Page 31 of Broken Rejected Mate

When the door swings open, it reveals a tall, wire-thin woman draped in colorful fabric and bangles, her gray hair swinging around her shoulders, her round glasses magnifying her eyes as she peers at me. A smile breaks out over her lips.

“I’m Beth, you must be Veva—and Sarina!”

She surprises us by hugging us both, then we’re ushered inside.

Emin is waiting outside in his truck, and I’m glad to be out from under his gaze. When I came back downstairs this morning, Sarina was already up and reading, and Emin offered to take us to breakfast.

I sat quietly, chanting to myself mentally, a constant reminder not to fall into Emin’s charms.

Now, Beth shuffles us through a hallway piled with books on either side, plants stacked on top of them perilously. When we break out of the hallway, it’s into a large, light-soaked room, a table right in the center of it.

There’s a wall of windows on the far side, and crystals dangle from the window panes, catching and reflecting the light, sending shards of rainbow spinning through the space.

A dozen heads turn to us, a collective shifting when we walk in.

“Veva?” Kira stands, her eyes darting from me, to another woman, then to Beth.

“Our newest member,” Beth says, clapping and bumping her shoulder into mine. “Veva, Sarina, would you like to introduce yourselves and your powers?”

I look to my daughter—I’d rather not tell this group of mostly strangers about her, but I don’t seem to have much of a choice.

“I’m Veva,” I say, putting my hand on her shoulder and drawing her to me. “This is Sarina, my daughter. I inherited clairsentience from my grandmother, and Sarina…”

She looks up at me, and I stare down at her, and I finish, “Well, we’re not quite sure.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Beth says, gesturing for us to come in and take a seat. “Part of our job here is to test the boundaries of our abilities, press up against those thresholds. In fact, Ash here is without a gift, but enjoys joining us all the same.”

The woman Beth gestures to taps her finger against her temple, smiling. “Keeps me sharp.”

“Don’t lie,” Beth jokes, “it’s all about getting to have some of my famous tea.”

Ash shrugs, her hands wrapped around a mug, and takes a sip as the tendrils of steam curl around her face. She’s pretty, with dark brown hair, and I realize who she is—Dorian’s little sister.

We take a seat. Kira smiles at me, and I smile back at her. The others around the table are young—teenagers and adults accompanying them. Beth sits at the head of the table, leading us through several exercises.

It’s a lot of breathing, clearing our minds, letting thoughts come and go.

“They’ll drift through like clouds,” Beth says, her eyes shut as she sways at the head of the table. “Acknowledge them, but don’t trap them inside. Let them move on.”

Later, when everyone is working through their own exercises, Beth drifts over to me.

“Okay,” she says, dropping into a seat beside me. “You inherited this from your grandmother—clairsentience? What do you know of your power?”

A blush rises up my cheeks. “Well—nothing. We weren’tthatclose, and my grandmother was a very private woman. She said she was giving it to me. I didn’t—I mean, I’m still not even sure that’s really a thing. Is it?”

“Yes, it very much is,” Beth says, folding her hands in her lap. “Does your mother have abilities?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so. Maybe my grandmother justsaidshe was giving it to me, but didn’t?”

“Would you say that you have good gut-feelings, Veva?”

“Well, I trust my instincts.”

“That could very well be a symptom of your gift,” Beth explains, gesturing into the rest of the room. “Many of the gifts in this room are more…targeted. For example, Kira here is clairaudient. Her premonitions are centered aroundhearing—whether that comes from the past or future, or from the spirits around us.”

Sarina shifts, looking around us uncomfortably.

Beth laughs, “Benevolentspirits, dear.”

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