The Reluctant Vampire Page 0,72

shook her head and stretched. "Sam refused because she didn't want to leave her sisters behind in ten years."

When Mirabeau frowned at this news, Drina asked with amusement, "Mor mer's the head of the North American Enforcers, right?"

"Yeah, under Lucian," Mirabeau murmured.

"And you're an enforcer?" Drina asked.

Mirabeau nodded.

"So, haven't you met this Sam? I mean, if she lives at the enforcer house, and you're an enforcer, you'd have to go there quite a bit. Surely you would have met her and realized she was mortal?"

Mirabeau frowned, and it was Stephanie who answered, saying with amusement, "Beau's been avoiding the house ever since I got there. She goes straight to the garage when she has to meet with Mor mer. And Sam pre y much arrived on the scene just days in front of Dani and me, so I doubt she even met her more than once thanks to trying to avoid me."

Mirabeau looked alarmed, and quickly said, "It wasn't you, Stephanie."

"I know," Stephanie said, some of her humor slipping away. "It was just my situa on. Losing my family and all. It reminded you of losing your own, and so you tried to avoid me to avoid thinking of it."

Drina glanced to Mirabeau curiously. "You've lost your family too?"

"It was a long me ago," Mirabeau said quietly, her gaze moving back to Tiny when he s rred restlessly. She reached out and brushed her fingers along his cheek. Her touch seemed to soothe him.

"Dree's parents were killed when Rome invaded Egypt, but she has all her brothers and sisters s ll,"

Stephanie announced.

"How do you know that?" Drina asked with surprise.

"You just thought it," Stephanie said with a shrug.

Drina just stared at her. She was pre y sure she hadn't just thought that though she supposed it could have been s rred in her subconscious. S ll - recalling the accident, she asked, "You were reading Harper's mind during the accident? It's how you knew there was something wrong with the brakes?"

"I told you, I don't really read you guys. You shout your thoughts at me," she said, looking uncomfortable, and then admitted, "Except Lucian. Him I actually have to concentrate a bit to read."

"Concentrate a bit?" she queried, eyes narrowing.

"Yeah." She shrugged. "With most people, mortals and immortals alike, it's like a freaking radio playing on full volume, and I can't turn it down or shut it out. But with Lucian, I actually have to concentrate to hear what he's thinking. Anders is kind of like that too."

"Anders?" Drina asked sharply, aware that her voice had been sharper than she'd intended. Lucian was s ll rela vely new in the life-mate game, and new life mates were known to be easily read, which could explain away what Stephanie was saying. However, Anders was old and mateless. Even Mirabeau probably couldn't read him. Yet, Stephanie, who had only been an immortal for six months, could. Drina glanced to Mirabeau and saw the troubled expression on her face and knew without a doubt that it reflected her own expression.

"Well, we already knew you had mad skills when it comes to reading thoughts," Harper said mildly, apparently awoken by their discussion. His hand covered Drina's and squeezed gently in warning. Ge ng the message, she tried to blank out the worry from both her mind and expression and noted Mirabeau's suddenly clearing her own expression as well. Harper con nued, "You're a whiz at reading minds. Have you noticed any other new skills since your turn?"

"Like what?" Stephanie asked, looking uncomfortable.

"Anything that is different now that you've been turned," Harper said easily. "Some edentates have special talents other immortals don't. Maybe you're one of the gifted ones."

She bit her lip briefly, but then admi ed tenta vely, "Well, I know when life mates are around, and usually who is whose. Like I knew Dawn and Edward were mated and Alessandro and Leonora were each other's mates before you guys introduced them even though Dawn was helping Leonora in the kitchen while Alessandro and Edward set the table."

"Really?" Drina asked with amazement. "How?"

"There's this kind of electricity between them, and this energy that comes from them," she said, and then frowned and tried to explain, "The closest thing I can compare it to is what comes from cell phones and satellites and stuff. I sense these kind of . . . waves or streams of something coming from cells and satellites. It's the same kind of thing that flows between life mates. Like a