I’m taken back a moment as I try to figure out the best way to describe it. “Ahh. I’m not sure how to explain it,” I start.
“Try.” Lennox nods.
“Well, with some of my friends, or I guess I should say, mates,” I begin nervously, feeling my cheeks fill with heat. “I have this internal dialogue or this connection.” He nods his head in understanding, and I continue. “Well, when I was first learning how to block my thoughts and build my barriers, JP often tried to poke at them until I learned how to make them stronger.”
“Aww, yes. I understand,” he confesses and smiles. “But…”
“Oh…yeah! Well, being around Tempest, I think it’s her that I feel bouncing up against my barriers and trying to probe for weaknesses.” I stare at my lap as the words leave me. “I haven’t felt someone hit me that hard before, so she must be strong.”
I finally look up when I can’t take the silence anymore and find Lennox unabashedly staring between Tempest and me, his shoulders drooping.
“I-I…I didn’t mean to offend,” I start, but he begins shaking his head as a smile slowly appears at the corner of his lips.
“No, this is amazing news,” he cries out. He picks up Tempest and throws her into the air, only to catch her again, bringing her to his chest. Looking at me, his eyes soften. “Would you mind allowing her to try and connect with you?” Before I can answer, he continues. “See, Tempest hasn’t connected with anyone mentally yet, and as Storm Shifters, it’s normally the first way we communicate,” he explains.
“Sure,” I agree, even though I’m feeling a little awkward being the interpreter with my in-laws.
I slowly take down my barriers and look at Tempest as she shakes a toy in her hand. As soon as my barriers are completely down, she freezes and turns her head to look at me.
‘Shiny,’a tiny voice says in my head.
I freeze a moment as I get used to the foreign voice. It’s so unlike the guys, where their’s is more of a booming quality, Tempest is softer but not meek. Maybe it’s because she’s so young, but the fact she can even pronounce words to me is amazing.
“Did she say anything?” Lennox asks, hope blooming out through his eyes.
“Shiny.”
“She said her first word?” Lynx says excitedly as he joins us on the floor.
“Yeah,” Lennox says through a wide smile as he tickles Tempest.
She gets out of his arms to crawl over to me and starts babbling once again.
‘Shiny.’She points at me and then grabs one of my loose curls. ‘Shiny. Pretty. Strong, Shiny.’
‘What’s she saying to you?’Lynx asks.
I’m temporarily mesmerized by Tempest’s golden-ringed blue eyes as he has to ask me twice before I answer.
‘Oh, um, she keeps saying Shiny, Pretty. Strong, Shiny.’
‘Well, you are those things.’
Tempest finally turns to look at her father and the connection between us breaks, leaving me feeling rejuvenated for some reason.
“Where have my precious babies gone?” Sierra calls out. “Storm.”
“Shifter,” Lynx calls back with a sing-song tone and winks at me. “Our version of Marco Polo,” he confesses.
“Ahh. There you two are,” she says, wiping her hands off on the apron.
“Tempest made her first connection,” Lennox says, handing off Tempest.
“Really? And I missed it?” Sierra says, her eyes furrowing as she looks at her husband.
“Well, technically, I missed it too. She decided to connect with Rez.” They both look at me, and suddenly, I feel as if I didn’t get the whole gist of the first connection of a Storm Shifter.
‘Did your father leave out something that I probably should have known before I said yes to connecting with your sister?’I ask as chills race up my spine.
