“He has a good point, you haven’t, and I don’t think you will. If you had planned to harm either one of us you already would have. Exile or not, human or not, I’m still an Ascended in some ways. No, you won’t lay hands on me. So why have you come, Nerissa?” Kristair asked.
“Oh, but there are many, many ways I can make you weep, Kristair.”
Oh fuck. My blood turned to ice as Nerissa’s gaze fell on me. “Now wait just a minute here,” I said, tensing inside to keep from taking an instinctive step back. I’d be damned before I let her see that she scared the shit out of me. “You kill me, Nerissa, and I can guarantee you’ve lost any chance of ever making Kristair kneel to you.”
“She can’t kill you, mo chroí. If she raises her will against you, then she risks bringing the other Ascended’s attention down on her. What’s the price for killing, Nerissa? For trying to create life on your own?” Kristair asked, his voice a taunting, icy barb. “And she can’t kill you with her bare hands without using her abilities. She can’t fight the both of us. She’s impotent.”
There it was, the crack in her façade of calm. Nerissa’s eyes glittered as her hands flexed. I took a step back as my cell phone vibrated a third time and slid my hand into my pocket, hoping she wouldn’t notice the motion. “I think you hit a nerve there, Kristair. She’s been feeling helpless and she hates it.”
“Impotent? How dare you?” Nerissa’s will lashed out toward me as I pulled out the phone, and my vision went dark as pressure squeezed my heart. I heard the cell phone clatter to the floor, and I fell to my knees.
And just as suddenly, the sensation was gone. I drew in a deep, shuddering breath as Kristair stepped in front of me. “Believe me when I tell you that I will do whatever it takes to protect him and Kayla.”
“Oh god, Kristair, what have you done?” I said in horror as I realized he had been the one to stop whatever it was Nerissa had done.
“You broke your vow, Kristair,” Nerissa hissed. “You used abilities you swore to give up.”
“How will the other Ascended know, unless you tell them? And you can’t without having to explain what you were doing here and the reasons why I broke that vow. You don’t have the power of all the others behind you now. It’s just you and me, and I can counter anything you throw at me.”
Nerissa’s eyes gleamed in triumph. Terror and despair tore at me as I struggled to my feet again. “Kristair, don’t leave me.”
“I’m not.”
“Now that you’ve broken through your self-imposed block, what’s going to stop you from doing the same again? Every time he is threatened you’ll do it again. He makes your will weak, Kristair. You don’t belong among us either.”
“After what you’ve done, neither do you, Nerissa. You think you’ve won, but they’ll be able to see right through you as they saw through me. It’s over; let it go.”
The sound of a car coming into the driveway had me lurching toward the door. No, no, no… god dammit. I was such a fucking idiot. Kristair’s sudden alarm spurred me on. A car door slammed, and I heard Kayla’s voice as she bolted up the steps. “Kris! Jake!”
“I’ll take care of Nerissa. Stop her, Jacob!”
But it was too late. The door flew open, and Kayla’s eyes blazed white as her face melted into a featureless mask when Nerissa took possession of her. Behind her, Steve got out of the car, scowling with a look of confusion in his eyes. “What the fuck is going on?”
Kayla spun around, her hand lifting, and Steve flew back against the Z28. The impact was brutal, and he slid to the ground in a boneless heap. I grabbed her arm, jerking her into the cabin. “What have you done?” I shoved her back into Kristair’s arms and bolted toward Steve.
Chapter 30
NERISSA STRUGGLED as I wrapped my arms around her, and I tightened my grip, trying to be careful so I wouldn’t bruise Kayla. Nerissa tried to stab at my mind, but the attempt was weaker than what I would have normally expected from her. ”Let her go, Nerissa. It doesn’t have to be like this. She’s your family too,” I hissed in her ear.
“I’ll destroy her mind before I let her go, Kristair. You’ve brought this down on yourself.”
Jacob had reached Steve and had knelt down next to him, checking his pulse. I kicked the door shut, hoping that not being able to see them would limit her abilities somewhat. I could only go on the premise that she didn’t want me dead, at least not yet.
