Duncan appeared seconds later.
Tanasha flung herself into his arms.
“Easy, babe. I’m somewhat banged up.” He said the words but he didn’t loosen his grip.
She gentled her hold and let his scent sink into her for a second, but the direness of the situation never left her mind. “What are we going to do?”
He cupped her face and kissed her with a need and passion that dragged her under. Their tongues tangled, their bodies rubbed together and their fire flared close to out of control.
“I’ve wanted to do that since you stood at the top of the fucking steps with a dagger to your throat. You’re bloody insane.”
She cupped his face. “They would have killed her. I couldn’t stand by.”
He nodded and rested his head against hers. “Nasha, I need you to be strong. You’re our only way out of this situation.”
She pushed back and gaped at him. “What do you mean? How could I be helpful? I have no power or training to go up against Marius and his¼his minions.”
A smile played around his full lips. “You have more power than most other Naema I’ve ever seen.”
“What the Jade are you talking about?”
“Nasha, you are a Null, a magical void.”
She took a step back and dropped her gaze, trying to hold the pain inside her. “Thank you so very much. I hadn’t noticed before that I am a complete waste of space. Thanks for pointing that out.”
His brows drew together. “What are you talki—Nasha, I didn’t mean it like that. A Null is a person who is completely unaffected by magic. Baby, magic slides right off you. That is why none of Marius’ attempts have had the slightest bit of impact on you.”
Tanasha stared at him. “I¼I’ve never heard a Null described in that manner. They’ve only ever called me that to tell me I’m powerless. How did you learn about this? Where?”
Duncan took her by the shoulders. “I don’t have time to walk you through the steps. Marius is aiming his crystal at me. Trust me.”
She swallowed. Tanasha wanted to believe him, wanted to accept that her whole life she’d thought of herself as powerless when she really was a proper Naema. Just not one seen very often. “I need more information, Duncan.”
His grip on her shoulders tightened. He flashed in and out of the bedroom. “Nasha, no time. My connection to you helps me fight his fucking crystal, but I need you to push power down the line.” He flickered again like a bad holo image. “You need to believe, no matter what.”
Her heart raced like a ship in hyperspace. He expected her to believe something that would turn her world upside down, with no explanation, with no proof. Just believing that what he said was true.
I don’t know if I can.
Before she finished thinking the thought Duncan winked out of the room.
“Duncan!”
Tanasha returned to reality and wished she could be anywhere else in the galaxy.
Marius held the shimmering crystal at Duncan’s eye level.
Duncan’s eyes were vacant.
The life and energy that usually surrounded him?
Gone.
She threw herself along the connection but the bedroom stayed out of her reach. It was as if nobody was home at the other end of the link.
Tanasha’s heart broke. Her doubt, her hesitation had cost Duncan his mind.
Marius chuckled. “There you go. All nice and quiet and nearly dead. Just how I like my Vampires best.”
He turned to Tanasha.
Sweat trickled down her spine and pooled at her lower back. Evil. That was all she could think. There would be no way for her to change his mind. “Why?” The word escaped her in a hoarse whisper.
Fury darkened his eyes again. Pure, unmitigated rage. “Because the fucking Naema society cares more about where you come from than what you can do. All they want to know is your family tree and how many senators your fucking tree has.” He cursed. “I tried, Tanasha, I tried again and again to impress my supervisors, my colleagues, but it was never enough. Every promotion went to the ones who had the best connections, no matter how little they knew about their tasks. Once in a while they’d throw me a bone and move me a tad forward. But all the important roles were always taken by some brother, cousin, nephew, new daughter-in-law to the leaders.”
He shrugged. “I had no choice. The only way for me to move up in this world was to marry somebody from a more prestigious family.” His smile made Tanasha nearly vomit.
“And your precious Sydney was just right. Rebellious little princess looking for a way to get back at Daddy.” He spread his arms. “I was perfect for her. She just didn’t realize that I piloted the ship, not her. Well, not until it was too late and I began to drain her. You should have heard her screaming then. It was such a beautiful concert.”
His gaze focused on her. “Maybe your screams will be even better. It’s your own fault. If you had fallen in and not stood against me you would not be in this situation.” Marius turned to the Feral who’d tortured Duncan on the way over. “Take her down to the cells.” He waved at her. “I will see you later, my dear.”
Tanasha struggled to calm her irregular breathing and her racing heartbeat. One part of her mind still hammered against the wall that suddenly stood between Duncan and her while the other desperately tried to find a way to escape.
No such luck. The Feral didn’t take his eyes off her for a second. She wasn’t even sure if he blinked the whole way down to the dimly lit cellar.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She couldn’t believe her eyes. Two small cells, separated from each other and the rest of the cellar by laser bars, stood before her. Each had a narrow bed, a sink and a toilet.
And absolutely no privacy.
Movement on one of the cots drew her gaze. “Sydney!”
She raced to the edge of the cell, unable to believe her eyes. “Jade, what happened? You look awful.”
A tired chuckle came from between dry and cracked lips. “Always could count on you to be honest.”
