Reckoning (The Variant Series, #4)

by Jena Leigh

  Sort of? he replied. I mean, I can sense the tether. And I can apparently use it to make outside calls. But sense you? As in your actual psychic signature? Not so much. In that department, I got nada.

  “Okay…. Okay. Just… breathe, Decks.” The words were more for herself than her brother, whose breath hadn’t deviated from its steady rhythm even once since this whole thing began. “I’ll think of something.”

  “What’s going on, Red?” Nate asked. “Talk to us. What can we do?”

  “Nothing!” Kenzie practically shouted. “You can’t do anything, just… just let me think!”

  Okay, I’m a little confused here, Declan projected. I can do something to get myself out of here? Or I can’t? Which is it, Kenzie?

  “Shit. Sorry,” she said. “I was answering Nate. I just need a moment. Hang on for a sec.”

  This was exactly what she’d feared would happen when Declan first proposed his idiotic plan hours earlier. And in all the hours since, she still hadn’t been able to come up with a decent contingency plan.

  It’s not like she was an expert in this particular maneuver. She respected her limits. Dream-walking was akin to suicide for most telepaths—not worth the effort, or the risk. For that reason, it had never been worth the effort it would have taken to track down her old trainer and grill him about the details once she finally learned of its existence.

  But what did she know?

  She knew the basics. Step one, dip into your target’s thoughts while they were in a dream state. Step two, separate your consciousness from your body and project yourself into the mind of your target. Step three, when ready to leave, grab on to something in the waking world and fight like hell to pull yourself out again. Step four—assuming you made it that far—step back into your body and collect your bragging rights.

  Right now, Declan’s conscious mind was trapped inside of Alex’s head. And when Alex inevitably woke up, any chance he had of getting back out again would die—along with the empty shell that was now his body in the waking world.

  Hang on.

  What was sustaining Declan’s body right now? If the body only died after the connection was cut, then how was he still breathing right now?

  Beneath her left palm, her brother’s shoulder was rising and falling slowly as though nothing were amiss.

  And that had to mean…

  “You’re still connected to your body, Decks,” she said in a rush.

  But I thought you said that once I came in here—

  “Forget what I said!” Kenzie exclaimed. “Your body won’t fail until Alex wakes up and the connection is permanently severed… and since you’re still breathing, that connection must still be in place. You’re just going to have to find it.”

  Find it how, Red? he asked. I can’t sense a damn thing in here. It’s like being in a locked room.

  “Every room has a door, Declan,” she said.

  What kind of cryptic bullshit is that?!

  “The kind that’s going to save your ass,” she said. “Now quit your bitching and start trying to find that link. It’s still there, Decks. It has to be or else you’d already be dead.”

  Agonizing minutes passed as Declan searched in vain for the link. Even with Kenzie making suggestions, he was coming up empty.

  “Uh, Kenzie…” said a soft whisper

  “Not now, Aiden.”

  “But, Kenz—”

  “Not now.”

  “RED!” he hissed. “She’s waking up!”

  Unable to keep them closed any longer, Kenzie’s eyes flew open. Flinching at the brightness of the room, her blurry vision first zeroed in on Alex shifting slightly in the small bed—and then her gaze landed on the bag hanging from her IV stand.

  The bag that contained the drug Ozzie had used to keep Alex sedated.

  The bag that was now very, very empty.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  Time to hustle, Decks, she projected, not wanting to risk her voice waking Alex any faster. You’ve got about five more seconds before she wakes up.

  Got it! he replied. I think I found the link. Now I just need to—

  The tether snapped and Declan’s projection cut out mid-sentence.

  Alex was awake.

  Fourteen

  Alex awoke to the sound of Kenzie shouting incoherently—and someone gasping for air.

  Turning her head toward the source of the noise, she found Declan sprawled atop the other bed… and Kenzie kneeling on the mattress beside him, punching her brother repeatedly in the arm.

  “DON’T. DO. THAT. TO. ME. JACKASS.”

  Kenzie punctuated each word with a wallop that left Declan cringing. He raised his arms in a dazed attempt to ward off the blows.