“Let her go or I swear that I’ll bring the Ascended down on the both of us.” I gave her a little shake, fury and terror making me hold onto her harder than I wanted to. “Your rampage is over with. Don’t make the split between the Ascended worse. I don’t want a war between them anymore than you do.”
Nerissa raked her nails down the side of my face, drawing blood. “Never, Kristair.”
“So be it.”
I threw open my mind and clamped down on my emotions, stretching my mind out toward the Ascended. Nerissa gasped, jerking out of my arms, and spun around. “No!” Her eyes went incandescent, and I stepped forward, prepared to catch Kayla when Nerissa released her body, but it didn’t happen.
My mind linked with Tony’s and then onto the rest of the Ascended. Kayla’s body jerked spasmodically. “Let me go!” Nerissa screamed. “What have you done to me?”
“Kristair? What’s happening? Kristair! No!” Jacob’s voice fell away with the room as the Ascended took the both of us, until he was only a distant spark.
“Is Steve safe?” I threw the thought back at him.
“He’s unconscious, but he’ll be okay, he’s got a hard head,” he whispered in my mind. “What the hell happened? All three of you are gone.”
“I’m not sure yet. Get Steve settled and then join me.”
“How the fuck am I supposed to do that?”
I tried to summon patience as I found myself in an all-too-familiar place. The ranks of the Ascended surrounded Nerissa, Kayla, and me. But this time, the mood was different as another trial convened. The split was evident in the way they arranged themselves. Nerissa’s faction, much larger, was arrayed on one side, with Tony’s faction on the other side. The sense of their unsettled mood was much more palpable this time, pounding down on me and completely drowning out Jacob’s voice.
“What is the meaning of this?” Nerissa’s faction said in one voice, outrage swelling the sound until the very air seemed to ring with the force of their anger.
“Proof of what I’ve been trying to tell you.” Tony came to the forefront and gestured toward Kayla. “Nerissa has been taking control of her body and using it to kill other beings.”
Nerissa struggled yet again to free herself, and I worried for the state of Kayla’s mind, the damage she could be doing to her. “You trapped me,” she hissed, surging toward Tony.
I caught her and drew her back to me again. “Release her, please,” I said, appealing to Tony.
“Exile, you will not speak until you’ve been spoken to,” Nerissa’s faction said, bristling in outrage.
I clamped down on the rushing surge of anger at that. There were too many strong emotions swirling around as it was. Adding to it would only make the situation worse. Tony touched my thoughts in support, directing a thought toward me. “Kayla is safe. I’ve buffered her mind and made it so that Nerissa cannot cause her physical harm, but I cannot let her go yet.”
“What have you done, Aberration?” Shock rippled through Nerissa’s faction, muting some of their anger. I sensed them touch Nerissa’s awareness trapped in Kayla’s body. “Nerissa? Is this true?”
“You would take their words over mine?” she said, drawing herself up, as regal as any queen. It was as if my hands on her and Tony’s trap meant nothing.
“When I laid the trap I hadn’t realized it was for Nerissa. I was helping a friend,” Tony said.
“Your human friends. Something that is forbidden,” they said, righteous indignation in their choral voice.
“As you say, I am guilty, but if you judge me, you must
judge Nerissa as well.” He gestured toward her. “She also sought to interfere when she always preached that we observe and she sought to hide it from you by going about it indirectly.”
More of the anger dissolved into confusion and dismay as Nerissa’s faction was faced with some proof of her misdeeds. “We must have the whole truth before we proceed.”
“Then let the Exile talk,” Tony insisted. “If you want the truth, listen to his words and the words of his mate and then ask Nerissa what she’s done. You’ll know who’s speaking the truth.”
The choral voices hummed, shutting the rest of us out as they conversed. In that quieter moment, I sensed Jacob’s presence in my mind, calling out to me. “I’m here, mo chroí. I’m safe.”
