“What are you talking about?”
“She’s here. I can feel her. Eve is here in the Sanctuary.”
His mind reeled. Horror filled him. The Sanctuary was under attack because of him and his little pep talk to Willow about astral travel. They had led their enemy here.
“Where is she? Which direction?” he asked hoarsely.
“I don’t know. I don’t understand. Why is she doing this?” Her expression was horrified as she gestured to the unconscious Starborn surrounding them.
He couldn’t voice his fears. Couldn’t destroy her dreams. “Let’s just find her. Close your eyes and concentrate.”
Although shaken, she took a deep breath and focused. “Toward our right, I think.”
“Lead me toward her if you can.” He raised his weapon and followed alongside Willow as they moved through the corridors passing more unconscious Starborn.
Footsteps sounded up ahead and he motioned Willow to stop. She held her gun close to her chest and he prayed she wouldn’t need to use it. From around the corner came a familiar petite figure. Serena.
“Lucas?” Her gun was drawn and her eyes alert as she scanned the surrounding area. “How the hell did you two get out of your cubes?”
“You,” he said, focusing on her cerebellum as he returned her memories.
Serena’s eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t break her defensive posture as she continued to check the area for threats. “I’m glad you came back.”
“Have you seen anyone else conscious?”
“No, you?”
“No.”
Lucas turned to Willow. “Can you still sense her? Lead us to her?”
“Her? Who are you talking about?” asked Serena.
“I’ll explain later,” said Lucas. “Cover us from behind.”
Serena looked like she wanted to argue but instead followed him and Willow down the corridor with her weapon drawn.
“We need to go up two levels,” said Willow.
Lucas led them into the elevator and pressed level two. No one said anything as they traveled upward. The elevator doors slid open to reveal another body.
This time someone they knew well.
Granger.
Serena rushed to check his vitals. “He’s breathing.”
Lucas exhaled the breath he’d been holding. Willow stared down at Granger, her face white with shock. He ached for her. Knew she must be worried for Paige and all her Queensgate friends. That she must be horrified her sister was somehow involved.
“Willow?” He gently grasped her jaw and turned her to look at him instead of Granger’s body. “We need to find her and stop this.”
Willow’s pain filled eyes gazed into his. “Please, don’t hurt her.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
Slowly, Willow raised her hand and pointed toward the east wing.
His eyes connected with Serena’s. She nodded in understanding and raised her gun. As they made their way toward the east wing they checked each room they passed. More lifeless Starborn littered the area—some slumped over desks, others on the floor—all stopped in their tracks. The telepathic pressure against his shield increased until it was almost unbearable. Perspiration lined Willow’s pale face. Serena’s gait was sluggish. Someone was talking up ahead. Just around the next corner. He held his finger up to his lips and motioned Willow and Serena to listen. Taking a deep breath, he darted a quick look around the corner before leaning back up against the wall.
Noctem.
Rage thundered through his body. And guilt. Noctem were here. In the fucking research lab. Stealing God knows what information.
Eve had used her twin like a giant X marking the fucking spot.
He closed his eyes for a moment, realizing the enormity of the situation. But now wasn’t the time for regrets. Now was the time for immediate fucking action.
“It’s Noctem. They’ve got two guards in front of the research lab.”
“Jesus, Lucas,” said Serena. “If they’re in the lab you know what that means. Noctem’s after our records. Our families and sleeper Starborn all over the world will be exposed.” Her small body tensed. “We need to get in there now.” She raised her gun and prepared to move forward.
Willow paled. “No! Eve’s in there.”
Lucas reached out to Willow. Grabbed her hands. Looked into her frightened blue eyes. Urged her to understand. “We need to stop them before The Order is compromised.”
“Please, Lucas,” begged Willow. “Don’t hurt her. We don’t know if she’s doing this on purpose. Please give her a chance.”
