“Maybe.” Cameron took her lower lip between her teeth and met my gaze. The shimmering hope there made me uneasy and slightly ill. I wanted to stumble from the car and say, nope, sorry, maybe next time. If she was looking for help, she better look to Olivia or Lewis. I hadn’t a clue what to do, and I was new to this thrumming, impossible source.
Without waiting for my agreement, or maybe sensing my reluctance, Cameron pressed her trembling hands to Aunt Lyndsey’s chest, right above the wound. Blood flowed up between her pale fingers with each beat of our aunt’s heart. The entire world seemed to slow. Olivia and Lewis faded, the noise from the nearby highway disappeared. I could hear nothing, see nothing but Cameron and Lyndsey surrounded by pure, golden light. Energy. Awesome, pulsing energy. Just like that, any unease fled. I could practically feel the vibration of the entire universe, and with that vibration came power. Complete and unending power.
Add your energy, Cameron’s voice whispered through my mind. Help me.
Startled, I looked up, meeting her gaze. “I…I can’t.”
“Try it.”
Still, I hesitated. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to control my powers and I’d kill her. Worse, I was afraid that it was all a mistake, that I wasn’t a carrier and she’d die anyway. Still, what choice did I have but to try? With Cameron’s stare unnerving and insistent, I gave in and pressed my hand atop hers. Almost immediately I felt the energy flare to life within the pit of my belly, as if it had been waiting all along to be set free. It thrummed, it sang as it left my body in a heated wave and soaked through Cameron’s hands, into Aunt Lyndsey’s chest. My eyes closed; I didn’t need to look, I knew it was working.
I wasn’t sure how long we sat there with our energy pouring into her, but just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. The world came back sharply into focus. Cameron pulled her hands away, her fingers red with Aunt Lyndsey’s blood. Slowly, I moved back. I felt as if I’d just woken from a dream, a really deep, really odd dream. Swallowing hard, I forced my gaze to focus on Lyndsey. Maybe it was my imagination, but her cheeks looked like they had some color, her breathing calmer.
“Aunt Lyndsey,” Cameron whispered.
The eyes behind her lids flickered as if she heard us and was trying to dredge up enough power to lift her lashes.
“Aunt Lyndsey,” Cameron said, a bit more insistent this time.
Our aunt’s eyes slowly opened, her gaze hazy but alert. I didn’t dare breathe as I waited. Who the hell knew what that much energy would do to a person, even a person carrying the source. But just like that her gaze cleared.
“Are you okay?” Cameron asked.
She looked to Cameron first, then me, as if trying to figure out what had just happened. “Yes.” Her hand went to her chest, the material still sodden with her own blood. “You healed me.”
She looked as stunned as I felt. I couldn’t manage to respond, but Cameron nodded, giving her a grin as if she’d had no doubt. Hell, my body might have been buzzing, but my rational mind denied what had just happened. I stretched my fingers, trying to ease the sudden tightness of my skin. I’d just brought my aunt back from the brink of death. It was too much, too freaking much. Disconcerted, I stumbled from the car, my own breathing harsh and shallow.
It was real. Every moment that passed gave me further proof that what my aunt had said was real: I was a freaking carrier of the source.
“Nora?” Lewis headed around the front of the car toward me. “Nora,” his voice snapped through the haze in my mind. “Go to the office, get two rooms. Pay cash.”
I nodded and numbly took the money from him. “Thanks.”
He was giving me a reprieve. He understood that I was overwhelmed; he had been too a year ago when Cameron and I had showed up with stories of memories he didn’t remember. I clutched the wad of cash in my fist and moved down the sidewalk. I had basically brought my aunt back to life. I glanced back, needing to make sure. She still sat in the car with Cameron. Lewis was beside them, Olivia just standing there off to the side, alone. It was too late for her. She might be alive, but when you were tortured it killed a part of you that could never be brought back to life. If only I’d carried the source when I’d been on that boat and Mom had drowned. If only…
I turned a corner and spotted the office ahead. The afternoon was eerily quiet. The only sound was the far away rumble of cars on the highway and the occasional chirp of a bird. We were safe here…I hoped. We just needed to make it into a room.
