“And what is it you think you know about her?” Aidan’s blood ran cold at the mere mention of his Complement’s name. He exchanged a quick glance with Naomi. With a nod, she recognized his need to protect Allie. She might not like Allie very much, but she knew enough about her to know her identity needed to be guarded carefully. These women knew far too much already.
“She is your equal,” Genevieve said triumphantly. “She’s nearly as powerful as you are, and the two of you together will become one of the Senate’s greatest tools. Some day. That could be right now, or it could be after she is Proven. It’s up to you.”
“And?” Aidan pushed. “If you expect me to yield to your threats, I want to know what you’re actually threatening. How do I know you won’t do the same thing to her tomorrow?”
“Her abilities are questionable. The Chief Justice would be very interested in her clairvoyance … and her recent developments.”
Aidan sucked in a deep breath, fear lancing through him like an electric jolt.
“But we’re more interested in you and Naomi. The warrior bond you share trumps a talented clairvoyant as far as we are concerned. Alexis is nothing to us.” She shrugged her shoulders.
Aidan tried to hide his relief. They didn’t know as much about Allie as they thought they did.
“And if I still refuse your … offer?”
“Then we hand Alexis to the Chief Justice along with your parents and your eldest siblings who knowingly withheld your existence from your government. We’ll start with your bother, Scott McBrien.” She gestured toward the waiting room where Scott likely still paced.
Aidan couldn’t refuse. He couldn’t risk letting them get their hands on Allie. Couldn’t risk his entire family’s freedom for his own safety. “And if I cooperate, you will leave her alone? My family too?”
“You have our word,” Cleo said. “And I promise our word means a lot more than the word of the International Senate who won’t be far behind us with an offer not half as pleasing.
With a last look at Naomi, Aidan nodded. “Name your terms and we will decide if we accept.”
“You will each teach a class as I have described. Aidan, you can do so from Cologne for now. In time, when your family has learned to accept your new role, you will come join Naomi and the rest of us in Milan. However, your involvement in the Milan Initiative must remain a secret from your families. The moment you tell your family, the deal is off.”
Aidan suspected as much. They wanted to separate him from everyone he loved. Slowly, so they wouldn’t notice until it was too late.
“And what exactly is the Milan Initiative and their agenda?” Naomi asked. “I want to know what we’re contributing to.”
“We are a top secret, privately funded boarding school for select student who possess the bond. We do not answer to the International Senate. Our duty is to explore this extraordinary bond that links us as warriors.”
“For what purpose?” Aidan asked.
“To aid the Immortal population and protect these highly valuable pairs from those who would use them for personal gain.”
“You’re building an army,” Aidan said.
“Our goal is to protect this bond and those who have it. We study the connection seeking to understand it and train those who have it. That is all.”
“I don’t believe you.” Aidan ran his hands through his dirty hair in frustration. “What is your end game? What do you hope to accomplish with this army you want us to train?”
“As a group, you will eventually work with the Senate, but not for them. That is all I can tell you now,” Cleo said, her tone indicating this discussion was closed.
“So, you want me to teach here, but you expect Naomi to leave?” Aidan asked.
”Yes, Naomi will reside in Milan at the school with us,” Cleo announced. “She will teach a class of her own.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Aidan refused. “She will stay with me in Cologne, or we have no deal. There is no need to drag her into this too.”
“Naomi will have the freedom to come and go as she pleases. She will have her pick of housing. You both will earn a respectable salary and all your needs will be met, but Naomi is our insurance policy, a way to guarantee you actually hold up your end of the bargain.”
”You don’t need Naomi for that. I will do as you say so long as the people I love are safe. And that includes Naomi.”
“Then we have no deal. Perhaps Ms. Carmichael will prove to be a suitable backup?”
“No!” Aidan shot to his feet, his chair clattering against the concrete floor behind him. “Don’t make me choose between Naomi and my family.” His voice broke. “You have no idea what you’re asking.” He raked his hands through his hair. “I just … I want to go home.” He was so tired and his nerves were shot. Aidan was at his breaking point and they knew it.
“Aidan,” Naomi said softly. “I know you need to do this for your family. They are my family too. I will go with them.”
“Naomi, no.” Aidan’s heart ripped apart inside his chest. He could not choose one over the other. Allie and Naomi each held a piece of him. He could not betray Allie to keep Naomi with him, and he couldn’t allow them to take his Syntrophos to protect his Complement. There was no answer to this situation. “This is bullshit!” Aidan roared, kicking his chair across the room. “Don’t make me sacrifice one of the most important people in my life for this. You win.” He fell to his knees. “I’ll do whatever you ask of me, but don’t take Naomi’s freedom for my mistakes.”
“Your reaction right now is precisely why we need you, Aidan.” Cleo crouched beside him. “Both of you.” She looked from Aidan to Naomi. “Our students desperately need guidance to deal with these warring emotions they don’t understand.”
“Naomi will be treated well,” Genevieve added. “And she will teach our youngest pair.”
“Youngest?” Naomi asked.
