“How close?”
“Within ten miles,” Katie said with absolute certainty. “To the west.” She added.
I sighed and took the hoodie back from her. “Thank you.”
Katie smiled. “Sorry I couldn’t be more specific.”
“Ten miles due west is pretty damn specific.” I said flatly.
Katie shrugged. “I’ve done better. His energy is harder to track because he has no psychic talents. Normal people have much weaker energetic signatures.”
“It’s good enough for me,” I said. “Thanks. Now I need to go find him.”
Katie’s eyes widened. “Uh, you’re not telling me that you’re planning on going alone are you?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Do you really think that’s a good idea after seeing how powerful those people were? I mean, they stopped a car. You should bring back up.”
“Who’s going to risk getting expelled to help me?” I sighed and let my head thunk against the wall.
A smile played around Katie’s lips. “Well, I can think of two people.”
#
“I need your help.”
Luke and Ryland looked up from their breakfast. Luke’s expression became curious while Ryland’s eyes darkened and he looked away.
Ok, I deserved to be snubbed by him. Honestly, if it wasn’t an emergency, I probably wouldn’t be asking for his help anyway. I had no other choice. “Please, there isn’t much time.”
“What’s wrong?” Luke asked, setting down his coffee.
I lowered my voice so I wouldn’t be heard over the chatter of the other students. “Daniel’s been kidnapped.”
Luke gasped. “What? Are you sure?”
I nodded. “I really don’t want to talk about it here.” I glanced around. There were too many people, and I didn’t want to be discovered before we even had a plan in place. “Please, help me.”
Luke raised his eyebrows at Ryland who looked away. The blond was silent for a moment before sighing and releasing the tension from his shoulders. “Fine.”
“You have some nerve asking me for help,” Ryland whispered in my ear as we walked briskly down the hall. “After I opened up to you and you just left me there. What the hell was that?”
Luke was ahead of us. I kept my eyes on the back of his head as we weaved through the students, discretely headed to the training facility. It was empty at this time of day. We could talk there.
“I’m sorry, Ryland. Really I am,” I sighed. “I’m just kind of freaked out that I could hear your voice in my head when you touched me.”
“What?” Ryland didn’t believe me.
“You heard me,” I said. “I don’t know what happened, but it freaked me the hell out. What was I supposed to do?”
“Maybe get used to the fact that pretty much everyone here is weird by ordinary standards. Talk to me about it, ok?” Ryland said, his voice softened a fraction.
“Once we get through this, I promise we can have a proper talk about whatever,” I pointed to myself and him. “Whatever we are. But right now I need to focus on saving Daniel.”
Ryland nodded.
I knew he wasn’t happy, but I really didn’t have time to dwell on it. Being attracted to two boys was never something I had dealt with before, especially on top of everything else that was going on. My best friend was kidnapped and something or someone was messing with the academy; my hormone driven emotions were just going to have to take a back seat until this was over.
The sounds of our boots clicking on the floor filled my ears. Once we were inside the training room, I told them everything. Every single thing that had happened since I freaked out, packed my bags and got my best friend captured.
“You never should have left the academy!” Ryland shouted. “Are you crazy? Those guys might have killed you.”
“Easy,” Luke raised a hand. “Let’s not point fingers. What’s important now is finding Daniel.”
“If the Major finds out about this, we’re all going to be in shit.” Ryland crossed his arms over his chest. “Plus, that Rogue is under the custody of the FBI now. We have nothing to trade!”
“I know,” I said. “I hate to drag you both into this, but I know you’re the only ones I can count on for something this serious and you’re probably they only two students here strong enough to take them on.”
“Well, you’re right about that.” Ryland’s ego could not resist the compliment. “Alright, beautiful. We’ll do this. But you’re going to owe us big time.”
“Anything,” I said with absolute honestly.
“A date.” Luke and Ryland spoke in unison and then glared at each other.
