Cross Waves, page 22
He waited, patient, not forcing her decision but letting her make up her own mind. This was a man who not only understood her struggle but lived it on a daily basis. If he was capable of overcoming his dark nature for her, surely she could conquer hers enough to keep from harming him. She leaned forward and placed her lips on his. Sparks of green and rose and purple energy flared around them, brightening the corner of the room where they stood.
Rolf crushed her to his chest. Geneva touched his pounding heart through his T-shirt. She raised her hands and ran them through his thick hair. Over and over, like she’d wanted to do countless times over the years.
A flame lit between them, and they tumbled onto the bed, his hands and mouth everywhere at once. He chanted a string of endearments, flooding her mind. “Gorgeous. Sexy. God, you smell so good, like vanilla. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Her energy fed his, so that their combined auras sparked, signaling their deep excitement. Whoa, girl.
“Don’t be afraid. You won’t hurt me.”
Rolf stripped her first with his eyes and then with his hands, tossing her shirt, bra, and jeans, one by one, onto the floor. “You are breathtaking. Beautiful. I’ve dreamt of this moment since we were teenagers.”
He had? He’d despised her then.
“Never. I’ve wanted you for as long as I can remember.” He bit a sensitive part of her ear. She gasped. He seemed to be everywhere at once, raining kisses on her face and neck, running his hands down her chest, seizing her arms in an iron grip, pinning her to the bed. “I’m never letting you out of my sight.”
Her thoughts slowed. Her body reacted to his warm hands, stroking her chest and sides. He took his time perusing her body, worshiping her with his mind. Geneva tried to stem the tide of energy, but it arced between them, rising like a Fourth of July fireworks display in a ray of color. Lavenders and violets entwined with deep greens and rose. Their energy met, clashed, and melded. Their thoughts became a singular word. Mine.
His mouth found her breasts, and she shivered, enjoying the duel sensations of his wet mouth and hard, contoured body. Because he had parked himself in her mind and wouldn’t budge, he caught the essence of her every thought, satisfied her unspoken desires.
Energy waves shimmered, sparked, burst forth, and a dam let loose inside of her. “Rolf. Rolf, please.” She begged, writhing on the bed, fighting the rising tide of energy threatening to overwhelm her.
His voice was gruff with passion. “Let yourself go. I’ll keep you safe. Trust me?”
She gasped. “Of course.”
“Good.” He sounded satisfied. “Now’s the time to prove it, honey.”
The pull of his warm, wet mouth and the heated sensations pushed her close to the edge. Tension coiled, threatening release. Geneva struggled to rein in the cloud of energy and the rising storm around them. Too late. The balloon inside her popped, sending waves of pleasure through her body. The feel of Rolf hot and hard inside her had her hurtling over the edge of the precipice she’d been riding. She panted and moaned, her limbs tingling, watching a giant mushroom cloud burst outward from their chests, as if it happened to someone else. An explosion of every color in the rainbow filled the bedroom. Rolf’s eyes took on a strange glow above her. He cried out, but whether his cries were from pain or pleasure, she did not know. Geneva closed her eyes. She couldn’t watch.
“Dear God. What have I done?”
40
Beacon
Geneva opened her eyes and blinked. A naked Rolf sprawled across her, unmoving. “Rolf, are you okay?”
Silence. “Rolf, open your eyes and look at me, please.”
More silence. Oh dear God. She shook his solid shoulders, her fear pulling tiny pulses of energy from his body. “Rolf Henry Jorgensen, you wake up right now.”
Rolf groaned and stirred beside her.
She sucked in air. “What’s the matter?”
“I’ve died and gone to heaven.” He rolled to his side, pulling Geneva with him.
“I, wow, I didn’t hurt you?”
“Of course not. It was incredible. You’re incredible.”
Rolf’s words released something inside. Soft tears slipped past her cheeks out of control.
“Hey, hey, that’s a good thing. Don’t cry.” He stroked her hair, fingers gentle, smoothing the stray strands away from her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I worried I’d hurt you. And…” Geneva gulped and tried to stem the flow of tears. “And then I got carried away.”
