Standing in the lightly stained glow of the dawn, she raised her hand to knock and almost fell forward when the door swung open before she made contact. "You are Sophie?"
She quickly regrouped her balance and nodded. "Yes. And you are my mentor?"
"Raffinialus Delnarian of the Solar Clan." He was wearing a hooded robe that obscured his features, but his voice had the same resonance as the troll bellboy. It relaxed her in the same way. "You may call me Raffin. Or Mentor Raffin if you prefer." He came out and closed the cottage door behind him.
Sophie backed up out of reflex, and then fell into step with him as he progressed into the garden with a smooth stride.
"You are here to learn the differing aspects of your talent and how to use it."
Good. She was in the right place. He gestured for her to take a seat on one of the stone benches. "Can you tell me what my talent is?"
"In good time. I need to assess you first, and that is best done in silence. Give me your hand."
Sophie blinked, but settled her fingers against his palm. Raffin's hands were elegant, the fingers long and strong as they closed around hers. Keeping her mouth shut did not come naturally, but when she felt him tickling his way into her mind, she lost all ability to speak.
His mind caressed hers delicately, investigating and peering into all aspects of her conscious thought. He moved past her outer thoughts and soon found the centre of her talent. His surprised laugh startled them both and in that instant, he was out of her mind and his hood was flipped back so he could look at her closely. "You're a Ganconer. But there hasn't been a female on record, so no wonder you couldn't control your talent. There would be no instinct to guide you."
His removal of his hood exposed his gold hair, straight nose, piercing blue eyes and a mouth so lush that she completely lost her train of thought. "A what?"
"Ganconer. Love Talker. They are known for their seductive powers and for their ability to make human women pine away after they have lain with them. In modern terms, the kings of the one night stand."
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