“That is why those two have issues, her brother was the Prime Ruler’s spy?” Shirl must have been devastated by his duplicity. JoAnna could not imagine finding out she had a brother, only to be betrayed by him. “No wonder you did not trust me at first, visions or not.” JoAnna had not picked up that gem of information when she had entered Shirl’s brain earlier. It was mind blowing how much information was stored in someone’s brain, not to mention the privacy issues. The powers also presented a danger to her health. She had been warned about nose bleeds, now she was taking them to heart. No wonder Koel continued to look in her direction with a critical eye.
“We have all had to come to grips with the powers we possess and the moral dilemmas they represent. The problem is everyone has their own scale of what is acceptable and when you cross the line. With Jeryl Jarlyn, after tonight, it does not appear he has one.” Candy was being too profound after the day JoAnna had.
Another summons came through a communal pathway. This time JoAnna did not ignore it. She communicated she had a long day and suffered with a migraine. Jeryl Jarlyn would have no idea what type of side effects she would have after the hormone was produced. He had only been exposed to one set of soul mates and Shirl had been in questionable shape after having spent time in the Nightshade universe. JoAnna promised to arrive first thing in the morning, assuming her headache had passed.
The Prime Ruler communicated she should take care of herself and he would see her in the morning. She was off the hook for this evening and could spend some quality time with Koel. The questions were how long would she be able to hold off Jeryl Jarlyn and what did he want from her?
Koel felt a tremendous sense of relief when Tarah walked through the door. If anything had happened to his sister, he was not sure he would have ever forgiven himself. His soul mate had been blameless, but he feared he would have one day blamed her for Tarah’s loss. It was all irrelevant. He needed to concentrate on the danger Jeryl Jarlyn presented here and now, rather than suffer over what could have occurred.
JoAnna tentatively moved closer to Tarah, waiting to be introduced. He imagined the same thoughts which had plagued him ran rampant through his soul mate’s mind. To his relief, a genuine smile crossed his sister’s face when she met JoAnna.
“Thank the Supreme Being, you joined us in the Troyk universe,” his sister said. “Koel assaulted every woman he had contact with looking for his soul mate.” Tarah laughed at the look of horror on JoAnna’s face. “He did not literally assault them, just made skin to skin contact. Koel had become impossible to live with.”
“Actually, the girls did not seem to mind,” Candy added. Koel remember the first thing he did when he met Candy was to touch her. He hoped Candy did not share that piece of news with JoAnna. “Although, by the time I entered the Troyk universe, Koel was no longer the smart mouthed character I had been warned against.”
Koel did not miss the questioning look his soul mate sent his direction. “All right, enough dumping on me. I want to know what happened at The Palace.” Fortunately, that did the trick, all eyes were now on his sister.
“Jeryl Jarlyn had assigned me to off-world teams who looked for dissidents,” his sister started to answer his question. “That was why I had not come by to meet JoAnna. I barely had time to breathe between missions. When I returned yesterday, palace guards were present to escort me to The Palace for questioning. I was brought to a lovely set of rooms. Other than a quick visit from Jeryl Jarlyn, I was left alone.”
Koel felt there had to be more to the story. “When you finally communicated to me, you mentioned Jarlyn had somehow turned off your telepathic abilities. How did he do that?”
“I have no idea,” Tarah answered. “He held a gold crystal in his hands and merely stared at me. I can only assume he managed to shut off my ability to respond through any channel. During my time there, I was able to pick up chatter, but not respond.” His sister got up and put her hand on JoAnna’s shoulder. “I was aware of what Jarlyn demanded of you and how I played a role in what occurred.”
“The Prime Ruler merely advanced the timing of what we would have done eventually. We have acted like idiots, not soul mates.” JoAnna had no reason to bear part of the blame for what had happened to his sister. Koel should have had faith in JoAnna from the minute the soul mate channel had opened.
“There is one more thing,” his sister added. “Whatever power Jeryl Jarlyn leveraged, it caused him to bleed through his right ear, as well as his nose. I have never witnessed anything like it.”
“He was overtaxing his brain,” JoAnna commented. “Jarlyn had a nosebleed when he met with me and Koel.”
Was Jeryl Jarlyn abusing his power to such an extent that he had created irreparable damage to his mind? His latest actions were not those of a charismatic ruler who felt it was the Supreme Being’s gifts that made him the guardian of his people. Koel did not believe in what he was doing, but until recently, he never considered him an evil man.
“I believe we need to see Benko Jarlyn and get his opinion about what is occurring with his father,” Tarsea said. “All of this may be signs of the Prime Ruler losing his grip on his powers and his mind. Our time for action may be coming sooner than we planned.”
Koel could not disagree with his friend’s assessment. Jeryl Jarlyn was a ruthless politician, not an amoral man. “I need to stay here for the time being with JoAnna. Tarsea, you should head out with Starc, Shirl, and Candy. If any more of us go, it would look suspicious.” Tarsea nodded his agreement.
