Heart of Stone

by Debra Mullins

  “I am a pilot.” Adrian placed a hand on the back of the copilot’s seat. Bob’s forehead beaded with sweat and his hands trembled. Completely out of character for the normally placid man he’d come to know.

  “Well, if you’re a pilot, you can see for yourself we’re on the right course.” Bob waved a hand at the instruments.

  “Maybe you should take a break, Bob. You don’t look well.”

  Bob whipped around as far as the seat belt would let him. “I’m fine! Now get out of my cockpit, Gray. You have no business here.”

  “You seem sick. I could take over for you, make sure we get home.”

  “Is that what this is? You’re trying to take over the plane? Hijack it?” Bob yanked out a gun and pointed it at Adrian. “Get out of here, Gray. Back to your seat.”

  “You don’t want to do this, Bob.” His instincts flared into battle mode, his senses becoming more acute, a dozen strategies playing through his mind. The Whisperer. He hadn’t been with the rest of the Warriors sent to ambush him. He must have gotten to Bob.

  The only way to break a Whisperer’s compulsion was physical shock.

  Adrian braced himself and swung. The door behind him opened.

  “Hey, Adrian—” Ben said.

  Bob pulled the trigger. Adrian’s fist connected with Bob’s jaw. The bullet zipped past Adrian. Bob slumped in his chair, unconscious. The gun clattered to the floor.

  Adrian flipped the switches to make sure they were on automatic pilot. Turned.

  Ben slumped in the doorway, blood soaking his T-shirt.

  “No!” Adrian sprang forward to kneel beside Ben. The older man’s eyes were closed, his breathing labored. Adrian pressed his fingers to Ben’s neck, found a pulse. Ripped open Ben’s shirt. Bullet to the chest, oozing blood. Too much blood. Too close to the heart. “Damn it, Ben, stay with me.”

  The older man’s breath wheezed through his lips, each shallow inhale and exhale pumping more blood from the wound. He remained unconscious.

  “Don’t you die on me,” Adrian muttered. He found the first aid kit and taped the bandages tightly against the wound to try and stanch the bleeding. Then he turned to the pilot’s console and flipped the oxygen control to manually drop the oxygen masks in the passenger compartment. Lifting Ben in his arms, he settled him in the first available passenger seat, buckled him in, and fastened the hanging oxygen mask over his nose and mouth.

  Then he went back to the cockpit to fly the plane.

  * * *

  Coil by coil, bit by bit, Faith cleared more of the thousands of years of trapped emotions from the Stone of Igarle. She wouldn’t be done today. Maybe another week if she could keep up the pace.

  And if she could stand being with Darius for that many hours, every day.

  She sensed him nearby through their mate link, could see him in the dark morass of the stone’s black memories as a shining blue light, just like before. If his empathic powers really were neutralized in proximity to the stone, then it must be the mating bond that allowed him to stay connected to her, even when she was this deep in the rock.

  Why him? Why did she have to always fall for a man who could use his power to manipulate her? First Michael and now Darius. How much of what she had felt for him, the constant sexual hunger, had been real? Or had it all been manufactured by him, the empath? She’d seen what he’d done to Rigo. He’d told her himself he could take a scrap of emotion that already existed and exaggerate it. Had he done that with her attraction for him? Blown it up into this craving that haunted her now, convinced her it was a mating bond? Would he really use her in such a way in order to get her to help his family?

  Maybe those legends about Seers hadn’t been as fabricated as she’d begun to believe.

  She could hardly believe she still wanted him so much even after his duplicity had been exposed. What was wrong with her that she could not follow the path of self-preservation and keep her distance? Why did she long to be close to him, to feel his arms around her, to feel safe again? It made no sense. How could she ever truly feel safe knowing she could not fully trust him? Yet her heart urged her to seek solace in his arms.

  She dove deeper into the stone, singing away its pain. Wishing she could do the same for herself. It was tempting to stay here, to allow herself to be absorbed into the rock, to become as hard and durable as it was. But part of her resisted the impulse. She might never come back out, and she would not let him see how much he’d hurt her.

