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Chapter 4
Sienna looked up at the two, tall good looking men. She knew that there was another reason Reese had been eyeballing her since last night. She had a feeling what they were, but she wanted confirmation and now she had it. Shiyan Knights. Damn. They read her like a book.
“So, you know what I am…whoop de doo. I’m not evil and I do what I do for a reason…to keep my friend safe. Why are Shiyan’s protecting us in the first place? We’re not of any importance,” Sienna asked.
“But Emory’s father is and because of that, so are you,” Reese stated.
“Dr. Nichols and my father are good friends and as you know, this is a major medical breakthrough. We want it to be distributed to the many that it affects. But you still haven’t answered our question. Why is a Lameira Protector posing as Emory’s best friend?” Kieran asked.
“I’m not posing. I am her best friend…and her protector. I have been her best friend since we were 7 years old. I’ve been her protector since we were 15. Nicollete, Emory’s mother, was killed when she was 14. Nicollete was also a doctor…she was a healer and she was half Lameira. If Midnight Brotherhood or any one else along those lines found out that Emory was Nicollete’s child, they would come for her, kill her, maybe make her do things for them. So that’s why she’s my charge,” Sienna stated.
“Emory’s mother was half Lameira?” Reese asked.
“Yes. We’re like you guys. We have a mandate that states that we have to mate with our own, but most Lameira’s don’t follow it and we’re not really reprimanded if we don’t, as long as we do our duty. Also, if we marry a normal human, we must keep that part of our life from them. Nicollete’s mother didn’t mate with a Lameira, so that’s why Nicollette was so special. We’re thinking her father was a Shiyan or maybe Millitant Clan….we’re not sure. Lameira’s have supernatural strength, speed and agility. We can’t read minds or anything like that, but if we join another clan that has other powers, sometimes we get those powers. Nicollete could heal, move things with her mind and she was extremely strong…very powerful. She died fighting against Midnight Brotherhood warriors who wanted her to work for them. Emory has no clue what her mother was or anything. She thinks her mother was killed by a drunk driver…that’s what the council decided to tell her and that’s what she believes,” Sienna stated. Kieran looked at her closely, reading her thoughts. She put on a cool front, but she was terribly worried about Emory. He knew a few Lameira’s, and he knew them to be honest and trustworthy, so he knew she wasn’t lying.
“Did Emory's father know about Emory's mother?” Reese asked.
“I don’t think so. You know how good we are at keeping secrets. I’m sure he didn’t know.,” Sienna answered
“Does Emory have any powers?” Kieran asked.
“Probably, but they’re latent because she doesn’t use them and the fact that she’s not…,” Sienna stopped.
“She’s not what. You know we could just find out. We’re all adults…come on,” Reese stated.
Sienna sighed. “The fact that she’s never been sexually active has helped keep most of her powers dormant. When female Lameira’s become sexually active, it’s like a floodgate opening. You become stronger, faster, your eyesight is sharper, as well as your hearing. She’s only been able to tap into the telepathy from her other heritage, as far as I know.”
Reese began to smile. “So, you’re saying that sex makes you stronger, more powerful?”
Sienna shook her head. All men were the same, no matter if they were normal human beings or those with supernatural powers...sex was all they thought about. “Yes.” Then, she walked over to a solid mahoghany desk, bent her knees, picked it up and held it over her head.
“This should answer your question regarding if I’ve had sex…I knew it was coming, and yes, I've had my share," she stated with a grin as Kieran and Reese stared at her.
“Damn…that’s hot,” Reese stated as he watched her put the desk back down like it was a cotton ball.
Kieran shook his head and began to question her again. “And you’re sure that Dr. Nichols has no powers…I mean he’s not Millitant Clan, Lameira, maybe Shiyan?” Kieran began to think about all of the medical breakthroughs that Dr. Nichols had discovered and wanted to make sure.
“Not to my knowledge,” Sienna stated.
“And why didn’t the Lameira Council just tell her father about her mother…I mean, at least to give him a heads up about his daughter?” Kieran asked.
