by Kristie Cook
"Take a walk with me," she said.
I strode off after her into the woods, toward the beach where Tristan and I had first arrived on the island. We walked several minutes in silence until we hit sand, when Rina stopped and gazed out at the sea. Waves came and went, spraying foam as they crashed their way onto the beach then swirled in their retreat, building up for the next attack.
"You have been practicing and have become stronger," Rina finally said. "Do you feel it?"
"I think so. I mean, I can identify every mind signature of everyone at the mansion–all of us, the staff … I can tell when Charlotte comes on the grounds for training."
"How far out can you go?"
I shrugged. "I sense when Charlotte's in the gym before we leave the mansion. But I haven't sensed anyone beyond that. I don't know if I can't or if there just isn't anyone to sense … if there's anyone else farther out."
Rina nodded. "You have been confined, I understand. It has been good practice for you, but I believe it is time for you to be among new people, new mind signatures."
"Really? Who? The council?"
"I believe so. Do you think you are ready?"
I didn't know, but I wasn't about to tell her that. This was the moment I'd been waiting for–excitement crackled through my veins. "Yes."
"I will bring only one in at a time, as they are available," she said. I tried to hide my relief. All of them as a group would probably still be too much for me. Rina broke her gaze from the ocean, turned to me and took my hands into hers. Her eyes pierced into mine. "Alexis, you will be among people with whom you are unfamiliar."
"I think I'll be okay. You said my shield was strong, and I haven't had any problems controlling that part."
Rina's lips pressed into a thin line. "No, you have not. I am actually concerned about that. I thought you would have relinquished that shield by now."
My brows furrowed. "What do you mean? I thought it was good."
"Just now, with the others, you had a difficult time listening to more than one, no?"
"Yes," I admitted. "I had Dorian, Tristan and Owen, but all together, all at once, it became too much, and I panicked."
"You closed them off without meaning to, yes?"
My eyes widened. "Yes. How–? Were you in my head?"
Rina shook her head. "No, darling. You would not let me in. You were surrounded by people you know and love, and still, you would not loosen your hold."
"So why is that bad?"
"It means you are not comfortable with your gift yet. You cannot relax enough to use it properly, not even when surrounded by those closest to you. The tight control you keep on it prevents you from using the real power it contains." She freed one of my hands while holding the other as she turned back down the path toward the party. "Do you remember during the battle many years ago, when we were in the cellar of the safe house, and I shared what I saw through others' minds?"
I nodded. How could I forget? It had been the worst day of my life, watching through Rina's mind, which saw through soldiers' eyes, people destroying each other on the battlefield outside the safe house. Tristan even probed straight through one soldier's mind, past Rina's and right into mine to say his last goodbye. Rina had used her gift far beyond any capabilities I had. Oh! That's it! The thought hit me as though Rina had actually slapped me. That was the only way to convince her of what I heard from the council–I needed to be able to share with her, let her hear it for herself!
"How do I do that?" I asked.
"It is not too difficult. If you are at ease with your gift, that is. Not only one-on-one with those closest to you, but comfortable in various situations. With strangers, especially in groups, in any kind or size of crowd." We'd returned to the lawn and the barbecue. She stopped walking and made her next words slow and deliberate to ensure I understood. "Comfortable enough to let your shield down without losing control. You will have to allow it, Alexis. It is up to you."
With that, Rina slid off her heels, hiked up her sequined gown and ran for the football game.
"You are going down, big man!" she yelled as she plowed into Solomon, who chased Dorian, the ball carrier. Rina tackled the vampire to the ground, but right before they hit, he swung her around so his body would take the impact while she landed on top of him.
Although my mind still chewed on what she meant–"you will have to allow it"–I couldn't help but laugh at them, along with everyone else. Who would have thought with those two? Dorian rolled on the ground with whole-body hysterics. But then I caught something in Martin's eyes that didn't match the grin on his face.
Was that a look of disgust? Or annoyance at the matriarch's behavior?
He caught me watching him and whatever I saw disappeared. His eyes were just as warm as the rest of his face as his smile widened. I returned his grin before realizing I did so.
Chapter 7
Were-birds were freaky. At least the one on the council was. Her name was Robin. No joke. She morphed into a falcon, which she inherited by birth, not by being infected, so her parents knew what they were doing when they named her. Why do parents do that to their children? Robin was the first council member I was able to listen to and her thoughts were … uh … flighty. I felt sorry for her, though. She seemed to have similar problems as mine during sex–she couldn't let herself completely go or she'd turn into a bird. My issues weren't so bad after all. At least I could enjoy it when (if ever again) we were alone. Robin and her husband, who wasn't a Were, had to deal with it every time, feathers flying as she reached her orgasm. I picked this up while Robin sat in Solomon's office waiting for him to begin his meeting with her while I sat in Rina's office to mentally eavesdrop. TMI was the part I hated about my gift.
Guilt for invading her mind and discovering her intimate issues stabbed me in the gut, but the need to find the traitor and the little girl gripped my heart and soul.