  “Ow. Jesus, Red,” Declan muttered. “Lay off, would ya?”

  Nate, Aiden, and Cassie were scattered around the room, each sporting an identical look of relief. Cassie slumped back down into a chair positioned at the foot of Kenzie’s bed.

  Alex blinked. Where had all these extra chairs come from? And just how long had everyone been sitting in the room with the door closed?

  Come to think of it, it was a little stuffy in there.

  “What’d I miss?” Alex’s throat felt scorched and dry. She swallowed painfully and tried to make sense of the scene unfolding around her.

  Aiden laughed. “Just a little bit more trouble, Trouble. Nothing to write home about.”

  “Oh, thank God. You’re alive.”

  At first, Alex thought Kenzie’s statement had been directed at her—then she realized the redhead was still addressing Declan.

  “I thought you were dead, asshole.” Another punch. “Don’t ever do that to me again!”

  The door to the room opened and Grayson strode through, followed closely by Cil.

  “What in heaven’s name is going on in here?” Grayson demanded. “And why the hell is she awake?”

  There followed a moment of silence. Kenzie, who had jumped at the sound of the door opening and now sat with her hands in her lap looking the very picture of innocence, attempted an answer.

  “She only woke up a few moments ago. Looks like Ozzie never changed out her IV bag for a new one, so the sedative wore off. Sorry, boss. I should have been paying more attention.”

  Grayson looked far from satisfied with the explanation but decided not to press the issue. Instead, he sighed.

  “It’s alright,” he said. “I’ll go find him and have him prepare another.”

  “No!” Alex choked out.

  At his raised eyebrow, she schooled her expression and added. “It’s fine. Really. After all that sleep I’m feeling a lot better. In fact, could I get something to eat? I’m starving.”

  Those must have been the magic words. Grayson’s face unexpectedly relaxed and her aunt smiled in response.

  “Of course, sweetheart,” she said. “I’ll make you a plate.”

  “And I'll help you,” said Cassie, jumping out of her chair. She began, none too subtly, ushering Grayson and Cil from the room.

  “Alright, then,” said Grayson. He turned, but hesitated in the doorway. “After you’ve finished eating, see if you can’t rest a little more. I know you’ve been asleep most of the day, but dawn’s still a long way off and you could certainly use the added rest.”

  Alex nodded.

  “That goes double for the rest of you,” he said. “Wrap this up, then get to sleep. We’ll likely have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”

  As Cassie followed Aunt Cil into the hallway, Grayson shut the door behind them.

  The sound of flesh connecting with something solid drew Alex’s attention back to the other side of the room. Kenzie gave Declan one last solid sock in the arm before hopping off her own bed and crossing to Alex’s.

  “I heard what you said to Grayson… but are you really okay?” Kenzie asked.

  Behind Red, Declan pulled himself groggily upright, massaging his right bicep with a grimace.

  “Much better,” Alex said.
“Honest. But did I hear you say a minute ago that you thought Declan was dead? What was that about?”

  Kenzie folded her arms over her chest and huffed in exasperation.

  Meeting her eye from across the room, Declan grinned. “Had a little trouble finding the door when it came time to leave the party,” he said. “Think I might have given Kenzie a bit of a scare there at the end.”

  “If by scare you mean that you shaved a good ten years off my life, then yeah, sure. We can call it that.”

  Careful not to tug at the IV in her arm, Alex dragged herself up and into a seated position, leaning back against the bed’s headboard.

  “Why? Did something go wrong?” Alex asked. “I didn’t realize dream-walking could be dangerous.”

  Sinking down to slouch in his uncomfortable looking chair, Aiden gave a snort of amusement. “Considering the way all that just played out… does ‘dangerous’ feel like an understatement to anyone else?”

  “It’s more like a whole lot of things went right, Lex,” said Declan. His smile was meant to be reassuring but, when combined with the current conversation, it was having the opposite effect. “Honestly, this went a lot better than we expected.”