He lifted her chin so he could see into her eyes. “Sweetheart, you could never hurt me. I’ve told you before. Now will you believe me?”
“Yes, yes, I do. I’m relieved and happy, I guess.”
“You never have to be afraid with me. I want you to be yourself. Think you can manage that?”
She nodded.
“Good.” He settled her on his chest. She could hear the reassuring beat of his heart.
She stilled. “What’s wrong?”
He sighed, stroking her hair. “I don’t want to put you in any more danger. I still don’t want you using your tracking ability.”
“Oh, I totally forgot to tell you—I only seem to have that little problem when we’re together. Your energy makes mine stronger. But now we’re linked, I should be perfectly fine. What is it?”
“Cynthia.”
“You sense her with your dark talent, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“That’s the trouble. I’m not sure. She could be in Cleveland or it may be another state altogether. But I think tomorrow morning we ought to start our search by exploring the abandoned factory where Kaitlyn and I were held. We can try and pick up her energy and track her location.”
She smoothed a hand across his chest. “It’s okay. If she’s there, I’ll know it.”
“That’s all you’ll do. Once you pick up her trail, I’ll go after her. Now that I have you, I won’t risk losing you.”
In the morning, Geneva rode with Rolf and Kaitlyn to the Cleveland Flats and the building where Rolf and Kaitlyn had been held. Once again, Kaitlyn drove, and Rolf sat in the back with Geneva.
They parked, and Geneva studied the abandoned factory that had functioned as Rolf and Kaitlyn’s prison. She opened her senses to the energy in the atmosphere. No hint of Cynthia’s buttercup-yellow aura appeared on the premises. “She’s not here.”
“Dammit.” Rolf reached for her hand. “I was certain she’d be holed away here. This place is massive. There would be plenty of places to hide. Are you certain?”
Not a speck of energy came from the derelict structure. “Yes.”
“Time to regroup.”
Geneva shivered, a someone-walked-over-her-grave kind of shiver.
“You okay?” Rolf put an arm around her shoulder.
Geneva eyed Kaitlyn in the driver’s seat, their gazes meeting in the rearview mirror before she could look away. “No.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Rolf turned her chin until she looked at him. “Never lie to me. I’ll know it.”
“She’s insane.”
Rolf looked toward Kaitlyn. “Yes.”
“She’s infatuated with you.”
“I know.”
“She hates me.”
Rolf frowned. “I know.”
“You’re repeating yourself.”
“I owe her. She helped keep me sane when we were trapped in the dark.” She sensed his bitter laughter in her mind. “Ironic, isn’t it? An insane woman keeping me sane.”
“Rolf, what are we going to do with her? We can’t allow her to go free, can we? She’s liable to hurt someone.”
He sighed and rubbed a hand across the shadows on his face. He probably hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in days. How did he do it? Remain steady and keep the dark energy trapped inside? How long could he keep at it knowing they were hunted?
“I don’t know. I’ll arrange something, though. In the meantime, we need to find Cynthia—and fast. What’s wrong?” He pulled her into his hard chest.
“Nothing.” She breathed in his scent. He smelled of sunshine and rain. “Only a thought. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
He rubbed his hand through her hair. “What an ass I am. Julia’s fine. I’ve been meaning to tell you. In all the craziness, I forgot. I’m sorry, G. I brought her to consciousness before you called to me. I called Nonna, too. She’s at home and doing well. I’m sure she’s probably fussing over Julia right about now.”
“Does Julia know you were there? That you saved her?”
“No. If she remembers me, she believes it was one of her dreams. That’s for the best, though. I’m sure the CMU will question her. I hope she doesn’t believe their lies.”
“She won’t. Julia has faith in you.” She entwined her fingers with his. “Like I do.” Geneva gave him a smile. It trembled at the corners. “It’s such a relief to know she’s okay.”
He lifted a brow and shot her a look both hot and gentle. Her skin tingled. “Yes, I know.”
She laughed out loud, the sound surprising her. Despite all the craziness, he could make her laugh. He lifted her chin, his fingers warm and sure. His lips descended on hers, soft and firm, claiming her as he claimed her mind for his own.
