by Christi Snow
“She knew you were there?” Alarm stiffened Bethany’s features as she exchanged a concerned look with Aaron. “I don’t like this, Marcus. Lori is obviously scared for a reason. I don’t want to do anything that might endanger our people, our lifestyle.”
“I don’t think she would do anything to harm us.” Marcus shook his head. “She just wants to rescue her friends from their torture. After seeing the conditions there, I can’t blame her for that and want to help.”
Bethany stood and began to pace. “I don’t like that she’s pulling you into this. It’s not fair of her to ask this of you. That sounds like the perfect way for you to end up in your own cage.” Bethany sank into her chair and rested her head in her hands as she thought. “But on the other hand, can we live with leaving them there? It sounds inhumane and I would hope we’re better than that.”
And this is why she made such a good leader. Bethany was a good mix of intelligent leadership balanced with empathy and compassion.
“I know the risks and I’m not exactly volunteering to go off on a rescue mission tonight, but you needed to know what I discovered,” Marcus told them.
“Of course.” Bethany nodded.
“Did you find out how Lori fit into these Others?” Aaron asked. “Do you know what her special ability is?”
“No, unfortunately, I woke up before I got a chance to find out.”
“Medically speaking,” Malcolm added, “this would help explain Lori’s physical complications. If she’s spent the last six years in some sort of captivity, it would be logical to assume she wasn’t in the best shape physically when she got shot. Her body may just need the extra rest right now to recuperate from the wound and the ordeal her body has been through overall.”
Marcus nodded. “They appear to be tortured regularly. She’s terrified of the place, but she also loves her friends and feels loyal to them. I can’t imagine how hard it would be if one of you were locked up in a place like that.”
Bethany chewed her lip while she thought. “Marcus, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you doing this dream walking again until I know more about these people. I don’t want the ES to know about life here, yet. Aaron, what are your thoughts security-wise?”
Aaron frowned. “I agree. At this point, we just don’t know enough about either Lori or the ES. They could be setting you up for some sort of trap.”
Marcus scowled. “Well, it’s not like I did it on purpose the first time. How do you propose I keep it from happening again?”
Bethany answered, “We can either move Lori to another location or you could sleep elsewhere.”
Before she’d even finished her sentence, Marcus shook his head in denial. “No, I promised Lori I wouldn’t leave her alone and I don’t plan to go back on that promise.”
“Marcus, be sensible. This isn’t worth the risk,” Bethany said.
“I’m not going to debate this with you.” He crossed his arms over his chest. He wouldn’t give on this. He’d failed a woman before and it cost her life. That wouldn’t happen again.
“May I suggest a compromise?” They all turned to Malcolm. “Marcus and I have a pretty good telepathic connection. How about while he’s sleeping, I monitor him mentally? If he starts to drift into Lori’s dreams, I can wake him up.” He turned toward Marcus with a smirk. “But you’re not allowed to have any wet dreams or I am so out of here. There are just some things I refuse to be subjected to.”
Marcus rolled his eyes at his little brother. “I think I can handle that.” He turned to the others and asked, “Is this satisfactory for you two?”
Both Bethany and Aaron nodded. Bethany placed her hand on Marcus’s forearm as she headed out. “Marcus, I know she seems very nice, but remember we don’t know anything about this girl. Don’t get caught up in her drama before we know how much we can trust her. I need you to keep your distance.”
“Don’t worry,” he told her. “It won’t be an issue.”
Lori needed their help right now, but he could do that without getting any more emotionally involved. He wouldn’t allow that to happen, although, damn, it was nice to have a connection with someone again. But that way just held heartache and hurt. Something he never planned to experience again.
* * *
Marcus was surprised early the next day to find his cousin and best friend, Griff, on the porch. They didn’t expect him back for a couple more days. He’d been gone for several days checking on the villages to the North.
Marcus had barely greeted him, before Griff laid into him. “What’s this I hear about you moving a female from the ES in here with you?”
“And hello to you, too. What could I do? She collapsed at my feet. I couldn’t just leave her there.” Marcus shrugged, but gave his friend a welcoming guy-hug.
He could honestly say he wasn’t sad about the turn of events. He just wished she felt better.
“So you moved her in with you? What makes you think you can trust her?” One of Griff’s eyebrows cocked up. He had let his beard grow since he’d been gone. Now he had the look of a marauding pirate, if pirates had chocolate brown wings, blond tipped short hair, and molten chocolate eyes.
“Honestly, that’s part of the reason she’s here. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’m a Warrior. My job is to protect, so I’m protecting the village from her.”
Griff just continued to scowl at him.
“Seriously, she was hurt and scared and I found her, so naturally I want to help her. It’s nothing more than that.” It couldn’t be anything more than that. He wouldn’t allow it to be. But it might be a good time to change the subject. “I’m glad you’re back,” Marcus told him. “How are things with the other villages?”
Even giving him hell, which Griff loved to do, Marcus liked the village better when Griff was home. As his best friend, he wanted Griff to meet Lori.
“They’re fine…normal, but don’t deflect. I want to know more about the girl. So is what they’re saying true? Is she from the ES? How’d she get through?”
