Free Tani's Destiny (Hearts of ICARUS Book 2) by Laura Jo Phillips Page A

dressing.  I’ll put a heavier dressing on before you go to bed to protect it.”
    “Thanks, Tani,” Astra said, lying still as the wound was cleansed, treated, and dressed. 
    “Do you need any pain meds?”
    “No, thanks,” Astra said, sitting up and hopping off the medi-cot.  “It barely hurts at all.  I heal a little faster than most people, Tani, but never anything like this.  I don’t understand it.”
    “Neither do I,” Tani said as she stripped off the sterile gloves and began cleaning up after herself.  “I think we should just count our blessings that the wound is healing nicely and that you’ll be fine.”
    “Agreed,” Astra said.  “Tani, what happened back there, in the galley?”
    “Actually, I was going to ask you that,” Tani said. 
    “You don’t know?”
    Tani shook her head slowly.  “Not all of it, no.”  She turned around and sprayed the counter with antiseptic, then started wiping it down.
    “Steel got angry when you said you spoke to your aunt,” Astra said.  “He accused you of lying to him.  You told him that he’d insulted your honor, and that if he wasn’t careful you’d challenge him to a death duel.  Then you told him he needed to assemble knowledge before making threats.  Kind of a strange way to put it, but accurate nonetheless.”
    “I said all that?” Tani asked, looking over her shoulder at Astra, her voice so high she squeaked.  “Truly?  I used those words?  I threatened him?”
    “Yes, truly,” Astra replied.  “I didn’t know you could shift, though.”
    “Shift?” Tani asked in surprise.  “I can’t shift, Astra.”
    “Oh,” Astra said, frowning.  Then she shrugged.  “Well, you’re eyes glowed and your voice got really deep so, whatever that means, that’s what happened.”  Tani was so shocked she felt a little dizzy.  She turned back around, hiding her face from Astra.  “I’ve never seen my cousin back off so fast before when he’s in a temper.”
    Tani sprayed the counter again and continued wiping unnecessarily.  “I don’t remember it,” she said.  Glowing eyes?  Deep voice?  What in the great galaxy happened?   “Should I apologize to him?”
    “I don’t see why,” Astra said.  “You didn’t do or say anything wrong, Tani.  Steel has a lot on his shoulders right now, and while he’s doing a great job with the responsibilities, he’s not handling the stress at all well.  His temper is becoming a real problem lately.  If anyone should apologize, it’s him, not you.”
    “Thanks, Astra,” Tani said.  “I appreciate that.  But would you please do me a favor?”
    “Sure, if I can.”
    “Let me know if I do anything like that again, okay?”
    “Sure, no problem,” Astra said.  Then she took a deep breath and asked the question she most wanted an answer to.  “So um, what did you mean when you said you spoke with your aunt?”
    “Oh yeah, I forgot about that,” Tani said.  “My Aunt Glory is a Dream Walker.  A really powerful one.  When we were children she worked with my sisters and me to see if we had a talent for it, which we didn’t.  She did manage to teach us how to call to her in our sleep though.  I haven’t done it in years but I tried it last night and it worked.” Tani shrugged.  “Or, she just found me on her own without my help.  I told her that I was fine, why I ended up on this ship and that we were going to a world I didn’t know the location of and couldn’t even remember the name of.  I promised to try to get information for her today to pass along to my parents.”
    “That’s fantastic, Tani,” Astra said, her eyes wide with awe.  “Oh, I wish I could do something like that.”
    “So do I,” Tani said wistfully.  “My sisters, my aunts, and my cousins all have strong abilities.  If I have a talent, I’ve never been able to figure out what it is.  Aunt Honey could never find it either, and finding other people’s psychic abilities is one of