Robin was basically useless, though. As Solomon subtly interrogated her about a traitor, her thoughts bounced around, never focusing on anything for long, especially not on the subject of betrayal. She dismissed this idea, her thoughts giving me the impression she knew nothing of the traitor. Her only concern was she hoped I would have a daughter sooner rather than later so she could have her own children–she didn't want to bring young into the world if the Amadis would not be here long enough to protect them. I couldn't help but wonder if she'd give birth or lay eggs.
As the weeks passed, Rina brought in other council members as they were available. I couldn't help but notice that besides Robin–who Tristan thought was likely a test or warm-up for me because Rina knew she'd be harmless–the only others who came in were mages. First there was Shihab, a wizard from Arabia, followed by Jelani, another wizard, from Africa, and Attair, an Arabian warlock. They were all men, so not the person I sought, and Rina realized they weren't who she sought either. With obvious reluctance, she eventually brought in Minh, a Vietnamese witch, and Galina, a female Russian warlock. I understood Rina's trust in them immediately. They couldn't have been more faithful, trusting Rina and standing behind Tristan and me.
The others, however, each had their own opinions about the direction the Amadis should be heading. Shihab and Attair thought I belonged with Owen, and Jelani felt as though Dorian might be able to lead, believing that was the reason he came alone. These were fleeting thoughts, however, especially the one about Dorian. There was nothing to back it up, and I could only chalk it up to wishful thinking.
Frustration and uncertainty battled for dominance within me as time passed with no mention at all of a hidden girl. Not an inkling of a thought. Nothing. Each meeting with this nothingness only solidified Rina's argument that I hadn't heard what I thought I had at the council meeting, and I began to wonder myself. When impatience nearly drove me to madness, Tristan reminded me there was nothing we could do until we had more to go on, because all we had now was a fleeting thought that even I was beginning to doubt was real. The only way to find out was to continue
listening to the council members.
If only Rina would have let me.
"It is time to move on," she said one afternoon nearly a month after we'd started as we sat in her study. Galina, the final mage to be interrogated, had just left Solomon's office. "I need to progress with a wider investigation. I need to involve the council."
"But what about the rest of them? Shouldn't I listen to everyone?"
"There is no reason. They cannot be blocking me, and I have discovered nothing from them. I cannot spend anymore time on this."
I dropped my head and stared at my hands in my lap. I couldn't help but agree the last month had been a waste. All she'd needed to do was bring in Galina and Minh, and I would have known immediately they didn't have the voice I'd heard at the council meeting. I could have told her–tried to tell her–but she refused to listen. And now she was giving up, leaving me with no way to access the other council members until the coronation ceremony.
"Have you at least overcome your problem?" she asked me.
I shook my head, then sighed. Her point was clear–why bother with the rest of the council members if I couldn't share it with her? If I couldn't prove anything anyway?
***
"What's wrong with me, Tristan? Why can't I control this damn shield?" I fell onto the bed and blew out a big breath of frustration.
We'd just returned from an evening walk through the village, which Rina had convinced me to take to practice my power around more people. "The more you practice, the more comfortable you will become," she'd said before I left her office this afternoon. The walk had done nothing to ease my mind, though. Several of the townspeople harbored serious anxiety–I couldn't help but pick up their indignant thoughts that reflected some of the council members'. No, it wasn't a relaxing stroll. And it definitely did nothing for my shield.
I'd shared everything with Tristan, including Rina's disappointment in me and her implication of the last month being a waste of time.
"I don't think she really sees it that way," he said. "You at least had a lot of practice, which is probably why Rina continued with it for so long. If she'd truly thought it a waste, she would have ended it long ago."
"But that's it–it was a waste because it didn't do what she'd hoped. It didn't help me get comfortable enough with this power. I'm still strung so tight, and I can't shake the freakin' shield!"
Tristan took my hands and pulled me up into a sitting position. He knelt in front of me and lifted his hand to push my hair back from my face. A small smile played on his luscious lips.
He made his voice low and sexier than ever. "I have an idea about that."
"Oh, really?"
"That first night we were here … the last time we really made love–"
I grimaced, humiliation and guilt both tugging at me. "Yeah, I remember."
"Do you think that's when you blocked–"
My eyes widened. "Oh! Maybe you're right! I was so freaked out, I threw up my wall so hard and fast …"
His fingers trailed along the side of my face and across my cheek to my lips. "So maybe that's how we take it down."
Before I could think about it for a second, his lips pressed hard against mine, and my body immediately went into hyper-drive. I wanted him so badly, it hurt, and his lips and his touch against my skin heightened the ache until I couldn't stand one more second of not feeling him inside me. And if this would bring down my shield, I would take the chance of humiliation. This is right. This is what I need. This is what I want!
Or so I thought.
First I felt the wall crumbling. Felt the mind signatures coming through. Then, when Tristan moved just right and nearly sent me into oblivion, I felt the shield tremble. I knew I needed to let it fall. Let it go. But if I did … No! My whole body went rigid. So did my mind. I refused to share this intimate moment again. I refused to let go.
Which meant no loss of control, not of the shield or of myself … and no orgasm for me, either.
