A Touch Of Lightning (COMPLETED!)

Chapter 14 Touch Experiments 2

Chapter 14 Touch Experiments 2

"Huh. How do you like that? Acts all dark and scary, then turns into a rabbit and bolts. Just cause little ol' you and me came out to talk to him." Raina mused thoughtfully, looking at the spot where Callin had vanished into the undergrowth.

"Why did he do that? Try to scare us away, then turn and run when we didn't leave? I'm sure he could tell we weren't going to hurt him." Carmen was both hurt and mad, and more than a bit fascinated. She had never met anyone like Callin before. Just then she noticed Raina's smug grin.

"What? What? Don't just sit there and hold it in, tell me!" She said.

Raina looked around conspiratorially, making Carmen roll her eyes, then leaned in. She lowered her voice when she spoke, as if she were sharing a deep secret.

"Even though your power pretty much blocks me, I could still sense when your imagination kicked in, probably when you were thinking about kissing him. And I could sense that he immediately picked up on it, and I could tell he really, really reacted to it. He isn't an empath, so I think he must be able to smell you, somehow..." Raina trailed off.

Carmen's mouth dropped open and she felt her cheeks heat up. She felt like she had blushed more around Callin in the last few weeks than she had her entire life.

"Wha...You serious? You better not be kidding me!"

"I wouldn't kid you about something like this. It's why he tried to scare us away. He's not ready to deal with that kind of reaction right now, he's confused and scared of it. He's scared of you. Of how attracted he is to you."

"I just wish he was as attracted to me, too." Raina thought. She knew he actually was attracted to her, and she could sense how vulnerable and unsure he felt around them due to that combined attraction. She decided not to mention this to Carmen. She felt like Carmen and Callin were meant for each other, that even their powers interacted perfectly.

Carmen looked closely at her friend. She had heard how Raina's voice had went quieter. She could see how Raina was reluctant to meet her eyes. She didn't need to have empathic powers to put it all together.

"You think he's hot, too!"

"I do not!"

Carmen smiled hugely at Raina. "You protest a bit too fiercely. I know you, remember?"

Raina sighed and growled at the same time, making Carmen laugh. She figured Raina was the only one who could ever pull that off. And also the only one who would ever feel the need to growl and sigh at the same time.

"C'mon. It's me you're talking to. And nobody's around." Carmen said gently, not trying to hide the grin in her voice.

Raina folded her arms and glared at Carmen mulishly, one foot beginning to tap rapidly. Carmen was even more curious now. This foot tapping meant Raina was nowhere near calm at the moment.

When Carmen just quietly watched her, Raina threw up her hands and began to pace.

"Just gonna stand there and stare at me like a toad?!" She yelled.

Carmen nodded, still grinning. Whatever this was, it was going to be good. And she knew from experience she would be able to wear Raina down. All she had to do was sit quietly, patiently, with a question in her expression, and it would drive Raina nuts.

Raina aimed one long, elegant finger at Carmen, her short, spiky black hair bristling with outrage, reminding Carmen of a furious cat.

"Carmen..." She warned, then spun away and resumed pacing.