Soul Seers Complete Set (3 page)

My heart dropped as I realized it
wasn’t Jonah, but a middle-aged man with a well-groomed goatee wearing an
ominous black trench coat. He was very tall and somewhat gangly looking, but
his face was handsome and looked slightly familiar.

“Good evening, Ella. My name is
Divinus Chantrey. I’m Jonah’s father,” he introduced as he politely extended
his hand out to me.

Puzzled, I scrunched my forehead
and offered my hand in return, allowing him to brush a light kiss along my
knuckles, a gesture that had me feeling a bit uneasy about his motives for
being here.

“I know you must be wondering why
I am here. I would like to speak with you briefly if you have a moment?”

Uhh… mind reader? Probably, considering clairvoyance was
hereditary.

“Oh, ahh… yeah, sure,” I blubbered,
obviously suffering from a brain to mouth malfunction. I squeezed through the
door and stepped out onto my porch, figuring it would calm my nerves to spend
some time in the fresh evening air. When I was finally able to put two coherent
words together, I said, “I’m sorry. I was just a little surprised to see you
instead of Jonah. Is he ok?”

“Not to worry, my dear. He is
fine. He is not happy with my insisting on meeting you, but I just could not
help myself. I had to meet the daughter of Delphina Hugh,” he said, shocking me
still as stone, as he nonchalantly sat down on the wicker sofa.

“How did you… You knew my mother?”
I stuttered.

I couldn’t move. The mention of my
mother’s name from his lips left me dumbstruck.
Is it hot out here?
I thought as I fanned myself lightly, hopefully
unnoticeably.

 
“Ahh, yes. I knew your mother many years ago. When Jonah told
me he met another soul seer and, after plenty of coaxing and even some bribery,
he told me your name, I just knew you had to be Delphina’s daughter.”

He sat and stared at me for a
moment too long for comfort. I began to fidget wildly under his intense stare.
It’s as if he was studying me. Branding me to his memory. Just as I was
starting to get a little nervous, he said, “Orella Hugh. You are so grown up.
So beautiful. Just like your mother.”

Ok, that’s it. I needed some
answers.
This had better be good!

“I’m sorry. Can you tell me how
you knew my mother?” I asked, getting a little more uneasy about his presence
and actually, a little ticked off someone would put me through the memories of
her death yet again.

I loved the memories I had of my
mom’s life. But, ultimately, I would have to explain her death to this man.
And, just the thought of talking about the worst day of my life with a stranger
made bile rise in my throat.

“Del and I went to college
together. She always seemed to keep me out of trouble—that is for sure. I
am a bit surprised she kept her maiden name and even more surprised she passed
it along to you,” he said as he laughed thoughtfully. I knew why… My mom loved
the meaning of our last name. And ever since she told me I was a soul seer, I
understood why it was so important to her.

Hugh—I knew it was a distant
German word meaning
heart, mind, spirit
.
My thoughts went to Jonah’s explanation of my first name. Orella Hugh… Oracle
Spirit. Damn, my mom was such an amazing person. Even my name rocked because of
her.

Bringing myself back to the
present, I stood and stared at this man who was still uncomfortably studying
me.

I could tell he was purposefully
blocking his thoughts, although I didn’t quite know how he was doing it or why.
I’ve never known anyone to block his or her thoughts from me and the idea was
unnerving. “Even though I cannot read your mind, Ella, I know you can read
mine. And I know you are probably wondering why I am blocking you.”

Well, even if he
claimed
he couldn’t read minds, he was
doing a damn good job of reading mine.

“Yes, I am. I’ve never had anyone
block their thoughts from me before.”

“Ahh, but I am sure you have. You
just did not know it. That is actually the reason I wanted to come see you,” he
said as a sudden look of sorrow passed across his face. “You see, Jonah told me
about the loss of your mother. I was not aware. I know you do not wish to talk
about it, and that is fine. I only want to offer my condolences and possibly
offer my help.”

“Your help?” I asked as I finally
became comfortable enough to sit in the wicker chair near where he sat. “How
can you help?”

“Well, most telepaths wait until
their offspring’s sixteenth birthday to explain their gifts, mainly because the
parent needs to be well aware of exactly what types of gifts the child
possesses. But, since your mother suffered an unfortunate departure early in
her life, and yours, I am worried you may not have anyone to turn to with
questions or just to talk about your abilities,” he paused for a moment,
scratching his well-trimmed goatee before he continued. “Was your mother able
to tell you about anything?”

“She was able to tell me, very
briefly, who I was. Unfortunately, she was very weak. Even her mind was fading.
She explained to me her body was no longer alive and that soon her mind would
not be either. I was in shock. I had never known my mom to project directly to
me the way she did that day in the hospital. I…” I trailed off, suddenly
feeling the tears beginning to prick my eyes and threaten to take over my
emotions.

“I am sure you miss her terribly.
She was a wonderful woman. I have no doubt she was even more exquisite as a
mother.”

