Sage

by Shiloh Walker

  They were dedicated. They were insane. And they were deadly. Many militant groups throughout history had been small in comparison to the general population they lived in. The Nazis, the KKK. But Natural Supremacists—their church had grown, enormously. Every day, thousands more joined their ranks.

  And they weren’t peaceful protestors.

  A female Firewalker had been outed by a student at a high school in North Ridge, Illinois. A group of students who belonged to the local Natural Supremacists had dragged her from her car, raped her, beat her, and hung her from the side of the school building.

  Her husband had gotten her children out just before the Supremacists had come for them. Morgan had gotten the family into safe hands, hidden with the contacts he had fostered over the years.

  Miguel just hoped that the little kids hadn’t seen their mama on TV as news stations had broadcast the grotesque pictures of her corpse while local authorities removed it from the school.

  Their faces haunted him. The two little girls, faces identical, with their mama’s eyes. For weeks after there were bounties offered for the capture of the twins. To make sure they weren’t marked by their mother’s unclean blood. And the father, for secreting them away.

  Looking at those pictures, he finally understood the rage Sage had brewing inside him.

  Lives of the innocent. And the government would kill them. If they ever found them.

  Sage slowed and looked back at Miguel, lifting a black brow. “You’re thinking serious thoughts.”

  Miguel shrugged, and murmured, “Yeah, man. Some serious thoughts. Anni. The kids we go after. Hell, even the rest of the world. They are squeezing the life out of us, Sage. Slowly, but surely.”

  “I know.” Sage’s voice was quiet and Miguel felt something inside him shift nervously at the look in Sage’s eyes.

  Fury, raw, barely restrained fury.

  Heaven help the people holding Anni. If they had harmed her, no force on Earth would save them once Sage got his hands on them.

  Miguel’s face was in shadow. All Sage could make out was his eyes, that dancing black gaze now level and dark.

  “We need to get some rest.”

  Miguel glanced up and Sage glanced at the darkening sky. “Getting too dark—can’t keep moving in this. And I have to…have to think.”

  Had to look for Anni. That’s what he had to do.

  When he was silent, when he was still, he could feel her. That hot fear that flooded her, sick and sour, and the anger. Nothing else. Just those hot, ripe emotions. But the more tired he got, the more nebulous the emotions became. Too tired. Had to focus. The jaunt, carrying Miguel’s not inconsiderable weight, hadn’t been so bad.

  But the hike through the uneven terrain, carrying the food and supplies they needed, and the strain of trying to follow a trail of emotions, when he’d never done such a thing before. Damn it, he was exhausted.

  Emotions were Caris’ stock in trade.

  His sister’s. Even the vampire and Anni could use emotions. But Sage had never had any use for emotions, other than the burning rage that fueled him. And the unquenchable need for Anni.

  He stumbled over his feet as he fumbled with the heavy pack on his back, and when he finally set the gear down, he fell to his knees, exhausted. Closing his eyes, he muttered, “A minute. Just give me a minute.”

  Miguel’s reply was lost to him, because the moment he focused on Anni’s face, his body fell away as his soul hurtled to find her.

  Alone…cold…it was dark.

  Men in the halls, but they don’t dare come in here now. Even when they outnumbered her five to one, she did damage. The sickening thud of bone breaking. The scent of blood heavy in the air. The sticky feel of it on her hands. The taste of it in her mouth.

  No, they don’t dare come in here now.

  Too damn cold. Sage was unaware of the goose bumps that broke out on his overheated flesh, unaware he had started to shake.

  Too cold…tired. No. Can’t fall asleep, if I do, they’ll try to come in here again. The muscles in her legs ached and pulled as she rose from the ground, her eyes locked on the walls as she started to pace. When the door swung open, Anni spun around and found herself staring into a familiar pair of eyes.

  The teleporter who had grabbed her.

  He could feel the wall against his back, feel how she cringed away without realizing it, recognizing the danger in front of her.

  But he didn’t do anything. Except cross the room and set down a small washcloth and a bowl of water. That was all. And then he turned and left.

