by Rebecca York
Still wondering how much freedom she had, she left the bedroom and walked into the public part of the house. In the kitchen, a woman in a maid’s uniform smiled at her. She looked anxious to please. Would she get into trouble if this encounter didn’t go well?
“My name is Anna. I hope you’re feeling refreshed.”
“Yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Tessa,” she answered.
“I know it’s not morning, but you don’t have to pay attention to the time. You probably want a light meal. Should it be breakfast food? Or would you rather have dinner?”
She considered the choices. “Breakfast, thank you.”
“We have anything you want. Fruit. Juice. Eggs. Pancakes. Just tell me what you prefer.”
“Scrambled eggs. Orange juice.”
“Toast?”
“Yes.”
“Coffee or tea?”
“Coffee, please.”
It was such a normal conversation, in such abnormal circumstances. But she realized it helped her relax. This wasn’t a jail. It was a civilized household.
She was sitting at a table in the sun-filled breakfast room when Rafe came in.
He stopped and smiled at her, then walked to the counter and poured two mugs of coffee, which he brought to the table, along with cream and sugar.
As she added them to her mug and stirred, he sat down and took a sip of black coffee.
“You’re looking well,” he said. “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good.”
“I’d love to show you around after you get something to eat. I’ve got a fully equipped gym that you’re welcome to use. And a screening room. Swimming. A putting green. Tennis.”
“And what if I want to leave?” she couldn’t stop herself from asking.
“Let’s not deal with that yet,” he said easily.
She nodded, sipping her coffee. When the maid brought her breakfast, she tasted some eggs.
She ate only a little of the meal, before setting down her fork. “This is very good, but I’m not all that hungry.”
“You’ll probably feel more like eating later. Why don’t we walk around a bit. I’d like you to be entirely comfortable here.”
They got up and went outside, where he showed her the beautifully situated swimming pool, obviously very proud of the landscaping and the workmanship.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you. And we’re very good together, don’t you think?”
“It seems so.”
He was about to draw her into his arms when a servant came hurrying up.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but you have a video transmission,” he said to Rafe.
“I’m busy now,” he answered with an edge in his voice.
“He says you’ll want to talk to him.”
Rafe hesitated. “All right.”
She followed him to a wood-paneled library where he pressed a button on a remote. A section of the wall slid aside revealing a large, flat screen. When he pressed another button, the screen sprang to life and Tessa saw a man’s face.
She stared at him. He looked familiar. Had she met him before? Or maybe it was the distortion of the TV screen.
He was almost surely a Minot. Probably he reminded her of Rafe—and Jason, for that matter. Although he looked like he was in his forties, she guessed that he might be older.
Rafe looked back at her. “Would you excuse me please? I need to take this call.”
It was a polite request, but she could hear the tension in his voice.
She stepped out of the library but remained standing just out of sight in the hallway.
“You didn’t tell me you were going to call,” Rafe said.
“I don’t like to announce my plans. I’ve discovered over the years that it’s better to be spontaneous. Then find out what happens next.”
Rafe lowered his voice. “Are you calling to discuss my proposal?”
“I want to hear more about it. I think you’re suggesting a drastic step.”
“Perceptive of you.”
“The Ionian. I hope you’re treating her well.”
“Of course,” he answered. But it was obvious that he was being cautious in his responses. “We should wait until we have some privacy to talk more. If you come here, I’ll drop my Minot defenses around the property. But you’ll have to let me know you’re coming. And I want you checked for weapons before you come into the house.”
“Understood.”
Before Rafe could exit the room and find her eavesdropping, Tessa hurried down the hall. If she ran, she might make it to her room. Instead she took a chance and stepped into a powder room. If he found her here, she could always say she’d needed to use the facilities.
As she stood in the darkness, she thought about the conversation. Rafe hadn’t said much, but the implications had disturbed her.
He was planning something that involved her. Could it also involve the order?
Or was she just reading too much into his tone and the way he’d cut off the conversation?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
WITH A SENSE of urgency, Sophia stood up and turned to Jason. “We can’t waste any time.”
When he nodded and followed her out of the room, she knew the eyes of all the Ionians were on the two of them. Her relationship with Jason had challenged everything they had assumed about the Minot and about themselves over centuries. Some probably thought she was making a fatal mistake by trusting him. Others might envy her. If she and Jason succeeded, would that change the whole Ionian order?
She couldn’t think about the future now. The important thing was finding Tessa.
When they had stepped into the hallway, he said, “You think we can only connect on a deep level in the cave?”
She hesitated. “I don’t know.”
“In the barn—I started to hear your thoughts. And when I was carrying you to the lounge, I was speaking to you. Did you hear me?”
“Maybe.”
