Page 121 of Blood that Burns
I didn’t miss the way that Reese’s face fell and back straightened at the mention of her aunt. I’m sure she doesn’t realize that I know her relationship to the witch and thank God for that. I’m still not sure if Reese can be trusted.
My mental shields are up and guarding me from her prying, all thanks to Law. She won’t glean anything from me tonight. No, it will be me who gets answers from her.
“Do you know anything about bird guardians? What they are? Why I have one? How to communicate with it?” Marina throws out question after question.
Reese’s pinched brows and straight thin lips make me wonder what’s going on in her head. “Highly unusual,” she murmurs. “Guardians are entities that do exactly what their name suggests. They guard. The most notable are assigned to earth witches by the coven leader.” She taps her chin, eyes raised to the ceiling. “But as far as I know, they don’t communicate. They mostly hang about to pick the eyes out of anyone who gets near their ward.”
“That’s... disturbing,” Addy says.
“The only other time I’ve heard of a guardian is through folklore,” Reese says, ignoring Addy’s distaste about the eye-gouging guardian. “I’d have to do some research, but let’s just assume that the folklore holds some modicum of truth. Then for you to communicate, you’d have to summon your guardian, which would simply include you concentrating and sending out a signal telepathically.”
“That sounds entirely too easy,” I murmur, and Reese grins.
“Most magical connections are much more simplistic than you’d think.”
“Okay, next question,” Marina says, charging forward like a bull. “Do you know anything about the blood bond?”
Reese chews on her bottom lip. “I know that it will tether the two bonded together for life, and that you’ll be able to share certain powers.”
“But what powers?” Marina presses.
Reese shrugs. “It depends on the host. The person who had the powers to begin with. In this case, Julian.”
“So I need to ask Julian what powers he possessed prior to us sharing blood? Because outside of the typical vampire traits, I don’t think he could do anything else, and I don’t feel all that different considering the change I supposedly went through.”
“Maybe through the bond those powers are unlocked?” Reese suggests. “I truly don’t know much about the bond. Nobody does.”
I’ve wondered why my bonds with Law seem to be stronger than Marina’s with Julian. They’re bonded, so why doesn’t she have more of these powers than I do? I can feel Law, yet she doesn’t seem able to feel Julian in the same way.
A knock on the door has all of our eyes scanning each other’s. We’re out at the back of the property in Julian’s house, which we’ve been assured is safe, but with the events of late, it’s no wonder we’re all jumpy.
“Is someone going to get the door?” I ask, and Addy shakes her head.
“You chickenshit. You’re a vampire,” Marina chides.
“So?” she squeaks. “That doesn’t mean I can’t be murdered.”
Reese rolls her eyes. “You’ve always been so damn dramatic.”
She stands, heading toward the door. She turns back to us. “If it’s Jason Voorhees, make sure you run.” She chuckles and Addie throws a pillow at her.
When the door swings open, Julian and Law are on the other side, laughing at whatever they were able to hear through the door.
“No worries, ladies. It’s just Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy, here to party.”
When Law pulls himself together and looks toward the door, his spine straightens. He’s not happy to see Reese, even though he knew she’d be here.
“Hello, Lawrence,” she croons.
Law’s eyes narrow just slightly. Not enough for anyone but me and Reese to notice. She smiles like a cat toying with a mouse.
“Julian, why on earth are you knocking on your own door?” Addy asks, while Reese steps aside, allowing the brothers to walk through.
“I gave it to you for the night. I thought it only appropriate that I at least knock to give you some time.”
“Time for what?” Marina asks, with a barely masked grin.
Julian rocks back on his heels, shrugging. “I don’t know, whatever it is you girls do when you’re all together. Time to hide the stuff you wouldn’t want guys to see.”