Department 57: Bloody Crystal (17 page)

“Are you sure?” He stood in front of her, refusing to let her past.

“Positive. It was his signature, his words. I felt it, I know it.”

He regarded her for a moment, dark eyes solemn. “Okay, let’s go. But you stay back and you wait. Hear me?”

“Sure.” Anything. “But we need to go now.”

“Okay.” As he led her toward the lifts, he spoke to someone, presumably another guard.
“I’m heading down to the lobby with Cerys. She says Rhodri is down there. She’s sure.”

“See you there.”

She didn’t recognize the response, but it had to be a bodyguard. Shit. To have bodyguards. She almost ran into the lift and slid her card through the slot before she hit the button for the lobby. “He must have got away.”

“Or something.” Domenici still sounded skeptical, but that was his job. Hers was to be there for Rhodri. What had happened? She sent him a brief message, found him there, waiting.

The lift doors opened, and she looked around. Maybe a dozen people were in the huge lobby, and one of them was Rhodri. He appeared tired but triumphant, and he opened his arms wide. She wouldn’t be sleeping alone tonight.

The sight overwhelmed her. So much that she couldn’t wait to feel him again, couldn’t obey Domenici’s command to stay behind him. After pushing past Domenici, she raced across the tiled expanse, and Rhodri’s arms closed around her. Domenici shouted, but she ignored it. “How did you get here? What happened?”

“I’ll tell you all about it.”

There was something peculiar about the way he said it. She had it—it was exactly as he’d said it before. The same intonation, the same pattern. And he didn’t feel the same. Softer, maybe a little shorter, something… She looked up.

And saw not Rhodri but a stranger. She pulled away.

Except he wouldn’t let her. In a single, convulsive move, he turned and threw her at someone, who caught her deftly and pinned her hands behind her back. She couldn’t move; she wriggled, but he had her fast. And he didn’t delay. Ignoring Domenici’s roar, he backed up through the doors and dragged her to a car, the same car she’d seen in her vision of Rhodri. Except he wasn’t here. It had thick windows, and when her captor slammed the door, it resounded with a
clunk
that told her it was no ordinary door. An armored car, broad daylight. Shit, shit, shit.

The car took off, screaming through the busy traffic, turned the corner, and sped up to Deansgate, one of Manchester’s busiest streets. But any hope she had of getting away was dashed when something pricked her arm and a chill streaked up it, through her veins, freezing her into place.

And as her senses whirled, she kept thinking, Stupid, stupid, stupid.

* * *

“Not stupid. Stop saying that.”

She snapped open her eyes. Rhodri lay next to her, an irritated expression on his face.

“Your beard has grown.” She didn’t trust herself anymore. This could be anyone.

His grin almost convinced her. “So it has.” He was grimy, wore the filthy remnants of jeans and a green T-shirt, the one she’d last seen him in, but if this was Rhodri, it was the only sight she wanted to see.

His expression turned grave. “Why, Cerys? How did you get here?”

“Where’s here?”

He shrugged as well as he could with his arms, legs, and torso bracketed down to a table. The bonds looked like steel, but she wondered. “Are you allergic to silver?”

No, she wasn’t. They’d already discussed that. That fact alone put her on guard, and then she recognized the warning in his voice. “Of course.” Except that she wasn’t, and neither was he, or not much, anyway. Itchy didn’t count in circumstances like these. She moved her arm. Chains rattled. She was tethered to a bed, manacles and cuffs around her ankles attached to huge chains that seemed comical they were so large. Except that after dark she could probably give them a run for their money. “How did they do it?”

“You or me? During the day, with a jab of something in the neck. I went to your apartment.”

“I know. We saw.”

“The camera?”

“You knew about that?”

He nodded. “I knew. I wanted to kill the bastard, but I didn’t know who it was at the time. That’s why I went back that day. I had a fair idea, and I wanted to sort the bastard out.”

She sighed. “That explains that part, then. It was my neighbor, the sleazy guy I told you about, but he’d captured you being taken. So he did us a backhanded favor.”

“Us?”

“You know, me and my—cousin.” She tried to contact him mentally, but her head hurt too much. It throbbed so badly now she’d fully come to that she thought if she moved, she might vomit. And she was unsure she could do it safely. Certainly she’d leave a stinking mess. Hastily she turned her mind away from the thought.