“You acted like you didn’t.”
“I was upset.”
He nodded and glanced back at the women who trailed after them.
Sophia followed his gaze. “We can’t talk here. The cave gives us some privacy, and we can call on the power the place generates.”
He took her arm and led her outside into the sunlight, causing her to blink rapidly. It felt like hours since the women had surrounded them, but it hadn’t been all that long.
They hurried to the parking lot and climbed into one of the four-wheel-drive vehicles the spa owned. When they’d both closed their doors and she’d started the engine, he said, “Come to my ranch instead.”
“That wasn’t our agreement with Eugenia. She’s trusting you not to run away.”
“I won’t. But it will give us more freedom.”
“You didn’t mention it while we were with the others.”
He shrugged. “Do you think that would have been a good idea?”
“Is this some kind of test?”
“No. But if you want to spend time hiking into the desert, we can.”
She thought about how long they had to get some information about Tessa and of her confidence in her ability to connect with Jason again. If they went to the vortex, they would be using up precious time, but if they couldn’t merge their minds deeply away from that place, they’d have to go into the desert anyway.
Tension made his body rigid as he waited for her to answer.
“All right,” she said.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“I have to.”
“I think we have to trust each other.”
They drove out of the compound, headed toward town, but he soon directed her onto a gravel road that led into the desert.
They bounced along until a low house came into view. It was earth-colored adobe, in the style that was popular in the area.
The place wasn’t designed to impress anyone, but she saw that he’d landscaped the yard wi
th succulents, cactus, and other desert vegetation. And in one corner was a bed of river rocks with a pedestal fountain in the center. As she watched, a goldfinch landed, drank, and flitted away.
“I don’t need anything fancy,” he said as they climbed out of the car. “But I built a meditation labyrinth out back.”
“I take it you’re referring to rock-lined paths leading in a circular pattern to the center? Not something underground like on Crete where the Minotaur lived?”
He laughed. “I’m not that ambitious.”
“You use it?”
“Yes. It’s got a calming effect on me. And building it was good occupational therapy.”
“You needed therapy?”
He laughed. “Probably all Minot do.”
“Why?”
“We have a lot of baggage to deal with.” He turned toward the house. “Maybe Ionians do, too.”
“We weren’t doomed to repeat our lives!”
“You have trouble dealing with change. You stick to ancient rituals that don’t necessarily work in the modern world.”
“That’s not fair.”
He sighed. “We’ve got more important things to do than argue about our heritages.”
She nodded. “Yes. Sorry.”
Curious to see what he’d done to the interior, she followed him inside and found he’d stuck with the southwest theme. The floor was made of large terra-cotta tiles, with a few Native American rugs. The furniture was leather. Bookshelves lined one wall. When she walked closer, she saw everything from popular novels to veterinary textbooks—interspersed with ornaments. Some were pottery. Others glass, metal, wood, or stone, and all were animals. Wolves lying down or howling. A pair of white monkeys. Rabbits sniffing the air. Horses, mountain lions, sea lions, dolphins, and other creatures.
She walked over and picked up a panther carved of what must be onyx and weighed it in her hand before putting it down again. She longed to examine all the objects that he’d selected for his own pleasure, but she knew she was only stalling. They had work to do, and she didn’t know if they could do it.
“You’ve made the place comfortable,” she said. “And unique.”
“It was more occupational therapy—while I was waiting to get the job at the spa.”
“You were sure you’d get it.”
“I was the most qualified.”
“You checked on the others?”
“Of course.”
“Who are your other clients?”
He looked slightly embarrassed. “Nobody. I came here to connect with the Ionians.”
She tipped her head to the side, studying the wry expression on his face.
“Lucky I didn’t check your local references.”
“I’m just getting started here, remember.”
“What are you living on?”
“That’s not a problem. My father left me a fortune. And I’ve made investments that have paid off.” He took her hand. “Why are you stalling? We should get to work.”
“We promised a lot. I’m wondering if we can deliver.”
TESSA flushed the toilet, washed her hands, and came back to the breakfast room to find Rafe standing there.
“Where were you?” he asked, a sharp edge in his voice.
She flapped her hand. “In the bathroom. My stomach’s a little upset.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing serious.”
“Maybe eggs aren’t the best breakfast.”
“Right. Do you have any bananas? And maybe some crackers.”
“Of course.” He turned toward the kitchen, and she heard him giving orders to the cook.
SOPHIA had been holding herself away from Jason, postponing the moment when they came together, but when he gave a small tug on her hand, she walked into his embrace, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
They both sighed. Partly in relief and partly in anticipation. Could they join their minds on a deep level and reach out to Tessa? Away from the vortex?
Feeling a buzzing to her brain, she prayed that it was the start of something they could use.
