Jaci's Experiment by Bianca D'Arc

swallowed hard. This woman’s look was too knowing and she feared what she might say. She turned to her small medical kit to busy herself.
    “Shall we begin the sample collection? I will need a blood sample.”
    When no answer was forthcoming, Jaci had to raise her eyes. The woman hadn’t been fooled at all.
    “I’m an empath, Jaci. I feel your fear and your turmoil.”
    “Shit.”
    Callie laughed as she moved to the couch and sat down. “Now that’s a very human expression. I wonder where you picked it up?”
    “I maintain some of the cells where the Maras keep their Breed subjects.”
    “Prisoners, you mean?” Callie’s voice had turned cold and Jaci felt uncomfortable in the extreme. “So you’re a jailer? Funny for a jailor to feel the level of guilt you just put out.”
    “I don’t like that they’re prisoners. But honestly, it never bothered me before.”
    “Before what?”
     
     
    41
    “Before I could feel.” Jaci’s voice was very soft, almost a whisper as emotion threatened to overwhelm her.
    Callie just watched her with non-judgmental eyes. “So what happened? Why can you suddenly feel emotion when every other Alvian but Davin, can’t?”
    Jaci knew then she was done for. She pitched herself into a chair and told this strange woman the whole sordid story. She didn’t care anymore. The burden was too great.
    “Just do me one favor,” Jaci asked tearfully, her emotions flooding her in a way she just couldn’t handle.
    “Get word to Michael and David?and Ruth too. Tell them I never meant to hurt them. I considered them friends and their friendship meant a lot to me. Please, just tell them that.”
    Callie put a hand over Jaci’s, bridging the distance between their two chairs and suddenly Jaci started to feel better. It wasn’t the same kind of healing touch David had, but it was soothing and definitely had the flavor of this woman’s psychic abilities. She was calming her, soothing her distraught emotions.
    “Come now,” Callie said, compassion in her eyes. “You sound as if you’ll never see them again.”
    “I probably won’t. When the Maras find out what’s happened, they’ll put me down or imprison me. I wasn’t worthy of testing the agent. What’s one more Jaci?”
    “I don’t know, but I think this Jaci is very important.” Callie’s smile calmed her senses and stopped her tears. “And Mara 12 won’t hear about this from me, or from either of my mates.”
    Jaci was stunned for a moment by her use of the plural. “You have more than one? Is that possible?”
    She hadn’t dared hope.
    Callie smiled softly. “I can guess what you’ve heard on the rumor mill. Davin is my true resonance mate, and I love him dearly, but so is Rick. We all found that out in a rather upsetting way when Rick had to save my life. They didn’t get along too well at first, but we’ve all come to accept the arrangement now.
    After all, I keep telling them, my own mother has three mates, so they should count themselves lucky.”
    Callie chuckled, but Jaci was astounded by her words.
    42
    “But the ancient texts say there is only one resonance mate for each person.”
    “Been studying up on the topic, have you?” Callie gave her a knowing smile.
    Jaci blushed. “There are two men…I Hum with them and I was wondering if maybe…”
    Callie jumped up and went to the cabinet on the far side of the room. She opened a few drawers until she found what she was looking for, then came back to stand before Jaci, holding out her hand. Jaci reacted to the motion by raising her palm and a pure, clear crystal dropped into it.
    “Kiss them both. Use this. See what happens.”
    “I couldn’t.” Jaci immediately recognized the worth of the small, absolutely perfect crystal Callie had given her.
    Callie closed Jaci’s fingers over the warm stone. “You can and you will. It’s quite possible they are both your resonance mates. My mother has three true mates. I have two. Only testing will reveal the