Willow’s agony was his own. Desperately, he wanted to protect Willow from hurt. But this was more than them. Before, with Wren, it had been his sacrifice to make. Now, with Noctem here, there were thousands to consider. Thousands to protect. Men, women, children. Defenseless. Like his mother. His baby brother, Danny. And this time he had a chance to protect them.
“Lucas,” said Serena. “We need to go in now.” Serena advanced on the lab and he quickly moved to cover Serena from behind.
He tried not to think of how Willow must be feeling as she trailed behind them. With each step he felt weaker from the emotional attack on his aura. Serena looked back at him and their eyes connected for a few moments. Gone was their past; they were simply soldiers readying themselves for attack. They were almost upon the two Noctem outside the research lab. He smiled when he realized they weren’t Mercurian. Slashing his power toward them he wiped their memories with quick precision. They were left as empty husks and were easily overpowered by him and Serena. He heard Willow gasp as he broke the neck of one of the Noctem soldiers. Serena quickly eliminated the other.
He rushed to Willow and roughly pulled her down beside the door. “Stay out here and don’t make a sound,” he hissed. “Please, Willow, I won’t be able to protect you if things go south.” At her look of desperation, he shook her slightly until she nodded her agreement.
He heard a familiar voice from inside the lab.
Wren. Her voice was full of ire. “You’ll never get away with this. The full power of all four sanctuaries will come down upon—” she said, breaking off with a tortured cry.
Lucas crept over to Serena. “We need to be careful not to get Wren in the crossfire.”
Serena raised her eyebrows. “After what she was going to do to you?”
“She’s still our leader.”
“Right. I’ll try to cloak us so we get in without them seeing us. Ready?”
He nodded and then looked at Willow. He mouthed, “Stay here,” hoping she would listen. Serena raised her hand and used her fingers to count out one, two, three. She began to move and he followed close. Quietly and quickly they stepped into the doorway with their weapons raised, ready to fire.
They came face to face with Wren who had a gun pressed to her temple by a burly tattooed male. He was flanked by two others who had their weapons drawn; a man with a scarred face and a woman who he knew instantly as Eve. Apart from the short, bleached blond hair, she superficially looked like Willow with the same tall frame and the same brilliant blue eyes. Her expression though, was hard and cruel and nothing like Willow. He quickly scanned the room and saw two other Noctem men at the back of the room working on lab computers.
“You’re telepathic cloak is ineffectual against my power,” sneered Eve.
The man standing beside Eve stepped forward. Hideously disfigured, his face was etched in scars. He smiled, almost politely. “Don’t do anything unwise, unless you want your leader to get a bullet in the head.”
Wren’s expression was full of fury. Kill him, Lucas. Now. Stop them. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth in irritation.
The scarred man wasn’t Mercurian and Lucas attacked him metaphysically, slashing and hacking at his memory store. But he couldn’t penetrate the man’s consciousness. Eve’s Mercurian shield protected him and the other Noctem tighter than any bank vault. Her power was unlike any he’d ever encountered.
Lucas faltered as Eve’s power washed over him and he fought to remain standing. The disfigured man’s smile broadened, pulling at his scars and making his face appear more sinister.
He glanced back and forth from Lucas to Serena. “You’re weak. Where is the Mercurian who led us here?”
Lucas said nothing and held the man’s gaze.
Kill him, Lucas. Stop them. Wren’s gray eyes bore into his.
Eve put her hands on her hips. “She’s around the corner, Reybourne. I can feel her.”
“She’ll make a fine addition to our team. With the two of you, Noctem will be unstoppable.”
Fury built within Lucas. Fury at Noctem and their past crimes. Fury at what they were planning to do and fury at himself for helping them to discover a place so well protected.
And fear swirled within him too. Fear for what this animal had planned for Willow and the thousands of Starborn on their register.
39
Willow
Willow bolted into the lab. “Eve? Eve!” She tried to push past Lucas but he held her back with one arm while keeping his gun pointed at Noctem. Desperately, she looked around the room trying to understand what was happening.
