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

you though. I know there are
responsibilities you have to your fellow vampires, and the witches.
Perhaps even to our Prince. But, you need to do this for you first
and trust that the rest will follow.”
    “I don’t know how to do that,” Sophie
responded softly.
    “I know,” acknowledged Arianna. “Being an
empath is not an easy path to walk. It is natural to put others
first. Again, the mother analogy: if a mother does not take care of
herself, she’ll be unable to care for her children. The paradigm
shift you’ll be required to make is perhaps the hardest of all the
lessons you’ll need to learn here and it is something you will need
to work on even after we complete your training.” Arianna shrugged.
“As I said, it is natural for empaths to feel as though they need
to take on the weight of the worlds, but in doing so they harm
themselves, and those around them, eventually.”
    Seeing that Sophie had had all introspection
she could take, Arianna changed the direction of their lesson,
“Now, for another essential skill. I’ll teach you how to let in the
emotions of others and objects around you bit-by-bit. Again, I’ll
introduce you to the skill and during our future lessons. I will
revisit this skill with you until you’ve mastered it. Ready?”
    At Sophie’s nod, Arianna continued. “Still
picturing the force field around you, comforting, and shielding you
like a heavy winter’s blanket, give it the mental instruction to
become lighter, thinner.”
    “I can feel the emotions around me, but
just,” Sophie responded. “You’re feeling satisfaction at the
progress of our lessons…”
    “You can feel my emotions?” Arianna
asked.
    “Yes,” confirmed Sophie. Arianna looked
perplexed. “Why do you ask?” inquired Sophie.
    “You shouldn’t be able to,” explained
Arianna, shaking her head. “I’ve been masking what I feel since you
entered the room. I didn’t want my emotional presence to interrupt
the lesson. This lesson is about you, what you feel and how to
filter slowly.”
    “I don’t understand,” Sophie shook her head.
Arianna was a powerful fae sorceress and if she meant something to
be, it should have happened. "So what does this mean? How can I
sense what you feel if you’re shielding?” Sophie inquired.
    “It means that you’re an exceptionally
powerful empath, Sophie. The good in that is that with training,
you’re likely to astound us, but the bad is that this training,
learning how to take care of yourself and what you feel, what you
let in, is more critical than we assumed.”
    “Critical?” Sophie lifted a brow. “Isn’t that
a bit dramatic?”
    “Yes, it is dramatic,” replied Arianna. “But,
accurately so. I am the most powerful empath I know of and have
been for a thousand years. So, you should not be able to feel
beyond my shield. Before that there was another - a fae sorceress
with empathic abilities - much like me.”
    “Who was she? Your mother?”
    “No,” Arianna shook her head. “It is
sufficient to say that the consequences for an untrained, powerful
empath are dramatic because her ability led to her death.”
    “I sense your questions, but the tale isn’t
mine to tell,” Arianna said, standing up and taking Sophie’s hands,
bringing her up from the mat, too. “Suffice to say that a powerful
empath such as you needs training. I need to think on how to teach
you. Let’s call it a day and reconvene here tomorrow."
    Dismissed from her training, Sophie made her
way through the quiet suburban streets to the bustling main street
of the hollow. Although the hollow was expansive, the village’s
business district was easily accessible from any point as it was
centered. It looked like a quaint, picturesque hub of a small town.
The exception was that in this hub, the inhabitants were beautiful
and magickal. Unlike human business districts, there were no
buildings selling goods and services. In fact, no selling occurred
at all. The fae had no need for