Sage

by Shiloh Walker

  One hand came up, covering his. Their fingers linked and they slid into sleep.

  * * * * *

  Sage came awake with his entire body tensed.

  There was a scream.

  Not one he could hear, but one he could sense.

  Shit.

  “What’s wrong?” Anni muttered sleepily.

  “Somebody needs help.”

  That woke her up. She sat upright, stretching her long, lean body out in the same movement. Then she stood and strode naked out of the room. He heard the water come on down the hall as he sat there, trying to filter out all the outside stimuli and focus on the voice.

  A girl. He had that much in focus as he stood and followed the sound of water to the bathroom. He could see Anni’s nude form behind the treated glass of the shower stall, watched as water flowed over her in a silken caress.

  His cock jerked and he shook his head wryly. Not now…

  There was a washcloth hanging on a loop by the mirror. Taking it down, he pushed it under the spigot. Water came on automatically—hot. Anni liked the water hot—she always programmed it so that it felt hot enough steam in. He said, “Lower temp.” After it had cooled marginally, he wrung out the washcloth and cleaned himself. He rinsed it and dropped it beside the hamper sitting against the wall behind him. Sage washed his hands, then his face and by the time he was done, Anni had shut off the shower.

  She stepped out and he met her gray eyes. “Where is she?”

  Sage’s eyelids lowered a little and he murmured, “Close.”

  “How much trouble is she in?”

  Sage cocked his head.

  Anni thought he looked like he was listening. Listening to something she couldn’t hear. “She’s hiding. They’re looking for her, but she knows how to hide.”

  “Let’s go get her.”

  Within minutes they were dressed. Sage watched as Anni pulled her gloves on. As he stepped up behind her, wrapping her tightly in his arms, he whispered, “Tell me you’ll wear those gloves later on. Just the gloves.”

  A heartbeat later, her startled laugh was lost as he pulled them into the void, following that voice.

  When they landed on solid ground, Sage held Anni for a minute. “You okay?”

  She nodded and stepped away. She tolerated the teleporting better than most and he only watched her for a second to make sure her stride was steady before he took stock.

  An alley. There were people. Close—drawing closer. They didn’t have long to find the girl.

  Turning, he started to say something to her, but she had already moved. She stood near the wall, staring upward. “She’s up there. Go get her.”

  Sage could feel her. Young. Scared. Sliding Anni a look, he said, “Be careful.”

  Anni laughed as she turned and started to move away. They only had a minute. Less. The footsteps pounded ever closer and she braced herself. Four of them—most likely men from the sound of it. She lifted her gloved hands, staring at them. Her eyes narrowed to mere slits as she remembered Sage’s words. Tell me you’ll wear those gloves later on. Just the gloves. Heat splintered through her and she smiled.

  Flexing a hand, she watched as her claws slid through the narrow slits in the ends of the gloves. Ivory claws gleamed in the pale light. As two dark shadows appeared around the corner, she lifted her eyes and smiled.

  As the first one lunged for her, she shifted to the side and swiped out. Blood splashed out in a fountain from his neck and, as he fell down to the ground, she squared off with the second one.

  Her sharp ears detected the sounds of Sage as he searched for the girl. Just a few more minutes and they’d be gone.

  She felt the tension gathering in the air and she smiled as she sensed Sage teleporting away. A few more seconds…she started to move in on the third one, lashing out with her foot, kicking him in the knee, and as he buckled, she pivoted again and kicked him in the gut.

  He staggered—starting to fall. She smiled as she felt that burst of energy—the burst that always came and went with the appearance of a teleporter.

  But it wasn’t Sage.

  And the man in front of her hadn’t fallen. Not yet. She froze as he sighted her down, lifted a modified rifle and aimed.

  The blue dart came flying at her too fast and she couldn’t move away.

  * * * * *

  The girl didn’t want to come with him.

  Sage snarled as she fought like a damn wild cat. “Be still,” he ordered. “You really want them to find you before we can get out of here?”

