Free The Vampire And The Highland Empath by Clover Autrey Page A

defenseless. “Nothing more was mentioned of him after the battle on Crunfathy Hill. We assume the witch killed him.”
    Everything stopped.
    Col, her youngest brother, light of their family, gone?
    A low keen escaped her throat. Col, Col . Low tremors hissed beneath her skin. Roque folded her within his strength, a warm hand cupping the back of her head. She turned her face into his chest and sobbed.
    Everything they’d set out to stop, had happened anyway… And Col was dead.
    Gods, they were all dead, rotted to dust long ago while she slept.
    Tears burned her eyes, choked her throat, dampened Roque’s shirt. He crooned soft assurances she couldn’t make out above her own pain-filled gasping.
    She was lost. She was lost. She was lost.
    But not alone.
    She didn’t feel alone in Roque’s arms.
    Seeking, she was not sure what, she pressed closer to him, listened to the strong certain beat of his heart, felt the heat of him shimmer off his skin. Her palm flattened above his heart—
    Images poured into her essence, potent emotions full of young bravado, and fear.
    A young boy with a dark fringe of bangs obscuring his eyes screamed, dropping beside a pale broken woman.
    “You killed her!”
    Lunging up, he flew at a man, fists pounding into his chest. “You killed her you killed her.” Fire erupted, engulfing both man and boy, though neither burned, their skin unmarred beneath licking flames.
    The man slapped out and the child fell to the ground beside the dead woman. The fire from the boy jumped to the woman. She exploded in flames, catching on fire quickly as though she were made of dry kindling. Vampire. The boy screamed, trying to pat out the flames consuming the dead woman. His young gaze snapped up, hazy behind tears, and Edeen recognized Geschopf.
    “She would never have given you up.” Geschopf picked up the wailing boy, hauling him over his shoulder and walked away as the beautiful child stretched out his arms. “Mama, Mama.”
    The vision wrenched away, though Edeen reached for it, clawed to get it back, to have control over her gift once more.
    “Edeen!”
    Roque held her by the arms and gave her a little shake. “Edeen!”
    She nodded, pulling in an unstable breath.
    “What was that?”
    She winced, hand going to her head.
    “Your abilities?”
    She nodded.
    “They’re coming back?”
    “I’m not sure. I had no control of it.” She looked into his face, glimpsing the young boy in him.
    “What did you see?” His voice was uncertain.
    “You. As a child. Geschopf took you from your mother.”
    The air filled with charged energy. The giant paddle wheel churned outside their deckhouse.
    Roque’s stared hard and then his features softened and he smoothed a lock of hair off her cheek. “I’m glad for you. Glad you have your gift back.”
    “Though it makes me more of a threat to your people.”
    “Or an aide. With or without your gifts, Edeen, Hitler won’t get near you.”

    Chapter Ten

    Roque held Edeen close while the last of the tremors rolled through her. She had seen a piece of his past, a part he kept buried and separate. Although Alex knew some of what happened to him as a child, Roque wouldn’t share details. He knew It had been in his official dossier and as his military handler, Alex would have seen it.
    Yet Edeen’s gift had flown straight to the worse moment of his life and somehow that had felt right as though she were the only person in this messed-up existence he could share it with.
    Frowning, he tried to collect his feelings. She felt right in his arms. She was right. She had nestled her way under his skin and gods help him, he wanted to keep her there.
    He held her while her pulse slowed, drifting into the soft cadence of sleep and then he laid her gently on the bed, smiling when she murmured and turned over on her side.
    Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to fall into the soft rasp of her even breathing, the soft hum of blood drifting through her veins. She was lovely.