He stroked his hands up and down her back, sensitizing her to himself.
She didn’t have to ask if he felt the buzzing, too. Closing her eyes, she leaned into him, a host of emotions swirling through her. They had been apart less than a day, yet she had the sensation of missing him terribly and joyfully coming back to him.
They swayed together, touching and stroking. When she lifted her head, he brought his mouth down to hers for a kiss that was as much a homecoming as a promise.
“How should we do this?” she whispered when they broke apart for air.
He laughed again. “I recall that last time we were together, you tortured me.”
She gave a little gulp. “You figure turnabout is fair play?”
“Not exactly. I think this time we have to torture each other. I mean,” he clarified, “we have to bring each other to a knife edge of need—and stay there until we accomplish our mission.”
She swallowed. “Or go insane.”
“Yeah.”
She wanted him so badly at this moment that she couldn’t imagine jacking up the level. But she understood the suggestion.
“Are we allowed to be comfortable?” she asked.
“I think it’s better that way.” With his arm around her, he turned them toward a short hallway that led to the back of the house. His bedroom was in the same style as what she’d already seen, with a squared-off wooden bed and matching dresser and a masculine spread of brown microfiber.
They turned down the spread together, each of them standing on an opposite side of the mattress. Just the act of getting the bed ready made her blood run hotly through her veins. When he came around to her side and slipped his hands under the back of her T-shirt, she felt like she was going to explode.
They undressed each other, moving slowly, drawing out the anticipation until they were both naked, standing facing each other. Reaching out, she touched his shoulder, his chest, then stroked down to his belly where his erection stood out hard and firm.
His face was a study in need as he touched her, playing his fingers over her breasts, then lifting them in his palms and stroking his fingers over her nipples.
When he did, she caught the first sense of something far away. She knew he was aware of it, too, because he looked at her questioningly.
“We’d better lie down before we fall down,” she murmured.
They eased onto the bed together, and he rolled to his side, gathering her close. Reaching down, she grasped his cock, guiding him into her.
They both sighed at the joining.
When the Ionians had captured him, she had been afraid that they would never make love again. Now they locked intimately together.
He nuzzled his face against her forehead, stroked his hands gently over her back.
“We’re here now,” he said, and she knew he was following her thoughts.
She turned her head, kissing his cheek, his jaw. She wanted to enjoy this moment with him. She wanted to move her hips, but he caught that thought, too, and pressed his hands against her bottom, holding her still and reminding her what they had to do.
“We can’t.”
“I don’t think I can manage this.”
“You have to.”
She massaged the muscles of his arms, marveling at his willpower. Given this opportunity, any other man would take his pleasure. This one was postponing gratification—to help her find her sister.
But it was more than that: their own future hung in the balance. He’d seen what his parents had together. He wanted that for the two of them.
He had made her want it, too, more than anything, even when she didn’t completely understand it. Or maybe she didn’t have the same commitment because she’d always relied on her sisters for emotional fulfillment. Even when she was enjoying a physical relationship with a man.
What if the order cast her out now? She had broken their
rules by wanting more with Jason than sex. But wasn’t Cynthia doing the same thing? Was it all right for the high priestess to do as she pleased and not with an ordinary Ionian?
She knew Jason was following some of that reasoning, because he answered her.
We have to get through the present before we can think about the future.
How can you be so calm?
I knew that the Minot lacked discipline, so I focused on giving myself that advantage.
She had known he was extraordinary. Now she understood that she was just delving into his depths.
He tried to soothe her with calming thoughts, but it didn’t help. Without warning, she was seized by a desperation that she couldn’t control.
“I need you.”
“You have me.”
“I can’t deal with this!”
When she began to move, he tried to resist—for the two of them.
“Don’t.”
But she swept him along, catching him in her urgency.
They moved together, frantic to give and take what they both wanted. A blinding climax overtook them. It should have shut out everything else in the world, but just as she drifted back to earth, she heard something from far away.
Tessa calling out to her with an urgency that made her go still.
Jason heard it, too, and he tightened his arms around her as she screamed in shame and frustration.
“I forgot what I was supposed to be doing,” she gasped.
“Nobody said this was going to be easy.”
Once again he was the voice of reason as he cradled her in his arms, stroking her.
“I messed that up,” she whispered.
“No. It was when we climaxed that you heard her.”
“She’s in danger. We have to focus on finding her.”
“We’ll do that now.”
His reassurance was interrupted by a blast of psychic communication.
Not from Tessa. From Eugenia.
You’d better get out of there. Cynthia found out you’re not at the cave, and she’s coming to bring you back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
SOPHIA GASPED. WHY?
She says that Jason has you under his control, and she’s persuaded some of the others.