Tanasha swallowed. Her friend usually had a lovely, melodic voice, but now she sounded as if she’d swallowed a box of nails. The blue dress she wore hung off her in rags. The svelte body Sydney had been so proud off had turned emaciated. Scratches and bruises in all colors decorated her all over.
And the light that used to sparkle in her blue eyes was no longer. Sydney looked barely alive.
Tanasha stepped closer. “Sydney.” Before she could reach between the shimmering laser bars, the Feral pulled her back with a jerk.
“Unless you want to lose an arm or a finger, don’t touch the bars.” He waved his hand and an opening in the bars of the empty cell appeared. The Vampire pushed her in so hard Tanasha fell to her knees.
He flashed his fangs at her. “We’ll be back a little later for the first withdrawal.” He blew her a kiss and marched out of the cellar.
Tanasha climbed to her feet and dropped on the cot. For a moment she only breathed deeply. In and out. In and out. Screaming in panic will only amuse them.
In and out. I will get through to Duncan. He’s unbound and they think he’s no danger because he’s under Marius’ spell.
In and out. I have to break through the barrier. I can do it.
In and out. It is our only way out.
Somewhat calmer, she rose and stepped up to the bars separating Sydney and her. “Don’t give up, Sydney. We’ll get out of here.”
Another weak chuckle. “You’re always so positive. Even if you get out, I can barely walk, let alone run. You’ll have to leave me behind.” She lifted a hand far too pale to belong to a living being. “This is where it ends for me, sweetie. I’ll pray that you’ll get out before they come to take your blood.” Sydney coughed. “He hasn’t given me the time to regenerate my blood supply. He said he couldn’t wait the week, let alone two. One more withdrawal and I won’t wake up again.”
With effort Sydney turned her head and looked at Tanasha. “At least I know you’ll ensure that Ma
rius pays,” she whispered.
Weak-kneed, Tanasha sank onto her bed. She’d never watched anybody die and she definitely didn’t want her best friend to be the first.
Attempting to keep her whirling mind occupied she studied her surroundings. Except for the two cells it appeared like any other cellar she’d ever been to. Boxes and containers messily piled in one corner, old and forgotten furniture against one wall and dust-covered bikes and hoverboards against another. A narrow door probably led to the utility room.
Nothing exceptional or exciting. Nothing that would help with an escape.
Tanasha rubbed her forehead where a headache had taken up residency. She needed to reach Duncan. She dropped her head into her hands. Jade, what are they doing to him?
She closed her eyes and focused on the rainbow-colored strand, so much paler than she’d ever seen it.
Duncan. Duncan. Duncan.
For the next two hours she focused on Duncan, on their connection, trying to think of anything that would help her overcome the wall she continued to slam into.
But no matter what she did, how she remembered him, thought of his touch, his scent, his lack of respect when talking to Marius, nothing overcame the wall.
No response came down the link.
No sudden jump to the bedroom with Duncan lounging on the massive bed.
Tears trickled down her cheeks.
Nothing.
Chapter Eight
Duncan’s ribs ached. Each breath was painful. And his head. His head was ready to explode. Nothing he did, nothing he rubbed made the slightest bit of difference. One eye was mostly swollen and his lower lip resembled an inflatable. His whole upper body tingled as if his limbs had fallen asleep and only now came back to life.
So he’d been in a fight. But whom with? How had they inhibited his natural healing? And why did he sit in this room staring at a huge crystal across from him? He tilted his aching head and blinked at his surroundings. There were more crystals, pretty crystals, all around him. Some made him smile with their sparkle, some made him cringe with their blinding light. The big one was the worst.
When he had to squint through burning eyes to avoid the painful glare he had enough.
Duncan stumbled to his feet and nearly fell flat on his face. His legs wouldn’t move. He covered his face with his hands and tried to remember.
Something about a guy telling him to sit and not move. Thinking became easier when he shut out the crystal glares.
Naema. The guy who told him to sit had been a Naema.
Since when do I take orders from a wing weasel?
The muscles in his legs relaxed and he took a step forward, but as soon as he opened his eyes his mind fogged over again. Duncan shook his head and groaned. He put his face in his hands. Immediately his muscles relaxed.
He exhaled.
Crystal light bad. I get it.
What the Jade had brought him to this house? And why did he have this nagging feeling that time was one step away from running out, that someone else was in danger?
Eyes shut, arms stretched out before him he carefully slid forward, aiming for the door. A few minutes later, his shins and knees blue and green, he found the doorknob. Duncan leaned against the door and listened for any noises outside of it.
Silence.
He twisted the knob and opened the door. Even through his closed lids he sensed that the hallway had far fewer crystals than the room. With a sigh of relief he closed the door behind him and leaned against it. The dim light soothed his eyes after the glare in the other room.
Still, the last few hours were fuzzy. They must have separated them. If Nasha had been—Tanasha. His body jumped to attention and Duncan almost doubled over in pain.
Where is Tanasha?
His focus turned inward and he followed the now nearly see-through rainbow link until he found himself in the bedroom of their imagination.
Seconds later she arrived.
His knees turned weak. She was still alive. Everything else they could work through. “Nasha.”
She remained frozen in place and stared at him, her lips quivering. “Duncan?” Her eyes were red-rimmed. She’d been crying.
