A/N-A big, love filled shout out to @rainbowalaska, the real life inspiration for Savannah. Thank you for reading. Luv, luv, luv you!!
"Her directions say to take the next right." Dustin was reading the map while Brian drove his rental car along the highway. "Should be about a mile up ahead."
"Are you sure? I thought it was a left." Brian tried to look at the map and the road at the same time.
"I'm looking right at it." Dustin shot him an irritated glance.
I was sitting in the backseat, listening to them argue like two little boys. We were on our way to see Savannah. Her house was on the outskirts of New Orleans, in a deeply wooded and well-hidden area.
"I thought you guys had been to her place before." I glanced from one to the other.
"Yah, she has a few houses. The last time I visited her, she was up near Shreveport. That was when I had her make your necklace." Dustin looked back at the map. "According to this, we should be turning any minute."
"What necklace?" Brian asked, as he eased the car off the highway and on to a dirt road.
"I had Savannah make Katie a Crest necklace."
"You what?!" Brian looked at him, shocked.
"I didn't want her to have to face Anya without a little help, so I had Savannah infuse a necklace with some strength enhancers. That was before I found out Katie could just mind throw a desk at her."
"Hey!" I frowned. "I still don't know how to do that."
"Yet." Dustin winked at me.
Brian shook his head and fixed his stare on the road in front of him. "I swear, you just can't seem to stop breaking rules, can you?"
"My necklace is a broken rule?" I ran my fingers over the charm hanging from the chain.
"Kinda." Dustin shrugged. "But I already broke the biggest rule, so you know, what's one more little one?"
"I'm surprised Savannah would do that. Of course, she's always had a soft spot for you and your puppy dog eyes." Brian slowed the car as the road became rougher.
I narrowed my eyes. Did this Magic Caster have a thing for my boyfriend? I wondered if she was prettier than me.
Dustin laughed out loud. "No, she doesn't have a thing for me, and no she's not prettier than you."
"Quit listening to my thoughts without permission!" I yelled.
He stopped laughing, but there was still a small smile playing on his lips. "Savannah is, well, you will see when we get there. I don't want to spoil it for you."
"Are we almost there?" I looked at them each in turn, wondering how much longer they could be in the car together without killing each other.
"Should be coming up on it momentarily." Dustin folded the map and stuck it in the glove box.
I started to feel nervous as we got closer. Butterflies were flapping their wings around in my stomach as I tried to slow my breathing. I hoped I wouldn't puke on the little old lady. Not exactly the first impression I was striving for.
Dustin turned around in his seat and brought his eyes to mine. "Calm down. Everything will be okay. You'll feel better after you talk with Savannah, I promise." His mental message and eye contact caused my pulse to slow.
"I'm just nervous." I responded, silently. "I have no idea what to expect."
"Do you guys have to do the telepathy thing around me? Kinda makes me feel left out of the conversation." Brian followed the road around a corner and a huge plantation house came into view.
"Wow." I breathed, out loud. Holy massive dwelling, Batman!
The house was one of the biggest I had ever seen in real life. There had to be at least four wings jutting out from the main entrance, and each wing was two stories tall.
"Yah, Savannah likes to live in style." Brian said, dryly. He pulled the car into the circular drive, and shut off the engine. He turned to Dustin and looked at him sternly. "We're here to get some answers for Katie's situation. Don't ask Savannah for anymore enchanted jewelry, and try to remember your manners."
I raised my eyebrows. It was interesting hearing my hundred and fifty-year old creature of the night boyfriend being chastised by his older creature of the night brother. My world had definitely taken an interesting turn.
The three of us got out of the car and stretched our legs for a moment before heading to the massive double doors at the front of the manor house. Brian rang the doorbell, and Dustin reached for my hand. I flinched at first, worried about an uninvited vision, but I only felt the security of Dustin's love pulsing its way into my system.
The door opened, revealing an older man in a black suit. "Mr. LeFores, Mr. Lefores, so nice to see you both again." He bowed deeply.
"Sullivan, it's been awhile." Brian nodded towards him. "I believe Savannah is expecting us?"
The man opened the door further to let us in. "She's in the library with Kaitlyn." He closed the door behind us, and gestured toward the hallway. "First door on the left."
Dustin pulled me close to him as we walked into the massive room. Vaulted ceilings and wall to wall book shelves made for an impressive, old fashioned library.
