Davy Harwood

chapter five

I tried to call Kates, but there was no answer. Then I thought about calling Blue, but before I could, my own phone rang. I slapped it against my ear and heard, "It is about time you called me!"

Blue sounded like she was at her wits' end.

"Girl, you need to tell me that I'm off-racket. Tell me that my senses are going sky-rocket into nomad's land. Tell me... tell me that I'm high and I've got a debt to the peyote drug lord. Please."

Blue knew better.

I sighed softly and murmured, "You should've blocked me."

"Oh... hell..." Blue groaned. "How am I supposed to block you? You're my... you're mine."

She was my sponsor. It was a bond that we weren't supposed to impede, but... situations could run amok and who knew where both of us would be. A person always hears how the 'team' is there for them, how it's all for one and one for all—it's literally true when you're empathic.

"I know," I sighed.

I could hear those wheels in Blue's head and I knew she was turning them rapidly... She asked, "You said you were going to call me. What were you calling me for?"

"Can you feel someone for me? My old friend, Kates." I didn't need any other introduction. Kates was well known, by my sponsor and the rest of the empaths. When a vampire slayer is slaughtered, empaths feel and remember it for years.

"Oh girl," Blue whispered, brokenly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." I sat up straighter. "I can't. I'm really weak right now."

"I will, but you have to promise me."

Oh God. I waited in dread because I already knew what she was going to say. She always harped about it.

"You have to go to the next Empath meeting with me."

"Fine." I'd figure a way out of it later.

Emily grunted a snore behind me. It sounded like a train warning of its arrival, but she flipped on her stomach and the snore was muffled by the couch. I groaned and sat up straight to stretch a little, but was distracted when I heard Blue humming. I cracked a grin. I'd forgotten she did that when she needed to search for her person.

Some empaths, the really skillful ones, could close their eyes and have the person immediately. Those were the best of the best. The rest of the upper middle class could do it, but much more slowly. Blue had told me that when she first trained for this skill, she learned by feeling every person, in every room, every building, down every street before she found her target. It sounded exhausting to me and completely ludicrous. For some reason, most of the empaths liked to have this skill. They liked working on their gift (curse—as I say) and expanding it. The curse can drive a person crazy if you're unable to shield and block others.

"Oh... oh... oh... OH..... oh..."

Blue was not having an orgasm.

"Oh..... uhhuh.... uhhuh..." This was followed by some grunts. "Ummmmm....." Blue went back to her humming. "Oh, child. You're in some trouble, aren't you?" Then she said, "Davy, you need to help that girl."

"What'd you feel?" I felt a knot in my throat.

"You know that I can't tell you. What I felt within Kates is private and she chooses when to tell her friends, if she does. But I will tell you who you can call to help. She trusts him. I felt that and I already felt that she's told you."

I groaned. I already knew who she was going to say and then I heard my worst fear. "There's a Hunter in town. She trusts him. He can help you. He can help her."