Legacy (12 page)

“Trevor,” Zack said. Charm resonance had never sounded so welcome to me before. “Stop doing whatever Belinda told you to do. Forget anything she made up for you to remember.”

The unending tapestry of sexual images in Trevor’s mind seemed to unravel. My hands flew up to stifle my sob of relief. Trevor’s guilt and anguish deflated as he recalled how Belinda had come up behind him and whispered, “Come with me,” as he’d left the main building. He’d followed her around the corner. She’d forced him into stillness, and then filled his head with a never-ending loop of explicit “memories.” She’d kissed his lips lightly and flashed a cruel smile. “Forget I’m a charm. Just keep thinking about doing all those things with me.”

Oh, God. Trevor hadn’t been her target. She’d violated him—to hurt
me
. Some guys—all right, a lot of guys—would’ve loved a set of memories like that, but Trevor didn’t. It was…an assault. The horrible images were now seared into my mind and no charm command could take them out. She’d hurt Trevor—my wonderful, good, kind Trevor—to hurt me.

And hurting Trevor was—
EVIL
.

I’d only taken a few steps before invisible arms restrained me. I hadn’t even realized I was moving.

No.
Trevor shook his head.
Not for me. I don’t want to you to kill anyone because of me.

I pushed against his invisible arms.
LET ME GO!

To Zack, I looked like a furious mime struggling against an invisible wall. Trevor pulled me closer, but I didn’t want him to comfort me right now. How could he let Belinda do that to him?

“Zack.” Trevor looked over my head. His voice remained calm, but a cringing contrition tightened his invisible grip further. “Could you go and ask Dr. Williamson to come here? Um, now?”

Zack looked at my furious, tear-streaked, murderous face for a moment and then nodded. He disappeared into the main building only to reappear a moment later with Williamson behind him.

Williamson’s quick stride slowed as he came toward me and he kept his thoughts behind a shield. “Maddie—”

BELINDA MESSED WITH TREVOR!

I saw him wince. His gaze followed me like I was a rabid dog and he was wondering where he’d left his shotgun. I threw my arms against the invisible wall around me only to have them pulled tightly against my sides.

LET GO of me or I’ll BLAST you, Trevor!
The raging, overwhelming desire to hurt Belinda was going to make my head explode—and I needed to channel that explosion into hers.

“Maddie.” Trevor spoke my name gently. “Maddie, look at me.”

I couldn’t. The air rushed from my lungs as I suddenly went limp.
Oh, my God in Heaven. Did I just threaten you?

Trevor pulled me close, cradling me against his heart as I trembled. I felt a small piece of reason return to my mind so I closed my eyes tightly and tried to wrap my head around that piece.

The term
homicidal rage
floated through my thoughts. Ah, hell. I knew my connection to Trevor made me ridiculously protective, but Belinda had been stupid enough to try to use it against me. I’d just taken “being crazy for someone” to a whole new level. Oh, God. I’d been
horrible
—nakedly, out-of-control furious—and these three people had witnessed it. Dusky-pink shame enveloped me.

Trevor sighed as he felt my rage deflate. He looked at Williamson. “Belinda gave me some fake charm-memories to hurt Maddie. Either she goes, or we do. Now. Today.” His voice was iron.

“Technically, she didn’t break any of the rules. She didn’t actually make you do anything.”

Trevor’s anger drove spikes of red through him. “Jon, there
should
be rules against it and you know it! Imagine seeing mental images of Elise—”

“Stop. Right. There.” Williamson’s voice was cold, but canary-colored flashes accompanied his memories—memories of hitting strangers for
thinking
inappropriate things about his wife. At least Elise had been there to charm people into forgetting the assaults. Did that mean all this excessive jealousy was “normal” for minders?

Trevor felt like he had made his point. “Maddie can’t get those images out of her head the way I did.”

“Sure she can,” said Zack. I looked up from where I’d buried my face in Trevor’s chest and we all shared the same, “
Oh, that’s right
.” Zack was a charm who could shield—and therefore could influence minders.

