The Price of Knowing: A Powers of Influence Novel (The Powers of Influence Book 2)

by C. B. Haight

  The problem was they still didn’t have any idea where Jarrett would be. Collett insisted he was injured badly and getting weaker, but she couldn’t clue in to where he might be. If her constant dreams were real, then Jarrett was practically under constant assault. They were indeed running out of time.

  Rederrick called his eldest daughter, Tracy, and asked her to investigate a bar in New York that they discovered was owned by a Jarrett Hunter. When she went there and asked for the owner, she was informed that he had gone out of town, and they were unsure when he would return. That sent them right back to square one.

  As it was, Cade felt certain that neither of them had managed more than a couple hours of sleep at a time these last few days. He unconsciously brought a hand to his forehead and rubbed it as he thought over his options. He didn’t want to leave her, but he knew it was coming down to that. He dropped his hand, leaned back in his chair, and tried to relax. He was afraid to climb into the bed and risk disturbing her fragile sleep.

  They should be on a honeymoon. He wanted to take her away to a tropical beach and spend the days, and nights, enjoying one another. Instead, they were dealing with this situation, and he knew he alone was powerless to fix it.

  Unfortunately, Jarrett’s presence her dreams was only number one on a whole list of problems they faced. Collett kept having random dreams. Even awake, feelings and impressions would wash over her, and she wasn’t sure if it was past, present, or future. It was wearing her down, and there was really nothing they could do to stop it. Cynda even tried giving her a homemade concoction to help her sleep last night, but it only made it worse. Instead of easing her dreams, the tea trapped her within them with no way to wake, making it the worst of the nights yet. He had held her and watched helplessly as she reacted to painful injuries, mostly favoring her ghostly side wound, all night long.

  Despite all she was experiencing, her strength and fortitude amazed him. She brushed his worry aside, optimistically telling him it would all come together when it was supposed to. She also insisted that as her abilities surfaced, she only needed time to get accustomed to them. She was confident they would get easier to control. She also voiced her hopes that she would remember everything soon.

  He wasn’t convinced. Cade’s fear for his wife continued to grow. To him, it looked as if her powers were not only coming back, but that they were taking over. He couldn’t keep himself from thinking that before long there wouldn’t be much of her left.

  With their problems compounding, Cade knew they were all running out of time here in Colorado. He could feel it. He and Rederrick had been hesitant to give up the security they had access to here at Rederrick’s home, and he didn’t know where to go from here. However, The Faction would soon resume their attempts to get to Collett, and he had a bad feeling in his gut that she was no longer the only target. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to convince Rederrick or Cynda that they should all relocate.

  Eventually, Cade decided there was nothing more to be done tonight, and he tried to empty his mind so he could rest for a little while. His eyes felt heavy, and he started drifting into the oblivion of sleep. It didn’t last long though. A slight whimper came from Collett.

  Releasing an exhausted breath and rising from the chair, he went to her. “Shhh,” he whispered gently. He laid down, eased her into his arms, and breathed in the citrus scent that always clung to her.

  He kissed her neck tenderly as she settled back into sleep, and her long hair tickled his cheek as he lay down. Cade gently moved the locks aside, and in the dim moonlit room, he saw a mark that struck him as odd. Carefully, so he didn’t wake her, Cade rubbed it with his thumb.

  Collett’s skin was puckered, but not by a tattoo. It felt like a scar or birthmark of some kind, but the mark was too precise for either. His brows drew together as he peered down in the dim light. It looked like a strange pattern with a line at the bottom. A smaller mark lay in the center of the circle. He pondered the oddity, rubbing it gently, considering its origins.

  She stirred again, but not because of a nightmare. She sensed him there. She rolled over to look at him, smiling. “Hi,” she murmured sleepily.

  His insides warmed, and his thoughts about the strange symbol flitted away. “Hi,” he answered back, leaning in to kiss the tip of her nose. He pulled back to look into her eyes. Smiling, he leaned in again and pressed his lips to hers, softly at first, but as his lips began the dance against hers, he gradually sought more.

