Touched by Darkness by Catherine Spangler

Author:Catherine Spangler
Language: eng
Format: epub

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Damien did his daily meditation on Sunday

morning. Then he worked out, using the free

weights he always carried with him, and doing

lengthy sets of abdominal crunches and push-ups.

He also worked through several of his martial arts

kata routines, repeating them until his moves and

kicks were flawless.

After that, he ran five miles, most of it along River

Road. He kept his senses tuned as he ran, but he

didn't pick up anything, nor did he see the

lightning-damaged tree that he'd envisioned during

the conduction.

Returning to the bed-and-breakfast, he showered

and spent the rest of the day researching all the

murders in central Texas over the past year, and

compiling a progress report for the Sanctioned.

When he got to the part about Alex, he sat back,

considering that aspect of this current assignment.

He'd never before been appointed a mentor to a

developing Sentinel; perhaps because most children

who needed a mentor had lost their Sentinel parent.

Damien had not only lost his Sentinel mother, but

his human father as well, in one vicious Belian act.

Even now, he had to work to keep the pain buried,

and maybe that's why the Sanctioned had never

marked him for mentor duty.

He'd had no siblings, so he had little experience

with kids. But damned if Alex wasn't getting to

him. The boy was incredibly bright, with a

mischievous grin that could probably melt the

strongest Atlantian alloy.

Alex's powers were strong and true, like a pure,

bright beacon against a murky Belian soul,

assuming the foul beings even had souls. The Law

of One said they did—that every being had a soul,

every being had the spark of The One inside them,

awaiting awakening and guidance. With Belians,

that spark had become enshrouded in a darkness

that was fed by violence and fear and chaos.

Nothing new there, Damien thought. But his

growing fondness for the boy, and the previous

day's events, were a unique experience. He,

Damien, had actually played soccer yesterday. He

couldn't remember playing any game since he'd

been about ten, and certainly not with such

abandon.

And Kara—well, there was another aberration. It

was hard to tell for sure, because of the ever-

present chemistry that hummed between them, but

he felt a growing bond with her. She was a good

mother—firm but loving, devoted to her son. She

had spunk and personality, and a surprising sense

of humor.

He wasn't used to laughing, but he found himself

often doing just that when he was around her. He

also found himself looking forward to seeing her,

found himself waiting to hear the next quick-witted

remark she uttered. That type of bond wasn't a good

thing to allow, for myriad reasons.

At this point, there was nothing to be done but to

keep his emotional distance as much as possible.

He had to work closely with her; their

Sentinel/conductor link was the most precise and

most charged one he had ever experienced. He

might never again find such a good match.

The Belian he was tracking was quite possibly the

most powerful one he'd ever encountered. He could

request another conductor be sent to Zorro, but he

didn't believe the conduction results would be as

productive as they would with Kara. So he would

resist the human attraction, repressing the part of

him that was simply a man.

He finished the report and e-mailed it.

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