Authors: Keri Arthur
"Sex for information is never pleasant the first time."
"That's the trouble--in the end, the sex was
more
than pleasant." I shivered. "I don't want to become a guardian."
But it could happen, and I very much suspected that Jack was right. That I'd not only be good at it, but I'd enjoy it. Even the information-gathering, sex-with-strangers bit.
"Then fight it for as long as is practical." He stepped back, his face stern but eyes smoky with understanding. "You need a hot drink?"
"Coffee, with a chaser of bourbon."
He squeezed my hand, then walked across to the minibar. I sat down on a hard wooden chair next to Quinn.
"So," I said, voice edgy, "what happened to cutting all the alarm systems?"
Liander looked more than a little affronted. "I may be rusty, but I'm not
that
rusty."
"Then how come Misha knew you were in his office going through his files when I walked into the Blue Moon tonight?"
"He couldn't have," Jack said. "Believe me, we were very careful."
"Electronically, perhaps, but Misha implied he had more than electronic security systems present."
"He did, and they never saw us."
"Someone--or something--did."
Rhoan handed me the alcohol and I drank it in one gulp. It burned all the way down, but at least it took the edge off the cold knot sitting deep in the pit of my stomach.
"Then he didn't answer any questions?"
"No, he was quite happy to talk. He reckons he has nothing to hide."
"And you believe him?" Quinn asked softly.
I met his gaze, momentarily getting lost in the depths of his dark eyes. "No, I don't."
"So, why Genoveve?" Jack asked.
"Apparently, it's built over the top of a World War II military bunker. He was planning to use it for non-government-approved research."
"Was?" Jack asked.
Rhoan held out a steaming mug and I accepted it with a small smile. "Yeah. He was outbid by the same company who owns Moneisha."
"Konane?"
"Yep. And Konane is owned by Talon."
Liander groaned. "We had him, and we let him escape."
"And he's probably out of the damn country by now." Rhoan sat on the arm of the sofa and threw an arm around my shoulders. "We'll never find him."
"We will," Quinn said softly. "He was in the Blue Moon tonight, watching Misha and Riley. And he was furious."
"Interesting," Jack murmured. "It suggests that he still has some interest in Riley. Maybe we can put that to use."
"No," Rhoan and Quinn said together.
Jack ignored them, staring at me. "This all goes far deeper than one werewolf and one company, but right now, he's the only lead we have. He has to be caught, and he has to be questioned."
"Agreed," Rhoan all but spat, "but why use Riley as bait again? She's done more than her fair share for kin and country."
"I know she has." Jack's voice was filled with a contriteness that didn't show in the green of his eyes. "But Talon is not interested in you or me. And, because of Gautier's influence, we dare not trust any of the other guardians at this moment."
"We know where Genoveve Confectionary is. Why don't we just raid the damn place?"
"Because we don't know where the entrances to the underground sections are, and by the time we find them, the evidence we need might well be destroyed."
I sipped my coffee and met Jack's gaze evenly. While I was aware that he was reeling me in a little bit more, the reasons why I'd walked into the Blue Moon earlier tonight still held true. Whoever was behind this had to be stopped, and if I could play a part in that, did I really have the right to walk away?
And would walking away be any safer? They'd first come after me at the train station, and that was way before I'd really gotten involved in this investigation. Maybe walking would only make things worse.
Besides, the wolf within had had enough and wanted revenge in a
bad
way.
"Do not forget that ten guardians have already died, or that Kelly may have made it eleven," Jack added, talking to Rhoan but his gaze not wavering on mine.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about the other guardians. Not wanting to think that Kelly might have joined their ranks.
Dammit, she
couldn't
have. I didn't make friends all that easily--surely fate wouldn't be cruel enough to snatch her away.
"We
have
to stop this now," Jack added softly.
"Riley's not even a guardian!" Rhoan was off the chair, fist clenched and expression livid. "How in hell can you expect her to survive what those others could not?"
"Because she
is
a survivor," Jack bit back. "And because she's a dhampire, just like her brother. That is more of an advantage than either of you realize."
"She's also sitting in this damn room, not in another building," I interrupted. "Rhoan, calm down and sit. Jack, just give me a goddamn chance to drink my coffee and catch my breath, will you?"
With the coffee in hand, I rose and walked out onto the balcony. The night air was as sharp as ice, and I breathed deep. It didn't clear the fear stirring through me. Fear not of what I had to do, but what I might become.
I leaned against the wrought-iron balustrade and sipped the aromatic hazelnut coffee. The wind whispered through the nearby trees and stirred the hair from the nape of my neck. It felt like the fingers of ghosts.
I closed my eyes and tried to gather calm from the cool of the night and the brightness of the stars.
Though I heard no sound, the teasing caress of sandalwood momentarily overwhelmed the scent of hazelnut and told me I was no longer alone. He leaned on the balustrade, his body separated from mine by several inches, yet close enough that the heat of him burned across my skin.
"Is it the moon?" he said softly.
"Partly. Jack seems to have forgotten that Rhoan, Liander, and I all turn into wolves tomorrow night."
"It'll surely be over by then."
I opened my eyes. The stars seemed to reflect in his night-colored gaze. "You didn't come out here to try to stop me?"
His smile was bittersweet. "What right have I to do that?"
"Whatever right you do or don't have didn't seem to matter a few minutes ago."