Duncan strode forward and pulled her into his arms. “Nasha.” Holding her, even in a made-up place where only their minds connected, was pure heaven. No matter if his body hurt like hell.
She didn’t respond to his embrace for a moment. Then her body started to shake. She threw her arms around his waist and clung. “I thought you were dead. Duncan, I thought you were gone. I couldn’t get through to you.”
He winced when she bumped a bruised rib, but tightened his grip and inhaled her presence. The hole inside him that had opened up as he woke in the glare-filled room closed. He was whole again. “I’m sorry, Nasha, I had to fight myself out of the grip of the crystal. It must have blocked the link between us. Where are you?”
“In the basement with Sydney. Duncan, she’s in a bad way. I’m not sure how much longer she can hold on.”
“I’ll come and get you. The most important thing is to get you and Sydney out of the house and—”
She pushed back and gripped his tattered shirt. “No, the most important thing is to destroy the big crystal Marius used to put you under. Without it he won’t be able to focus his¼his blood magic. He’ll be less powerful. And once we destroy the crystal the magic that imprisons everybody will break as well.”
“No, Nasha, we need to get the two of you out of here.”
She put a finger against his lips. “Duncan, listen to me. Sydney is nearly dead. Nobody except the two of us knows about Marius’ plan and the tools he uses. If we try to escape and something happens we may not be able to stop him.”
When he shook his head again, she cupped his cheeks. “He’s given Sydney’s blood to somebody. We need to find out who and where this Vampire is. His power is most likely off the charts and his plans can’t be beneficial to anybody.”
“I can’t lose you.”
A beautiful smile lit up her face. “You won’t. You yourself will ensure that. With your experience and knowledge of strategy and my¼my Gift, we’ll take Marius down.”
Despite the situation a smile quirked his lips. “You believe me now?”
She shrugged. “I still need to know more, like how you found out and is there a manual or something I can learn from, but I trust you. If you say I have this power I believe you.”
His smile died. “I don’t think it works like that. You have to believe in yourself.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Despite a voice inside him screaming to get out, to get Tanasha away from the danger, Duncan knew she was right. They needed to take Marius down before he could do more damage. And with the Naema out of the way, another head of the blood-smuggling hydra would be chopped off.
“All right, I will come and ge—”
He stopped and listened. Footsteps. Coming toward me.
He cursed and grabbed her by her shoulders again. “Listen to me, Tanasha, they are coming back to my room. If for whatever reason something goes wrong don’t give up. Last night before I got home I sent all the information I collected as an encrypted message to two friends of mine. Nikolai and Galen are on their way. Once they discover what I’ve supposedly done, they’ll know to come for you.”
She shook her head and opened her mouth.
Duncan stopped her from speaking with a mind-melting kiss. “We’re out of time. I have to go back into the room.” He pointed at the link between them, now lightly shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. “The connection is open. Keep sending your power down the line. I will pretend to still be under their spell and wait for an opportunity. Keep the link open.”
He kissed her one last time before he returned to reality. The footsteps were much closer. With care he reopened the door and stumbled back to the chair he’d sat in earlier. He kept his head turned away from the large, blinding crystal, but his muscles already slowed down and his mind grew unfo
cused.
Tanasha?
Silence.
Jade, the crystal, was it too strong? Nasha?
More silence.
Duncan?
Strength and focus ran into him. The bond still existed.
Duncan, what’s happening? Fear flowed along the link.
Don’t worry, love. It’s only an evolution of the link. We no longer need the room. We can send words directly to each other. He wasn’t going to say anything about the lifemate bond until they had time to talk in peace.
Silence. Hesitation.
Does that mean you can read my mind?
He chuckled. I wish. No, I can only hear what you send me with intent.
More silence. More hesitation.
So we can talk mind to mind, no matter how far apart?
Pretty much. He paused to listen. Hang on, Nasha, they’re here.
The door opened to Marius and two of his goons coming into the room. One of them was Duncan’s good friend Wally.
Despite the rage simmering in him, Duncan relaxed his jaw and attempted to look zombie-like.
Marius studied him through narrowed eyes. “What are you playing at, Vampire? Why didn’t the crystal keep you under?” He picked up the crystal and stepped in front of Duncan, who couldn’t avoid a flinching of the eyelids.
The Naema grabbed his chin. “You think you can pretend? This is my power. I feel every last dreg of it and it isn’t in your body any longer.” He lifted the crystal and held it a few inches before Duncan’s eyes. “Try and avoid this.”
Duncan attempted to move his head, but once again the Ferals stepped behind him and held him. Wally dug his nails into Duncan’s neck. With Marius’ hand on his chin and the T-Guard nanites still swarming through his body, Duncan couldn’t move.
He struggled, tried to pull back, to kick or punch. None of his limbs followed orders. It was as if he moved through molasses. Duncan closed his lids, but Marius pulled up one and ordered a Feral to pull up the other.
There was no way out.
And with Marius pushing the hypnotic power into his mind, his subconscious, his dreams, Duncan couldn’t see a way out. Unlike the first time, now Marius’ power burned as it spread through him as if fighting the bond for every inch.
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