  He was an empath, so he probably knew, but as long as the Stone of Igarle kept his empathy turned off while she worked on the stone, she could have privacy in her grief for the love that might have been. Face the knowledge that she had been a fool … again.

  Resign herself to a life alone. Why had she even dared to hope otherwise?

  A cell phone rang from far away. The low rumble of voices.

  Faith. Darius spoke directly into her mind. You need to come back.

  Not yet. She wasn’t ready to let go of the quiet, of the one place where she could be truly alone with her thoughts and emotions.

  You have to come. It’s Ben. He’s hurt.

  The song she keened stuck in her throat. The energy fluctuated, flared. She struggled to maintain some semblance of control, to calm the energy, even with her breath frozen in her lungs. Please, no. Not Ben.

  Go, whispered Igarle.

  She found the radiant blue pillar of light that was Darius and the link that led to him. What had once looked like a thread now resembled a swiftly running creek. She followed it, found him. Disconnecting from the stone, she gulped air as if she’d been held under water. A warm hand closed over her shoulder. She knew that touch. She laid her hand over his and opened her eyes to look at him.

  Those gorgeous blue eyes, sober with concern. Even with all that had happened, she couldn’t deny his soothing presence. That feeling that everyone would be okay as long as Darius was there. With the stone present, she knew he couldn’t be using his empathy to make her feel this way, so it must just be him. Just Darius. Was she weak for wanting to believe he could really make everything better, just for now? For taking comfort that he was there with her?

  “What happened?” she asked. “Where’s Ben?”

  “The hospital. He was shot. Adrian had the EMTs meet the plane when they landed.”

  She stood up, and his hand slipped away. “I’m going to the hospital.”

  “Rigo will drive us. Go get your purse, and I’ll lock up the stone.”

  “Meet you out front.” She ran from the room, Rigo on her heels.

  Darius picked up the stone and put it in its wooden case, then locked it in the cabinet. Whatever pain hung between them, he knew Faith was going to need him.

  Whether she wanted to or not.

  * * *

  Faith ran up to her room and grabbed her purse, then charged out the door again. She met Tessa in the hallway.

  “Faith!” Tessa grabbed her arm. “What happened? Someone got shot?”

  “Yes. Let me go.” She wrenched her arm free and ran toward the stairs.

  “Wait!” Tessa fell into pace with her, then darted in front of her, forcing Faith to halt. “Who got shot? Faith, was it Adrian?” Her voice caught.

  For the first time, Faith noticed how pale Tessa was, the anxiety in her eyes. Tessa’s former hostility was completely absent. “No, it wasn’t Adrian. It was my father-in-law, Ben.” The tears sprang, unwanted. “Please, just let me pass. I have to get there. Have to get there in case—” She couldn’t say the words, sucked in a shuddering breath.

  Tessa squeezed her arm. “We’ll go together. Come on, Rigo’s pulling the car up out front.”

  Faith nodded and sprinted down the stairs, Tessa next to her. She didn’t wonder about Tessa’s about-face; there was time to consider that mystery later. All she wanted to do now was get to Ben … before it was too late.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Darius hated hospitals. So many emotions flying around, grinding against h
is empathic senses like unoiled gears. Grief, worry, fear, pain. They bombarded him as he, Rigo, Faith, and Tessa came through the emergency room doors. Faith’s feelings were the most powerful of all, washing over him both because of her proximity and through their link.

  Gray met them in the waiting area. He had a couple of bruises on that pretty face of his, and his dark eyes were somber. He was worried about Ben, but guilt and anger rippled off him. Guilt about Ben getting shot while under his protection, and anger at himself for letting it happen.

  “It was Azotay’s men,” he said as soon as he saw them. “They ambushed us at the plane, but it was a half-assed attack at best. I didn’t think much about it, just considered myself lucky and got us in the air. That’s when the real plan became clear. They’d gotten to the pilot.”

