“It hurts so bad. I just want it to stop hurting.”
“I know,” he soothed. He had his own grief to deal with, but for the moment her safety and comfort were his priority. “But I won’t force you to love me,” he whispered. “We can get through this together. Our grief will ease, in time. Just let me help you through it. That’s all I ask.”
“How did you stand it when your wife died?”
“I put one foot in front of the other.” He kissed her. “I knew, eventually, would come a day when the hurt would subside enough I would not think about it all the time. And now I have you.”
“You don’t hate me?”
He shook his head. “Over this? Over anything? I could never hate you. This is my fault. I asked you to trust me. Instead of trying to push you, I should have locked you in here with me and spent the days letting you go through my mind so you would understand. You are starting a new life, and it’s my responsibility to teach you everything you need to survive. I have failed you.”
“How did you get past…the power? I—” She felt awkward talking to him, but she felt his mental nudge to go on. “I felt like I didn’t want to stop because of what I could do. The control I had over him.”
“Some don’t. It depends on what is in their heart.”
“What happens to them?”
“The answer is here.” He welcomed her to look in his mind. She did, saw why he didn’t want to talk about it. Even though it was centuries in the past, it was still fresh and horrible in his mind. After just a glance she pulled away, unable to deal with it.
“Do you think you can eventually trust me enough to let me all the way in, Taz?” he asked.
He knew she still held back out of fear. But not out of fear of him.
She trembled. Then he felt her truly open her mental barriers for the first time since she erected them, pulling him in. He didn’t fight her and understood why she felt so frightened.
Taz had only explored part of her mind, her powers. She was terrified of what lay outside the image of the mental room she created in her thoughts, beyond the comfortable boundaries she’d set for herself over the years. Because of that, he’d only accessed a very small part of abilities. Even now, freely open to him, there were still sections walled up and inaccessible. He wondered if she could even reach them. And her grief and pain were much, much deeper, nearly untouchable, because of her guilt and anguish over her actions.
And possibly because of untapped memories she had no idea existed within her soul.
She wasn’t just powerful—she was a force of nature.
Tim had taught her well.
They talked, touched minds, until Tim knocked on their door.
“You understand what you have to do today?” Matthias whispered.
She nodded.
“Can you do it?”
“I have to.”
“I know you don’t want to. I don’t like making you do this.”
She twisted the ring on her finger. He noticed but said nothing. If it comforted her, she should have it. “I have to do it. For him. For Rafe.”
He nodded. “For Rafe.”
“Matthias, I’m sorry.” She knew he’d seen her dinner conversation with Rafe in her memories.
He nodded. “The heart knows what it knows, and the soul always comes home. There are many kinds of love, many reasons for love. I know you love me. And I love you. I don’t begrudge what you felt for him. When we get home we can talk about this. Okay?”
Taz nodded and let him lead her from the cabin.
She noticed the guards were back, and she didn’t ask what they did with Rafe’s body. They ate breakfast in silence. Robertson and Albert rode with them in the Land Rover to Canyon Village. Apparently Matthias had communicated the plan to them already. Before he shut off the engine, he looked at her. “Can you do this?”
She nodded, her mouth set in a grim line. “I want whoever did this to pay.”
Robertson reached over the backseat and touched her shoulder. “We’ll be right there.”
She nodded.
The guards were in the other Land Rover, and they all moved toward the building. She realized she didn’t have her water and asked Matthias for the keys to the Rover. Fortunately, he couldn’t read her mind past the thick barrier she’d already placed. She retrieved a bottle of water and hurried to catch up, pocketing the keys.
The rest of the attendees soon arrived. Matthias somberly greeted them, had them sit at the table. He stood at the far end of the room, with all eyes on him. Taz waited in the private room with Albert and Robertson. When she felt Matthias tap at her conscious, they moved into the conference room.
They didn’t have a chance. Taz closed her eyes, gripped the back of the chair in front of her, and felt the power surge through her. The image she used was a tidal wave, of anger, of anguish, and it was so strong and unexpected the meeting attendees couldn’t react in time. There were no demons in here today, she knew, but she could smell fear.
As she held them, Matthias’ gaze grew cold and hard.
“I apologize for this. There was an attempt on Anastazia’s life yesterday, and my cousin Rafe was killed. This is more than personal, as you can imagine. I know not all of you are involved, and perhaps none of you are. But we have to be sure. If any of you are angry, I can’t blame you, and I will gladly stand and allow you to give me a piece of your mind after. But for now…” He turned to Anastazia.
She felt it, felt the shift as a mind tried to fight her. There was something, someone. Only one. She couldn’t isolate them because she was too busy holding all their barriers down. It took a toll. She felt Robertson’s arm slip around her waist, supporting her.
“It’s okay, Taz,” he whispered in her ear. “That’s my girl. You’re brilliant, sweetheart.”
Albert also hooked his arm through hers. “We’ve got you, dear.”
Matthias walked down the room and started with the man closest to her left, standing over him, looking through his mind. Matthias looked at Taz, shook his head, and she released the man. He leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, shaking. This was repeated several more times, with each release freeing more power, steadying her, calming her. Matthias got to a woman on Taz’s right, three chairs away. Taz watched Matthias frown then move to the next without giving the signal to release her. He finished with the rest and went back to the woman.
She looked like she was in her fifties, with a harsh, pinched face and dark-brown hair pulled back in a severe bun. Her name was Caroline, and she was around four hundred years old. Not as powerful as Matthias or Rafe, but strong.
Matthias stared at Caroline. Then Taz stepped forward and gently pushed him out of her way.
He looked at Taz, shocked. He tried to get her to stop when she looked up at Matthias and shoved him with her mind.
He stumbled backward against the conference-room wall. Now Taz had Caroline, was inside her mind, despite how the woman squirmed to break free. Caroline was frozen in her chair, but her mind twisted and turned like a snake, struggling in vain to keep Anastazia out.
Taz closed her eyes, ignoring the feel of Robertson and Albert’s hands on her arms. She was vaguely aware of shaking them loose, sending them flying against the wall. She felt bad about that, aware it was her mind and not her body doing it, but she had the information she needed.
“Be gentle with them, Taz baby. They love you. Please don’t hurt them.”
The phantom voice. She didn’t know if it was her conscience or not, but she had to follow through with this.
For Rafe. For both of them.
She saw the plan, the payment from the Others for Caroline to deliver Anastazia to them for research. Or, failing that, certain parts of her on dry ice. Caroline only knew as much as they told her, which wasn’t much more than Matthias already knew from his investigation. She’d met with them in New York, on Long Island, in a private mansion, after their first and second attacks failed. But it wasn’t their compound. It was rented, so no help there.