Elder South sprang to his feet as they entered his cabin. “Why has the ship…” He looked from Echo to Varrik and back. His expression revealed nothing, while panic erupted in his eyes. “Are we rescued?”
Echo laughed. “To require rescuing, one has to be in danger. Are you in danger?”
South held up his hands, palms out. “Don’t come near me.”
She took a step toward him, and pain stabbed into her brain. The room spun, shifting in and out of focus with nauseating speed. Varrik caught her elbow and reached into her mind, snuffing out South’s compulsion. Energy burst again, stronger this time. She strengthened her shields, but it wasn’t enough. Her eyes watered and her ears rang. She shook, a strangled moan escaping her throat.
Fury rolled across their link, building like a violent thunder storm. Cold and consuming, the intensity made her gasp. “Don’t kill him.” She forced the words past the agony assailing her mind.
Varrik reined in his anger, and Echo sensed his underlying emotions. Fierce protectiveness and an intoxicating mixture of passion and tenderness. She pressed her hand over her thundering heart. Was she the cause of all these feelings?
With icy determination, Varrik absorbed South’s energy and flung it back on the elder. South screamed. Varrik stepped in front of her, shielding her with his mind and his body.
She blinked away the moisture in her eyes. Varrik advanced on South, each step an obvious effort. A visible pulse blasted from South, knocking Varrik backward. He regained his footing and lunged, grasping South’s head between his hands. South yelled and tossed his head from side to side, unable to shake off Varrik’s hold.
Knowing it might be the only opportunity she got, Echo skirted Varrik and grabbed the back of South’s head. Scalding heat and seething emotions exploded within her mind. The men were shoving energy back and forth in scorching waves. She cried out, keeping her hand pressed against the elder’s head.
Chaotic thoughts and surging emotions hindered her progress. She had to find the memory center of South’s brain. There! She locked on to the signal and absorbed the information as quickly as her gift would allow.
Swirling around her and sweeping through her, their mental battle raged. She focused on her task, shielding herself as much as she could. Varrik’s control was slipping. She glimpsed his full strength and trembled. Shimmering, expansive, and largely untapped. Did he even realize the extent of his abilities?
Are you finished? Varrik sounded tense and tired, his restraint nearly spent.
She withdrew with a gasp and panted, “Done.”
South cried out one last time. His body collapsed in a lifeless heap at their feet.
Royal Obsession (Shadow Assassins 1) Page 34