  But she was too terrified. He couldn’t take her struggling into the void. If she got free of him, she’d be lost. Grimly, he focused.

  Her eyes fluttered as he touched his mind to hers and then they closed and she slumped. She would have fallen bonelessly to the floor if he hadn’t been standing close and ready to catch her.

  He strode to the window and stared down at Anni. Two men lay dead on the ground and two more circled around her, staring at her with wary eyes.

  Sage couldn’t help but smile.

  Those two had no idea what they were getting into.

  He whispered, “Stay safe.” And then he was gone. He took the girl to base in Montana, appearing in the huge dining room just as most of his companions were slowly trickling into the kitchen for breakfast. He heard a couple of muttered curses, a few gasps, ignored them all as he strode over to Caris and Jax. He dumped the girl in Jax’s arms and looked at Caris. “Had to make her sleep,” he said shortly.

  He took time for nothing else.

  But he still didn’t get back quickly enough.

  He had been gone less than a minute. He watched as the third one started to weave, falling to the ground as he raised his gun, sighting her along the barrel. Sage took off running, but she was hit.

  A small blue dart stuck out of her neck and Sage watched, frozen in shock as her eyes moved to him, dazed, drugged. The tranquilizer worked quickly and pulled her under in mere seconds.

  Sage moved toward her, but a fourth man appeared behind Anni, catching her boneless body in his arms and smiling at Sage.

  Terror wrapped Sage in a cold grip as the man smiled. He cocked his head a little and Sage’s heart stopped beating.

  The man was a Firewalker. His eyes flashed that odd shade of blue as he smiled. He studied Sage for mere seconds that seemed to stretch into eternity and then he glanced at Anni. “She’ll do just fine,” the man said.

  Sage lunged for him.

  But that’s when the man simply disappeared, holding Anni tightly against him. Sage felt it as the void opened around the man, pulling both Anni and her captor away.

  A teleporter—and worse. One who belonged to the other side.

  * * * * *

  Caris felt the darkness screaming at her even before Sage appeared.

  He appeared only minutes after he had disappeared, but he looked like he had aged five decades. His face was pale, his eyes wild.

  “Anni…”

  “Sage. What’s wrong?” she asked softly, moving away from the young woman whom Jax had laid on the couch in the huge family room.

  His eyes tracked her as she moved closer, but she had a feeling Sage wasn’t really seeing her. “Anni…” his eyes closed and she watched his throat work as he swallowed. “They got Anni.”

  * * * * *

  Misha stared into the eyes of his commander stonily.

  “Why this way?”

  For a long moment, the giant was silent and finally he looked up, meeting Misha’s eyes across the room. The young Firewalker who Misha had grabbed was still under the effects of the tranquilizer. He only had a few minutes left though before her metabolism would burn through the drug. “Why?” Misha repeated.

  Cool green eyes studied him appraisingly and, as he cocked his head, the green flashed to blue and then back. It was a disconcerting sight, considering how hard Lucian Deveraux fought to hide what he was from nearly everybody.

  It was the only way he was safe, safe to con
tinue doing the work he had started years before.

  Finally, Luc said, “Because we have to know. Have to know what we are dealing with. There can be no more mistakes. Not after the last one…”

  The last one. The last one had resulted in a young boy being grabbed, his mother killed. Misha had trusted the wrong man, a psychic who had claimed he was just trying to help. Yeah, he was trying to help. Trying to help the government.

  There was a soft, weak moan and Misha turned to stare at the young woman. She was pretty, young, looked terribly soft, even with the formfitting black pseudo-leather she wore. Was she strong enough? “And what if you are wrong?”

  Luc sighed wearily. “Then I am wrong. And if I am wrong, she needs to be eliminated.”

  Growling, Misha snarled, “I’m more worried if you are right. Damn it, she’s not another plant. She’s the real thing and we have no right to put her through this.”

