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If he meant to intimidate me, it was lost in the panic of his aura. Yellow and pea green danced around him, poking through the angry red and black I’d seen before. He was seriously thrown by whatever had happened.

“What sort of breech?” The question, spoken in a breathy, feminine voice, came from a woman near the railing. With waves of golden hair and a black leather bodysuit that blended in with the sea of uniforms yet remained distinct, she gave off serious Bond girl vibes. Her bright green and pink aura flowed out and around her, poking at those nearest her. But it didn’t feel intrusive so much as careful.

“Telekinesis used on the island,” the general said.

A rush of anxiety and shock flew through the small crowd in response. Heat flooded my cheeks as Julian’s body tensed in front of me, moving just enough to partially obscure me from view.

How could I have been so stupid? I’d been using it willy-nilly since coming here, and I didn’t know if it was because I’d been so flustered and upset or because I’d gotten a taste of what I’d been holding back for so many years. Either way, I should’ve figured they’d have alerts of some sort on the Island.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I cursed myself over and over, stopping short of smacking my own forehead.

“Project MorningStar?” the blonde woman asked, pushing off the railing to stand tall.

“We suspect it’s a remote viewer that set off the alert,” Tittwell said, and I wondered if he used the excuse to move closer to the woman’s proximity.

“We don’t know what the source is. It would be foolish to make any assumptions.” The general’s voice boomed across the expanse of the command center. “So far, no alerts have been issued on base. The possibility that a Psychic was able to physically move onto the Island is slim, but not impossible. There’s also the chance that someone is an unregistered psychic and not a spy.”

When the general’s gaze landed on me again, the intimidation worked. A chill ran down my spine as he locked on like a homing missile. He knew. I was positive of it.

“That would explain why they haven’t been inside the base,” the blonde woman said. “And it would be a hell of a smart move. They’d be protected from all those agencies after them.”

“You’re quiet, Lieutenant.” The general focused his attention on Julian, who hadn’t so much as breathed, as far as I could tell since somewhat blocking me from view.

“I am assessing the situation,” Julian said smoothly. “If as Daphne suggests, the individual is using the location for protection, that changes things quite a bit.”

Daphne. I filed her name away for later. To say I was curious was an understatement.

“How do you find the person?” I asked. I figured I better speak up if for nothing else than to throw off suspicion. And I needed the information so I could avoid being officially uncovered.

“We have ways,” Tittwell said, rubbing his small hands together like a mad scientist. It worked because, for whatever reason, he still wore a white lab coat.

Daphne rolled her big emerald eyes. “We can set up scanners at the entrances to the base. That should be our first step. Theoretically, the psychic could have gotten in and simply stayed undetected by not using their magic.”

“The scanners will recognize the person even if they don’t use their abilities?” I asked, blood rushing in my ears as I tried not to completely panic.

“Yes. And we can set them up around the village as well,” the young private I remembered from the golf cart the night I arrived piped up.

“Good thinking, Jensen.” The general inclined his head.

“Isn’t that, I don’t know, illegal?” I asked, stepping in front of Julian. “I mean scanning without people’s permission? It feels a little…icky.”

“This is a potential breech of security that hasn’t occurred in over 250 years.” The general’s face turned a shade of merlot that matched a bulge in his aura. “If you are a citizen of this island, then you know there are sometimes expectations in return for that privilege. Dismissed.”

Everyone broke off and scampered away, but the general’s deep voice stopped me before I could spin around. “Except you, Doctor.”

I swallowed and crossed my arms, mostly to prevent my hands from shaking. Then I felt Julian at my shoulder.

“I’d like a word with the doctor in private, Lieutenant.”

A low rumble came from somewhere deep in Julian’s chest, but I set a hand on his arm, stopping it as I met his Indigo gaze. “It’s okay,” I mouthed.

“I’ll wait downstairs,” Julian said, indicating the multi-screened area spread out below us with bustling workers. “We have a time-sensitive case, so find me as soon as you are finished here.” I imagined that was more for the general’s benefit than my own.

A gust of wind blew my hair back as the vampire zoomed away. I cleared my throat and tipped my chin at the general, trying to play it cool. I was grateful I’d put on my tallest heels even though he still towered over me.

“I’m going to give you one chance to avoid being publicly humiliated by walking through the scanner.”

Yep, he knew. Hopefully, my pants hid my trembling knees. What was he going to do with me?