“I found him in his office.” I rubbed my arms as a cold shiver crawled over my body. “I never wanted that kind of love.” I reached over and put my hand on his arm. I guessed it was a good sign when he didn’t move away. “I don’t ever want that to happen to me. To love so much that I can’t go on without that person. I’m terrified that when they finally take you away, I won’t be able to go on. I’ll fall so hard that I won’t be able to get back up again.”
“You’re not your father, Danni,” Balen said then looked at me, his face hard and unyielding. “You’ll go on because that’s in your soul. You’re a fighter, a survivor. I saw it. I lived it. You just need to find it again.” He reached over and cupped my chin. “You’ll never lose me. No matter what happens, I’ll always be here, whether as I am now or as a breeze in the fuckin’ wind. I won’t ever leave you.”
Balen leaned toward me and his lips met mine. It was everything in that kiss, warmth, a promise, and even a goodbye. I sagged into him, his mouth bruising as if it was imprinting this kiss into me forever.
I watched Balen pace the length of Ryker’s destroyed living room. Keir, Jedrik, Hack, and Delara had arrived hours earlier and were waiting when we arrived.
He stepped over torn cushions, glass shards, and destroyed antiques. “She’s not a warrior,” he shouted. “Her training is fuck all. She’s been a Scar for hours. Hours, damn it. She gets the amulet, gives it to us, and takes a flight back to Toronto.”
“Balen?” He ignored me, all of them did, except Delara, who winked then mouthed men.
Jedrik rolled his eyes. “You’re being overprotective. We’re here to keep her safe. Frig, man, her telepathy far surpasses—” He shut his mouth abruptly, and when I looked at Balen, I knew why. His scowl was fierce, and goose bumps rose on my arms.
I slipped my hand in Balen’s as he stepped toward Jedrik. “Baby, no. Please. I can help.” I wanted to help Ryker.
He grunted then peered down at me, his expression softening. “You’ve never called me baby before.”
I shrugged and squeezed his hand.
“Love that.”
“Jedrik is right. Her telepathy is strong,” Keir said then addressed me directly. “We all feel it. For Kilter to reach you from that far away was, well, I’m not aware of any that have that capability.”
“Ulrich did,” Jedrik said.
I noticed the sudden tension in the room. “Who’s Ulrich?”
Jedrik answered, “Kilter’s brother. He killed him.”
Kilter killed his own brother and I was the one who had to communicate with this guy.
Keir turned to Balen. “Kilter is right. We need her to speak to Ryker on the inside.”
“I said no. We find another way.” Balen glared at Keir.
“Do I get a say in this?” I asked.
“Her telepathy is too strong not to utilize, Balen. Ryker’s life is at stake,” Keir argued.
“I’ll do it,” I said.
Keir nodded. “Good. Kilter is complicated, but he can be trusted. I spoke with him an hour ago and, whoever these guys are, they have Ryker contained in a room made of steel. They must know about our telepathy limits and have taken precautions.”
“Can you really do that? Speak to us through steel?” Jedrik asked.
I shrugged. “I’ve no idea.”
Delara went and sat beside Jedrik on the couch. He ruffled her hair and she punched him in the shoulder. “If Kilter reached you in Zugarramurdi in a cave, then you can reach anyone,” Delara said.
Jedrik rubbed his hands together. “So what’s the plan? Because I’ve been itching for some action for weeks.”
“If you cut your girlie hair, maybe you’d get some action,” Hack said.
Jedrik shook his loose, blond curls and they danced over his ears. “Yeah, well, at least I have plenty of it. It looks like you need a few seedlings planted.”
Hack charged. He was close to landing on top of Jedrik when Keir raised his hands and the coffee table stood on its edge, hovering. Hack crashed into it.
“Hack, grow up,” Keir said. He glared at Jedrik when he chuckled and held up his hand when Jedrik went to speak. “Not a word.”
Delara whispered something to Jedrik, and he cursed under his breath.
“According to the last communication with Kilter, he’s a couple hours north of here. His text message said they took Ryker into some sort of compound.” Keir looked to each one of them. “Jedrik and Delara, you’ll travel to Kilter’s location with me. Danni and Balen, retrieve the amulet, then meet us there. No one goes after Ryker until I give the okay.”
Hack cleared his throat. “And me?”
Jedrik laughed. “This job is for the big boys, numbskull.”
“Eat—”
Keir interrupted, “You’ll stay here.” He held up his hand again. “Your skill is with computers. Find out everything you can on this facility. I want the building plans, who owns it, what goes on there, how long it’s been there. I want to know how many toilets this goddamn place has.”
Hack nodded.
“What’s with the amulet thing?” Jedrik asked.
“Whatever it is, it’d better be damn worth it,” Balen said.
“Kilter said to keep it covered,” I offered.
“Holy crap, a witch thingamajig.” Jedrik raised his brows and grinned. “Kilter, that son of a bitch, he’s—”