Wren struggled against a huge male, uncaring that a gun was pointed at her temple. At the back of the room, two men frantically typed on the lab’s keyboards. But Willow cared about only one person. Eve. Her eyes locked with her twin. Cold empty eyes stared back. A sudden surge of Eve’s power spread through the room, wave after wave of exhaustion flowing unchecked.
“Eve, it’s me, Willow!” She held up her arms in peace, scared of what might happen. “Lucas, Serena, don’t shoot!”
Eve ignored her cries and slammed more power into The Order’s Mercurians. They fought Eve’s power but their shields started to crumble. All around her, metaphysical power swirled. The cracks in Lucas’ shield widened and his hold on her loosened.
“Eve, you don’t need to do this,” she implored. “Why don’t we all put our guns away and just talk.”
A man standing beside Eve, his face riddled with scars, gave a twisted laugh. “She’s different from you. A real treat.”
Eve said nothing but her power intensified—the tentacles of her aura reaching out and strangling Serena and Lucas with emotion. Both staggered under her attack. Lucas’ arm around Willow dropped and he struggled to hold his gun steady.
“No!” Willow stood, aghast at her sister’s power and treachery. She wasn’t defenseless in prison somewhere, but a willing member of the group that was intent on doing something terrible. A group that had tortured and killed Lucas’ family. It was agonizing that Eve had used Willow to gain access to the Sanctuary and its secrets. That she seemed unmoved by seeing Willow for the first time in fourteen years.
“Eve, please?” she pleaded. “Every day I’ve wondered where you’ve been, wondered how you are.”
Eve’s cold stare delivered another blow to Willow’s heart.
The disfigured man gave an amused smile. “Touching, I must say. Eve, she’s going to be a lot of fun to have around.”
Willow looked beyond his scarred face to see an aura so black that it was pure evil. Empty of all light, it made her skin crawl.
Eve’s top lip curled. “Fuck off, Reybourne.” But still her sister protected him; encasing him in her Mercurian shield.
“Now, now, don’t get all premenstrual,” he said. “Let’s finish our mission. Incapacitate them, incapacitate them all.”
Wren started struggling. “Kill them,” she screamed out aloud. “Don’t worry about me. Kill them. Now!”
Willow felt a pulse of emotion radiate from Eve and fought to shield herself. Serena staggered from Eve’s attack and her gun fell from her hands as she slumped to the ground.
“Willow, leave now. Get out of the way,” hissed Lucas. Eve’s telepathy battered his consciousness and his arms shook as he tried to hold aim at Reybourne. He tried to pull the trigger but his finger refused to cooperate, moving only a tiny fraction.
“Don’t worry, Lucas, we won’t hurt her,” said Reybourne.
Lucas jerked at hearing his name.
Reybourne’s dark eyes glittered. “Oh yes, we know who you are, Lucas Black. You don’t think Noctem forgets a previous member? You and your lady love are coming back with us to headquarters. Caine wants you both. Your abilities will give us enormous power.”
Lucas’ body trembled. “I’d rather die than serve Noctem again,” Lucas ground out.
“Yes, I expected as much, but would you rather she die too?”
“Get out of here, Willow.” Lucas’ voice was frantic. “I can’t move. If you can, just go!” Tiny beads of sweat formed across his brow as he battled Eve’s phenomenal power.
With her heart in her mouth, she shook her head. “I’m not leaving you.”
Wren’s expression became wild. “Shoot him, Lucas! Focus! Fight her!”
Reybourne turned to Wren. “You really are annoying.” He raised his weapon and fired.
Wren fell backward onto the ground. Lucas and Serena cried out in shock.
Willow’s face felt hot and wet, and in a daze she touched her cheek. Touched something sticky—Wren’s blood. She stared at it and then at the pool of blood spreading out around Wren’s head. Nausea filled her throat. She swallowed hard, trying to stop herself from being sick. No matter what Wren had done, she didn’t deserve a cold-blooded execution. Taking a shaky breath she looked up at Reybourne to see his gun aimed directly at her. “Just like old times, hey Lucas?” taunted Reybourne.
