ShiftingHeat (25 page)

Shit, she really had submerged everything about that part of
her nature. A vulnerability for sure. Exhilaration filled him. “You can use it.
Use the seductive side to get what you want.” From her appearance alone he’d
guess she’d never tried that. Immaculate but soulless, almost sexless in a way.
“Dress seductively, in low-cut gowns in sensuous fabric. Let a man touch, then
move away. Tease. Can’t you sense when a man is hot for you?”

“I guess. I never used it. My psi is exceptionally strong in
most areas so I’ve never needed to exploit it.” She leaned forward slightly. “But
it could be useful.”

He felt it now, a slow burn deep inside her. He needed to
stoke that. “You can use it right up to the point of orgasm if you’re careful.
Let a man undress you, touch your breasts.” Oh yes, was that a peaked nipple he
saw under the crisp cotton blouse? “Let him kiss them, kiss you. Open your
mouth for the kiss. I can teach you that, if you like.”

“Why would you do such a thing?”

That answer was easy. “To stay alive. To alleviate boredom.”
He was reading her as closely as he dared now, which wasn’t much. But enough to
trace faint changes in mood. She coolly crossed one leg over the other, the
rasp of her hosiery the only sound in the silence. A defensive gesture, which
meant she felt the need to put up shields. He wouldn’t press the kissing, not
yet. The longer he took, the better for him.

“Tell me about seduction.”

Where was all this going? Maybe she was bored, like him, or
maybe she really wanted to know. Or maybe she had time to kill too. They were
obviously waiting for something. A signal, a phone call. Something.

“You hold someone, then you move away. You let them touch
you, then you move away. Kiss him, but don’t let him too close. Let him cop a feel.
By then, you’ll have him.”

“Astute. I’ve done that, you know.”

“But not with your heart. Only your mind. Men can tell. You
have to let a little of yourself out.”

She frowned, the small furrow between her brows somehow not
sitting right on her face. He so rarely saw any expression on her. A sign that
he was getting somewhere, at least he hoped so. “I don’t see why.”

“Come here and I’ll demonstrate.” When she glared at him, he
laughed. “Or I’ll come to you. But you’ll have to give me my crutches back.”

“You think I’m insane?”

He spread his hands wide and shrugged. “What can I say? Of
course you’re not and you can control me with a thought.”

“That’s why you haven’t tried to escape yet?” She still
sounded reasonable.

He gave a harsh laugh. “I haven’t tried to escape because I
can’t walk. Or rather, I couldn’t get very far. I don’t know where I am, and if
I try to escape, you’ll kill me, or at the least knock me unconscious. I’ve been
around Sorcerers long enough to know that.” He hoped she heard the undertones.
That he knew when he was beaten. “All I can hope for right now is to be useful
to you. As soon as you hand me over to the labs, I’m dead. Or worse.”

“They’re interested in you. You have a high tolerance for
pain.”

He grimaced. “I’ve had to develop a few techniques, but I
don’t know if my tolerance is higher than anyone else’s.”

“That’s what they want to find out.” She uncrossed and
recrossed her legs, reminiscent of Sharon Stone’s gesture in
Basic Instinct
but without the aura of sexual power. But there was no doubt she was emulating
Stone’s deliberate movement. Interesting. Because it was the first time he’d
seen her fail at something, and the first time he’d sensed any vulnerability.

He gave the response he thought she wanted. “You look
extremely sexy like that.”

She lifted her hand to her tight chignon and released the
style. She must have taken out fifteen pins before it tumbled to her shoulders.

Andros opened his mouth a little and widened his eyes,
adding a tinge of desire to his outer thoughts. Then he let it increase. He
cleared his throat. “You don’t need much teaching.” And caught his breath,
wondering if she’d take the bait.

Her slow blink told him he’d pleased her. She’d swallowed it
all.
Oookay.
“You just need to loosen up a little. You’re incredibly
attractive. Buy some silk instead of cotton, make the wool softer, draping
around your figure.” Her figure was more or less perfect, but it didn’t even
begin to stir him the way Faye’s soft curves did.

