She studied him. He gave her a cocky grin. She was pretty sure he was reading every thought in her head, and yes, she thought he was even sexier up close, the bastard. It didn’t change the fact that he knew her name, what she drove, probably her weight and favorite color, all without her telling him, and she still didn’t even know his name.
“You can stop shielding me or whatever you are doing now,” she grumbled, knowing she should feel grateful for his help. Instead she felt uncomfortable with him having so much knowledge about her. She hated that he was aware of her weakness when it came to psychic overload.
“I haven’t been shielding you for awhile now.” He shrugged, following her around to the driver’s side of her car, holding out his hand for her keys. She blinked up at him.
“You are not driving my Jeep! Where do you think you are going with me anyway?” She tossed her bag into the back seat “What do you mean you aren’t shielding me? I would be in agony if you weren’t.” Turning to face him, she shot one question after another at him. A dam of curiosity burst through her. Pointing her finger at his chest, she interrogated him. “What did you do to make it better? Can you teach me how? Why did you call Jerika your protégé?” Hands on her hips, she had backed him several steps away from the door of the Jeep. “What is a protégé? Why are you watching her? How come the officers let you be there at all?” She hoped that last bit didn’t sound quite so jealous and petty to him as it did to her. Jerika was none of her business.
“Whoa, damn female. The deal was I shield your psyche, and you answer a few questions. What the hell?” Holding up both hands defensively, he was laughing at her again, a deep, sexy sound. Her first reaction was to purr and rub up against him like a cat. She felt the blush rising up her neck to redden her face.
“Sorry. Sorry, I know … I just, wow. Today was such a great day. I don’t hurt, at all. I can’t remember not being in some sort of psychic pain. At least … not since my mom. I guess I’m just excited.” She chewed her bottom lip, thinking. Was excited too forward a term? ”Could you at least tell me your name?”
“If I can drive?” He was grinning at her again.
She was so sick of being his private little joke, his arrogant attitude instantly spiraled her to pissed-off. Grateful to feel something empowering rather than the awkwardness he seemed to bring out of her, she pounced. “You seriously expect me to hand over my keys and get into the car with you? Without even knowing your name? Really?”
His grin only widened. “You, Beauty, can definitely take care of yourself. Don’t even pretend to be afraid of me. I’ve watched you kick ass all day.” There was admiration underlying the amusement in his gaze.
“Not being afraid of you does not mean being stupid. If you don’t want to tell me your name, then we can stand right here … safely and in front of a
police academy
. While you ask me whatever it is you seem to think you want to know.” Still irritated at him, she retraced the few steps back to the side of the Jeep. “Of course, if you really aren’t shielding me, then maybe the deal is off anyway.” Spinning her keys to make loud snapping sounds into her palm, she pretended to consider whether she should leave.
“I really was beginning to like being called Bleacher Boy.” He sighed. “My name is Shanley Einar. You and I both know that we are not going to be able to speak freely here.” He held his hand out for her keys again. “You already knew my name the same way I knew yours. Call me Shane.”
When he said his name, she realized she already knew it. She had known it from the minute he spoke to her. The keys slipped from her hand into his, and she pivoted to walk back around the Jeep, taking a seat on the passenger side. Shane stood at the open driver’s door, holding her hard-won keys. He stared at her a few moments, then climbed into the driver’s seat, adjusting it to fit his long legs.
“Where to?” he asked, starting the motor.
Chapter Two
Shane had listened to Jess’s heartfelt prayer in the parking lot, her sweet voice telepathically begging to get through the class without collapsing. She had been worried about disappointing someone named Eric. Shane had felt an irrational need to kill Eric until her thoughts had shown him to be her brother.
When she’d stepped into the gym and he had gotten his first look at her, he felt as if his entire universe had shifted on its axis. Its new rotation would be her. He’d been incapable of taking his eyes off her. When she reached into her psychic energy resources to take command of the class, he’d nearly come off his seat. She was powerful, a leader by nature. How could she not know such a simple thing as how to shield?
Shane had every intention of taking advantage of the access Jess had unwittingly given him when she’d asked him to psychically shield her. Once that access was granted, however, he found himself swimming in the unfamiliar territory of wanting to protect her, even from his own curiosity. Once he had ascertained that she was not pretending to be vulnerable, that she truly had no knowledge of her abilities or from where they came, he’d suppressed the urge to riffle through her memories and secrets. Instead he’d placed a subliminal trigger within her mind containing the knowledge of how to shield herself. Jess’s subconscious had immediately put the knowledge to use. Her innate ability to shield herself was already there. He had simply shown her mind how to apply it. As expected, her mind had instantly shut him out. More important, she was protected from anyone else who might have wanted to use that vulnerability for malicious intent. How she could have survived undiscovered was a mystery that he looked forward to solving.
Her presence would need to be brought to the attention of the Symbiosis of Species Council, yet he found he was oddly reluctant to make her known to them just yet. Jerika had consented to give him twenty-four hours before she would force his hand to present Jess. Perhaps they already knew of Jess. Was he being tested by the council to see if he would turn her over to them?
She was of warrior descent, of that he was sure. Why was she alone? Why was she so psychically vulnerable? Why did she seem completely unaware of what he was? Hell, of what she was, for that matter? These were the questions he should be asking. Instead, all he could think about was the way the sun shined through her long lashes to leave a shadow on her cheek. How her long blond hair cascaded around her shoulders when she released it from the elastic ponytail, the way her tongue peeked out to moisten her full lower lip, and the hint of her curves under the loose-fitting GI she wore. Oh yeah, this female was a complete distraction.
He could feel the energy pulses of her working her shielding ability. Pulses that should have been imperceptible even as inexperienced as she was. Was she using more energy than necessary to achieve the shield, or was he just far more attuned to her than he should be?
