Royal Obsession (20 page)

* * * * *

With a ragged sigh, Echo emerged from the sensual haze. She was back in the palace, alone in her bathtub, a blanket of iridescent bubbles floating on the water. Every touch, every consuming sensation had been so real. Had she subconsciously summoned Varrik to a shared dream? To her knowledge, dream sharing wasn’t among her abilities.

How long had she been lost in the fantasy? She hadn’t activated the jets or the heating mechanism, so it couldn’t have been long. The water was still warm.

She blew out a shaky breath and stood. “Dry.” Warm air swirled around her body as she reached for a wide-toothed comb. She touched the adjacent wall and said, “Mirror.” The silver matte surface transformed, reflecting her image. Her troubled gaze stared back from a face shadowed with fatigue. She was free. She was safe. So why was she miserable?

Dragging the comb through her long hair, she ignored the conflict twisting through her. Varrik was a phantom, a dark and dangerous memory. They might occupy the same planet, but they were from completely different worlds.

A faint discoloration drew her attention to her neck. She stepped out of the tub and closer to the mirror. As he thrust into her body the last time, Varrik had marked her with his mouth. She remembered the pleasure/pain of the forceful suction. Her physical body had been affected by whatever Mystic phenomenon brought them together. She pressed her hand against her abdomen and closed her eyes. She hadn’t bothered to construct an energy barrier. Was it possible she would conceive?

With a frustrated sigh, she slipped on a dressing gown and walked into her bedroom. Who could she ask without unleashing pandemonium? Either of her parents would blame the incident on Varrik. After all, he could manipulate minds.

She glanced around her bedroom, restless and confused. Easily twice the size of Varrik’s private quarters, the room had every comfort money could buy. She dismissed it all with an indifferent shrug, longing for a rumpled bed—and stout wrist cuffs.

Someone tapped on the privacy panel. Expecting her mother, Echo squared her shoulders and reinforced her emotional shields. She was too upset right now, and her mother saw too much.

“Come in.” The panel slid open and Saebin entered the room. Relief washed over Echo and she rushed into the older woman’s arms. Saebin was her favorite aunt, the relative with whom she spent the most time.

“You look like hell, sweetheart.”

Echo laughed. From anyone else, the comment would have made her angry, but Saebin never pulled her punches. Dressed in a light blue pantsuit that complemented her blonde beauty, Saebin was just what Echo needed. When Echo had expressed an interest in becoming a covert agent, Saebin volunteered to mentor her. In the ten cycles that followed, they had formed a bond closer than friendship.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Echo said.

“I thought you might need a sounding board right about now. A sounding board that wouldn’t be devastated by whatever you had to say.” They moved to the sitting area across the room. Echo chose a soft armchair, and Saebin sat on the sofa facing her. “A Mystic healer and a conventional doctor examined E’Lanna. Guess what they discovered?”

“That the compulsion can’t be deactivated without Elder North?”

“How’d you guess?”

Brushing her damp hair away from her face, Echo shook her head. “I told Mom and Dad what it would take while we were in the cottage.”

“Did you really expect your parents to take your word for any of this? You’ve been ‘brainwashed by that villain’. They have to protect you from yourself.”

“Oh, please.” Echo crossed her arms over her chest, annoyance knitting her brow. “Do they really think I’m that weak? Even if Varrik had forced himself on me—which he didn’t—it wouldn’t have shattered my mind.”

“I know what brainwashing takes. It can’t be done in a matter of days. Besides, I’ve seen you in action. Your parents will always see you as a little girl.”

“Varrik is half Rodyte. I’m sure they’ve empowered him with all sorts of wild abilities.”

“You saw into his mind. What are his true abilities?”

“He can teleport and manipulate brainwaves. He’s had the most experience working with memories, but he can construct compulsions almost as strong as those designed by the elders.” Echo licked her lips and glanced away from Saebin’s crystal-blue gaze. “I saw the world from his perspective. It wasn’t a pleasant reality.”

