30. Brandon

30

brANDON

A vampire?

She didn't even have fangs.

What had gotten into her?

Was it a faulty translation?

Yeah, that must be the issue. There was no way Anumati had vampire mythology like Earth, given that a large portion of its population was the Kra-ell, who actually were vampires.

Was that what she was trying to tell him?

"I know that you are half Kra-ell, but you don't drink blood, so I assume something has gone wrong with the translation, and you meant something different. Can you tell me what you mean by a vampire?"

"A soul-sucker," she said, in a tone that implied he should have known that. "People that suck the life energy from others. "

Well, that was more or less what vampires were, except instead of energy, they sucked blood.

Evidently, Anumati had its own vampire mythology with a different twist.

"So, let me get this clear. You think that you are able to suck out the souls of others? Which souls have you devoured lately?"

He could barely say that without laughing or at least smiling, but it seemed that Morelle was dead serious about her ridiculous claim, so he had to tread carefully not to offend her.

She shook her head. "I don't suck souls. I suck out paranormal energy, which is how I power my telekinetic ability and probably my nullification ability as well. I draw power from others to fuel it. I'm a parasite." Her voice cracked on the last word.

Understanding dawned. This was what had been weighing on her, why she'd been evasive whenever anyone mentioned her incredible power. He'd thought it had been the trauma of Darius's near-death event, but it was for an entirely different reason.

"First of all, you need to stop thinking of yourself as a parasite. Secondly, how do you know that you sucked the energy from others? Did you feel it?"

Morelle wrapped her arms around herself, looking fragile and uncertain in the gathering darkness. "I'm not sure. Even before I realized what was about to happen, I felt like I was drawing on everyone's energy, but I hoped I was imagining it. But I must have felt that something terrible was about to happen and that's why I was doing it, or at least I hope that's the reason. It is better than the alternative of me just stealing energy from others for the fun of it. Then, when the crack became visible, and I could see what was coming, I pulled even harder on all those tendrils of energy, and I harnessed them all to fuel the telekinesis. Only later did it occur to me that I might have nullified the power of others, not by blocking it but by taking their energy away. The scariest part is that I don't know how I'm doing that or when. It just happens."

Brandon frowned. "You must have felt something when you thought you were blocking their talents from manifesting."

She'd blocked Toven, a god, and if she was correct about the siphoning of energy, that was a concern, but then if she had drawn on Annani's power to save Darius it was a good thing, and no one would object to that.

"I thought about blocking them or just making their abilities inactive, but I didn't feel like I was doing anything. It's a good thing that the effect was temporary, or I would be really panicking."

"Why panicking? It's not as big of a deal as you are making it out to be. There are much worse powers out there, compulsion being chief among them. A command issued with compulsion can block an immortal's paranormal ability even more effectively than your drain. You don't know to what extent it drains and for how long." He led Morelle to a bench and sat down with her. "I think in your mind you've built it up into a monster when it's just a small poltergeist."

She let out a breath. "Thank you for making me feel better about it, but I don't think it's such a minor thing. What if I drain Annani? Imagine the amount of power I could take from her and then channel it into something else." She snorted. "I might be able to lift the entire village and move it to a new location of Kian's choosing. At least that could be useful."

She was wandering into the absurd, which was fine if it helped her deal with this scary newfound ability.

"I should have told you sooner, but I was afraid." She avoided his eyes.

He took her hand. "Afraid of what?"

"That you would think I was a monster, a parasite, someone who should be locked up so she couldn't harm others."

Brandon understood why Morelle would think that, and he could even see some reacting to her power exactly as she'd described, but the facts were that she hadn't harmed anyone yet, and the only time she'd used a significant store of energy was to save the life of a child. She'd also depleted her own reserves to do that and was nearly comatose afterward.

Leaning over, he lifted her onto his lap and wrapped her in his arms. "You are a good person, Morelle. You used your ability for good and not for harm. You just need to figure out how to control it."

"What if I harmed someone in the process?" she murmured.

"Have you?" He stroked her back. "Has anyone shown signs of being harmed by the energy drain?"

She looked at him. "I don't know. Did you feel anything?"

"I was a little shaken, but that was because of the adrenaline rush."

"It could also have been because of the drain." She sighed. "Tomorrow, I'm supposed to meet with Amanda again, and I think that I should tell her."

"You should." He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. "You have an extraordinary gift, Morelle, and like any powerful ability, it needs to be understood and mastered. That's all."

"So, you are not afraid to be with me?"

The genuine anxiety in her voice tugged at his heartstrings. "Of course not. I'm impressed, and I'm honored to have such a powerful mate. Do you realize what potential applications this talent could have? "

She blinked up at him. "What?"

"Think about it." He kept stroking her back. "In a crisis situation, you could potentially redirect power where it's needed most. I don't know that you could, but it's a possibility. Imagine pulling some of Annani's power to fuel Cassandra so she could blow up an attacking aircraft. Your power is not parasitic—it's complimentary. You're a conduit and an enhancer and maybe even a little bit of a seer."

That was a stretch, and he didn't know whether Morelle could redirect the energy or just absorb it into herself, but she needed encouragement and a new way to think about her ability.

"I hadn't thought of it that way."

"Of course you haven't. You've been too busy catastrophizing." He smiled to soften the words. "Amanda can help you understand and develop this ability properly."

"I know, but I'm scared. What if she's not as understanding and supportive as you are?" She smiled, which was a great improvement over the worried looks she'd given him so far. "You are a little biased."

"So are Amanda, Annani, Kian, and the rest of your family. They all want what's best for you, and they will accept you the way you are. All of you—including the power-borrowing ability that you've dramatically labeled vampirism. "

Another reluctant smile tugged at her lips. "You're making fun of me."

"Only a little." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Please don't ever think that you have to hide parts of yourself from me. I want all of you—the good, the bad, and the complicated."

She chuckled. "You are too good to me."

"Not at all. I'm just the right amount of goodness."

As music from the wedding celebration drifted toward them on the evening breeze, Morelle leaned her head on his chest and sighed. "We should head back," she said, though she made no move to leave his embrace.

"In a minute." Brandon tightened his grip on her. "This feels too good to stop."

"I know. But we will be missed, and Annani might send a search party after us."

He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. "I'll just have to explain that I stole you away because I'm a selfish male and wanted you all to myself."

"That's a good explanation. I think she'll be okay with that."

"I'm sure she will." He pressed another kiss to her forehead. "You are absolutely adorable when you work yourself up over nothing."

"It wasn't over nothing, and I am not adorable," she protested. "I'm fierce and dangerous."

"Mmhmm." He pulled her close again. "Terrifying. A real monster. But you are my monster, and I'm not sharing."

She melted against him, and he felt the last of her tension drain away. "You are terrible."

"I know."