Griffin rose from his chair in disbelief. He strode around to Kayden and lifted his face. He called his name and gently slapped him to get his attention. It didn't work. "Release him, please," Griffin requested politely.
Kayden then continued, as if he had never stopped, "Italian cold cut sub with chips and cream soda. Hey, how did I get on the floor?" He jumped up, embarrassed.
Ignoring Kayden, Griffin watched in bemusement. "Is there anything else you would like to share?"
Without moving her lips, she spoke to him telepathically, "Is this normal? I have the most trouble with answering people's thoughts and unintentionally letting them hear mine. It kind of comes and goes, but mostly I get pictures instead of words."
Shaking his head in astonishment, he replied verbally, "It's more common than your other abilities. To block your thoughts, you should imagine building a wall around your mind, or maybe locking your thoughts behind a door. It will take practice, but it will help."
Kayden looked back and forth between her and Griffin. "What am I missing here?"
Griffin continued to ignore him. "I wish I had more information about your family. These things are usually hereditary."
The conversation was heading in a direction she wasn't going to go. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Vaughn? I have an appointment this evening, and it takes me several hours to get there, so I need to get going." Dani went for the door, when it shut, untouched, in front of her. She turned and eyed Griffin.
"There's a problem we need to discuss, Ms. Scott. You are a very talented young lady, who has already been identified by whomever is kidnapping our youth. We have already lost a talented young male. Two females were abused and returned, and we are now missing two others. It's not safe for you to be roaming around alone. Particularly since your attacker promised to return for you."
"I'm not a member of your youth and will not be hiding in a corner from anyone. As I'm sure you've noticed, I was completely capable of defending myself."
Griffin came quickly toward her, his hand out as if he might grab her. "A young lady of your talents in the wrong hands-"
"Stop!" Danielle halted him with one word and a frantic need to escape his attempt to control her.
Both Griffin and Kayden froze, and she left the room quickly, hoping she would be able to hold them long enough for her to get off the property. She had no idea how far she could go before her ability gave way. On the way out, she passed the boy, J. R., as Kayden had called him. They smiled at each other, and he followed her to the door, working a handheld video game. He smiled and waved as she jumped in her car. Even in her hurry, she couldn't help waving back at the boy's sweet face and dark-blue eyes peering at her from under long, dark lashes. He was her brother. There was no questioning the resemblance, and she felt a connection to the boy.
Dani shook herself. She had to get out of there. Her heart hammered when she pulled up to the security gate. She smiled at the guard who had admitted her and Kayden earlier. He gave a flirty wink and opened the gate for her to exit. She was safely a few blocks away before she thought to release her hold on the men she'd frozen. She didn't even know if it was still in effect from that distance.
Dani drove a few miles in the wrong direction, nervously checking her rearview mirror to be sure Kayden or the security guard weren't following her before she finally hopped on the freeway and headed toward home. She extracted her cell from deep in her jacket to call her mom, who had a lot of explaining to do.
Griffin snapped out of Danielle's trance, confused at first and then pissed off. He and Kayden began searching for her immediately. She had just been there. Then she disappeared.
J. R. was playing in the entry hall when Griffin rushed in and quickly scanned the area. "Who ya looking for, Daddy?" he asked with a grin.
"I'm looking for Danielle, the girl who came in with Kayden. Have you seen her?" Griffin ruffled his son's hair.
"Do you mean the really pretty girl that looks like you, Daddy?" J. R. managed to look away from his game.
Kayden and Griffin looked at each other. Griffin thought what he saw in Danielle had been his imagination. He looked at Kayden for a reaction.
"It's probably just the hair, Mr. Vaughn," Kayden added.
"Yes, that girl." Griffin sighed. "Did you see her?"
"She left a little while ago. I walked to the door with her. I like her, Daddy. She's pretty and she smells really good. Will she be back?" J.R. returned his attention to the game.
"Hopefully she will be back very soon." Griffin ran into the study and grabbed the phone to call the gatehouse. She couldn't have gotten far. When the guard answered, Griffin said, "Stop the girl who's on the way out. She needs to come back to the house."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Vaughn. A girl left about fifteen minutes ago. Is there another girl on the way out?" the guard asked.
"No, never mind." Griffin hung up the phone and went back into the hall shaking his head, irritated but impressed. "She left fifteen minutes ago. I can't believe she was able to use her power on me, an adult vampire. I thought it was funny when she did it to you, but I figured it was because you're young. I have been shielding my mind for years." Griffin had this intense feeling of foreboding he couldn't comprehend. He had become a hard-edged man after the loss of his first family. He didn't take to new people, and he only really cared for his immediate family.
As soon as Griffin was sure the girl was gone, something began to turn in his gut. He knew it was his duty to look after the talented girl in that dangerous time, especially since she had no family. But it was more than that. He felt the need to protect her, to shelter her. The last time he had that feeling was a long time ago, in a dark alley when those pale eyes stared up at him from that same petite frame. That must be what was tweaking his nerves. Those eyes had reminded him of a lost dream.
"What do you mean, when she did it to me?" Apparently Kayden didn't see the humor.
"How exactly did you think you ended up sitting on the floor facing the wrong direction in my office?" Griffin smiled in spite of himself.
"She did that to me? Damn, I should have known. I saw her do it before." Kayden scratched his head. "What should I do now? Do you want me to go check the school?"
"No, she said she was going to an appointment several hours away. Do you have any idea where she was going?" Griffin asked.
"She didn't tell me, but I am going to search for her. I assume that you want her to be protected now."
"I think it's very dangerous for her out there alone. It's also dangerous for us if she ends up in enemy hands. She was able to enthrall both of us at once and hold it for fifteen minutes. She also has telekinesis and telepathy. If there really is someone after talented youth, she would be a target." Griffin scowled and tried to beat back the anxiety tightening his chest.
"I would like to be her guardian, Mr. Vaughn. She's a friend of mine, and I won't stand out in her circle. It will be more comfortable for her to have me nearby than a stranger," Kayden explained.
"That's right. Your father called me earlier and requested I put you on the job, if necessary. Congratulations on your entrance into the warrior class. I know your father is very proud. You'll be a fine warrior, maybe even a Wrath guard one day.
"This is an important assignment, Kayden, more so than I believed when I spoke to your father, but I always defer to Gage's judgment in these cases. I know you've been training with Gage your whole life, so I believe you're up to the task. I just hope you can keep up with her. But first things first, we're going to need to find her. You will need to practice guarding your mind. She could be slippery." Griffin was still in disbelief at how easy it was for her to walk out and disappear without a trace.
It was a long ride home. Dani worried about Kayden and Griffin. She hoped they weren't still frozen in the study. She pulled up to the curb in front of her house and fished out her cell to call Kayden. She understood the reason behind them wanting to protect her, but she wouldn't be hiding while they dealt with the situation. She wasn't a part of their world and had no plans to join the black-eyed freak club.
"Hello?" Kayden answered.
"Hey, Kayden, it's Dani. Are you guys okay?" she asked sheepishly. She was waiting for him to yell at her, but he didn't. He was kind, even playful.
"Yeah, that's a neat trick you played on us. We're fine, but I wish you had waited for me. I could have gone with you, wherever you needed to go. When will you be back?"
"Sunday afternoon. I'm sorry about what I did, but I have some personal issues that couldn't wait. Mr. Vaughn is kind to want to protect me, but I'm really not one of his people."