The group made quick work to clean the dining room and kitchen. Tarah would spend the night in the safe house’s second bedroom. Koel felt more comfortable with his sister under the same roof. It was doubtful she would be used as a pawn again, but Koel knew he would rest easier, knowing she was in the other room.
His soul mate could barely keep her eyes open. As much as he would have liked to make love to JoAnna, she needed sleep. Koel would hold her close and treasure every moment he had with her. She needed all her strength to deal with whatever Jeryl Jarlyn had planned for her.
Chapter 16
JoAnna slept like the dead. It was debatable whether it was because of the action-packed day she had or being held in her soul mate’s arms. Whenever she had sex in the past, she wanted the man to leave as soon as they finished. Waking in Koel’s arms was life affirming. With all the chaos thrown at her, she felt at peace lying next to her soul mate. JoAnna reluctantly rose, aware she had to meet with Jeryl Jarlyn.
They walked hand in hand to the Childers’s residence in order for her to change into fresh clothing. JoAnna had been so preoccupied with preparing to be with Koel and the threat to his sister, she had not thought to bring an additional set of clothes.
Tolfer had left them breakfast. It was clear the rest of the household had evacuated to places unknown, to give them privacy. The atrocious taste her telepathic abilities conjured up last night had finally left her memory and JoAnna was hungry.
“What do you think Jeryl Jarlyn has up his sleeve?” JoAnna asked between bites.
“After last night, I would not know where to begin. He was ruthless to us, but did not harm Tarah physically. Jarlyn had no idea about the warrior channel we communicate through and Tarah’s ability to link in. To the best of his knowledge, she was merely frustrated because she could not communicate telepathically. He would have been ignorant of her knowing he threatened her life. I do not believe there is anyone Jarlyn treasures more than a mind control telepathic subject.”
“I guess we won’t know until I meet with him.” Although she was hungry, the food was not settling easy in her stomach. JoAnna placed her fork on the plate and pushed it away. Koel had barely touched his breakfast as well. “Let me take care of the dishes and then we’ll head out.”
“Do not worry, JoAnna,” Koel reassured her. “I will be by your side the whole time.”
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br /> “I doubt Jarlyn will agree to that.”
“Very little of what Shirl and Starc have together has been leaked to the Prime Ruler,” Koel admitted. “The one thing they shared was that Shirl’s abilities are greater when her soul mate is beside her. That does not seem to be the case with Tolfer and Candy, but Jarlyn does not know they are soul mates. We merely have to inform Jarlyn we are stronger together. He wants you at your most powerful and I doubt he views me as a threat.”
“That may be true,” JoAnna reasoned. “Who knows if I could have picked up that taste from Tarsea’s mind had you not been there.” She turned off the water from the faucet and turned to face him. “May I enter yours to see if I can pick up how you felt when you first saw me? I figure that would be a strong emotion.”
JoAnna sucked in her breath in response to the steamy look Koel threw at her. She was really going to enjoy seeing and feeling what her soul mate felt about her. JoAnna concentrated on Koel’s beautiful blue eyes. They were normally an icy blue, but now they were lighter with the heat Koel generated.
For the first time since she tried to enter another’s mind, JoAnna came up with nothing. Had her powers diminished as the hormone made its way slowly through her brain? She always counted on her gift, what would she do if she had lost it?
“What is wrong?” Koel asked. Panic must have been written all over her face.
“I am not picking up anything from you.”
Koel seemed to consider what she said. He never reacted without first considering all the possibilities. Her soul mate did not have a compulsive bone in his body. His calm demeanor helped to reduce her panic.
“Can you hear all the channels, including the warrior pathway?” JoAnna concentrated and nodded as she was deluged with noise from the various channels she had access to. “This is only conjecture,” Koel continued, “but I believe the evolutionary change I have gone through has erected a barrier to prevent you from penetrating my mind. I suppose it was created to provide equal footing in our relationship.”
That explanation made sense. Shirl had told her Starc was able to hear the portal frequencies through their soul mate connection. Their coming together had provided Koel a similar, but different enhancement.
“Let’s head out and see what we can discover at the Palace,” JoAnna suggested. “We can test out my powers, as well as your own.”
JoAnna really hoped Koel was right with his deduction and that she had not lost her abilities. She was not sure what Jeryl Jarlyn would do if she had. Frankly, just the thought terrified her.
Her world had been turned upside down, but the walk to The Palace seemed so ordinary. People were going about their business, they did not suffer the doubt that plagued her mind. Even Koel seemed unreasonably calm. She once again projected into his mind, yet again unsuccessful.
The Palace guards greeted her, as they always did. JoAnna and Koel made their way to the fourth floor and led to Jeryl Jarlyn’s sitting room, rather than the study they had been directed to the night before. A tea service and pastries greeted her, as was the practice in the past. It was as if last night had not occurred.
Jeryl Jarlyn and her uncle entered, they joined her as they always did, except for the one occasion. The Prime Ruler seemed surprised to see Koel. No one must have communicated his presence.