  Collett felt desire spread through her. Bringing up her hand, she twined her fingers in his thick, black hair. He moved his hand tenderly over her arm, tickling the skin, and continued down to her hip. The warmth was replaced by tingling chills and eager anticipation.

  Everything else melted away. For Collett and Cade, little else mattered than what was between them right now. They both let go of any distractions as they embraced each other, finding comfort and security in being together.

  Later, Cade woke to bright rays of sunlight shining in his eyes. He tried hard to ignore it, but it was no use. He was too sensitive to the change in light. He groggily rolled over and eased out of bed to close the curtains before it woke Collett. After that, he looked at the clock with dry, scratchy eyes and realized it was about 7:20. He shrugged and reminded himself that a little sleep was better than none, even though he didn’t really believe it just then. His focus moved back to his wife who still slept peacefully in the tangled sheets, and he was grateful the sun hadn’t wakened her as it had him.

  He quietly strode to the adjoining bathroom and turned on the shower. After washing off, he stayed under the spray for a long time and let the warm water soothe his tired body. When he was finished, he quickly shaved and made his way quietly to the bedroom with a blue towel around his waist. Upon opening the door, he realized Collett was awake. She was sitting up with her arms wrapped around her legs, facing away from him. Her cheek rested on her knees as she stared at the curtain-covered window.

  “Hey, I’d hoped you’d sleep longer.”

  She didn’t respond, and he knew.

  “Another dream?” he asked as he moved to sit next to her.

  She nodded and looked up at him. Her eyes held so much sadness. “Cade, we have to do something. If my dreams are real then…” She didn’t have to finish. They both knew what it meant. His mouth pinched together. He hated that she kept going through this—hated what it was doing to her. He also felt growing resentment for Jarrett.

  “Can we find him?” he asked in a calm tone he didn’t quite feel.

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure, but we have to try.”

  With a tight nod, Cade said, “Get dressed. We’ll go talk to the others. Maybe we’ll get an idea this time.”

  A half hour later, they all sat in the hidden room that housed the security systems. It also served as the control center for the Brotherhood. Rederrick called it the “Extra Room.” Cynda, Rederrick, Nate, and even Jeffery sat in the comfortable chrome and black office chairs surrounding a glass and steel conference table. Cade stood behind Collett in support, and they all listened while she relayed her latest dream.

  She told them Jarrett was badly wounded and that it wasn’t healing. She also explained the latest attack against him and how it was getting harder and harder for him to beat them each time. Collett expressed her fear and worry. Then she explained how his thoughts gave her the impression he was going west, but west from where, she couldn’t say.

  When she finished, nobody said anything for a time. Collett nervously sat there, wringing her hands together. “There’s something else,” she confessed. “I keep having this weird dream that I’m with someone in the dark, and there is no way out. I feel hunger and pain. I don’t know who it is for sure. The presence feels different than Jarrett, but I can’t see anything. If it is Jarrett, he might have already been captured. Though, as I said, this feels different, so I can’t tell if I am seeing the present or the past.”

  Cade squeezed her shoulder.
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  Rederrick spoke first, “Maybe we should start at the beginning. Cade, go to New York and see if you can pick up a trail—”

  “I’ve been doing a little reading and think that maybe there is a better way,” interrupted Cynda. “I think that instead of waiting for Collett to accidentally get dreams or visions from Jarrett, she should try to reach out for him on purpose with meditation or a something like it.”

  “I don’t know. The dreams are hard enough,” Cade countered skeptically.

  “Is it even possible to do something like that?” Collett asked.

  Cynda shrugged. “I’m not really sure. But since I haven’t been able to find him by scrying, and you’re having no luck with the dreams, I think maybe we should do something together. It would be tricky, but it’s better than blindly chasing him all over the country.”

