"Charlotte Pierce has been an Empath since she was born, and life has been pretty quiet, until now. A strange encounter with a handsome man named Evan opens a door to a world she wasn't sure existed. Not only do vampires and demons exist, but her psychic anomaly may cost her everything, including her life."
Excerpt:
“Thank you for coming to Maggie’s Diner,” I said as I set the water on the table in front of him and handed him the daily paper, “if you need anything else my name is Char—“ I passed out cold as his fingers brushed against my hand.
Maddy’s very blurry face slowly came into view and I felt a splash of cold liquid on my face. “Wake up dammit!” She raised her hand to slap me in the face but I blinked and sat up, too quickly, as my head spun. “Oh, you’re awake! What the hell happened?”
“I…I don’t know.” My head throbbed and I rubbed my temples in an effort to make it stop. “I was just handing the paper to the Big M&M when…” I heard a chuckle from behind Maddy.
“Big M&M? Like the candy? She really must be out of it,” his deep chocolate voice sounded from behind Maddy.
“Nope,” she chimed, turning to face him, “you’re a hunk-a-hunk-a candy coated chocolately goodness.” Heaven help her. The girl wasn’t born with a “think-before-you-speak” gene, but that was a reason she was my best friend, she spoke her mind.
“Oh?” He leaned around Maddy to look at me, smiling the biggest, brightest, and most beautiful --albeit scary as all hell-- smile.
I looked at Maddy, my eyes pleading. “Get me out of here Mads! Now!” I whispered frantically. She nodded in understanding and helped me up.
“Well I better get her home,” she said as she pulled me to my feet and aimed me for the door.
“Let me help y…” He reached for my arm in effort to steady me.
“No!” I yelled, cutting him off. “I mean no thank you. I’m feeling much better.” I grabbed Maddy’s hand and started pulling her out the door.
When we were out of sight of the diner Maddy stopped walking. “Charlotte! Would you let go of me? Geez I think you broke my hand with your kung fu death grip!” I plopped myself down on the curb. The need to vomit suddenly made itself known and I thrust my head between my knees, gasping for air. I could feel the cold sweat forming on my brow and my vision started to tunnel. “Charlotte! Snap out of it you loon! What the hell did you feel that has you so spooked?”
“Blood,” I said, snapping back into my own body, “Blood and fear, and…and…”
“And what?”
“And…hunger.” I shuddered at the feeling.
“Okay, so this dude was in a diner, hungry is an obvious one.”
“This wasn’t crappy-diner-burger hungry Mads; this was 40-days-in-the-desert starving.”
“Okay?” Maddy’s confusion flowed around me before she even realized that she was touching me. I yanked my hand away, not wanting to feel anyone else’s emotions tonight. “Sorry,” she apologized.
“It wasn’t the type of feelings that made me black out, it was their intensity. Some people are good projectors, like you, but this was unlike anything I have ever felt. His feelings hit me like a wrecking ball. I felt like I was in his head. Mostly the emotions I pick up are secondhand, like listening to an old record. But this, it was like I was there, like they were my feelings, only a hundred times stronger. Maddy, I don’t know who or what that guy is but he’s dangerous.
“Whoa! Stop. Rewind. What he is?”
“Maddy, you don’t honestly believe I’m the only ‘special’ one in the world, do you?” I drew quotation marks in the air with my fingers at the word.
"Well yea, until now."
Empath to Darkness Copyright © 2011 by Megan Smith
"Well yea, until now."
Empath to Darkness Copyright © 2011 by Megan Smith
