(Psychic Visions 01) Tuesday's Child (20 page)

"Or you are." Brandt grinned at her. "He's got plants from all over the globe. Everything about Stefan is unique and indefinable."

"I'll say." Sam stopped at the front door. It was made from one solid block of wood with faces pushing out of the wood grain. Some laughing, some crying, yet all of them glowing with life. "Christ." She didn't know if she was praying or swearing, but there was no way not to react. Everything she'd seen so far came under the heading of stunning. Maybe not comfortable, yet undeniably thought provoking.

"Quite the place he's got, huh?"

"That's an understatement. I can't wait to meet our host."

Sam barely caught Brandt's sidelong glance. She wondered at it as he pounded on the door – stalling any chance of asking.

"Come in." The shout came from deep inside.

Brandt pushed open the door. "Hey Stefan. It's us."

"Yeah, I caught that. Let me just wash up. I'll be right there."

The voice came from the far left. Sam noted that in a distant part of her mind, as she stood in the front foyer, her mouth hanging open. The inside of the house shone with warm yellow sunlight bouncing off wood floors and ceilings. Streaming light struck and highlighted vivid paintings hung on every wall. The room had a surreal energy. The entire house was an artist's canvas.

"Hey Stefan. Good to see you." The two men slapped shoulders. Brandt's large shoulders blocked Sam's view.

Brandt stepped slightly to the side and motioned between the two people. His voice light and easy. "Stefan, meet Sam. Sam, Stefan."

Sam stared at Stefan. Her soul stirred. Overwhelming love and warmth flooded through her.

Stefan gazed into her eyes, his gentle lips curved into a welcoming smile. That same warm loving smile from her vision, that same man from Louise's car accident. Then he opened his arms. Without warning, she burst into tears and ran into them. They closed securely around her.

3:20 pm

Brandt's mouth fell open. He didn't know what to think or even how to jumpstart his brain. He was on shocked standby.

He'd never seen a woman react like Sam had. Ever.

Without trying to be too obvious, he tried to assess the clinch they were in. It didn't look lover-like. Neither did they resemble two strangers. He didn't know what the hell was going on. He'd sure like to though.

Interrupting them was out of the question. Whatever was going on was intensely personal. Even standing in the same room was uncomfortable. He walked over to stare out the huge window. The acreage around the house was as wild and impressive as the rest of the property. He heard soft voices behind him. He turned around to see the two smiling in a strangely intimate way.

He took several steps in their direction. "I gather you two know each other?"

They both stared at him in surprise.

Sam's answer stunned him. "What? No, we've never met."

3:25 pm

Brandt motioned toward Stefan and then at her. "Is that how you greet all strangers?"

Feeling heat rise on her cheek, Sam glanced over at Stefan, who stared at Brandt, an odd twist to his features. Christ. Stefan was as gorgeous in person as he was in her vision. A charming smile graced the model face. She turned to Brandt. "Oh that."

Brandt made a choked sound. "Yeah that?" He stared between Sam and Stefan. "So an explanation, please."

Sam glanced at Stefan to find him watching her.

"Go ahead."

Sam glanced down at the floor, knowing she was rocking slightly in place. Making a decision, she looked up to find Brandt's suspicious gaze firmly planted – on her. "Remember the car accident that I told you about. Louise Enderby? What I didn't tell you was that I saw a man in that vision. Not the killer, but a man who...at the time...I thought might have been someone close to Louise that had already died. Like her husband, a long-time lover, at least someone like that. He was trying to help me...her...get out of the car and cross over."

She glanced over at Stefan who had a benevolent smile on his face. "The guy left a very strong impression
because
there was so much love in his face. It radiated throughout his energy. He glowed like an angel."

Stefan snorted.

Sam smiled and continued. "I had no way of knowing who he was. Still, it isn't uncommon for a loved one to show up at the time of death to welcome the dying person. Except this guy had an incredible impact on me because he had such loving energy."

She gazed into Stefan's eyes. "That man in my vision was Stefan."

Brandt reeled backwards as if from a blow. "What?" He stared at Stefan, searching for confirmation. "Is that possible?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know how, but it happened."

Stefan stared at them both. "It's a first for me too. I've never come across another psychic in my visions."

Brandt focused on Sam. "You're saying that you recognized Stefan here from your vision. And the emotions from that vision were so strong that when you saw him, you burst into tears and walked into a stranger's arms?" Hands on hips, head titled sideways, he stared at her in disbelief.

Sam knew how important her answer was. It was also important to her that he believe her story. She hated to admit it, but she'd come to enjoy his acceptance and now wanted his respect. "It is hard to understand. You have to consider the circumstances.

"I was caught in a horrible vision inside a burning car and a dying woman. Stefan appeared – yes, I'll say it again – almost angelic in appearance, and he saved me. The emotion that existed at the time was overwhelming. This man cared about Louise. I don't understand that part."

She glanced sidelong at Stefan who was listening casually. "But for me, it was as if he loved me, cared about me, and was trying to save
me
." She implored Brandt to understand. "It was pure instinct to cry when I saw him again. I thought he didn't exist...that he wasn't real. Then suddenly he's here, in front of me." She shrugged. "I just reacted."

Brandt shook his head, his fingers running raggedly through his hair. "Wow."

"Precisely." Sam found little satisfaction in his comment. She hadn't had time to adjust to this scenario either. Questions crowded her mind. She didn't know where to start and her energy levels had dropped alarmingly. "Stefan, can I go and sit down?"