Sienna looked at him like he was crazy. “We’re more low key than you guys, and her father is a normal human. If he was Lameira or something else, then it would have been okay to tell him, but the council did not want Emory to know about her powers because she didn’t know about her mother, so she was never trained. So, we had to keep it from her. Also, because her mother was so powerful, Em sometimes tells me that she moved something with her mind or she knows what people are going to say before they say it when she’s really focused. I just try to shrug it all off, because I’m not allowed to tell her the truth…you guys know how that is,” Sienna stated as they both shook their head.
“Unfortunately…so Emory has no idea…about any of this…,” Kieran stated and as soon as he did, he felt her. Now he knew why she could block him. She was half-Lameira.
“Yeah…I definitely have no idea what all this is about, but I want to know…everything…now!” Emory exclaimed from the door. Sienna caught Kieran’s eyes, then Reese’s, then Emory's, not wanting to have this conversation with her friend.
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“Em, it’s not what you think…,” Sienna stated as she walked towards her best friend.
“What do you mean it’s not what I think? All my life, I’ve had this feeling that something supernatural surrounded me and I knew that I had some kind of extrasensory perception. Everyone always shrugged me off or told me I was paranoid when I mentioned it, but now…I feel it and I know something’s wrong. What’s going on, See?” Emory asked.
Sienna watched Emory as she sank into the chair next to hers. Sienna sighed. She knew she would be reprimanded for this, but she always wanted to tell her friend the truth. And now, since Emory knew something was going on, Sienna just let all of the information that had been withheld from Emory her whole life escape from her lips. She told Emory about why they were there and about who Kieran and Reese was as well as the truth about her mother.
Emory just sat, her face void of expression as she listened to Sienna tell her about her mother, what she was, how she really died…everything that had been kept from her. A half an hour later, Emory just sat there, not speaking or moving.
“Can all of you please leave?” Emory said just staring straight ahead.
“Em, I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I couldn’t,” Sienna said.
“Whatever. I just need to be alone, See…to think about all of this,” Emory said as she stared ahead.
“Let’s give her some time,” Kieran said as he watched Emory’s face. He didn’t know why, but it tugged at his heart to see her process the information that Sienna just gave her. Tears were rolling down her face and she looked so lost. Sienna walked out of the room, along with Kieran and Reese. Sienna put her hands on her hips, held her head back and sighed.
“That was so hard,” Sienna said.
“I’m sure it was. How do you think she feels?” Kieran asked as Sienna turned her head to him.
“Like she doesn’t know where she belongs…like she doesn’t know who she is,” Sienna said as she sighed. Kieran and Reese both sensed the love that Sienna had for Emory and her despair at not being able to help her.
“Maybe I should go back in there and talk to her,” Sienna said as she began to open the door, but Kieran stopped her.
“You need to respect her wishes and let her work through this. She needs a little time, Sienna. This was quite shocking to her,” Kieran stated as Sienna nodded her head in agreement.
“I know, but I just want her to know that I didn’t mean any of this and I’m here for her,” Sienna said. Kieran put his hand comfortingly on Sienna’s shoulder.
“She knows that Sienna, but she’s hurting right now. Just let her be for awhile,” Kieran stated as Sienna sighed again, looking at the door.
“You’re right. I’ll leave her alone. Hey, is there a gym or something in this place? I need to let off a little steam,” Sienna said.
Reese looked at Kieran then spoke. “Yeah, there’s a gym in the west wing. If you want to go, I’ll wait for you to change and go with you.”
“Thanks. Um, I’m just going to go change and I'll meet you back down here,” Sienna said as she glanced at the door once more before walking down the hall. Reese watched her walk away and looked at Kieran.
“They’re really close, huh?” Reese asked.
“So it seems. But Emory…what she’s going through…I feel for her. I mean, going through your whole life not knowing about your mother’s real life or your powers that people told you didn’t exist. It had to be hard,” Kieran said.
“Yeah. Uh, Key, I don’t mean to go there, but am I picking up a little bit more than general compassion and empathy regarding Emory?” Reese inquired.
Kieran stared at his friend and sighed. “I don’t know, Reese. Maybe. I’m just…I feel a connection to her. I don’t know why, but I do and I know I shouldn’t.”
Reese grinned. “Well, if you’re going to feel “connected” to someone, she definitely fits the bill.”
Kieran ran his hand over his head. “I’m not talking about sex, Reese.”
Reese clapped his hand over his good friend’s shoulder. “Sure you’re not. I mean, you haven't had it in what, almost two years..."