  Jeffery cleared his throat as if looking for permission to speak. Since arriving with Jarrett’s note, Jeffery had been timid and reserved. Recent events had humbled him, and he knew he hadn’t yet earned their trust. Another reason he behaved this way, Collett suspected, was because working with a team was so new to him, and he wasn’t sure what his role was. They all looked to him, and Collet watched as he shrank back before their scrutiny. His head tipped down, and his long black hair, colored with purple and blue streaks, hung over his narrow face.

  “Go ahead Jeffery,” she coaxed.

  Without even looking up, he said, “You can probably do it given enough concentration and energy, but it would take a lot of magical energy. Too much I think. You can’t just use a simple scrying spell either, or it would have worked by now. Somehow, he blocks magic, and you would need a big punch of it just to get through. I think it’s why the scrying is failing.

  “Even together, you would have the same result - nothing. Not to mention, your visions are all over the place. Instead, we could try a sort of location magic I am familiar with, but it’s difficult and requires… extra components.”

  “What kind of components?” inquired Cade skeptically.

  “Well…” he hesitated.

  “Blood. We would need his blood,” guessed Cynda.

  “To start with,” Jeffery agreed with a nod.

  For a moment, no one dared to speak. Rederrick shook his head emphatically, and Cade glowered. Blood magic was considered the darkest magic because it often proved uncontrollable. In fact, few even tried it.

  “Well, we just should have thought of that while Cade was beating the crap out of him in the woods last month,” Nate quipped. He tilted his head mockingly. “Excuse me, could you boys settle down a minute? I need a vile of blood please. You know, just in case.”

  Cade glared at him.

  “Blood is not the biggest problem,” Jeffery said quietly.

  “What’s the biggest problem?” Cade asked gruffly.

  “I mentioned that he is blocking magic. Somehow, your brother is immune to, or protected from, most magic. I‘ve ran into him twice. Well, he really ran into me,” he added, remembering the painful second encounter. “Both times, he could not only see through my spells. He blasted past my shields too. I couldn’t figure it out. He’s blocking the magic effects is my only guess. Even using blood magic, it may not work depending on what he is using. Really, it’s a shot in the dark. ”

  Cade looked to Cynda, “What do you think?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure. I’ve heard of items that can mute the effects of magic, but who knows if it could block a spell like Jeffery is suggesting. Blood magic is pretty strong,”

  Nate spoke up next, “Well, I don’t see how it matters. We don’t have his blood. Anything left in the woods after your fight would have been washed away by the storms we’ve had.”

  “Yes we do,” Collett said quietly. “Well—kind of.”

  Cynda’s eyes brightened, and she looked at Cade. “I didn’t even think of that.”

  “I think Jeffery did,” Collett replied.

  “What?” Nate and Rederrick asked together.

  “My blood. Because we are twins, we share blood, or at least we did once,” Cade answered.

  “I want to make it clear. This kind of magic is unpredictable. I’ve used it—well, before—before I came here, and my results have been—varied,” Jeffery said awkwardly. “It may not even work. Collett’s lack of control over the connection and twisting the magic to use Cade’s blood instead of Jarrett’s are challenging factors.”

  “We have to try, don’t we?” Collett practically pleaded.

  “What else will it take, besides blood?” Cade questioned, still not convinced. He recognized this may be the best possible chance, but the idea of blood magic bothered him. In his lifetime, very few good people would even mess with it.

  Jeffery looked to Cade, a little nervous. “It takes a lot of energy, so it will take more than one person to do it. Cynda and I would have to do it together, but even that won’t be easy and…”

  “And, what?”

  “We need a connection, to circumvent his block. Collett’s connection would be the easiest, but she can’t just be an observer. She would need to be connected to him when we do it.”

  Collett looked up at Cade, who was clenching his jaw, and considered all that Jeffery was saying. “I don’t know how to connect to him on purpose. It just happens,” she told him.

