Chapter 11

Nyline ended her movement skill right outside of her house then shouldered the door open and slammed it behind her. She leaned her back against it as she looked down at her arm. The warmth from the boy's hand was a print on her skin. It made her mouth form into a thin line as she thought back to the image that had flooded into her mind when he had touched her. He had always dreamed of a girl that was always smiling at him, giggled, and had poise.

Nyline felt her mouth open in a laugh at the thought. Her dainty and giggling? What a joke. Her laughter stopped abruptly as she walked into the kitchen, dropped her arm warmers and mp3 player on the counter. She had been brought up by a scout, not a queen. She didn't know the first thing about edict or how to even deal with other people, much less rule them. She shook her head as she walked to the fridge and open it. She didn't grab anything or even really see inside, so she shut it and pressed her head against the surface. It was warm under her skin as she took several deep breaths in. Pushing off of the fridge she jumped onto the counter, her mind wandering back to what she had just done. She had used influence on not only three teens and the front lady at the school but also a darkling. It had been so easy. Raising her hand above her head she looked at it long and hard. It was still her hand, dark skinned with all of the lines she had had all of her life.

The darkling was a completely different story; its mind had been so human. It scared her. The look in those orange eyes had been something that she had seen before. A pain shot across her mind and she placed her hand on her face. Truthfully, she had stolen some of its memories, but she had also replaced them in a very inefficient way. The pain built up behind her eye making her press her palm into it even harder.

An image flooded her mind; she was moving through a snow-covered forest as if she was an animal on all fours. After several feet the movement changed to running like a humans. As she turned a snow-covered tree a man appeared. He was standing in a snow covered forest his platinum blond hair shining as the sunlight hit it. As the image seemed to focus, she saw that he had ice blue eyes and his face was smooth of lines. The man's mouth moved as if he was speaking to her, but she couldn't hear any of the words. After a moment, the man moved closer to her and looked directly into her eyes. She felt as though she had been knocked backwards as the image flew out of her mind and looked at the ceiling. When had she ended up on the floor? Nyline stood suddenly as she heard the door opening; she rubbed the back of her head where it had connected with the floor.

"Uncle John is that you?" Nyline walked through the kitchen door and stopped as she saw the entire group of people took up the entry way. She stopped suddenly as their thoughts started to enter her mind. There was a painful throb behind her eye as she stumbled as the inner words started to bombard her mind. She glared at her uncle, the only person whose thoughts were quiet.

"Nyline," John spoke softly as he closed the door.

"What are you doing? How could you bring them here. This is our space!" Nyline crossed her arms as she looked at them before she threw her hands out gesturing to the house. She turned and ran up the stairs, her hand pressing into her eye as she went.

"Nyline wait!" Her uncle shouted after her. She rushed to her bedroom where she closed the door a little harder than she meant. What was he thinking bringing people over? This was her safe place away from everyone's thoughts. Walking to her bed she fell into it. Her hand still over her eye as it throbbed again painfully. There was a soft knock at the door before it opened without her responding.

"Nyline, you need to at least listen to what I'm going to say." Her uncle spoke as he walked in and sat down on her bed. She scooted up so her back was against the headboard. "That boy down there is Elizabeth and James' son. He's your mated pair." Nyline shook her head which only made it throb more, her hand covered her eye again, pressing into the socket.

"No, he isn't. I know that just as well as you do." Nyline spoke softly, as she looked out her window and down at the ground.

"Nyline, just as I know it, you know that isn't entirely true. You two are simply two minutes apart from each other so he could be your pair. Give him a chance?" Nyline glared at him.

"What are they doing here?"

"Looking for you… You injured yourself with that stunt back there, didn't you?" Nyline dropped her hand from her eye as she glared out the window. Her uncle sighed as she felt his hand gently grip the side of her face making her head turn. She looked into his deep brown eyes for a few seconds before he pressed his thumb over her eye. The sigh of relief escaped her mouth as the pressure went away. "I told you that you shouldn't do that."

"You know as well as I do that it was the right choice," She whispered as she looked down at her lap.

"I'm not saying that it wasn't. I just don't like seeing you in pain. You aren't used to using your aether and when you use it incorrectly it can backlash on you." He spoke softly as he pressed his lips to the top of her head

"I know…I just…I don't want any more of those things coming here and if one went missing, they would be everywhere." Her hands balled themselves into fists as she spoke.

"I know, and I'm proud of you forgiving it your best shot. Plus, it even worked." John sat down on his ankles in front of her bed. She looked into his eyes again, swallowing hard.

"I used influence on it. I also used it on the boy's scouts that are downstairs. I've…I remembered a memory that I saw of mother using it once and I thought that I might be able to as well. John let out a long breath as his calm face turned downwards.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you can't learn things from memories. I know you can learn from them, but you don't learn everything that you need to when you are simply watching someone else do it… however, you did fine this time." He reached up and rustled her hair; his voice was not angry but soft and calm.

