by Berinn Rae
Could it be possible that Felix wasn’t her Mirror Mate?
They’d had incredible sex a handful of times now and still there was no shining light from above, no chorus of angels.
Does it really matter if you’re soul mates or not? You want him, yes?
More than anything.
And just like that, it didn’t matter what anyone said. She was going to stay with Felix for as long as he’d have her.
“What are you thinking about?”
She picked her head up to stare him in the eye and noticed for the first time the fading bruises along his jaw.
“What happened?” She touched one that was still a little yellow.
He caught her hand in his and laced their fingers together. “Are you trying to avoid my question?”
“Is it working?”
He mirrored her grin before his face grew serious. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“It?”
“You’re time with Vander.”
She didn’t say anything for a few moments. She didn’t want to talk about it but suddenly she was. She confessed every little detail, starting from the first moment she’d woken. She thought retelling it would make it worse, but with every word gone from her lips it was like a weight was lifted from her shoulders. Felix remained silent as he listened. Every now and then he’d give her a reassuring squeeze to let her know she wasn’t alone. When she finished, Felix still didn’t say anything. He simply rolled her beneath him and kissed her. Soft and gentle. It melted her insides and made her throat close up.
Afterwards all she could do was stare into his endless blue-green eyes. Raw emotions swirled, hinting at all the things that remained unspoken between them.
Felix opened his mouth. “I … ”
From the front of her apartment, Felix’s cell phone went off.
He swore, the moment between them broken. “It might be the guild.” He disappeared out her door, and the sound of his phone cut off as he answered. The conversation didn’t last very long. He stood in her doorway with his clothes in his arms. “Joel needs us.” He dropped the clothes at the end of her bed and dug for his boxers.
She sat up, her head only spinning slightly from the exertion. “Did you tell them about me?”
“At the end, but I ended the call before Joel could blow my eardrum out.” He threw her panties and jeans onto the bed, and she pulled her underwear on.
“So who gave you those bruises?”
She sighed in disappointment as Felix covered all that rippling muscle with his shirt.
“Joel and I had a bit of a disagreement while you were away.”
“Joel gave you those bruises?” She shimmied into her jeans and searched her room for a hair tie. “Did it have anything to do with going after Vander? I understand if they don’t want to continue with their plan to take down the Kratos Corporation. Vander’s a bad man.”
“What was your first clue? When he kidnapped you, tried to kill you, or tried to steal your soul?”
“I’m serious, Felix. You don’t know the kind of power he has, both physically and through his company.”
“And if our plan pans out the way we’re hoping it will, we’ll be eliminating one of those powers.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Now come on. We have a major conglomerate to dismantle.”
Chapter 24
Felix opened the door to the clinic for Cali.
A blonde blur shot past him and nearly bowled her over. “Cali!”
Cali’s expression was priceless, and Felix had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. She had no idea what to do as Sydney hugged her for all she was worth.
Finally he decided to help her out.
“Where’s my hug, Syd?”
His question had the desired effect. Sydney released Cali to put her hands on her hips. “You weren’t missing for a week.”
Cali stealthily moved away from Sydney as if she were afraid she’d be hugged again. Felix held his hand out to her, and his jaw nearly hit the floor when she made her way to his side. She didn’t take his hand, but Cali wasn’t one for public displays of affection. Which was why it was so fun to lace his fingers through hers when she least expected it. She jumped away from him, snatching her hand back. He could have hung on but they had more important things to do.
Joel was behind the reception desk with his laptop out, Niella right next to him.
“It’s good to see you back, Cali,” Niella said with genuine sincerity.
The two of them shared a smile that had him wondering just when that friendship had blossomed.
Joel came around the reception desk to give Cali a hug that had Felix biting back a growl. His didn’t last as long as Sydney’s but a handshake would have been just as effective. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Cali managed a stiff nod. She was anything but okay, he knew, though she wasn’t going to tell the rest of the guild that. Heat bloomed in his chest every time he thought of Cali confiding in him rather than another. He wanted to be the one she went to, always. For anything.
“What’d you find?” he asked Joel once he was back in front of his laptop.
Cali leaned over the counter and Felix mirrored her move, only he pressed up behind her, a hand on either side of her body.
She inhaled sharply. No one else seemed to notice.
His body stirred to life but he managed to drag his focus away from her and listen to what Joel had to say.
“I broke the encryption surrounding all of the Kratos Corporation’s documents.”
“You broke into the Kratos computer system?” asked Cali.
Felix pushed a little harder against her. “Joel has been working on it ever since you disappeared.”
Joel nodded. “I was trying to simultaneously find your whereabouts as well as anything incriminating we could use against the corporation.”
Cali’s astonishment was palpable. “You guys did that for me?”
“Well, duh,” said Syd. Her voice was thick with emotion, but she did a good job covering it up with her usual bubbly attitude.
“Now,” Joel said, breaking the heartwarming moment. “Let’s see what Kratos is hiding.”
