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Pushing thoughts of Gavyn aside, I showered and brushed my teeth, changed into my floral pajamas and slipped under the comforter. Sleep,
however, eluded me. I stared into the dark, my mind reliving every moment of this evening.
Bran. No matter how hard I tried to keep thoughts of him at bay, he kept slipping past. Everything about him teased my senses. His gorgeous face
and sexy smile, his pine scent and the way I felt when he looked at me. Was this how it felt to have a crush on a guy? Should I listen to Grampa and
take a step back? After tonight s events, it seemed like the logical thing to do.
I closed my eyes and tried to find his psi energy.
Nothing.
The other Guardians were in communication. What were they discussing? Shared anecdotes? Should I contact them and ask them more on what
they knew about demons and their ways? No, not a good idea. Besides, anything to do with Bran was too personal to share. And despite being a
Guardian, I didn t feel like I belonged yet. I pulled the comforter to my chin and tried to go to sleep.
I was still battling insomnia when I heard,  Lil?
Bran. My eyes popped open and for a disoriented moment, I sat up and looked around my bedroom for him. Then I realized he d telepathed me. I
dropped back on my bed, closed my eyes and located his psi energy, every cell in my body humming. He seemed so close, like he was here in the
valley. Should I answer him or pretend to be asleep? Grampa s warning resounded in my head. Dang, this was the hardest decision ever.
I know you can hear me, Sunshine.
Sunshine did it for me. I liked that he had a special name for me. Hey.
Are you awake?
No, I m sound asleep, and you re hearing voices in your head.
He laughed. Did your Grampa give you a hard time?
Not really. What did Aunt Janelle want?
Nothing I couldn t handle. She s pretty cool.
Yeah, she s amazing.
Are you ready for tomorrow?
I frowned. Tomorrow?
Your first day of training.
Oh crap. Hadn t thought about it, but thanks for reminding me. Now I won t sleep.
Want me to sing to you?
In that sexy voice, sleep would be the last thing on my mind. Just listening to him now energized me. Can you sing?
Like an angel.
I giggled. Ironic.
He chuckled. I know. I ll let you go to sleep. Just wanted to say goodnight.
I bit my lower lip and tried to hold back my next words. The battle was over before it even began. Will I see you tomorrow?
Maybe.
Quit teasing.
He laughed. I ll be around. Sweet dreams, Sunshine.
I curled under the comforter, my heart singing a happy tune. I doubted my dreams would be sweet after my conversation with Bran.
9. THE DOJO
 You re glowing, Kylie said the next morning.
After Bran starred in my dreams, I wasn t surprised.  I don t know what you re talking about. I fixed my gaze on the road, focused on my driving.
Once again I had the truck. Grampa came home in the early morning and was still asleep.
 I saw you and Bran by the truck, then you disappeared inside your trailer. Did he kiss you?
No, but I wanted him to. My cheeks warmed.  Just because you and Cade make out all the time doesn t mean we re like that.
 So you kissed him?
 No.
Kylie laughed, but she quit teasing me and started talking about online teen social groups. Teen online groups were never my thing and so I only
half listened to her. I had a lot more pressing things to stress about. Topping the list was Bran and my soon-to-be only after school activity training
to be a killer. In the past, I d mixed my martial art lessons with gymnastics and swimming. From today, it would be train, train, train.
Kylie and I went our separate ways when we got to school. McKenzie reserved a seat for me in algebra. As soon as I sat down, she pounced.
 What happened yesterday? Why did you defect to Kim s table?
This time I couldn t get away with just saying Grampa signed me up for martial arts at C12 Dojo and I had to discuss schedule details with Kim and
her friends. McKenzie wanted details. Why C12? How long have I been training? Did I ever attend tournaments or win anything? Would I be sitting
at Kim s table at lunch?
 Of course not, I denied. On the inside I knew I d need help from the trainees if I wanted to learn more about Guardians and demons, which meant
hanging out with them from time to time.
The day dragged, the lessons appearing longer than yesterday. I tried to locate Bran in between classes and during lunch to no avail. Where was
he?
The trainees and their entourage walked in, and I gave them a mechanical wave when their gazes locked onto me. I received a nod from Remy, a
smile from Izzy, a wink from Sykes, and an eye-roll from Kim after she checked the humans I sat with.
I ignored her, but it dawned on me that I just referred to my non-Guardian friends as humans. I was human, too, dang it. Part human, anyway.
I pressed my fingers to my temples. Grampa lied to me. I could get sick even when I didn t overuse my powers. I had a headache, and my stomach
was in knots. My first day at the dojo loomed like a dark cloud. What if I hurt someone? My powers were so unpredictable.
Calm down, Lil. You know what happens when you lose it. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]