She leaned closer to keep from disturbing them.
“Even without the Bonding Ritual, her lifespan will match his and she can lean on some of his traits like faster healing. The connection established the moment they met and strengthens over time. Though we can hurry the process along with the ceremony, it isn’t always necessary.”
She gestured for me to follow her away from the bed.
“Setahs are stronger than before they link, more so than the ones we find ourselves. Some claim the gods forged the alliance.”
She looked down, and for once I wished I could see my own aura. “I’ve never seen one like this, but I knew it was possible.”
Her fingers trailed in the air around me, and I felt the movements in my soul. “I promised not to say anything until you were ready, but it might already be too late. Nothing is ever guaranteed.”
Mimi shook her head and turned from me, refusing to speak on the subject any further. She was like a grandmother to me, and she and Lukas had taken me in as family when my people cast me out. Although I was confused and desperate for answers, I’d never upset her when she wanted to remain silent. She had her reasons, and I’d respect them, even if I didn’t understand.
With one last look at my best friend and the woman I could’ve loved, I left the room.
Lukas
Someone watched me and it brought me to awareness much faster than I liked to wake in the mornings. I didn’t sense any danger but she was frustrated. Agitation radiated from her a lot in the past couple of months. With a sigh, I cracked open my eyelids.
Mimi’s face hovered inches from mine.
I bit back a curse as I tried to sit up and found myself upright in the recliner by my bed. I remembered the events of the last evening. Or was it still night? A quick glance confirmed the sun hadn’t risen.
“Awake now?” Mimi huffed. “Or do you need a cup of coffee and a shower first?”
“Good morning to you too, Mimi.” I drawled, because the tone irritated her. By the bitter twist on her lips, it worked. “Jeez, it’s god awful early. Why haven’t you gone to sleep? Is something wrong?”
She put a slender hand over each armrest, pinning me to the chair with angry green eyes a few shades lighter than my own. She was the only being in existence, except Thane, whom I tolerated behaving this way toward me. I allowed it, but ground my teeth.
“Your mate is asleep but she’s a morning person. Serves you right to be woken at the crack of dawn for the rest of your life. Sloth.”
“Mimi.” I groaned.
“Don’t you ‘Mimi’ me. You need to talk to Darian about your Dreams, Lukas.”
“You know why I waited.”
“No.” She swirled away, letting me stand. “I disagreed. I vehemently opposed. And now it might be too late.”
Her words sent a tendril of fear straight to my core.
“What did you See?”
She ignored me, muttering and pacing my room, though she was careful not to wake my soulmate. My Setah. One of the three significant people in my world, and she’d almost been harmed.
Cedric and every damned Elitist working with him would regret it. As my temper spiked, Mimi put her palms on my cheeks to get me to look her in the eye. I stooped as she jerked my face down to her level. Forcefully.
“She’s safe now. Do not let anger blind you to what’s important.”
“I won’t let them get away with this.”
“Lukas, listen to me. Hatred leads us to destruction. Let it go. Please?”
The terror in her eyes convinced me. I knew from experience, she wouldn’t share her predictions, not even with kin, but I couldn’t help my agitation. For her sake, I would try not to act on it.
“All right, all right. Anger is bad. Got it. Anything else before I’m allowed to get some coffee?”
She snorted, but the seriousness in her expression worried me. My grandmother was such a carefree spirit, never letting the Visions destroy her love of life. The loss of her parents, my parents, and her mate hadn’t broken her sprite-like demeanor, but she was downright melancholy.
“Mimi?”
“You’re losing him.” She twisted her fingers into the hem of her shirt. “You’ve spent years looking for her, but now he’ll be harder to reach than before.”
I pulled her into a hug.
“You taught me to never reveal my Dreams, but I’ll tell you this. Darian needs to understand things on his own. Had I pushed him, he’d have run. Neither of us would’ve been here, and they’d have taken her.”
Ryleigh shifted on the bed. I leaned down to whisper in Mimi’s ear. “No one wants this to work out more than I. So much is still undecided, but the alternative was worse. Please trust me.”
“Fine. Now go. Thane ordered me to wipe her memories of last night. He isn’t pleased you two brought her into the compound.”
“Why? What did he expect me to do? Let them take her?”
“Let’s get her back upstairs and call her a cab. The bastards took her purse.”
A vacant look crossed her expression, and it dissipated without an explanation. She’d had a Vision, but I knew she wouldn’t share. “We’ll let her know the basics, and get her home. She’ll come back to the club looking for answers, but she can’t meet either of you until tonight. Darian isn’t the only flight risk.”
“She’s my mate, Mimi. I’m not letting her out of my sight.”
“It’s important you two don’t introduce yourselves until later. Thane wants to see what she does.”
Darian wouldn’t like this any more than I would, and he didn’t have all the pieces to this puzzle. I allowed her to shove me from the room as Ryleigh woke. I wanted to see my mate.
But I needed her safe more than anything else.
Chapter Five
Ryleigh
Waking up in a strange hotel room disconcerted me, especially since I had no memory of how I’d ended up here. Having a five foot two tornado greet me was almost too much. Mimi was a feisty woman, but she had a kind face and I’d liked her right away.