“What about Kayla? Steve’s awake and freaking the fuck out.” Guilt tinged his mind. “I’d texted him to let him know Nerissa was here so he could keep Kayla away. But she saw it instead and told him to come back. He didn’t know anything.” Misery sank deeper into his mind. “I fucked up. It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”
“No, Jacob. It is Nerissa’s fault and she will answer for her crimes.” I still couldn’t believe it, and now that the moment of reckoning was here, I found myself to be conflicted. Nerissa needed to be stopped, but I didn’t want her to be harmed. Despite everything, the ties between us were still strong.
Jacob didn’t say anything at first, but I sensed his love and support, and that was enough. “How did you want me to join you?”
“Merge your mind with mine. Steve can keep an eye on your body so you should be safe. Just try to stay calm. We don’t want to set them off.”
“Okay. Give me a minute to explain things to Steve. What should I tell him? I still don’t know what the fuck happened.”
“Tony laid a trap in Kayla’s mind. When Nerissa possessed her, she couldn’t free herself. Now the Ascended have proof of at least that much of her crimes.” I paused, glancing toward them. “They haven’t decided quite how to take it yet.”
“Damn, Kayla’s lucky her brain isn’t Swiss cheese by this point. Two traps going off in her head since last night…. Fucking mine field up in there.”
“She’ll be fine. They haven’t done any damage to her and Tony promised me that Nerissa is not in a position to be able to hurt Kayla anymore.”
“That’s good to know. I’ll be with you in a few minutes.” Jacob caressed me with a loving thought and then was gone, the link weakening to the point where I had a very difficult time sensing him at all.
As I turned my attention back to the Ascended, Nerissa’s faction emerged from their communication. “It will be as you say, Aberration. We will gather the Exile’s mate and hear from everyone. Once we’ve discovered the truth, then we can determine the proper chastisement.”
“We will make the determination together,” Tony’s faction said, and for a moment the mood became ugly again as the two sides locked together in an unspoken battle. Then the atmosphere relaxed, and I breathed a mental sigh of relief.
“We are agreed. Aberration, you know his mate well; bring him here.”
I had to admire Tony’s poise and strength of mind. This was the second time he had found himself in the middle of a group that was reluctant to accept him and again, despite the odds, he’d risen to a position of leadership among them. I hoped in this case it ended better for him.
Then Jacob and Steve were there, looking around with wide eyes. “Oh sweet fucking Jesus,” Jacob whispered.
Steve swallowed hard and then noticed Kayla and came over to us, scowling as he took in her altered appearance. When he lifted his hand to touch her, Nerissa hissed at him, lunging forward and forcing me to tighten my grip on her. I shook my head at him, sympathizing with his fear for Kayla. “Soon, Steve, I promise.”
“We said to bring the Exile’s mate. Who is this other one?” The voices raised to a roar.
“He is Kayla’s mate,” Tony replied, both calm and firm as the mood turned ugly again. I had never imaged the Ascended could be so erratic, so far from where they used to be. “Kayla is the woman whom Nerissa possessed. He is tied to all of us as well.” The argument raged back and forth. And I worried that Tony may have gone too far this time, that he’d gambled once too often.
Steve’s jaw tightened, and he let his hand drop, though I could see how it cost him to back down. For the first time, I realized how much Steve truly did care for my daughter. Perhaps it was time I let her go.
Nerissa went still in my arms, and I looked down at the strange blank features of my daughter’s face. Nerissa had been very quiet, offering nothing in her defense, and I didn’t trust that. She was up to something. Like me, she would not give up now. She had one last desperate ploy in mind.
“Jacob, we need to be ready to counter Nerissa.”
“How do you plan on doing that?” Unease rippled through him. “I don’t like it here, Kristair. We don’t belong here. The shit is about to hit the proverbial fan.”
“No, we don’t. But we need to have this resolved. The Ascended have to come to an agreement.”
“I think that’s even more impossible than keeping that bitch in check.”
“Impossible or not, it must be done,” I insisted. “Keep yourself linked to me close, almost as if we were one, but leave you mind free enough to move your body about if need be. I’m going to do the same with her as subtly as I can. Then if she does try something, we’ll be able to react quickly.”
