Dakota knew once Jackson found out about his curse, it might change how his brother would treat him and, for a moment, he wanted to hide it again, but then he felt Slate’s love, and said, “I’m an empath.”
His brother’s words hung in the air as Jackson tried to accept what he was hearing.My brother feels the emotions of others? Holy shit!Wanting more information, Jackson said, “I know what an empath is but…”
Slate took over for his mate who was sitting rigidly in his lap, “My mate feels the emotions of anyone near him no matter who or what they are. As you can imagine, positive feelings are no problem, but if the feelings are negative, he’s badly affected.”
“How long have you had this ability?” asked Jackson.
“All my life.”
“How close does a person have to be for you to feel their emotions?”
“Uhmm…not sure…I mean I never tested it but I can feel everyone’s emotions right now…”
“In this room?”
“In this house.”
Jackson thought back to when he first discovered his mind link with Steel and how hard it was to hear him in his head until he got used to it. Then he remembered the few times he felt his mate’s emotions—Steel’s anger over Josiah’s latest crap—and how it affected him.
“Sometimes the mind link with my mate, let’s me feel his emotions, especially if they’re intense. Is that what happens to you?”
“I don’t know, because I never had a mind link,” answered Dakota.
Oracle spoke, “It is something like that but far more intense. While you feel only the emotions of Steel, Dakota feels the emotions of everyone in this house at the same time regardless of what type of emotions they have. For instance, Dakota, please tell Jackson the emotions you are experiencing right now.”
“Anxiety, sadness, joy, happiness, anger…just to name a few. I try to concentrate on the positive feelings because the negative ones, especially if there are a lot of them, upset me,” Dakota said.
“Did our mother know?” Jackson asked, then realizing, “Oh shit, of course she did.”
“When our father turned on Logan, all I could feel was his hatred, and when it became too much, Mom taught me how to block it out…at least for a little while…just to give me a break,” Dakota said. Then turning to Oracle, “I have a question for you, Oracle. It’s about the blocking I can do. Is there any way I can improve it? So it would last longer? Maybe just block one person longer?”
“Your second gift will provide the answer you are searching for,” said Oracle. “Regarding the gift you areabout to receive, Dakota, the Fates have looked a long time to find a person worthy of it, because it is so easy to use it to do evil. I know you have suffered because of your empath ability but that was never what the Fates desired. They are very proud of you and the fortitude you have demonstrated. In response to your questions, this gift will allow you to block out all the emotions of others, when you choose to.”
“What is it?” asked Dakota, taking a quick glance at his mate and seeing Slate’s quizzical look. No matter what it was, if it let him block the emotions assaulting him every day, then it couldn’t happen fast enough.
“The Fates are giving you Shadow Voice.”
“I don’t know what that is,” Dakota said, obviously puzzled.
“What the fuck, Mom? Shadow Voice? Really? You don’t think being an empath is hard enough?”
“What is Shadow Voice?” asked Jackson.
Slate growled the answer. “Shadow Voice is the ability to hear a person’s thoughts…whatever.”
“I don’t want that,” protested Dakota, horrified at the prospect. Hearing thoughts along with feeling emotions would destroy him. “Nonononono, I won’t accept it! That’s too much to ask of me! Why do the Fates hate me? I’ve never done anything to them. Slate, I can’t do it, please, don’t make me!”
Slate pulled Dakota to him, holding him tight against his chest. “Hush babe, everything will be all right, hush,” he crooned. Glaring at his mother, Slate said, “Mom, the Fates have gone too far this time. Dakota has paid a terrible price for being an empath and he shouldn’t haveto suffer any more. Tell the Fates he won’t accept it…I don’t care what you say…but my mate has had enough.”
Alarmed at Slate’s outburst, Jackson asked, “Slate, what do you mean my brother has suffered?”
Growling again, Slate said, “For most of my mate’s childhood, the dominating emotion he was subjected to was hate…from your father…his hatred of Logan for being gay, and his conviction that he passed it on to you. Every fucking day, Dakota could feel your father’s intense rage and he had to deal with it. Think about that! It’s tough enough as it is growing up, knowing you’re gay, worrying what someone might call you, or that they’ll beat you up because of what you are. Yeah sure, Dakota could feel anger but that was a drop in the bucket compared to your father’s.
“How come none of you noticed what was happening to your brother? Did you really think it was normal for him to spend his youth in the kitchen? Why do you think he was so eager to move out, away from his brothers and sisters? Not because he didn’t love you, but because he needed to escape the poison your father spewed. Mom, my mate has paid a terrible price and I don’t care what the Fates want, he isn’t accepting that gift.”
Jackson knew immediately what Slate was referring to; he’d lived it too and his soul bore the scars of it. The only good thing was he was able to avoid most of it by simply going to his room. But Dakota never escaped it—it bombarded him from the minute he woke up till the minute he went to sleep—it was always with him.How did my brother survive such a toxic environment?
“Oracle, I agree with Slate. My brother has paid a tremendous price. I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like for him. The hatred…” Jackson said, shaking his head, trying to rid himself of his thoughts about his father. “Tell the Fates thanks, but no thanks.”