He frowned. Then his brow cleared. “I’m glad you got in touch with him. How did your protectors let you out of their sight?”

“I saw you in the lobby of the hotel. You sent me a mental message, and it was you. I know it was.” They were bonded. How could she have been so mistaken?

He groaned. “They can copy bits of our mental messages. Imprint them. It’s one of the things they’re working on. They must have taken a scrap of mine and used it. And did you forget what I told you about Wilkinson?”

No, she hadn’t. And Fabrice’s clarification of what a metamorph could do. “They know about me. They must do. They came back for me, killed Dave.”

“Fuck, oh fuck.”

“Why do they want me so much?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. Unless they think they can use you to get to me. But they haven’t done anything much, just shot me full of drugs, hurt me some. I know they can do much worse, but they haven’t.”

They wanted to keep him alive? “This is a lab?”

“It’s the worst.” He stared up at the grubby ceiling. This room looked like it might have been a dormitory, even a hospital room, but it hadn’t seen regular hospital staff in a while. They’d have cleaned it better. “It’s one of Wilkinson’s labs. When we first came across him, we knew he was dirty, but not this dirty. He’s betraying his own kind.” He roared, tried to force his hand out of the bonds that held him by the wrist. “He dissects us, sells bits of us, uses us to develop drugs. He wants to extract what we are, sell us on. Can you imagine a world full of Talents?”

“I’d have thought you’d have welcomed that,” came a new male voice. Smooth, unctuous. Repellent.

Well, the door certainly opened on well-oiled hinges.

She hid her terror and her headache as best she could and stared at the man.
Well-oiled
described him as well as the door. She knew this was the man who’d captured her, the one who had resembled Rhodri so much that she’d flown to him.

Now she wondered how she could have made such a mistake. Oh, she knew how he’d done it, but her heart told her no. She should have listened to her heart, not her other senses. Too late now.

“Where’s your cat?” Rhodri asked abruptly.

At least he’d put a frown between the smooth man’s brows. “What cat?”

“The fluffy white one that you stroke when you’re devising your schemes.”

His face cleared, but he didn’t smile. “I don’t devise schemes. I make deals. The simpler, the better, but I had to put a bit of effort into this one.”

“Deals?” She didn’t like the thought of that comment. “You’re going to sell us like livestock? You’re a Talent yourself. Surely you know better than that.”

He grimaced. “Don’t put me in the same class as them. I deal in quality merchandise only. You should be flattered that I chose you. I just came to ensure that you weren’t badly hurt. I regret the necessity of drugging you, but I thought we’d hurt you less if I ordered that rather than had you manhandled.”

“You like your merchandise in top condition?” Rhodri didn’t hide his sneer.

“Tip-top.” Wilkinson had a faint American accent, one she hadn’t noticed in him when he’d used Rhodri’s internal voice. “But you two are so rare, I can ask top dollar for you. I don’t know whether to put you up for auction or to keep you myself. Of course, it could be a fluke, so selling you now is probably the way to go.”

Rhodri frowned and exchanged a glance with her.

She shook her head. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You don’t know?” Wilkinson laughed, but Cerys didn’t feel like joining in. “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you about the cat, but how about I leave you to work it out for yourselves? It shouldn’t take you above, oh, a month or two.” He was still laughing when he left.

Chapter Thirteen

“What’s so special about us?” Cerys stared at the closed door.

“I have no idea. But we need to work it out.” He sighed. “He was gentle with you. He’s capable of causing a lot of pain on others. I’ve seen it.” He paused. “Felt it.”

“Oh, Rhodri!”

He shook his head, and she saw regret limned in his expressive eyes.

“It doesn’t matter. He’s done far worse to other people.”

“Is it safe to talk?”

“Mostly.” He paused. “We have to assume this place is bugged. So no secrets, love.”

That word, said so casually, so matter-of-factly, sent shivers through her that had nothing to do with their situation. Pleasurable shivers. The last thing she expected here, after she’d recovered from the delight of knowing for sure that Rhodri was alive.

His warm smile curled through her heart. “You mean you didn’t realize?”

“No. Tell me.” She had to hear it. Then she had to tell him. “Together.”