“Has he been ruined by his past?”

“No. It’s made him ruthless and suspicious, but his heart is—”

“Noble?” Saebin chuckled. “Your mother has taken a passionate dislike to the word.”

“Regardless of her opinion, the word is accurate. Varrik is noble and selfless and resolute. He’s also stubborn and desperate.” Embarrassed by her own vehemence, Echo cleared her throat and said, “Mother promised Varrik she would keep his location a secret. Is the entire Joint Council downstairs?”

Saebin shook her head. “Just Tal, Trey, and Lyrik.”

“The Head Master of the Conservatory, the Director of Covert Ops, and the Overlord.” Echo pushed to her feet and tightened the belt keeping her robe closed. “This isn’t going to help Varrik. We need to move quickly and stealthily.”

“I agree—to an extent. If I understand the conflict correctly, the initial attack only needs to take out the elders. After they’ve been neutralized, we will require a larger force to assist with the evacuation, but—”

“
We
will require? Are you volunteering to help us?”

“That depends.” The hint of a smile curved the corners of Saebin’s mouth. “I love your parents dearly, but they’re both bureaucrats. Trey leaned across me and whispered to Lyrik, ‘The right strike team could avert this war before these two agree on whether or not they’re going to get involved.’ My hubby just laughed, but it started me thinking.”

“You and I are the right strike team?”

“We might be.” She smiled. “Put on your best kicking-ass-clothes and take me to this evil debaucher. I have a feeling I’m going to like him.”

Varrik looked from Echo to Saebin and back, unsure what to make of the new arrival. Echo’s telepathic request had taken him by surprise. He had still been trying to figure out how they had ended up dream sharing, when he heard her voice inside his mind.

She transmitted a locater signal, allowing him to flash into her bedroom and teleport the two women back to the cottage. If Saebin’s shields were as dense as she claimed, no one would be the wiser.

Moments after they solidified in the cottage, Saebin stripped off her ordinary clothes and revealed formfitting body armor.

“Where’s your mother?” he asked Echo.

“I’m a lot more fun than Charlotte. Everyone tells me so,” Saebin answered for her niece. “My life mate is Overlord Lyrik.”

“Aunt Saebin trained me.”

“I suspect we’ll need backup at some point, but right now our greatest advantage is the element of surprise. What are the chances of finding all four elders in one place at the same time?”

“That depends on South. Ordinarily the elders spend several hours each day in their meeting room.”

“Do your implants work on Rodytes?” Echo asked.

Saebin’s looked at him and shrugged. “There’s one easy way to find out.”

Darkness overtook Varrik so quickly, he wasn’t able to struggle.

Laughter drew him back from the abyss.

“That wasn’t nice.” Echo knelt beside him, her warm hand pressed against his forehead.

“No one ever accused me of being nice.”

Varrik sat up and shook his head, his ear ringing. “What the hell did you do to me?”

“I have neurostimulators that amplify my Mystic abilities,” Saebin stated casually.

“How nice for you,” he grumbled as Echo helped him to his feet.

“We need to get Echo near one of the elders so she can absorb the layout of the maze. What are we likely to face once we get down there?”

“I can explain Echo’s presence in the maze. How am I going to account for you?”

“I tried to interfere when you returned E’Lanna, and you captured me as well.”

Varrik shook his head. “With you dressed like that, no one would believe it.” He stared at her for a moment, encouraged by her abilities. If the overlord’s life mate was cybernetically enhanced, perhaps his people wouldn’t seem so strange.

“Then teach me how to construct an invisibility shield.”

A cold chill skittered down his spine. Was this why they were being so helpful?

“We have nothing to gain by helping you.”

Varrik narrowed his gaze on Saebin’s face. How many abilities did her neurostimulators amplify? “Why are you here?”

