Control yourself, Ella. Jesus.

I took a couple more deep breaths, waited a few moments, and then opened the door.

Chapter Four.

My heart dropped as I realized it wasn"t Jonah, but a middle-aged man with a well-groomed goatee wearing an ominous black trench coat. He was very tall and somewhat gangly looking, but his face was handsome and looked slightly familiar.

"Good evening, Ella. My name is Divinus Chantrey. I"m Jonah"s father," he introduced as he politely extended his hand out to me.

Puzzled, I scrunched my forehead and offered my hand in return, allowing him to brush a light kiss along my knuckles, a gesture that had me feeling a bit uneasy about his motives for being here.

"I know you must be wondering why I am here. I would like to speak with you briefly if you have a moment?"

Uhh... mind reader? Probably, considering clairvoyance was hereditary.

"Oh, ahh... yeah, sure," I blubbered, obviously suffering from a brain to mouth malfunction. I squeezed through the door and stepped out onto my porch, figuring it would calm my nerves to spend some time in the fresh evening air. When I was finally able to put two coherent words together, I said, "I"m sorry. I was just a little surprised to see you instead of Jonah. Is he ok?"

"Not to worry, my dear. He is fine. He is not happy with my insisting on meeting you, but I just could not help myself. I had to meet the daughter of Delphina Hugh," he said, shocking me still as stone, as he nonchalantly sat down on the wicker sofa.

"How did you... You knew my mother?" I stuttered.

I couldn"t move. The mention of my mother"s name from his lips left me dumbstruck. Is it hot out here? I thought as I fanned myself lightly, hopefully unnoticeably.

"Ahh, yes. I knew your mother many years ago. When Jonah told me he met another soul seer and, after plenty of coaxing and even some bribery, he told me your name, I just knew you had to be Delphina"s daughter."

He sat and stared at me for a moment too long for comfort. I began to fidget wildly under his intense stare. It"s as if he was studying me. Branding me to his memory. Just as I was starting to get a little nervous, he said, "Orella Hugh. You are so grown up. So beautiful. Just like your mother."

Ok, that"s it. I needed some answers. This had better be good!

"I"m sorry. Can you tell me how you knew my mother?" I asked, getting a little more uneasy about his presence and actually, a little ticked off someone would put me through the memories of her death yet again.

I loved the memories I had of my mom"s life. But, ultimately, I would have to explain her death to this man. And, just the thought of talking about the worst day of my life with a stranger made bile rise in my throat.

"Del and I went to college together. She always seemed to keep me out of trouble-that is for sure. I am a bit surprised she kept her maiden name and even more surprised she pa.s.sed it along to you," he said as he laughed thoughtfully. I knew why... My mom loved the meaning of our last name. And ever since she told me I was a soul seer, I understood why it was so important to her.

Hugh-I knew it was a distant German word meaning heart, mind, spirit. My thoughts went to Jonah"s explanation of my first name. Orella Hugh... Oracle Spirit. d.a.m.n, my mom was such an amazing person. Even my name rocked because of her.

Bringing myself back to the present, I stood and stared at this man who was still uncomfortably studying me.

I could tell he was purposefully blocking his thoughts, although I didn"t quite know how he was doing it or why. I"ve never known anyone to block his or her thoughts from me and the idea was unnerving. "Even though I cannot read your mind, Ella, I know you can read mine. And I know you are probably wondering why I am blocking you."

Well, even if he claimed he couldn"t read minds, he was doing a d.a.m.n good job of reading mine.

"Yes, I am. I"ve never had anyone block their thoughts from me before."

"Ahh, but I am sure you have. You just did not know it. That is actually the reason I wanted to come see you," he said as a sudden look of sorrow pa.s.sed across his face. "You see, Jonah told me about the loss of your mother. I was not aware. I know you do not wish to talk about it, and that is fine. I only want to offer my condolences and possibly offer my help."

"Your help?" I asked as I finally became comfortable enough to sit in the wicker chair near where he sat. "How can you help?"

"Well, most telepaths wait until their offspring"s sixteenth birthday to explain their gifts, mainly because the parent needs to be well aware of exactly what types of gifts the child possesses. But, since your mother suffered an unfortunate departure early in her life, and yours, I am worried you may not have anyone to turn to with questions or just to talk about your abilities," he paused for a moment, scratching his well-trimmed goatee before he continued. "Was your mother able to tell you about anything?"

"She was able to tell me, very briefly, who I was. Unfortunately, she was very weak. Even her mind was fading. She explained to me her body was no longer alive and that soon her mind would not be either. I was in shock. I had never known my mom to project directly to me the way she did that day in the hospital. I..." I trailed off, suddenly feeling the tears beginning to p.r.i.c.k my eyes and threaten to take over my emotions.

"I am sure you miss her terribly. She was a wonderful woman. I have no doubt she was even more exquisite as a mother."

I wanted to change the subject. Not because he was incorrect in his a.s.sumptions but because, if I began to cry now, I would ruin my Jonah-makeup. I may be a confident person, but I was still a girl. And the last thing a girl wanted to do was ruin her makeup before a date with a G.o.d.