“They are just seventeen years old. Two precocious girls who desperately need good teachers. They live in a state-of-the-art training facility near the Lake Maggiore region just north of Milan. For the last year, their lives have been … clinical, and they need more guidance than we can currently give them.”
“I’ll go.” Naomi turned her exotic blue eyes to Aidan, and he saw something there he hadn’t seen before.
He narrowed his eyes at her in question and she gave a slight nod. He didn’t know if she’d known it for a while or she only just now suspected it, but Naomi knew Allie was his Complement and they had to tread carefully here. It was one thing to manipulate Aidan with the well being of his Syntrophos, but he shuddered to think what they could make him do using both Allie and Naomi’s safety against him.
“Come sit with me, Aidan.” Naomi reached to pull him up off the floor. “We have more negotiating to do before you can go home.”
Aidan reluctantly stood, letting her guide him back to his chair.
“Right … so, what if I can’t give you four days a month every month?” He scratched at the dark stubble along his jaw.
“We will give you time to make the decision to leave school on your own terms. We are confident you will make the right choice,” Cleo said.
“And if I don’t? If I decide to stay in Cologne?”
“You won’t. But on the off chance you do want to stay in school, we will support that. It will just mean your time with us will be much longer.”
“And what will I be teaching these kids?”
“For starters, you’re going to show us how to hide the bond,” Genevieve interjected.
“Yes, you will teach us that and our students everything you know of this bond,” Cleo added.
“You don’t even know what it’s called?” Naomi asked.
“We call it a warrior union,” Cleo said evenly, “but enlighten us if you know the true name for such a bond.”
“Not yet,” Aidan resisted. “I know precious little about this bond. I can teach you what I know in an hour or two, but I a
m no expert.”
“Remember, we were interested in you before we learned of Naomi,” Cleo said. “The fact that you share this bond with her is a pleasant surprise, but it is not the only reason we want you to join us.”
”You could find anyone capable of training a group of young Immortals. Why me?” Aidan asked
“Greggory McBrien is an ancient warrior. His son will have much to teach our students. Most of them have had little to no training. They will respond better to one of their own generation. Someone who understands their gifts. We’ve been looking for someone like you for quite some time now, Aidan, but you exceed our wildest expectations.”
”How long must I endure this … position?” Aidan asked, resigned that this was happening.
”Indefinitely,” Genevieve said.
”You want me to sign my life away, with no end in sight?” Aidan closed his eyes, trying to make sense of this madness. He just wanted to go home and pretend none of this happened, but Cleo had an answer for everything. She cut him off at every angle. There was no way out of this.
Gregg would want his son to tell him everything—to let him handle this for Aidan, but Aidan wasn’t sure he could risk his family, Allie and Naomi to save his own neck. He was going to have to do this, and hope Liam could track them with his gift and get them out of this mess someday. But at the back of his mind, Aidan thought about the kids on the other end of this nightmare. Who was looking out for them? Surely, they were prisoners too.
This is just another Soma. A Soma for Syntrophos. And he had to willingly walk through the front door without an escape plan.
”Let’s start with five years,” Cleo offered. “At that time, we will reevaluate the situation.”
”That’s a long time,” Naomi said. “How about one year?”
“Three years,” Cleo countered.
Naomi crossed her arms, giving Aidan a reluctant nod.
“Fine. We have a deal,” Aidan said. “As long as Alexis, Naomi and the rest of my family are safe, I will cooperate. But the minute that changes, we’re out.”
“Very well, we will start immediately,” Cleo said with a satisfied smile. “Naomi will leave with us tonight. Aidan will return home with his brother and smooth things over with his family. Next week, Genevieve and one of our staff will escort our first student to Cologne for training.”
“And don’t think that your Uncle Liam will be able to track you, either. We have safeguards in place to negate abilities like his,” Genevieve said.
“Of course, you do. But my brother, Scott will not accept such a radical change in my schedule,” Aidan said.
“You will attribute your frequent trips to your community service,” Cleo said.
“He will insist on coming with me; that’s why he’s here. My family will never allow me to travel alone.”
“We will send our own escorts to retrieve you,” Genevieve said. “That should be enough to appease your family.”
“You don’t know my family.”
“We are done here.” Genevieve slid a form across the table. “Sign it.”
“Not until I read it,” Aidan insisted.
“Fine.” Cleo puffed on her cigarette.
It was a simple contract for a minimum of three years of service to be reevaluated with a new contract at the end of this one. A single sheet of paper outlined all they had discussed, including a substantial salary for his service. Naomi had the same deal with a similar contract.
Aidan studied the simple form once more, desperately trying to find a way out of signing it.
“It is just a formality.” Cleo said. “You belong with us, Aidan McBrien. Sign on the dotted line and your contribution to the Initiative will mean something. Your work will be fulfilling and your family will not suffer. Alexis will not suffer.”
Aidan glanced at Naomi, hoping she had thought of something he hadn’t.
“We don’t have a choice, Aidan. It’s better this way than whatever they have behind door number two. You know that scenario won’t look half as appealing as this.” She held up her contract.
“Your partner is right,” Cleo said. “Sign it.”
