Even completely numb, he could feel the tug of the stitches with every step. He plodded down the hall with Adrian in tow, who had started another phone call. “Yes, Commander Bishop is finished with his procedure. We’ll be returning to headquarters shortly.” He turned to Jasper. “Can I get you something to eat? You’ll probably be in debriefings all night.”
All night. Hours.
Annabel.
He gritted his teeth. She’d be safe enough in his quarters. Cyrus wouldn’t know to look there, but what if she’d been hurt?
“You’ll need to be on light duty for the next six weeks. No heavy lifting. No firing your weapon. And stairs—”
Jasper chuckled as he rounded a corner. “Sure, Doc.”
“I mean it. This was a very serious injury. If you reopen it in the field, it could get serious fast.”
“I’ll take that into consideration.”
He exited the medical facility and hesitated. The black obelisk of headquarters rose across the main square. He could go back there and begin the debriefs, or he could go to his quarters.
He had hours of analysis ahead of him, reviewing all the damage she’d caused. How could there be a dilemma at all?
“Sir, is everything…” Adrian’s voice trailed off as he stared at Jasper blankly.
I’ll just make sure she’s okay. That’s part of my job.
“Get back to headquarters,” he told Adrian. “I want a full update when I get there.”
“You’re not coming?”
“I need to clean up a little bit. I’ll be right behind you.”
Adrian nodded, and Jasper teleported to his suite.
Annabel jumped from the couch with wide eyes. “Jasper!”
A part of his heart—unbearably restless when he was away from her—calmed.
She rounded the couch and stopped a few paces from him, twisting her hands together. “I…”
Jasper took a deep and controlled breath. She looked terrified.
Not my problem anymore.
His arms ached to hold her, but he balled his fists to keep them from drifting toward her. He’d left her once. He could do it again. His job was to ensure the safety and welfare of the ruling family. He’d do that and get out of here as soon as he could.
His voice quivered. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, refusing to make eye contact. “But you. We’ve got to get you to medical. They can fix all this—”
Jasper yanked up his shirt, revealing the line of black stitches. “I’ve already been to medical!”
Annabel clamped her eyes shut as he yelled. A single tear escaped down her cheek and ripped his heart open.
Not my problem.
Even he didn’t believe himself, but he clung to the words, repeating them in his head over and over.
Not my problem.
Just a little bit longer. Then he could leave and gain the distance he’d need to move on.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“No, you’re not,” Jasper bit out, passing her to lean on the back of the couch. “Given the chance, you’d do it again. What were you doing, anyway? Or am I the only one who isn’t allowed to have secrets?”
She sucked in a trembling breath. “I was always going to tell you.”
He gripped the leather of the couch. Good intentions would get her nowhere.
“That night when you caught me in Cyrus’s room, you were honest with me. You said I was stupid to go after Cyrus that way. I never really thought about it, but somehow I took that to mean I needed to find a smarter way to kill him.”
Jasper chuckled darkly. He’d been right. “This whole time, when you’ve been so adamant that I was putting Cyrus first, you weren’t any better.”
Her mouth hung open.
“Your revenge is the only thing that matters to you.”
“That’s not true,” she pleaded, taking a step closer. He staggered back along the couch. Distance would be the only thing to save him.
“I never meant for any of this to happen. The visions—they just seemed so clear. I had to act.”
She honestly had no idea what she’d done. How she’d almost killed herself again and endangered everyone around her.
“The only thing you succeeded in doing was aiding the enemy and enraging your brother. He’s going to be more dangerous than ever now. I suggest you lay low.” He trudged to the door and opened it, nodding outside for her to leave.
Her shoulders sank as more tears overflowed. “No. Please. Don’t do this.”
He couldn’t look at her. “It’s done, and you did it—not me.”
She took a step toward him. “I love you.”
Every muscle tensed at once, trying to block the words.
He loved her. He’d sat with her for hours when she was scared. He’d watched out for her, made her feel safe. And when she’d needed it, he’d moved away to give her the best chance at happiness.
Jaw clenched, he replied, “You don’t know what love is.”
She inched closer to the door.
Almost over.
“I didn’t, but you taught me. Please. You have to believe me. You’re the only one who ever took me as I am. I know I’ve made mistakes—”
“Mistakes? People are dead!” he roared, and she shrunk away. “The main corridor is in ruins. Your hatred has literally brought down your world.”
Tears filled her eyes as they gazed beyond him, distant, numb.
The ache in his heart turned to searing pain. He clenched his jaw, not sure whether he’d make it through this. It went against everything inside him to stand by while she faded this way. He clung to reason. This could all be a manipulation. She might not mean a word. The possibility stabbed at his heart.
“Did you mean any of it?” he blurted out.
“Hmm?” Her eyes remained excruciatingly hollow.
“The kiss? All that talk about our past? Or was all that part of your plan to get to Cyrus?”
Her features hardened. “How could you even ask that?”
He laughed at how stupid he’d been. “Because I’m finally seeing the lengths you’d go to for revenge.”
