Natalia hesitated for a second and then nodded her agreement. The dark-haired male appeared beside them almost instantly. She fought to hide a smile that threatened to escape her. He really didn’t like being away from Mila at all. She was surprised that they were not already mated. Perhaps one day she would discover that held the two of them apart, when it was so clear to see that they loved each other. Today wasn’t that day though, she needed information about her gifts.
“How can I help you, Tali?” Dante spoke in a calm, sincere tone that screamed out she could trust him. Oddly enough, she did trust both Mila and Dante even though she barely knew them.
“Mila said you see auras as a colour?”
He nodded. “You’re aura is pale mauve, Mila’s is sunflower yellow. Kothari is red and Dara is sky blue. I could go on listing everyone, but I think the ones I’ve already listed explains what I see.”
Natalia frowned, confusion colouring her expression. “Since we arrived here I’ve started to notice… I don’t know how best to explain it, it’s sort of like shadows around everyone. However, they’re not coloured as you’ve just described. Everyone was sort of a shimmering silver… not all over and all the time… just every now and then when they tilt their head expressively. I thought maybe I was seeing auras, but it doesn’t sound like what you see, Dante.”
He agreed, looking at Mila for her thoughts.
“I’ve never heard of anything like that before,” the vampire said, her own expression perplexed. “It’s definitely not aura viewing. At a guess, I would say it sounds more like you’re seeing some kind of mental energy surrounding people. Why haven’t you said anything and what made you mention it now Tali?”
Natalia sighed, took her glasses off, and began cleaning them. “At first I thought I was imagining it, then when I realised that I wasn’t I started to look more closely at everyone. I probably wouldn’t have mentioned it for a while yet but then I noticed someone’s shadow had changed.”
Dante was immediately alert, shifting his position slightly so that both Mila and Tali were obstructed from view by the rest of the group. “What do you mean changed?”
Natalia slipped her glasses back on. “The blonde female vampire in Louis’ group doesn’t have a silvery shadow any more. It’s turned black and it’s there all of the time.”
It didn’t seem possible that Dante could become any more alert, and yet his body stiffened further, and his voice was barely audible the next time he spoke. “Don’t mention what you’ve just told us to anyone else until I’ve had a chance to check it out. If you notice anyone else change to black, let me know immediately.”
His gaze shifted to Mila “Take Tali back to the others and keep her as close to Agony as possible without it looking suspicious. I need to talk to Dara.”
“Dante?”
He ran a hand down Mila’s cheek bending in close to her ear. “I need to check something out. I don’t know if I’m right or not but as soon as I know, you will know. Just look after Tali for now. She may have just become the most important member of this mission.” Without another word, he turned away and headed over to find Dara.
Mila watched him go and then uttered a soft sigh. “Come on, Tali. I’ve learned to trust Dante’s strange feelings over the years. Let’s get back to the others. I’m sure we’ll find out what this is all about soon enough.”
Natalia wasn’t sure what was going on, but she wasn’t as adverse to the idea of staying close to Agony as she should have been. What that meant she didn’t really know. Her inbuilt radar appeared to have become accustomed to having him close. She followed Mila towards where he had last been seen, surprised to find that he wasn’t in the clearing anymore.
Mila appeared to be watching Dante as he spoke to Dara so Natalia walked a little way into the trees to see if she could find Agony. She sensed that she was going in the right direction, her once erratic abilities becoming more honed the longer she was around the Varcolac. It was as if their presence had somehow enhanced and sharpened her abilities. While the changes were a bit disconcerting, they also gave her a sense of being strong enough to compete with all the lethal beings surrounding her. Perhaps Mila had been right when she said that Natalia was needed for the success of the mission. Dante seemed very interested in her new ability to sense shadows around the others. Maybe there were more new abilities that would become known?
As she mused about the changes, her thoughts turned to her mother. It was hard not to focus on what was happening stateside, if Agony’s alpha could save her from going rogue. The whole trip Natalia had been fighting the sense of hopelessness that threatened to overwhelm her every time she thought of her mother, and she couldn’t even bear to think of her father. When she thought of him, the pain was a deep ache inside. She knew it would be worse if her mother went rogue and had to be put down. She couldn’t even contemplate the anguish losing her mother would cause.
No, Natalia had to keep hoping that some miraculous feat would happen, and everything would be okay. She knew it was probably wishful thinking, but she couldn’t give up that small hope. If she did… then she had no idea what would become of her. She would have no parents and no real home. She didn’t even know if her Alpha would allow her to stay with the pack without her parents, she was just a human after all. Her mother had to be saved, and this crazy mission had to succeed. If she kept willing it then it had to happen. Everything was going to be okay… it had to be.
Natalia was startled out of her trance by a flash of movement up ahead, and she realized she had gone much farther than she had intended from the clearing. She felt a tiny shudder run down her spine as she scanned her surroundings. She ventured off alone in a perilous area, could she have been any more foolish? Who could have known what or who was lurking on the high, commanding mountainside? God forbid, they were looking for Agony’s kidnapped parents. Smart, smart, smart! Natalia was shocked by how careless she had been.