Suddenly, I stumbled, my head swimming. “Hell no.”
Saving Aunt Lyndsey had been too much. Off balance, I pressed my hand to the rough stucco siding of the building, waiting for my body to return to me. Everything was a dizzying whirl of color and sound. I tried to move forward again, but my legs felt leaden. Slowly, I sank against the wall. Although the sun was bright and hot, the fluorescent lights above had been left on and the bulbs buzzed like a swarm of cicadas swarming me.
Cameron, I sent out the mental call but wasn’t sure if the message traveled. My legs folded, my body no longer my own. Vaguely I was aware of my knees hitting the hard ground, a thud that vibrated throughout my entire body. I fell back, my head slamming against the cement. The sun above spun, the clouds in turmoil. Too bright. I closed my eyes. The world around me faded, the sounds disappearing into silence. For a moment I just hung there…suspended in nothingness, savoring the feel.
“Nora,” someone whispered near my left ear.
The sound of his voice brought with a change in scenery. The ground was no longer hard, but soft. The parking lot no longer smelled like garbage and car fumes but sweet earth and clean air. I sighed, lifting my lashes. Fluffy white clouds floated on a brilliant blue sky. Definitely not in Kansas anymore. I slid my gaze right. Wavering wild flowers of purple and pink. Small yellow and white butterflies flittering from bloom to bloom.
“Nora, are you okay?” A warm hand brushed the side of my face.
Slowly, I turned my head. Maddox lay beside me, his gaze piercing, worried. My chest grew tight, my anxiety fleeing. Even if it was a mirage, I savored the sight of him, and in that brief moment nothing else mattered. “Where are we?”
“The field.”
He didn’t need to explain further, I understood. Between the football stadium and the college was a field where he’d taken me on our third date. After dinner we’d walked through the wildflowers, and he’d laid out a blanket. I thought he was merely trying to get in my pants, but after we’d lain side by side for an hour and he hadn’t made a move, I’d been more than surprised. Instead, we’d watched the falling stars and talked about what we’d wanted out of life. The day had been perfect. It was also the moment when I’d realized he was no longer just a means to an end; I couldn’t deny my feelings for him any longer.
“Do you remember what you said to me here that last night we were together?” he asked, his breath warm across my cheek. God, he felt so real, it was hard to remember that it was just his energy. I couldn’t help myself and rolled onto my side toward him.
“You said you merely wanted to be free. Free from worry, free from your past and your parents’ pasts. You said you just wanted a normal family, a normal life.”
“Yeah,” I released a harsh laugh. “Pretty stupid.”
“Not really.” He reached out, slipping his hand in mine. I stiffened at his touch. I still wasn’t used to being vulnerable, and holding hands with Maddox was opening up a can of worms I wasn’t quite ready for. “You think we could have had that? A normal life?”
I jerked my hand away. “No. People like us don’t get normal.”
I turned my head, studying the college, but the buildings were hazy, no students visible. Brushing off my unease, I returned my attention to Maddox. I’d learned long ago that when you started to believe, when hope flared, that’s when fate bitch-slapped you hard.
I shoved my hands into the ground and sat up. “I was born this way, Maddox. There’s nothing I can do about it. But you… Why d
id you stay with them? You could’ve escaped. You could’ve had a life.”
Slowly, he sat up. He was pale, dark crescents under his eyes. In fact, if anything, he looked worse than before. Despite trying to prevent the emotions from taking over, my worry grew.
“You still don’t get it, do you?” He was serious, so freaking serious.
Although it was warm, I felt cold. I wasn’t sure I wanted him to keep going with this line of conversation.
“I stayed for you.”
I surged to my feet, attempting to put distance between me and his words. “Right.”
He stumbled upright, and grabbed my arm, forcing me to remain by his side. “I stayed to protect you. I stayed because I wanted to help you.”
I jerked away from him, furious. Angry that he was choosing to tell me the truth now, of all times. Angrier still that I believed him. “Why should I trust you?”