“Yes, it’s true, and we don’t know all the answers yet. When I found her she’d been shot and has been sick ever since, but I trust her. She’s been through a lot.”
Griff gave him a skeptical look. “This isn’t like you to trust so easily.”
“There’s something about her. I feel connected to her. In fact, I am connected to her. She can hear my telepathy with anyone in the village. She also managed to pull me into a dream walk with her.”
“And you don’t find that somewhat suspicious? This girl just shows up from the ES, several days later you still don’t know how that happened, but somehow you have this incredible connection to her?” Griff threw his hands into the air. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t buy the convenience of all this. It sounds to me like she’s leading you around by your dick, Marcus.”
“Fuck you, Griff. You haven’t even met her so you don’t get the right to judge.”
“You’re right, I haven’t met her, but that just means I can still look at this whole situation objectively. Something you seem incapable of doing right now. I never thought you would be that guy especially after all that you’ve lost.”
“Do you honestly think I need reminding of all that?” As his best friend, Griff knew better than most how he’d suffered after Audra died and Shane left. Marcus clenched his fists as he fought the urge to lay Griff flat on the floor for even questioning him about this. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
Logically speaking, what Griff said made sense, but he hadn’t met Lori. Marcus knew deep down that he could trust her. Griff couldn’t understand her or the pain and fear she felt from what she’d endured. That same pain and fear he could feel right now emanating from her as she slept.
Griff’s embittered view of women skewed his opinion of Lori, but that didn’t mean he should be allowed to turn others against her before she’d even had a chance to explain herself.
Griff gritted his teeth as he watched Marcus. Marcus stil
l weighed the merits of hitting him when Brooklyn suddenly landed on the platform.
“Whoa, boys. What’s with all the testosterone flying around here? You two aren’t having a little squabble, are you?”
Griff answered, “No, we were just discussing Marcus’s new lady-friend.”
Brooklyn immediately turned to Marcus. “How’s Lori doing?”
Griff threw his hands up in the air as he turned wide eyes toward Brooklyn. “Seriously? She’s gotten to you, too? What is it with you people? We know nothing about her. She could be here scouting for a takeover by the ES.”
Brooklyn just rolled her eyes at him. “Grow up, Griff. She’s a very nice lady who’s had a really rough time of it.” She turned back to Marcus. “Has there been any change?”
He shook his head. “Not really, although her temperature dropped a little bit this morning, so Malcolm is hopeful that maybe she’s coming out of it.”
“Good. Please let me know when she does. She’s going to need some girl time. In fact, I probably should see what I can do to find her some clothes.” Both men looked down at her chest, barely hidden behind her sports bra. “Hey, I have to accommodate the wings and the weapons.”
Marcus grinned at her. “It’s okay. I think Bethany’s already been working on finding something for her.”
Brooklyn nodded. “Of course she is. Bethany always thinks of everything.” She frowned at Griff who continued to scowl at the two of them. “Come on, you. Have you even reported in to Bethany since you got back?”
At his chagrined expression, she pulled him up with her as she took off. That said something about Brooklyn’s strength because Griff was no lightweight with his 6’2” muscular frame. “Go take care of your patient, Marcus. I’ll take care of this one. He’ll have a better attitude the next time you see him, I promise.”
“Hey!” Griff yelled as they took off into the sky. Brooklyn knew he never liked to be man-handled. That’s why she did it every chance she could. Marcus shook his head.
As they left, Marcus felt a sudden urgent need to be by Lori’s side. He shot into the sky, pushing his wings to get to her quickly. He landed on the platform outside her room and worked to calm his out-of-control emotions. Sensing him near, her psyche reached out to him.
He entered the room and gently lowered himself onto her bed. He brushed his lips softly against her forehead to check her temperature. Her forehead felt several degrees cooler. What a relief. He reached around and pulled her onto his chest…a position he’d come to love with her over the last couple of days.
As her fever lowered, he could sense her mental state calming, too. He lay there, savoring the comfort of her in his arms when her muscles tightened. He glanced down and found her eyes open and watching him.
“Marcus?”
“Hey, beautiful. Have you decided to come back to us finally?”
“It wasn’t a dream? I’m actually free, aren’t I?” Her voice echoed her astonishment.
His heart ached for what she’d been through and he’d just seen a tiny glimpse of it. What would it be like to be imprisoned and tortured for so long? He tightened his arms protectively around her.
“No, you didn’t dream it, although you have been having lots of really bad dreams.”
She stiffened and her eyes widened. “You were there with me, weren’t you? In the lab?”
He nodded and rubbed her back again as her mental distress spiked.
“They caught William again.” The despair in her voice tugged at him. “I have to help him.” She sat up suddenly, immediately swayed and closed her eyes against the dizzy spell.
He lowered her back down to the mattress.
She groaned as her body fought the sudden movement. “Whoa, how long have I been lying here?”
“About three days. You’ve been up briefly to answer the call of nature, but this is the first time you’ve been really aware. I’m glad you’re back.” He kissed her forehead. “I know you want to help your friends, but let’s get you sitting up on your own before you go charging off to save the world.”
