Hunter's Blood Special Edition (Cursed by Blood Saga) by marianne morea

forgotten, she seemed to study
the pretty dark haired lady standing so close to her uncle. Lily stiffened.
Waves of power flowed in and over her mind while clumsy, little jabs, probed her
thoughts like ten sticky, little fingers.
    The sheer magnitude of the power
Stephanie possessed was unbelievable. Too stunned to react, Lily scrambled,
trying to close the little girl out of her mind. Lily’s memories were hard
enough for an adult to bear, let alone for a child. But it was too late.
    Backing away, Stephanie’s eyes filled
with fear. “You’re bad. You’re not our friend. Uncle Sean, come on, come
on…she’s bad…that lady hurt my daddy!” She insisted, tugging on Sean’s arm,
trying to pull him away from Lily.
    The room went silent. “Stephanie!”
Rissa scolded. “Apologize, this instant!” Mitch held Rissa’s hand, his face
hardening as he stared at Lily.
    Stephanie’s small lips trembled. She
opened her mouth to do what her mother asked, but instead started to cry.
Running back across the room, she buried her face in her mother’s lap.
    Rissa looked at Lily, the pain in her
eyes obvious. “I’m sorry. Stephanie doesn’t understand the gravity of what’s
going on, or what actually happened with her father.” The woman’s voice broke.
“She only knows that he’s gone. You’ll have to forgive her, she’s only four.”
    Lily couldn’t bring herself to speak.
There wasn’t a hint of accusation in the woman’s voice, only grace and
sympathy. She had to blink back her own tears watching Rissa comfort her child,
and her heart broke for the two of them.
    Terry shimmered next to Lily. “I guess
I can stop holding my breath now, huh? You finally found one.”
    Lily just nodded, tears running down
her face. “I certainly did find one.”
    “Found what?” Sean asked a little
confused.
    “Another reason to stop hating,” Lily
answered squeezing his hand. Letting go, she took a breath and stepped closer
to Stephanie.
    Looking down at the mother and child,
Lily’s heart broke again watching the little girl’s tiny shoulders shake in
grief and fear.
    Lily knelt down next to her. Stephanie
hid her face while her mother whispered softly, rubbing her back. Mitch stood,
his fists clenched at his sides. “Leave Stephanie alone. I think you’ve done
enough damage for one day.”
    Rissa eyes locked on Lily’s. “It’s
okay, Mitch. If Sean trusts her, then I do. She’s not going to harm Stephanie.
Let her speak.” With a nod to Lily, she sat back, giving her room to get
closer.
    Lily didn’t say a word. Instead, she
laid her hand gently on the child’s arm. “Stephanie, I know what you saw in
my head scared you, but please, I need you to listen to me. Your daddy was
terribly sick, only he didn’t know it. He didn’t know what was wrong or what
was making him do the things he did. Your Uncle Sean tried to help him, but it
was too late. I hope someday you can understand. I’m so very, very, sorry.”
    She let Stephanie see how heartbroken
she was for hurting her and her mother. She let her see her own grief, but also
let her know she didn’t have a choice in what happened, making sure to shield
her from any further memories.
    Slowly Stephanie turned her head,
resting her tearstained cheek on her mother lap. Her eyes found Lily’s, but she
remained silent.
    Rissa’s hand gently stroked her
daughter’s hair. As her finger glided through the soft curls, she glanced at
Lily. “Because Stephanie is so young, we still share a mind link. I heard
everything you said to her. I apologize for her intrusion into your thoughts.
I’ve been trying to teach her that just because she can, doesn’t mean she
should. Her psychic gifts go way beyond that of simple telepathy—not unlike
your own. She’s just barely four years old and it’s a bit much to master.”
Shrugging, Rissa exhaled sadly. “I’m afraid she doesn’t quite get the concept
of privacy. This entire situation has been hard on all of us, but