The Síochán Ch. 03

This chapter is mainly character development. Hope you enjoy it.

*

Summer was nervous. It had been five days since Lucas had said he would introduce her to the other Síochán and finally he was going to do so. She had expected it sooner but Lucas has been more interested in spending more time in bed with her. Not that she had been complaining. He was very inventive in bed and he had amazed her with all the incredible orgasms he'd wrung out of her body. Still, she was bored because of the lack of training schedule and they couldn't make love all day. Well, Lucas could if she allowed him too.

She smiled at the memory of his petulant expression when she had taken some time out to go back to her rooms. Being a Síochán, she required very little rest. Sleep lasted anywhere between five to fifteen minutes but she still liked to lie in bed and pretend she was still human, pretend she needed more rest than she really did. In reality, she just needed a little time to herself so she'd taken to her rooms.

Lucas had taught her how to conceal her thoughts from him. He had said she would need to do so from now on because the other Síochán wouldn't think twice about peaking inside her mind. That was another thing which made her smile. Lucas' frustrated expression when he tried to slip into her mind now and came up against a blank wall. Their whole relationship had changed. She was no longer the student and he the instructor. They were more equal since they had become lovers though she was aware of just how much of a novice she still was to this life.

Summer willed herself into the Scrying Room, smoothing down her long, white dress as she did so. It was styled from her era and she thought she looked good in it. If she'd had any doubts about it they were soon settled as Lucas turned from the Fountain to look at her, his blues eyes shining with appreciation.

He smiled a truly wicked smile and crossed the room to her to pull her into his arms and slide his mouth eagerly across hers. "You look stunning," he sighed against her lips, his body already hard for her as he sipped at her sweet lips with such relish. He couldn't get enough of Summer and was severely tempted to forget about introducing her today and taking her back to bed.

He had put off the introduction as long as he could because he didn't want to lose this closeness between them. The man Summer knew was only a small part of who he truly was. He had wanted to put off this discovery for purely selfish reasons. He didn't want to see her beautiful green eyes looking at him with disappointment and possibly loathing as she realised he wasn't as good as she thought he was.

Lucas kissed her again and then sighed and stood back. He couldn't really put it off any longer. His eyes ran over her beautiful face as he memorised her happy, relaxed expression and he smiled fondly at her when she raised a quizzical eyebrow at him.

"Summer, there are a few things you need to know before we leave," he smiled gently. "Firstly, you cannot call me Luc when we're with the others. We are all rather formal when we're together and there are certain expectations when it comes to personal behaviour. Our time here together is more relaxed and I know it is what you are used to, but you need to keep that informality separate from your dealings with the group."

Summer nodded slowly though she felt her nervousness increase. She wasn't used to being in a formal setting and Lucas sounded so grave, so different to what she was used to. He was still smiling at her but she could sense a level of detachment to him and it worried her slightly. "Am I going to recognise the new Lucas I come to see?" she asked slowly.

He started slightly and then his smile widened and he gave her a quick hug before he pulled back again. She was so very perceptive. "You cut straight to the heart of what I'm trying to explain," he sighed softly. "No, you most likely will not recognise much of whom I am, Summer. You see just a fraction of me when I am here with you, my more tender side. I hope you can still find it in your heart to be kind to me once you see the other many facets to my personality. I will understand if you can't."

Summer shivered slightly as she listened to him. Her entire world was about to be rocked again. It was what he was trying to prepare her for. She was going to lose the one sure thing she had in her world right now. She was going to lose the Lucas she knew and loved so much. She nodded again and managed a weak smile. "I will always be grateful to you, Lucas, no matter what happens from this moment on. I will always hold you dear in my heart."

She felt like she was the one doing the reassuring as she watched his beautiful face relax a little at her words and he seemed unable to stop himself from giving her another hug. He held her tightly this time, his body tense as he ran his hands slowly down her back and dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head. "You will always be dear to me too, Summer," he breathed softly before he pulled himself together and walked away from her.