  Spinning silently away, Luc stared out the window. After a moment, he murmured, “We do what we must, Misha.”

  * * * * *

  It took a few minutes for the fury to work past the shock. But once the fury caught hold of him, it was all the rest of them could do to keep Sage inside the house.

  He waited uselessly as Caris tried to track Anni. “They’ve hidden her good,” she said thickly, her head falling back to rest on the padded chair after hours and hours of searching.

  He turned away, covering his face with his hands. No. Not Anni! They had lost people before. Sage had lost close friends—too many. He’d lost far too many.

  But not Anni…

  He spun to the wall, screaming in rage. A hot vicious pain shot up from his hand and he heard a loud, cracking sound. That was when he saw his fist, and the mirror shards around it.

  Blood. Slowly, he pulled his hand back, staring at the blood that streaked his flesh. The small rivulets of blood seemed to grow, expanding until a bloody red river was all he could see. Pain was all he could feel.

  Anni…

  Something in his gut started to burn, a tingle flooding his extremities, dancing through his veins.

  He continued to stare at his bloodied flesh, but it wasn’t his blood, his flesh he saw.

  Anni… Her mouth was bleeding, her eyes flat and grim as she stared up at the ceiling. Someplace dank and gray, cold. Reeking of blood and death.

  Caris whispered, “I can’t feel her.” He turned his head, staring into the tear-drenched amber gaze, her words echoing through his mind.

  The image in his mind moved and he watched as Anni lifted a hand to touch her lip, wincing in pain. He felt an echo of it, his own mouth spasming. Something pulled him. Like the cries of the children he had dedicated his life to saving, like the cry of the girl they had rushed to save earlier.

  Pulling him…to Anni. “I can.” He stared into Caris’ face as a tear spilled out of her eye and rolled down her cheek. “I can feel her,” he repeated.

  She stared at him for a moment, her eyes blank and uncomprehending. Then she shook her head. “You’re not a tracker,” Caris said. “You’re no empath.”

  A quiet voice from the doorway said, “No, but he is psychic. And he has a strong bond to Anni. Very strong.” Kelly stood behind him, her hazel eyes sober and worried.

  Sage forced a smile at her before he met Jax’s eyes and said quietly, “I’m going after her.”

  A deep red brow lifted and Jax said, “I know. Miguel—”

  Sage shook his head. “No. Alone. When I find her, I don’t want to worry about moving two people. Just me. I’ll find her. I…I lost her. I have to save her.”

  “Sage, you can’t go alone,” Kelly said quietly, moving around Jax, shaking her head. “Who’s going to watch your back?”

  “I’ll be fine.” Sage turned away from his sister and looked at Caris. He heard Kelly sigh quietly and leave as he crossed over to Caris. He knelt in front of her, taking her chilly hands in his. She stared at him as she turned her hands around so that she could link her fingers with his.

  Carefully, he disentangled one hand and reached up to cup her face, using his thumb to gently wipe away her tears. “I’ll find her,” he said quietly. “I will.”

  He had to.

  Before either of them could speak, he loosed the power within him, ‘porting to his room to grab the emergency pack all the Firewalkers kept ready at all times. Throwing it over his shoulder, he tipped his head back, focusing on her face, letting that draw him. Just as he slid into the void, he felt two hands come up and grip his hips.

  Throwing a scowl over his shoulders, he saw Miguel’s cocky grin and he swore. Too late now…reaching down, he locked his hands around Miguel and decided if the bastard made it through the trip through the void, he was going to beat him.

  Miguel’s low, easy voice murmured, “Sorry, amigo. Your sister threatened to kill me if I let you go alone.”

  They fell through the void, and Sage relished the rush of power that skyrocketed through his veins. Hurtling through the folds between time and space was exhilarating. Heady. Powerful.

  As they finished the jaunt, Sage felt the firm earth beneath his feet and then he shoved away from Miguel’s tight grip, turning around and glaring at him.

  But before he could say so much as one thing, Miguel fell to his knees and promptly puked.