  “Bob?” Rigo narrowed his eyes. “He’s a good man. Was he hurt?”

  “No. Your men have him in custody,” Gray said to Rigo. He looked at Darius. “I don’t know that we want to turn him over to the cops for this, at least not until we confirm what I suspect happened.”

  “What about Ben?” Faith demanded. “Where is he?”

  “He went right to surgery. Still there.” Gray pointed to the nurses’ desk. “You’re family, so they should talk to you.”

  Faith ran over to the nurses’ desk.

  “I would have thought they’d talk to you, Gray,” Darius said.

  “They did,” Gray said, confirming what Darius had suspected. Adrian Gray was a Whisperer. It would be a simple matter to get the nurses to tell him what he wanted to know. “It doesn’t look good.” He clenched his jaw, guilt hammering at him.

  As if sensing what he felt, Tessa stepped up to the Warrior and peered at his face. “Got some bruising going on there, Mr. Invincible. Guess you’re mortal like the rest of us.”

  He touched her chin, his lips curving in sad, silent acceptance. “Didn’t know you cared, princess.”

  Faith came back to them, her face white as gut-clenching fear swished through her. “Still in surgery. They don’t know if—” She cleared her throat. “They don’t know if he’s going to make it.” She raised terrified green eyes to Darius. “I don’t know what I would do if something happened to him.”

  Her panic overwhelmed him, burning like raw jalapeño peppers on the tongue. He could sense fatigue, too. She’d spent too long in the Stone of Igarle, and her reserves were faltering.

  “Let’s get something to eat,” he said.

  She shook her head. “I can’t leave. What if he comes out of surgery and I’m not here?”

  He touched her shoulder. “Do you really want Ben to see you like this? You’re pale, and you need to eat. I’m betting you haven’t had anything since breakfast. I don’t think you want him worrying about you, do you?”

  Resentment flared, and she opened her mouth to argue. Then she sagged, and he felt the indignation fade. “You’re right.”

  He took her arm. “I’ll go with you, if only to make sure you don’t pass out before you get there.”

  “Ha-ha.” But she didn’t shake off his hold. For a moment, all the negativity of the past few days no longer existed. She needed him now, and that need lived alive and well behind the walls of her angry defenses. Without further protest, she let him lead her toward the elevators.

  * * *

  Adrian watched them go, furious with himself for letting all this happen. He should have realized that a man like Azotay did not reach his current position without being a master strategist. But he’d been in such a hurry to get Ben away that he’d overlooked what should have been obvious.

  “Hey,” Rigo said. “You got the guy home alive. That’s all anyone could do.”

  “I could have prevented him from getting shot.”

  “Maybe. Or maybe you both would have gotten taken out.” Rigo shrugged. “I choose to look at the positive.”

  “Oh, no!” Tessa clapped a hand to the side of her head and swayed. “Not now!”

  “Tessa?” Adrian caught her as her knees went out from under her. He dragged her to a nearby chair and sat beside her. “What’s wrong?”

  She was breathing fast. When she looked up, her violet eyes glowed, her expression far away. “One end begins another. Sacrifice is the only way to be free. That which was separated becomes one.”

  Rigo squatted down in front of Tessa. “What’s going on?

  “Vision,” Adrian said.

  “O-o-okay. And that stuff she just said … what does that mean?”

  Adrian held Tessa as she slumped forward. “We’ll ask her when she’s more lucid.” He gave Rigo a considering look. “You must be wondering what’s going on.”

  “After what I saw last September when that Criten guy infiltrated the house, I figure the less I ask, the better.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “But I do have one question. Will she be okay? She’s not having a seizure or something, is she?”

  “She’ll be okay,” Adrian said.

  “All right, then.” Rigo stood. “I’d better check in with my men, see what’s up with Bob. I’ll be outside.” He headed out of the hospital, pulling his cell phone from his pocket as he went.

  Tessa stirred in Adrian’s arms. Groaned.

  “Hey.” Adrian stroked her hair away from her face. “It’s all right. You’re safe.”