"You will learn what is required of you today," he said almost conversationally, his eyes intent on her face. "You most probably will not like all that you hear and will be tempted to react emotionally as you're accustomed to. I must ask you to try and refrain from any outbursts, Summer. I need you to hold your peace until you can think rationally and compose a logical, concise response to what you hear. Do you think you can do that?"

She frowned deeply and shook her head. "Probably not," she answered quietly, because she knew she wouldn't be able to reign herself in if she became upset about something. "But I will try my hardest, Luc. For you. I will try not to shame you with my uncouth behaviour."

Her terminology made him smile. "You could never shame me, Summer. I may become the butt of some teasing from the others because I've been a little lax with my instruction but I will never feel ashamed of you. You are such a warm, passionate creature. Most of us have been in this life for so long we've learned to mask our more exuberant traits. I know you will try your hardest to contain yours but do not worry about my feelings, because I am sorry to admit that I will not be concerned about yours during the meeting. I will say and do what I must and hope you forgive me in advance for any harsh words which may come between us."

His honesty made Summer's heart sink though she appreciated him being so honest with her. At least she knew where she would stand once she fully entered the world of the Síochán; she would stand alone. She stared at him for a long moment and then she suddenly ran forward and threw herself into his arms. "I forgive you, Luc," she whispered urgently, holding onto him tightly.

His arms crushed her tightly to him and his mouth came down on hers in a hard, desperate kiss. He was so going to miss her; he took a moment longer to luxuriate in the feeling of her soft body pressed to his before he gently put her away from him again and gave her a crooked smile. "Saying goodbye is always such a hard thing," he smiled.

Summer returned his smile with a weak one of her own. It did feel like they were saying goodbye. Their time together was at an end. Maybe once she had become used to the changes, they'd be able to feel this closeness once more but from the expression on Lucas' face she doubted it. He was resigned to this being their last tender moment together and he was the one who knew what was coming. "I love you, Luc," she smiled sadly.

He stroked the side of her face gently, his eyes sad for a moment and then he was smiling again, reverting back to his usual persona when they were together. "I love you, too, Summer," he said softly. "Now, it's time to go."

He dropped his hand from her face and took hers gently in his. "Slip into my mind so you can follow where I am taking us," he instructed. "You will need to know how to get there yourself as this will be the only time I will escort you to the meeting room."

She did as he asked and followed his mental picturing of the room he was taking her to. The room surprised her because it was so dark. She had a brief mental image of dark wooden bookcases filled with books and black leather sofas and chairs, before they moved effortlessly from the Scrying Room and appeared in the doorway of the meeting room.

Summer slapped up her mental wall immediately as she registered the other people already in the room and Lucas' hand slipped from hers as he strode forward into the room without a backward glance at her. She stood rooted to the spot as all eyes swung towards her and she tried hard to dampen down the sudden welling of apprehension she felt as she stood alone before the other Síochán.

Her gaze slid to Lucas' retreating back and she watched him cross to one of the sofas and sink down gracefully beside a man with long, black hair. She started slightly because his colouring reminded her immediately of Nathaniel, and she suddenly realised that she hadn't searched once for the vampire the entire time she was with Lucas. She hadn't even been aware that she had stopped going to the Scrying Room.

The object of her scrutiny was speaking quietly to Lucas and suddenly turned his head to look at her as if sensing her perusal. Icy, light, blue eyes peered coldly at her and ran slowly down her body as if taking a mental inventory of her form. She took the same time to examine the man.

He was nothing like Nathaniel in appearance really; just his hair was similar in colouring. He was beautiful to look at, with a hard angular face and though he was seated she could tell he was tall, maybe an inch or two shorter than Lucas. His build was slim, though she could tell his muscles were very tightly honed. He was dressed completely in black and he seemed to favour human clothes of the later centuries she had viewed in the Fountain. His T-shirt and jeans hugged his body like a second skin and she was quick to see that he was a strong, virile man.