“Because I knew.” He stepped closer to me, blocking out the sun so that he was merely a large, broad-shouldered shadow. “I knew where you were every moment of your life after you left me. I knew, and I made damn well sure to hide your location from them. I couldn’t leave because I realized the only way to protect you was by staying with them.”
I shook my head. He was saying he’d given up his life for me, but the only people I knew that selfless were Cameron and Lewis. Let’s face it, their love wasn’t normal, it didn’t happen every day. “I don’t believe you.”
I couldn’t believe him. If I let my guard down and he betrayed me, I knew without a doubt I would never trust a living soul again. It would destroy me. “I’m leaving.”
I started past him, although where I was going I hadn’t a clue. His gaze narrowed, anger flashing in those steel eyes as he reached out and latched onto my arm. “I knew when you left Ohio and moved to Missouri. I knew when you left Missouri and moved to Savannah. I knew. I stayed so that I would be one step ahead of them, so that I could manipulate the facts and they wouldn’t find you.”
His words stunned me. Oh God, was he serious? I jerked away from his touch. “You should’ve told me!”
He latched onto my wrists, pulling me up close. “If I had told you, you would never have run. I had to make you hate me.”
I tried to pull away, but even ill, he was still too strong. “Well, you succeeded, you stupid ass!”
“No,” he whispered, pulling me close. “Not really, did I?”
No. He hadn’t because I knew, he knew—hell, everyone probably knew—that I still loved him. I sank into his body, telling myself I would allow only a few minutes to savor his touch.
“Nora.” He slid his fingers under my chin and tilted my head back. “I’ve always loved you.”
I wanted to push him away, but I couldn’t seem to move. When he lowered his head, and his lips met mine, I let him kiss me. I let him because I wanted it as much as he, maybe more. The years might have gone by, but my attraction for him hadn’t changed…he still kissed better than any man I knew. His arms slid around my waist, pulling me close to his hard body. I was losing control, falling into that hazy zone of pleasure. But I wouldn’t lose my mind. This wasn’t real, not really. Maddox was out there somewhere being tortured. I might never find him.
I pushed at his chest, tearing my mouth from his. “I can’t. We can’t stay here. I have to find you.”
“No,” he whispered, cupping the sides of my face. “Don’t. Go live your life.”
“What life? You know as well as I there is nothing for me but secrecy and running. Yeah, I’ve done terrible things.” I shook my head. “But I can’t leave you. I might have hated you at times, but I won’t give up. We will find you. Olivia will help—”
“Olivia?” He frowned, his hands dropping to my shoulders in a tight grip.
I nodded. “She’s another mind reader, actually lived in Maine with Aaron when you were there as a prisoner. We found her and—”
“No, Nora. She’s working for them.”
I pulled away, stumbling back and releasing a wry laugh. “She was beaten.” I turned away from him, I couldn’t concentrate when he was looking at me like that, and I needed to concentrate. “She was attacked right there along with us. She can’t be one of them…”
I spun around, but Maddox was gone. For a moment I merely stood there, stunned, hoping, praying, he was merely hiding. As if he’d pop up out of the wildflowers and say “Surprise!”
But no. I could sense it in the energy surrounding me. He was gone. “Maddox?”
“You alright, lady?” someone asked, the voice coming from everywhere all at once.
Confused, I turned around, searching for the voice, but the world around me was melting like a water color left in the rain. The flowers…gone. The sky…gone. I stood for the briefest moment within nothingness. Suddenly the world gave way and I was floating, floating, sinking, the reality around me becoming solid once more. The ground beneath me hardened, my body heavy. The scent of motor oil and garbage invaded my nose, making me gag. I coughed, blinking my eyes wide and staring into the harsh sunlight.
“Lady?” Someone shifted closer, hovering over me.
The memory of my visit with Maddox came rushing back. Oh God, she was lying. Olivia was lying. I shoved my hands into the sidewalk and jumped to my feet, although I knew my body would protest the sudden movement.
“Lady?” The concerned man started to reach for me.
I ignored the buzz of my body, the throbbing of my head from where it had hit the sidewalk. “I’m fine. Thanks. I’m fine.”
