Gift

"The gift isn't that strong. It's not like I can cure terminal diseases or anything. I can boost the immune system, heal wounds and abrasions, and speed up the healing of broken bones. I couldn't have magicked the bullet out of Lent, for instance, but I could relieve his pain and jump-start his recovery." Storm replied, relieved that she was a bit far from his reach.

"And you don't think this is something we should know about?" Kaden asked, his eyes still stuck on her.

Storm shrugged in reply.

When she looked at Kaden again, his eyes had returned to that sinful, summer-lake blue, but his stance still said he could turn on her anytime he wanted. 

If Storm hadn't been intrigued by Kaden the moment she'd laid eyes on him for the first time in a bus station, the man would have terrified her. 

Yes. Their meeting today in Mr. Tim’s office had actually been the second time she had seen him. She remembered now. She hadn’t been able to recognise him when she had waltzed into the office earlier today because of her eagerness to collect her pay and get out of the bad side of the town. 

But being this close to him had snapped her memory back to that first time she had actually seen him. That day she had been with Curtis. They had been travelling for a short vacation sponsored by Curtis’ mother.

Taking a short break from her memory rewind in order to compare the two, she deduced that Kaden was different from Curtis. Whereas her ex boyfriend was a charmer, in your face, laughing at the same time he made damn sure you did whatever it was he wanted, Kaden was quieter, watching the world, waiting for something, she wasn't certain what.

It had been one hell of a long ride from Shappy town to their destination, but she had had to take the bus with Curtis, because they had been late for their flight, and weren’t allowed to drive cross-country. There at the station when she had alighted from the bus with Curtis, she had caught sight of a stoic man who had been flanked by the side by two other bulky men.

He had intrigued her then. Tall, hard-bodied, and black-haired, Kaden had been dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt, motorcycle boots, and a leather jacket against the February cold. She had assumed him of some important personality-a prince or a business tycoon. 

And when he had suddenly looked at her, his hard-ass, blue-eyed stare bored deeply on her like it had the ability to peel away the layers she'd built between herself and the world.

She remembered thinking, I wonder if he's black-haired all the way down?

Interestingly, Kaden, being the alpha male he was, had sensed her distress and exhaustion and pulled her into his arms, knowing she needed his touch. He'd smelled of leather, maleness, sweat, and cold February air, and she had forgotten about Curtis for a minute, had wanted to curl up in a little ball against him like a wounded cub. 

"You're all right now," He had murmured against her hair, not minding at all the aghast look which had besotted the face of her boyfriend close to her. Later, after she had learnt of Curtis’ current relationship with her step sister, she had wondered if that one incident had perhaps played a role in his leaving her.

Now  Kaden stood patiently, waiting for her explanation. The damn stubborn man would stand there all night until she gave him one. She wondered if he remembered her, if he remembered that fateful day at the bus station. It's been over two years already.

"I wasn't allowed to talk about it in any of the places I have lived," Storm said. "At one time, a certain mayor had given my father permission to let me use it, but they didn't want me telling people how I healed them. I understand why. Everyone would have freaked if they thought I was using healing magic on them."

"That's a point," Kaden conceded. "But we're not as easily, as you say, freaked, around here. You should have told me, or Lent at least, before going all healing guru on him."

Storm put one hand on her hip. "My life as a freaky motherless teen hasn't exactly been pleasant, you know. I've learned to keep things to myself. And there is the fact that I am just meeting you guys!"

"And you thought we'd treat you the same. Did you, love?" Kaden queried, his intimidating stance relaxing a bit.

Damn it, why did he insist on calling her love? And why did it sizzle fire all the way through her? This was crazy. She didn’t even know who he exactly was, and what he was doing on this side of the town. She had thought him a royal during their first meet up, but now, she wasn’t so sure anymore. There was nothing on this side of the town that would attract a royal, except the person has an interest in violence, guns and the likes of it.

“Obviously…” She said finally, shrugging again. “Don’t everyone fear or neglect whatever or whoever they don’t understand or deem strange?”

“True in most cases.” Kaden replied, after a prospective nod. “But I am not like most people. Besides, you already know that Lent is not your average human. So, you are not actually alone.” 

“Yeah, right…” Storm muttered, her eyes locating the seat Lent had just sat in. Most parts of it were tainted with blood.

“So, what are you people then?” She asked, taking her gaze back to Kaden.

“Well, if you stick around, you will know.” Kaden replied evasively, not sure that it was the right time to let the human in on what he and his fellows were. It was best he waited for the search results first before breaking that canister of information. He had already mentally linked his Beta, Casper, to get him all the information there is about the beautiful human standing in front of him.