by Kresley Cole
A prickle of awareness crawled down the ridges of his spine.
Lilica gave him a little shove. “Regretting your promise of cakes already?”
Dallas turned to the side, keeping the shop window in his periphery. He could just make out the girl’s reflection of health, vitality, and seduction. No doubt about it, he was looking at Trinity Swan, queen of the Schön.
Acting casual, he led Lilica down the street. Trinity followed them. Excellent. He could lead her straight into a trap.
Lilica gasped. “Are you sure it’s her?”
Accursed bond! She could spoil everything, alert her sister and send the girl running. “Don’t look back. Please. She’ll realize we know she’s here.”
Lilica wound her arm around his, squeezing with more force than necessary, and smiled up at him, as if she were about to tell him a naughty secret. “All right. I concede. I won’t wait to speak with her. Just promise me you’ll lock her away and let Jade and me try to cleanse her. We’ll be the only ones ever at risk.”
He blinked in surprise. She’d offered more than he’d ever expected from her. “Lilica—”
“I’m willing to help you, Dallas, but we both need to get something out of the deal. So let’s bargain. And despite everything, let’s trust each other to do as promised.”
“Your bargain is too open-ended. If you and Jade can’t cleanse her after a month . . . five months . . . a year? What then? The longer she’s locked away, the higher the probability she’ll rot and die or even escape.”
He knew he was getting through to her, but he also felt the despair picking at her insides like carrion birds who’d finally found a meal.
“A year, then. Give us a year.”
“Judging by her newest victims, she might rot within weeks.”
“Just . . . give us a month. Please,” she grated.
Shock hit him. Because of the bond, he knew she had sworn never to plead with anyone for anything. “Why are you so concerned with saving her? She tried to kill you.”
“And you’re clearly an only child or you wouldn’t have to ask. The disease tried to kill me.”
“Sweetheart, she is the disease.”
She shook her head with violent determination. “The Schön disease was forced on her, and while I couldn’t save her then, I can do everything in my power to save her now. I must. For years we wove rescue fantasies; they were our only real life raft. The only reason we survived. Now I’m free, but she isn’t. She’s still locked in a prison of the institute’s making.”
Comprehension suddenly dawned. She loved her sister, yes, but more than that, she wanted to right what she perceived as a terrible wrong. She tortured herself with thoughts that if she’d just been stronger, she could have helped Trinity before all this started; she refused to accept the fact that she’d been a child herself, with no way to save herself much less her sister.
How could he refuse her?
“Let’s see if I can convince Mia.” He tapped his ear, turning on his cell phone and dialing his boss’s number with only a thought.
As soon as she answered, he explained the situation and the offered deal. He expected her to curse and refuse, and he wasn’t disappointed. “This is the best deal you’re going to get. Turn it down, and we may not capture Trinity at all. Say yes, and you get two new assets along with a prisoner. Lilica and Jade have abilities like none you’ve ever seen. You want them. Trust me.”
“You sound like Devyn and John,” she grumbled. “Both called earlier today.”
Laying the groundwork before Dallas accepted what had once seemed like the unacceptable. Nice. “I need your decision. I’ve got a lock on the Schön right now.”
She sucked in a breath. “Yes, you mangy mutt. Yes, I agree.”
“Thanks.” Click.
For once—twice, thrice, whatever—he stopped cursing the bond and enjoyed the benefits. He didn’t have to explain the conversation to Lilica. “Let’s get Trinity into an alley. Without innocents in the way, I’ll be able to shoot her with a gun created just for her and—”
A tendril of betrayal drifted through him.
“—and,” he continued through gritted teeth, annoyed by her immediate distrust of his intentions, “prevent her from running away. It’ll be a flesh wound; she’ll recover while you search for a cure. You’ll keep anyone from entering the alley. There’s a pyre-gun at my side. It has a stun setting and should work on everyone. If it doesn’t, press the small black button on the handle and a blade will pop out.”
“Thank you for understanding.” She rested her head on his shoulder and wound an arm around his waist, letting her hand slide under his jacket. Her fingers curled around the weapon’s handle. “And thank you.”
Feels so good against me.
Concentrate. He turned them into the first alley he came across. A massage parlor on one side and a gourmet dessert shop on the other. Immediately they broke apart, Dallas standing in the center, aiming his gun while Lilica shooed away the handful of homeless men and women living in makeshift boxes, shepherding them toward the opposite end of the alley. When she finished, she pressed her back against a brick wall, the weapon steady in her hand.
One minute passed, two . . . five. People continued to meander along the sidewalk, but none were a short, curvy blonde with a hood pulled up. Where was she?
He waited another minute . . . another five . . . ten, but still no sign of her.
“She must have realized we’d pegged her,” Lilica said, a slight tremor in her voice.
“Did you tell her?” He lowered his arm, shaking with fury. “Did you have a telepathic conversation with her?”
“No! She blocked me years ago. But even if she hadn’t, and I’d tried, you would have heard every word.”
True. He owed her an apology. “Failure made me cranky. Sorry.”
“Whatever.”
“Does she have any abilities I don’t know about? Teleporting? Invisibility?” Could she be here even now, listening to their conversation?
