Ultimately, it was I who’d let my guard down.
Totally my fault.
I’d let myself become one of those stupid girls on a daytime talk show who sobbed in front of the miserable prick, crying, “But I thought you loved me.” Weak!
“You aren’t weak,” he scowled.
“Stay out of my goddamn head,” I said coldly, and I put up a wall. I imagined a thick steel one that reached far and wide, like the Great Wall of China. “Say what you need to say.”
He continued to scowl down at me. Then I felt my mental barrier get hammered, creating a momentary dizziness. He was trying to break through. Arrogant! I imagined my wall with sharp stabbing instruments embedded within it and launched them. He grimaced, slamming his eyes shut as though it hurt. When he opened his eyes again, they were momentarily unfocused, and it looked as though a blood vessel had popped in the corner of one, because it was bright red. I was appalled, but I made myself turn away from the sight. I couldn’t be concerned. I hadn’t started all this.
I kept my voice all business. “You aren’t welcome in my mind anymore. Just tell me what you need to tell me, and I’ll handle this for myself from here on out.”
I could tell he had the urge to argue with me, but he seemed to rethink it and pressed his lips into a thin line. “We believe Ranik is responsible for acts of terror that have killed hundreds and injured many more over the years. We also believe that he was able to steal large stores of mylunate through the use of an inside source. This could be used to launch an all-out attack on Sunan.”
“How does that connect? Mylunate and attacks?”
“It multiplies the power of a blast exponentially.”
I let that sink in a moment. What was on my toe was truly deadly. “Why haven’t you taken it from me yet?”
“It’s going to hurt to pull it off. When you’ve worn it directly against your skin this long, it sinks in. Those of us that have to carry it keep it contained.”
Great. I was likely going to get cancer or something from touching the stuff directly. I’d be like one of those people on the asbestos commercial or something. “Am I going to grow a third arm or develop tumors over this?”
“No.”
“So you think a traitor is responsible?”
“Yes. Likely many. What Ranik’s managed to do he wouldn’t have been able to do alone. We need to find everyone involved or it will never end.”
There was a sudden beep. Peripherally, I saw the wall give way beyond the archway. Someone was coming from the transfer room.
“Can anyone join this party?” The amused tone came from Nick, aka Adonis, as he stood in the opened stone panel where the transfer room was located.
“What are you doing here, Nick?” Ryder kept his eyes on mine as he addressed his friend.
“Your mom sent me. It seems your grandmother told her you’d arrived.”
My face burned as I saw the amusement Nick was receiving from seeing me pinned under Ryder. He continued through the door, and right behind him was none other than Cynthia! Her expression went from neutral to surprised concern instantly.
“Tay! Oh, my God! What happened to you? What’s going on here?”
Chapter Ten
It was entirely embarrassing that I broke down when I saw Cynthia standing there. She was such a normal sight, her blond hair hanging straight down in a silky curtain, her warm toffee eyes rounded with concern. I’d managed to remain strong until I saw the kind, loving face of my good friend. Then the floodgates broke and a dry sob shook my chest.
“Get off me,” I said hoarsely, yanking my hands free and shoving at his thick shoulders.
Ryder looked darkly remorseful and let me shove him off so I could scramble up, ignoring his helping hand like it had the plague. Nick’s smirk melted as he realized this wasn’t all fun and games. Cynthia held me in a tight hug, looking entirely bewildered by the situation. Clearly she was thrown, totally not expecting me and probably wondering what the hell I was doing at Ryder’s, though her voice was gentle when she spoke to me.
“It’s going to be okay, Tay.”
“I’m such a mess,” I whispered inanely. “Do you have a b-brush or s-something?”
“Let’s get you cleaned up,” she soothed, smoothing a hand over my hair as a mother would a child’s. It was very comforting to feel like I had someone on my side.
“I want to go home,” I whispered quietly.
“We’ll get you there,” she whispered back.
“Shower’s through there.” Ryder did one of those brief chin jerks toward the nearest archway.
“Thank you, Senior Officer Langston,” Cynthia said formally, which totally threw me. I frowned at her in confusion and looked back at Ryder as she drew me away by my hand. She was pulling me along sharply, but my feet felt like they were walking through glue.
His green gaze was locked intently on me, and I couldn’t look away. It was like there was just the two of us. I finally took a deep breath and followed Cyn, missing Ryder’s touch already and exasperated that I felt this way because, hello, he was just physically restraining me.
But the questions of the hour had become who was he, and why had he brought me here?
There turned out to be another wing to Ryder’s cave home. Through the small archway was a larger room that revealed an open floor plan. It seemed to serve as a kitchen, eating area and recreation area all in one.
“What’s going on, Tay?” Cynthia asked quietly when we were just out of sight. “How did you get here? What’s happening?”
“Really long story.” I turned my tearful gaze toward her, but I was too near the razor’s edge to handle a retelling just yet. “Let me have a little time to put myself back together, and I’ll tell you the whole thing.”
I could tell she was impatient and wanted answers. The feelings were rolling off of her, which felt weird because I’d never picked up anything from her before. She was grudgingly willing to wait for answers, particularly since her frustrations and hurt feelings seemed to surround Nick. She was preoccupied with personal issues.
Were all these sudden “feelings” and “energy” related to the mylunate on my toe?
Cyn sighed with resignation. “All right.”
The blue stone followed us through all the rooms. Above our heads, there were holes in the ceiling, like skylights people pay for back on Earth, except these were naturally occurring, though glass covered. It seemed we were in the penthouse suite here.
“This is amazing,” I couldn’t help murmuring. I scanned the interior, noting furniture similar, yet just slightly different, to what would be found back home.
“The Catacombs are pretty cool. I’ve got a place on one of the lower levels, so it’s a bit darker and a little smaller than this place, but still cozy.”
“You have a place here too?” My voice hitched on the upswing. What else didn’t I know?
Cynthia gave it to me straight, in a firm voice. “I know you’re probably pissed and hurt. If I were in your place, I would be too. You have to know that I wasn’t allowed to tell you about this place, because it’s against our laws to disclose our existence without permission from the council. We’ve struggled to survive, and I’m not sorry for keeping quiet. I won’t jeopardize my people. This is my home, Taylor. Keeping it safe is my primary mission.”
“I understand.” And mostly I did, but this was all just so much to process.
“That’s quite a mental wall you have up in your mind.” She relented with a half smile that seemed a bit hesitant, as though she was now uncertain of me. “I used to be able to know what you were thinking. I bet that only pisses you off more.”