She closed her eyes. A rainbow of colors flirted behind her lids. Energy moved through her body, dark and delicious. Her toes curled. How could a kiss be felt in her toes?
He pulled away, a devilish smile on his face. She would need to get used to the mind link. There would be no secrets between them.
He placed a palm on either side of her cheeks. “I’m sorry I didn’t think to tell you about Julia until now. I’ve been a little preoccupied.”
Rolf’s aura flamed passion purple, and his lips found hers again, as if he couldn’t help himself. He took every opportunity to remind her of their link. He shared her thoughts, understood her emotions. She sensed the fear nagging at his mind like a persistent toothache.
He lifted his head. His eyes met hers. The link between them would only grow stronger over time.
She squeezed his hand. “If Cynthia’s in Cleveland, we’ll find her. I’ll trace her. We need to get close to where she’s hiding. Her energy is unique, which makes it easier for me to track. She won’t stay hidden for long.”
He entwined his fingers with hers. Once again, Geneva caught Kaitlyn watching them from the driver’s seat—eyes unblinking, expression blank. The yellow-green-brown colors surrounding her set off an internal alarm inside Geneva. Madness. Unbalance. Hidden Secrets. The colors screamed for help. Bile rose in her throat, but she swallowed it. Geneva noted how Kaitlyn’s energy surrounded Rolf. Flecks of black bled through the customary green in his aura.
She dug her nails into her palms and counted to ten. The woman was stark-raving mad, and she wanted Rolf. Rolf could read Kaitlyn’s mind if she let him. But he couldn’t “see” the extent of the woman’s madness. Not like Geneva could. Kaitlyn Girard’s energy was a fast-moving cancer, infecting everyone she came in contact with. Infecting Rolf.
“Where to now?” Kaitlyn asked.
Rolf glanced in the back seat. He frowned, a question in his mind. “You up for a neighborhood search? I don’t want you using your talent if it makes you ill.”
He was gentler and kinder with Geneva than he was to Kaitlyn. He had to know the potency of the woman’s unbalanced nature. If Geneva opened herself to the colors, she would make herself vulnerable to Kaitlyn’s sick energy. But what was the alternative? If she did not, the CMU would find and kill Rolf. Her brothers would be first in line. She would not let Rolf be hunted and killed like an animal.”
Geneva filled her lungs and exhaled, pushing her damp hair from her face and the sick blend of colors from her body. “Yes. It’s okay. Let me try to track her.”
She closed her eyes. Rolf’s dark energy surrounded her, its familiarity comforting. She brought it inside herself. Two portals appeared. Pain lanced her forehead, robbing her of air. An electrical charge raced through her body. Beads of sweat formed on her back and neck. An unfamiliar mind launched at hers like a spear, breaching her protections. Someone else was in her head. Another person in addition to Rolf—an intruder.
She drew in oxygen, but not enough to do any good. The mind link! She broke the gateway from her mind to Rolf’s before the hacker could use it to enter Rolf’s head and kill him.
She opened her eyes.
What the hell?
She was no longer in the car. She stood on the side of a cliff on the opposite side of the abandoned factory.
“Reestablish the portal to Rolf.”
Geneva gasped and turned. A man stood not five inches from her. His lips curled in a frosted smile. Senator Torra?
Cynthia’s father looked much like he did on television. He hadn’t bothered to disguise himself. A cold shock of fear froze the marrow in her bones. He planned to kill her, no doubt. This was Cynthia’s silent partner. Her father. And he was a hacker? If he was a hacker, he should have been able to freeze the portal. But she’d been able to remove it.
Pain sliced through her skull. Cold chills shivered along Geneva’s spine, settling in her stomach. She swayed and would have toppled over the cliff wall if Senator Torra hadn’t dropped a manicured hand on her shoulder.
“What do you want? How did I get here?”
“You know what I want. Recreate the link to Rolf’s mind.” His deep voice rang out, echoing over the cliff wall. His cold, dark eyes froze hers.
She frowned. “Why?”
“What a foolish woman. I could almost feel sorry for you. Except you’ve become a nasty thorn in my side.”