  * * * * *

  When Sage came out of the daze, it was late. Very late. He was in the small tent, but his clothes were still on, down to the heavy, thick-soled boots. Uncomfortable as hell.

  He lay on the Teyan fabric that made up the floor of the tent, padded and waterproof, enough to keep the chill from his flesh as he slept. The sleeping bag tossed over him helped a little. Would have helped more if he was actually inside it.

  “Sorry, man. My control isn’t as good as yours,” Miguel muttered sleepily from the other bag.

  “What happened?” Sage asked, swallowing. His mouth was dry. A bad taste lingered on his tongue. Spying the bottle of water Miguel had left lying close to his bag, he grabbed it and downed half of it as Miguel sat up.

  Miguel shrugged and drove a hand through the short, wavy locks of his hair, his olive skin nearly gray with exhaustion. “You said we should stop for a rest and then you hit the ground. Eyes rolled back in your head, and then you started talking. Now this going to sound weird, but you sounded like…like somebody else.”

  “I kept seeing Anni,” Sage whispered as the strange blips of memory from the dreams formed something solid.

  * * * * *

  They were close. Very close.

  He could almost smell Anni.

  The low-level burn of anger was starting to boil out of control and he couldn’t see beyond the red cloud that obscured his vision.

  “Breathe,” Miguel whispered softly. “Pull it in, man. You can’t help her if you lose it.”

  Sucking in a desperate breath of air, he focused. He concentrated on his heartbeat, on the flow of air in and out of his lungs. Slowly, the rage receded. Just a little. But enough for him to think again.

  Enough for him to reach out and feel her.

  * * * * *

  Once more, they were on the move, and he went as long as he could before he made them stop. It was time to look for her again—even though he didn’t really trust himself to do it.

  Even without extending his senses, he could feel her. Could almost smell the warmth of Anni’s skin, the sweet scent, like a ripe peach that clung to her. And her fear—it was a hot, nasty ball in the pit of his stomach.

  “I don’t understand this… How can I feel her?” he murmured, barely aware he had spoken aloud.

  Miguel’s black eyes glittered at him in the dark. “Anni?”

  Sage pressed his fingers to his eyes. “Damn it, how is this possible? How can I feel her?”

  Miguel’s low, easy voice barely penetrated the fog closed in around his brain. Finally, his voice rose to a sharp demand as he said, “Sage!” His hands closed around Sage’s arms and Sage felt the other man’s fingers digging into his arms, shaking him.

  Opening his eyes, Sage stared at Miguel, sucking air in, shaking his head. “I shouldn’t be able to feel her.”

  A short laugh escaped Miguel as he let go of Sage’s arms, dropping to the ground as though he was exhausted. “Sage, man, you’ve had a hard-on for Anni for years. Everybody knows it. You’re so damned attuned to her and her moods, hell, you probably know the last time she got laid.”

  Unwittingly, the answer leaped to Sage’s mind. A few hours ago. But that wasn’t what Miguel meant.

  Sage knew what he meant.

  And he did know when.

  Eight months ago. She’d left the base for a few days, coming back with a soft smile on her lips, her motions loose and rela
xed. The warm scent of her body had been changed just a little. Overlaid by the slight musk of man. Even as he fought to shove the memory aside, he snarled. Jealousy had eaten at him for days.

  Miguel smirked, a soft snicker leaving him as Sage met his eyes. “See?”

  Sage shook his head. “I’m a telepath. Anni’s not a projector, hell, she’s practically a psychic void. I can tell what she’s thinking if I’m touching her, but only if I’m touching her. Her feelings shouldn’t play into it, so why do I know she’s exhausted but afraid to sleep because she knows that’s when they’ll come in?” Hands closing into fists, he spun away, stalking over to a tree, leaning his forehead against it.

  As the rough bark bit into his skin, he sucked in air, trying to focus.

  It wasn’t working though. It was like closing the distance just made the bond tighter and the more he thought about her, the more closely he felt linked with her.

  “Shield.”

  The low words didn’t make sense at first.