Off on off on. Breathing in out in out. It was hard for him not to smile. Foreign as shielding was to her, she was mastering it quicker than any youth he had ever seen, not that he had spent much time amongst children. And Jess was far from a child. He could see her concentrating, and he wished he hadn’t been so rash in his self-expulsion from her mind. Watching her process this from the inside would definitely have been fascinating.
“This is amazing,” she finally said.
“Yes, I released the innate knowledge you already had rather than holding the shield for you.”
“I’m not sure why I didn’t know I could do this. It seems so simple.” The slight lifting of her lips was more reward than any he’d ever received.
“Have to admit, I was pretty surprised you were unable to shield.” He quirked an eyebrow at her, she seemed unaware of her effect on him. “At first I thought you were just trying to be annoying.”
“So are you telling me that everyone knows how to do this except me? I call bullshit. I have been sent to the hospital from pain, I take medications to help. All I needed to do was this? Why wouldn’t someone teach me before now?” she demanded. “Why didn’t the doctors know what was wrong with me?”
“That is one of the many things I would like to know. Wait, did you say you have been to a hospital? Like, a regular hospital?” Hospitals and other services where monitored so that people like Jess didn’t fall through the cracks. Those systems had failed in Jess’s case. If they’d failed her, how many others could be out there? Her lack of knowledge could have gotten her killed. His chest tightened at the thought of her hurting. The pain she must have needlessly endured all these years!
“Is there any other kind?” She was watching him, and Shane worked to rein in his thoughts. He didn’t want to scare her. “Great, a crazy guy is driving my brand-new Jeep. That’s just perfect. Lemme guess. You go to the Vet.” He could tell she was trying to alleviate her sudden discomfort with humor. “Figures. The one time I throw my stranger-danger manual in the toilet, I wind up with a crazy guy. Where are you taking me anyway?” She was trying to sound casual and flippant, But Shane knew her empathy was responding to his flare of anger.
“I thought about hitting the local Hooters. I changed my mind when I heard the cops where going to be there. They could seriously hamper my kidnapping scheme.” He winked at her, grateful to see her relax a little. Hopefully she wouldn’t think he was nuts after all.
“Yeah, that’s what I heard too. We should definitely avoid them. They may rescue me, can’t have that.” Fates, he enjoyed her quick mind.
“It is obvious we both have a lot of questions for each other. Where could we go that you would feel comfortable and we could still speak freely?” He wanted to drive her straight to his place, but he knew he was pushing her comfort levels just being in her car. The decision had to be hers if he wanted her to trust him. And he did. Her trust was crucial.
“Are you married?”
“No.” Her out-of-the-blue question caught him off guard, and he snort-laughed his answer.
“Gay?” Jess was peering at him through slit lids. He could see the gold star that surrounded her pupil expanding.
“Nope.” She was building up to something. He could feel it.
“A stalker with a mother complex?” An outrageous comment meant to disarm before the true question is revealed. He recognized the questioning technique. Was she knowingly doing it? Or was it another thing that came to her so naturally that she wasn’t even aware of the uniqueness?
“Definitely not.” He answered, preparing himself for … breath held.
She got to the question she needed to ask and hesitated. Shane felt her mind probe at his, seeking the truth. He wasn’t sure if she was aware of this either. He only knew that the next question would determine everything for her. He pulled the Jeep over to the shoulder of the road and stopped, then turned in his seat to face her. Gently placing his fingers beneath her chin, he lifted until her gaze connected with his.
“Ask me.” He dropped his shield just enough for her to probe his response and determine his honesty. She deserved whatever truth she wanted.
“Am I safe with you?” He felt her push against his mind, her eyes widened, and he knew she found what she sought. He might not be the best male, but he believed in honor. He would never harm an innocent. In allowing her to see that, he could not hide from her the true threat he was to her. He desired her. He heard her quick intake of breath and watched the expanding of the gold starburst in her green eyes in response. She wanted him too.
“You are as safe with me as you wish to be, Jess.” It was the best reassurance he could give her; it was honest.
She must have been satisfied with his answer. She withdrew from his mind and released a long sigh, indicating she had made a decision. “Take me to your place. I need a shower.” She turned to look out the windshield.
He lifted his eyebrows in question. He hadn’t expected her to consent so readily. He thought she would want to go somewhere semi-public for a while first, like a coffee shop or a restaurant. It was everything he could do not to let loose a triumphant roar. He signaled and pulled back into traffic.
Chapter Three
They rode in silence out of the city limits. Jess gazed out the window as the sun set over the desert around Mesa. A small voice inside her reminded her that she should be concerned about driving into the desert with a relative stranger. For some reason she couldn’t bring herself to fear Shane in any way. Wonder about him. Check. Curious about whatever he could tell her about herself. Check. Attracted to him. Triple check. No fear whatsoever.
The desert sped by. The sky turned from pink to deep red-orange. They were about ten miles outside of the city before Shane slowed and turned onto a side road. The first mile was dirt and rutted, but eventually they reached a paved road with asphalt the exact shade of red as the surrounding sand. It even changed hue to match the surrounding desert sand perfectly. If you didn’t know what to look for, you wouldn’t even see the hardened road winding through the sand into the bottom of a blind canyon.
Jess was about to ask if the canyon flooded in the flash storms that Mesa was known for when the road leveled off onto an elevated stretch of flat pavement. The road looked like a suspended bridge over the canyon, which continued to drop off on either side. Invisible from above until you were actually upon it, it was an amazing sight. She wished she weren’t so exhausted so she could study it more closely.
They went under a natural overhang that was easily thirty feet high, extending fifty feet from end to end. When they exited on the opposite side, it was as if they had left the desert behind. The interior of the canyon was lush and green.