Free Destiny's Shift by Carly Fall, Allison Itterly

macaroni and
    cheese. Jovan had also been kind to her, and she decided that she would teach him how to
    control his gift. She couldn’t imagine the . . . horror . . . of being able to feel others’
    emotions and not have any way to regulate it.
    He groaned, and she let her fingers run through his blond hair. It was soft and slid
    through her fingers with ease. Closing her eyes, she made sure that her own emotions
    wouldn’t bleed into him causing him more distress.
    Reaching for her hand, he clasped it in his own, and she watched as her small
    fingers were swallowed up. She checked his face and noted that he seemed to still be
    unconscious.
    “I can’t feel you,” he whispered, drawing closer to her. After a moment, his head
    was in her lap, and his arms encircled her waist. He seemed to be holding on to her for
    dear life.
    “I can’t feel you,” he whispered again.
    She didn’t answer, just allowed him to hold her, her fingers moving methodically
    through his hair.

Chapter 16
    Jovan woke, unsure of where he was. He felt a softness below him, but it wasn’t
    as plush as a mattress. Whatever he was holding felt like a lifeline, and he squeezed it
    tighter.
    Delicate fingers went through his hair, brushing down his cheeks, to his neck, and
    back up again. When it hit him that he was actually being touched and not feeling any
    emotions, he panicked for a moment, wondering if he was dead.
    As he felt the gentle caresses, he knew that he wasn’t, but he was also aware that
    he wasn’t ready to return to full consciousness.
    SR44 was gone. There would never be any going back, any hope of that shattered.
    He thought of his mother and father, and tremors of sadness wafted through him.
    The wave of emotion that brought him to his knees had been so powerful. There
    was anger and sadness, but the sadness far outweighed the anger. He imagined that Talin
    and Cohen were particularly affected as both had lost their lovrens , or mates.
    Two SR44 males who had just found out their mates were dead? Man, shit was
    going to get ugly.
    He opened his eyes and realized he was still on the floor of the dining room. His
    lifeline was Liberty.
    Slowly, he sat up.
    “Hello, Jovan,” she said quietly.
    “Hey,” he said, hearing the gravel in his voice. He felt like he had been on the
    losing end of a MMA match; every fiber of his being hurt like hell. He moved to lean
    against the wall, as he didn’t think he had the energy to keep upright. Liberty moved to sit
    next to him.
    “You don’t have control of your gift,” she said.
    Jovan looked down at her, meeting the soft pink glow of her eyes. “Gift? I beg to
    differ on that description, Liberty. But you’re right, I can’t control it at all.”
    Her gaze moved to her hands in her lap. “If you would like, I can educate you on
    how to control it.”
    Jovan studied her. If his memory served him right, only about ten percent of the
    SR44 population was born with the gift, or curse, depending on how you looked at it.
    What were the odds that he was sitting next to another SR44 being with the same damn
    gift? Slim to none.
    “Seriously? You have it?”
    She met his eyes again and lifted her chin in a regal way. “Yes, I do. I am in full
    control of it and can teach you to do the same, if you desire.”
    Jovan tried to think about a world where he wasn’t affected by others’ emotions, a
    place where he couldn’t hear anyone’s thoughts, a time where he could just be a normal
    guy. Well, as normal as a guy with glowing eyes could be. Would Liberty really be able to
    free him from his self-imposed exile?
    “That . . . would be great, Liberty. Even if I could just control it a little so I don’t
    end up in a pile on the floor next time someone delivers bad news, I’d be happy.”
    “Very well, Jovan. I’m honored to be able to assist a Warrior.” Liberty stood and
    stuck her hand out to him. “Let me help you up.”
    Jovan looked at the small hand and the little female