  Jeffery nodded. “When you’re sleeping, I know. We can do it one of two ways. First, you can try to figure out how to connect to him on your own, which may take a lot of time and practice on your part. Or we—I mean I—can help you sleep. Using magic.”

  “No way!” Cade snapped. “You may have won her over, and even Cynda, but I don’t trust you enough to use your magic on her. Especially this kind of magic.”

  Jeffery sighed dejectedly and conceded, “I get it. It was just an idea.”

  “Cade, we are running out of time! I think we have to,” prodded Collett.

  “NO! Not a chance. Let Cynda do the spell instead. He can supervise.”

  Cynda gave him a pensive look. “Cade, I can’t do it. I have no idea how. I’ve never done that kind of magic. You heard Jeffery. Blood magic is touchy. Besides, you saw what happened when I tried to help Collett sleep. My spells and herbs only made her worse because she couldn’t get out of it.”

  “How do we know his magic would be different?” Rederrick asked.

  “Because I can wake her easily by discontinuing the spell,” Jeffery answered.

  Cade raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I’m telling you, this is a bad idea.”

  Collett stood to face him and put her hand on his arm, softly pleading, “Cade, I won’t do this without you. We’re a team, all of us, and we have to agree. We’re running out of time though. I know it, and I think you do too. Cynda and I can’t learn what he already knows fast enough. We have to let him try. Please! I can’t stand doing nothing when there is a chance to help Jarrett right here. We have to try.”

  Seeing the desperation in Collett’s eyes undid Cade. He released a breath and looked over to Rederrick and Nate for support. Nate shrugged easily, indicating he was in either way, and Rederrick said, “It’s your wife and brother. We’ll do what you want. Make the call.”

  Cade peered over Collett’s head and eyed Jeffery. He looked past the eyebrow piercing, the strange black clothes, and the color streaked hair. He met his brown eyes and saw the young man Jeffery was becoming. Looking deeper, Cade saw what he needed. There was a level of fear and humility that he’d never witnessed in Jeffery in the past. “You really think you can do this?”

  “Huh? Yes, um… well, I can’t. Not by myself, but we can,” Jeffery stammered as he gestured to Cynda, Collett, and himself. He was clearly surprised to hear they were going to trust him. It was a new experience for him.

  Cade gazed into Collett’s eyes and relented, “Alright. Do it then, but you better know that—”

  “I will not do anything intentionally to hurt them. I don’t want to piss you off. I
like living too much,” Jeffery interrupted, knowing where Cade was going with his threat and not really wanting to hear the gory details.

  Cade glared at him.

  “How long do you need to get ready?” Cynda asked.

  Jeffery considered the logistics mentally then answered, “With your help, we could probably try it tonight.”

  “Tonight then,” said Rederrick.

  “Let’s go Jeffery,” Cynda said rising to leave the room, and Jeffery followed.

  “I’ll keep an eye on him,” offered Nate as he followed them.

  Rederrick made his way back to the computers and monitors along the wall, and Cade turned back to Collett to whisper, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  She smiled sadly, “Yes, Cade. I have to do something,” she replied. “I know you really don’t trust Jeffery, but I do. Remember, everyone can be great with the right help, and Cynda is the right kind of help.”

  He released a sigh. “I hope you’re right. I would sure hate to kill him.”

  Smiling, she replied, “I’m sure he wouldn’t like it either.”

  That night, the temperature in the field where they gathered was warmer than the day before, but it was still bitter cold. Everyone bundled up in gloves, hats, and heavy winter-wear except Jeffery and Cade.

  Jeffery wore his traditional t-shirt, black Levis, and heavy biker boots that sported silver skulls on the ties. He completed the ensemble with his usual long, black coat that made him look like a punk kid who should be hanging out at a high school goth party. He came complete with facial piercings, a neck tattoo, and purple and blue streaks in his black hair. However, everyone present understood he was so much more than he appeared, and they could only hope it was enough.