"Aren't you surprised…? That I was able to use influence?" Nyline held her breath as she listened to her uncle breathe softly.

"No." He said shortly before his hand went from her head to her chin and lifted it so that she was looking into his eyes. "You are an amazing girl, with many talents. Some that you don't even know you have. You will do things that will surprise not only yourself but others your entire life. You are your mother and father's daughter. Never forget that." He stood and walked to the door looking back at her as she clenched her jaw. "Could you at least greet him correctly?" Nyline felt her entire body start to shake as she looked at him.

"What if I say no?" She asked her tone light.

"Then, you will be showing someone who has spent their entire life looking for you that you do not care for their time nor of them." He turned and opened the door.

Nyline let out a long breath as she stood. Uncle John offered her his arm and she took it. He reached up and placed his other hand over hers and gave it a light squeeze to reassure her. Being this close to him she could clearly see into his mind. However, even when she was this close, he kept his thoughts silently tucked away so that she couldn't hear them.

Nyline looked up at him; as long as she didn't pry, she couldn't hear anything. When she was small, he didn't know what she was capable of he had shown her many things that he did not want to. Nyline smiled as they reached the steps and started down.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Just thinking about how much I love you." She whispered they turned the corner into the kitchen.

The scouts and Damien were sitting at the table in the kitchen and looked at her when she walked in. His thoughts reached into her mind and again just like when he had touched her, what he thought she was going to be appeared. A small dainty girl who would smile at him, giggling, and curtsying. Now he had an angry looking girl glaring at him that looked nothing like her mother.

Nyline stiffened as she watched him; his thoughts reached her loud and clear however all she could taste was disappointment. There was a moment before she felt heat flair in her system, and she smirked before she mocked curtsied.

"Oh, my prince, how I've longed to meet you." Damien looked shocked as she stood and crossed her arms. "Was that a little more of what you thought it would be?" Her eyes went to Rebecca. "Yes, I can hear you without even touching you." Everyone looked at Rebecca for a moment before their eyes shot back to Nyline. Nyline looked at Jake, "I told you before; the world is a loud place. I'm just the only one who can hear the unspoken words." Jake looked at her, his mouth slightly open. Nyline sighed before she walked over to the counter, picked up her headphones and put her ear buds on, turning the volume down slightly.

"Nyline, would it kill you to be a little nicer? I know I raised you better than this." Uncle John spoke as he leaned against the door frame.

"They are scouts," "They should not be so loud, you are not that loud." Nyline spoke looking at him and John started laughing.

"I have many years on them. Plus, they never served your mother. Your mother disliked useless mind chatter, is what she called it." Nyline grinned at John's joke.

"Nyline, I am Damien, Prince of Dunhule," Damien spoke as he took a couple steps towards her, she looked over at him. Irritation ran through her system at the fact that he had ruined the moment, but she shrugged it off. "Why don't we talk in the other room so it's not so loud?" Nyline could only sigh.

"Sure," Damien held his arm up, she looked at before she turned and walked into the other room. Damien followed her as she sat on one of the couches and looked at him. Damien walked to one of the fluffy chairs and sat down looking at her.

"Do you hate me that much?" He asked trying to keep the hurt from his words and knowing that he had failed. He could hear the music coming from her ear drums; it annoyed him slightly since he was trying to talk to her.

"No, it's not that I hate you. When you touched me, I could see what you've always wanted for a mated pair and I'm just not it. In our world people marry other people simply because they are born on the same day, same minute, they connect their minds. There are no secrets and that why they make their relationships work. Seems stupid." Damien gaped at her.

"Being with a mated pair is one of the single most joys in the world. It's finding your other half!" "You must be misinformed about what being a mated pair is." Damien shook his head; his felt like his heart was being stomped on. Nyline laughed before she started speaking again, standing so that she was looking down on him.

"When you are born into the world, your soul is split and put into two beings so that they can find each other and be whole again. I have been told the tale and I know the tradition. I knew more about life when I was two or three than you did when you were ten. I am different from you. I am able to learn about people quickly. I hear a person's thoughts even if they are in a different room and when someone touches me…" I can see into their mind and steal their memories. She stopped speaking not allowing the rest of the sentence pass her lips. Those were daemon skills and would most defiantly horrify him. Whereas she could use it as a way to make him leave quicker, she didn't want to tell him her most guarded secret. "Anyways," She tried to recover but Damien stood so he was on the same level as her.

"I'm sorry, I did not realize." Damien spoke quickly,

"Of course, you didn't. you came rushing over here to find your 'one true love'" she did air quotes as she spoke, "You may have fantasized about what kind of person I was but you never stopped to wonder who I might be. You know nothing of the truth, and you never stopped to ask or even ponder if there was more to the story. There is nothing here for you," She walked to the door, speaking softly. "Please just go home."

Turning she walked out of the living room but paused at the kitchen doorway. Her uncle looked at her for a moment before she turned and walked back up the stair well. Closing the door softly behind her, she took the two long strides to her bed and fell into it. Today had just been too much.