Dead Awakenings by Rebekah R. Ganiere Page B

some big lounge chairs, and desks. A game room came next with a pool table, foosball table, ping-pong, air hockey, old pinball machine, and a couple free-standing video arcade machines.
    “Wow,” Evaine mused. “Anything a guy could want in a house. Why would you ever want to go outside?”
    “That’s the point.”
    “Not to go outside? Why?” She blinked, astonished. “Being cooped up all the time would drive you nuts.”
    “Look at me. Why do you think going outside isn’t such a good idea?”
    She studied him. His handsome, strong face was more than pale. His beautiful, ice blue eyes shifted to fiery orange when he got upset. Thick white hair fell halfway down his back. He was right; he was bound to stick out. Though to her, it wasn’t in a bad way. But then, she wasn’t normal herself anymore, was she?
    “You could disguise yourself with makeup,” she said lamely, barely even finishing the sentence.
    “I could. But I don’t want to. Besides, after a while it gets tedious. We’ve heard reports of a handful who have continued to do it every day. They live as if they were never reborn. Those are just rumors though. We’ve never seen for ourselves anyone who has chosen to.”
    “Did you try?”
    He stared at her hard for a minute before answering. “Yes, but Nate helped me find a new purpose. Now I spend my time trying to find the scum who are doing this to us and exacting revenge on them.”
    Her eyes lit on every item in the game room. “So, this is where I have to live now? Forever?” She spoke in a low tone.
    “If that’s what you want.”
    “Do I have a choice? It doesn’t sound like there’s anywhere else for me to go. So does this mean I can never see my family and friends again?”
    Luca’s eyes widened and then his face went blank. “You’ve regained your memory.”
    “No.” She knew her name, but she still had no clue who she was. Besides, she couldn’t go home ever again. What if she went home and hurt someone she loved? But if she didn’t, they would never know what had happened to her. She was trapped in this place. Never again would she get to decide what she did with her life.
    “Evaine!” Luca’s voice was sharp.
    The sound blasted into her mind like cold air. Her head snapped up. Everything was vivid, too focused. She hadn’t realized how upset she had become. What had she thought? That they would let her go and she’d be able to go home?
    He grabbed her face in his cool hands, his thoughts invading her. “Crap, not again. Man, I forget how emotional all this stuff is to newborns. I have to keep her calm. Why am I so attached to this one? I haven’t attached myself to anyone since—”
    “I didn’t ask to be like this.” She found herself shouting. “If you are so annoyed then why don’t you leave me alone to deal with this myself? You think you’re making it any easier on me?”
    He stepped back, visibly shaken by her words. “I didn’t say that.”
    “No, but you thought it.”
    “I…” He cleared his throat. “You can hear what I’m thinking?”
    “Not all the time.” She wrapped her arms around her chest and paced. She couldn’t get him out of her head. Luca was a tune that played endlessly in her mind. His touch electrified her skin; his voice soothed her. She didn’t remember feeling any tingling when Aron had held her hand, running her through the hallways of the hospital; and she hadn’t felt anything when Victor had picked her up and put her in the car. So what was it about this guy? He was so annoying with the way he threw his emotions onto her. She could feel his confusion rolling off of him. He stepped closer to her. She stopped pacing.
    “Can you hear me?”
    “Yes.”
    “Can you tell what I am thinking now?”
    “Yup, still can.”
    He frowned. “OK, try to think something in your head this time.”
    “What the heck does he want me to think about? Kittens? Bunnies? The fact that I have no clue why he can affect me like this or why