“Sinara, come out here,” Azotay said.
Tessa hissed in a breath when the red-haired woman from the charity dinner climbed out of an SUV. The woman held up a hand to her mouth and blew. A cloud of some kind drifted from her hand and surrounded them, whirling like a small tornado.
She was at the charity thing, Rafe said.
Then the world spun in crazy kaleidoscope colors. Darius fell, then Rafe. Tessa barely had time to warn Faith before the blackness rose up to meet her.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Tessa. Tessa!”
Tessa awoke to the insistent voice. Her head pounded, and her mouth felt like it was full of cotton. She opened her eyes and groaned, putting up a hand to block the dim light. It stung her eyes. Was she hungover?
“Tessa!”
Tessa turned her head in the direction of the voice. Saw bars. A prison cell. And across the way, in another cell, was Cara.
She sat up, her head swimming for a minute, then steadying. She was on a cot, the blanket rough beneath her palms as she steadied herself. “Cara. Are you all right? What happened?”
“They drugged all of us. Again.”
“Ugh.” She shook her head, then regretted it. Memories started to come back. The plane. Santutegi. “Where’s everybody else?”
“I don’t know. I woke up and only saw you.” Cara closed her eyes and put a hand to her heart. “I hope Rafe is okay. Where’s Adrian? I didn’t see him at the airport.”
“Close, I hope. He’s supposed to be on his way here.” Tessa slowly got to her feet.
“I think they have the others in a different section of the prison.” Cara’s voice broke a little as she said, “I hope they haven’t hurt them.”
Tessa closed her eyes and focused on her mother, her brothers, and Faith. Hello! Anyone out there?
Tessa! Oh, thank the Creators! Her mother’s familiar mind voice had Tessa’s knees going weak. She plunked down on the cot again.
Mom, are you all right? Is Dad with you?
We’re all right. For now, anyway. Yes, your father is with me. He says hello.
Tessa’s eyes stung, her heart swamped with relief. Tell him hi back. We’re going to get you guys out of here.
Who’s with you, sweetie? I saw your brothers. Anyone else?
Yes, Faith.
What about Adrian? We could certainly use him.
We ran into trouble getting the stone back from the temple. He’s here, but … different.
Her mother was silent for long moments. Why do I feel there’s more to the story?
Tessa muttered a curse. Her mother’s powers were very much like Darius’s, which meant they worked on Atlanteans as well as humans, especially in matters of the heart. The temple bound his powers, Mom. He’s here, but not really a Warrior anymore.
No matter what they did to him, it shouldn’t affect your mating bond. Have you tried to connect to him?
No, not since we left.
I sense reluctance. What happened?
Nothing.
Tessa Rose Montana, now is not the time to hold back, especially to your mother. Our lives are in danger, and we need Adrian. Now what happened?
Her mother was right. They did need Adrian. Tessa collected herself. She and Adrian could sort things out later. For now, they needed every advantage to get out of this.
He held back something very important, Mom. From all of us. Turns out Azotay is his brother. That’s why he couldn’t kill him in Belize.
Well, that certainly explains things.
I don’t think he knew himself, Tessa hurried to explain. He told me he hadn’t seen his mother and brother since he was ten, when his parents split up.
Poor boy. Imagine being in a battle to the death and discovering that your opponent is your brother? I can’t imagine what kind of position that put him in.
Her mother’s caring response made Tessa feel small. She’d been so caught up in her own emotions about being lied to—a hot button, for sure—that she hadn’t considered Adrian’s side of the story. From what she knew of Azotay, she was certain that he’d waited for the most strategic moment to reveal his true identity. Adrian was a Warrior, but he still had feelings. She couldn’t imagine that any amount of discipline could hold strong in those circumstances and with that kind of revelation.
Now that she realized the impact this must have had on him, she wished even more that he’d told her. She might have been able to help.
Tessa? Are you still there?
Yes. Sorry. I was thinking.
