I trembled, and my eyelids flew open.
Focus, I commanded myself. Focus. Everything around me—the people, insects, dust—moved in slow motion. Barely moved, in fact. Almost as if they were standing still. Just like before, in the parking lot with Kyrin. I heard the tick of a clock, yet the ticks seemed to come every other minute instead of every second. The voices around me sounded deep and dragging.
I took one step, then another, and found that I moved quickly, faster than I’d ever moved before. I flew through motion detectors and across weight-sensitive floors, then checked myself into the cell hall. I had Lilla by the hand before my presence was even announced over the computer. Lilla’s expression was shocked, yet she didn’t resist me as I dragged her from the building and into Kyrin’s car.
Only when we were on the highway did I allow myself to relax. The moment I relaxed, all energy deserted me, and time kicked back into regular speed. Things no longer moved slowly, voices no longer dragged. I was the one dragging now.
A wave of dizziness assaulted me. My stomach rolled. I programmed the car to a stop, tumbled out, and emptied the contents of my stomach there on the side of the road.
Lilla opened the passenger door. I thought she meant to run, that I’d have to find the energy to chase her, but she crouched beside me. “How long have you known?” she asked.
My head felt heavy, too heavy, but I managed to turn toward her. “Known what?”
“That you are like me?”
“Two days.”
Something vulnerable flickered in her eyes. “Why did you free me?” she asked.
“For your brother. Now answer a question for me. Did you help Atlanna abduct those humans?”
Silence swelled around us.
Finally, “Yes,” she admitted. “But when I realized she planned to kill them after we had finished with them, I asked Kyrin to help me stop her. I just—I wanted a baby of my own, and I thought that was a wonderful way to have one.”
I drew in a breath. I didn’t trust this woman fully, but I had to put my life in her hands. I had no other choice. “Get us to Kyrin’s, okay. I need to close my eyes.”
She helped me back into the car, and the last of my strength deserted me. I didn’t want to sleep. I wanted to be awake when we reached Kyrin’s. But the moment the car jerked into gear, my mind went blank, and a deep haze cocooned me.
CHAPTER 22
Ribbons of awareness slipped into my conscious mind, incrementally prodding me to wakefulness. I blinked open my eyes. At first, I saw nothing more than black spiderwebs, making my surroundings appear hazy and unclear. When I focused, a sight more delicious than a smoldering ocean of coffee greeted me, and a smile played at the corners of my lips. I stretched like a contented kitten. Kyrin lounged beside me, propped on his elbows.
“Hello,” I said, a yawn at the edge of each syllable. Then I remembered what he’d done to me, how he’d shackled me. I lost my smile and punched him.
His head whipped to the side.
“That’s for trying to hold me prisoner again.”
As he rubbed his jaw, he gave me a repentant sigh. “I am sorry. I only thought to protect you. I knew you would chase after Atlanna, and I didn’t want you to do that alone. I never expected her to come to you.”
I crossed my arms over my chest.
“You have my solemn oath that I will never, never, clamp you with an armband again.”
Muted beams of light etched his frame, darkening the aura of disquiet around him. My brow furrowed together, and I frowned. “What time is it?” I asked.
“Nine P.M.”
“How did I get here?” I asked, then paused. “Wait. My memories are a bit fuzzy, but I remember bits and pieces. Lilla drove me, right?”
“Yes, she did.” He brushed his fingertips over my cheek, around my ear, then tunneled into my hair. “Thank you for freeing my sister.”
“My pleasure.” I relaxed into his touch.
With slow, sensual grace, he swirled a dark tendril around his finger, then glided the raven tress over his cheekbone.
“I had a vision about Atlanna. I think—I think she will soon die.”
“Die? How?”
I swallowed. “I saw her prone, lifeless body on the ground, her blood seeping away from her.” A tremor raked my spine. “My visions are never wrong.”
His voice became as gentle as a summer rain. “Perhaps we will win this war, after all.”
I should have felt tremendous joy at such a remark, but I didn’t.