I wanted to change the subject.
Not because he was incorrect in his assumptions but because, if I began to cry
now, I would ruin my Jonah-makeup. I may be a confident person, but I was still
a girl. And the last thing a girl wanted to do was ruin her makeup before a
date with a god.

“Why are you blocking your
thoughts from me?” I asked curiously, successfully changing the subject and
deciding to be straightforward with him, worried that he was hiding something.

“I wanted to show you the
possibilities of our kind, Ella. I am not trying to hide from you, just trying
to demonstrate some of the things I could teach you, if you would like to
learn,” he explained with kindness in his eyes.

I nodded and looked down at my
hands as I nervously wrung them in my lap until my knuckles were white with
tension. Then I decided to open up to him just enough to satisfy him, but not
give away too much information about myself.

“I hear her talking to me. In my
sleep, mostly. I hear her telling me stories, reading to me, telling me how
much she misses me. She even talks to me about art, describing the artwork to
me in an almost poetic fashion. I try to talk back to her, but she doesn’t ever
seem to respond, which makes me realize it’s just a dream.”

“Ahh, but they are wonderful
dreams, are they not? Just to be able to hear her voice, remember how she spoke
to you, how she sounded. It is definitely better than nothing, yes?” Divinus
asked with delight in his eyes.

“I never really thought of it that
way, but I guess you’re right.” Maybe this guy wasn’t all that creepy after
all. He had a very valid point. I should be thanking my lucky stars I am able
to remember her voice, her smell, her stories…

He looked at his watch and then
patted me on my hands. “I must be going now. Jonah warned me to be out of here before
six. He has a real treat in store for you tonight, Orella. You are going to
have a very nice time, I am sure.”

With that, he got up and headed
toward the front steps. Just as I said goodbye and was about to head back
inside, he said, “If you ever need anything, you know how to get in touch with
me. I told Jonah to give you my cell number and email. Please, do not hesitate
to call upon me if you need any advice, Ms. Orella Hugh.”

Just as I said thank you, he
turned and glided down the short steps to the sidewalk. His coat billowed
behind him like a cape, making him look like a comic-book villain. Maybe I
should have given him more of a superhero status instead. After all, he was
kind enough to realize when a young, confused girl needed help. Yet I couldn’t
shake the thought he was intentionally hiding something from me.

It didn’t take long for Jonah to
show up at the door with an apologetic look on his face. Even his remorseful
stare made me smile.

“I’m sorry, Ella. If I thought for
even a moment he would take it upon himself to come bother you, I would have
never told him. I was just so excited to meet you,” he said as he walked in my
door.

“Don’t worry about it, Jonah. He
was nice. His reason for coming to meet me was very sweet. Although, he was
purposefully blocking me, which I’ve never known anyone to do. I couldn’t read
him at all. The fact I felt he was hiding something from me made me a little
uneasy,” I admitted.

“Oh, he keeps that mental block up
all the time because of me. He’s gotten really good at it. My mom doesn’t have
the ability to though, so I still get a glimpse at some of his secrets,” Jonah
said with a wink and a naughty grin.

Oh, heart. Fly away. Surely it
couldn’t stay contained a moment longer with the amount of fluttering ravaging
my chest.

The idea he blocked Jonah all the
time as well made me feel a little better and more at ease. At least it meant
there was a possibility he was telling the truth.

We stood in the foyer as we talked
about his dad. Our conversation was followed by an awkward moment of silence.

Jonah shifted his gaze over my
shoulder to a sculpture that hung on the wall. “Is that from one of Da Vinci’s
sketches?”

I turned, knowing full well the
piece he was referring to, but feeling the need to look at it as I spoke.
“Yeah. I saw the movie
Ever After
and
loved the painting of Danielle. I knew it was similar to something I’d seen in
my high school art history book, so knowing it was Da Vinci in the movie, I did
a little research and found Da Vinci’s sketch,
Leda
. So, I decided to make a 3D rendering of it out of clay,” I
explained with a shrug.

You made this?
he
thought.
She’s beautiful. She looks like
you. Her face… it’s you.

I nodded as I stared at the
sculpture hanging on the wall.

With those thoughts, I turned to
meet his piercing emerald eyes. The way he looked at me made my heart beat
wildly and my stomach turn into a swarm full of butterflies. He had a smile
that had me hanging in midair. He then made the few short steps it took to be
right in front of me.

Tracing my jaw with his finger, he
whispered, “Breathe, Orella.”

I didn’t realize I had been
holding my breath. An involuntary gasp left my lips as I looked him over. Such
good looks surely had to be criminal. The sound of my full name from his mouth sent
shivers of excitement down to my core. This man had an effect on me more than
words could express.

I closed my eyes and began to
breathe. With each breath, I could smell his scent, feel his warmth. When I
opened them, he was still smiling, obviously humored that he found my weakness…
him.

His thoughts were nothing but
flattering—telling me how beautiful I was and how he could stare at me
for hours. Of course, my dirty mind began taking a course toward the gutter and
my gaze involuntarily began descending lower and lower down his front until...