“I thought there were four thousand people waiting to be rescued.” Saebin looked at Echo. “If he doesn’t want our help…”

“Are you a naturally strong shielder?” he asked, ignoring Saebin’s annoyance.

“I’m not a naturally strong anything. However, my implants allow me to master most skills quickly. When do the elders have their meetings?”

“Midday.”

“Then we better get started.”

It took her a little over an hour to learn how to consistently modulate her external shields creating the illusion of invisibility. “This is amazing,” he said. “Many of the soldiers are never able to create the illusion.”

“What about weapons?” Echo asked. “You and Saebin are perpetually armed. I’d feel less vulnerable with a little something tucked up my sleeve.”

“There’s a munitions scanner on the arrival deck. We’d only draw attention to ourselves.” He looked at Saebin, his curiosity once again piqued. “What sort of weapons are you concealing?”

She made a fist and showed him the knuckle conduit that allowed her to release energy in concentrated bursts. “I’ve never set off a scanner. That’s part of the design.”

“Are others equipped with these implants?”

She grinned. “If I told you that, I’d have to kill you. Are we going to do this or not?”

* * * * *

North stared at Minekus, his teeth clenched so tightly his jaw ached. “I’ll only ask you one more time. Where is Elder South?”

“You can repeat the question as many times as you like. The answer isn’t going to change. I don’t know where he is.” The head of security turned back to his control console, summarily dismissing North.

Fury churned within him. He was tempted to burst a blood vessel inside Minekus’s brain. Lor dar Joon lay unconscious in an isolated storage room. Smuggling him into the maze had been no simple feat. If the Mystic regained consciousness before North laid his trap, everything would be for naught. The only way to contain a pyrokin was to knock him out before he realized the threat. Once he regained his senses, there would be no controlling him.

North left the security center and stomped through the twisting corridors. Maybe East or West knew where he could find South. It was time for their daily meeting, and he needed to keep up appearances. He rounded a corner and collided with West.

“Where are you headed?” North asked as he stumbled back a step.

“To find you,” the other man informed him. “You didn’t respond to our page.”

“I’ve been distracted.” He didn’t ask about South. The others knew they despised each other. Any overt interest would raise eyebrows.

“East is setting up. Have you seen South?”

“No. I needed to speak with him about another matter, and even Minekus doesn’t know where he is.”

“That’s odd.” West shrugged. “Let’s get started. I’m sure he’ll show up.”

They entered the meeting room a short time later, and East greeted them with a distracted smile. He was fiddling with a gadget centered in the middle of the square table.

“What is that?” North asked.

“You know how Rodytes love their toys. Stirate Quentin is even worse than his brother when it comes to technology. He’s willing to beg, borrow, steal, or kill to get what he wants.”

Just the mention of the Rodyte leader made North uncomfortable. He saw little value in allying themselves with the Rodytes. In his opinion, it made more sense to form partnerships closer to their base of operations. Besides, if truth be told, they needed the Rodytes more than the Rodytes needed the Shadow Assassins. A position the Rodytes exploited at every turn.

East picked up the fist-sized object and pushed the subtle indention on the bottom. Light pulsed deep inside the translucent sphere. A flurry of sparks erupted, and then the device went dark.

“What does it do?” West asked.

“I have no idea,” East admitted. “Quentin sent it with his compliments. The message said he would check back later to see how we were enjoying—it.”

“Well, tell him it doesn’t work.” West took his seat and motioned for the others to do the same. “We have more pressing matters than a Rodyte toy.” Accusation filled his gaze as he fixed his attention on North. “What is going on with Varrik? My hunters are restless, and some of the most outlandish rumors are circulating.”

“Boredom has that effect on everyone.” North rested his forearms on the table and narrowed his gaze. “What your men need is a mission, or better yet a series of missions. Any chance—” A shrill alarm interrupted his comment. North pushed back his chair and hurried for the door. Worried that their conversations might be monitored, the elders had never allowed communication devices of any kind in the meeting room.