Vampire Mine - Kerrelyn Sparks [54]
“Watch carefully so ye’ll learn how.” He glanced up and his smoky blue eyes widened.
Her heart lurched. She’d been caught admiring his face. Heat crept up to her cheeks.
His jaw shifted. “I’ll start again. Watch.”
She focused on her shoe as he tied the lace and described the act, but her heart kept pounding. What was wrong with her? She shouldn’t exacerbate her situation by developing strong feelings toward Connor. She was hoping to return to heaven as soon as possible. She couldn’t fall prey to human desire and longing.
“There.” He finished. “Ye want to try?”
“Yes.” She leaned over to mimic his movements. Her hair fell forward obscuring her view. She pushed it back and was halfway through tying the second shoelace when her hair fell forward again. She made a small sound of frustration. She couldn’t see, and if she let go to shove her hair back, she’d have to start over.
He gently gathered her hair and held it back. Her heart leaped up her throat. With trembling fingers, she completed the bow.
He released her hair. “Ye did it. Ye learn quickly.”
“You gave good instructions.”
He jerked to a standing position. “Och, well, that was the sort of instruction ye were supposed to receive.” He walked stiffly away.
She wondered what was bothering him as she joined him in the middle of the clearing. Maybe Brynley was right about men and the Three-Step Rule.
“I’ve set twelve logs around us like the numbers on a clock,” he began.
“It reminds me of a stone henge.” She pivoted in a circle. “I’ve always loved those.”
“ ’Tis no’ like a henge.”
“I think it is.”
He gave her an impatient look. “Nay. I know what a henge looks like. I have one at home.”
“You do? Can I see it?”
A pained look flitted over his face before he turned cold as stone. “I never go there. Forget I said it.”
Her mouth fell open. Why would a man refuse to go home? It must have something to do with the black pit of pain in his soul. Now that she was alone with him, maybe she should ask him about the blond woman Darcy. Or she could discover more about him by embracing him. That strategy made her heart race.
“Stand here in the center.” He clasped her shoulders from behind and moved her into position. He pointed over her shoulder at the large log straight in front of her. “That one represents twelve o’clock, yer target. Our goal is for ye to learn to knock down yer target and only yer target. Agreed?”
“Yes.” She nodded, frowning. She would have to be careful to conserve her energy if she was going to do this over and over.
“All right,” Connor said, standing behind her. “For yer first attempt, try to narrow yer blast to half the circle, nine o’clock to three o’clock. Can ye do that?”
“I’ll try.” She looked from side to side, concentrating on the logs. Could she actually control the scope of the blast? And the intensity? “Maybe you shouldn’t stand right behind me.”
“Why? Are ye planning to fail?”
She glared at him over her shoulder. “I’ve never tried this before.” And if she didn’t manage to turn down the volume, she’d run out of energy in just a few attempts.
“Verra well.” He moved back till he was standing between two logs. “Have a go then.”
With a groan, she extended her hands. She wasn’t sure how to do this other than using her thoughts. Less power. Half the circle. She squeezed her eyes shut, and let loose what she hoped was a small spurt of energy.
She heard some thudding noises and a muffled curse behind her. She opened her eyes. The logs in front of her had moved about twenty feet, crashing into the forest, but she usually averaged forty to fifty feet, so she had managed to decrease her energy output. Not bad, she thought with a grin. She turned