Page 3 of Training Rain
“Why me?” Jess ran his fingers through his hair. The exhaustion he’d been fighting started to settle around him. Every instinct told him to stay as far away from Rain Silver as he could.
It was Tessa who answered. “Rain isn’t sure that the Psi Alliance is for her. She’s struggling with what to do. I thought you would be the right person to guide her through that decision.”
Jess crossed his arms. “Then we can end this process right now. I would tell her to run as fast and as far away from the two of you as possible. In fact I’d include me in the group of people. That woman should not be anywhere near any of us. It will only get her killed.”
Joshua grinned from across the room. “You say that, but she saved your life. In fact, if she hadn’t blocked Banta from gathering auras, we all might have been killed.”
“I recognize that, but it doesn’t mean I think she should risk her life the way we do. What’s wrong with being a healer in Nevada?”
Tessa said, “Nothing, but Adianca informed us that Rain was unhappy and had a different destiny.”
Adianca was the shaman from the reservation. She had helped to save Tessa when her soul was lost between worlds. The old lady was wise, he wouldn’t argue with that.
Still.
“Just because following in the shaman’s footsteps is not Rain’s destiny does not mean that dying in a psychic war is.”
“Is that what you think will happen?” Tessa asked.
“I think it’s very likely we could all die before this is over and I’m sure you do too.”
The silence that followed his pronouncement gave him more satisfaction than it should.
“She’s afraid.”
“She should be.”
Joshua pushed away from the wall and crossed until he was directly in front of Jess. “Not of getting killed. Rain is afraid of failing. She doesn’t think she has anything to offer and I’m not just talking about with regard to being an agent.”
“What are you talking about? She was magnificent at the Venetian. She never hesitated.”
Jess realized too late that he’d begun defending the idea of Rain joining the Psi Alliance.
Tessa didn’t miss the switch. “No she didn’t. She’s got natural instincts and some really interesting defensive psi skills.”
Jess had seen Rain block psychic waves and he also knew she could heal. He had to agree that those were useful and rare skills. Part of him was intrigued by the idea of training someone who had so much to offer the Alliance. Another part of him had to acknowledge his own desire to see her silky dark hair and warm bronze skin again.
“Where is she now?”
Tessa picked up the folder on the table and handed it to Jess.
