* * *
"Father, she landed at my feet, unconscious."
"At least she felt safe enough to land at your feet that way." Renegar lifted Breanne from Graegar's arms. Garegar, Graegar's son, stood at his father's shoulder and watched his grandfather touch Breanne's forehead with large, blue, gentle fingers.
"She Changed What Was for four million," Garegar whispered in awe. "All five of us must work together to do this for only one or two lives."
"This is the Mighty Heart, what else might you expect?" Renegar asked. "We must bring her strength back. Make her feel welcome and cared for."
"What about Kalenegar?"
"She will not wish to see him. That is why I will send a call to him now, before she wakes. He should give some of his strength to her first, I think."
"What is this?" Kalenegar appeared almost immediately.
"She saved four million on Tulgalan," Renegar offered Breanne's limp body to Kal.
"I know. I felt the power surge—we are connected in that way, at least," Kalenegar, nearly ten feet tall with shoulder-length red hair and a troubled expression on his face, held Breanne carefully. She seemed so small and fragile to him. Why hadn't he seen that before? He hated that he'd mistreated her. He wanted to shout that he'd been affected in some way, but to Breanne, that wouldn't matter. Only his treatment of her mattered.
"You have my apologies, Lara'Kayan," Kal bent his head and kissed Breanne's forehead.
* * *
"Another missing girl." Bill handed the folder to Opal. "Ready to fly to Austin?"
"Yes. I can do preliminary work on this, and if we're lucky, we won't need to haul in Breanne."
"I hope that's the case," Bill agreed. "Work fast, Opal. We need this shut down quickly."
* * *
Hank took the keys from the salesman after Jayson signed the last of the paperwork. "I'm driving Bree home," Hank announced once they were outside the office. "Where is she?" He looked around the showroom. Only a salesman stood at the window, watching fog roll in off the bay.
* * *
Breanne's Journal
I learned after I'd wakened that they'd let me sleep for three days. I woke with a panic attack, too, because I'd left Hank and Jayson in a car dealership without telling them I was leaving. Graegar lifted me off a very comfortable, huge bed, held me gently, used power to regulate my breathing and then informed me that he was more than capable of bending time, if I couldn't do it for myself in a few weeks.
"Weeks?" I squeaked.
"You have emptied yourself. It is time to replenish that strength." He smiled warmly at me, and part of that warmth infused my bones. I sighed and relaxed.
"See? Much, much better," he soothed. "We have many things to teach you, while you are here."
"Stuff I can't read? Never mind, that was rude." I lifted a hand and rubbed my forehead.
"I would prefer that you retained your shields, as Kalenegar inadvertently taught you," he chuckled. "Yes, I have seen him and he is most contrite, I assure you. Somehow, he was affected by a mind cloud, and that is highly irregular in any Larentii."
"Where am I? I only remember focusing on you," I said, snuggling into Graegar's warmth. He was putting out the heat of a nice, spring day and I felt cold. His arms felt like a warm blanket.
"The Larentii homeworld. Not many can get past our boundary," he said. "The Three—perhaps a few others. Certainly only a few. By design."
"I'm one of the few others?" I blinked up at his beautiful, blue face.
"No, dearest. It took a while for us to reach the proper conclusion, but we now have it in our grasp. You are one of the Three."
* * *
"Please tell me what the Three mean?" Graegar didn't tell me at first; he insisted that I eat solid food. Garegar had folded away the moment I'd awakened, and brought back a covered tray of food—all vegetarian. He smiled at me and his father as I ate—everything was delicious.
"This will be your home for as long as you want," Graegar led me through an unusual house later. Resembling a Roman villa, it was built of marble, with parts of the roof open to the sky overhead. It made sense—Larentii needed sunlight to feed. This was a Larentii's home.
"It belongs to Lenigar—who still works at times with the mothers who are pregnant with Larentii babies," Graegar informed me. "It has a kitchen that you are welcome to use, and all the food is in stasis and ready to prepare."
"Most Larentii houses don't have kitchens, do they?" I asked.