Sinking into him would have been so easy. Wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him to me for a kiss would have been easier still. Yet I did neither of those things. I allowed him to offer the comfort.
His fingers cupped the back of my neck, and he did what I had not. He urged me back onto the mattress, allowing his lips to brush against mine. In the wake of such a sweet promise, I lost all sense of animosity and abandoned myself to his kiss. Gently, so gently, our tongues danced together. His tasted as pure and masculine as I remembered. His scent wrapped around me, evoking images of star-filled nights, expensive champagne, and chocolate truffles. On an achy moan, I slipped my hands under his shirt, willing to give him everything I had to give. His skin was soft velvet over hard steel.
His moan matched mine in intensity, but he tore his mouth away. His breathing labored, he said, “Lilla told me what happened. How you used your powers.”
I drew in a shaky breath, and my arms dropped back to my sides. “A.I.R. thinks you killed those men. William Steele, SullivanBay, and even the woman, Rianne Harte. They’re determined to hunt you down and execute you.” My voice hardened with authority. “I want you to leave the city.”
“How are they so sure I am guilty?”
“Your voice DNA is all over Bay’s murder scene. And the fact that you had contact with every victim doesn’t help.”
He cursed under his breath. “I did not have enough time to clean away the evidence of my presence the last time. I should never have gone, but I wanted you to see Atlanna’s cruelty for yourself.”
The doorbell sounded.
I jolted up. I knew instantly who stood outside, wanting entrance into Kyrin’s home. A.I.R. Adrenaline pumped through my blood, giving me strength. “Get up. We have to go.”
He remained casually lounged atop the mattress. “Worry not, little angel,” he said as his lips curled. “I will send them on their way.”
My hands anchored to my hips, and I leaned my face into his. Only a breath away. “I don’t know how they found you, but they can enter your home with or without your permission. The fact that they’re ringing your doorbell is only out of respect for me.”
His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I will simply make them choose not to enter.”
Riding a wave of urgency, I latched onto his arm and jerked him to his feet. “Mind control isn’t something you can do. Remember?”
“You are right.” Still, he acted unconcerned.
“Kyrin! Work with me here.”
He clasped my forearms and leveled me a glance. “Lilla is here, Mia. She can dissuade A.I.R. from entering.”
“Oh.” Just like that, amusement replaced my apprehension. A deep, true chuckle escaped. “I never thought I’d be glad for her ability.”
“You are beautiful when you laugh. Like a goddess of love come to enchant all who gaze upon you.”
“Enough,” a female voice said from the doorway. “You are making me sick.”
Both Kyrin and I reluctantly turned away from each other and toward Lilla, the sounds of revving engines in our ears.
“I will hear your thanks now,” she said dryly. “I just saved both of you. I like roses.”
“Go play,” Kyrin said. He waved one hand through the air. “We are busy.”
“No,” I said. “Stay. We have work to do. We’re going to visit Atlanna. Tonight.”
Kyrin frowned. “You have not enough experience using your powers,” he said. “We are not ready to face her.”
“With enough pyre-guns, we’ll be ready for three intergalactic wars.” I shifted my gaze to Lilla, who still leaned casually against the doorframe. “Can we count on your help?”
“You set me free,” she answered, her expression resigned. “I owe you. And an Arcadian always pays her debts.”
I almost shook my head in surprise. These two aliens I had judged so harshly and fought so incessantly to destroy were becoming my strongest allies. That fact boggled my mind. I wanted to thank them, tell them I was sorry, and demand to know why all at once.
Kyrin sighed. “What should I do first?”
“Get a car ready,” I said. “I know where we can get weapons.” I grinned. “A.I.R. is about to make an anonymous contribution.”
Sneaking through the back door, up an elevator shaft, and into A.I.R. storage took a little over an hour. I had to dodge cameras, guards, and ID scans. Not easy, and not fun. But I did it. I pocketed several pyre-guns and daggers from agents’ lockers, and loaded myself down with top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art experimental gear from the lab. Exiting A.I.R. only required ten minutes. I just jacked the alarm in sector twelve and ran like hell.
