She eyed her plate of spaghetti, her lips trembling. “I don’t see how violence will solve the problem.”
Huh. “Don’t you ever go to a gym and work out hard? Maybe take on a punching bag?”
She turned to him, her forehead creased. “Are you kidding?” Her hands swept along her skirt. “In this? How exactly would I punch a bag in a dress? Females wear dresses because they put us at a disadvantage.” She swallowed. “And we look pretty.”
“You don’t have to wear a skirt,” he said.
She sighed. “I know. I plan to start practicing wearing slacks and jeans, but I’m going to work up to it. Maybe start with short-sleeved shirts. A couple hundred years of wearing skirts is a hard habit to break. I just don’t feel like me in modern clothes.” Her jaw firmed. “Although that has to change once I get my girls home with me.”
So, they were back to that. “I promised you I’d go in and get the girls as soon as we have a location. I have never broken a promise.”
She pressed her lips together as if trying really hard not to lose her temper. “You do not seem to understand the situation.” Her hand felt just right under his, but he released her when she pulled away. “If you do find Sam Kyllwood, he will be located at a temporary stronghold for military soldiers. My girls are at a more permanent stronghold, out of the way. They’re only brought along to control me.”
The female made sense. “Why haven’t you tried to escape through the years? I mean, I understand why you didn’t a hundred years ago, but even being isolated the way you’ve been, surely you understand how life has changed for women. At least immortal ones.”
She shook her head. “I have tried to escape three times, along with some of the other enhanced females. When a mate tries to escape, her mate deals with her. Usually harshly, and she’s often sent back to a main headquarters somewhere cold.”
His gut clenched. “What about if widows try?”
She shrugged. “It depends. Sometimes they’re beaten, and sometimes they’re sent elsewhere. I’ve received both treatments.” The casual way she spoke demonstrated acceptance of a life she never should’ve known.
Anger burned through Benny’s body, singeing his ears. “Tell me anybody who’s put a hand on you, and I’ll make sure they lose it before they lose their head.”
“Our priority is my daughters, and I’m the only one who can get to them.” Her jaw firmed.
The fighting males rolled right into the river.
Haven set down her glass. “Benny? Fish them out, would you? Morons.”
Benny stood. Oh, he wasn’t fishing them out. The way he was feeling, he’d beat them both senseless. “No problem.” He jumped toward the river.
* * * *
Karma lay quietly in the guest bedroom of Benjamin’s lovely home on the river. While the cabin at the false headquarters had been charming, this house was beyond her dreams. All wood and stone, perfectly luxe and beautiful. The wide windows let in the outside light from every angle, and whoever had decorated it had kept Benjamin’s size and tastes in mind. It was masculine and comfortable with wide furniture and stunning oil paintings.
How surprising that the Seven had had a decoy headquarters just in case. She could understand why they’d taken her there, and it had fooled the Kurjans. Did the Kurjans know that fact yet? How strong was Sam Kyllwood? If his brother was anything to measure him by, Sam would be incredibly difficult to break.
Terre was a master at breaking prisoners, or so she’d heard. General Jaydon’s skill at torture was legendary among the Kurjan people, as well.
Her heart hurt for the middle Kyllwood brother.
She took a deep breath, sat up in the humungous bed, and mentally called out for Linda.
“That’s the first time you’ve ever called for me.” Linda popped up on the bed and took a seat. Her thick hair wafted around her head, and her light brown eyes seemed almost translucent, even more so than her form. With each passing month, less and less of her body could be seen, and right now, Karma could view a beautiful oil painting signed by Haven Daly right through Linda’s form. “What’s going on?”
“I’ve been calling you all day,” Karma said quietly. “Where have you been?”
Linda paused and her full lips dropped open. “You have? I didn’t hear or feel you. But I was taking a rest—we need that, you know—and then I heard you. So here I am. Where the heck are you?”
