Free Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) by W.M. Petzler

shifted away, “you
okay?”
    “I’m fine. Just … need something to drink.” Licking
her lips, she heard, actually heard ,
his pulse quicken. His heartbeat thundered in her ears. The rush of blood
through his veins made her mouth dry and the need to quench her thirst made her
lean toward him.
    The chimes above the door went off as a group of young
men and women entered the gas station. Her head started hurting. The whispering
began low at first, building as more voices joined in. Searching the cause, she
saw the television, above the clerk, was turned off. No radio was around. There
was nothing for her to be hearing, but the whispering was unrelenting, a floodgate
of voices, ricocheting inside her head. Another wave hit her, crushing her with
their emotions: sadness, anger — misery.
    “Stop!” she yelled, startling the clerk. “For
God’s sake, leave me alone!”
    “Ma’am, I’m not doing anything.”
    Crying, drowning in the emotional tidal wave, she
collapsed to her knees, clutching her head. The door opened, and Rathe was
beside her, kneeling. “Mariah, look at me.” When she did, he spoke to her in
her mind, his deep voice broke through the voices, “Mariah, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Build a wall to
block them out. Block by block, you can silence the voices.”
    Clinging to his voice, she did as he said, building
an imaginary wall around her mind, and she found relief. “Thank you! Who were they?”
    “You’ve tapped into the emotions of the
humans around us. Some you could hear, mostly you felt what they felt.”
    Cold fear
hit her. “Rathe, you said I was sensitive.
How am I hearing voices?”
    “My guess
is the medallion tapped some of your abilities and because the spell has
weakened, your talents are emerging.”
    “Sir, do you need me to call an ambulance?” the
clerk asked, worried.
    Helping her to her feet, Rathe shook his head.
“No, she’s fine. Migraines.” He pulled out his wallet and paid for the beer and
pop. Keep the change.”
    Terrible pressure in her upper teeth made her
wince. Running her tongue across her teeth, she stopped when she thought she felt
the sharp tip of a fang. Crap! Rathe snatched
the beer and pop in one hand, and guided her out of the store.
    He helped her into the car and handed her their
purchases. She took one of the beers and twisted off the cap. Drinking it down,
she didn’t stop until it was empty. Pulling down the vanity mirror, she checked
her teeth. No fangs. Sighing in relief, she kept quiet when Rathe got in, and
they drove away. She handed him a beer and opened another for herself.
    “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
    “Which part?” she asked. “The ability to hear
people and feel their emotions or the part where I wanted to attack the clerk
and suck his blood out?”
    “Look at me!” Using his fingers, he pulled back
her lips and checked her teeth. How he was able to do that and drive straight,
she wasn’t sure. “You’re fine now. How about the voices?”
    “Gone.”
    “Has that ever happened before?”
    “Yeah, right before the redneck vampires attacked
me. I heard them whispering.”
    She straightened, clutching the beer bottle tight
in her hand when she heard the Gypsy woman’s heavily-accented voice say, “ Never
remove the medallion, child. It protects you, keeps you hidden from him and the
Damned. He will never be able to find you as long you wear it. Forgive me, but
I must hide your true nature deep within you, your abilities will lay dormant, until
you are ready — when you are strong enough to face him!”
    “Holy shit!” she exclaimed, stunned at the memory.
    “What?”
    “Nothing. I just …too much happening to me.” Why
didn’t she tell him what she heard? No, it was too much to deal with.
    “Why don’t you try to rest?”
    From within her mind, she felt the familiar
beckoning, as if someone was encouraging her to sleep. “I’ve something I want to show you. Close your eyes
and