He shrugged. "Jack's suggestion caught me by surprise."
"But now that you've had time to think, you realize it might be the quickest way of finding your friend."
He held my gaze steadily. "Yes."
I looked away and took a sip of my coffee. "There are a great many risks in doing this, and Talon is no fool."
"Neither is Jack. Trust him."
"It's Talon I don't trust." I glanced skyward. "And he's the one who put the chip in my arm. If he snatches me, the first thing he'll do is take it out."
"But he won't suspect that I, too, carry one."
I glanced at him sharply. The smile that touched his lips never reached his eyes. "You're not going in there alone."
"If anyone should go with me, it's Rhoan. He's trained for this sort of stuff."
"And I have centuries behind me. Life and time provide far better training than your Directorate ever could."
"Jack won't allow it."
"Jack can't stop me."
"But Talon might not be tempted to snatch me if you're with me."
"Oh, I think he will. For a start, I gave him a broken nose when I rescued you, and I'm sure he's itching to return the favor. And second, I've killed a lot of his precious clones."
I had to admit, I felt far better about being bait with Quinn alongside me. I probably wouldn't be any safer, but at least I wouldn't be alone.
"Thank you," I said softly.
He grimaced. "My reasons are purely selfish, so don't read too much into it."
"Meaning if it's a choice between me and your friend, you'll save your friend?"
The warmth fled from his face, leaving it emotionless. "Yes."
Fair enough. He'd known his friend for many centuries. He'd only made love to me a couple of times. Had our positions been reversed, I probably would have made the same decision.
I think.
"There is one thing we should do before we get in there," he continued. "Just in case we're separated."
"What's that?"
"Develop a psi link between us."
"Psi links can be nullified by psychic deadeners, and I'm betting Talon will have the latest installed." Though the latest deadeners hadn't worked with Quinn in the Directorate, they'd certainly stop me. "He couldn't take the risk of not doing so if he's developing vampire clones."
"But we've shared blood."
"So? A deadener is a deadener."
"And it works on one specific section of the brain. Because we've shared blood, our psychic connection will work in a whole different area."
"You're shitting me?"
The smile that tugged his lips made my pulse skip. "No, I am not."
I tilted my head slightly and studied him for a moment. "Why?"
He shrugged. "Because unless it comes down to that choice, I intend to get us both out of there alive."
"And once the link is formed, can it be broken?"
He hesitated. "No, but I'm in Sydney most of the time, so it won't matter."
"And on the odd occasion you're not?"
"It still won't really matter. The link is basically a locked door between two rooms--your mind and mine. And like any locked door, you have to knock to gain entry."
"No master keys?"
Starlight twinkled briefly in his eyes. "No keys."
"Then what do we do?"
"Put your coffee down."
I did so.
"Now, raise your left hand and touch your fingertips to my temple, then close your eyes."
He echoed my movements, his fingertips so warm against my head.
"Now, imagine yourself standing on a vast dark plain. In the middle of this plain there is a wall you cannot see past. Imagine that wall as your psi shields."
It was harder than I thought it would be. I'd always taken my psi shields for granted--they were a gift of my heritage, something I'd had since birth, and they'd strengthened greatly over the years. Rhoan had taught me how to lower them once he'd become a guardian, but that was about it for training. No one had ever told me I could create "doors." Maybe it was something not everyone could do.
Sweat trickled down my face and I resisted the urge to swipe it away. The dark plain was forming, and so too was a wall. It was red, endless, and seemed to shimmer slightly.
"Now," Quinn intoned softly, "imagine there is a door on the left edge of that wall."
"The wall is endless."
"Then either you have not envisaged an end, or you have psi talents you have not yet tapped. Imagine the door as far left as you can see without moving."
Again I did as he bid, but the effort left me trembling.
"Now, push that door open and see me there."
I took a deep breath and envisaged that door slowly opening. It felt like I was trying to move a damn mountain. I pushed and pushed, and finally, with a snap, it opened, and I fell flat on my psychic face. I looked up, imagining Quinn standing there, imagining him laughing.
And suddenly he was laughing, not out loud but deep inside. It was a caress of warmth that stirred the fibers of my soul, intimate in a way that went beyond touch, beyond sex.
No one has ever fallen through a door before.
His mind voice was as rich and as sexy as his regular voice, though why I found that surprising I don't really know.
Well, I've never liked doing the obvious.
I picked my psychic self off the floor, and added,
So this door will remain open now unless one of us closes it?
Yes, but I think it best to close it now, simply because you are a wolf and your aura is reaching a peak. The minute we're inside Genoveve, open it.
Meaning he wasn't as immune to my aura as he was pretending? I couldn't be sad about that.
So how do I close it?
Simply imagine the door closing, and it will be done.
There was no "simply" about it. Closing that psychic door proved every bit as hard as opening it. But maybe that was because part of me simply didn't want to lose the intimacy of it.
It slammed shut the last few inches, as if given a push from the other side. A gasp escaped my lips, and I opened my eyes. His gaze met mine, warm and sexy.
I dropped my hand from his temple. "It must be amazing to have sex like that."
He raised an eyebrow, his fingers sliding from my temple to my cheek. "You've never made love to another psychic?"
"Well, obviously I have, because you're psychic and I discovered this evening that Misha is as well. But never once has anyone suggested dropping shields and entwining our minds as intimately as our bodies."