“Somewhere in Wyoming at the real Seven headquarters.” Karma smoothed her hair back into the braid she’d woven for sleep. It felt good to talk to somebody other than the Seven and their mates, who were kind but not exactly on her side. “The other headquarters was a decoy, and the Kurjans might believe me to be dead. Do you have any news on the girls?”
Linda threw up her hands. The room chilled. “No. I have only been able to see them through you. If you’re not with them, I can’t know how they’re doing.”
“All right.” Karma shivered and pulled the blankets up to her waist. “We’ve never really talked about what you can do, because I don’t care. So long as you protect the girls as much as possible.”
“I can’t do that if you’re not with them. You’re the conduit,” Linda said, her face dropping.
“I know, but are you sure?” Karma rubbed her cold arms. “You’ve always concentrated on the girls and me. Can you go anywhere you want in, well, ghost world?”
“Ghost world?” Linda rolled her eyes, and they kept going like spinning tops.
Karma gagged and looked away. “Stop that. For goodness’ sake, I do not want to vomit. Stop it.”
“Sorry.” Linda sighed. “Sometimes I can attach myself to people you’ve been around, but it has to be recent. I just tried to find the girls, and I couldn’t do it. They might be farther away from here than you think, and oddly enough, spatial relations do seem to matter.”
Karma had never interacted with a spirit to this degree, and perhaps that had been a mistake. Except she didn’t want to spend a lot of time with ghosts. They all left sooner or later. “I need you to try to find Terre. He’s spent enough time around me that you should be able to locate him if he’s somewhere near here. Right?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. I can try,” Linda said.
Karma studied her wispy form. “Are there other ghosts nearby? Do you have interactions with anybody?”
Linda looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Of course not. There’s not a special town with ghosts who refuse to cross over. Frankly, there aren’t many channelers, either. I think most people ignore the gift, as you would like to do.”
Karma couldn’t argue that point. Normally, she’d love not to deal with ghosts. Many were just angry, which kept them from passing through for at least a little while. Sure, she’d helped some spirits say goodbye to this world in one way or another, but her ability to interact with them had been limited. What if she were free? Would she be able to help more spirits? She liked that idea, but it was probably not to be.
Unless she could get her girls free. That, she had to do. “All right. Please do me a favor and go see if you can find out where Terre is.” She leaned forward and tried to calm the hope in her breast. “See if the girls are anywhere near him. Perhaps if you find Terre, you will also find the girls? It’s doubtful, so do not be disappointed. But there is still a chance.” She bit her lip. “Can you read documents?”
“Yes, I just can’t lift them.” Linda reached for the bedspread, and her hand went right through. “See? I’ve been practicing, but I can’t get hold of anything real. Anything in your world.”
Karma kept her voice low so Benjamin wouldn’t hear. “Please stop procrastinating. We must discover if you can be of help or not.”
A tear slid down Linda’s face, dropping into nothingness. “What if I can’t be of help? We don’t know where the girls are.” Her emotions wafted from her, lowering the temper
ature of the room even more.
Karma straightened her posture. “Then we shall find another way to get our girls free. Together, we should be unstoppable.” Yes, they were a Kurjan Soti and a ghost who couldn’t touch this world, but they loved those girls, and that would have to be enough. “Let’s try this first.”
“Okay.” Linda shut her eyes and winked out of sight.
The room instantly warmed up again. Karma waited and then waited some more. Finally, she snuggled down in the covers and closed her eyes to get a little rest. Who knew how time moved in the spirit world.
Her dreams were fluid and calm until she was jerked upright by a loud whisper. “What?” She sat straight up, her brain still in a dream about dolphins.
Linda sat on the bed. “I saw Terre and Jaydon. We found them. We can do this before I’m forced to cross over, Karma.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Benny burned for the stubborn female in his guest room. The way she’d stood up to him earlier about returning to Kurjan territory was plain and simply sexy as hell. Karma might’ve practiced meekness for the last century to survive, but the female had a will of iron. Man, he liked that. In fact, he liked her.