“Fine, a date it is. One for each of you.” With a smile, I stepped in between them to stop them from shooting daggers from their eyes. These boys weren’t going to make my choice easily and now I had a deadline; there’d be no more playing hard to get once this was through. “Now, let’s stop the flirting and get down to business.”
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Luke and Daniel showed me to the closet with the technical gear that advanced students took out on unsupervised patrol. The large walk-in closet was filled with uniforms, belts, bags, weapons, and just about anything else someone would need.
My jaw dropped. “Wow!”
“Come on, let’s be quick.” Ryland stepped around me. “My security code will only keep the door open for five minutes before the alarm goes off.”
We worked fast, gathering everything the boys thought would be helpful and then locked the door behind us. I slipped the night-vision goggled over my eyes. “Whoa, these are so cool.”
“Don’t turn them on in here, the lights will blind you. Night vision only.” Ryland pulled them up onto my forehead. “These aren’t toys.”
“Yes sir,” I said.
Luke stifled a laughed, and I smiled at him.
Once we finished packing, we crept out of the training facility and headed to the teleportation area. Luckily, it was early enough that the sun’s position cast long shadows to disguise our movement. Most of the students were probably on their way to their first class now.
We stopped in the shadows and adjusted our backpacks. Under Ryland’s suggestion, we packed light: first aid kits, light weapons and a few other gadgets that I hadn’t been trained on. (Guess who was carrying the first aid kit? Me.) I was looking forward to the day that’d I’d be as skilled as my two partners.
Luke scanned the area again. “Aright,” He said. “Where did your friend say that Daniel was taken?”
“About ten miles due west.”
“Anything special noted? Landmarks?”
“She said it was in a warehouse. Some industrial zone.”
“Well, that narrows it down,” Ryland snorted sarcastically.
“You’re really not winning points for our impending date, Ryland,” I glared at him.
“It’s enough. I’ll aim for about ten miles from here and we’ll see if we can sense any psychic activity.” Luke said. “Ok, now for the important stuff. Transporting two people at the same time will be hard on me. I need you both to stay focused and think about Daniel.”
“I can picture him already, Ryland mused. “The dork.”
I bit the side of my cheek and ignored him. “Focus. Yes, no problem. Let’s get going, we’re wasting time.”
“I don’t think you three will be going anywhere.”
We turned towards the voice. Professor Turner was standing their, looking strange in tactical clothes instead of his suit. He shouldn’t be here. He was supposed to be teaching.
“What are you doing here?” I gasped.
“I should ask you that question. I missed you two at attendance and I thought something might be up. You three seemed to bring trouble wherever you go, don’t you?” He sneered. His expression was different.. He changed in a way that I couldn’t quite pinpoint.
“Please sir, it’s important.” I said.
“I know what you’re up to,” Turne
r cut me off. “And I’ll be damned if I let you interfere with my plans again.” He brought his hands up and tossed Luke and Ryland back against the fence.
They grunted and pushed against his powers, but he had them pinned.
“Fuck off, Turner!” Ryland shouted.
With a flick of his wrists Turner drove them into the ground. “Shut up! Weak children like you must respect your teacher.”
I swallowed hard. My legs were trembling. I gathered all of my courage and lifted my hands towards Turner.
“I wouldn’t do that, little girl,” Turner laughed and his powers brought my arms to my sides. He clenched his fists, and I felt my body being squeezed by the invisible force.
I gasped for air, my vision blurred as he pushed the air out of my lungs. “Please.” My voice wheezed and gave out. The power let me go, and I crumpled to the ground, my body begging for oxygen. My backpack slipped off my shoulders and fell to the ground with a thud.
“I tried to do this discretely but I suppose you’ve left me no choice.” Turner grabbed my wrist. “Say goodbye to your boyfriends, you won’t be seeing them again.”
“Wait, please!” I shrieked and pulled against him with every ounce of strength I had left.
