Caleb took the seat directly across from his mate, while Freya and Elina down beside him. Dayton had been called away earlier by Rafe, but he’d sent Elina home to ensure there was someone who may be able to temper his mate’s exuberance, should anything untoward happen. Not that he had been expecting it, but he had felt better being away knowing their daughter was on hand.
“I have to first perform a spell on the book so you can read it,” Rhianna announced, more for Reasa’s benefit than anyone else’s. She didn’t want the girl to become concerned at the use of magic after the last time. Reasa tensed beside her, but remained silent.
Incanting quietly, there appeared a faint breeze on the air; the foreign words in the book shimmered for a brief moment and then cleared just as quickly. The script remained ornate, but the language was now clearly legible. All in the room were silent, until Rhianna began to speak once more…
“Herein these chronicles lies a knowledge so powerful it is for Royal eyes only, or one who carries the mark of the order of The Dream Walkers. Any being found in possession of this book, without Royal consent, will be summarily executed with no recourse to trial by his or her peers.”
“Suitably chilling,” Freya remarked drolly, amusement on her face. “I presume all here present have Royal consent?”
“I wouldn’t have translated the book otherwise,” Rhianna remarked dryly, though her tone was equally as amused. The tension level in the room was high, and it reduced a bit with the light banter between them.
“I’m not going to read the whole thing out aloud. The main points will suffice as a general overview.” Rhianna reached for her coffee and took a sip before continuing, ensuring she had everyone’s attention.
“Liam’s ability, the one he shares with Reasa and possibly others to a lesser degree, was once a dedicated power used under Royal decree. Apparently, when Anakatrine ruled, vampires used their minds to consolidate their powerbases, as opposed to sheer brawn. I don’t need to point out to anyone that we’ve clearly stopped using any inherent mental abilities we once had. I did want to read out another passage from the book, as it’s pertinent to the reason why we’re here.”
Rhianna didn’t wait for any questions. She found the passage she was looking for and began to read…
“Dream Walker elect, you read these words now as you have mastered the art of shielding your mind from all extraneous emotions. You can pick out individual minds and focus solely on any individual you so choose. You are now attuned enough to be able to use your gift to either heal or destroy as commanded. This gift should never been taken lightly, Dream Walker elect. Great thought must always be undertaken before the decision to Dream Walk is taken, for you may do more harm than any good you intend. You have the power to irrevocably destroy a mind unintentionally and this book is designed to show you how best to avoid this.”
Raising her head, her eyes met her mate’s and she gave him a small smile. “I believe you used this ability without realising it when Demetri asked you to alter his memories all those years ago, Caleb.”
Her smile widened as his mouth dropped open and he stared at her in shock. “That never crossed my mind, Annie, not even when we found the book. Now that you come to mention it, you may have a point. Do you think that means Callain was one of these Dream Walkers?”
“Most probably. You can ask him the next time you talk to him.” Rhianna’s gaze turned to the two empaths, her expression serious. “You should always heed this warning. Reasa, I know you have more experience and we need that experience to temper Liam’s substantial strength. You have already helped him immeasurably by showing him stronger shields, but for what we now need, Liam has to be able to safely focus his full.”
The Varcolac frowned at her before he raked a hand through his auburn hair. Uncertainty crossed his face, followed by a flicker of fear. “I don’t understand, Annie. You want me to use my powers? You’ve seen what happens when I lose control. I know about what happened up at the Praetorian Compound. I know the damage I’ve caused. You can’t seriously want to unleash my power?”
Rhianna’s heart twisted at the pain in his voice and she automatically reached out a comforting hand to soothe him. “We didn’t know what we were dealing with then, Liam. If I had known, then maybe things would have played out differently. They didn’t and we are left with trying to find a way to repair the damage. You can feel how much better control you have already. With Reasa’s tuition and studying this book, I believe we have that chance now. You just need to have some faith in yourself.”
She turned her attention back to the former vampire, who was watching them both with an intent expression. “We all bear a responsibility for what happened up at the Praetorian Compound. I know you grieve for the minds that were damaged that day, adopting their pain in addition to your own. I can’t return your immortality to you, Reasa. I don’t know if I would, even if I could. What I can give you is something to work towards, though. Teach Liam the control he needs, and together learn to dream walk. Maybe, just maybe, you will be able to heal the minds lost to us, the minds of your former people.”
Reasa stared at her mutely for a long moment before turning to look at the male who was watching her with a pensive expression. She could see fear lurking in his deep brown eyes, as well as a longing so intense, she could almost feel his hands stroking her skin.
What Rhianna had told her at the time seemed so outlandish, but everything before her eyes was adding weight to it being true. Was it really a reincarnated vampire queen who had stripped her of her immortality? Was there some way she could earn it back if she did what they wanted? Could she teach Liam what he needed to know and if she did, what danger would it put her in?