Extant

by Mary M Wallace

  Bree was standing there, arms crossed over her chest, glaring at him. Behind her, Rowan gave him a helpless look and shrugged as if to say, “Don’t look at me. I tried.”

  “You should be resting,” Bree said in a stern voice.

  Declan smiled, thinking she looked cute when she was being bossy. “I’m fine,” he said. “Besides, I slept for almost 12 hours already. And I had to pee.” She rolled her eyes and sighed.

  “Fine,” she said. “You peed. Now back to bed.” She pointed down the hall.

  Declan shook his head. “I’m not going back to bed. It’s the middle of the day. I’d like to put a shirt on and eat something.”

  Bree sighed and pointed to a tray sitting on the coffee table. “I brought you lunch,” she said. “You can eat it here.”

  Declan decided not to get angry. She was trying to take care of him. It was sweet, if a little annoying. He ground his teeth and took as deep a breath as possible and let it out.

  “Alright,” he said. “I’ll eat here. But I’m not getting back in the bed.” He watched Bree’s eyes narrow at him before they relaxed, and she smiled.

  “Fine,” she said and pointed to the couch. “Sit.”

  Declan felt one corner of his mouth twitch up into a half smile as he recalled the night before when she’d made him sit in that same spot. He winked at her as he walked over to the couch.

  “Now that,” he said slowly, “I will do. Anytime.” He loved seeing the little blush that came over her, even as she rolled her eyes at him.

  Rowan edged closer to the door. “Uh, I’m going to go now, guys,” he said, pointing to the door. “I can see you don’t need me anymore.”

  “Thanks, Rowan,” Bree told him, smiling.

  He waved a hand and flashed her a smile.

  “Don’t mention it,” he said as he left.

  Bree ordered Declan to eat every bite of the massive sandwich she’d brought him. It didn’t take much convincing on his part. He was starving. Between bites, he asked her about the debrief he’d slept through.

  “Did we get anything useful last night?” he asked.

  Bree shrugged. “Not sure yet,” she said. “Conrad has people going through the files. It looks like more of what Sawyer and Rafe found. It’s a lot of information on different Praetorians, their abilities, their locations, families. Rowan hasn’t been able to connect the dots yet, but he’s going to get to work on it.”

  Declan nodded. He thought about her words as he finished off the last of the food she’d brought. What was Ephraim up to? It was a constant nagging thought in the back of his mind, though he never let Bree know. He did his best to keep from her the worry he felt over Ephraim, but he couldn’t help but wonder about the files Sawyer had found. What had Ephraim hoped to gain from information about two Praetorians who’d been dead for nearly 20 years? He’d gone over those files again and again since Sawyer told him where she’d gotten them, and he was still no closer to understanding Ephraim’s need for them. He wondered if the new batch of files would prove any different.

  “Hey.” Bree’s hand on his shoulder startled him out of his thoughts and he turned to look at her. “You okay?” She had that worried look he hated to see on her face, so he smiled.

  “I’m fine,” he said. He leaned toward her. “Thank you for taking such good care of me.”

  Bree gave him an assessing look before she returned the smile. She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips. “All part of the job,” she said.

  Declan leaned away from her slightly, brows raised. “Oh, so I’m a job now?”

  She sighed heavily. “Not an easy one either.” She shook her head. “What am I going to do with you?”

  He grinned wolfishly. “Kiss me?”

  “I suppose,” she whispered against his lips. When the kiss ended, Bree leaned back enough to look in his eyes.

  “Promise me you’ll take it easy until you get the okay to go back to work?” she said. When he hesitated, she raised a single brow, making him chuckle.

  “Fine,” he said. “I promise not to overdo it.”