"Why are you blocking your thoughts from me?" I asked curiously, successfully changing the subject and deciding to be straightforward with him, worried that he was hiding something.

"I wanted to show you the possibilities of our kind, Ella. I am not trying to hide from you, just trying to demonstrate some of the things I could teach you, if you would like to learn," he explained with kindness in his eyes.

I nodded and looked down at my hands as I nervously wrung them in my lap until my knuckles were white with tension. Then I decided to open up to him just enough to satisfy him, but not give away too much information about myself.

"I hear her talking to me. In my sleep, mostly. I hear her telling me stories, reading to me, telling me how much she misses me. She even talks to me about art, describing the artwork to me in an almost poetic fashion. I try to talk back to her, but she doesn"t ever seem to respond, which makes me realize it"s just a dream."

"Ahh, but they are wonderful dreams, are they not? Just to be able to hear her voice, remember how she spoke to you, how she sounded. It is definitely better than nothing, yes?" Divinus asked with delight in his eyes.

"I never really thought of it that way, but I guess you"re right." Maybe this guy wasn"t all that creepy after all. He had a very valid point. I should be thanking my lucky stars I am able to remember her voice, her smell, her stories...

He looked at his watch and then patted me on my hands. "I must be going now. Jonah warned me to be out of here before six. He has a real treat in store for you tonight, Orella. You are going to have a very nice time, I am sure."

With that, he got up and headed toward the front steps. Just as I said goodbye and was about to head back inside, he said, "If you ever need anything, you know how to get in touch with me. I told Jonah to give you my cell number and email. Please, do not hesitate to call upon me if you need any advice, Ms. Orella Hugh."

Just as I said thank you, he turned and glided down the short steps to the sidewalk. His coat billowed behind him like a cape, making him look like a comic-book villain. Maybe I should have given him more of a superhero status instead. After all, he was kind enough to realize when a young, confused girl needed help. Yet I couldn"t shake the thought he was intentionally hiding something from me.

It didn"t take long for Jonah to show up at the door with an apologetic look on his face. Even his remorseful stare made me smile.

Chapter Five.

"I"m sorry, Ella. If I thought for even a moment he would take it upon himself to come bother you, I would have never told him. I was just so excited to meet you," he said as he walked in my door.

"Don"t worry about it, Jonah. He was nice. His reason for coming to meet me was very sweet. Although, he was purposefully blocking me, which I"ve never known anyone to do. I couldn"t read him at all. The fact I felt he was hiding something from me made me a little uneasy," I admitted.

"Oh, he keeps that mental block up all the time because of me. He"s gotten really good at it. My mom doesn"t have the ability to though, so I still get a glimpse at some of his secrets," Jonah said with a wink and a naughty grin.

Oh, heart. Fly away. Surely it couldn"t stay contained a moment longer with the amount of fluttering ravaging my chest.

The idea he blocked Jonah all the time as well made me feel a little better and more at ease. At least it meant there was a possibility he was telling the truth.

We stood in the foyer as we talked about his dad. Our conversation was followed by an awkward moment of silence.

Jonah shifted his gaze over my shoulder to a sculpture that hung on the wall. "Is that from one of Da Vinci"s sketches?"

I turned, knowing full well the piece he was referring to, but feeling the need to look at it as I spoke. "Yeah. I saw the movie Ever After and loved the painting of Danielle. I knew it was similar to something I"d seen in my high school art history book, so knowing it was Da Vinci in the movie, I did a little research and found Da Vinci"s sketch, Leda. So, I decided to make a 3D rendering of it out of clay," I explained with a shrug.

You made this? he thought. She"s beautiful. She looks like you. Her face... it"s you.

I nodded as I stared at the sculpture hanging on the wall.

With those thoughts, I turned to meet his piercing emerald eyes. The way he looked at me made my heart beat wildly and my stomach turn into a swarm full of b.u.t.terflies. He had a smile that had me hanging in midair. He then made the few short steps it took to be right in front of me.

Tracing my jaw with his finger, he whispered, "Breathe, Orella."

I didn"t realize I had been holding my breath. An involuntary gasp left my lips as I looked him over. Such good looks surely had to be criminal. The sound of my full name from his mouth sent shivers of excitement down to my core. This man had an effect on me more than words could express.

I closed my eyes and began to breathe. With each breath, I could smell his scent, feel his warmth. When I opened them, he was still smiling, obviously humored that he found my weakness... him.

His thoughts were nothing but flattering-telling me how beautiful I was and how he could stare at me for hours. Of course, my dirty mind began taking a course toward the gutter and my gaze involuntarily began descending lower and lower down his front until...

"So," he interrupted my thoughts... that he could hear! I really wasn"t getting used to the fact he knew what I was thinking. I knew I had better get used to embarra.s.sing myself around Jonah, because there was no way I could stop him from reading my thoughts. He chuckled as he continued. "You ready to go?"