“No.” Her eyes widened. “Unless . . . she stole someone else’s abilities. The Teran I fought today. He’d been drained of that particular life force.”
The number of problems tripled. Terans were known for stealth, the ability to camouflage themselves, and an aptitude for climbing the unclimbable.
On instinct, he glanced up—and met Trinity’s gaze.
13
Her sister had scaled a building to watch Lilica interact with Dallas. But as soon as Dallas had spotted her, she’d hurried away, disappearing over the roof. Dallas had called for reinforcements, and a helicopter had arrived shortly thereafter, but Trinity had already vanished by then.
Infecting men to steal their abilities. Creating an army of soldiers who would do anything she demanded, the need to please her more important than survival. Trying to harm her youngest sister. And that had been her goal, hadn’t it? Not to kill Dallas, not even to kill Lilica through Dallas, but to straight-up destroy Lilica in the worst possible way.
Sadness blended with devastation. What would Trinity do next?
Dallas rushed Lilica to his apartment, stationing AIR agents throughout the entire building. He also used special equipment to bar every door and window. AIR issued a statewide alert for all humans and otherworlders to be on the lookout for Trinity Swan. They posted a photo of her beautiful face with the words: If seen, do not approach. Do not engage. Do not injure. Call AIR.
Bad move, AIR. Bad. Lilica knew people. Had hacked into camera feeds throughout the city to watch and observe crowds in the isolated comfort of IOT. If Trinity was spotted, she would be mobbed. Her disease would spread.
My fault. I should have captured her when I had the chance.
In an effort to keep her mind busy, Lilica unpacked the garments and accessories she’d bought during her shopping extravaganza. But she couldn’t dredge up any excitement for any of the items. Light-years seemed to have passed, the girl she’d been no longer the girl she was now.<
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The doorbell sounded. Dallas answered, a gun in hand. A man she’d never met handed him a bag and left without saying a word.
Dallas offered the bag to her. Inside she found every kind of cake he’d promised, plus an array of dessert cakes, but she couldn’t bring herself to eat a single one. Her stomach hurt.
She sat on the couch, and he paced in front of her.
“I want you to know I watched video feed of the fight. And before and after the fight. There were cameras everywhere,” he said. “You have skill. I was impressed.”
“Thank you. But cameras are illegal.” She made no mention of the ones she’d hacked. “Over the years, too many people used advanced software to manipulate what others would see.”
He ignored her, saying, “You think people stare at you because they considered you a freak. You’re wrong. People stare and children point because you are the most exquisite woman on the planet. And because you glow as if you are life itself—as if you are my life.”
Her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. His life?
And could he be right? She detected no lie through the bond.
He ran a hand down his face. “Okay. I’m getting delightfully poetic, and that’s not good for either one of us. I can’t trust myself around you. The things I want to do to you . . .” He stepped toward her, only to stop himself with a curse. “Once I’m inside you, I have a feeling nothing and no one will be able to drag me out. Not duty. Not responsibility. Not all of AIR. And my need is only growing . . . better.”
Every word he spoke lit a new fire inside her. No, not true. She always burned for him. His words merely threw accelerant on the flames.
“I’m going to lock myself in the bedroom before I do something stupid,” he muttered, and stomped away. The door slammed shut, and the lock engaged.
She stared after him, her heart pounding. She paced, but her desire never cooled.
As one hour passed . . . two . . . she began to hate her body. The aches were worse than ever. Her nipples were hard little points. Her core was drenched and ready. Her limbs trembled. Her skin . . . was too sensitive for her clothing.
She stripped to her brand-new lingerie. Chilled air kissed her, but even that was a stimulant.
Finally she could take it no more. She knocked on the bedroom door. —Dallas! We’re making out, and that’s an order. We’ll stop before going all the way.—
Desire was strong, stronger than ever, but this time, not even it could stop the flow of the bond.
—Said the seductress to the helpless victim. No!—
—I’ll straddle your waist and grind against your erection. We’ll both climax and—
—You are killing me.—
—I’m killing myself.—
A tension-laden pause stretched between them. —Screw this. Yes. Hell yes.— The lock turned—only to turn again a second later. A fist banged into the door, rattling the frame, and this time he shouted his denial. “No!”
—Don’t think you can control yourself?— She clawed at the door, her nails sharp enough to slice little slits into the metal. —Have a little faith in your strength.—
—I know I can’t control myself with you!—
Another hour passed, the most torturous hour she’d ever endured. He’d finally stomped out of his room to demand satisfaction, but she’d been unable to forget his valiant fight and hadn’t wanted him to lose, so she’d denied him. The push-pull maddened her!
And she seriously regretted her act of mercy.
When she could fight her arousal no longer, she got down and dirty, trying to bring herself to climax, letting Dallas see, hear, and feel her through the bond. But nothing worked. Satisfaction remained a pipe dream.
Dallas opened the door with frenzied lust in his eyes, took one look at her splayed on the couch, legs open, and slammed the door without touching her. And she needed him to touch her! She was nothing but a husk for hormones and lust.
Finally—blessedly!—the madness began to fade.
“Distract me,” she croaked. No more speaking inside his head unless absolutely necessary. Too intimate.