  “Oh, no.” She sniffed, and when she lifted her head all the way, he could see the tears welling in her eyes. “I’ve been so horrible to her. And all she wanted to do was help.”

  “Hey, what’s this all about? What did you see?”

  “Faith. I saw Faith. And pain…” She closed her eyes. “But I can’t read Faith. I must be getting this from Ben.”

  “What? Was someone hurting her?”

  “Not that kind of pain.” She touched her chest. “Here. Pain. Anguish.” She swiped both hands over cheeks damp from tears.

  “Hey, it’s okay. We’re all okay.”

  “For now.” She fell silent, and they waited together to hear the news.

  * * *

  Faith and Darius got to the cafeteria. She looked at the food, but the mere thought of trying to choke down a meal made her gag. Darius seemed to sense that. Of course he did, with his abilities, but she couldn’t even drum up any outrage at him reading her emotions. For once, she was glad of it. He settled her at a table with a bottle of water and a yogurt. The water soothed her parched throat, and the yogurt didn’t require chewing, just scoop and swallow. Scoop and swallow. It was the most she was capable of right now.

  He sat across from her, concern on his handsome face, and she wondered if he really meant it, or if it was just an act. Had any of it been real?

  “Do you really want to talk about that now?” he asked.

  She gritted her teeth. “Cut that out.”

  “Sorry, it’s a part of me, like seeing and hearing.” He folded his hands on the table in front of him. “I never wanted to lie to you, Faith. I hope you believe that.”

  She scraped another spoonful of yogurt from the carton. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

  “I didn’t do it to be dishonest, or to manipulate you.”

  She jerked her gaze to his. “But you were dishonest. And maybe you were manipulating me, with all that talk of mating bonds and stuff.”

  “The mating bond is real.” A pulse of warmth came to her through the link. “I didn’t manipulate you, Faith. I swear.”

  She dropped the spoon in the empty container and shoved it away. “Then how do you account for all this? We just met a few days ago, for heaven’s sake, and suddenly we’re hot and heavy in your bedroom like a couple of horny teenagers.”

  “It was the mating bond. It’s powerful, and it became more intense the longer we were together.”

  “Convenient. Well, playtime is over. Your father says if I want my money, we have to work together. So that’s what we will do. Work.”

  “Faith.”

  Just her name, but the we
ariness and sorrow in the word sucked the anger right out of her. It was easier to rage at him than to think of what was going on in surgery. Of the possibility of losing Ben. Darius was trying to help her. She knew that. Even if he had lied by omission, she needed that quiet strength of his to get through this—damn it.

  “I don’t want to fight with you.” She met his gaze. “I’m ashamed to admit I need you right now. I just can’t go through this alone.”

  “I’m here.” He covered one of her hands with his.

  She turned her hand palm up and twined her fingers with his. “I don’t know if things can go back to the way they were.”

  “You feel betrayed. I understand that. Now I need you to understand something, even if you can’t forgive it. I made a promise to my parents before I ever met you that I would keep an eye on you while you were with us. You know how scared they are, how the Mendukati have been systematically murdering my mother’s family.”

  “I do.”

  “And suddenly they were letting a former Mendukati agent into the house. They were terrified.” He squeezed her fingers. “This whole thing was my idea. I talked them into it. But I knew as soon as I met you that you didn’t intend to hurt anyone.”

  “Oh, Darius.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know if I can deal with this right now.”

  “You’re worried about Ben. I know.”

  “Just … and I know I have no right to ask this of you … but can we just get through this? Sort out everything else later?”

  “Of course. Ben comes first.”

  Relief swept through her. “Yes.”

  “But Faith.” He waited until she looked at him. “You can’t keep running away from things forever.”

  She jerked her hand from his, dropping both into her lap. “What does that mean?”

  “You’ve been running from the Mendukati, from the war. Now you’re running from us.”

  She curled her hands into fists under the table. “I can’t think about anything but Ben right now. And you know there might not even be an us, not after all this.”