Brandt made a funny sound. She glanced over at him, but he'd already reached her. His arm wrapped around her shoulders. "You look like you're ready to pass out. Come sit down."

Stefan moved ahead of them both. "You two get comfortable, and I'll put on coffee. It looks like we have a lot to talk about."

3:45 pm

S
tefan walked into his kitchen, happy to escape the emotional energy of the other two. Coffee made for a great excuse.

Sam was an interesting development. As was Brandt's reaction to their meeting. Stefan wouldn't have said she was Brandt's type, but then she didn't fit his own type either – and he found her fascinating. That she'd managed to see and communicate on the etheric field was impressive all over again.

He stayed in the kitchen until the coffee dripped to a full pot. Pouring three cups, he carried them out to the sitting area. "Anyone need cream or sugar?"

"No, black is fine. Thank you." Sam reached for her cup and huddled over it as if needing the warmth.

Stefan considered her for a moment before sitting on a chair between them. He understood power positions and being between these two wouldn't be his normal choice, yet they obviously had issues.

"Sam, are you always cold?"

Both Brandt and Sam turned to stare at him. He allowed a small smile. "Not a trick question, just a simple inquiry."

Sam nodded. "Yes, I am. And that's getting worse with every vision."

"Is there any particular time when you are colder than others?"

Her head cocked to one side and Stefan studied the fleeting expressions washing over her face as she considered his questions. She had no guile, this girl. She was a newborn babe in the world of ageless freaks. He sighed inwardly. She needed a lot from him. Her survival potential, without it, didn't look good.

She was powerful but open. Her energy shone and flashed with no control. Worse, she didn't even seem to know there was such a thing. She bled energy like a hemophiliac bled blood.

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I'm cold all the time."

Settling deeper into his chair, Stefan ran a few basic tests. First, he checked her life force. Strong, this girl was a fighter. Next, he checked her aura. Right now, it spat in several directions while being conspicuously reticent about going in Brandt's direction. Interesting. She didn't want Brandt to see too much.

He smiled to himself. While everyone was busy not looking at each other, Stefan took advantage of the uneasy energy and opened his inner eye.

He turned to focus on Sam. And found Sam staring at him. He reared back in surprise. She frowned at him.

"What's the matter?"

Stefan quickly switched to his normal sight to find she still stared at him. Could it be? Could she flip between the two views or did she not know the difference? With a quick glance at Brandt, who hadn't appeared to notice anything, Stefan decided to ask.

"Do you recognize when you are using your inner eye?"

His question seemed to surprise her, only she answered readily enough. "Yes. I use both equally and switch between them easily."

That made sense, given what he'd just seen. It also elevated her skills another notch. This was a very interesting woman. Without any formal training, she'd found her own way. Without anyone to say right or wrong, she'd developed in ways that worked for her. Stefan could count on one hand the number of psychics the world over that could switch their inner vision as simply.

"Brandt has told me something about your visions." He stretched out his legs, crossing them, and with a quick glance at Brandt, he centered on Sam. "Maybe you could explain to me exactly what happens to you."

Sam winced. She stared at her coffee cup. It didn't take long to fill him in. Stefan didn't interrupt her. He waited until she ran down before asking questions.

"So you have no trigger that you know of? You have no awareness outside of the vision when you're in one, and you've been having these particular visions during the night?"

"Right. There have been a couple of other odd insights as well." Quickly, she filled him in on when she thought the killer had been hunting a new victim, and the car accident where she'd seen Stefan.

Stefan considered what he'd heard. "What would you like from me?"

Sam's face became a mix of contradictions. She looked hopeful, confused, and even full of trepidation.

Stefan leaned forward. What did she want?

"I was wondering if you could help me."

Stefan shifted, surprised. That's not what he'd been expecting her to say. "Help? In what way?"

Sam glanced toward Brandt.

Was she gaining strength from his presence, or expecting criticism? Stefan filed her action away to contemplate later. "The visions are extremely violent. My recovery takes quite awhile. I'm wondering..."

"Yes," he encouraged.

"Well." She stopped again, as if gathering her thoughts. Then the words rushed out. "The visions are hard on my system. My blood loss is huge. I was skinny before, now the pounds are falling off. I can hardly sleep." Her stream of chatter slowed down. "I'm scared these visions will kill me," she admitted softly.

Stefan didn't know what to say. She was right to be concerned. "Normally, the psychics with physical manifested visions, don't show the blood loss to a dangerous level – at least not for long."

She didn't seem to hear the last part, for she leaned forward, her eyes intent on his face. "There are others like me?"

"Absolutely. Some people will wake up with blood on their hands and not always know why. In this case, they've had an empathetic episode." He rubbed the side of his temple. "Some people walk in the gray area between life and death and will become comatose depending on how long they stay there. There are some who have died because they couldn't return to their bodies in time."

With a quick glance at Brandt – who sat quietly listening – he refocused on Sam. "I've often discussed with Brandt the number of misdiagnosed patients in mental hospitals who have psychic talents they never knew they had."

Sam did a double take. "Are you serious?"

Brandt nodded. "Unfortunately."

"Control." Sam jumped on that term. "That's what I need to do. I need to learn how to control my talents and to disconnect from the visions. The last time, I managed to keep one foot in both realities, only for the briefest of moments, then I lost it."