"Hey, I've been extremely busy," Kieran said, defending himself.
"Hey, I never get that busy. Sure, Key...you're not thinking about sex with that beautiful woman who you feel you have a connection with? Yeah...right. Listen, I’m going to change into my workout gear. Shouldn’t you check in with the old men?”
“Yeah. Just keep Sienna away from Emory for awhile. Keep her occupied,” Kieran stated as Reese smiled.
“With pleasure. And Kieran?” Reese asked.
"Yeah?" Kieran asked.
"Remember...she's just an assignment," Reese said.
"I know that, Reese," Kieran said, blocking his thoughts that said otherwise from Reese.
"See you later," Reese stated as Kieran watched him walk away. Kieran sighed once more and walked towards another room in the house and contacted his father.
“Father, it’s Kieran. Yes, they’re safe and they’re secure. We ran into a little trouble with some Midnight Brotherhood and Brangas when we were retrieving them, but we cloaked our vehicle, so no one tracked us. Yes, they’re fine, but I have to discuss something with you and it concerns Emory and her friend Sienna. It’s something that her father has no clue about. Yes, I’m certain. Alright. Yes, father. I will. I will tell you everything when you call again. Yes sir, I will. Goodbye,” Kieran said as he sat down. He turned the computer on that was in front of him and began to think about who Nicollette Nichols birth father could have been. He had a feeling it was a Shiyan, so he began to look for any departures from the order through their database during the year that Nicollete was born. He may not find what he was looking for, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.
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An hour later, Sienna was punching the heavy bag that Reese held furiously and with such power, Reese fell back when she landed a good right jab to the middle of the heavy bag.
“Damn woman...you're strong,” he said as she stood back as he stood up and stood behind the bag again. Reese’s eyes glanced over her toned, brown legs in the short black lycra shorts with a white sports bra. The woman was short, but she had an incredible body.
“Yeah, I thought you saw that earlier. Hey, I’m tired of hitting the bag. You got any swords?” Sienna asked as she stepped away from the bag and stared at Reese. He was hot, she thought and any other time, she would be trying to get him in the sack, but she had to focus on her friend. She realized she didn’t block her thoughts and saw the way he smiled at her.
“Yeah, we’ve got swords. Um Lechea, Dinali, Carnado, Shenga,” he said as he stepped in front of her and helped her take off the boxing gloves. After he helped her remove them, she cracked her knuckles.
“Um…Dinali or Shenga is close to our Ajama sword, so that’s fine. Besides, I’m skilled in both of them. You mind sparring with me?” she asked. Reese grinned as he walked over to a wall and opened it. It displayed about 50 swords and he pulled out a Lechea and a Shenga sword. He walked back over to the pretty woman and gave her the Shenga. She held it up, felt the weight, and smiled.
“This is beautiful,” she said.
“Yeah, it sure is,” he said not really referring to the sword, staring at Sienna Michaelson.
“Whatever you’re thinking, Reese, it ain’t gonna happen,” Sienna replied as she got a feel for the sword.
“I thought you said you can’t read minds?” Reese asked as he watched her. She was very graceful and she knew exactly what she was doing with that sword.
“I’m a woman. I know men. And I don’t have to read minds to know what you were thinking,” she said. Reese smiled.
“Well, you didn’t block your thoughts so thanks for the compliment and trust me, you wouldn’t have to try at all to get me in bed. Just say the word,” Reese said as she grinned.
“Down boy,” she replied, taking in his body. He had on a black lycra sleeveless shirt and baggy black shorts, looking sexy as hell. She looked at his bare right arm which was clad with Shiyan tattoos. They were beautiful and she let him know that she liked them.
“Nice ink,” she said as she continued to warm up with the sword.
“Thanks,” he said with a grin as he weighted the sword in his hand. He sliced it through the air a few times as Sienna watched.
“You ready?” Sienna asked as she got into a Jodan hamni stance, where the sword points straight up.
Reese grinned and chose the Gedan hamni stance, where the sword is lowered. “Whenever you are,” and Sienna struck first. They began to spar and Sienna loved the adrenaline rush.
Reese just loved to see a gorgeous woman who could fight and handle a sword as well as he could. It turned him on majorly.
“Wow…you’re really good,” he said as she blocked his side attack and spun, then smiled brightly at him.