“Pen?” Aidan relented. Naomi was right—there was no real choice here. In reality, what they offered was no different than what the Senate had offered his sisters. Sasha had to jump whenever they decided she needed additional specialized training. And Imogen had it even worse. For years, she’d worked for the Senate whether she wanted to or not. As long as she cooperated, she got to keep her normal life with her family and her husband. If she ever tried to leave, the reality of her service to the Senate would rear its ugly head. But that was before she’d become a prisoner of Soma. Now, she worked for a new master, against her old one. Aidan was a pawn in a game of power, just like both his sisters were. For all the power he was born with, it didn’t matter. It couldn’t save him now. He was naive to ever think it wouldn’t go this way. Since the moment of his birth, Aidan was headed for a moment just like this.
“No pens.” Genevieve handed him a dagger. “You will sign in blood.”
“That’s not gross or extreme at all.” Naomi sliced her palm open with the dagger. Dipping the tip of the knife in her blood, she signed her life away. For him, making the final decision so he wouldn’t have to.
Chapter Twelve
Allie
The Dreamworld, November
“Allie, you’re never going to get this right if you don’t chill.” Quinn came up behind her, straightening her shoulders, and pressing his large hand against her diaphragm to correct her breathing. “Relax. This is the easy part.”
Allie darted a glare at Livia, who sat peacefully on the grassy lawn in the Yard, already in a deep meditative state.
“I’m nervous. What if I can’t do it?” Allie bit her lip, trying to find a peaceful thought to focus on, so she could relax her body and expand her consciousness. Apparently, Livia could do that on command.
“You can do this, Allie.” Navid took her hand in his. “It took Livia several attempts, too,” he added in a whisper.
“Sure, maybe the seventh time is the charm,” she muttered.
“Stop trying to compete with your sister and focus on all the dreamers you’ll be able to help once you can enter the dreamworld at will. How much you’ll be able to help us fight this war. Use that thought as your motivation.”
“That’s it,” Quinn said in his deep, mellow voice. “Breathe and release.”
“Focus,” Navid echoed his student’s tone. A student who had quickly become the teacher.
With a deep breath, Allie let her thoughts drift to the war in the dreamworld and the unrest between the dream walkers and those defenseless dreamers who needed her help.
“Very good, sweetheart,” Navid murmured. “Now, take my hand and follow me.”
Allie nodded, squeezing her father’s hand. She was still nervous, but he needed her to do this. With her eyes closed, she followed, feeling the subtle pull of Navid’s presence like an anchor dragging her to the bottom of the ocean.
Allie was weightless, floating in a peaceful state. The feeling was almost euphoric, like she hadn’t a care in the world. And then she fell flat on her face, the taste of dirt in her mouth.
“Easy now,” Navid said. “Give yourself a minute to adjust.
Allie glanced up, the dreamworld whirling around her like a kaleidoscope of colors and images. Sweat slid down her back, and her palms grew slick against the grass beneath her.
“Yep, she’s going to blow.” Quinn took a step back.
Allie tried to stand, intent on telling him off, but he was right. In the next instant, Allie projectile hurled the entire contents of her stomach onto the ground.
“Nice range.” Quinn gave her a wink.
“Shut up or I’ll aim for your fancy boots next time.” Allie trembled as she wiped her mouth and stood on shaky legs. “Ugh, I feel like I just appareled for the first time.” She shuddered, taking in great gulps of air.
“What?” Livia frowned.
“Potter again?” Quinn asked and Navid nodded.
“It will pass in a moment or two.” Navid handed Allie any icy bottle of water. She held it to her forehead and the nape of her neck before chugging the most perfect, thirst-quenching water she’d ever had. She eyed her father with a questioning glance.
“A walker talent.” He shrugged. “In time you learn to enhance the things you create with your mind.”
“I’m going to need to taste your cheesecake before we leave. And it won’t count against my diet if it’s in the dreamworld,” Allie said.
“Feeling better, are we?” He chuckled.
“If she’s talking about food, she’s fine,” Quinn said.
“Okay, so I’m here.” Allie looked around shaking her arms and legs to work out the kinks. “Whoa this is really weird. I didn’t think I’d be so aware of my physical body back in the Yard.” She swayed on her feet. It was like being in two places at once. She was aware of her corporeal state in the waking world and yet her presence in the dreamworld felt just as physical. It was like seeing double and it left her nauseated.
“It’s a strange sensation that will pass once you become accustomed to traveling the world of dreams,” Navid said. “But never forget, no matter how real it feels, everything that happens here takes place in your mind.” He tapped her temple for emphasis. “The things you experience here cannot affect your physical body.”
“So if I get shot here, what happens?”
“You wake up without injury,” he explained.
“Normally,” Quinn interjected. “Sometimes walkers can experience real physical consequences. But we’re pretty certain that can’t happen with you and Liv.”
“Pretty certain? I don’t like the sound of pretty certain.”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” Quinn grinned and moved along the path ahead of her.
“So, what now? Whose dreamscape are we in?” Allie fell in step beside Navid.
“We are in the dreamworld proper,” Navid said. “Most walkers have their own dreamscapes just like yours, but we are not confined to that space the way you and Livia are.
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