Well, as soon as she’d finished explaining what had happened last night.
While I didn’t want to believe I was drugged, the pounding in my brain didn’t lie. I didn’t remember anything after meeting Tobias and his friends for drinks. Toby had tried to get me to go into the members-only kink club hidden behind the curtains at Tainted Eden. It got fuzzy after I’d agreed to dance, but there was a sense of wrongness I couldn’t shake off.
“My granddaughter keeps a few things here. Something ought to fit.”
She whirled around, and her floor length skirt swished as she dug through the closet. I saw her bare feet under the multi-hued fabric and it made me smile. Her brown hair swung loose and her pale green eyes twinkled each time she looked my way.
“You can’t be a grandmother.” I shook my head. “You look too young.”
“The benefit of having lots of love in my life.” She winked as she tossed me a shirt and jeans. “Stay a little longer, Ryleigh. Whatever they did to you left you unconscious.”
“I feel fine. Besides, I should get back to my apartment. I’m moving to Europe in a couple of weeks, and there’s so much to do. I’ll return tonight with my spare keys and reimburse you. Who knows what would’ve happened last night if you hadn’t stepped in?”
“Thank the gods we didn’t have to find out.” She whispered as she hugged me.
I shivered at the absolute truth in her words as I closed the door behind me.
Lukas
Getting her back to the surface, not to mention halfway across the state, went smoother than I anticipated. She didn’t seem to think anything unusual was going on. Thane ignored my protests. I disliked deceiving her, but orders were orders. Until we knew about Ryleigh and what the Elitists wanted with her, we had to play it safe.
It didn’t mean I had to like it.
A few steps outside my suite, she ‘accidentally’ bumped into Arabella. The French ex-patriot w
as a talented Illusionist though she hated using her gifts for a task she considered trivial. She wasn’t happy to carry out our ruse.
It taxed her skills to create such an elaborate Illusion. The dark tunnel was replaced with rich carpets and gilded lamps which matched the hotel. She also kept my mate from seeing me as I followed.
Arabella plastered a sincere smile on her face as she approached. We needed more than her Illusions to keep my Setah out of trouble. “I’m so sorry to hear about Tobias. He’s a good friend of mine. I hope they find him soon.”
“Tobias?” She squeaked. “What happened to Toby?”
I winced at the panic in her voice, but it couldn’t be helped. She would discover her acquaintance was missing on her own. His abduction had been observed by several in the parking lot.
The story had spread fast. With cell phones and other technology running rampant, we couldn’t hide it. Add in her struggle on the dance floor, and Brightstone Flats made local headlines. No doubt the news crews would harass her if they knew who and where she was. Since nobody had recognized her, she was safe. For now.
“Oh, you don’t remember? Poor thing!” Arabella faked a pout as she stopped next to her. “I’m Arabella Ducot, one of the bartenders at Tainted Eden. I saw you with him last night, but don’t worry, I didn’t tell the reporters. You might want to stay away from them, just in case those horrible men see you on TV. How scary.”
She walked down the hall with us, filling Ryleigh in with an edited version of the night’s events. At my request, she also cautioned her to maintain a low profile. The Illusions were solid for about a hundred feet in every direction. We planned to keep the Illusionist with us until we exited the tunnel.
Ian stood at the halfway point, pretending to talk on his cell. He had to stand between the locations as a manual bridge to link the corridor between our base and the hotel. He scowled at me as we passed, but I knew it was because he disliked maintaining an open connection between the surface and Thane’s location.
No doubt the man would spend the rest of the afternoon adding new loops and dead ends to thwart any potential attack.
“Have the police found anything?” Ryleigh asked.
Arabella pulled a card from her purse. “I’ll call the detective the moment I get back to my room and give him your number. He’s a good friend of mine. I’m sure he has some information by now, but let him have a chance to contact you once he gets in. It’s too early for the reports to be in the computer at the station, since he worked so late.”
The ‘detective’ would be one of my men, and I’d have him on the phone with her when she walked into her apartment. By the time she arrived, Jason would have her phones and internet hacked. If she contacted the police directly, the Elitists would track her.
If she interacted with anyone else, our leader’s caution would be justified.
At the end of the Illusory hallway, a stairwell led up into the hotel proper. Arabella ascended first. So far, Ryleigh hadn’t questioned anything. As soon as we reached the lobby, Arabella waved goodbye, though she waited until we left to drop the Illusion. Darian pulled up behind the cab, but my mate didn’t notice.
Damn Thane for using her as bait.
I’d much rather have her aware of the danger than let her walk into it blind. I didn’t care if it meant we never discovered where they took the missing humans. At least Darian and I could take shifts to watch her. Neither of us had budged, and Thane had to agree. My mate’s safety was non-negotiable, no matter her allegiances.
Stephan
Kevin and Frank trailed me, carrying Tobias between them with little effort. Furious at our failure, I punched in the code to my security system and they rushed to make it through the automatic doors. I almost breathed a sigh of relief as the hermetic seal hissed and the pressure equalized. The twins followed me through the second set of seals, and gaped at the relics on loan from my father’s prestigious collection.