JoAnna decided to immediately go on the offensive. “You forced us to come together as soul mates. We discovered Koel amplifies my telepathic abilities. I guess it makes sense, considering what we are to each other. In the future, he will be by my side whenever I have an assignment, as well as whatever training I am required to take.”
Jeryl Jarlyn glanced in Koel’s direction, then returned his gaze to JoAnna. He rose and took a piece of herderite from the display case. The Prime Ruler sat once more and appeared to concentrate on her soul mate.
“Impossible,” Jarlyn muttered. “I am unable to enter your mind.”
Her soul mate was initially taken aback by Jarlyn’s comment. They had thought his mind block was in place only between the two of them. The hormone had given Koel more power than originally believed.
“The evolutionary change allowed me to inherit JoAnna’s natural telepathic barrier, My Prime,” Koel explained.
“What have you been able to do?” Jarlyn asked JoAnna.
She took a sip of tea and a bite from a pastry, before she answered the Prime Ruler. Let him squirm, she thought. After what he had put them through last night, she was in no mood to cater to his every question and desire.
“I was able to taste a memory from Tarsea Childers’s childhood. I do not believe I could have done that previously.”
“Fascinating,” Jarlyn responded. “What else?”
JoAnna was tired of being treated like a carnival freak. “That is it for now. Regardless of the genetic enhancement, I did not want to overtax my brain and start to bleed. Why did you call me in this morning? After last night, I thought you would have some consideration where I was concerned.”
Jeryl Jarlyn was taken aback by JoAnna’s directness and tone. He may have forgotten what he had done the previous night, but she had not. JoAnna felt she had barely touched the surface of what she was capable of with her enhanced powers. She was prepared to play a life or death game of chicken if she had to.
Her uncle placed his tea cup on the table. Aware the Prime Ruler was unable to continue, Prime Adholm took over the explanation of why they were here. “There is an animal being held for a brutal murder. We do not have anyone who witnessed the crime, only several people who saw him in the vicinity.”
“Our normal mind control telepathic interrogators have been unable to get a confession or catch him in a lie.” The Prime Ruler had recovered his senses. “Neither your uncle nor I were able to catch the memory of the murder. He is obsessed with women; we were unable to get beyond his graphic thoughts on that subject. Our hope is you would have better success.”
“Me?” JoAnna asked in disbelief. “If both of you were unable to break through to find the truth, why would you expect I would be able to? You have used your telepathic gifts your whole lives. I was unaware of my abilities until I came to the Troyk universe.”
“You are a strong telepath and now you have enhanced capabilities,” Jeryl Jarlyn answered. “I would rather have concrete proof before I make a ruling regarding this crime.”
This was the Jeryl Jarlyn she knew and begrudgingly had started to respect, not the amoral bastard from last night. She knew little of Troyk’s justice system, although she had heard stories about how they dealt with the guilty once a verdict was reached. JoAnna had the ability to bring justice for whomever the perpetrator cut down.
“Will he be restrained?” The closest JoAnna got to a criminal was going to traffic court. She was way out of her league.
“He will be properly bound and we will have palace guards in attendance. I assume you will want your soul mate present.” Jeryl Jarlyn certainly got that right.
“She does not go anywhere without me,” Koel added for good measure.
“As you wish,” the Prime Ruler responded. “JoAnna, after the attack against you last night, I took the action I thought would best protect you in the future.”
Once again, JoAnna was baffled by the Prime Ruler’s behavior. His moral compass was broken if he thought what he had done was for her benefit. She would have to deal with these feelings later, she had a more pressing matter to deal with.
Although JoAnna would be surrounded by guards and her soul mate, she was petrified about entering the mind of a possible killer. She had slept with the lights on for a week after she had watched Psycho. Her sojourns into the thoughts of others were harmless parlor tricks, compared to what she was about to face.
The fear reflecting off his soul mate disturbed Koel, as they made their way from Jeryl Jarlyn’s residence to the
small prison located in The Palace’s basement. Very few citizens knew of its existence. His cousin Starc had spent a few hours there after he and Shirl had sheltered Chartail Adholm. It was used as a holding cell before sentences could be arrived at and executed. A small warehouse outside of town was where convicted felons resided until the Prime Council could come up with a new policy related to how convicted prisoners were to be handled.
The scandal related to feeding the Nightshade vampires convicted murderers and the existence of children in the penal world resulted in no long-term solutions for their criminal element. Past Troyk policies had brought about a world with very little crime. This could possibly change, if decisions were not made soon. Koel did not like having his soul mate involved in any aspect of their judicial system.
“You can still change your mind about the interview with the prisoner,” Koel communicated to his soul mate through their closed channel. “You had such a strong reaction to merely a terrible taste last night. I cannot imagine what entering the mind of a possible deranged killer will do to you.” He did not want to candy coat what JoAnna would face. The Troyk people had advanced medical technology for every part of the body except the brain. Even though they were a telepathic race, they knew very little about the complex organ.
“I don’t know if I have the ability to back out now,” JoAnna admitted. “Besides, what better way to test my abilities.” Regardless of the brave face she presented, he could sense her apprehension. He knew she was petrified of what she was about to do.
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