"They are not needed, dearest. Sit here," he lifted me onto a kitchen counter after we walked into that particular room. "I will also sit." He did, on a wide barstool, which left us on a level and facing each other. "Now," he continued, "I will explain the tale of the Three."
Staring in fascination, Graegar told me of the One. And the Three. "You, I believe, are the Mighty Heart," his smile was nearly blinding in its intensity as he told me that. "They—you, too—were born without knowing who you are. By design. You were born to the created races so you might change certain things. As gods, you may not interfere, but as what you are now, you may do so whenever you feel it is right or just. Already you have made an impact on many, many lives." Graegar rubbed my shoulders gently.
"I couldn't stop myself. What happened on Wyyld and Tulgalan was wrong," I muttered, lowering my eyes.
"We know this. We also worry that you are making yourself a target," Graegar sighed. "You do not realize yet that we are now in the midst of the God Wars, and it will only take the destruction of one of the Three to destroy everything. Not your energy, mind you—they only have to destroy your body. In our archives are the prophecies—that few besides the Wise Ones have ever seen. In your original state, you cannot interfere. As you are now, the rule no longer applies."
I stared at Graegar while my brain struggled to understand his words. So many times I'd come so close to dying, it was a miracle in itself that I was still alive and inhabiting a humanoid body. It was also difficult—more than difficult, to grasp what he'd told me. He said I was a god. I had no idea what that meant. No reference point or comparison. All my life, I'd been treated poorly. Why would a god be treated that way? I hunched my shoulders and chose to sort that out on another day.
"You must proceed with caution," Graegar's voice broke into my thoughts, "and withhold Changing What Was unless there is no other way. The enemy will be watching for you to expend that power again." I watched his handsome, blue face—it was clouded with worry. I took his advice and kept my shields up so I couldn't read him.
"This makes no sense to me," I rubbed my forehead—a headache was coming on.
"That is how we know you are not the Mighty Mind," Graegar chuckled. I dropped my hand and stared at him. He hadn't named the other two—yet.
"We know of the Mighty Hand, but he lives inside a shield none might breach unless all else falls."
"And who might he be, since you know who he is?"
"Ashe Evans."
"The Mighty Asshole, you mean?" Of all the people to be one of the Mighty. A rather painful headache pierced my brain.
"Ah. I heard he made a mistake. Also an indicator that he is the Mighty Hand and not the Mighty Mind. I understand that he is contrite over your treatment, and wishes to meet with you. He has a difficulty and may require your assistance."
"Really? I'm not in any mood to listen to him."
"The mistake was grave, I understand that."
"Yes, but you didn't feel his anger, or have to listen to him yell for Trajan to get me the hell out of his house. I imagine he wants to use me. Sort of like other people want to use me. Or have used me, in the past."
"That is so unfortunate," Graegar sighed and turned his head away. "I cannot read you or your past, as I can others. I know of your treatment on Le-Ath Veronis, at least. You will remain a mystery unless you choose to reveal yourself to us."
"That won't happen." I misted off the counter and walked toward an open doorway. Shivering, I stared through the door at a
n open meadow, which lay just outside. No manicured lawns for Larentii—everything grew with abandon, although I saw very few weeds. Wildflowers bloomed and in the distance, I saw creatures grazing. The word Falaca came to me—that's what the animals were and their wool was a source of the natural, woven cloth Larentii used to make their clothing.
"Will you not set aside your differences and at least agree to meet the Mighty Hand?" Graegar stood behind me, a hand on my shoulder.
"Not today," I muttered and folded space.
* * *
"Where the hell is she?" Jayson snapped at the showroom salesman. "We lose sight of her for five minutes and she disappears? You saw nothing? Your showroom is empty, man, and this stupid phone stopped working." He'd checked the app; Bree had disappeared completely on it.
"Jayson," Hank warned. Hank was just as worried as Jayson, but held a tighter rein on his fear and anger.
"Find her. Do it now," Jayson hissed.
