Supernatural Seduction (Book 2 of the Coffin Girls Series) by Aneesa Price

home, it felt oddly
solitary. Sophie looked around in wonder at the objects in the
room. She picked up both the good and the bad from objects, people,
animals, plants, and well, anything. When she’d first walked in the
room where Arianna practiced her craft, she’d detected desire
coming from a large, earthen bowl. When she’d questioned her tutor
about it, Arianna had mumbled something about a love potion. Now,
there was nothing. Sophie concentrated and focused on Arianna,
noting her twinkling platinum-colored eyes, her elegant fingers
twining around the curls at the end of her raven locks. She saw
bemusement on Arianna’s face, but could pick up no definite mood.
Feeling uncomfortable, Sophie made to shake the shield off.
    “No,” Arianna stopped her. “Look inside you.
What do you feel?”
    “I don’t understand,” responded Sophie.
    Arianna’s laughter trilled like musical bells
on Christmas Eve, “I’m not surprised, Sophie. You’ve been using
your gift intuitively for too long. You need to take the energy you
are feeling now to detect my emotions and use it on yourself. In
other wards, take what you’d use on others and focus it inward.
Picture it as a ball of light like you do when you perform witch’s
magick and redirect it to where you want it to go.”
    Sophie did as requested and reeled back.
“ Mon Dieu !”
    “Exactly,” replied Arianna with a knowing
grin. “That’s your own feelings. They are raw and unmarred by that
of those around you. Staggering isn’t it?”
    “Wow,” was Sophie’s inarticulate response. “I
had no idea that I felt so much. I mean, I know I feel a lot, and
often but..."
    Arianna smiled knowingly, and yet kindly, at
Sophie’s confusion. “But,” she finished for Sophie, “you’re used to
feeling what others do. Now you’re faced with your own
emotions.”
    Overwhelmed, Sophie nodded. There was too
much going on inside of her. Every emotion you could possibly think
of came to the forefront. Sophie was surprised at what was revealed
and insecure about how to handle it. She dug deeper and found love
for her friends and kinship. Slipping slyly through the cracks
though was lust and longing. Longing for that husband and family
she’d promised her mother she would find and lust for a certain fae
prince who’d captured her interest and earned her gratitude. She
also felt guilty, because she’d upset him the previous evening and
yet relieved that he hadn't taken her up on the offer. She wasn’t
sure she was ready for a lust-filled romp with Sylvain. Twitching
with discomfort, she looked up at Arianna, determined to focus on
the lesson. “It feels like too much, and all at once,” she
confessed.
    “Again, not surprising,” stated Arianna
matter-of-factly. “You’ve been taking in everything around you like
a sponge until you could no longer distinguish between you and the
rest. Now you’ve had a peak into how you, as Sophie feels, not
Sophie the empath. You’ll need to spend time each day, doing
exactly what you just did. Focus on your own emotions and allow
them to make themselves known. Think of them as neglected children
who are finally getting their mother’s attention. They need that
attention and attending to. You’ll need to deal with it bit by bit,
every day, until you know how to deal with it.”
    Arianna looked at Sophie squirming in
discomfort. “In fact, I think we need to begin each lesson like
this - with you accessing your emotions. I also suggest you
meditate, and I can show you how. It will help you clear your mind
and heart first and eventually aid you in finding that balance you
desire.”
    It was a statement that also served as a
question, Sophie realized. “Yes, please,” she replied. “I’ll take
any help offered.” Now that she was faced with so much, her
confidence in her own ability to deal with her empath gift and
serve as a Coffin Girls was wavering.
    As if reading her thoughts, Arianna advised,
“You have to do this for