He tipped back another glass of Scotch and headed outside to stare at the moon so he wouldn’t knock on her door. She was an innocent, and the things he wanted to do to her, with her, were anything but pure. She was an old-fashioned lady, and she wouldn’t consider a short-term fling. In addition, she apparently had two little girls. He had no clue what to do with little kids. No doubt he’d scare the heck out of them just by being himself.
He rubbed his chest and took a seat on his sprawling deck, admiring the way the moon glinted off the sleepy river. It was fall, the river had slowed down, and he liked this place. Mercy had left after helping him with a project, and now he wished she’d stayed for a while to talk.
Ragged breath sounded, and he moved to the edge of the deck to see Garrett running along the river. The kid stopped. “Scotch?”
“Yep.” Benny ducked inside for the bottle and another glass, joining his friend on the deck. “You’ve been running for the last four hours?” It had to be about midnight.
“Yeah. We couldn’t find Sam, so I thought I’d take a break before Logan and I came to blows. We’re not going to find Sam tonight.” Even though his tone was casual, Garrett’s eyes were tortured.
Benny handed over a full glass of Glenfiddich.
Garrett accepted and dropped into the adjacent wooden deck chair, his bare chest and black gym shorts sweaty. While the fusing of his torso wasn’t visible from the front, the back looked like a massive tattoo of solid ribs. “Thanks.”
Benny sat. “Kid, you need to tell me what’s going on.”
Garrett downed half of the glass. “I’m middle-aged for a human, Ben. Maybe it’s time to stop calling me ‘kid’.”
Middle age for a human was still young, very young, for an immortal. “We’re brothers now, and I’ve never had a younger brother until you and Logan survived the Seven ritual.” God, it had been difficult watching them both barely make it through the devastating journey. “I’d like to keep the ‘kid’ for a while.” Though he’d stop if Garrett insisted.
“You do you,” Garrett muttered, taking another deep drink.
“Thanks.” Benny grinned and sipped, eyeing the young Kayrs. He looked remarkably like his father. Talen had the same wide chest and ripped muscles, and they both had an air of being relaxed even when they were ready to spring into action. “Doesn’t your dad have the ability to halt the enemy in battle?”
“Yep,” Garrett said. “Before you ask, I’m finally developing it, which is pretty cool. Dad said he didn’t learn how until he was older, so we’ve been working on it when we get together.”
Must be nice. Benny missed his parents, even to this day. Although he had the Seven as family, as well as several nephews who drove him crazy once in a while. “Okay. Spill it.” He leaned over and refilled Garrett’s glass.
“It’s so stupid,” Garrett muttered, becoming a hulking form in the deck chair as a cloud shrouded the moon for a moment.
“Most things that really bug us are dumb,” Benny agreed. “Doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. You know what does?”
Garrett stared into the distance. “Sharing the problem?”
“Shit, no. Scotch and beating the crap out of somebody else.” Benny kicked his legs out and crossed his ankles, relaxing into a philosophical mood. “You have Scotch, and you and Quade had a good fight, so if you’re not better, you need to talk. That rarely helps, but what the hell. What is going on with you?”
Garrett tipped back his head.
“If you’re going to drink my good stuff, you’d better start talking,” Benny warned. Otherwise, they’d try the beating part again.
“I know. I’m having dreams, and they’re driving me shitballs,” Garrett growled. “I’ve thought about asking my sister about them since she’s all about dream worlds, but then she’ll worry and bug me about it constantly. Don’t get me wrong. I love Janie, but she can be a little over-the-top sometimes. Plus, she’s mated to the king of the demon nation, and I don’t need Zane up my ass about this.”
Benny nodded. “You know, all of that makes sense. So tell me about the dreams. I won’t worry or bug you, and the last place I’d ever want to be is up your ass.”