Wild protective instinct reared up inside Willow—not for her, but for Lucas and how this man was playing on Lucas’ past. Think. Don’t react. Think. As much as she’d wanted to be with Eve again, there was no way in hell she was letting them take her and Lucas back to Noctem headquarters. This was her fault and she was fixing it.
She avoided looking at Wren’s lifeless body and instead focused on Eve. “Don’t do this, Eve. Whatever reason you’re doing this for, it isn’t worth it.”
Eve returned Willow’s gaze with disdain. “You know nothing about me.”
“I want to know. I want to know everything about you,” said Willow softly. “But not like this.”
Her sister’s power softened. Lucas took the opportunity to pull the trigger on his gun.
The sound of its discharge tore through the room.
Reybourne held up his hand. Incredibly, the bullet slowed midair and then fell to the ground inches from his body.
“Eve,” Reybourne said calmly. “You promised Caine that you wouldn’t be affected by seeing your dear sister.”
“I feel nothing. Caine doesn’t need to worry.”
“No, you’re quite wrong.” He clucked his tongue. “My orders from Caine were quite clear. Bring them back to headquarters unless there was a risk that his favorite little emotional telepath might stray from her orders.”
“There’s no risk.” Eve’s voice was hard.
“No. I think blood is thicker after all.”
Her expression remained cold. “I’m still true to Caine and Noctem.”
“You won’t be if she returns with us. Prove your loyalty. Kill her. And make him do it.”
Eve showed no emotion at his order, but instantly Willow felt the murderous rage Eve projected onto Lucas, making him hate Willow. Making him despise her and want to kill her. Lucas cried out as his hands trembled and then moved. Ever so slowly he pointed his gun toward Willow. His face turned white and his body shook as he fought Eve telepathically. Willow closed her eyes and concentrated on building emotion within herself. She stoked her emotional fire and then expelled it outward. It burst from her like a roaring fireball toward Eve.
The two women, sisters, twins did battle, each trying to block the effect of the other’s power.
“You’ll never beat me,” cried Eve. “How much pain have you known? How much suffering? It wouldn’t be close to what I’ve experienced. To what I still suffer.” Her voice was hoarse with torm
ent. Her face was pale, her features etched in emotional pain.
A face identical to Willow’s.
A face Willow had thought of every day since she was twelve.
Their eyes connected across the lab and suddenly Willow lost her will to fight.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lucas’ gun take aim at her again and his panicked look. “No! Fight it, Willow!”
Desperately, Willow again summoned emotion within her.
Not for battle but for acceptance and love.
She concentrated on the love she had for Eve—the love that had sustained her all these years. She concentrated on the few cherished memories of their childhood. Projected those feelings onto Eve, not aggressively, but with gentleness, breaching her shield with love.
Eve’s expression changed. For a moment, she looked lost, and then her power fragmented.
Willow turned to Lucas. “Extract the memories I’m thinking of and show them to Eve. Now!”
As he activated his power, the change in Eve was instantaneous. She went white with shock as the memories invaded her mind, and it was her turn to buckle at the knees. She cried out, her hand clutching at her throat. Serena moaned and moved on the ground as if trying to free herself from Eve’s telepathic haze. Lucas staggered to Willow’s side.
Reybourne looked less sure of himself. “Eve, fight her, you stupid bitch! You know how Caine will punish you if this mission fails.”
When Eve remained motionless, Reybourne pointed his gun at Willow. Eve screamed.
Lucas shouted as he threw himself in front of Willow.
The sound of the bullet piercing his body was soul destroying. He fell to the ground, bright red blood spilling from a wound in his chest. Frozen, she stared down at him, his green eyes wide open with shock. Reybourne, Eve and the rest of the room faded into the background. She didn’t care she might be shot too. Didn’t care about the thousands of Starborn who Noctem threatened. Her only thought was for Lucas as she fell to her knees.
“Willow?” His eyes were dull and darted around as though he couldn’t see her.
Starborn (The Order of Orion Book 1) Page 25