  Her eyes narrowed, but she seemed satisfied by his answer.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Declan eventually managed to convince Bree that he was well enough to walk as far as the dining hall. If she’d had her way, his confinement would have lasted longer. As it was, he hadn’t given her a choice. She’d encountered him as he was leaving the dining hall two days after his injury. Bree thought he needed another day of rest and didn’t look happy to see him outside of his quarters. She shot him a glare through narrowed eyes, but the hallway was crowded with people, so she said nothing. He knew she’d probably scold him later, but that didn’t bother him nearly as much as the boredom that had set in. If he had to spend another minute in his quarters alone, he’d go crazy. He gave her what he considered his most charming smile as he passed by and hoped for the best. It must have worked, because Bree had given in and released him to his own devices so long as he took it easy. Declan eagerly agreed.

  He wasn’t clear to train with the rest of the team, so he was forced to find other ways to occupy his time. After only a single day of wandering the halls, Declan was certain he’d seen every inch of the public areas of the compound. He’d never realized before how much he needed to keep busy. The forced inactivity was grating, and it hadn’t even been three days. He didn’t know if he’d last two weeks. He wondered if he could convince Sean to let him get back to work sooner. Even as the idea come to him, he knew Bree wouldn’t go for it. As he walked aimlessly through the corridors, he tried to think of a way he could help without putting physical strain on himself. Eventually, a new idea came to him and he set out to find Rowan.

  When he arrived at Rowan’s office, he was unsurprised to find him sitting behind his desk, flipping through a stack of files. His eyes moved over the pages and Declan found himself impressed by the speed of his reading. He knocked on the open door, smiling when Rowan looked up at him.

  “Declan,” Rowan said. “Hey. What’s up?”

  “Nothing, really,” Declan said. “Just going stir crazy.” He walked into the office and sat in one of the chairs across from the desk.

  Rowan chuckled. “Bored?”

  “So bored,” Declan said with an exaggerated tone that made Rowan’s smile grow wider.

  “Sorry man,” he said, tossing a file onto the desk. “You shouldn’t have gotten yourself shot.”

  “Now you tell me?” Declan said. “Guess I’ll know better next time.” He smiled and took a breath. “I actually came here for a reason.”

  Rowan looked at him expectantly. “What’s that?

  Declan raised his brows. “I was hoping you were ready to start training me,” he said.

  Rowan leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I thought maybe you’d given up on that.”

  “Not a chance,” Declan said. “I was just giving you some time. With everything we’ve had going on.” He stopped short of saying Stella’s name, but he could tell Rowan understood what he wasn’t saying. He’d been giving him time to deal with Stella’s return. Now that Rowan had stopped hiding in his office and working himself to exhaustion, Declan thought it was a good time to return to the subject of his training. He thought he understood Rowan’s reluctance. His ability came with a heavy burden and he wasn’t keen on Declan having to shoulder that burden.

  “Look,” Declan said. “I get why you’re not big on me trying it. But it’s my choice to take it on. I could try to do it without your help, but we both know it would go better with you coaching me. I just want to help wherever I can. Right now, I’m useless and I can’t stand it. What do you say?”

  Rowan looked at Declan for a long moment before he sighed again. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

  Declan smiled. “Nope.”

  Rowan shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. “Fine,” he said, his voice resigned. “But if there’s any point where things aren’t going well or if I think it
’s too much for you, we stop. Got it?”

  Declan felt excitement course through him as he nodded his agreement. “Absolutely. Thank you,” he said. “I really think this is going to work.”

  Rowan looked skeptical as he removed his glasses and used the hem of his shirt to clean the lenses. “The thing is,” he said, “I’m not worried about you being able to access my ability. I’ve seen you in action. I know you can do it. I’m more worried about you being able to control it. It’s not the same as shooting a gun or moving fast. It’s everything rushing through your head all at once. Before I figured out how to sift through all the info, I really wondered if I’d go crazy.” He put his glasses back on and met Declan’s gaze. “I just hope you know what you’re asking for.”

  Declan turned serious. “I don’t know what it’s like and I admit I’m a little nervous, but I can’t just sit here and do nothing,” he said. “Not if there’s the slightest chance I can help.”

