She let the ramifications percolate through her thoughts.
“Wait—the second orgasm.
That was the door opening, wasn’t it?”
Zach nodded and tried unsuccessfully to hide a grin.
“Actually, third orgasm.
And exploding would be a more accurate term.”
The heat of a blush worked its way up her cheeks and she decided to change the subject.
“Is this how you see everything?
So defined and vivid all the time?”
Zach’s dark brow furrowed.
“I never really thought about it before since I was born with full gifts, but, yes.
Whatever you’re experiencing now is what it’s like to be fully psychic.”
“It still seems so very surreal.”
He rubbed the ends of her hair between his fingers in an absent gesture.
“You’re very powerful, Cass.
Once you’re trained, you’ll probably be even more powerful than me.”
She grinned.
“Does that offend your male sensibilities?”
“Hell, no.”
He picked her up so she sat on top of him.
“It’s actually pretty erotic.”
“Why erotic?”
She laughed at his serious expression.
He pulled her against him and stroked the soft skin on the back of her neck.
“Because it means I can fully open my powers with you and I’ll never be afraid of hurting you during sex or any other time—at least psychically.”
She nibbled along his jaw line toward his ear so she could whisper to him.
“So, because I’m more powerful, does it mean I need to be careful with you?”
“
Now
you’re offending my male sensibilities.”
He grinned, the sexy dent in his chin mesmerizing her.
“I dare you to prove it.”
She giggled.
“Okay, but how about we try out the bed this time?”
*****
Zach drifted in and out of the hazy dream.
Someone called his name, he was sure of it.
He started to sit up and only then realized he couldn’t move.
Panic surged through him and he began to struggle against his invisible bonds.
Vague memories floated up until he remembered he was asleep.
He needed to wake up and everything would be fine.
The sound of whimpering caught his attention and he found he could turn his head to look.
What he saw sent icy stabs of fear shooting through him.
Cassidy lay on her back, naked, with the Reaper kneeling over her.
Her eyes were wide with fear and she seemed to be as unable to move as him.
“
She can’t answer you, Zach
,” the Reaper replied inside his head.
“
She’s still under my power, and you can do nothing to help her
.”
Panic washed over him at the thought of Cassidy being helpless against the Reaper, and he increased his struggles to break free.
“
What was it you said to me earlier?
Cassidy is yours?
You’re wrong.
I had her first, and I’ll have her last.
Zach watched helpless as the Reaper slowly caressed Cassidy’s swollen nipples and leaned down to kiss her lips—still swollen from their lovemaking.
“
You bastard!
If you touch her, I’ll kill you!
I swear it
!”
“
Enough talking for you
,” the Reaper said calmly.
Zach tried to yell or even mind speak and found he no longer could.
Cold sweat pooled at the back of his neck and nausea roiled inside his stomach.
Fear and dread burned through his system like lava.
His skin crawled with the knowledge both he and Cassidy were totally in the Reaper’s power.
“
I can see I should’ve taken her to bed before I tried to kill her.
She feels wonderful quivering under my hands.
My hands, Zach, not yours.
Mine.
”
Through Zach’s red haze of anger, despair reached up to swallow him whole.
The Reaper, suddenly naked, rolled on top of Cassidy, pinning her arms above her head.
In some remote part of Zach’s brain his FBI training calmly recognized it as a position of power, since Cassidy couldn’t move anyway.
His head throbbed with thoughts of revenge for the woman he now realized he loved with all his heart.
The Reaper turned and met Zach’s gaze as he plunged himself inside Cassidy.
Her scream echoed around him, but she still seemed unable to move.
The Reaper continued to thrust into her brutally.
Zach could do nothing but watch as tears born of helplessness rolled slowly down his face.
How could I let this happen?
I underestimated him.
I convinced myself he was weak.
How could I have been so wrong?
He shook his head.
“
Cassidy
“
Thank God!”
The concern and urgency in her voice evident.
“
Wake up.
You’re caught in a vision.
I’m right here next to you.
Do you feel my hand
?”
Concentrating, he fought off the vision and finally felt Cassidy’s warm grip.
“
Cassidy
?”
The vision fogged away, leaving him alone in a sterile white room.
“
Right here, I’ve got you.
Follow me out.
”
Using Cassidy’s power like a beacon, he followed without question.
Time flowed over him as he followed the thread of Cassidy’s power for what seemed like hours, but probably only spanned minutes.
Finally, the world around him slowly materialized.
He lay face up on Cassidy’s bed.
She knelt beside him holding his hand and stroking his hair.
He took a deep breath and risked opening his eyes.
Relief flowed through him as Cassidy’s face filled his vision.
“Did he hurt you?”
Zach pulled her into his arms.
“Please tell me none of what I saw happened.”
He said a silent prayer, fearing her answer.
“He didn’t even contact me, I’m fine.”
She turned and grasped his chin between her fingers.
“He never touched me.”
Relief spilled through Zach, and he held her tight.
Cassidy stroked his hair and rocked him slowly while he fought to regain his equilibrium.
Cassidy cradled Zach in her arms.
He trembled and held her tight.
It humbled her that he trusted her enough to let her see him at his most vulnerable.
She’d tried to reach out to him when she realized Brian had caught him in a vision.
He’d yelled her name inside her head, which woke her, but she’d been unable to reach him or to wake him.
It seemed like the Reaper managed to block him from hearing her somehow, but he didn’t block her from hearing Zach.
Cassidy shuddered at the scene Zach had to watch.
Thankful the events weren’t real, her skin crawled at the very thought of Brian touching her at all, let alone physically raping her.
A chill skittered up her spine.
She’d tried hard to reach Zach inside the vision, but even with her new power, she was like a child playing with a blowtorch.
Not quite sure how to use it correctly.
But I swear I’ll learn.
Zach pulled away from Cassidy’s embrace and laid his forehead against hers.
“Thanks.”
Zach kissed her and then nodded.
“I’m okay.
I just thought…I couldn’t stand not being able to protect you.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Cassidy ran her hand up and down his arm in a comforting gesture.
“I know.
I could see through my link with you what you thought.”
Zach’s head snapped up and he looked at Cassidy in horror.
“You
saw
that?”
He searched her gaze.
“Oh, Cass, I’m so sorry.
It tore me up inside to watch him hurting you, and I was helpless to do anything about it.
“I know—I felt it.”
She paused and then reached out with her arms and her mind to hold him.
“And for what it’s worth—I love you, too.”
Zach held her tighter and inhaled the lavender scent of her hair.
“I’m the luckiest man alive to have earned your love, but it also makes both of us more vulnerable to him and for that I’m truly sorry.
We just need to figure out how he did this, so it never happens again.”
Cassidy pulled away and stood.
“I’m going to get us both a shot of whiskey to calm the nerves and then you are going to cook us some dinner and we’re going to figure out what happened.”
Zach, comfortable with his nudity, stood and grabbed her waist.
“What happened to
you
cooking dinner for
me
“I’ve decided I don’t want to poison you with my cooking after all.”
He couldn’t help but laugh at her sly grin.
“Besides, that offer expired about eight hours ago.”