As Joel continued to systematically dig through all the files, the guild unconsciously gravitated closer and closer to him until they were all clustered behind the reception desk.
Every once in a while someone would point out a file name that caught their attention, but so far there was nothing incriminating.
“Wait.” Cali pointed to a folder. “What’s that?”
“Blood work?” Joel double clicked on it.
A whole slew of files popped up.
Joel sifted through a few of the documents. “These aren’t your average medical records. It’s as if they’re looking for some kind of signature.”
“Search for my name,” said Cali.
Joel looked over his shoulder at her. “You?”
Cali swallowed. “They took my blood, so they must be looking for some kind of power signature, right?”
He typed her name into a search screen. A few seconds later, a scanned file appeared with her information.
“Doesn’t look like they found anything,” said Sydney. “According to whatever tests they were running you came back negative.”
“So does that mean our blood isn’t any different than anyone else’s?” asked Felix.
“According to this,” said Joel. “Damn, look at all these blood samples.” He pulled up another window that was covered with nothing but names and strange symbols. Felix had no idea what the symbols were, but he could make an educated guess based on the colors used.
The list was in alphabetical order. Felix’s eye caught on a name closest to the top: Kevin Bauer. His name was in green along with a red symbol that looked suspiciously like a blood drop and some other symbols. Felix pointed them out on Joel’s screen and nearly had his hand slapped.
“Don’t touch it,” Joel snapped at him.
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“Do you know what those mean?” He pointed again, making sure his fingers stayed a good six inches away from the screen.
“Not sure,” Joel said, distracted, as he scrolled through the list of names. A lot of names were in black. Some in red.
Felix’s stomach knotted when he saw Cali’s name scroll past in green followed by his own.
Joel stopped in the K’s. “Shit. My name is on here.”
And he was green.
How much information did the Kratos Guild have on them?
Joel shot to the bottom of the list where the S’s were. Sydney’s name lit up green. Niella’s was black.
“Well that’s a little comforting,” said Niella.
Felix noticed Cali’s name was the only one with the blood symbol next to it. “Do we know what’s happened to all the people with green names?”
Fuck, had Vander gotten a hold of them all? Was that his plan for their guild? Abduct everyone with powers and kill them if they didn’t join? There could only be one reason why there were names in red. How else would Vander know that a person didn’t have powers unless he tortured it out of them?
His hands balled into fists at his sides.
Joel clicked around on his laptop. “I can’t find anything about person whereabouts. That might be in a different folder. I’ll keep this window tabbed so we can cross-reference. Let’s keep looking.”
A few seconds later a folder caught Felix’s eye. “Stop. Go back. Click on that.” He had no idea why the file caught his attention — maybe it was just idle curiosity, or maybe he wanted to see what Kratos was hiding in plain sight.
“The building blueprints?” Joel hesitated.
Cali backed him up. “Do it.”
Joel obediently scanned through the documents. “This looks like any other building.”
“I don’t think any other building has cells built into their basements.” Niella pointed to another window that was half covered by scanned files.
“Watch my screen,” Joel warned.
“Bite me.” Niella tapped the computer screen for emphasis. “Click this.”
“Don’t tempt me, Niella. I will Lock your hands together if you ruin my electronics.”
She arched her brow in open challenge.
“I think we just found the arena Niella Dreamed about.” Cali leaned over the back of Joel’s chair to get a better look.
Felix and the rest of the guild hunched in.
“Look at that layout,” said Sydney. “You’ve got a medical ward, isolation cells, regular cells, prep rooms, confined rooms, some kind of living quarters … ”
“Can’t forget the restrooms.” Niella pointed them out.
“And of course there’s the giant arena built toward the back of the building.” Felix stared at the large, circular space on the computer screen. It dominated nearly a third of the map.
“Okay,” Cali thought aloud, “so the cells nearest the arena make sense. Vander’s keeping his unwilling fighters close by, but what the hell are these aisles and aisles of cells for?”
“Looks like a collection,” said Felix.
Cali’s hand sought his and she gripped it tight.
“What is it?” He asked.
The rest of the guild turned to stare at them.
“I think I know what those cells are for,” said Cali. She pointed to a spot on the map. “See how there’s this comfortable living area set up with a back door that leads to one of the cell aisles? Vander’s harvesting these people.” She used her finger to designate the entire section. “I bet you they’re his backup energy source.”
“Energy source for what?” asked Sydney.
Felix locked eyes with Cali and gave her an encouraging nod. The rest of them had the right to know just what Vander could do.
“For his power,” Cali told them. “Vander Donahughe’s a Diverter.” Felix hadn’t expected the title but as determination shown in her beautiful dark brown eyes he felt a swell of pride that she’d accepted herself into their group. They’d accepted her but it was her decision if she really wanted to join them. And now she had. He grinned.