Lucas' words came back to her about the other charismatic men among their kind and her possibly choosing another lover from their midst. As her eyes came back to his face she smiled slightly, her lips barely twitching as she immediately dismissed the potential for any relationship with him. Despite his beauty there was something she immediately disliked about this man. Her instincts usually ran true though she would give him the benefit of the doubt until he proved her wrong.

"Summer," Lucas called. She turned her gaze back to him as he waved a hand for her to approach. She did so, moving slowly, ignoring the others in the room for the moment. She wanted to take in the measure of each person one at a time and try and get a feel for them individually.

"This is Marcus," Lucas said as she finally reached them. She inclined her head slightly to the dark haired man. His face was devoid of all expression, but she felt a slight mental nudge and knew it was Marcus. His blatant lack of respect irritated her. She nudged him back mentally, her green eyes flashing a challenge for him to say anything.

Marcus' lips curled in a little smile as the beautiful woman standing before him responded to his rudeness with a little of her own. Lucas had said she was unpredictable and slightly emotional still, and he couldn't resist testing her resolve. She had the art of showing no emotion on her face down quite well but he had caught the little flicker in her eyes when she had first seen him. He knew she would be thinking of his slight resemblance to Nathaniel.

"So, Lucas has finally let you out of his bed," he drawled softly, his voice rich and deep, his tone slightly mocking. "You must be something pretty spectacular, Summer. We've never known Lucas to bed a woman for five days straight. He usually gets bored long before the end of the first day."

If he thought to embarrass her he was wrong. She refused to allow her cheeks to flush with colour even though she was mortified at him talking about her love life as if it were his business to do so. She steeled herself against his mocking and met his eyes. "I was surprised he lasted five days before he conceded defeat," she remarked coolly, seeing Lucas fight to contain the smile which threatened to cross his face.

Her response surprised Marcus and his lips curled further into a smile. He mentally gave her the point and felt his respect for her rise a little. She was obviously trying to behave as Lucas had instructed her. The fact that he could tell she wanted the ground to swallow her up was not a negative in his mind. No, it made her cool response even more admirable.

Summer moved her gaze from Marcus and turned back to Lucas. His expression was carefully blank and she didn't know what to do now. She had no idea what was expected of her from the other Síochán. Lucas was not going to be any help either judging from his expression.

"Am I to stand here and be examined like a new toy or will one of you speak and tell me what I'm required to do now I have completed my training?" she finally asked.

Silence greeted her and she felt her irritation start to rise as she continued to look into Lucas' eyes. She saw no sign of the man she knew. He examined her like an object just as the others were doing. She tried to remember his words on how to act. He had said to think logically and concisely about her responses but plain rudeness and bad manners was not something she could think logically about.

If these men thought to test her just to satisfy their silly egos then they were in for a shock. She wasn't going to be treated as they saw fit. Her gaze still locked with Lucas', she gave him a little smile before she leaned down and brushed her lips lightly across his. She felt him stiffen in surprise and her smile grew wider.

"When you boys can remember what it means to be gentlemen, let me know, Luc," she said loudly. She willed herself back to her rooms before he realised what she intended. She knew Lucas would be angry with her but she didn't care. She deserved better than to be thrown to the sharks like that with no knowledge of how to protect herself. He could be angry all he liked, she wasn't sorry for her actions.

Lucas managed to keep his expression completely neutral despite his rage at Summer's behaviour. One part of him silently applauded her for having the courage to stand up for herself, she would need that courage in the days to come. But mostly he was just annoyed with her. She had been overly familiar with him by kissing him and her use of his shortened name was unacceptable. He hadn't asked much of her before bringing her here. She could have at least have made the effort.

"Well, Luc! It would appear your little protégé is somewhat lacking in the patience department," Marcus laughed softly at his side, stressing the shortened name and drawing smiles from the others in the room.

