on the agenda?”

Devlin grew instantly serious. “I want to work on mind control for a little while. It’s one of the hardest things to master, but with the Hunters after you, it’s important. Let’s go back to the living room.”

With a nod, Sarah stood. Devlin was still grasping her hand and she smiled at him. “Are you sure I can learn all this?”

Devlin stood. “I’m sure. Think of the couch, and take me with you.”

Much to her surprise, in the next instant, they were both standing next to the couch again. “Did I do that, or did you?”

Devlin grinned. “You did.”

“I did?” she asked, not quite sure she believed him.

“You did,” he assured her. He sat down and tugged her onto this lap. “Now, let’s talk a few minutes.” Sarah nodded and he continued. “You know I can get into your mind. It’s how we shared your dreams.”

Sarah blushed. “Yes.”

“It’s easier to get into a mind than it is to block a thought. What I want to work on first is blocking. You have to be able to block your thoughts. Vampires can always sense when someone is trying to read them.”

“How do I block them?”

“Think of it as a shield. You want to put a shield around your mind.”