  “I know,” Rowan said. “I get it. I have some things to finish up here, but how about I come by your place in about an hour?”

  “Really?” Declan asked. “You want to start today?”

  Rowan shrugged and spread his hands. “No time like the present, right? Why? You having second thoughts?”

  Declan shook his head. “No. I’m ready.”

  Rowan nodded. “Good. Now get out of my office. Those of us who didn’t get shot are trying to work around here.”

  Declan chuckled and stood, preparing to leave. “I really appreciate this,” he said.

  “We’ll see,” Rowan said as Declan left the room.

  Rowan knocked and waited for the door to open. He was nervous. He’d never known a mimic before Declan, so he’d never had to think about teaching someone how to control his ability. He’d spent the walk here thinking about how best to go about it and he still wasn’t sure he’d be able to do it. He was worried for his friend. Declan thought he knew what he was asking, but Rowan knew better. It wasn’t something you could prepare for. The flood of information was bound to be overwhelming and he worried that it would be too much for him. Just then, the door opened, and Declan stood there, excitement shining in his eyes. Rowan didn’t say anything as he went inside.

  He turned back to face Declan after he heard the door close.

  “Listen, Dec,” he said. “I need to ask you one last time. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Absolutely,” Declan said.

  Rowan sighed. “Sit down,” he said gesturing toward the couch. They both walked to the couch and sat on opposite ends.

  Rowan turned slightly to face Declan. “I just want to state for the record that I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  Declan nodded. “Noted.”

  “And I think you’re going to regret it.”

  “I know.”

  Rowan held up a hand. “And I want to reiterate that this whole thing was your idea.”

  “Absolutely. Completely and totally my idea,” Declan said with a nod.

  Rowan rolled his eyes and shook his head with a sigh. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s give this a shot.” He smiled and wiggled his brows. “Get it? Shot?”

  Declan shook his head. “Weak. You’re better than that.”

  “Nah,” Rowan said, still smiling. “I’m really not.” He took a breath and his expression turned serious. “Okay. The first thing you need to remember is to focus. That’s the hardest part of this whole thing. When you first tap into it, it’s going to be overwhelming. Everything is going to come at you at once. Information overload. I’m sorry, but I really don’t know what that’s going to feel like for you.”

  Declan nodded. He took a breath and rubbed his hands on his pants legs. “Focus. Right.”

  Rowan still looked skeptical and maybe a little worried, but he didn’t voice it. Instead, he said, “You want to have something in mind before you go into it. Something specific. Simple. Think of a problem you want to solve or a question you have. Hold it in your mind. That should hopefully narrow down the amount of information flying at you.”

  Declan nodded again. “Okay,” he said. “I think I can do that.”

  Rowan still looked unconvinced, but he gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Go for it,” he said.

  Declan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He took another breath and closed his eyes, blocking out any visual distractions. He thought of a problem that needed solving. After a moment, he decided to use his own situation. Something simple with few variables. How could he convince Sean to let him go back to active status sooner? He focused on the question in his mind and held onto it. Then he reached out with his ability, searching for Rowan’s. He could sense it there. All he needed to do was open himself to it.

  He focused on his question again. He held it in the forefront of his mind as he reached out with his own ability. All at once, he felt the strangeness of Rowan’s ability flood his mind. There was a shock of pain, like lightning in his brain. Then his mind was filled with images, thoughts, sounds, possibilities. He tried to focus, to latch onto something, but it was impossible. It was like trying to catch a speeding train. His own brain wasn’t fast enough to keep up with the stream of information and the more he tried, the more pain he felt. He tried harder, redoubling his efforts and focusing on the question he’d wanted to answer. What was the question? He couldn’t remember it. Now the wave of information swelled even larger and Declan couldn’t focus on anything but the pain in his head. It hurt so much, he wondered if something fundamental had broken inside his brain. He heard himself cry out in pain just before he lost consciousness.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The first thing Declan noticed when he woke was the absence of pain. The horrible pain in his head was gone, as was the flood of information that had been there earlier. The relief he felt was impossible to put into words. The next thing he noticed was Bree. She had one hand on his cheek and was peering down at him.