* * *
Breanne's Journal
I landed in the dealership bathroom approximately six minutes after I'd left. Bending time and folding space had depleted the power I'd gained from visiting the Larentii homeworld. Strangely, I'd dropped my shields and read Graegar for just a moment after I woke, and I saw that Kalenegar had come, held me and fed me energy. That image warred with the last image I had of him sending a power blast into my brain and giving me a headache that only a very powerful healer could fix.
Gazing into the mirror over the bathroom sink, I sighed, fixed my hair a little and walked out into chaos.
Jayson was pissed. Hank was silent and the showroom salesman was more than relieved when Hank grabbed my arm after I let the bathroom door swing shut behind me. I'd been gone less than ten minutes, tops, and they were about to have a meltdown.
"I'll take her home," Hank growled when Jayson suggested I ride with him. The ride was out of Hank's way, but I'd actually rather face his anger than Jayson's.
"We'll both go. I want my say, too," Jayson huffed.
"Huh?" I stood outside the dealership, staring at Jayson and then Hank. Hank didn't reply—he grabbed my hand and dragged me to his new truck. I was dumped on the passenger seat, the seatbelt was buckled around me and then he climbed in on the other side and started the truck. It roared to life, just as a new truck should.
We didn't talk during the drive back to my house, and I was beginning to be really frightened. I wasn't sure, either, whether I'd have enough strength to mist away—I was exhausted and I really didn't want to admit that to myself.
Hank parked the truck in front of my house, didn't look at me and slammed the truck door behind him. I jerked at the noise and the violence of it. With shaking hands, I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door handle. Hank stood by while I shut the truck door and pulled keys from my purse. My breaths were shaky by that time—I knew fear. Had known it for far too long. Fear is debilitating and can make you much weaker than you ever thought you might be. My body ached from repressed shivering as I unlocked the front door and walked into the house. Outside, I heard Jayson's new SUV pull up.
Hank followed me as I walked into the kitchen, clenching my hands to keep the trembling to a minimum.
"What the hell happened? We checked that bathroom twice!" Jayson stormed into the kitchen and his thunder followed immediately.
"Oh, no," I set my purse on the kitchen counter carefully, so I wouldn't reveal how terrified I was.
"This is what you get for doing this to us." Jayson jerked me to him, turned me over his knee and hit me several times—hard—with the flat of his hand. I shrieked in terror.
* * *
"Baby," Hank held Breanne's face in his hands. Her eyes were wild and she was trembling so badly he almost couldn't keep her pressed against him. Her breaths, too, were dry sobs and her heart beat so fast it pounded against her ribs. Hank was frightened. "Baby," he whispered, "come back. He didn't hurt you. You're not hurt. You're safe. You're safe. When you're in my arms, you're safe. I don't know where you are right now, but you need to come back to me."
"I've never seen anything like this," Jayson knelt beside Hank, who held Breanne where she'd dropped after Jayson let her go earlier. "Bree, I didn't know. I promise I won't scare you like that again. I promise I won't do it while I'm mad, either," he brushed hair away from Breanne's forehead. "God, her heart is going to thump out of her chest," Jayson placed a hand over it. "Come on, little girl. Do like Hank says and come back to us." His fingers stroked the line of her jaw. "She's so tiny," he muttered. "I didn't hit her that hard. Not even enough to raise a bruise."
"You won't hit her again," Hank snapped.
"Not if this happens," Jayson nodded. "Come on, Bree. Come back or we'll have to take you to the hospital."
* * *
Breanne's Journal
The word hospital tore me from whatever fear-induced portion of hell I'd visited. Jayson's face was in my immediate line of vision and I shrieked and struggled against what held me. That turned out to be Hank. I couldn't go to a human hospital; I was vampire. The minute they took blood, things would go crazy. I couldn't let that happen, and I was too weak to do anything about it.
"Baby, he's not going to hurt you. He only gave you a few swats to let you know you scared us. Okay? We know not to do that again."
I heard my heart thumping in my chest and the breaths that were shaky, dry sobs as Hank pulled my face toward him. "Bree, it's okay. You're safe. You were safe before. Jayson didn't hurt you. He never meant to hurt you. He just scared you."
