15. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
Key
Foresight was a bizarre ability. Key could see multiple futures hundreds of years in advance and weave outcomes by pulling the right strings. She had spent lifetimes viewing things that would never come to pass—visions she’s actively worked to block. It was moments like these, where conversations played out without her already seeing them, that disrupted her balance.
Since the moment she’d found him after his change, she had felt like Jax’s future was rapidly spinning out of her control. No matter how hard she tried to foresee his path, the fates simply wouldn’t comply.
She leaned against Jax, letting the comforting scent of leather and spice calm her. “We’ve spoken about it, but neither of us knew his dominance level or what that would mean for his future.”
“He’s an alpha,” Ava replied. “That means you’re a dominant wolf, Jax. You will need a pack to ground you, especially if you’re unmated. There’s a higher probability of going rogue if you’re a loner.”
Jax stiffened beside her. His fear was like sandpaper against her senses, overwhelming her thoughts. It was the kind of emotional luxury she could never afford while the fate of the immortal races rested on her shoulders.
Key redirected her attention towards the things she could control . “Ava, Remmus, we need to ensure the vehicle is cleared of all signs of the wolves.”
Both paused for a beat before complying, and Ava threw a cautious glance at Jax over her shoulder. He stared after her, that gorgeous face twisted in confusion.
Key hated it.
Centuries of loneliness and clinical detachment from her loved ones had enforced her discipline. She couldn’t let herself get distracted from the mission that had cost so much already. She knew Zia was still sifting through Barlowe’s memories and re-arranging them to their benefit, but there was still more to accomplish today.
“Circe.”
Perking at her name, the red-haired Raeth walked over with her mate. “Yes, Key?”
“We’ve need of your talent. You and Remmus will need to combine your abilities for our next task.”
“How would we do that?”
Lucius hovered behind her, his gaze darkening with warning. Key knew that if she made any misstep here, the vampire would edge toward violence. Given her past influence in his history, she more than deserved his mistrust.
“I’m a Link,” Key explained. “It allows me to merge the talents of Raeths as long as I’m given access. We lack a personal object of this General Winters who is the Citizens ’ contact in the Army, but we can trace his electronic footprint through Barlowe’s phone.”
Hesitation lined the younger Raeth’s brow. “I’ve never attempted that type of trace. I can’t guarantee it would work.”
“I’ll walk you through it.”
Lucius’ eyes glowed icy blue. “There is no precedent for that ability. We’ve no way of knowing what harm could come of it.”
“I’ve foreseen their success.”
“Success yes, but at what cost?”
It was a valid question that Key hadn’t predicted. Today, no one would be injured, but she couldn’t guarantee the same for tomorrow or the day after that. For those who would lay down their lives, the cost of their victory would be high—but for a future of peace, wasn’t it entirely worth it?
Lucius’ words had hit a bruise that’d been building in her heart. For centuries, she’d worked behind the scenes for the immortal race, pulling strings that occasionally resulted in bad things happening to good people. It was a lonely mission. She had drawn further and further away from simply foreseeing the future to actively manipulating it.
Key had spun every string, like a spider in her web. The fate of each person was intricately connected to the others. Threads crossed and weaved together toward an end game only she knew. While some ventured into happiness, others simply … ended.
She couldn’t reveal to Lucius where their victory would lead, and the more doubt he held about their ultimate survival, the worse it’d affect their chances.
“You don’t trust me.”
“It isn’t that I don’t trust you, it’s that I have the right to be concerned about where this unconditional trust leads. I barely lived through one of your ‘successes’ before.”
Key felt Jax hover supportively behind her, and tried not to lose herself in the rare sensation. “Our survival. That’s where it leads.”
“We’ve little assurance that the outcome you’ve foreseen isn’t simply another version of hell,” the vampire argued. “The Citizens may be defeated—and I’m counting on that—but what is to say that another group of humans won’t take their place in ten years? If we trust you now, can you guarantee it won’t breed something even worse down the line?”
“Lucius, Key ensured you did survive that trial. Aren’t you the vampire who found his fated mate due to her prophecies?” When the other man stared blankly at him, Jax added, “Seems to me that she has more than proven she’s been working in all your favor.
“From the little she’s told me,” Jax continued, “without her guidance, there would have been no future to save. How can you not trust her when she says something must be done? Do you truly think Key would work toward this end for centuries only to burn us a few years later?”
Circe squeezed Lucius’ hand. “He’s right. Without Key, we wouldn’t have found our way together. We need to have faith.”
Key took comfort in Jax’s support. Never being fully trusted had taken its toll on her. More than once, she’d been on the brink of simply ignoring the call, and letting fate play out as it willed.
But she had never quite given in to the destructive temptation. Even at her worst, when her dedication faltered, she couldn’t overlook the suffering of her people and the damnation she saw ahead. Forced to remain objective, Key had manipulated and lied her way through life, using her gift as a tool—and being used by it in return.
Fate was without mercy. Some souls had to suffer to be saved.
Lucius would have to make his decision without any more details or guarantees. While Key refocused on the task ahead, she would continue in what she did best and compartmentalize both the doubt and Jax’s surprising support.
“Soon, Zia will be finished with Barlowe. We need to find Winters. Circe, Remmus, do you consent to the Link?”
They exchanged a look, and Remmus said, “I think we’re both willing to try, but we need to understand how exactly that would work.”