  “Hey,” he said and attempted a smile.

  Bree’s worried look was replaced by a look of anger. “Don’t ‘hey’ me! What the hell is wrong with you two?” She turned to look at Rowan who shrank away from her glare.

  Declan reached for her as he moved to sit up. “Don’t be mad at Rowan,” he said, rubbing his forehead. “It was my idea.”

  Bree stood with her hands on her hips. “I’ll be mad at whoever I want,” she said. “You should both know better. You just got shot!”

  Declan waved a hand. “Not really,” he said, dismissively. When he caught sight of Bree’s face, he immediately regretting his words. “I mean—”

  “Seriously?” she said in a low voice. “Do you really want to go there?”

  Declan shook his head. “No. I definitely don’t.”

  Rowan stood and began to edge closer to the door. “I think I’m just going to—” he began, but Bree cut him off.

  “You,” she said, pointing a finger in his direction. “I’ll deal with you later.”

  Rowan nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry,” he said as he reached for the door knob. Just before he slid through the open door, he said, “For the record, it was Declan’s idea.”

  Bree pointed to the door, jaw clenched.

  “Right,” Rowan said. “Leaving.” Once he was in the hallway, he closed the door quietly and let out a sigh. “That went better than I thought,” he mumbled as he began to walk.

  He felt no guilt leaving Declan to Bree’s wrath. Hadn’t he tried to talk him out of it? Declan had insisted. This was really all his fault. He could deal with his angry girlfriend. Bree had come in just after Declan had passed out. She’d heard him cry out from the hallway as she’d unlocked the door. She’d rushed in and seen Rowan hovering over Declan, his own face a mask of concern. He didn’t blame her for being a little upset, especially after the events of the other night. Still, he was glad it wasn’t him. He hoped Bree calmed down a bit before he saw her again.

  Rowan let out a little chuckle as he remembered the look on Dec
lan’s face when he woke up and realized Bree was there. Now that he knew Declan was okay and he was no longer in Bree’s line of fire, he could laugh at the humor of the situation. Declan was half a foot taller than Bree and stronger, but he’d looked genuinely afraid to see her standing there with her hands on her hips, glaring at him. He shook his head as he slipped his keycard into the slot on his own door. Maybe that would put an end to Declan’s desire to use his ability. Even as the thought entered his mind, Rowan knew better. Declan was nothing if not determined. And stubborn. He’d try again, whether Rowan helped him or not. He took a deep breath and let it out as he opened the door. He caught the faint scent of something. A perfume. He froze, one hand still on the doorknob. It was a subtle scent. Floral. He inhaled again.

  “Stella?” he asked softly, his heart swelling with hope. He didn’t know how he knew, but he did. He’d always known when she was near, even when she’d made herself invisible.

  He heard a soft exhalation to his right before she spoke. “How do you do that?”

  A smile curved Rowan’s lips at the sound of her voice. “I don’t know,” he said. He stood in front of the open door, making no move to go inside. He didn’t know what to say, but he wanted to keep her there with him just a bit longer, so he said, “How are you?”

  “Okay, I think,” she said. “Depends which day you ask me.”

  Rowan nodded and took a deep breath. He was just happy she was speaking to him. He didn’t know what had brought her to his door today, but he was thrilled.

  “What had you laughing a minute ago?” Stella asked, pulling him back to the present. He had to think for a minute to realize what she meant.

  “Oh,” he said. “Bree and Declan.” He shook his head with a smile. “It’s kind of a long story.” He gestured to the open doorway. “Do you want to come inside?” When she didn’t answer right away, he wished he could take the words back. It was too soon. He was rushing her. He should have just continued talking to her in the hallway. He was about to open his mouth to call back the invitation, to tell her they could stay out in the hallway and talk if she’d prefer.