“Thank you for taking care of me. I’m sorry I’ve been such a demanding guest.” She looked up at him again and her eyes softened. “I could hear you. You sang to me and soothed me in my dreams.”
“I promised you I wouldn’t leave and I haven’t.”
She gave him a gentle smile. “Can we try that sitting up thing now?”
“Sure.” He sat up first and leaned his back against the headboard of the bed. He pulled her so she sat in between his legs with her back leaning against his chest. This felt so natural, and combined with their mental connection, it seemed like something more was being forged between them. She belonged here with him. He savored the comfort of her closeness, while at the same time, he worried that he was setting himself up for another devastating fall.
“Do you have any family or anyone waiting or looking for you back in the ES?” he asked her.
Her muscles tensed and she ducked her head. “No, I was an only child. My parents died when the Veil fell. Luckily, the kids who used to babysit me lived next door and were older since I was only ten years old when it happened. They took me in until I hit puberty and left because I decided I was smarter than everyone else. You see how well that worked out for me in the end.” She gave a wry, sad chuckle that ended on a half sob.
Getting her upset right now wouldn’t help her recovery any, so he decided to drop it for now. He drew a hand lightly down one of her arms. “I need to call Malcolm and let him know you’re conscious.”
“In just a moment.” She snuggled tighter against him and he tried to control the burgeoning interest from his groin. “Let me enjoy this for a little bit first before he comes to start poking and prodding.”
He chuckled low. “I don’t think Malcolm would appreciate your interpretation of his doctoring skills.”
“Don’t tell him I said that. He’s actually very good. It’s amazing what he’s been able to do here with very few resources.”
He looked at her shrewdly. They needed to talk about what he’d seen when he dream-walked with her. “We need to protect what we’ve built here, too. You need to talk to Bethany.”
She closed her eyes in pain. “I understand. I do.”
He saw the tears build in the corner of her eyes. “Shhh,” he kissed her forehead. “We’ll try to figure out something, but for now, you need to relax. You’re still recovering. It’s not good for you to get so worked up. Let me call Malcolm.”
“Okay.”
He gave her a hug of reassurance.
Fifteen minutes later, Malcolm and Marcus both grinned at her. “You’re definitely getting better,” Malcolm said.
Relief flooded Marcus.
“Your fever has broken and your sutures look good. I want you to take it easy the next couple of days and if you do that, then you’re going to be feeling much better. Do you have any questions?”
“I really would love a shower. Can I take one?” He shook his head so she added in a really sweet voice, “Please?”
“Tell you what. You can have a sponge bath today. I can send Brooklyn over to help you with that. Right now you’re too weak and will just hurt yourself more if you use all your energy or fall in the shower. I’ll check you again in twenty-four hours and we’ll re-evaluate then. Will that work?”
She grinned at him like he’d just made her queen. “Yes. Thanks, Malcolm.”
He turned toward Marcus. “Keep her calm. No excitement and for now, let’s continue with broths and bread for food. She’s probably going to start getting antsy. You can carry her down to your living room, but I don’t want her doing anything more strenuous until I see her tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry. After the last few days, I’m not going to let her do anything that could jeopardize her recovery.” Marcus looked at her with a domineering smirk.
“Brooklyn should be here in the next thirty minutes or so.”
“Thanks, Malcolm.”
* * *
Twenty-four hours later, Lori felt ready to crawl out of her skin. After being in captivity for so long, she felt guilty for not taking full advantage of her freedom. She should be doing something to free her friends. Marcus hovered and pushed her for answers about the ES and how she’d been imprisoned, but she wasn’t ready to share yet. She’d trusted once before and lost the last six years of her life as a result. That wasn’t something easily forgotten.
Luckily for Lori, she hadn’t realized she had her ability for years, although it had probably been there shortly after the Veil dropped like everyone else who developed them. No, she discovered it purely by accident one day when she couldn’t get the lock on her door to work. She’d been frustrated and angry as she wiggled the key within the sticky lock. Suddenly the actual physical part of the door around the handle reformed and morphed, creating a hole so she could just reach in and unlock the door from inside. While standing there looking at it in shock, it occurred to her that she’d done that. She hadn’t even tried. It just happened.
Then, she had the problem of figuring out how to return her door to normal, never realizing all she had to do was let go of the knob and it would change back. By the time she finished, she’d knocked her energy levels on their ass and it took twenty hours of sleep to recover from that little manipulation. She didn’t get as worn out by it now because her mental muscles were in better shape, but it still drained her to use her mental ability.
But all of that happened a couple of years after the Veil and by then, Lori knew the danger of letting anyone know about her ability. In the ES, not everyone developed those special gifts and those who had were oddities to be feared and maligned. She knew to keep her mouth shut. She didn’t want to mysteriously disappear like all the Others had. That’s what they called them in the media—Others.
But then she had met Teddy.
So, yeah, she had a hard time trusting anyone. The people of the WS had been nothing but kind to her and she didn’t see any evidence of duplicity, but she just couldn’t let her defenses down.