“So,” he interrupted my thoughts…
that he could hear! I really wasn’t getting used to the fact he knew what I was
thinking. I knew I had better get used to embarrassing myself around Jonah,
because there was no way I could stop him from reading my thoughts. He chuckled
as he continued. “You ready to go?”

I just nodded and gave him a shy
smile.
Yet again, Ella is speechless.
He held his hand out and I gladly took it. His fingers were warm. Silky, yet
strong. After locking my door, we headed down the steps toward a very sexy,
black Charger parked near the sidewalk.

Very nice!
I thought
as he opened my door for me.

You mean sexy
, he
responded while he made his way around the car, making me nod in complete
agreement during my moment of privacy.

“So, what’s this surprise?” I
asked, eager to know what was in store for the evening.

He winked and put the car in
drive. “You’ll see.”

Then I realized that I should be
able to read him, figure out what this surprise was before it ever happened.

“I’m surprised you’re able to keep
it from me. Are you able to block things like your father?” I asked in an
attempt to get him to think about it.

“I know what you’re trying to do,”
he said with a smile. “Not nearly as good as him, no. But he’s taught me to
practice with blocking small things. If I focus on blocking one specific
thought, I can usually hold out for a few hours at least. Eventually, my mind
gets the better of me and I end up letting it slip.”

Several minutes of small talk later,
we pulled up to a local state park. I looked at him and couldn’t contain my
smile. He definitely did have something up his sleeve. I still didn’t know
what, but obviously he put some thought into it. Too bad he was blocking it all
from me.

“Have you ever ridden a horse
before?” he asked as he opened my door and offered his hand to help me out of
his sleek sports car.

I smiled gleefully as I remembered
my mother. “My mom used to have horses. But my dad sold them after she died.”

“Oh, so you’re a veteran rider.
I’m glad to hear you’re not afraid of them.”

Afraid?
I thought as I
rolled my eyes.
Who in their right mind
would be afraid of a horse?

He took my hand and led me through
the park over to the stables where two beautiful Appaloosas stood waiting, already
saddled and ready to go.

Oh, wow. They are so beautiful!
I thought as I squeezed his hand and bounced on my tippy
toes with anticipation. Just the thought that he arranged this for me made me
want to pounce.

He definitely deserved a kiss for this one!

I might hold you to that, Ella
, he thought as he nudged me with his shoulder, still
holding my hand as he teased me.

Once we approached the stately
animals, I noticed the stable attendant’s thoughts about me were very… shall I
say, vulgar? His thoughts, assuming to be thoughts of admiration toward certain
parts of my body, were bordering to the point of insulting. I stopped short,
unable to get any closer to the man. He truly had a sick, twisted mind and I
feared for the women who actually crossed his path.

Knowing when I was in danger, I
backed myself up to stand behind Jonah, clutching his t-shirt in my fists so
tight I was surprised I didn’t hear a tearing noise.

“We can take it from here,” Jonah
sternly informed the attendant with ice clearly coursing through his words. He
glared at the man who just nodded and winked at me as he walked away.

A shiver ran through my spine as I
heard Jonah mutter in his mind,
What a
sick douche. Stay close to me, Ella. I definitely don’t trust that man
.

I just nodded my agreement and
took a few deep breaths to rid my mind of the man’s twisted thoughts, still
clutching onto Jonah’s shirt for dear life.

“Which one would you like?” Jonah
asked as we approached the majestic pair. I reached out and ran my fingertips
along the silky, prickly nose of the white one. “This boy’s name is Skip, short
for Skipcoat. And that pretty girl over there is Cora. She’s a
Quarter/Appaloosa mix. Skip is a little more on the wild side, so it all
depends on how confident you are with riding.”

Skip was the typical Appaloosa,
with small brown spots covering his white coat. You could tell he was a fiery
one.

 
“I haven’t ridden since I was thirteen. Plus, Cora has such
beautiful coloring. I think I’d like to spend some time with her.”

Jonah handed me a few apple treats
and gave me a peck on the cheek as he nudged me into Cora’s direction.

Cora held her beautiful mane high
as I walked over to her and let her nuzzle the treats out of my hand. Her coat
was a lovely chocolate brown with a patch of white around her rear, sporting
little brown specks to match Skip’s coat perfectly.

I could hear Jonah’s thoughts as
he watched me. His admiration only made me smile more as I pressed my lips to
Cora’s nose, giving her a light peck on her whiskers.

“Well? You ready?” Jonah asked as
he wrapped one hand around me and rested his chin on my shoulder.

“Most definitely,” I said with
certainty.

Grabbing my waist, he held me just
long enough to make sure I successfully hiked my butt up onto Cora’s saddle and
planted my feet securely in the stirrups.
Good
thing I wore boots tonight.

Jonah chuckled lightly at my
wayward thoughts then hopped up onto Skip, causing the horse to prance around
at the sudden pressure to his back. The sight made me giggle out loud like an
air-headed schoolgirl. I quickly covered my mouth to stifle my laugh and
flashed him a small smile.

We started off down the trail,
side by side. Not only was I thankful for this experience, but I was also glad
it was finally just the two of us… well, along with Skip and Cora, of course.