Geneva yearned to pull energy to her from the hillside, but the scenery was fake, of course—a mental image of what the hacker wanted her to see. Her talent was useless in the landscape of her own mind.
Senator Torra gave her a shiny-toothed grin. “Exactly. The only thing you can do is call your lover. I’m sure he’ll come running. Either that, or I’ll see to it you die a slow and painful death. You’ll lie in a coma for weeks on end, wasting away. And Rolf? Well, dark ones aren’t known for their patience. He’ll succumb to his darker nature. And when he does, he’ll snuff the life from you and toss you away like a few bones to a dog.”
“You’re him, aren’t you?” she managed to ask between another bout of needle-numbing pain. “You’re Gemcatcher. A hacker.”
“Yes.” The senator puffed out his chest. “I do have a knack for finding ancient crystals. In some circles, I’m considered an expert on rare stones. But you’re wrong about the hacking.”
“What do you mean?” Despite the horror of her situation, Geneva found herself both repelled and fascinated. If Senator Torra wasn’t a hacker, how had he gotten into her mind? How did he control her?
The senator smiled, but it wasn’t a happy smile. No, it spoke of deep-seated anger and frustration. “I never did inherit the talent. It skipped a generation.”
“So—” she swallowed— “how did you get to me?”
“Oh, I can’t reveal all my secrets. We’ve talked long enough. Call your boyfriend.”
She gasped and doubled over. The sting of a phantom knife blade cut into her skull. She wasn’t sure how long she could resist the hacker’s demands, but for Rolf’s sake, she would try. “Why? So you can kill him?”
Senator Torra snagged a fist through Geneva’s hair and yanked her to her feet. The pain forced tears from the corners of her eyes. “Listen, you little bitch. You do know what happens to the rare dark master who links with a partner only to lose them, right?”
She couldn’t think through the pain to respond, but it didn’t matter. The senator kept talking.
“Let me spell it out for you. Right about now, Rolf’s frantic with worry. He’s no longer linked to you since you closed the portal in your mind. He knows you’re missing but doesn’t know where to find you. Can you imagine the panic that will ensue? The dark in him will know where to find you. He will let it fill him, so he grows more sensitive to the light. He’ll come after you, but it will be too late. He’ll be a dark monster. He’ll kill you. Is that the last thing you want to remember of this life? Being killed by your lover?”
Geneva stared into Gemcatcher’s frightening eyes and shook her head from side to side. No. She wouldn’t believe it. Rolf had conquered his dark nature once for her. Surely, he’d be strong enough to do it again? But as much as she wanted to deny the horrifying picture Gemcatcher sketched, she dared not. She had sensed Rolf’s desperation through their mental bond. Every day he wrestled the darkness within himself and conquered. He admitted it was her light that kept the dark at bay. What if in her absence he could no longer contain the beast within?
“Do what I say. Call him now or let the dark overcome him. You know I speak the truth. Call to him. Open the portal. Reestablish the link. Let’s see if your boyfriend can resist his dark nature.”
Burning agony tore through her head as if she were being scalped. Her teeth clamped hard on her tongue. She tasted the saltiness of her own blood. Her eyes rolled back in her head. She gasped and scraped for air. Spots appeared in front of her eyes. The cliff spun away, and she was falling to her knees to keep from going over. Her lungs loosened, and she drew in a single, aching raspy breath. She could not control the scream that followed.
She called to Rolf.
The second Geneva closed her eyes, Rolf knew something was wrong. Her mind shifted from his; the portal diminished and winked out of existence. Panic pounded his tenuous self-control. Dark energy rushed through his system, sweeping all reason aside. “Geneva, Geneva, what’s happened?”
He tore open the door and launched himself into the back seat. Her body lay lifeless against the brown, cloth interior. He cupped her head and attempted to reach her. Silence. Kaitlyn opened and closed the driver door, but he paid little attention.
Darkness seized his body, controlled his mind. He craved. Craved the light. Dark to light. One canceled out the other. Get out. He’d get out of the car, or the dark would swallow Geneva’s body whole.