My stomach turned over at the thought. I didn’t want Zack to mess with my head. I needed to know what Belinda had done—but even thinking her name flashed a series of horrible images from Trevor’s fake memories across my mind and the urge to fry her threatened to overpower me again. She’d actually kissed him. I wanted to dip him in Purell or something to get her taint off of him.

Maddie, calm down.
Williamson’s eyes bored into me.
We need Belinda. She’s an important resource for Ganzfield.

Don’t defend her!
Belinda had known he’d feel that way—she’d taunted me with the fact that Williamson would protect her. Urge to kill—rising.

If you hurt her, I’ll have to cut off your meds and kick you out.

You’re threatening me?
I wouldn’t be able to communicate without telepathy and Isaiah wanted me dead. Expelling me would be like catapulting me into the tiger cage at the zoo with a sucking chest wound.

I’m not threatening you; I’m reminding you. Get yourself under control and stay that way. Let Zack help.

I looked at Zack who met my gaze sheepishly. The last time he’d tried to charm me—

Hell, she’s still mad about the time I tried to get her to kiss me.

I turned and rested my forehead against Trevor’s chest. His arms tightened around me.
It’s okay, Maddie. I’ll make sure he doesn’t mess with you.

My anger flared anew. Trevor hadn’t even been able to protect himself from a regular charm, so how could I trust him to…

Dammit!

None of this was Trevor’s fault, but a part of me was still so pissed off at him! How could I be so unfair, so selfish? How could I hold him even partially responsible for being…for being too weak to resist Belinda’s mind control? And then, to drag him off to Zack for the fix when he pretty much felt the same, jagged-yellow spurts of crazy jealousy around Zack that I did around Belinda?

No. I had to stop. I had to trust them. I tried to pull in a steadying breath, but steel bands pressed around my chest, so it sounded like a defeated sob.

I shot a thought to Zack without looking at him.
Just take the images and get me calm enough to think straight, okay? I—I need to keep the facts. I need to know what she did.

He thought for a moment about how to phrase it, and then I felt his shield clamp down more securely over his thoughts, leaving a hollow place in my mental map—an empty shell.

“Maddie, calm down and forget every image you’ve seen of Belinda in Trevor’s mind.”

His voice sounded normal, but a fog swept into my consciousness. I felt pieces of thought turn fluid and slippery as they started to seep away.
No!
Panicky tendrils of cold, grey fear wrapped around my heart and squeezed. I couldn’t let anyone mess with my head again. I forced the charm command from my mind and whimpered as the pain stabbed behind my eyes.

“Maddie…”
Williamson began.

No!
I shook my head and wiped hot tears from my cheeks. The effort to block Zack’s command seemed to have drained all of the energy from me.
I—I just can’t let…no. We’ll leave. Cut me off, if you want.
The intense fury had faded. I just wanted to get away. And then possibly curl into a fetal ball and rock back and forth for a while.

“We need you here.” Williamson looked at Trevor. “We need both of you.”

I can’t be around Belinda. One of us has to go. If I see her now, I’ll…I might kill her.

“I can’t force her to leave. She wouldn’t be safe with Isaiah out there,” Williamson said.

None of us are. I know you don’t want to put Belinda in danger—
I didn’t care in the slightest if Isaiah fried her just outside the front gates
—but she’s hurting people here, Jon. She hurt MY SOULMA—
Lava-red anger erupted within me again, making the three of them wince as I unintentionally spewed it into all their heads. I took a breath and started again.
She hurt Trevor. I—it’s just—she’s in danger here, too. So she can take her chances with the killer telepath outside the wall, or the one—

“Sitcom solution,” Zack interrupted.

Huh?

“Divide the property. Park her trailer out on the far side of the lake. She stays on her side of the line and you stay on yours.”

We’re on patrol tonight. We can’t have half the property off-limits. What’re we supposed to do if there’s a problem on the other side?

“Fine. Just give her a little area, then.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Williamson looked at me, and I could almost feel his mental fingers rifling through my thoughts. “You’d leave her alone if she stayed in a small area, right? You wouldn’t seek her out?”