Lucas smiled coolly at him biting down an instant retort. Spending so much time with Summer made him sometimes fall into her bad habits and he wasn't willing to give Marcus any further ammunition to poke fun at him . When he was sure he could keep his tone level, he responded to the other man. "It would appear I erred in judgement when I introduced you to her first, Marcus," he replied smoothly. "I should have left you until last. You do have a knack of scaring women away."

He stood as he spoke and turned away from him before he could respond. "If you will give me a moment, I will ask Summer to rejoin the meeting," he said to the room before he disappeared, going straight to the door of Summer's bedroom. He activated the chimes for entrance and waited.

Summer knew it was Lucas at her door. She also knew that he wouldn't go away until she answered him. She pondered how long she could put up with the incessant noise before she answered him and then sighed loudly. It was childish to hide from him. It was time to learn who the real Lucas was.

"I suppose you're angry with me?" she asked from behind him when she appeared from her room silently.

Lucas spun around, his blond hair flowing wildly, his blue eyes flashing as he furiously regarded her. "How dare you?" he spat out. He moved towards her, grabbing her upper arms and spinning her around to push her hard against the wall.

She uttered a startled whimper, a brief flash of fear going through her before she stiffened her body, ready to attack back if he tried anything to hurt her. At the moment he was just holding her pinned against the wall. "How dare I?" she asked calmly raising an eyebrow at him. "How dare I? How dare you, Lucas? You could have prepared me better for that little debacle. Instead you threw me to the sharks and left me to sink while you sat back for your own amusement. Why, Lucas? Why did you do that to me?" She couldn't stop the plaintive note that crept into her voice as she tried to conceal her hurt from him.

"You think I can be around to hold your hand forever, Summer?" he answered shortly, his eyes still glittering dangerously. "I trained you better than that. You are no longer a student to be protected. You are a Síochán and you are expected to act like one."

Summer pushed against him, forcing him to let go so she could step away from the wall, her own eyes glaring angrily back at him. "And how is a Síochán supposed to act, Lucas? Like an ill mannered, rude, obnoxious excuse of a being? If you are waiting for me to take on those despicable character traits then you will have a very long wait indeed. Maybe the rest of you have forgotten what it's like to be human but I haven't. Manners cost nothing, Lucas. I will not tolerate being disrespected and having my love life bandied around so you and your friends can score points against each other. If that's what you have planned for me then you made the wrong choice in saving my life because I will not be that person, ever!"

Lucas appeared to be lost for words for a moment, his eyes widening slightly as he took a deep breath and tried to get a hold of his anger. "You mean that little act was all because you thought Marcus was disrespectful?" he finally asked in an incredulous tone. "It's time you grew up, Summer. There is a lot worse to come than a few words being bandied around about your sex life." He stared at her with a cold, hard expression on his face.

"How am I supposed to know that, Lucas?" she argued back furiously. "You have told me nothing! I don't know anything about the other Síochán. I don't know anything about what is expected of me. I don't know about the hierarchy or structure of the Síochán or what we really do. Then I find the one person who I thought I did know, is someone completely different. Were you too busy bedding me to get around to these important facts? Was satisfying your own physical needs more important than making sure I was prepared for this first meeting?"

He stared at her for another long moment and then frowned slightly. He thought he had explained most of those points to her. He wracked his brain trying to dredge up the memory of having that conversation with her and his frown deepened before he smoothed his expression and gave her an apologetic smile. "I do appear to have forgotten to elaborate on a few things," he admitted quietly. "Perhaps you are right, Summer. Perhaps I did indulge in your charms to the exclusion of preparing you enough for this meeting."

He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to work out the best way forward. The other Síochán were waiting for them to return to start the meeting but Summer's frame of mind wasn't really up to it at the moment and he needed some time to explain things to her. It would probably be best to postpone the meeting but he didn't want to do that.

Summer's anger evaporated as she watched Lucas obviously working through something in his mind. Unlike when he was in the meeting room, his expression was not guarded and she could tell he had a dilemma on his hands. She knew she was the cause of that dilemma. "Tell me quickly of the personalities involved," she sighed softly. "I've worked out Marcus myself but the other three men?"