Page 58 of Deck the Skulls
“Never be sorry,” he murmured. “We are exactly where we need to be, and it only gets better from here.”
Anatoly felt Rissa’s joy through their link, matched only by his and Zan’s.
Chapter 19
Rissa
She couldn’t stop staring at the guys. They looked the same, but their auras were pulsing and shifting around them. Every time she tried to touch the auras; the light shifted around her hand.
“They’re so pretty,” she murmured, running a finger in the air between her and Zan.
“Thanks,” Zan said with a chuckle.
She slid her gaze to Anatoly. “Is this what you see all the time?”
“Yes,” he answered. “You’ll get used to it and soon learn what the different colors and patterns mean. Do you see the orange in Zan’s aura? That’s a common color for shifters, almost all of them have it. If the band of orange is thin, then they’re a shifter without a mate. That’s why Zan’s is extra wide, because he’s got two mates instead of one.”
“What about the yellow?” she asked.
“That’s friendliness,” Anatoly said. “I tend to see it with anyone who’s open, happy, and enthusiastic.”
“That’s interesting,” Zan said, looking between them. “I didn’t know any of that. What colors are Anatoly’s aura?”
“Shiny black near his skin, silver further away, and dark blue on the outside,” she answered.
“Most vampires are black,” he said. “The silver indicates I have a flock. The blue means I’m healthy and happy. If that blue was lighter, then I probably need blood or I’m feeling threatened. If you ever see black all the way through, don’t be scared. That’s what happens when we fight. It’s our inner magic pulsing out into our outer aura.”
“Wow, that’s so much more complex than I thought,” Zan said. “Now I’m a little jealous that I can’t see them.”
“Don’t be,” Anatoly said. “You feel auras when I can’t.”
Zan looked surprised. “I do?”
“You don’t consciously do it, but your ability to sense auras is blended in with your other senses. When you know someone’s sad, hungry, or struggling, it’s partly because you can feel it in their aura.”
“That’s cool!” Zan agreed, and Rissa felt a wave of happiness come to her through their link. She gasped and leaned over, letting the sensation flutter through her.
“Rissa, are you okay?” Zan asked, putting a hand on her back. When he touched her, she could feel his concern. The happiness was like butterflies under her skin. His concern was a gentle push, urging her to talk. No, the concern was coming from both of them.
It didn’t feel intrusive, but it was going to take time to get used to.
“You’re worried about me,” she said.
“Of course,” Zan said, and confusion swirled against her skin.
“I think she meant that she’s feeling your concern,” Anatoly said, taking her hand and gripping it in both of his. “In a fewdays, everything will calm down, but right now, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.”
“I like it,” she assured them. “But it’s a lot to have coming in all at once. I can feel love, joy, concern, and calculation.”
“Calculation?” Zan asked.
“From Anatoly,” she explained, then looked up to meet his eyes. “He’s doing all kinds of planning in his head about how to best keep us safe and happy. He’s even thinking about what building to donate to Equal Under the Law and who to hire to find out more about the foster dad that abused me.”
Anatoly gave her a startled look, then she felt something shift. It was as if he dropped a wall between them. She could tell he was there, but she wasn’t getting any more cohesive thoughts from him.
Tension left her shoulders and the headache that had been forming disappeared. “That’s better, thanks.”
“I didn’t think our link would be so clear this quickly,” Anatoly admitted. “It won’t be long before we’ll be able to talk through the link as easily as we’re speaking right now.”