A moment later with a rush of energy and a pop, I was tugged from one space and teleported to another. The rush was unbearable, like the worst roller coaster ride of my life. Mercifully, it was over as quickly as it began.
I fell on cold, hard pavement. I tasted blood. Wherever we were, it was distinctly colder than the academy. The ground was wet as if we had just missed a rain storm. I spat out blood and struggled to sit up.
Turner was standing over me, a knife in one hand. “Don’t even think about using your powers on me, child.”
I ignored him and tried to focus on my surroundings. I could hear faint sounds of water flowing. We must have been near a river; I could smell the distinctive scent in the air.
Turner hauled me to my feet and dragged me through a parking lot.
Looming in front of us were stacks of shipping containers; I knew where we were now. It was the same place we had been attacked by the Rogue.
“Where are we?” I demanded. “Is Daniel here?”
Turner laughed. “No, my dear. Daniel isn’t here. I’m supposed to return you to my boss, but I wanted to have a little fun first.”
The glee in his voice made my skin crawl. “No. Let me go!” I pulled against him but he was too strong.
Turner raised the knife to my throat. “Don’t make this harder than it already is, sweetie.”
“Luke and Ryland will find me,” I said.
Turner laughed. “Even if they do, they’re no match for me. Let them come. I’ll kill them on sight.”
My blood went cold at the thought. He was right. He was incredibly powerful; I trained under him, so I knew better than anyone. Being a teacher he probably knew all of Luke and Ryland’s tricks.
I couldn’t rely on them to save me. I had to save myself. With a guttural shout, I lunged at Turner, lashing out with my nails. At the same time, I grabbed his knife with my energy and pulled it out of his hand.
Turner threw me to the ground, wiping blood from the scratches on his cheek. “You’re going to regret that one,” He hissed as he threw his hand up in the air.
I felt the energy close around my throat. His psychic grip bound me and pushed the air out of my lungs. It was a good trick, and I knew why he didn’t share this one with me during training. I tried to fight back, but without air I was fading fast. Not only was he draining my power, but I was losing consciousness at the same time.
I blinked, my shouts burning my throat. “Let me go!”
Turner chuckled and squeezed harder to prove his point. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re mine now.”
With one last gasp, my vision blurred and went dark.
#
It was hours later when I regained consciousness. I found myself tied to a chair in a dark room. It looked and smelt like an old basement. My first reaction was to shout, but I kept hold of my instincts. I seemed to be alone. The small room was empty, with nowhere for anyone to hide.
My hands were secured behind my back and handcuffed to the back of the chair. I strained but there was no give. I was going to have to do this with psychic energy. I let out a long breath to calm my nerves. I would be ok. I had trained hard. This was not going to be the end of me; I still had to find David, and no one, not even Jackson Turner would stop me.
“Ah good, you’re awake.” Turner’s voice made me look up. He appeared with a pop in the middle the basement and was grinning smugly. “I was beginning to think maybe I squeezed too hard and didn’t some brain damage.”
I could see red-orange sunlight coming through the grimy basement windows; the sun was setting. I must have been out for at least ten hours. I was no biologist, but I knew that wasn’t good for my health. “Luckily, I’m doing fine, all things considered,” I said sarcastically.
Turner chuckled. “I always liked your spunky personality, Bianca. It’s really too bad it had to be this way. In another life, you would have been a star protege.”
I eased my energy towards the handcuffs, not wanting to give him the chance to pick up on the shift in the air. I gently began to pry at the metal, hoping to snap it with my mind. It was hard to work on anything I couldn’t see.
“I still could be,” I said to keep his attention focused on me. “Why capture me like this if I have so much potential?”
“There is a greater purpose for you elsewhere.”
“But, you said I was an amazing student. You cared about me!” I raised my voice over the sound of straining metal links. The distraction was working.
“Whatever feelings you thought I had were nothing but the fantasy of a little girl. I needed to get you to trust me.” Turner sneered.
