[Ganzfield 2] Adversary (21 page)

Awareness filled my thoughts. I felt safe because of him. He was my true hero.
I can’t believe you took on a powerful charm to defend me. You were so brave.

He drew in a sharp breath and shook his head.
I wasn’t brave. I was angry.

In my experience, that’s a big part of bravery.

Trevor sighed. He wrapped his invisible arms around me, held me close, and then floated me up as his hands framed my face. We lost ourselves in our embrace for a blissful while. Eventually, the cold evening penetrated our overheated minds and bodies. He pulled back to look at my face.
Seriously? That caveman thing did something for you? You?

I felt myself melting at the memory: Trevor as my knight in shining armor, the literal man of my dreams. I felt so protected, so cherished.
Loved.
Trevor truly loved me. I’d never have asked him to do it, but having Trevor take on Zack for me had unleashed something primal within me.

I’m just as surprised as you are
. 

CHAPTER 9

Trevor and I returned to the kitchen, hand in hand.

Rachel, we’ve got a problem with Zack.

She looked up from the computer and paused as she focused on framing a thought back to me.
What kind of problem?

Zack just charmed me.

Rachel gasped.
But you’re a minder! Aren’t you immune?

I shook my head.
Not to Zack. He’s a…special case. He…he tried to make me kiss him. And I don’t know how far he would’ve taken it.

Rachel’s scowl darkened her face. She had personal experience with how far charms could take such things.
What happened, Maddie? Are you all right?

I still had some resistance. When I realized what was happening, I tried to blast him, and then ran away. And then Trevor—
I just supplied the wordless image of Trevor squeezing Zack’s throat.

Rachel gave Trevor a satisfied nod. “Good for you.”

Trevor flushed, embarrassed. I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned into his chest.

So now we have an out-of-control charm in the house. There’s no way Trevor and I can work with him now. I can’t trust him on the team.

“Can we do this without him?” Trevor kept his voice low.

I shook my head.
We have to have a charm tomorrow if we’re going to convince one of the local Sons of Adam to vouch for us. And if we’re going to get in the front door on Saturday without me having to….
I remembered how clearly Seth had felt it when I’d blasted Michael and Victor in the Blake House basement. It was like sending up a telepathic flare.
The thing is, if I don’t have to blast anyone, we’ve got a much better chance of getting in and out without Isaiah knowing.

“So we need another charm,” said Rachel.

Who else was there? Charms were now in short supply. Most of the ones I’d known had been killed at Ganzfield. Coleman was on his way to Virginia to help Dr. Williamson. I groaned when I realized I only knew one other. If this wasn’t so important…

Rachel, can you call Cecelia? See if she can come?

She turned back to her computer. “I was online with her a little while ago.” Popping up a new screen, she sent an Instant Message.

Cecelia sent a quick response.

She had just started at UNH this semester, less than two months ago. I sucked in a quick breath as I realized that, if she hadn’t, she’d be dead now.

Rachel read the message then looked at me.

The image of Morris’s severed fingers flashed sickeningly through both our minds. Isaiah had done that when he still had a use for healers. What would he do to Matilda and Morris when he was finished with them? “It’s pretty much life and death.”

There was a short pause.

Rachel pinked slightly as she glanced at me, knowing I’d seen Cecelia’s question as she read it.

The pause this time was much longer.

We arranged a combination of bus and train to bring her south. She’d arrive after 3 a.m. at the train station in Newark. I suppressed a chuckle; Newark after dark used to be a scary place, one that I avoided. With a group like ours, I was no longer afraid of it.

“What do we do about Zack?” Rachel asked.

I’d been wondering the same thing. I wanted him out, far away from here. But we couldn’t just turn a dangerous charm loose on the world. He could do so much damage before his ability faded. People would give him their life’s savings, or they’d let him use them sexually, or they’d even kill someone, simply at his suggestion.

All he has to do is ask.

If only we had another charm, someone who could charm him into behaving. Did we need to wait to send him away until Cecelia could do that? She’d done something similar before…

I kept flashing back to that last minute, feeling my chest constrict as I did. How far would Zack have charmed me if I hadn’t been able to resist? Was he as bad as Michael, who’d used his ability like a date-rape drug? I knew I didn’t want to have Zack near me—near any of us. The thought of having to see him again threatened to bring up my dinner.

But Zack hadn’t actually succeeded. He hadn’t made me do anything. And he had a rare ability that Dr. Williamson wanted to study and cultivate.
Ah, hell.
That meant he probably wasn’t going to be expelled from Ganzfield.

I’m pretty sure Dr. Williamson won’t kick him out after this,
I told Trevor and Rachel.
But we’re in my house now. I want him out. Tonight.
It wasn’t as though I had a soundproof cell in the basement here.

“What should we do with him?” Rachel’s concern seeped through her words.

“Where would he do the least damage?” Trevor spoke softly, aware that Zack was in the room directly above us.

Sean came into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Rachel, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before taking the chair next to her. His feelings toward Rachel were so tender, I again felt like an intruder in their private world.

He glanced at our expressions and his brow furrowed. “What’s going on?”

We brought Sean up to speed.

“Where’s he from?” asked Rachel.

“Oregon, I think.” I thought I’d heard him mention it, but I couldn’t remember when.

“Let’s just send him home.”
It’s far enough away that he won’t be our problem anymore. We have problems enough.

Despite my misgivings, I could see her point.

I found my mom upstairs in her room, reading. She was trying to give us some space, as though I was just a normal teenager whose friends had come to visit for a few days.

“Mom, there’s a problem with Zack. He needs to go home.”

Concern flowed pearl-grey through her. “What’s wrong?”
Is he sick? Is his family all right?

“I don’t want to go into the details right now, but he needs to go home—tonight, if possible. Can I borrow your credit card to get him a plane ticket online? We’ll pay you back.” I hoped Dr. Williamson would, at least.

“Of course. If he needs to go home, we can do that. The card’s in my purse in the hall closet. You know where it is.”

“Thanks, Mom. Oh, and do we have any earplugs in the house?”

She rummaged through her bedside table for a few seconds then handed a little, clear plastic box to me. “Why do you need earplugs? You kids aren’t planning to use power tools or—” Understanding flashed through her mind, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “Is Zack dangerous?” Her eyes searched my face intensely.

“Just about any of us could be dangerous, Mom. But Zack tried…he tried to use his ability against me. He tried to make me do something I didn’t want to do.” She made the correct assumption and I nodded. “I can’t let him stay in this house another night.”

“Are you all right, honey?”

“I’m fine, Mom. I can resist charm commands, and Trevor—” I paused, flushing with a smile as another wave of primal adoration washed through me
. My caveman.
“Trevor made it clear to Zack that his behavior was…unacceptable.”