“It ain’t that at all. I just can’t seem to wrap my brain around how powerful you are.”
“What? I’ve got a few cool tricks, but you’re stronger and Shane’s stronger, and everyone keeps saying that the weres are –”
“They’re a different kind of strong, and you are DEFINITELY more powerful than I am. Three of the Shadow Aspects? You’re not even three weeks old yet!”
“Sorry,” she muttered. She felt like she was being given a free pass . . . power she hadn’t earned that should go to others.
“Don’t be. I”m surprised, not upset.” He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to her feet, then checked out her hands. They were already as clear as if they’d never even been nibbled. “You’re amazing,” he murmured.
Suddenly, Shamira was uncomfortable again. Someone else should’ve gotten all this power, not her. Someone better suited to using it. All the excitement and adrenalin of the evening abandoned her, leaving her feeling hollow again.
Henry seemed oblivious to her mind’s about-face. “Well, your customers should be back around,” he said smoothly. “I think you should reward them for their persistence in case they do –” He stopped when he noticed that healthy sensuality that had been there earlier seemed to have vanished. “Shamira, you know that you need to tell me if you’re injured or –”
“I’m just feeling really drained,” she said softly. ‘Dammit!’ her mind screamed, ‘you just got settled again.’ She wanted to call her sister and talk it over. She wanted to talk to Clara. She just didn’t think that Henry would understand.
But Henry wasn’t stupid. Part of being an enforcer was the ability to read people. He thought back for a moment. “Shamira, don’t you dare feel bad for being strong. Some people are born faster or stronger than their peers. It doesn’t make them better, but it gives them tools. You were reborn one of us, and you’ve got gifts. You just used your healing as a weapon for all intents and purposes. That took smarts, and that was something you earned.”
“Yes Master,” she said, trying to put her game face back on. She didn’t want to do this part again . . . the part where she freaked out and denied herself further exploration of her world, and she knew she was being silly. But it didn’t change the fact that she had lost the urge to act on her earlier fantasy, and Henry could see it.
“You just saved lives,” he told her. “Again. Every time you step onto the field of battle, you impress us.”
Shamira shrugged. “Master, you said –”
“No ‘Masters’ for a few minutes, okay?”
“Okay. You said Shadow Sight was the third Shadow Aspect. What is Shadow Sight exactly, and how many Shadow Aspects are there?”
“There are five. I’ll let Shane or Lillian explain the others, since my ancient lore isn’t what it should be, but Shadow Sight means that no creature, magical or otherwise, can hide from you in the shadows, and it means that you can see even in complete darkness. Normally vamp’s eyes just amplify light, kind of like night vision goggles, but you don’t need any light source at all. Shamira, the darkness of the world is allying itself with you. It’s a tremendous gift.”
“It scares the crap out of me. I learned back in my old life that power always comes with a price.”
“Don’t let it stress you,” Henry told her, then looked around. “Let’s get in the truck and go grab you a bite to eat, okay?” He even opened the door for her. They drove over to Varsity, a burger joint that had late hours and where they prided themselves on being rude. Henry let Shamira do the ordering and, strangely enough, the drive-in staff didn’t seem too hostile. It did take a while to get the guy who brought their food to stop staring at Shamira’s “attire”, but the service was otherwise impeccable.
There was something about a good greasy burger that had always been cathartic for Shamira, and it was more so now that she didn’t have to worry about gaining weight. Her body was probably going to be warming up shortly as she burned off the excess matter, but she didn’t much care. And the chocolate shake was to die for. She watched the young people who frequented the establishment in the early morning hours, listening to Henry on the cell phone as he explained to Shane what had gone down that night. He glanced her way on occasion, a grin plastered on his face. She could even hear Shane’s shocked reply when he heard about the emergence of her Shadow Sight.
“Who else has Aspects?” she asked when he hung up the phone. “Banshee and Shane, right? What can they do?”
“Banshee has Mind Fog, which is the ability to make people pay no attention to her. It’s not like invisibility, because video cameras and so forth still can see her, but normal people in line of sight just decide she isn’t worth paying attention to. It’s convenient and really spooky, but it drains her a lot. Your Aspects seem to be much more natural for you.”
“What about Shane?”
“Shane has Soul Shield. It means his mind can’t be clouded, read, or controlled by magic, which is incredibly useful for any vampire, especially an area lord.” Henry took a sip of his cola, then said, “About one percent of all vampires develop one Aspect, and I couldn’t even give you the odds of someone having more than one.”
“Is there a list somewhere? On Mysti-pedia maybe?”
“Yeah. Ask Lillian or Clara or Shane though. They’re the scholars amongst us, so they can probably give you better answers. I’m just here to kick ass and look pretty.”
Shamira grinned. “You do that well. Well, looking pretty at any rate. I don’t know how well you actually kick ass, seeing as I did all the work.”
“So you’re feeling smart-alecky, are you?” he replied. He saw a sparkle in her eye that showed she was feeling better.
“No . . . Master,” she said.
He powered the windows up, then looked at his crotch. “Unzip it,” he ordered.
Shamira reached over, feeling him through his jeans as she tugged his zipper down. Once freed, he ordered her to put her hands behind her back and please him orally. She got on her knees in the passenger seat, put her hands behind her and lowered her mouth to his lap, taking his soft member into her mouth. It was an act that pleased her more than she thought it would, actually feeling him harden inside her mouth, letting him swell to the point where she could no longer take all his length easily. Even as he hardened, she took as much as she could.