The room wasn’t near the museum quality of the gallery at my father’s estate, but the preservative spells prevented further erosion of the precious artifacts. My fingers itched to caress the rare and delicate metals enclosed inside each glass case. Objects from Intara disintegrated when exposed to Earth’s atmosphere.
With their quick rate of chemical breakdown, no human archaeologists would ever find concrete evidence of the Intarans.
My brethren guarded what technology remained with fanatic devotion. They stopped holding magic millennia ago, and the majority of the pieces would never work again. The materials needed to revive the depleted items only existed on our planet.
No element on Earth compared. Even gold, which came closest to Intaran ores, held energy for a short duration. We’d hoarded the metal over the years.
It empowered me to look upon the weaponry of my ancestors and see the immense tools we once used to rule. My research focused on activating the Portal Stones, so I didn’t have any of the powerful antiques in my lab. My favorites were Thor’s Hammer and Zeus’ Thunderbolt, both on display at Cedric’s home.
Those were the names the humans had given them, anyway.
My borrowed collection featured gold infused rings, amulets, and a pair of daggers. Each had similarities to the weapons of mass destruction. The metal imbued into these particular artifacts matched the rare compound found in the Stones.
This substance wasn’t sentient but it responded to specific bloodlines alone. Only the owner, or their close relations, could activate an object forged with the sensitive material. The explanation made sense.
Look at Thor’s Hammer, for example. No one but ‘Thor’ could use it. Even now, drained of all but its base essence, it was impossible to move unless the descendants were involved.
My family, I thought with pride.
We reached the far side of my lab, and I gestured for the brothers to deposit Tobias inside the tiny barred alcove. The special bars of this cage would contain anyone and neutralize their gifts. I’d worked in a loophole to the program, in case my benefactors used the technology against me. No one knew about it but me.
“Wake him and leave.” I turned away from my supposed assistants.
They had orders to watch me and report to my father and the Elders. As if I didn’t agree with them about the importance of my research. I understood we were outnumbered, and we needed the reinforcements and supplies from Intara to regain our foothold here. I’d do anything to see my people thrive.
Frank let go of Toby’s feet, and they plunked onto the hard mattress. I concealed a wince as his brother did the same with his head and torso. When they closed him into the cell and locked the door without further injuring him, I suppressed a sigh of relief. Frank stopped at the entrance, but Kevin wasn’t as easy to handle as his twin.
“Why keep him in here? They’re still plenty more empty bunks in the rooms above.”
“He’s worth ten of those humans. The lab is secure. Why don’t you tell Cedric why it’s taking so long?” His eyed widened in fear and I sensed Tobias stir as he stepped back from the neutral zone around the cage and obeyed.
With my gift, I could ‘reprogram’ the living metal. I picked up a jar, examining the tiny objects inside. These disks could transport a specific individual a short distance without malfunctioning.
Another vial contained a prototype. It would take significant communal energy to charge it, but this device would lock onto an aural signature without physical contact. Once the target imprinted, we could extract them from dangerous situations without risking more lives. It was my offering to appease the Elders, if I ever needed the leverage.
I tossed the operational transporters to him. “Go get the girl you failed to procure tonight.” I didn’t allow myself to relax until I heard the hiss of the door sealing behind them.
While I waited for my subject to come around, I unlocked the special safe containing the single Stone in my care. The living metal had kept the delicate technology from decaying in the atmosphere for millennia. Always warm
to the touch, the dark unblemished surface shone with latent power. I cradled it in my palm and let my fingers close over the artifact.
My people forged nine Stones before we left our planet. They connected to the monuments built by our ancestors all over the Earth. Once activated, the points created an energy grid which opened the bridge from Earth to Intara. It would connect even with the planets out of alignment. If the natural wormhole was operative, whoever controlled the Portal could restrict the gate as desired.
Unfortunately, no one had discovered how to activate the dormant devices.
With a start of surprise, I noticed a slight vibration when I moved closer to the cell. He had his eyes opened now, and he watched me as he observed his surroundings. As I approached, the Stone hummed with recognition and I smiled. I knew these special humans were the key.
“Good morning, Tobias. I’m sure you have many questions, but first, I want to try a little experiment.”
Chapter Six
Ryleigh
Thumping drums jarred my nerves as I made my way to the massive bar along the far wall of Tainted Eden. Decadent furnishings were accented by the staff, each one dressed as elegant as the clientele. There was a hint of leather here and there, but the regular guests would never guess what hid behind the curtains.
As I navigated the crowd, I compared myself to the other women flirting with the nearest bartender. My outfit was nowhere near as risqué as some of the ladies preferred. The ruby bodice hugged my breasts down to my hips. The flirty skirt flared to my knee and swished with every step.
Several guys sent interested looks my way, but one in particular captured my gaze without trying. My naughty side crooned ‘hello tall, dark and dangerous’, but sensible me screamed ‘abort mission!’ He hadn’t done anything to draw attention to himself, but I watched him as I passed.
A moment of eye contact set my senses reeling. God, I sounded like a cheesy romance novel. Yet, it was true. One glance between us, and now I wanted a drink.
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