A beautiful woman sat on one of the chaises. She had honey blonde hair and startling blue eyes, which appeared in stark contrast to her red beaded gown. She looked like she belonged in an old 30s movie about jazz singers. And Dustin was wrong, she was definitely prettier than me.
"Savannah, it's been awhile." Brian smiled.
"Yes, it has, Brian. How have you been?" The familiar British voice sounded behind me.
I spun around to see a blond girl of about thirteen strolling towards us. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white blouse, and her hair was pulled back in a French braid. Her bright white Aura was pulsating as she smiled at me. "You must be Katie." She stuck her hand out to me.
I nodded, slowly. "Um, yeah, nice to meet you." I shook her small hand.
THIS was Savannah? She reminded me of the pretty, popular girls I went to middle school with. The girls that the boys wanted to be with and the girls wanted to be like. I definitely hadn't expected this. My nervousness about her feelings for Dustin evaporated, and I chuckled to myself. I was sure she wasn't a threat to me, but the keen look in her eyes warned me not to underestimate her.
I could see Dustin grinning out of the corner of my eye. "Hey Savannah."
She turned her magnificent smile on him. "Dustin. I trust you've been well since the last time we spoke?"
"Hanging in there." He took my hand in his. "Thanks for seeing us today."
She looked back at me and I noticed that her eyes were so pale blue that they almost looked white. She fixed those strange eyes on me and stared for a moment. I could almost feel her probing my mind with her own, noting all that she saw in there. I felt a stain spread across my cheeks as I tried to push away my ever present thoughts of Dustin naked. "My goodness," She murmured. "You are something different, aren't you?"
I shrank back into Dustin, feeling the comfort of his arms slip around me like a warm shawl. "We aren't really sure what she is. Neither Brian nor I have ever seen anything like this."
She nodded slowly. "Well, we have plenty of time to figure that out. Would you care to join me for some tea?" She turned and headed out the door. The super model in the red dress got up and slowly followed her.
I looked at Dustin, questioningly. "That's Kaitlyn. She's Savannah's guardian." He replied, quietly.
"How old is Savannah?" I tried to keep my voice down.
"I'm two hundred and fifteen years old, dear." I heard her voice in my head and almost jumped out of my skin.
Dustin caught my eyes with his, and I felt my body relax. We followed Savannah into a sitting room with a long table, where Kaitlyn was setting out tea cups. She began to fill the cups while we all took our seats.
"So," Savannah stirred some sugar into her tea. "Dustin and I had a little discussion about some of this when he came to see me in Shreveport, then Brian contacted me with more questions. Now it appears things have changed yet again. Brian?" She questioned, as she brought her cup to her lips.
Brian cleared his throat. "Well, I started working with Katie to try and help her handle the visions and Auras that she has been seeing. After we did a few exercises, she was making progress on pulling herself out of the visions by using the curtain process. All the sudden, she got spooked by a vision, and blew a light bulb. The next vision frightened her so much that her subconscious caused the desk to flip and the sheets and pillows from the bed to go flying. I'm sure she's experiencing the beginning stages of telekinesis, but I have never heard of a Link manifesting with so many side effects."
He paused, and poured some milk into his tea.
She nodded, slowly. "Dustin, how is the Link manifesting for the two of you? Are you able to control her and read her thoughts?"
"Control me?" I blurted out.
"Katie," Brian gave me a warning look.
I shot him a glare and picked up my cup.
Dustin lifted my hand to his lips. "Yes, I can read her thoughts, and yes, I can affect her body systems, but no one can control Katie."
She raised her eyebrows. "I sense a much stronger Link than I normally see in a human/vampire healing bond. You two are lovers as well?"
My eyes grew wide. How did she know that? Was there something she could sense that said I was involved in a sexual relationship with Dustin? I felt uncomfortable discussing my love life with someone who looked like she wasn't even old enough to have had her first kiss.
"Katie, I can see everything in your mind. I'm asking the questions so Brian and Dustin can be on the same page as us, but rest assured, I already have the answers I need, just by looking." She said, matter of fact.
I swallowed, thickly. "What does one thing have to do with the other?" I asked.
She smiled, looking so much like a little girl. "When you Linked with Dustin, you created a bond. That bond encompasses many elements, as you are aware. Mental, physiological and emotional. However, when you layer another bond, such as the one between you and your first lover, it deepens the existing bond in a number of internal and external ways."
"So...losing my virginity could be the reason that my subconscious has decided to start throwing things around the room when I get upset?" I looked at Savannah, my face burning with embarrassment.