  Sage turned away, unable to keep from laughing, even through the fear and rage that swamped him.

  Chapter Four

  Miguel nipped another drink of water and gargled, spitting it out onto the ground as he followed Sage through the undergrowth. Damn, but he hated teleporting with Sage.

  Hell, with anybody. Sage could make the jump much easier than he had, make it almost as smooth as a jet flight, especially with one small jump like that. If he wanted.

  But the bastard had been pissed and had made the jaunt as rough as he could. Miguel’s gut had finally settled and for the past six hours, they’d walked steadily. Miguel kept waiting for Sage to stop and teleport closer to wherever they were going, but they just kept walking.

  Up and down the small hills, climbing the fallen forest giants and tramping through leaves and creeks. Miguel’s legs were starting to burn, the muscles aching.

  But Sage moved on tirelessly.

  Finally he asked, “How come we don’t just ‘port closer?”

  Sage glanced at him. “They’ve got Firewalkers. If I use it too close, too soon, they might know. They can’t have any warning.”

  Miguel sighed. So they walked.

  The heavily wooded areas of Maine were slowly disappearing, although the reforesting efforts of the late twenty-second century had repopulated a great many of the deforested plains.

  Overpopulation had taken its toll, though. Forested wildlands had drastically disappeared and eventually the World Federated Government had stepped in. One thing they had done right.

  The land they moved through now was protected by the WFG, and most likely would remain that way. The population boom had died. Families were restricted to one child throughout the country. On the off chance that there were twins, the government charged an extra four thousand federated credits in taxes. Triplets doubled that.

  Women found to be carrying more than three frequently aborted them, because none but the rich could afford the taxes beyond triplets.

  The population control seemed to be working. Slowly. As so many people died off, fewer children were there to replace them. And those children were trained to live the way the World Government liked to see children reared.

  Thinking the same way the government thought.

  Their lives were becoming whitewashed and bland, less lively, with every new law that passed, with every summit of the World Government.

  More laws.

  Each lawn must be manicured, with flowers indigenous to that locale planted. Pets must be monitored, only one pet allowed per domicile and breeding required strict licensure and taxes. Families were allowed one child. Thrice weekly classes on citizenship, parenting, histor
y and unity were requested. Requested in the form that attendance would give the family one very large tax break per year.

  Since the taxes were skyrocketing continually to maintain the upkeep of the government, most families went. They couldn’t afford not to. And when they completed one level of classes, they went on to the next, and the next…until the general population looked alike. Thought alike. Spoke alike.

  Color had gone out of the world, bleached away by the laws of the World Government.

  There were, of course, those who lived outside the government laws. The underground refugee camps once lived in secret. But there were so many now. And frankly, the World Government didn’t have the guts to handle them. Too many Firewalkers among them.

  And they knew the underground.

  The government had no idea how to handle the rebels.

  Oh, Miguel knew they tried.

  Often, the spokes-idiots showed their pasty faces on TV and spouted how a new troop was being sent to bring the underground people into the world of the living.

  And said troops either returned heavily disabled, or they never returned at all.

  The underground wouldn’t come into this world as long as the World Government ran it. And if they did, the only reason would be to fight them.

  Sometimes, Miguel had to wonder if the underground wasn’t living the smarter life—staying away from the public that hated so many of them, living a real life, if somewhat hidden.

  Miguel couldn’t remember the last time he had talked with somebody other than his fellow Firewalkers, that he hadn’t been nervous around. One word. That was all it would take.

  You didn’t even have to have the gift to be considered one of the enemy. Like Salem of old, witch hunts were happening more and more often. There had been a news reporter who’d had the brilliant idea to seek out Firewalkers, to try to prove to the population that they weren’t the freaks and monsters the World Government made them out to be.

  He was beaten to death outside his home the next day by Natural Supremacists, the militant group that had risen over the past decade, touting that the gifted Firewalkers were spawn of Satan and must be destroyed.