Ah, that did it. He felt desire stir in his mind, the
thoughts of Faye’s body, balanced above his, then spread below his, did
everything this woman’s didn’t. Because Faye was alive, didn’t hide behind a
barrier of her own making.

“You should let me kiss you.” She wanted him to keep
talking, so he would. “Lick your lips. Yes, really. That’s right.” He let
approval warm his words when she did so, hesitantly. “That makes them look
fuller, more luscious. More kissable.” He lingered on the last word. “But
kisses are just the start. You can do everything except penetrative sex.”

“I can do anything except come,” she corrected him.

He widened his eyes. “So virgin doesn’t mean virgin?”

“It does if we wish to retain all our powers.”

His stomach rumbled audibly. “Sorry.”

She checked her watch. “The sandwiches should be here soon.”

“So full sex is out. That leaves kissing, caressing and a
little oral, is that right?”

She swallowed, nodded. “I guess so.” Another touch of
uncertainty. But Andros didn’t fool himself. She could still wipe him out with
a thought. Fuck, who was he kidding? He could be anywhere, the chip in his body
was experimental and he was in the power of a Sorcerer who could kill him with
a thought. But still, he had to try. Had to.

Anything else was unthinkable.

He’d gotten her to undo the top two buttons on her blouse by
the time the knock came on the door. He felt her extend her mind because she
didn’t bother to hide it. “Stay right there,” she said with a smile that was
more like a sneer. He’d fired her ego into overdrive, made her feel so superior
she was ready to take chances. At least he had to hope so.

She opened the door to the waiter and Andros realized he
couldn’t move.

Dear God, she’d trapped him inside his own body. His heart
beat, he breathed, he could blink, but he couldn’t move anything apart from
that. Not a fucking thing. Fear rose, morphed into terror and he gasped for
breath, caught in the early stages of a panic attack. The slow decline from
walking to crutches to wheelchair was nothing compared to this. Had she fed him
more drugs, different drugs? No, but that she could restrain him like this,
with a thought, terrified him.

Then he saw the waitress, her dark hair sleeked back into a
ponytail, her nondescript black skirt and white blouse sliding over her curves.
She didn’t look his way. She didn’t have to.

She glanced up, dark eyes glinting. “Do you want your coffee
on the table?”

“No, leave everything on the cart.” Serena crossed the room
and picked up her purse. She opened it, glanced down.

Daria straightened. “Stay.” She didn’t even raise her voice.
Serena didn’t move.

Daria glanced at Andros. “Are you okay?”

No
, he wanted to scream, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t
use his telepathy. Nothing. Locked inside himself, completely, unable to
communicate. This was unimaginable. He tried to break free, but nothing worked.

“I see.” Daria called out, “You can come in now. She can’t
move.”

He hadn’t expected to see the vampire he’d met at the
university, especially not in fairly ordinary clothes and his hair tucked
behind his ears. “It’ll be dark in an hour. I’ll move him then.” Sergiu glanced
at Andros. “You okay?”

He could get tired of that particular combination of words
real quick. Not that he could do anything about it.

“I can drive her back,” Daria said, “except that we have a
problem. She’s frozen Andros. I need to free her so she can release Andros, but
I don’t want to do it here. I can’t take her by surprise twice.”

“Oh shit,” said Sergiu. “Can’t you do it?”

Daria shook her head. “I don’t know. Not here, anyway. It
would take too much time.” She stared at Serena, still frozen in the act of
getting a tip from her purse. Daria bit her lip. “I’ll get her in the car and
drive her back.”

“Will you be okay?”

“Sure.” Daria’s assurance amazed Andros. He’d assumed this
initiative on Serena would take hours if not days, and he’d begun to look at it
as a delaying tactic, knowing he’d fail. Now a new terror gripped him. If
Serena died, would he be stuck this way forever? He forced himself to breathe
deeply, sucking in great drafts of air.

Daria sounded in control. “In an hour, at sundown, flash him
back to STORM and make him as comfortable as you can. We won’t be long.”

She turned to face Andros, spoke to him very clearly.
“Serena has locked you down. Everything. I can almost see the shield around
you. I should be able to free you, but I can’t guarantee I can do everything
right. It’s risky. She knows that. It’s like finding a computer password when
you’re not sure about the possible booby traps waiting for you afterward.”