“This had nothing to do with revenge. Long before any revenge, there was you and me—”
“Yeah.” He sneered. “Back when I was a gullible Level-2. I’m not that guy anymore.”
“You’re not the same person at all!” she screamed. “I loved that Level-2!”
Love. He couldn’t block it out in time. The words settled deep inside him. He squared his shoulders, but his sanity was hanging by a thread.
“You want to know why I talk about our past? It’s all I have left.” Her chest heaved with sobs. “My family’s legacy. My prospects. My dreams of being like my grandfather. All of that died with my parents. Then you came. You protected me, you taught me to smile again. I rejected the pairing with Remington because you helped me hope for more than that. I hoped for you.”
His fingers fell from the door handle, allowing the door to drift shut. Everything he’d done. She’d seen it. It had mattered.
Her whole body wilted. “Then you left, and I was alone.”
No. Never gone. Never even very far.
He took a step toward her.
“And I can’t stop thinking about what I did wrong,” she said through sobs. “Why you left me…”
“Chased away,” he murmured. His dark hair. Her position in the ruling family. The lines had been drawn long before they’d even met, and her Uncle Tiberius had seen to it that the rules were followed.
No one could chase him away now.
He closed the distance between them. “I needed power and access to protect you. I needed an army to stop the coup. Everything I’ve done—”
“I’m so sorry, Jasper,” she whispered, reaching out to him.
He cradled her face in his hands, wiping away the tears with his thumb.
“I love you, Jasper. All this time, I’ve loved you.”
He stepped closer. He needed to be closer.
She rested her hands on his chest. “I’ll never forgive myself for putting you in danger that way. I’d rather die than leave you like that ever again.”
He pressed his forehead against hers. “No more secrets. No more acting alone. Seer visions are only as good as the information they have. They have to work in a team.”
She nodded, her gaze locked on his lips. He dropped a hand behind her, pressing into the small of her back, bringing her closer.
“And if you make a promise, you have to keep it.”
Her heart thudded in her chest, matching his own. She nodded. “I will.”
His lips crashed into hers, unleashing everything he’d felt—love, pain…
Desire.
Years of boiling desire. Better with distance, but always there, always just below the surface, pressing against his carefully placed barriers, demanding to be released. Now it flooded him, flowing out with every touch, but somehow the pressure grew. His fingers pressed deeper into the soft skin of her back, and her lips parted as she sucked in a breath.
She knotted her fingers in his hair, sending a shiver down his spine.
A red light appeared in his periphery; he recognized it all too well. An incoming message. He had other obligations. Adrian would have a million things to discuss. Then there would be Cyrus to deal with.
He didn’t care.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
He shook his head, trailing his lips along her jawline. The red light blinked: another message, then another.
“You’re being summoned, aren’t you?”
He sighed and pulled back, opening the application. The top message was a warrant for arrest—for him.
Her lips traveled down his neck, but he barely felt it. His hands fell away from her.
“Not summoned,” he replied. “Arrested.”
She searched his face with wide eyes. “But you’re Head of the Guard. The only person who could issue that arrest warrant would be Cyrus.” Fiery-red flourished in her cheeks. “I’m going to kill him.”
A door slammed down the hall.
“There isn’t much time,” he said, rushing into his room as quickly as his sewn abdomen would allow him to move. He released a hidden latch in his headboard. The compartment clicked open revealing his emergency stash. Money, clean identification, even the keys to a car were all stored in a small box. He opened it and flipped through the contents.
They could teleport out, but they’d have to dye her hair as soon as possible, and how would they conceal her implant?
His hands slowed.
How would he hide her? If they went missing, Cyrus would know something was up. He would send everyone after them like he had with Leonora. Could he do any better than Tobin?
“He can’t take you from me!” she ranted from behind him. “I won’t let him do it!”
He leaned on the bed. With Aaron in the hospital, Brock would be the most powerful guard. He was far too careful to allow the warrant notification to come to Jasper by mistake. It was a message. Brock was telling him to run, but he didn’t know about Annabel—no one did.
She approached him, arms sliding over his shoulders so naturally. He looked into her eyes—deep onyx with a subtle ridge from the contact lenses—but the anguish there made him ache.
“I can’t lose you again,” she whispered.
“You won’t.” He pulled her in for one last kiss, twisting her up in his arms, and despite the pain from his stomach, he held her close.
To escape with Annabel, he’d need time to plan, resources, much more than he had right now. He’d need to stay, allow himself to be arrested, and talk to Brock.
He memorized the soft curve of her lips against his own. This was risky, but it certainly wasn’t the first time he’d risked everything for her. More importantly, it was the only way. He would ride this out and trust Brock to keep him safe.
Another door slammed down the hall. This time, heavy footsteps and voices followed.
“We’re out of time.” He grabbed the box and shoved it back into its hiding place. “Remember where this is, in case you need it.”
Someone pounded on the door.
“So that’s it? You’re just going to go peacefully?” Her voice cracked.
He grabbed her arms and turned her to him. “I want to be with you, Annabel. I’ve always wanted to be with you, like now, like this.” Her hands wrapped around his back and tightened, sending his thoughts scattering.