“How? I can’t think about anything but your beautiful . . . hot . . . wet . . . delicious body.”
Deep breath in . . . out . . . good. “Tonight Jade is going to pull Trinity and me into the spirit world. How is AIR going to capture her?”
“While you’re in the spirit realm, you’ll use our bond to tell me where Trinity’s physical body is located. We’ll swoop in and contain it while she is unable to fight back. By the time her spirit returns to it, she’ll already be in prison.”
A sound plan, and yet Lilica’s nerves threw a fit. Surely Trinity would prepare for such an eventuality. “What if she leaves her physical body in some kind of trap?”
“It’s a chance we have to take. I’ll be careful, though, and so will you. Understand? If you’re hurt . . . or worse . . .”
His concern thrilled her, easing an underlay of strain she hadn’t known she still carried.
When his internal cell phone rang a few seconds later, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Another distraction! But their relief evaporated in an instant. Devyn delivered devastating news. Bride was missing. No one had seen her since she’d left the diner. Her husband was enraged, frantic, and beyond worried.
If Trinity had taken her . . . harmed her . . .
Motions jerky, Lilica dressed in a black leather vest and a pair of black leather pants.
“It’s time.” Dallas emerged from the bedroom. His dark hair stuck out in spikes, and his clothes were torn, as if he’d ripped them off and put them back on a hundred times. His tortured expression gutted her.
“If Bride is with Trinity, I’ll bring her back,” Lilica told him. “No matter what I have to do.”
“There’s been a change of plans. You stay. Jade goes alone.”
“What? Why?” she demanded.
“Trinity is out for blood. You’re not going to do anything but anger her.” He cared more about Lilica’s welfare than Trinity’s demise? When had that happened?
“I’m going, and that’s that. I have to do this.” She closed the distance and hugged him tight before returning to the couch. In a tug-of-war, only one side could win. She’d tried to work both sides. Trinity, then Dallas . . . Dallas, then Trinity. Well, no more.
A thousand and one things could go wrong tonight, but she finally had a clear goal: the safety and wellness of the world and the innocents who populated it. She would start with the safety and wellness of Bride.
She blinked, and suddenly she was standing in the center of a thick white fog with Jade at her side.
—Dallas?—
—Yes?— His voice drifted through her mind, fainter than ever before.
—I’m with Jade.—
A pause. —Be careful, sweetheart. If anything goes wrong . . .—
—I know. Save everyone, then run like hell.—
—No. Hell, no. Save yourself.—
“Is John here?” she asked Jade, forcing thoughts of Dallas to the back of her mind.
“Yes. He’s hidden deep in the mist, where he’ll remain unless something goes wrong.” Her voice grew louder on the last few words, directed not just at Lilica but at John, wherever he was.
“So, what do we do now?”
“Now I take us to Trinity. I’ve been practicing with John. I can find her while also anchoring you to this realm, allowing you to exit the mist without returning to your body. Come.” She linked their fingers and led Lilica forward. Though they moved step by step, the apartment and then the outside world whizzed past at a dizzying speed, leaving Lilica unable to track the path they took.
By the time they stopped, they were in an underground tunnel, dark and damp. Rats—among the only animals to survive the war—scurried along the edges, toward a wall of cages. Fifteen people were trapped inside, all otherworlders.
Trinity’s captives provided another hated blow to the memory of the siste
r Lilica had cherished. Her gaze landed on the dark-haired beauty crouched in the back of the middle cage, and acid filled her stomach. Bride.
I’m doing the right thing. Trinity cannot be allowed to roam free.
Waves of fury and fear pulsed along the bond. —I found Bride. Trinity has her, and a handful of others. No one looks to be infected, and there’s no taint of the Schön disease in the air.—
—Thank God.—
—I think . . . I think Trinity stole their abilities, though.— Why else would she have taken them and not infected them?
But. If she had taken Bride’s voice voodoo . . .
Did she know the ability wouldn’t work on Lilica or Jade?
—Thanks to John, we’ve got a lock on your location.—Dallas’s voice again. —Devyn and AIR are already on the move.—”
“Our sister is a grade-A bitch,” Jade said, her hands fisted.
“Shhh.”
“Why? No one can hear or see us.”
—What the—Lilica, the Schön have invaded my building.— Dallas’s voice filled her head once again, fainter than before, barely audible. —You have to . . .—
Silence.
Panic turned her blood to icy sludge and her skin to smoldering coal.
“What’s wrong?” Jade demanded.
Her throat was as dry as the air in No Man’s Land. “Trinity sent the Schön to Dallas.”
Her sister paled. “Did she send her people to John? Without his spirit, he’s—”
“I don’t know, but he can handle himself.” And so could Dallas. There was no need to worry. He’d probably slipped into silence because the bond was weakening. They’d made it through the worst of the animal hunger without having sex.
Sorrow joined her fear. Going to lose him.
“They’ve trained for situations worse than this,” Lilica added.
“But John is vulnerable. A body cannot move or fight without a spirit.”
“He knows it. He would have taken measures to protect you both.”
Jade rallied quickly. “You’re right. Of course you’re right.”