She laughed out loud. "Katie, don't be embarrassed. Although I look like a young girl, I have been dealing with adult issues for a very long time. Everything that is happening to you is based around the bonds you have formed with a Supernatural. Human rules no longer apply once you are Linked to a vampire like Dustin. It's one of the reasons the Eternals frown on the healing process. The result is occasionally the development of a super human being. However, I must admit that I have never seen someone with such advanced development. I'm very glad you came, as I rarely get the pleasure of being surprised anymore." She gave me a kind smile.
Brian frowned. "So, not only is the original Link affecting her, but the addition of the intimate Link is causing even more side effects?"
"We won't know the exact extent of her new gifts until we do some tests. I assume you can stay for a few days?" Savannah brought her light eyes to mine.
I glanced away, nervously. "I didn't bring any clothes with me." The last thing I wanted to do was stay with someone who could cast spells on me. My thoughts traveled back to the teacher in my English class.
"I'm sure Brian and Dustin won't mind fetching your things from town." She stood up. "Gentlemen, I would like to spend a little time getting to know Katie. Could you give us a few hours?"
Brian nodded at Dustin, and stood up. "I'll drive Dustin back to town, and he can grab their things from the condo. I'll be heading back up to Yale tonight, so Dustin can drive his own car back."
I caught a hint of disgust in his voice, and I knew he and Dustin would be fighting on the way back to New Orleans. I wasn't quite sure what caused the change in his demeanor, but he was obviously irritated.
"Can I talk to you alone before you go?" I grabbed Dustin and headed out of the library.
"What's wrong?" His eyes linked with mine.
"Don't leave me here alone." I pleaded, silently.
"Katie, you are safer here than anywhere else. Savannah would never hurt you. She's been part of our family for over a century, and there is no one I would trust with you more than her."
I took a deep breath. "Just promise me that you will hurry back." I felt my stomach flip over itself. The chance that I might vomit was becoming more and more of a possibility.
He wrapped his arms around me, and my head began to pound. "No." I whispered, as I felt a vision coming on.
I closed my eyes, and prayed for it to pass. "Drop the curtain." I reminded myself. When I opened my eyes, I was standing alone in a dark room. It was cold, and I was having a hard time breathing.
"Dustin." I heard a voice from behind me. "This is going to hurt, but dad and I will be right here."
I turned to look behind me, my eyes coming to rest on a dark-haired woman. She resembled Dani and Brandy, with the same otherworldly beauty. She smiled at me, her deep green eyes soothing the fear bubbling in my chest. "Mom?"
She grabbed me and tilted my head to the side, exposing my neck. "Wait," I tried to struggle, but it was no use. A moment later, I felt a sharp pain near my jugular. I let out a blood curdling scream as I felt my legs drop out from underneath me.
"Katie!" I heard Dustin's voice as I fought to open my eyes. "Come back to me."
I was laying on the floor with his arms wrapped around me when I returned to my body. I leaned into him as he helped me back to my feet. I looked around and realized that all the beautiful vases in Savannah's foyer were in pieces. Crap. I was really killing it on the first impression stuff.
"Oh no." I gasped, daring a look at the Magic Caster. I expected her to start spewing out some spell to turn me into a toad or something. I held my breath.
She was gazing around, her eyes wide. "That was amazing!" She exclaimed. "What an extraordinary display of power. She's going to be able to do magnificent things once she harnesses it!"
"I'm so sorry!" I turned to her. "I'll pay for the damage." I started trying to add up how much money was in my meager bank account. By the looks of the vases, I was going to need to rob a bank to even begin to start replacing them.
She shook her head, still smiling. "Don't worry about it, dear. I have plenty more knickknacks you can break. Oh, this is wonderful!" She clapped her hands together like a little girl.
I raised my eyebrows. She was a bit of an enigma. Old and wise one moment, then young and vulnerable the next.
"What did you see this time?" Dustin brought his eyes back to mine.
I swallowed, thickly. "I'm not sure, but I think your mom was about to turn you."
He held my eyes. "It wasn't as bad as it looked."
Ifelt weak and drained. "I think I needto sit down." I tried to take a step,but my legs gave out and I was back on the floor. I saw Savannah's face hovering over minebefore I lost consciousness.
Author's Note: What do you think about Savannah? Leave me a comment below and don't forget to vote for your favorite chapters!! Luvs as always!! AMð