You need to reach for him, Tessa. Connect with him. We need his help to escape this place.
Mom, it gets worse. We brought the stone with us to negotiate for your release.
Oh, no. You mean Jain Criten now has all three stones?
Yes.
Then we definitely need Adrian. Reach for him, Tessa. If the Mendukati used the same sleeping gas on you as they used on us, your brothers might be still unconscious. I’ll keep trying to reach them. But if Adrian is still on the outside, he might be our only chance to get out of this alive and, hopefully, with the stones.
Okay. He’s with Rigo and some guys from the Team.
Even better. Let me know when you’ve reached him.
Tessa felt her mother disconnecting from her, most likely to try and contact her brothers. She squeezed her eyes closed. How could she have so easily cut herself off from Adrian? It had been a gut reaction to his deception, but she considered herself a reasonable person. She knew how she still smarted from Luke’s actions. But Adrian was nothing like Luke, and she knew that, logically.
She was going to have some apologizing to do, but later, when they were all safe and the stones were out of Mendukati hands.
“What’s going on?” Cara asked. “Did you reach Rafe?”
“No, but I got my mother. I think Rafe might still be unconscious. Mom is going to keep trying.”
“Okay, good.” Cara’s tight features relaxed. “If he’s unconscious, that’s probably why I can’t reach him.”
“I’m going to see if I can get a hold of Adrian,” Tessa said, “so if you talk to me and I don’t answer—”
“No problem. Do your thing.” Cara went to sit on her bunk.
Tessa dived into her own mind, reached for the link. It trickled weakly now. Was this her doing, or had something happened to Adrian? The thought of never seeing him again … Her heart squeezed in her chest. Whatever their differences, she didn’t want anything to happen to him.
She reached into her pocket and found her new focus stone. Apparently whoever had thrown them in this prison hadn’t searched their pockets. Their mistake.
She aimed her powers into the stone, used it to boost her range, and fed energy into the mating bond. It started to flow faster, building quickly from a half-dry creek to a steadily flowing river. She searched for Adrian, but didn’t see him at the other side as she usually did. Maybe because his powers were bound?
She went deeper, dropping the defenses he’d taught her. Human voices babbled in her mind, the dull roar that she’d heard her entire life. She ignored them, pretended she was at one of her parents’ charity functions, dozens of people in a ballroom, all chatting and drinking and laughing. She was able to tune the voices to the level of white noise, like the rumble of the engines on the plane they’d flown to Santutegi. She could ignore it that way, and focused on Adrian.
Finally she saw him, a dim red-and-gold light at the other end of the link. Was he injured? Or worse, dying? She forced the panic back. Maybe it was just the distance. Her brothers and their mates had never been separated physically, so she didn’t know how actual miles would affect the link.
She pulled more energy through the stone, grateful she’d taken the time to charge it from the sun that morning. Maybe she just needed to boost the signal. She hoped that’s all it was.
Adrian, can you hear me?
No answer.
She opened her eyes and muttered a curse.
“What’s wrong?” Cara asked.
“I’m having trouble reaching Adrian. He’s not talking to me mind-to-mind like he usually does. I guess he can’t.” Tessa considered the clear stone in her hand. “I’m just getting random thoughts, like I do from humans.”
“That’s kind of like me and Rafe,” Cara said. “I don’t talk directly to him like you all do. I just sort of think things at him, and he gets the message. He can talk to me, though. He says it’s because of the bond that I can hear him.”
“But Adrian isn’t human. He’s Atlantean. We’ve always been able to talk mind-to-mind.”
“If he were a computer, I’d tell you to make sure he’s connected to the network. That there’s nothing blocking the data from getting through.”
Cara’s words gave her pause. “Let’s say he was a computer. What would prevent the data from getting through?”
“Lots of things. Faulty hardware or cabling. A firewall or a virus. A hacker. Lots of stuff.”