  Alex narrowed her eyes at him. “Hang on. You knew it could be dangerous and yet you did it anyway?” She turned and cast an accusing glare toward Nate. “And you guys let him?”

  “Don't be angry at them, Alex. I was going to try it with or without their help,” said Declan. “It was the only way to get through to you.”

  Alex mulled over his words, then swallowed back her anger, recognizing her own hypocrisy. She was giving them grief for taking exactly the sort of risks she had been trying to take for months now.

  And dangerous or not, the time she spent with Declan inside her dreams had given her the clarity—and the courage—to face her night terrors head on. If he hadn’t shown up, she likely would have remained trapped, constantly giving over to defeat.

  Dream-walking had helped.

  By projecting his consciousness into her mind, Declan had been able to tell her exactly what she needed to hear, exactly when she needed to hear it.

  Wait a minute…

  Alex’s train of thought dovetailed into a memory of Samuel Masterson’s consciousness staring back at her from behind the eyes of Dr. Edward Li.

  The real eyes of Dr. Li.

  The door to the hall opened and Cassie walked in, alone this time, carrying a sandwich, a bottled water, and a small bag of chips. She pushed the door closed again using her foot.

  Cassie walked forward and offered her the plate, but Alex was too stunned to reach out and take it from her. Shoving a few medical accouterments aside, Cassie eventually placed the meal she held atop the nearby dresser instead.

  “Oh, my God,” Alex mumbled. The revelations hit her hard and fast, leaving her mind scrambling to put the remaining puzzle pieces together. “That’s how he did it!”

  The sudden exclamation left the others exchanging confused glances.

  “That’s how who did what now?” asked Kenzie, sitting down on the edge of Alex’s bed.

  “Masterson,” said Alex. “Back in Seattle, Samuel Masterson wasn’t just mimicking Dr. Edward Li. He was inside the other man’s body. I couldn’t figure out how he was doing it at the time, but this must have been how he pulled it off. This was the method he used.”

  “What, dream-walking?” asked Declan. “You think Masterson dream-walked into Li? Then he, what, possessed him somehow?”

  “But Li was awake,” Kenzie argued.

  “Yeah, but Masterson wasn’t,” Nate said, catching on to Alex’s line of reasoning. “His body was still in that cryogenic chamber. So long as he was in suspended animation, the link between his body and his mind might have remained intact, even during the daytime when Li was conscious.”

  Declan shook his head. “That still doesn’t explain how Masterson jumped into Li in the first place.”

  Kenzie plucked two gloves from a box sitting atop the dresser and worked them onto her hands.

  When the possible explanation finally came to her, Alex smiled, though it contained little humor.

  “Carter,” she said.

  “What about her?” asked Aiden.

  Kenzie bent over Alex’s arm and slowly removed the tape holding the IV in place at the back of her hand, clearly intending to take it out.

  Not wanting to see it happen, Alex quickly looked away, fixing her gaze on Aiden instead.

  “That woman was bound and determined to claw her way to the top, one way or another.” Alex flinched as she felt Kenzie remove the needle and replace it with the press of a cotton swab.

  “Keep pressure on that,” Kenzie ordered.

  Alex complied, adding, “Masterson must have been in Li for years. The only explanation I can think of is that when Carter found out that the Agency had Samuel Masterson on ice in the basement of the Green Woods facility, she must have thought she could study him somehow…”

  “You think she woke him up?” Cassie asked, aghast.

  “Probably not all the way,” said Kenzie. She stretched a Star Wars band-aid over top of the cotton swab. “Even Director Carter’s not that stupid. She never would have been able to contain him if he fully regained consciousness.”

  “Alright. So where does this Dr. Li guy fit in?” asked Cassie.

  Alex shrugged, rubbing distractedly at the band-aid. “Dr. Li worked for the Agency as a researcher,” she said. “In genetics. Who better to have running the show when Carter decided to turn Masterson into a lab rat?”

  Kenzie’s face turned thoughtful. “Jumping into Li may not even have been a conscious thing on Masterson’s part. He might have done it on instinct. Once they took his body out of the chamber, he may have woken up just enough to sense Li’s presence, and then found a way to make the jump inside the poor guy’s head.”