I raced toward the car. Olivia had watched me and Cameron heal Aunt Lyndsey, so she knew I carried the source. They were in more danger than even Maddox realized. I rounded the corner and spotted them. My aunt sat on the sidewalk curb, Lewis stood with his arm around Cameron’s waist, while Olivia rested on the hood of the car looking uneasily around her.
She’s lying, I sent the mental message out.
Cameron jerked her gaze toward me. “What?”
“Olivia is lying.”
Cameron stiffened, pulling away from Lewis. “What do you mean?”
I didn’t miss the way Olivia lost all color, the bruises standing out starkly against her pale skin. “She’s lying. She’s working for them.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” She slid down the hood, glaring at me. She wasn’t shocked, or terrified, she wasn’t even nervous. I narrowed my eyes. She was angry that I’d uncovered the truth.
“Lift up your shirt.”
Her lips curled into a snarl. “What?”
Okay, yeah, I could admit it was an odd request. “I’m not asking you to flash me, just let me see your stomach and back.”
Her hands fisted at her sides. “Why?”
“Do it.”
“Fine.” She lifted her shirt, revealing her pale stomach. “Like what you see?”
“Turn.”
She sighed and turned. Smooth back, free of blemishes. Exactly as I’d expected.
Cameron inched her way toward me. “Uh, Nora, this is fun and all, but what’s the purpose?”
I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling more than vindicated. Maddox had been right. He hadn’t lied, at least not about Olivia. “No bruises.”
Cameron shook her head, confused. But then she hadn’t been brought up to look for inconsistencies, to always be on guard, always be suspicious.
“If she had been beaten,” Lewis added, coming to stand next to us, “they would have hit her everywhere, not just her face.”
Olivia dropped her shirt, releasing a wry laugh. “You’re just as insane as S.P.I.”
My anger got the better of me, and I surged forward, my energy racing ahead. Suddenly she was thrown back against the car, her legs and arms flopping around her like a ragdoll tossed aside. Her shocked gaze went to me, true terror there. Gone was that smirk.
With my energy, I held her against the car, pinned to the bumper without even touching her. “The bruises are for show. Damn it, S.P.I. could be f
ollowing us even now. How far away are they? Tell us the truth, or—”
“What? You’ll kill me?” Her lips pulled back into a sneer. “Fine, you want the truth? I set you up. What choice did I have? To have my brain cut open like yours?”
I swallowed hard, resisting the urge to lash out the one way I felt most comfortable… with my fist. She was younger, she was scared, she was stupid. She didn’t realize that the moment they caught up with us, she was dead as well.
“And what good did it do you?” she continued her rant, pushing away from the bumper and straightening her shoulders. “You suffered for nothing! Your mom is still dead!”
I could hold back no longer. My anger flared, the energy bursting from my body, free…free. The energy hit her hard. Olivia flew back, slamming against the car hood and sliding to the ground into a lump of pathetic, crying human flesh.
“Nora, calm down,” my aunt said, her voice muffled under the roar of blood in my ears. “Get control.”
The anger was still there, but her words sent a shiver of reality through me. Damn it all. With a sigh of frustration, I stepped back, putting distance between Olivia and me. Aunt Lyndsey was right, I needed to retain control. What the hell was wrong with me? “Where is he?”
She sat up. “Screw you. You think I’ll give up my life for your boyfriend?”
My blood boiled, my hands fisting. I could kill her so easily now that I held the powers of the entire freaking universe. So damn easily.
We might be able to break through her wall and get the information, Cameron said mentally, her words wading through my anger. I took in a deep breath. Retain control. Yep, totally Zen. I gave Cameron a stiff nod.
“You’ll kill her, Nora. You don’t have full use of your powers,” my aunt said, startling me. “If you try to get the info, she will probably die.”
“You can hear us?” Cameron asked, irate.
She gave us a half-smile. “Not always. But you two aren’t as clever as you think.”
I flushed, annoyed. Why hadn’t she told us? Hell, what had she overheard? I managed to heal you without death on my hands, I said, sending the mental message.
The Mind Keepers (The Mind Readers) Page 8