The Light of Asteria by Elizabeth Isaacs Read Free Book Online

Please give me a
minute, I think I can move,” his rich voice softly pleaded. I kept
his hand in both of mine. His palm didn’t have the usual lines and
creases, but was warm, soft, and polished. Visions of his hand
against my face rolled through my mind, and my face blazed crimson
at where my thoughts were leading. I was drawn to Gavin like no
other.
    The ache from the emotional assault continued
to burn, and I rocked back and forth to ease the pain. Instinct
whispered that the emotions that were not my own were connected to
what had happened to Gavin. Truly, I might be going crazy. Maybe
this was the common thread with my birth family I had always
dreaded. Maybe I finally reached my limit and had simply lost my
mind; who knows how these things go? I quickly discounted that idea
... I knew I was too strong for insanity.
    Gavin struggled to sit up. The strong
attraction I felt for him served as a balm, and it quickly
smothered the hot ache of despair. I cleared my mind and was
surprised to feel the attraction surging through me was at war with
the outer emotions emanating to me. The fact they were so tangible
and much stronger than my own was confusing. At this moment, I
simply was one big ball of emotion, tumbling helplessly, totally
out of control … like a rag doll in white water.
    “Nora, honey, are you all right?” he
murmured. My heart jumped. I stared at the sunlight dancing off his
shiny hair. His normally tanned skin was pasty white, and the dark
circles under his eyes almost looked like bruises. Whatever it was
obviously had taken a great toll on him. Maybe he hit his head. As
I thought of nothing but trying to help, the feeling of security
deepened.
    “What happened to you?”
    “I’m not sure. I was walking towards campus …
and the next thing I remember is hearing your voice.” He spoke with
conviction, but his brow lowered, and his beautiful eyes
narrowed.
    At that very moment, it seemed imperative to
him I not pry. For some strange reason, the buntings in the barn
came to mind. They flew so close I could touch them, but I never
tried, wanting to honor their trust. I would give Gavin the same
respect. I cautiously rose, hoping my legs could stand.
    “Where’s your brother?”
    He smiled weakly. “Waiting for me to give him
a call.”
    Those brilliantly green eyes searched my
face. Without warning, that now familiar sense of anguish was back.
Instinctively, I knew these emotions were coming from him. The
truth of it rocked every fiber of my being. Somehow, I was picking
up his emotional atmosphere, like a satellite to a dish. I searched
back and finally understood. That gentle physical pull in my center
before I see him—the feelings that blazed through my soul—I was
experiencing an echo of his feelings.
    His eyebrows rose in surprise and I felt the
emotions match. Taking a deep breath, I sighed. Even if this were
true, I couldn’t bring it up in casual conversation; he would think
I was crazy. My eyes darted to the ground as I tried to swim back
to reality, but I couldn’t find water shallow enough to claw my way
back to the life I had known before Gavin.
    The external surprise quickly grew into
conflict, and then turned to panic. My head snapped up; he stared
with wide-eyed fear. In that moment, I knew I was, in some way,
connected to him, and he was also connected to me. My thoughts
raced with memories, and I found a common thread … sometimes it
seemed as if those outer emotions were reacting to what was going
through my mind. That was ludicrous, but as I searched, the thread
grew stronger … he must be as attuned to my thoughts as I am to his
emotions.
    Panic rose to a crescendo that was almost
unbearable, and I had to do something. Instinct took over and I
looked in his eyes and opened my mind, allowing my memories to
flood through. Our conversation yesterday, my love for Edna, the
first time I saw the ocean … every special moment in my life ran
through my thoughts. His emeralds warmed;