  Alex suddenly felt very, very bad for the Dr. Li she’d never met. The poor man had probably been a prisoner inside his own head the entire time she’d known him.

  After being trapped in her own mind for less than a day, she couldn’t begin to fathom the hell the poor man went through over the course of those long years.

  “Maybe that’s why Masterson conned Grayson into going to the mountain to make sure his body was still locked in cryo,” said Declan. “According to the boss, the biometric security measures at the entrance have turned Green Woods into the Fort Knox of Agency facilities. He probably knew that a single failed attempt would set off some major alarms, so he tricked Grayson, Cil, and Brandt into going inside instead. Then he just followed them into the facility and reclaimed his body.”

  Cassie’s face twisted as though she’d just swallowed something sour. “That was almost as complicated as the time travel stuff. Can’t there ever be a straightforward explanation to anything that goes on with you people?” Her frown transformed into a proper grimace as she asked, “Hey, what do you think happened to that Li guy, after Masterson got his own body back?”

  At the question, Nate shook his head. “Nothing good.”

  They were all silent then, pondering the fate of poor Dr. Li, when Alex realized something else.

  She could probably use a shower. Running her hand through her knotted curls, she decided to upgrade that possibility to a definite need.

  When the plate of food sitting atop the dresser caught her eye, she was surprised to feel her stomach rumble in response.

  Suppose I can add eating to the Must Do list, she thought.

  Then came the unexpected yawn.

  “Alright, people,” said Kenzie, her voice unexpectedly full of authority. “Show’s over. All the boys need to get out. The girl needs her beauty sleep.”

  Alex smiled sheepishly. “I’m probably looking a little rough, huh?”

  Kenzie arched a brow as the others got to their feet. “I was talking about me. Do you seriously not have any idea what time it is? I’ve only had one cup of coffee in the last six hours. One! Someone
needs to call the Pope, cause it’s a freaking miracle that my eyes are even open right now.”

  Aiden and Nate wished her good night and stepped out into the hall, but Declan hung back, sinking down onto the mattress beside her. Between the beds, Kenzie and Cassie went about reconstructing the cot Cassie would be using to sleep on.

  Declan leaned in as if he were going to kiss her, then stopped just shy of pressing his lips to hers, staring into her eyes instead. Alex felt her cheeks flush at the heat she found lurking in his gaze.

  Next time you have a nightmare, he projected, just call me. I’ll be here in a flash.

  Alex smiled. That a promise?

  He nodded. You’re never alone, Lex. Remember that.

  Declan’s mouth was warm against hers, the kiss filled with a sweetness she hadn’t expected. When he pulled away and climbed to his feet, she had to resist a sudden urge to grab his shirtfront and pull him back down again.

  “Goodnight, Lex,” he said. “Sweet dreams.”

  “Night, Declan,” she said.

  “Night, Declan,” Cassie echoed, blatantly suppressing a laugh.

  “Ugh.” Kenzie rolled her eyes and threw a blanket down on the cot. “Good night, Declan. Now please get out, before being forced to watch the two of you suck face gives me nightmares.”

  Cassie finally snickered, Alex’s blush deepened, and Declan disappeared into the hallway with a wave—and a grin.

  When Alex finally returned later that night to a bed lined with fresh sheets, feeling blissfully renewed from her shower and a decent meal, she found herself, amazingly, still tired.

  It took her mere minutes to fall back to sleep. This time, her dreams were of Declan… and they were decidedly happy.

  * * *

  “Alright, man. Give it to me straight. Should I be worried, here?”

  Nate stopped sorting through the bottom shelf of the kitchen’s pantry long enough to send Aiden a quizzical stare.

  “Worried about what?” Nate asked.

  “About that!” Aiden pointed out the window.

  Unable to see anything but the late afternoon of a Montana sky from where he knelt on the floor, Nate hauled himself upright. Following the line of Aiden’s outstretched arm, he was forced to stifle a laugh.