Garrett coughed, laughed, and spit out Scotch. Then he laughed some more. “Okay.” Chuckling, he sipped again and settled back into the seat. “In this dream, I’m on a motorcycle, there’s a female holding on behind me, and we’re on a ride with a bunch of other bikers. She smells like melted sugar and honey, and I can’t see her. I can feel her, and I can sense the danger coming for her, but I can’t turn.”
Benny watched the moon beat the cloud and shine down again. “What happens then?”
“That’s mostly it. Over and over and fucking over,” Garrett said. “I feel like there’s a clock over my head counting down, faster than normal time, and I can’t get to her. Then, at the last second, she’s gone, and I’m cold. I failed.”
Benny winced. “That sucks. You think Fate is giving you a heads-up?”
“I don’t know. Fate doesn’t usually talk to me, and I’m not psychic in any way, at least I never have been. I can’t let go of it. Every night I have the same dream, and every morning, I feel her being taken away. Sometimes I’m furious with her for not fighting harder, and I’m always angry with myself for losing her. It’s killing me.” Garrett finished his second glass.
Benny thought through the problem. “What’s your plan?”
Garrett growled. “What do you mean?”
Benny rolled his eyes. “Come on. I know you. You always have a plan. What is it?”
Garrett wiped sweat off his brow. “I’ve been researching motorcycle clubs to join—after we get Sam safely home.”
“That’s dumb. If you’re going to join a club, it should be an immortal one. Didn’t you and Logan go undercover as prospects with Bear and his Grizzlies a while back?”
“Yep,” Garrett said.
“There you go, then.” If Garrett was with Bear, the head of the Grizzly Nation, then at least he’d have backup.
Garrett reached for the bottle. “You seemed to have forgotten that the shifter nation hates the Seven to the point that it withdrew from the Realm just because the Realm wouldn’t denounce us. The Seven screwed with the laws of physics when we created the prison world to hold Ulric, and we did it again when we fused our torsos. Shifters believe in the supremacy of natural law and won’t forgive us.”
Benny shrugged. “Bear isn’t like most shifters. He’s a rebel, and he’s a friend of yours. Either he’ll take you in, or he’ll rip off your head.”
“Your point?” Garrett asked dryly.
“Either way, you won’t have to worry about the dream any long
er.” Benny clapped his hands on his firm belly. Yeah, he was good at this friendship stuff. “Problem solved.”
* * * *
Sometimes it was difficult to determine whether Benjamin was joking or serious. Karma eavesdropped on the conversation for a little while, wondering why Garrett would want to join a shifter motorcycle club. Weren’t shifters just like animals? Her feet got chilly on the cold floor by the screen door, but curiosity kept her still.
Finally, Garrett clapped Benjamin on the shoulder and ran down by the river again. The smell of Scotch trailed in his wake.
Benny watched him go. “Are you going to come out or stay over there by the cold doorway?”
She jumped. Part of her wanted to flee back to the bedroom; the other part wanted to be brave and modern. “I’m coming out,” she said softly.
“Grab a blanket off the sofa first,” he said.
She turned and fetched a soft faux-fur blanket and then padded outside on her bare feet to claim Garrett’s vacated seat. She’d already donned a cardigan over her borrowed pajamas, and once she’d settled the blanket around her legs, she felt comfortable and safe. Then Benjamin handed her his glass of Scotch. “Thank you,” she said primly. They had kissed, so sharing his glass was probably not a big deal.
“You’re welcome.” He snagged Garrett’s glass off the deck, wiped the rim, and poured a generous shot. “Have you had Glenfiddich before?”
“No.” She took a sip, and the spicy liquid exploded on her tongue and down her throat to warm her stomach. She coughed. “I like it?”
He chuckled. “I can get you something else if you prefer.”
The warmth spread throughout her limbs. “No, thank you. I am enjoying this.” She took another tentative sip. “It’s warming on a cool night.”
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” he asked, sounding thoughtful as he stared at the darkened river.
She drank more. “I was talking with Linda, the female who gave birth to my girls. I asked her to see if she could either find them or Sam Kyllwood.”
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