I had to admit that hurt. I confided so much in him and hell, even had a weird crush on him. He had been more than a professor to me. My heart twinged at the realization that everything I’d felt was fake. “So it was all a lie?” My burning disappointment fueled my energy and the last link gave out. “You’re such a liar!” I shouted.
Turner laughed, a full head back, shoulders shaking laugh. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I make you fall in love? Just a little? Pathetic.”
I used his taunting to fuel my power. My hands were free but my arms and legs were still tied with rope. I was going to need to distract him a bit longer. I tugged on the ropes with my energy and tried to undo the knot, but it was hopeless without seeing them. I’d need to use brute mental force again.
“No words left, little girl?” Turner began to pace back and forth in front of me. “Now that you’re awake, I was hoping we could have a little fun before I have to turn you over.”
“Turn me over to who?” The rope behind me was stretching; just a little more and it’d snap.
Turner opened his mouth to reply and then snapped it shut. “I’m not going to tell you, that would ruin the surprise.”
The rope began to fray and unravel. This concentration of power was depleting my energy fast. The rope snapped and fell around me loose.
Turner spun around. “What was that?” His eyes wandered down my body to the ropes pooling at my hips. “Oh, you little she-devil!” He laughed. “Got me distracted didn’t you?” He raised his hand to me and the ropes pulled together tightly. “Nice try.”
Suddenly, there was a burst of energy in the room.
Luke and Ryland appeared. Luke was panting. Ryland had his daggers drawn and ready. “Let her go!” They shouted in unison.
Turner cocked his head to one side. “Well now, this is a surprise. I never thought you’d find her.”
Luke threw my backpack down on the floor as if to answer the question. He must have tracked me using the belongings in my bag. “Sorry we took so long.”
The ropes around me loosened again. “Darling, you’ll have to forgive me. Let me take care of these boys and then we’ll get ba
ck to business.”
I gasped for air and resumed focus on releasing the ropes around my ankles. I had no time to be weak and tired. I had to free myself before Luke and Ryland got hurt
Luke ran to my side and Ryland lunged at Turner.
Turner held up his knife and clashed repeatedly with Ryland. He was as skilled at hand-to-hand combat as he was with his psychic abilities.
“Come on, let’s get you out of here,” Luke whispered and finished untying the knots around my ankles. He helped me to my feet, inspecting the rope burns and bruises on my body. “You’ll be ok.” He said. We had no time for pity; I’d just have to tough it out.
Ryland’s eyes focused on the prize. He moved and dodged just as Turner made swipes for him with his knife. He was in the professor’s mind now, anticipating every move like he had practiced with Luke.
Turner’s frustration was burning hot. His movements became more sporadic as he tried to throw Ryland off. He reached out with other hand, grabbed Ryland with kinetic energy and tossed him against the wall. “Well,” He panted, flicking hair out of his eyes. “I wasn’t planning on having to kill you, but you leave me no choice.”
Ryland grunted as he struggled to his feet. He attempted to move, but Turner’s powers held his legs.
“It’s so sad when a prodigy dies suddenly,” Turner mused sarcastically and then tossed his knife.
“No!” I screamed and used everything I had to latch my energy onto the knife and stop it mid air. I clenched my fist, and the knife folded like paper and fell to the floor.
Turner looked at me. He seemed to be as surprised as I was.
I wasn’t about to lose that advantage. “You taught me well.” I smirked and then reached out. The handcuffs dangled broken on my wrists. I clenched my hands and held him; his power resisted, and we entered a psychic tug of war.
The deep hum filled my body. Every one of my nerves was tingling. My heart was pounding. My head ached. I would not let him go. I couldn’t let him go.
Luke put his hands on my shoulder. “You can do it, don’t let him win.” He whispered in my ear.
Turner wrestled against me. “Let me go, you bitch!”
Psychic Secret: An Urban Fantasy Academy Romance (Psychic Academy Book 1) Page 16