"That … was inadequate," Tristan muttered as we spooned afterward.
"I'm sorry. I just … couldn't. But at least you–"
"Yes, my love, but it's no fun without you. It's not the same."
My heart sunk. I never thought I'd become one of those women who faked orgasms. Now I understood why they did it. I wanted him to enjoy it, even if I couldn't.
He gave me a squeeze that didn't make me feel any better.
"Did it at least work?" he asked.
I sighed. "No. That was the whole problem. I couldn't bring myself to let go."
"Hmm," he murmured in my ear. "Don't worry. We'll figure something out."
He said that a lot lately. There was a lot to figure out. But for someone who has the best answers, he kept coming up short. Our problems seemed to be too big for even him.
***
Tristan woke me up at the crack of dawn, wired and excited.
"We have to talk to Rina immediately," he said, pacing along the side of the bed. "Hopefully she hasn't said anything to the council members about a traitor yet and we have to stop her before she does."
I sat up and stretched, the sheet falling into my lap. "What's going on?"
Tristan stopped his pacing and his eyes lingered on my chest, still bare from last night. Then he frowned. I frowned, too, self-consciously pulling the sheet up to cover myself.
"What?" I asked.
"I … uh … forgot what I was saying." He picked up his shirt from the floor, the one he'd worn yesterday, and tossed it at me. "You're too sexy for my own good."
I smiled to myself as I pulled his shirt on. "Better?"
He grinned beautifully, which made me lose my train of thought. "Yes. Thank you. So what was I saying?"
"Um … something about Rina, I think."
"Right. She wants to start an investigation outside of the council, which means notifying the members of her message about the traitor. She can't do it yet. I had an idea this morning. She needs to let you have a chance with the rest of them."
"I doubt she'll do it. She wants to move on. I've already wasted her time, remember?"
"We have to convince her, Alexis. You need to do this before you lose that protection. Right now, with your shield so tight, you couldn't expose your power if you wanted to." He dropped onto the bed in front of me and held my eyes with his. "There's a lot of discord and not only on the council. Rina does need to expand the investigation, but it'd be in her best interest–all of ours–if you can feel out the council members first. Find out who's fueling the fire."
As soon as we finished breakfast, Tristan and I went straight to Rina's office, but she wasn't there. He asked me to mentally find her, but it only took me a moment to notice her mind signature was nowhere in the mansion.
"She's not here, but Char's about to–"
A faint pop was followed by Charlotte's appearance at the other end of the hall. Her fists rested on her hips and her eyebrows lifted high.
"Do you plan on training this morning or were you going to ditch me?" she asked.
One hand shot up and her wrist flicked, then something sailed through the air at us. Just as they trained me, I eyed the object, identified it and timed my movement to pluck it safely out of the air. I held the knife by the hilt and stared at the gleaming blade that could have done some serious damage.
"We start weapons training today. Are you coming?"
I tilted my head at Tristan.
"You go," he said. "I'll find Rina. I'll join you as soon as I can."
Tristan disappeared with a pop, leaving me to explain his abrupt exit to Charlotte without telling her too much. Not one to waste time, Charlotte flashed to the gym and I followed. With her announcement about weapons training, I expected to find the full gamut of practice weapons spread out in the main training room, but only glinting discs, some star shaped and others round with razor-sharp edges, waited for me. At the other end of the room stood various sized dummies. She taught me the different ways to throw the discs, and I practiced wi
th the dummies, Char correcting my form whenever necessary. Which was embarrassingly often.
"Has Owen taught you everything about mages?" she asked after a while.
I glanced at her as I let go of the disc I was about to throw, and it went wild, bouncing off the stone wall. She lifted an eyebrow.
"It should have cut the stone, not bounce like a rubber ball. You're still not putting the right amount of power into your twist." She clasped my hand in hers and demonstrated–again–how to hold the disc and how to flick my wrist. The motion felt unnatural, but I kept trying. "Sophia says you've been working on learning all about the Amadis, but you haven't asked me anything about mages. So, has Owen told you everything you need to know or do you have questions?"
"Actually, I haven't seen Owen much since we've been here."
She made a noise in her throat. "Yes, I'm afraid Martin has kept him busy."
"Are they close?"
"They used to be, when Owen was a kid. Martin made him stay in school longer than he should have, though. First primary school to learn his ABCs and 123s, then mage school–"
"Mage school?" I interrupted, surprised to hear such a thing existed.
"Of course. The kids have to learn how to use their magic. They start at twelve years old and it's another ten years. Then Martin made Owen attend mainstream high school and college for many more years than necessary so he could learn as much as possible about Normans and their ways. Stefan finally said he'd had enough, that Owen needed more hands-on practice."
"No wonder he hates school so much."
Charlotte sighed. "I think he resents his father, and now Martin is trying to make up for it. It's good for them to have this opportunity to spend some time together."
"Mom says Martin is the most powerful warlock we have and Owen's a close second."
"It's very true, but I'm not too far behind," she said with a wink. "Actually, Martin is surprisingly powerful. I tease him that his parents must have been sorcerers."