My lower lip trembled and I was afraid I might cry.
"I think we got a double scare," Jayson muttered, dropping his hand to cover my heart again. "Come on, slow down, Bree. Take deep breaths. Listen to my voice and take deep breaths."
It took a while. Hank was doing his best to control my shivering body while Jayson told me in a slow, measured voice to take deep breaths. He even breathed with me, convincing my body to match his deeper, regular breathing. "That's it, hold it for a few seconds," Jayson murmured. Hank gathered me closer as my breathing evened out.
"Feel better?" Hank murmured against my ear.
"When I do feel better, I'm gonna show Jayson what it means to be hit," I snapped, my breath going short again.
"Bree, stop upsetting yourself. You ran away and didn't tell us. Now, I'm not gonna ask about it again, since we've all taken a little punishment over that. Just tell us the next time, okay?"
I blinked into Hank's dark eyes before lowering mine with a sigh. I'd saved four million people and I'd gotten swats for it. Go figure.
"Huh," I struggled out of Hank's grip. "I can explain it now, jerk. Know what Vhanaraszh means?" They wouldn't know, and the word had just popped out because I was angry. My movements weren't pretty, either, but I scrambled to my feet and stalked away from Hank and Jayson.
* * *
"What? What language was that?" Jayson watched Breanne walk unevenly toward her bedroom.
"Fuck," Hank rubbed his forehead with a sigh.
"What does it mean?" Jayson rephrased his question.
"It means we ought to think twice before giving swats again."
* * *
"Graegar attempted to set up a meeting. She became upset and folded away from him." Renegar walked beside Ashe, through the southwestern grove at SouthStar.
"After she saved four million people. I have sensors set up in Targis, in case somebody comes sniffing around after that bit of foolish bravery," Ashe grumped. "Does she know that separating the particles of one of the enemy is only going to force his energy to search for another body? They have to be completely destroyed, and I haven't figured out how to do that, yet."
"None know how to do this," Renegar agreed. "I have discussed this at length with the Wise Ones and others of my kind in higher levels. They all agree—there is no known way to destroy one of the powerful ones. Their humanoid bodies may be killed and they might be contained, as Belen was for a time, but that is all that can be
done."
"You're saying that I may have to construct a shield around them so they can't escape?"
"That is the only viable solution any of us have been able to produce."
"The shield around SouthStar is difficult enough to maintain continuously," Ashe sighed.
"I know this, and the residents must be protected—the Ir'Indicti is obligated. There is not an easy solution to this, my friend."
"Yeah. I've understood that for a while, now."
* * *
Breanne's Journal
A shower was the first thing on my list as soon as I left Hank and Jayson in my kitchen. I was tired, hungry again and in no mood to deal with two assholes who thought a spanking was the answer to being pissed off. They didn't even talk to me first, and that upset me. A lot.
Shrugging out of my clothes, I realized how little energy I had as I stepped into a hot shower. I was shaking again after toweling off, I was so weary. Hank was sitting on the end of my bed when I walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in the towel.
"Baby, I need to go to work," he said.
"Then go. You made your feelings known. As did Jayson. Tell his mother and that fucking reporter they can see me here tomorrow night. I'm not going to asshat Rome's birthday party."
"Bree, you need to tell me why a few swats with an open palm scared the shit out of you."
"No. Go to work, Hank. I'm tired. I want to sleep."
"Baby, come to the party. I'll see that nobody upsets you."
"Sure you will. I'm supposed to be with Jayson, remember? To make his mama happy."
"Bree, someday, I want to make you happy. I didn't do that today."
"Hank, just go to work," I moaned, flopping onto the bed an arm's length away.
"I'll get you in bed first."
I protested, but he hauled back covers, pulled my towel away and laid me gently on the sheets before covering me up. "Baby," he softly stroked my forehead, "I hope you trust me, someday." Then he leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Close your eyes," he whispered. I did. He kissed those, too. I was asleep before he walked out of my bedroom.
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