Page 9 of Dark Visions

“This is so fucked up, but here goes. I joined the military when I was seventeen because I thought I was going crazy and just needed discipline. Every time I touched someone evil, there would be this harsh zap up my arm, like a stun gun or an electrical shock or something. At first, I couldn’t control it. I would literally scream at the suddenness.”

“Jesus,” she whispered.

“Yea, it’s kind of funny you say that. The first person it happened with was the family priest. I knew the bastard was no good. When he touched my arm, my whole body shook with an electrical jolt. I tried to tell my parents, but they punished me for not wanting to go to church. I was seven. It got worse when puberty really set things in motion for me. I don’t remember feeling a whole lot of anything before then, but after? After was a fucking nightmare.”

Aislinn nodded, remembering that her visions came more frequently and clearer as she got older.

“Then, when I was seventeen, it was my old man. I’d never felt it before with him. He was an angry asshole of a drunk and rarely touched me anyway, but he grabbed my arm. I knew he was planning something. I knew he was going to do something. I just didn’t know what. I didn’t really understand what I was experiencing back then. I left the next day for boot camp. A week later, I got word that he killed my mother and then killed himself.”

“I’m so sorry, Kane,” she said, reaching for his hand.

She moved closer to the heat of his body and laid her head against his shoulder. It was so easy, so natural, to seek his warmth and strength, and yet she barely knew this man. Something about Kane Jackson made Aislinn want to be in his presence. Being in the presence of any man, any human, was difficult for her. So, the question in her mind was why it was so easy to be around Kane Jackson.

“In the Army, I learned to really hone the skill, to understand it and use it to my advantage. Many of the men I served with weren’t exactly choir boys, but you can weed those out. The guys that just fuck every woman they lay their hands on, cheat on them, cheat at cards, drink too much, that sort of thing.” She nodded.

“When the zap, as I call it, is nearly electrifying, I know that something, or someone, is really going to be shitty. That’s how I knew the Taliban leader was so evil. He tried to pass himself off as being an ally. When I shook his hand, I knew. He was pure evil. I could feel it if I was within twenty feet of him.”

“Did you, did you shake the doctor’s hand?” she asked.

“No. But our fingers touched when he took my business card. Just a small touch, and I thought my arm would burn off. That’s why I believe you, Aislinn. I believe you because it happens to me but without the vision. I know that someone is evil and can pretty much tell you what level of evil they are. I just can’t predict what they will do or when.” Kane took a long breath and let it out.

“Although I know your gift must be a burden, and you probably don’t see it as a gift, I actually wish I had visions. Maybe then I could have prevented the deaths of some of my teammates.”

“I would never want to lay thisgifton you, Kane. It’s a horrible thing. I’ve never been able to control it, and I have no way of knowing when the next vision will happen. They are all violent and uncontrollable, blood and terror. There’s this horror in the victim’s faces. We’re a sorry pair, aren’t we?” she said, smiling up at him with a sad smile.

“I guess we are,” he grinned. “Aislinn, I want you to stay here tonight. You can have the bed, but I get this feeling that the doctor… I don’t know. I just get this feeling.”

She nodded at him, a sad look crossing her face. Looking around the loft, she felt the warmth flood through her body once again. The empty Chinese take-out containers cluttered the coffee table.

“Your home is beautiful. I didn’t get to tell you that earlier, but when we walked in, I can’t explain it, but I immediately felt at home here.”

It was an odd sensation to experience, considering the space was mostly concrete and steel, no warm, homey touches to it. Just Kane. Everything felt like Kane, smelled like Kane. That’s what made her feel at home.

“You don’t feel at home in your own place?” he asked.

“It’s not that really. I have to sterilize an apartment before I enter it. Anything, I mean anything, can trigger the nightmares. When I moved into my current place, I forgot to wipe down the knobs on the cabinets. It was awful. I was sick for days.”

“I never thought about that,” he said, staring down at her.

“Kane? Why did you help me? I mean, I am completely and totally grateful, but why? And, don’t you have a job to go to?” She turned her body slightly, tucking one leg beneath the other.

“I do have a job. I’m a bit of a freelance security specialist. I offer protection services and, well, on occasion, I find individuals.”

“Like a bounty hunter?” she asked innocently.

“Sort of,” he grinned. “As for why I helped you? I don’t know, Aislinn. I really don’t. I’m not the sweep in on the white horse kind of guy. I mean, my face doesn’t exactly say, ‘hop on, baby, and I’ll save you.’ I just saw you, and something… it was as if something called to me and demanded me to go with you to the hospital.”

“Well, I’m very glad you did. And for the record, Kane, I like your face. I like every inch of it. It’s strong and carries wisdom beyond its years. I look at your face and see courage, honor, and a survivor.” She reached up and laid her hand against his burned cheek, her fingers feather-light. “I like this face a lot.”

That’s when Aislinn Carter did something she never did. She leaned forward and touched her lips, her skin to another’s. Tentatively, easing forward, she stared into Kane’s eyes, hoping he wouldn’t push her away. With each breath, she waited until she was so close she could feel the heat from his mouth. Gently touching her lips to his, she kissed him softly at first, waiting for the visions to assail her, but when none came, she wound her arms around his neck and pleaded for more.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Kane couldn’t believe it. This beautiful woman was touching him, touching his face, his neck, his lips, and she was practically crawling over him, begging for more. He let his thoughts briefly think evil thoughts. She wanted something. She needed something. But the honest desire and passion emanating from her body were more than even his logical brain could argue with.

“Aislinn, baby, you taste so good,” he whispered against her lips.

“So do you,” she smiled. “Like eggrolls and something totally decadent.”

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