“Thank you. But my specialty is short blades and daggers. Preferably Jakaya daggers. Those are my favorite,” Sienna said as she blocked a direct attack.
“Yeah…I could see that earlier,” he said as they continued to spar.
Then Sienna picked up the pace and said, “Hey…is that all you got?”
Reese smiled and said, ”You want more?” he asked.
"Yeah...make it interesting. Make me work," she said as he laughed and returned her strikes against her blade just as quickly as she did.
"You got it," he said as they both stopped talking and just let the adrenaline take over and sparred more intensely.
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It had been several hours that Emory just sat in that room and thought about what was told to her. Sienna, her best friend had supernatural powers and apparently, so did she. Her father had no clue and her mother was a great warrior and a healer. Emory stood up and paced the room. She knew she couldn’t hold a grudge against Sienna. Sienna was like her sister and she loved her. She knew what Sienna spoke was the truth, but she just needed time alone.
As Emory's thoughts volleyed back and forth through her head, she heard a knock at the door and sensed it was one of the Shiyans.
“Yes?” she answered.
“I came to check on you…to see if you were okay,” the voice said. It was Kieran.
“Yes. You can come in,” she said as she watched the gorgeous man walk in with a mug.
Kieran walked over to her and smiled. Her face was stained with tears, but she was still beautiful. Stop thinking about that, Kieran, he said to himself as he mentally blocked his thought as quickly as it came into his head.
“I thought you might need this. It’s chamomile,” he said as held the mug out to her.
“Thank you,” she replied as she took the mug from his hand. Her fingers met his and they both felt a jolt of electricity shoot through them. They looked at each other, then laughed.
“That was weird,” she said.
“You’re not kidding,” he said as he watched her sit down once more. He sat next to her and watched her sip the tea.
“This is good. Thank you again,” she said.
“You’re welcome. For what it’s worth, I know that I can’t say that I know how you feel, but I understand that it must be difficult to wrap your head around all of the things you just learned,” he said as Emory looked over at him. His eyes were so beautiful, so sincere, she thought as she stared at him. She pulled her eyes away and resumed sipping her tea.
“Yeah, it is. I’m so confused. I mean, I really don’t know what to do. Do I become this person that I’m supposed to be or do I just continue going on as Emory Nichols, university career counselor? This is unreal,” she said as he looked at her.
“I know it is, but the quicker you accept what you are, the better off you’ll be. It’ll make it easier to adapt to everything that you’ve learned,” he said.
“That’s easier said than done,” she said.
“I know it is,” he said and they stared at each other. It was something about him that made her trust him, made her feel safe. She felt close to him, and she didn’t know why. His eyes were too beautiful, she thought as she stared at him.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“At one of our safe houses in Florida. It’s actually one of Reese’s family houses,” he said.
“Well, from what I’ve seen, it’s beautiful,” Emory replied.
“Yes, it is. You should go outside and see the gardens. I think you would like that,” Kieran replied, unable to tear his gaze away from her beautiful face.
“I’ll do that. I know I didn’t get to tell you earlier, but thank you for saving our lives,” Emory said as Kieran nodded his head and smiled.
“You’re welcome, but I think Sienna and her quick reflexes helped as well,” he replied.
“Maybe,” Emory stated as they continued to stare at one another. Emory was the first to pull her eyes away.
“I think I’m going to take a nap. I’m drained,” Emory replied as she stood up with Kieran standing with her.
“I understand,” he said. She went to put the mug on the mahoghany table in front of her, but Kieran pulled it from her hands and that jolt was felt by both again. Emory blushed and laughed as Kieran smiled at her.
“We’ve got to stop doing that,” she said.
“Yeah,” he said as he looked down into her eyes. He didn’t know why he felt so drawn to her, so comfortable in her presence. It was frightening how much he liked being near her.
Emory was thinking the same thing, and moved away. “Well, I’ll see you later.”
“Alright. Dinner is at 7pm on this floor, in the dining room,” Kieran said. You idiot. Where do you think she would think dinner was? In the bathroom?
“Okay. Bye,” she said as she hurriedly walked out of the room and quickly walked up the stairs.
“What the hell was that? What’s going on with me?” Kieran asked as he stared at the closed door, wondering why being in Emory’s presence seemed to make him feel wonderful.