Part 14 (1/2)
He covered her hand with his, held it tightly against him. ”Not for the forestry. I have a lab in my bas.e.m.e.nt and I've got a project I'm interested in.”
”Really?” Her face lit up with interest. ”Tell me about it.”
”Tomorrow. I want to see if I can get anywhere tonight. Maybe now that I don't have to worry your sisters locked you in the tower and let you die, I can get something done.” He stood up, reluctantly letting her hand go as he bent over her to brush a kiss on top of her head. ”I'm coming over tomorrow, Libby, so tell the guardian to let me in.”
”If you're referring to my sister, her name is Sarah.”
”You have a lot of sisters.” He strode out of the house, pausing at the door to look back at her.
Libby could feel her heart beating way too fast. His expression was so-hungry. Caring. Longing. Even more than that, he looked protective of her.
”You'd better get some rest.”
”I will, Ty,” she a.s.sured him. When he closed the door she let out her breath, hardly realizing she was holding it.
”Is he gone?” Sarah asked, venturing into the room.
”Yes.”
”Baby.” Sarah rubbed the top of Libby's head affectionately. ”The man is just plain maddening. I can feel how attracted you are to him, but he's just too weird.”
”He's brilliant. He can speak several languages, talk about any subject I want to discuss and he's very, very hot. And a good kisser.” Libby looked up at Sarah, feeling a little lost. ”He's brilliant and that's like an aphrodisiac to me.”
”Or more likely it's the wounded bird syndrome.”
”What in the world is that?”
”Your continual need to help those in need. If anyone is in need, it's Tyson Derrick.”
Libby made a face. ”Now you have me being the good girl again. Libby the saint. I'd much rather the attraction be all about s.e.x. Libby the bad girl is much more to my liking.”
Sarah groaned. ”Yes, because all bad girls like to be told you're so pale you look more of a ghost than usual. I nearly choked to death on that one, and Hannah would have turned him into a toad on the spot.”
Libby burst out laughing. ”The man can really hand out those compliments, can't he? The worst of it is, I'm actually starting to find it endearing.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. ”You're so sunk. And that just makes my point. You couldn't be bad if you tried, it isn't in your nature. No one else on the face of this planet would find that man endearing. He's like some kind of porcupine. Touch him and you come away with a hand full of quills.”
”He's really quite sweet.”
”The man a.n.a.lyzes feelings, he doesn't actually feel them.”
”You're wrong, Sarah, and he's not 'the man.' His name is Ty or Tyson.”
”I'm sorry, hon.” Sarah ruffled her hair. ”Drink your tea.”
”I know nothing can come of it,” Libby said. She realized she sounded regretful and frowned.
”Not necessarily,” Sarah said, ashamed of herself when she could see the naked longing on her sister's face. It was just that she wanted to love all of her sister's choices. She couldn't imagine loving Tyson Derrick. ”The lock fell from the gate and the house let him in. There was no resistance, Libby, did you notice that?”
”I was too busy noticing how hard his body is. It isn't fair, Sarah, he should either have brains or brawn, but not both.”
Sarah laughed. ”Elle wasn't happy that we kept him away from you. She said we should let nature take its course.”
”What does that mean?” Libby was horrified. ”What does she know?”
”Elle never says exactly what she means, but she was very adamant. It's hard for her to maintain a balance of giving people privacy, free agency and warning us off doing something stupid because she knows things we don't.”
”Her life is so difficult, Sarah. I worry about her. She told me she doesn't want to have children.”
Sarah put down her cup of tea, shocked. ”She did? Why? She carries all the gifts. Without her, the Drake legacy would most likely end.”
Libby sighed. ”She's so sad. I think it's such a burden for her. I told her to talk to Mom. Mom had to learn how to cope with knowing what everyone is thinking and feeling all the time. I try to help, but Elle won't let me.”
”You shouldn't be helping anyone for a while, Libby. You need to strike some kind of balance. You give too much of yourself to everyone. If you keep letting people take pieces of you, eventually there'll be nothing left. You know better than to take on someone's illness or injuries.”
”It was Jonas. I had no choice.” Libby defended herself.
”You did it twice. Healing infections is one thing, you're merely using energy to heal, but taking on something of that magnitude, you're absorbing the injuries. You could die. Why did you heal Tyson Derrick?”
Libby looked down at her hands. ”I didn't have a choice, Sarah. I couldn't stop myself. I had no intention of healing him, but I was pulled there and then it was happening. He doesn't even know it.”
”He doesn't want to know it because he'd have to believe in something he can't prove,” Sarah said. ”It's easier to believe we're con artists.”
”He doesn't believe that,” Libby insisted. ”He's a scientist. He thinks differently.”
”Magic is science. He just can't explain it, but it's all about energy and the universe. He doesn't fit with us, with our magic.”
”Maybe not,” Libby admitted and blew on her tea to avoid her sister's eyes.
Chapter Nine.
LIBBY tried to hide her excitement and nervousness from her sisters as she surrept.i.tiously glanced at the clock in her living room. Tyson was going to be there any minute. She'd really tried this time with her appearance. She was always pale, but she used foundation, hoping to give herself more color. She'd even applied more eye makeup than usual. She still wore a comfortable pair of jeans, but her top was clinging under her light sweater.
The pull of being with him didn't make sense to her, unless, as Sarah pointed out, it was the wounded bird syndrome. Libby walked over to the couch and put her arm around Hannah's neck to lean down and kiss her on top of her head.
”You're so tired, hon. Can't you go to sleep? I can help you if you'd let me.”
Hannah caught her hand. ”No, you can't. You have to stop using energy for a long while, even for the minor things. I'm drinking chamomile tea and at least I'm home where I can relax. Jonas is breathing on his own.” Without warning, Hannah choked back a sob and put her hands over her face to hide the tears.
Libby sat beside her and put her arms around Hannah. At once the warm light burst out of her, seeking to comfort her sister, to ease her pain. Hannah pulled away abruptly. ”Libby! You're supposed to be resting.”
”Not when you need me,” Libby said firmly. ”I've never seen you so...” She trailed off searching for the right word. ”Broken.”
”I just never expected him to get hurt. Not just hurt, but someone almost killed him. Why, Libby? Why would someone do that to Jonas? He's a good man and he genuinely cares about other people all the time. You saw him the other night so upset over a case of parental abuse. He puts everyone else before himself.”
”I know, honey,” Libby said. Hannah looked gaunt, her eyes red with dark circles under them. ”It's been bad, but he's going to live. He'll be back bossing us around very soon.”