Sinjin, A Vampire Romance

Chapter Six

Bryn

"Meeting is adjourned," Jolie announced. I started for the door, wanting simply to retreat into the solitude of my makeshift sleeping quarters so I could close myself off from the world around me, but Jolie's voice stopped me. "Bryn and Sinjin, would you mind remaining behind? There's something I wanted to discuss with both of you."

With a long, deep sigh, I realized my plans to escape had been thwarted, but I waited behind all the same. I sensed Sinjin's presence as he walked up behind me, the coolness of his body enveloping mine even though he didn't so much as touch me. Somehow, Sinjin's coolness didn't bother me though. His body temperature was definitely lower than mine but it wasn't as though he was ice cold to the touch.

Rand steadfastly remained at my sister's side, watching her with loving adoration. Her attention, however, centered on the rest of her council, all now hastily emptying from the room. Odran was the last to exit and closed the door behind him, leaving us to our privacy. Once we had the room to ourselves, Jolie faced Sinjin and me again. "Sinjin," she started with a warm smile.

I stepped away from the vampire, uncomfortable with his nearness. I turned back around to face him and caught him looking at my sister. There was something in Sinjin's eyes that immediately responded to Jolie's smile. It was no more than a tiny flinch in his otherwise unwavering gaze, but it was very telling all the same. Honing in on him, I attempted to discern his feelings, but, of course, only butted headlong into the steel wall of his defenses. He protected himself well—so well that getting into his psyche was like trying to breach a medieval fortress. Even though I failed to access his innermost thoughts and feelings, I could still detect the remnants of his emotions even though he did his best to keep them bottled up inside, hidden safely beyond a defensive bulwark.

I knew Sinjin was fond of my sister; that much was obvious. His feelings of admiration for her surrounded him like a fog. But when partnered with that flinch I'd noticed earlier in his eyes, I could tell that fondness wasn't where his feelings for Jolie ended. No, they went much deeper than that. I continued to study Sinjin: watching the way he eyed Jolie, and how his gaze remained steady and unwavering whenever he stared at her. Meanwhile, I also continued to pick up subtle clues as to his innermost thoughts regarding her. Although I still couldn't receive very much, owing to Sinjin's refined skills at keeping his feelings captive behind the barricade of his overt defenses, a warm feeling suddenly overcame me.

And it was at that moment that I had an epiphany. Jolie was essentially the sun in the abysmal darkness that comprised Sinjin's life.

Yep, there was no doubt about it—Sinjin was in love with my sister.

That piece of news stirred a slight jarring feeling deep inside my gut, something that strangely resembled jealousy. Confused and angry over my initial reaction, I immediately shelved the jealous feelings, hoping to use this weakness of Sinjin's against him. How I would do that, and when the opportunity might present itself, I wasn't sure, but I definitely recognized a chink in Sinjin's armor that begged to be explored and revisited later. I filed this bit of information into the back of my head, to be investigated at another date.

One of the first lessons, and one of the utmost important, that I'd ever learned in my training as an Elemental was to discern any weaknesses in my enemies. And once I identified said weaknesses, I was to exploit them.

I had to smile when I thought that I was well on my way to discovering exactly what made Sinjin tick and using that confidential information to my advantage.

"I would like you to assume responsibility for Bryn as her guardian as of this evening," Jolie addressed Sinjin. He immediately nodded, his eyes still transfixed on hers and unwavering. I watched Rand cover Jolie's right hand with his own, his attention also captured by the vampire. However, whereas Jolie looked at Sinjin with an expression of happiness and sincere friendly love, Rand's eyes were narrowed into a hard expression. Maybe there was more to this triad than I'd previously considered. Honing in on Rand, I accessed my powers of telepathy. I was immediately blasted with heat, as if I'd just walked from an air-conditioned room into a hot Las Vegas summer day.