  Turning around, he stared at Miguel blindly as in some dark corner of his mind, he heard a door open, felt his chest constrict with fear. Increased heartbeat, breathing faster…wanting to cower against the wall, but knowing that to show fear was the worst thing to do.

  Sage breathed in and felt Anni’s scent flood his senses.

  “Shield, damn it!”

  Something hot and electric jolted him in the chest and he blinked, clearing the image of a small cell from his vision as he found himself staring into Miguel’s eyes.

  Miguel’s palm lay on Sage’s chest and as Sage blinked, trying to focus, he felt another shock jolt through his skin. “Shield,” Miguel repeated.

  He felt the power crackling and building in Miguel’s palm as the kinetic prepared to zap him again. Instinctively, he slammed his shields up and once more he was isolated in his mind, left alone with his thoughts and his emotions.

  “How is this happening?” Sage asked thickly.

  Miguel cocked a brow at him. “You tell me. One of your best friends is an empath, amigo. You should understand a little more about an emotional bond.”

  Sage shook his head. “I never bonded with Caris.”

  “No, but she’s your best friend. One who formed a soul-deep bond with a vamp. Because they love each other—just like you and Anni love each other. Love does weird things with our kind, Sage.”

  The level, flat tone with which Miguel spoke seemed so at odds with the impossible words he had just said. Shaking his head, Sage whispered harshly, “She’s not in love with me.” Even as part of him remembered the way she had stared at him as he sank inside her.

  With longing. With need.

  Like he was the complete center of her world.

  Miguel arched a brow at Sage, those black eyes dark and deep. “No? She watches you, all the time. You walk in a room and she freezes. She knows your every emotion, knows your every mood…but she doesn’t see you watching her the same way.”

  Sage shook his head. No. He couldn’t believe it.

  Couldn’t even think about it.

  Not now.

  Miguel smiled slowly. “Why in hell do you suddenly look so scared? I’ve seen you stand before armed assassins who have orders to kill any Firewalker, and laugh at them. And you love her. You can’t deny that. But the thought that she might love you back scares you.”

  Sage turned away, his throat tight, eyes gritty and dry. It wasn’t the thought that she might love him. Love him, not just want. It was the thought that Miguel could be wrong. Most likely was.

  Feeling Miguel’s eyes on him, he finally said, “I don’t have time for love, Miguel. There’s no room in my life for it.”

  Miguel chuckled. Grass and leaves crunched under his feet as he moved away, and when he spoke again, his voice came from lower, like he had sat down again. “Man, there is no making room for love. It just happens. Usually when you least expect, and with the last person you expected to love.”

  Miguel knew that for a fact.

  He had fallen in love young, and he had fallen hard. With a woman who had cried as her husband’s ashes were sprinkled over the endless plains of grass at Caris’ ranch.

  The tears that had rolled down Kelly Maguire’s face had broken his heart. Falling in love with a woman the same day she put her dead husband to rest—oh yeah, he sure as hell knew how to pick his moments.

  There was no room in his life for love—no room in his life for wanting and craving a woman who didn’t even know he was alive. But it didn’t mean he’d stopped loving her.

  The image of her wide-set, dark hazel eyes followed him into sleep nearly every night. That soft mouth, the angles and curves of her face that should have made her features awkward or homely just made her so exotically beautiful it hurt to look at her.

  His body clenched with need and he closed his eyes, shoving the image of her deep inside. Sage was shielded down tight, but if he caught a glimpse of the thoughts that went through Miguel’s mind regarding his baby sister…

  And Miguel needed to focus, needed to concentrate on drawing strength inside himself.

  The cool thing about his skill was that electromagnetic energy lingered in the air all around them. He could draw strength and refuel his reserves simply from the air.

  “We need to get moving again.”

  Lifting his eyes, he studied Sage’s shadowed face and asked, “You sure you’re ready?”

  Sage nodded. “I’m cool. But you better be sure you’re ready—it’s time to teleport in. And you’re going to have work.”

