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The pain in the center of her head began to throb.
Then suddenly, she heard Duncan – or thought she heard him – calling to her telepathically.
It was very faint. Rachel. You’re in trouble. She wants you dead.
A terrible shiver went through her. Duncan?
But just like before, each time she’d tried to reach him telepathically, she received some kind of static in response.
And who exactly wanted her dead?
~ ~ ~
Duncan couldn’t cry out, couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.
He hurt into the bowels of his body and deep into the seat of his soul where Yolanthe searched through his memories, his thoughts, his beliefs, everything that he was as a man, even what he’d suffered as a child.
She’d paused over the horror of his father’s teaching lessons, the ones beat into every fiber of his being. He’d even felt her grow very still for a moment and the pain had actually lessened.
But that reprieve hadn’t lasted long.
The woman searched and searched.
While doing her mind-dive and because her voyeur window had drawn his vision inward at the same time, he saw what she saw, all the memories and the glow of something rust-colored. He finally understood that this was the means by which Yolanthe retained control of him: she’d formed an extremely powerful, Third Earth mind link with him.
If what he understood was true – only the creator of the link could remove it – then he was screwed.
She stumbled across another memory, one that he’d forgotten because it had taken place when that bastard, Sharav, had been torturing him.
Yolanthe had been there. She’d visited his stone cell, watching him with her pale blue, predatory eyes. “He’ll give us so much, my love.”
Sharav had gone to her, kissing her on the lips. “He already has.”
Somehow Duncan knew that Sharav was referring to sex, that the couple had used his suffering to get themselves off. Rage began to boil that once again he’d been at the mercy of powerful ascenders with vile, cruel natures. He’d grown up under the punishing thumb of his father, Sharav had tortured him, and now he was trapped in a trance.
To his surprise, Yolanthe seemed suddenly distressed, maybe that she’d inadvertently allowed Duncan to see those memories. She reversed direction and began to leave his mind. This time, the pain became so severe that he disappeared into the void of unconsciousness.
When he came to, Yolanthe stood near a warrior-type with long, black hair and three braids hanging down either side of his dark face.
Her reddish brow rose the familiar quarter-inch. “So, the grid has found Rachel at last? I just searched through his memories and couldn’t find a recent dwelling on Second Earth at all. I know he loves the woman, but apparently they haven’t been together for some time. So, where is she?”
“Mortal Earth. The Seattle area. A hidden colony of Second Earth ascenders, which is very well shielded.”
“Well, that would explain why it’s taken this long.”
Duncan’s mind hurt so badly that he could barely focus. But he forced himself to concentrate because somewhere in the muddle that was his head, he knew they were speaking about Rachel.
Oh, God, they’d found her.
His heart began to race. Despite the trance, he was connected to his body and could feel the catheter and the tubes, everything that was keeping him alive.
He had to get to Rachel to save her.
“Send your best wrecking crew through the Mortal Earth darkening grid. No one ever goes there these days and the grid won’t be watched or at least if you are discovered, you’ll be back by then and safe.”
“Your will is mine, Princess.” He bowed, one fist to his chest, then vanished in an abrupt fold.
Duncan’s chest felt crushed. Rachel would die in the next few minutes if he didn’t figure this out.