“I love you.” Two voices, the same words. Tears pricked at her eyes. Here, of all times, all places, but who knew what time they had left together? It was important that he knew.

Silence while they stared. Eventually Rhodri gave a shaky laugh. “I never dreamed I’d tell that to anyone. I always kept myself apart. I even chose a job that would give me the excuse. Then you. A small, blonde stick of dynamite. You bowled me over just by being yourself. Took me unawares.”

She smiled. “Are you sure it’s not a holiday romance? You were having a break, and it happens.”

“Has it happened before?”

“Oh yeah.” She flushed, the hot blood coursing under her skin. “Sorry. But it has. The difference this time is that the romance goes both ways. But now, here, it’s not the time.”

“Yes it is, except I can’t touch you, make love to you.”

As if on cue, someone walked into the room. A man jingling a bunch of keys like an old-fashioned jailer. “You called?” He lifted the keys and waved them. “The boss says to release you. But there’s a few things you need to know. You won’t get out of here by force. You can’t. Outside this room is a secure holding pen. Outside that is another. You understand? And if you try, we’ll go for your woman first, because she’s the easiest target. Clear?” Oh great. From heroin to a Sorcerer to an easy target for this bozo.

Rhodri sighed. “Yes.”

She glared at him. Outside the room, they saw the shadows of two other men. She’d have thought he’d try something, and after the man had unlocked her and she sat up, she remained alert, ready for any orders Rhodri wanted to give her. It wasn’t night, but he was still powerful enough to take this idiot down.
“Tell me what to do. I’m game if you are.”

“Do nothing.”

He sat up, rubbing his arms, and the man left the room, not even bothering to back out. She rounded on him. “Why didn’t you do anything? What’s wrong with you?”

“Sweetheart, I have no doubt that they’d make good on their promises. They’ll kill you if I try anything. Or hurt you and make me watch. For what it’s worth, if I were on my own, I wouldn’t try it, either. It’s an invitation, too blatant to be true. No, we have to watch and wait.”
“Don’t say any more aloud. Hold me, and we’ll talk.”

She reached for him, and he dragged her into his arms.

Here, now, anywhere, she felt so good being held by Rhodri. She felt warmed and ridiculously safe considering where they were. “We don’t have to talk like this,” she murmured. “Oh Rhodri, I’m so glad to see you, but I’m so sorry I was stupid enough to fall for their tricks.”

“It wasn’t your fault. We didn’t know he could mimic another Talent that well. Well enough to deceive someone he’s close to. That he loves.”

She snuggled closer. “I was desperate to find you. I knew you weren’t dead.”

He kissed her, but just a small, loving, closemouthed kiss. “Thank you for that. It’s because we’re—” He finished the words in his head.
“Shit, that’s it. We’re bonded.”

“Oh my God. He has a pair.”

“A bonded pair. That’s why he wanted us together. Oh, sweetheart, I only did it because I was worried about you.”
His arms tightened around her.
“I was so arrogant. I never thought it would work the other way. I’m sorry, so sorry.”

“I’m not. At least I’m not sorry about the bonding part.”
She lifted her face to him, inviting his kiss.

This time it wasn’t a sweet peck but a ravaging. They opened their mouths, tongues twining, sliding against each other, and she tasted the unique essence of Rhodri. He held her close, and she felt his cock harden under his worn jeans. He kissed the side of her mouth, her cheek, then returned to her mouth, tasting her, eating her, as if he couldn’t get enough. But she didn’t care because it went both ways. She gasped his name between kisses, her hands spread over his chest, his heart beating under her hands.

He touched her, his hands roving over her body, smoothing down her arms, then her waist, her back, and around to her breasts. He cupped one, thumbing her nipple, then paused. “What are we doing?” He released her, sliding his hand back down and around her waist. “People are listening to us. Probably videoing us as well. We can’t. Oh darling, I’d love to, but we can’t.”

“Why not?” If this was all they had, then she intended to make the most of it.

“Maybe it’s what they want.”

“I don’t care.”

“Listen, we’re a bonded couple. A bonded pair. He’ll want to have something to show his customers.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“Yes, it is.”

He stared over her head into the distance. She kissed the underside of his chin, prickly with stubble. “You must have shaved sometime or you’d have a beard by now.”