  Arching a brow at him, Miguel forced his mouth into a cocky smile and said, “Let’s roll then.”

  Chapter Five

  Miguel opened his eyes once the immediate urge to puke had passed, staring around him. They were inside a low, squat building that seemed to wrap around the trees and through them like a maze. Miguel studied the odd buildings with a frown as he flexed the kinetic shielding around him.

  There were a series of sounds, pop…pop…pop that only Miguel could hear, then he nodded at Sage. “They’re down for a few. Extensive security. We don’t have much time before they come investigating.”

  He turned his eyes back to the odd schematic of the building, shaking his head.

  “Ground cover,” Sage said quietly. “They don’t want this place seen from above.” He closed his eyes and Miguel watched as a line formed between his brows. “Anni…”

  If Miguel had been a lesser man, he would have backed away from the fury he saw in Sage’s eyes when they opened. “Come on. She’s hurting.”

  Sage pulled them through the void once more in a series of stops and starts, their feet only landing on solid ground long enough for him to get a feel and then move in a different direction. Although Miguel couldn’t see a damn thing, he had a feeling they were moving downward and when at last they stopped, they were in a small, dank hallway.

  Most of the prison had been in a bright, brilliant white that almost hurt the eyes. Miguel had just vague glimpses of that bright white, but it was enough to leave his head hurting even more.

  It changed though, when Sage finally stopped moving downward. In between the times where Sage sucked them back into the void, they caught glimpses of gray stone walls, poor lighting, metal doors.

  In an alcove, Sage stopped ‘porting for just a minute while they surveyed the cold, dank area. It was reminiscent of a dungeon, and neither of the men cared for that similarity. “She’s here.” Sage waited against the wall just long enough for Miguel to nod at him, and then he was gone.

  “Wait for me.”

  Well, hell, it ain’t like I can just poof out of here, Miguel thought darkly as he leaned against the wall for a minute. He tried to catch his breath and kept telling himself that he wasn’t going to be sick.

  When the door to Anni’s cell opened, though, he had a minute where he was pretty damn sure he would be sick.

  It stank in there.

  Slowly, moving around the door, he stared in,
battling the urge to fall to his knees and vomit.

  The smell hit Sage and for one long moment, he feared the worst.

  That was the smell of death.

  But then his mind clarified…old death.

  The smell of urine and human waste was strong in the air though, and he fought the urge to howl as Anni slowly lifted her head, staring at him numbly.

  It had been just hours since he had seen her—and she looked like she had aged decades. Her face was gray, eyes dull and she stared at him blankly, like she didn’t recognize him.

  She was cowering in one corner that was relatively dry. But she wasn’t. Neither were the floors.

  Urine.

  A snarl tore from him and he crossed to her, kneeling down to take her in his arms. He pulled her limp body against his just as her lips parted and she whispered, “Sage?”

  A low sob tore from her throat and she started to shake.

  Her lower lip was bruised and swollen and her hands trembled as she tried to push him away. “They…they…don’t touch me, Sage. They pissed on me…they couldn’t get close, too afraid, but oh, hell…”

  He crushed her against him and whispered fiercely, “Don’t, Anni. It’s over.” All over.

  “Get her out of here,” Miguel said quietly.

  Sage turned to stare at the kinetic and saw the odd purple glow forming in his eyes, the streaks of lightning that flickered there making his black eyes gleam. “They’re coming. Get her out.”

  Sage held out his hand. “You’re not staying. I am not leaving another person behind.” Not ever again. “Get over here.”

  Anni was quivering in his arms and he had to fight every instinct inside him to get her away from here. But he didn’t leave people behind.

  Miguel smiled coldly. “Oh, they won’t mess with me.”

  “Miguel…” Anni whispered, lifting her head.

  The dark-skinned man clenched his jaw and Sage knew he couldn’t withstand that look in her eyes, not any more than he could. But Miguel wasn’t leaving this place untouched. As he crossed to Sage, they all heard the booming in the distance. And when Sage touched Miguel’s skin, there was a harsh crack of electricity and his skin started to burn where their hands met.