After showering,blow-drying my hair, and putting on my cap once more, I met Master Aki in the training room we had set up at the Vancouver house. While I’d been showering, Damien had been nice enough to express ship a plasma band to the Danish doctor’s wife who’d helped save my life. Then he’d had to replace mine, which left us with one for parts.Oops.
I found Master Aki sitting cross-legged with a pot of tea on a tray and two cups. I grinned. Our favorite pastime. I’d hated tea before I met him; now I only drank it when he was around, because it made me miss him too much. I sat down, placed my hands in prayer pose and bowed beforehim.
He smirked. “You just now trying to get somemanners?”
I scoffed, offended. “I’ve always had manners. Kind of.Probably.”
“Remember when you wore those muddy shoes into my dojo, stained the floorsbrown?”
I rolled my eyes. I knew he was never going to let that go. “The floors were already stained withblood.”
He shrugged. “How’s your mother?” he asked, pouring me a cup of hot tea. The steam rose up from it and broke apart when it hit his chest. I couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d told me. That he was like Dawn and could see the future. I wanted to ask him more about it, but didn’t even know where tostart.
“She’s good. I just saw herrecently.”
He nodded, taking a sip of tea. “Still drinking wine like it’s water?” He gave me a halfcockedsmirk.
“Of course.” Ismiled.
He chuckled, but it was brief, and then his face took on a serious tone. “Kit, I want you to take everything I have taught you and wrap it up tightly in your mind… and then push itaway.”
What?
“Umm, that’s ten years of studying you’re asking me to push away. I don’t see the help inthat.”
He flicked my forehead. “You don’tseeanything. Listen to me. Push it aside and wipe the slate clean. We’re startingover.”
I rubbed my forehead and scowled at him. “Fine,” I agreed grumpily. Master Aki really knew how to push mybuttons.
He held his cup of hot tea over the tray and then looked at me. “Now I want you to go into my mind, and force me to turn this hot tea over onto thetray.”
My eyes widened. “Are you drunk?” I askedhim.
His face was devoid of emotion. He wasn’t even going to answer that, just stared atme.
I sighed. “You know I don’t like to control other people. I only did it that one time with Maxine, and that was to save all of ourlives.”
He nodded. “Everything about this new training is going to make you uncomfortable. You will not like any of it. You will cry, you will hurt, you will probably grow to hate me, but it will save yourlife.”
Jesus!The seriousness in his tone was scaring me. “I could never hate you,” I said in a smallvoice.
“Then do as I ask, child. Go into my mind, a mind you are bonded with and know so well, and force me against my will to turn the teaover.”
I sighed. This was going to suck. It was going to suckhard.
I knew better than to argue with him, or ask a shitload of questions. It wouldn’t get me anywhere. Instead, I closed my eyes and tried to calm the spikes of nervousness that were rocking my system. Master Aki was like family to me. I didn’t want to make him do anything against his will. But I also wanted to protect myself against the breeders who seemed to be on a ‘kill Kit Steele’rampage.
His mind was wide open, so I took a few breaths and then connected with hisenergy.
He was a blank slate, and I felt no resistance.‘Pour out the tea,’I thought andpushed.
He shook his head. “I heard that, but it didn’t make mewantto doit.”
I growled.‘Pour out the fucking tea!’I thought and pushedharder.
My eyes popped open to find him glaring at me. “Watch your language, young lady. Still nothing. You’re thinking words, not feelingfeelings.”
Always riddles with him.Feel my feelings? What kind of hippy-dippy shit wasthat?