Something about the confused note in his voice had Key softening. “The Link will bridge the gap between Circe’s tracking and the technology you control, Remmus. Through the tech, Circe will trace Torrin’s original contact—Brigadier General Winters—based on Barlowe’s electronic communication with him. Then, once she’s located him, the three of you—Circe, Remmus, and Zia—will teleport to him and strip him of any memories and documents associated with the project.”
“I’m not letting Circe go alone.” Though the edge in his voice had tempered, Lucius remained reluctant to let her go where he couldn’t follow.
“You’re not letting her go alone, Lucius. Remmus and Zia will accompany her,” Key continued. “My visions of today’s events are very clear, and none of them will be injured or compromised in any fashion.” More empathetic, she added, “It’ll be okay. This will work.”
A bit of tension loosened from the vampire’s shoulders, and Remmus joined Circe to stand before Key. She closed her eyes, focusing on the one talent she’d rarely had reason to practice. Rusty with disuse, her Link ability swelled inside her as she pulled on its string.
Immediately, it recognized the two Raeths in front of her. Despite the very gentle way she dipped into the well of their magic, she felt their unavoidable combined flinch at the sensation.
“It won’t harm you, I promise,” she explained, “but it’ll only work if you allow me in.”
There was a pause before Circe’s shields cracked open, giving Key full access to her gifts. Remmus was far more guarded. Given his past, she didn’t fault him, but his reservations needed to be pushed aside—or at least placed on hold—for this to be successful.
“Remmus, you’re holding out on me.” Key teased at a smile. “I have no reason to hurt you.”
He was far too valuable for that .
When the massive Raeth male finally did collapse his shields, it was at the prompting of his mate. Ava’s hands gently reached out to enclose his clenched fist, her subtle whisper meant for his ears alone.
The actual merging of talents was simple; getting Remmus and Circe on the same wavelength was not. Both instinctively took the lead in exploring the connection that opened between them. It took several attempts to coordinate through the path that led them to Winters.
And then the three Raeths were gone.
Beside her, Jax gently trailed his fingers along her arm. Though it tickled slightly, she couldn’t resist sighing at the subtle act of tenderness. She reached out to straighten the lapels of his uniform.
“Our technopath has already forged the documentation that places you back under the command of your previous officer. I’ll have it in your apartment before nightfall.”
“Thank you.”
He reached out to twirl a lock of her silver-blonde hair around his fingers. It was as if neither of them could resist touching the other, like they were bound together by something stronger than coincidence or situation. “And after this—are you going home?”
“Yes. At least, until the next deadly scenario arises.”
“I want you to be safe too, Key.”
Letting him wrap her up in his embrace, Key enjoyed every moment of temporary protectiveness. “I’m never going to be safe, Jax.”
“Let me try. Please .”
Key smiled sadly. Intensity pooled on his features, and when he dipped his head to capture her lips, there was nothing she wanted more. She lost herself to the sinfully delicious taste of him. Desire battered through her and egged her on for more. While the emotion was unfamiliar, it wasn’t unwanted.
At some point, she was aware that the three Raeths she’d sent out had returned, and everyone was waiting on her to continue.
Key tore herself away. Gently tracing the name stitched on his fatigues, she whispered, “We have to go—and so do you, Jax.”
Her soldier threw a wary glance at their companions.
“I’ll be fine, Jax. Go.”
It didn’t matter that the pulling sensation in her chest wanted him to stay. This was a part of the plan, and it needed to be followed to the letter to ensure they all survived.
Jax nodded, then glanced at his commanding officer with concern. Barlowe continued to stare blankly ahead, lost in the trance Zia had placed him under. Key was surprised he wasn’t drooling.
Remmus was stripping Barlowe’s phone of any trace of information regarding the site, Rayn, or the wolves, then covertly blocked Rayn’s cell phone number. Given that the Colonel’s psychic signature had altered, teleportation would not be an issue.
“Is he capable of walking back to the car?”
“Get in the car, Barlowe.” Lucius’ suggestion, heavy as maple syrup, prompted the Colonel into immediate action. He followed the vampire’s orders to the letter, automatically buckling his seatbelt and closing the truck door behind him.
With one last yearning look back at Key, Jax got into the Humvee with Barlowe and left. The moment he was out of sight, Zia leaned over conspiratorially and asked, “So, who’s the hottie?”
In an exceptionally mature move, Key stuck out her tongue. “Knock it off.”
“Yours, then?” A single ebony eyebrow rose. “Count me surprised, Key. You’ve rarely shown interest in any man.”
“Except yours.”
“And that was because I needed to feel jealousy in order to jumpstart my relationship with my mate,” Zia retorted as she lost her cheekiness. “Or so you explained later.”
Waving it off, Key turned back to the rest of the group. “Another part of the plan successfully completed with your help. We’re done here, but if you would, Remmus, may I have a word privately?”
Zia, Circe, and Lucius teleported away. Ava wandered off to leave them alone, although her gait betrayed tension at the idea her mate would be called to more danger.
“Remmus, a few days before we’re to meet the Citizens on the field of battle, you’ll hear a lie you must keep hidden,” Key explained. “Exposing the deceit would tip the odds in the enemy’s favor.”
His shoulders dropped, and he seemed to war with his own sense of honor, before he asked in a resigned tone: “Who am I covering for?”
“Your sovereign. Nina . ”