“You sure you can dig into her head?”
I hesitated, reaching out the barest tendril of a thought to my former Mistress. “We were bonded once. I have to try.” Nerissa had shielded herself from the other Ascended, presenting a calm, arrogant façade to them. But I knew her so well, and I soon found the minute chink in her defenses.
Behind the wall, her emotions raged out of control. There was so much chaos in her thoughts I could’ve shouted and she still wouldn’t have heard me. When had this madness started? How had no one noticed?
Once again the Ascended became still and their attention turned toward us. The split between them was even more pronounced now, but at least they still had some measure of control. The storm around them had calmed somewhat.
“Exile, we will hear your words.”
Nerissa yanked herself free from my grip. I tensed, ready to grab her again, but she didn’t try to flee. Instead, she drew herself up again, and in her bearing I could almost see her clearly through the strange features of Kayla’s face.
“As the accused, I demand the right to speak first.”
“I have no issue with that,” I said quickly, hoping to forestall another argument between the two different sides.
Silence reined, and then I sensed the Ascended’s acceptance. “Proceed, Nerissa.”
Jacob slipped over to my side and took my hand, reinforcing the connection between us. Steve stood with his eyes hard on Nerissa, his arms crossed. I had no doubt the moment Nerissa released Kayla that he’d be right next to her. I did not have to worry about my daughter.
“Did you possess this young woman, as the Aberration and Exile have accused?”
“I do not deny that,” Nerissa said, letting everyone feel the strength of her conviction. “I did what was necessary to fix the damage Kristair and the Aberration created. Their actions have created a rift between us, a rift that must be mended.”
“And you took it upon yourself to make this decision for us all?” Tony’s faction said, new fury coloring their voices.
“I knew what had to be done to fix it, involving you would’ve brought on more argument. And thus I could not involve my own followers. The less who knew, the better chance my plan had of succeeding.” Nerissa was so arrogantly sure of herself she could not see the effect her words had on her own allies, their confusion and they way they drew back. “I sacrificed my principles for the sake of us all.”
I squeezed Jacob’s hand at his swift flash of outrage. “Do not rile them. Let her dig herself in deeper. Her mind is so cloud
ed, she cannot see the damage she is doing to her own cause.” Jacob grumbled but subsided without a word.
“How would possessing this woman heal the rift?” Nerissa’s faction chorused. “Your logic does not make any sense, Nerissa.”
Nerissa’s façade didn’t flicker at all from the questions her own people hurled at her, but inside, uncertainty flickered and fueled her rage. “That is because you still cannot see the whole picture. Kristair caused the rift when he left us. Upon his return, we’ll be one again.” I squeezed Jacob’s hand even harder. “To achieve that end, I vowed to take away the reasons why he left.”
Nerissa made it sound so logical, so clinical. As galling as her arrogance might have been, her faction wasn’t ready to condemn her yet. They murmured amongst themselves, and Jacob gave me a hard mental poke, striving to get me to say something, and still I waited. As much as possible, I wanted them to sort this out amongst themselves.
“And in doing so you extinguished seven beings, some of which who might’ve one day been among our ranks if you hadn’t interfered with their fate,” Tony’s faction accused.
“They were weak. Easy. They never could’ve been one of us,” Nerissa said, her voice rich with scorn. Once again, her faction stirred in unease at her words, but she didn’t seem to notice this time. “Tony interfered in Kayla’s fate as well. Why haven’t you questioned him about that?”
“I admit to interacting with humans, but I only fixed what you changed. I set the trap, and now the rest of us can see your hypocrisy.”
“She not only killed,” I said, interjecting myself in to the tableau before they could ask him when he set that trap. “She also created a doppelganger of me, a creature that she controlled and sent out to harm. By using these tactics, she thought to keep you from finding out what she was doing. She thought she was keeping her hands clean. She cannot even understand the enormity of her crimes.” I paused and looked directly at her. “She has no control left. She is mad.”
Triquetra Page 85