As I turned toward the corner, five agents approached, guns drawn. I recognized three of them. They were hard, by-the-book A.I.R. If one of them tried to stop me…I knew I couldn’t kill a fellow agent, so I increased my speed. Maybe they would be too busy to notice me, a suspended officer, striding as pretty as I pleased through this secured area. Right. I didn’t know what would happen next, but I was prepared for anything. They passed by, heading toward the alarm without giving me more than a conspiratorial wave and a knowing grin.
God, I loved these people!
Once situated in Kyrin’s SUV, where both Kyrin and Lilla awaited me, I passed out weapons and said, “There’s one more thing I need.” I slipped my cell unit from my back pocket.
I rang Ghost, Kittie, and Jaxon on conference. I knew calling them was the right thing to do. They could get into places I couldn’t, and having them at my back would give me a sense of peace.
“I need your help,” I said after each man had answered.
They replied without hesitation, granting my request. Ghost even said, “I’ll do whatever I can to help prove your innocence.”
“Thank you,” I said, and I meant it. I briefed them on the situation. I told them everything. About Atlanna. About Kyrin. About Lilla. “You still in?” I asked.
One by one, they all agreed.
These men might never know how much their support meant to me. “Meet me at the northeast corner of
Michigan Avenue
. One hour.”
I slipped my phone into my back pocket and began strapping a recorder under my chest. This time, I was going to record Atlanna’s voice. When I finished, I turned to Kyrin. Determination stiffened my spine. “Let’s do this.”
CHAPTER 23
Twenty-five minutes later, I found myself crawling over hills, around trees, and along icy embankments. Kyrin had explained the layout of the house, so we knew to enter through the basement.
Ghost and Lilla snagged the rear of our little train. Kittie and Jaxon had the middle, just behind me, and we all stealthily followed Kyrin. Some of us moved a little more stealthily than others. Apparently, Lilla did not know the meaning of the word silence. Her knees found and snapped every twig within a mile radius. And she’d slipped on the ice too many times to count. I couldn’t believe this klutzy alien was the same one who’d once given me the slip.
When we topped the last hill, I gazed down at a beautifully landscaped garden that led to a circling wall and an equally beautiful home. Not a mansion like Kyrin’s, but close. As white as Ecstasy, with a peaked roof that dipped and rose like the waves of an ocean.
“She keeps the men in the basement,” Kyrin whispered to me.
“Excellent,” I replied just as quietly. “Ghost and I will check for survivors. If we find any, we’ll bring them here. Jaxon, you look for children, or any hint of children. All of you, grab any files—hell, any papers you see. Kyrin, stay here.”
Kyrin’s eyes narrowed. “You are not going inside that house without me.”
“You’re not trained for this type of mission, and I need someone out here, acting as guard. You can project your voice into my head and tell me if anyone else arrives.”
“I go in.”
“I’m not trained either. I do not mind waiting,” Lilla offered.
I shot her a glance. “We may need your mind control.”
She sighed. “This seemed fun in theory, but now that we are here…”
“Hey, babe, don’t worry. I’ll cover you,” Ghost said, a lusty edge to his words.
She smiled over at him, even ran her nails over his arm. “I like the thought of your body covering mine. You are so dark.”
I leveled Ghost a warning glare. “Concentrate, people. Screw later.”
Sheepish, he shrugged.
“I go in,” Kyrin repeated.
“All right. Everyone goes,” I said. “Just stay quiet.” I directed the last to Lilla.
This time, Ghost and I led the way. Several armed men, all human, patrolled the outside wall. Lilla distracted their minds, and we were able to stride directly in front of them. They never saw us.
Remaining alert, we led our ragtag group inside the home’s basement door, which Ghost expertly opened for us. Three female Arcadians were sauntering down a nearby hallway. Mind control wasn’t what we needed here. I wanted these aliens incapacitated.
“Stun,” I mouthed to my men. They might be pregnant, so I didn’t want them killed. Each man nodded in turn. We set our pyre-guns to stun and fired on my count of three. The room lit for a split second, then one by one the women froze in place, their minds and bodies on hold.