“The Warrior Council bound—blocked—his powers,” Tessa said. “So yes, I guess Adrian’s been hacked. It could be, too, that Criten has some sort of protection around this building that’s preventing him from getting through.”
“Like a firewall,” Cara said.
“Exactly. We have no idea what resources Criten has at his command.”
“You know, if Adrian’s thoughts are coming to you like a human’s, you can do what Rafe and I do. You can talk to him mind-to mind, and he can think ideas back at you. Maybe that will work.”
Tessa rubbed the stone between her thumb and fingers. “It’s worth a shot.”
* * *
Adrian ducked down behind the parked truck as another patrol marched by. If he had his powers, he could have scrambled up the wall behind him and jumped from roof to roof to avoid detection. But he didn’t have his powers. He’d had to improvise.
He could see the presidential palace from his hiding space. Intel gathered by the Team indicated Tessa and her family were being held there. His assignment was to note security’s movements from this side of the building and report back to Mendez so they could plan a calculated insertion into the prison beneath the palace and free the Montanas. Then maybe they’d have a fighting chance to get at least one stone back, if not all three.
He knew the plan was iffy, but it was all they had. Without super strength and speed and his Whispering ability, he could only depend on his training. For all that his enhanced abilities had been locked away from him, the Council couldn’t take his knowledge … or his razor sharp memory.
Adrian, I hope you can hear me. Tessa’s voice slipped into his mind. I can’t hear you if you speak to me, but I’m picking up your thoughts. You’re coming across to me like a normal human would. Because of our link, I believe if you think things at me, I will get the messages. Cara says this is how she talks to Rafe. Hopefully it works for us.
Tension slid away from his body. He’d thought she was ignoring him. That she hated him for being a liar or, worse, that she didn’t want him if he wasn’t a Warrior. It was that fear that ached deep inside him, even though intellectually he knew that probably wasn’t the case. But she’d reached out to him now, and he would seize the opportunity to mend fences. How could they test this theory of hers?
Testing, one, two, three. He could hear the humor in her voice.
Okay, so it was working. He thought hard about what intel they’d gathered, that Criten was doing a nationwide broadcast tonight. Something big was going on, and he suspected it had to do with the Stones of Ekhia. Maybe Criten was going to activate them? Put on some big show?
That’s not good, Tessa said. Makes me wonder where we all fit in.
Adrian’s first thought was that Criten intended to make an example of the Seers, maybe a televised execution? He tried to hide that thought from Tessa.
Too late, she said. We have to get out of here and get those stones back before he kills us all on national TV. I’m counting on you, Adrian.
Great. No pressure. Two clicks sounded in his earpiece. At the prearranged signal, Adrian doubled back to rejoin Mendez and the Team.
* * *
Darius, Faith, and Rafe had eventually regained consciousness. Cara sat in her cell, tears trickling down her cheeks as she silently communicated with Rafe. Tessa tried to reach Adrian again and still couldn’t communicate clearly mind-to-mind. She got images of the Team and something about limited resources. She wasn’t certain what that meant, but it was enough to know he was near and trying to get to them.
The sunlight filtering through the tiny window in her cell slowly faded. Night was approaching, and with it the big show Criten was planning.
Her stomach growled. No one had brought them food, which seemed to support the theory that Criten intended to kill them. She tried not to think about that. Adrian was here in Santutegi. If anyone could get them out of this, it was Adrian Gray.
The door at the end of the hall rattled open. Tessa slipped her focus stone in her pocket and waited for them to come.
But it wasn’t the guards who stopped outside her cell.
“Hey there, blondie.” That lazy drawl struck dread in her stomach, the voice she’d hoped to never hear again. Luke stepped into the light, dark-haired and green-eyed and grinning that crooked white-toothed grin. He was dressed in his usual pricey suit, light gray this time, with a white shirt, and his hands casually in the pockets of his slacks. “What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?”
She drew her pride around her like a cloak. “Well, Luke, I’m not surprised to find you crawling around underground. Is this where you slithered off to after you sold me to those kidnappers?”