“He redirects life energy into himself to lengthen his existence. The man is one hundred and seventeen years old but doesn’t look older than his late twenties. From what I’ve seen … and experienced, he can pull as much or as little from a host as he wants, but I’m pretty sure he could kill a person if he wanted to.”
Joel gave a low whistle. “Fucking fuck. That’s quite a person to go up against.”
“And you said he used his powers on you?” Sydney asked.
Cali’s spine stiffened fractionally. “Yes.” She didn’t elaborate and no one pressed.
“We still need to find something to use against Vander.” Niella redirected the conversation.
Joel went back to his computer. “I’ve got nothing here.” He flipped through more files for at least another half hour.
The rest of them got comfortable around Sydney’s lobby.
Felix drew lazy circles along Cali’s jean-clad thigh and watched with amusement as the browns in her eyes darkened with desire.
From across the clinic Joel cursed.
Felix’s relaxation quickly changed as adrenaline shot through his veins. “What?”
“I found a schedule.”
“And that’s significant how?” asked Niella.
“Because there’s no list of workers, just times like tonight at midnight and two A.M.”
“You think they’re fights?” said Sydney.
Cali’s body went still beneath his hand. “They are,” she said.
He glanced at her. “How do you know?”
“When I went to the Kratos building for my fake interview, I overheard Jente and Collette talking. Jente mentioned Collette having a match that night at two A.M. I bet you anything they’re having another event. Tonight.”
Felix could read her thoughts through her eyes. Tonight there would be another innocent with powers forced into a battle that might kill them.
But that couldn’t be right because if their fighter died then Vander would lose the match. Then something clicked in his brain. Collette. Of course. One of the fighters probably wasn’t even real when she was called in to work her powers, which meant they could win or lose without any repercussions.
“This has to stop,” he said.
“I agree.” Joel’s voice echoed the same fierce emotions Felix felt tumbling around inside him.
“We have to make a move. Tonight.”
Everyone looked at him like he was crazy. Everyone except Cali.
“You want to storm the Kratos Corporation tonight? After just getting Cali back?” said Sydney.
“She’ll never be safe unless we put an end to him. Besides, what good are powers if you don’t use them toward something worthwhile?”
“You do realize that going up against someone with Vander’s power could kill you, right?” Of course Sydney would be the voice of logic.
“I’ve never wanted to live to a ripe old age anyway,” he said blithely.
Sydney scowled.
He shrugged at her. “It’s the only way, Syd. We have to do something. Now’s our chance to do more than rescue stray kittens and limping puppies.”
Her scowl deepened. “We’ve never saved stray kittens or limping puppies.”
He grinned.
Joel swiveled in his chair to face them all. “We could wait it out. There’s another schedule posted for two weeks from now.”
Sydney seized the information. “Then we should wait. We’ll have more time to prepare, to plan things out.”
“We can’t wait,” said Cali. “I’m guessing those red names don’t show up on that list on their own. People are suffering, and I’m not going to wait around for another name on that list to turn up red after tonight.”
Joel rubbed a hand over his face in defeat. “So how are we going to do it?”
Sydney’s face flashed briefly with outrage at Joel’s sudden
flip.
“In teams,” Cali spoke up. “Felix and I can go in first. We stand the best chance.”
Joel crossed his arms. “How do you figure that?”
Felix could tell Joel’s opinion rested with sending in the two men, but the look on Cali’s face said she’d be damned if she would sit back and do nothing.
Cali crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve already been inside. Plus, I can make us soundless so no one will hear us approaching. I can Silence alarms, and Felix can Erase cameras as well as anything else that could be a potential threat.”
Again Felix felt a swell of pride as Joel huffed. Cali’s points were all valid, and there was no arguing her logic.
“Sorry, man,” said Felix. “You can be our next wave with Syd. You’ll be the emergency backup.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” said Sydney.
“Well, too bad.” Felix got to his feet and stretched. He pulled out his phone to check the time. “We have a little more than four hours until midnight. We should rest up as much as possible.”
“And if I don’t hear from you guys by two A.M., I’m calling the police,” said Niella. “I’ll be the real emergency backup.”
Felix didn’t want to contemplate the event of their failure. But there it was, hanging over all their heads like a dark cloud threatening rain. Were they ready for this?
There was only one way to find out.
“We’ll all meet at my place,” he said.
Everyone nodded.
Sydney, Joel, and Niella loaded up in Joel’s truck and before they pulled away Felix leaned in through the window. “Stay safe,” he told Ell.
It wasn’t a goodbye, but there was a rare flash of emotion behind her eyes that said she felt as if that was exactly what he was saying.
“I will,” she promised.
They’d agreed that Niella would stay at her own place until she heard from them. His house wasn’t safe, and after they headed out for the Kratos building they didn’t want to run the risk of leaving Niella there by herself.
When he and Cali pulled into his driveway he knew he should spend his time resting, catching up on all the sleep he’d missed when he’d been mad with worry and anger over Cali. But once they stepped foot inside, alone, just the two of them, sleep was the furthest thing from his mind.