Oh great. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know that. A computer
could be triggered to release a series of viruses if the wrong password was
entered that would destroy everything inside before anyone could get to it, or
recover it. So Serena could destroy him from the inside. “You’re in Paterson,
New Jersey. It’ll take me a couple of hours to get back to STORM. I’m driving,
you’re going with the vampire.” She smiled as if she could read the question
that rose to his mind. “No, I can’t read you, she’s blocked everything, but I’d
be asking that question if I were you. I’m driving because it makes me sick to
flash. And because I prefer it. I’ll be perfectly safe with Serena. She can
only move when I allow it. And she can’t get to you. Not until I allow that
either.”

Well, that answered that.

Chapter
Eleven

Faye sat by his bed, waiting, holding his hand. Serena had
left him with only the motor, automatic reflexes. He could breathe, he could
blink, he could swallow. He couldn’t move, walk, talk, chew or communicate. She
sat next to the bed where they’d made such joyous love. That in itself hurt.

The vampire had flashed Andros in just after sundown. They
hadn’t been too far away. Serena had got him out of the vicinity and was
planning to move him on, probably meant to seal him off like this all along.

When Faye met Andros’ eyes, she saw nothing. Blank. But he
could see her, hear her. Harry had told her, relaying the information from
Daria. She also knew that mindless chatter was the last thing he needed right
now. So she held his hand and waited. Waited for Daria to deal with Serena,
praying Serena didn’t die in the process.

“I love you, you know.” This wasn’t mindless chatter. And if
he could hear, maybe he’d know she spoke the truth. “I started on that first
night. I felt like shit leaving you in that hotel room. I felt even worse when
Ann made me realize Harken had fooled me. But you never said anything, never
pushed me away like I deserved. I couldn’t get enough of you and I was
pathetically glad for the time we had together. It won’t end. It can’t. I’ll
reach you, Andros. I don’t dare try just now. I can’t risk it. But I will. With
help, I will.”

No response. She didn’t expect any, although she hoped.

The door opened. They’d taken him to his apartment and she
couldn’t help remembering. She’d left the door unlocked for anyone who wanted
to come in. it seemed easier than constantly answering the door. She felt like
someone sitting by the bed of a loved one in a coma. She’d even put music on
low in the background, but when the playlist had run out, she hadn’t bothered
finding another one. Silence seemed preferable.

Ann stood in the doorway. “You can’t stay here forever.”

“I need to. Right now it’s where I want to be.”

“Daria will get an answer but it will take time. We can keep
him alive until then.”

“He hates boredom,” she said suddenly. “I just know he’s
working through equations and formulae, just to keep himself from going mad.”

Ann nodded. “He probably is, yes. I’m arranging something
for him. A big screen with some of his current work to scroll through. He’ll
need someone to help him who understands. But the TV will have to do for now.
The news is interesting.”

Faye picked up the remote and switched on the small flat-screen
TV Andros kept on a table opposite the bed. Together, she and Ann lifted Andros
and stuffed pillows behind his back so he could watch it.

The bright-faced blonde announcer’s professional smile
slowly faded. “And on a more serious note, a small town in Michigan has been
the scene of some grisly discoveries today.”

The camera showed a place Faye knew well. The town where
she’d grown up, and then a house. The house she used to live in. The blonde’s
voice continued in its soulless singsong voice, adding a few lower tones to
indicate she understood the seriousness of the situation. “A macabre family
business. Evidence has come to light that they have been selling Talents for
years, to laboratories that killed and experimented on them. The local mayor
says, “We had no idea. The whole town is devastated.”

Chilled, Faye reached for Andros’ hand.

“The police were tipped off by STORM, who arrested an
unnamed person earlier and will hand their captive to the authorities by the
end of the day. Meantime this person, who we believe to be a female Sorcerer,
is being held under the authority of the FBI. She is suspected of being
complicit in the murders, even though some of the records discovered by the FBI
today have to be nearly a hundred years old.”

Faye watched in silence, forcing down the tears that sprang
to her eyes when she was reminded of her parents and what she’d left behind.
She swallowed. “How is that possible? How didn’t we know?”