Someone yelled from the door—he might kill whoever that someone was.
“This is the only way. Brock is loyal to me. I have to trust that he’ll help me ride this out.”
He ushered her to the window and pulled one of the curtains back for her to hide.
More pounding at the door.
“I’m going to find a way to get you out of this,” she said through tight lips.
He pushed her behind a curtain seconds before they breached the door.
A group of six low-grade guards piled into his living room—more evidence that Brock wanted this arrest to fail. An awkward silence hung in the air before the only Level-3 in the group spoke up. “Sir, we’re under orders to take you into custody.”
“I saw that.” Jasper tapped his temple where his implant was. “Whoever is running this sloppy operation forgot I’m alerted to every new warrant in the system.”
A Level-1 grabbed the grip of his holstered gun. “We’re going to need you to come with us.”
“Are you prepared to use that?” Jasper stormed toward him, ignoring the sharp pull from the stitches. They might be under orders to take him, but he’d remind this cocky grunt he was still as formidable as ever.
The guard stumbled backward, and for a moment no one else moved.
“I’ve done nothing wrong,” Jasper said to the stunned group.
“I know, sir,” the Level-3 replied. “We’re just following orders.”
There was no point in postponing the inevitable. Jasper dropped to his knees. The sooner this was over, the sooner Annabel would be out of danger. One guard cuffed him before they led him out the door. They turned left, and Jasper didn’t need to ask. They weren’t headed for the cell block at headquarters. They were headed for the dungeon.
Chapter 27
Nora rubbed her burning eyes and stared out the window at the sunrise. Weird shimmers occasionally shot across the sky—the facets of the protective shield, they’d told her. She scanned the empty hospital room once again, wondering how much longer it would be.
Tobin had been in surgery for hours—nearly all night. At first, she took the length of the surgery as a good sign. They wouldn’t keep operating on him if he wasn’t going to make it, but she couldn’t shake her last memories of him.
By the time they’d teleported to Nios, he hadn’t just been pale, his skin had been gray and clammy. There hadn’t been any light left in his eyes. Thankfully Charlotte and Henry had been there. They’d called for help right away.
The panicked shouts of the medical personnel as they whisked him away still echoed in her ears. Her muscles had trembled with exhaustion, but she’d run behind them the whole way to the medical facility.
She shifted in her chair. Things were perfect here—too perfect. The prominent pillars and pristine gardens had all the otherworldliness of Mount Olympus. Ice-blue light shone from devices along the side of every door, reminding her of a spaceship. Aside from the eerie trail of blood, the white streets were immaculate. None of the gates were left ajar. Not even a leaf was out of place. It was like any imperfections had been sought out and destroyed.
If Tobin made it, she’d always be grateful for Nios, but she couldn’t wait to leave.
A single set of footsteps echoed down the hall, and Charlotte appeared in the doorway.
Nora hopped from her chair. “Any news about Tobin?”
Charlotte smiled. “Yes. They’re closing him up now. Repairing the nerve damage in his shoulder took a little longer than expected, but he�
�ll make a full recovery.”
He’d be okay. She breathed a sigh of relief. She looked Charlotte over. “How are you feeling?”
Charlotte waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, I’m fine. Doctor Theron fixed me up in no time at all.”
Nora bit her lip. “This wasn’t a twisted ankle. You were shot.”
Charlotte’s smile faded. “I thought maybe if I made it downstairs, I could lead them away from you, and I’d do it again if it meant you’d be safe.” She wrung her hands. “I know I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve always tried to do the right thing—”
A sound at the door startled Nora. Two people rolled a wide hospital bed back into the room. Her heart leaped from her chest.
Tobin lay there sleeping, his shirt and any trace of blood gone. There were more cuts over his chest and face than she could count. Shadows of bruises colored his eye and cheek. A large bandage covered his shoulder.
But he was alive.
“He should rest peacefully for a little while longer.” One of the medical staffers projected a holographic screen in front of her, and an icy blue laser scanned over Tobin’s body. She pecked and swiped before looking at Charlotte again. “The nurse’s station is down the hall. Let us know if you need anything, Councilwoman.”
Charlotte waved a dismissive hand. “Thank you. You’ve been most helpful.”
“Yes, Councilwoman, what a pleasure it is to see you’ve negotiated Tobin Kalos’s return.” A man entered the room with his hands folded in front of him. His long black coat bore an embroidered crest on the lapel. A smile tugged at the wrinkles around his mouth. “Leonora. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
“Ah, Gideon.” Charlotte said with a smile. “How will I ever thank you for expediting the paperwork?”
He shook her hand. “No thanks are needed. I may serve at the pleasure of the minister, but I’m happy to assist the council in any way I can.”
His dark, silvering hair and kind tone seemed almost fatherly, but there was an edge in his voice—something she couldn’t place. And the way he looked at her gave her chills.
“Nora, this is Gideon Ravella, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister.”
Nora rose and approached him despite the tensing in her chest. “Nice to meet you—I mean, see you again.”
The Seers Page 22