I just nodded and gave him a shy smile. Yet again, Ella is speechless. He held his hand out and I gladly took it. His fingers were warm. Silky, yet strong. After locking my door, we headed down the steps toward a very s.e.xy, black Charger parked near the sidewalk.

Very nice! I thought as he opened my door for me.

You mean s.e.xy, he responded while he made his way around the car, making me nod in complete agreement during my moment of privacy.

"So, what"s this surprise?" I asked, eager to know what was in store for the evening.

He winked and put the car in drive. "You"ll see."

Then I realized that I should be able to read him, figure out what this surprise was before it ever happened.

"I"m surprised you"re able to keep it from me. Are you able to block things like your father?" I asked in an attempt to get him to think about it.

"I know what you"re trying to do," he said with a smile. "Not nearly as good as him, no. But he"s taught me to practice with blocking small things. If I focus on blocking one specific thought, I can usually hold out for a few hours at least. Eventually, my mind gets the better of me and I end up letting it slip."

Several minutes of small talk later, we pulled up to a local state park. I looked at him and couldn"t contain my smile. He definitely did have something up his sleeve. I still didn"t know what, but obviously he put some thought into it. Too bad he was blocking it all from me.

"Have you ever ridden a horse before?" he asked as he opened my door and offered his hand to help me out of his sleek sports car.

I smiled gleefully as I remembered my mother. "My mom used to have horses. But my dad sold them after she died."

"Oh, so you"re a veteran rider. I"m glad to hear you"re not afraid of them."

Afraid? I thought as I rolled my eyes. Who in their right mind would be afraid of a horse?

He took my hand and led me through the park over to the stables where two beautiful Appaloosas stood waiting, already saddled and ready to go.

Oh, wow. They are so beautiful! I thought as I squeezed his hand and bounced on my tippy toes with antic.i.p.ation. Just the thought that he arranged this for me made me want to pounce.

He definitely deserved a kiss for this one!

I might hold you to that, Ella, he thought as he nudged me with his shoulder, still holding my hand as he teased me.

Once we approached the stately animals, I noticed the stable attendant"s thoughts about me were very... shall I say, vulgar? His thoughts, a.s.suming to be thoughts of admiration toward certain parts of my body, were bordering to the point of insulting. I stopped short, unable to get any closer to the man. He truly had a sick, twisted mind and I feared for the women who actually crossed his path.

Knowing when I was in danger, I backed myself up to stand behind Jonah, clutching his t-shirt in my fists so tight I was surprised I didn"t hear a tearing noise.

"We can take it from here," Jonah sternly informed the attendant with ice clearly coursing through his words. He glared at the man who just nodded and winked at me as he walked away.

A shiver ran through my spine as I heard Jonah mutter in his mind, What a sick douche. Stay close to me, Ella. I definitely don"t trust that man.

I just nodded my agreement and took a few deep breaths to rid my mind of the man"s twisted thoughts, still clutching onto Jonah"s shirt for dear life.

"Which one would you like?" Jonah asked as we approached the majestic pair. I reached out and ran my fingertips along the silky, p.r.i.c.kly nose of the white one. "This boy"s name is Skip, short for Skipcoat. And that pretty girl over there is Cora. She"s a Quarter/Appaloosa mix. Skip is a little more on the wild side, so it all depends on how confident you are with riding."

Skip was the typical Appaloosa, with small brown spots covering his white coat. You could tell he was a fiery one.

"I haven"t ridden since I was thirteen. Plus, Cora has such beautiful coloring. I think I"d like to spend some time with her."

Jonah handed me a few apple treats and gave me a peck on the cheek as he nudged me into Cora"s direction.

Cora held her beautiful mane high as I walked over to her and let her nuzzle the treats out of my hand. Her coat was a lovely chocolate brown with a patch of white around her rear, sporting little brown specks to match Skip"s coat perfectly.

I could hear Jonah"s thoughts as he watched me. His admiration only made me smile more as I pressed my lips to Cora"s nose, giving her a light peck on her whiskers.

"Well? You ready?" Jonah asked as he wrapped one hand around me and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Most definitely," I said with certainty.

Grabbing my waist, he held me just long enough to make sure I successfully hiked my b.u.t.t up onto Cora"s saddle and planted my feet securely in the stirrups. Good thing I wore boots tonight.

Jonah chuckled lightly at my wayward thoughts then hopped up onto Skip, causing the horse to prance around at the sudden pressure to his back. The sight made me giggle out loud like an air-headed schoolgirl. I quickly covered my mouth to stifle my laugh and flashed him a small smile.

We started off down the trail, side by side. Not only was I thankful for this experience, but I was also glad it was finally just the two of us... well, along with Skip and Cora, of course.

Chapter Six.

"One of the reasons I wanted to take you for a ride tonight is to show you a place along this trail I love to go. It"s about halfway through the trail and has a trough where the horses can hydrate and rest. Sound good to you?" Jonah asked. I could tell there was doubt in his voice and he was still blocking something.