“Ouch.” He laughed. “Still got those thorns, huh, Tessa?”
“What do you want, Luke?”
He held up his hands, the smooth palms of a talker, not a fighter. “I heard you were here, wanted to come see you, that’s all.”
“Well, you’ve seen me.” She stood up, suppressing a shudder at the way his gaze slid over her. Her focus stone grew warm in her pocket. Now that time had passed, she could clearly see the calculating gleam in his eyes, the sly curve to his smile. How had she missed that all those years ago? It seemed so obvious now, what he was.
How could she ever have thought Adrian was like him?
His smile faltered, then brightened. His skin took on a healthier glow, and his hair seemed shinier. He even appeared a little taller as he leaned against the bars. How could that be?
“Yes, I’ve seen you, Tessa, and you look damned good. Even better than when we were dating.”
“Can’t say the same for you, Luke. I think you’re getting some lines in your face. Right here.” She touched the corner of her eye. “Such a shame when looks start to fade.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I forgot what a sharp tongue you have, honey. Can’t say I missed that.”
“And I can’t believe I ever fell for you. What was I thinking?”
Some of the shine faded from his smile, and she could see the effort it took for him to bring it back. “You were thinking you loved me.”
“I loved an illusion.” She turned and walked back to her cot. “Why are you here, Luke? To gloat?”
“Well … yes.” He shrugged, all charming and boyish. “Quite the thrill to see the haughty Tessa Montana cut down to size.”
She fantasized for a moment about seeing him cut down to size. To be made to feel as small and insignificant as he had once made her feel.
“Now, Tessa, that’s not nice.” He clucked his tongue.
She jumped to her feet and flew at the bars. “Are you reading my mind?” she demanded. “Is that what you do? Read minds and use what you learn to get what you want?”
He shrugged. “More or less. I’m a Listener. But I don’t expect someone like you to understand what that means.”
“Someone like me, huh?” she said.
“A Seer. Your people hogged the power of the Creators and wouldn’t share it wit
h Warriors and Channelers. But you’re getting your comeuppance now, aren’t you?” He pointed a finger, feigned shooting a gun.
Tessa breathed slowly, tamping down the fear that speared through her. She sent a message to Faith. Faith, what’s a Listener?
A Channeler who can overhear the thoughts of others, came the response, and then change his appearance to be what that person wants to see. Why?
Tessa’s stomach lurched. My ex just showed up, and that’s what he is. A Listener.
Faith’s response came fast and urgent. Set up your shields to their strongest so nothing leaks out. Use the mate link for extra power. If he can’t sense your thoughts, then he can’t control his appearance, and the façade will melt away.
The shields Adrian had taught her to build. She’d lowered them trying to find him. She closed her eyes and reached for the mate link as Faith advised, siphoning power from there through her new focus stone and into her shields, sealing herself inside.
“Now, blondie, don’t take it like that,” Luke said.
Tessa ignored him, adding layer after layer of power to her mental shields until she felt like she was locked behind solid walls of cement and steel.
“Come on, look at me.” Did his voice seem less melodious?
When the shielding was as tight as she could make it, she opened her eyes to look at him. As Faith had predicted, his appearance was changing. His dark hair became sprigged with gray, and his youthful appearance faded, fine lines appearing around his eyes and aging him to about his late forties. Even his posture changed.
“Get out of here, Luke. I refuse to play your games anymore.” She turned her back on him and went to lay down on the cot.
“Don’t you dare dismiss me!” Luke gripped the bars.
“There’s nothing here for you, Luke.” She closed her eyes. “Never will be.”
“You stuck-up, bitch,” Luke sneered. “I can’t wait to see what President Criten has in store for you. Whatever it is, I hope it’s painful.”
Tessa ignored his words, focusing on visualizing herself inside that solid mental chamber of energy. He could not get her there, not ever again.
“Do you hear me, bitch?” Luke shouted. “I’ll be laughing while you suffer!”
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