I’ll stay out of her territory as long as she doesn’t come near Trevor and me.

“The other side of the lake?” Trevor asked.

“There’s a place out behind Ann’s cabin that should work,” said Williamson.

Will she keep away from us, though? Stay where she’s told?

“Sure she will.” Zack smiled again. “Just let ME talk to her.”

Little clouds of emotionally-charged energy seemed to swirl between Trevor and me as we headed back to the church. Dusky-rose shame. Yellow-grey ghosts of anxiety. Little purple twists of pain.

So
…
I’m capable of murder.

Yeah. And I’m potentially suicidal
.

The downside of a connection like ours was that even our lowest, most horrible impulses were on display to one another. We’d both seen the worst in the other today.

Brittle aches filled me at the nightmare of Trevor harming himself. I squeezed his hand.
I don’t ever want you to have to feel that way again. I love you.

“I love you, too. I would never cheat on you. You know that.”

I nodded.
I know that. I knew it today, even when I could see the proof in your mind. I knew it couldn’t be real. I KNOW you.
A shadow of anxiety twisted through my thoughts.
It’s just—

What?

Am I a bad person?

Trevor caught my face in his hands, tilting my chin up until I met his eyes. “Madeline Elizabeth Dunn. You are a
good
person. The only people you’ve ever harmed have been rapists and murderers. They were doing bad things and you stopped them. Your impulses are to protect people. You are a
good
person.”

I sniffed and my eyes overflowed. Trevor smiled and kissed my tears away. Tendrils of silver-white energy tentatively expanded between us.

You are a good person.

I sniffed again.
I’m really not sure you have the most unbiased opinion.

The sound of his laugh flushed some of the twisty, angst-filled garbage from my thoughts.

“I’m not saying that you don’t have anger issues. I mean, were you really going to blast me?”

I’m so, SO sorry. I—I can’t believe I threatened you
. A painful lump stabbed my throat, skewering me with my wrongness. After all I’d thought, done, and tried to do today, I deserved to feel awful.

Trevor’s lips pressed tightly together as he recalled my fury. “Yeah. Don’t do that again, okay?” He rested his cheek against my hair.
After what I put you through with those memories, I’m the one who should apologize. I wasn’t able to stop Belinda from using me that way.

My jaw dropped as I recognized the blossoms of shame in his thoughts. He actually thought he should take some of the blame.
That wasn’t your fault!
Guilt stabbed through me and I wanted to cry. Trevor had taken my internal rantings to heart.

I’m still sorry you had to see those memories in my mind
.

And I’d still be seeing them if Zack hadn’t been there.

He tensed.

Ah, hell
. I hadn’t meant to share that thought.

I don’t like him.
Trevor shook his head.
I’ve NEVER liked him.

He’s actually a good guy, sometimes,
I protested. Wait. Why was I defending Zack? Trevor and I were just beginning to shake off the strained awkwardness between us. I didn’t need to flare up Trevor’s jealousy right now. Had Zack actually succeeded in charming me, and then made me forget that he had? The thought made a muscle in the corner of my eye start to twitch. Ugh. This was why I couldn’t let my guard down around charms…

That’s part of what I don’t like about Zack. If he acted like a complete jerk, you wouldn’t think good things about him. Less competition.

There’s NO competition, I’m all yours.
I drew his gaze to mine.
Always.
I lightly touched my lips to his, feeling the silver threads of energy weave between us, pulling us back together, mending the jagged little rips in our special connection.

Good. I’ve always wanted my very own freak.

I laughed, feeling things start to slip back into rightness between us.
Look who’s talking, Four Arms.

The loud, wooden knock startled us both awake. It might’ve been late Thursday morning—or not. The nights and days since Belinda had charmed Trevor now blurred together in a forgettable confusion of light and dark.

Urgh
.

Who’d be coming over here at this hour? Nearly everyone who’d want to talk to us knew that we’d been on patrol last night and would be sleeping now.

Oh.

I recognized the mind outside our front door with surprise.
Trevor, your grandfather’s here!