Chapter 44
Kaitlin went instantly still. She kept her muscles relaxed, though her finger tightened on the trigger.
There were only four of the Tel Group, and nearly twenty of them—at least, there would be, once Jake arrived with backup. She tore her gaze away and peered over her shoulder in the direction they would be coming. She could see them crossing the hillside fast.
She glanced at Kane and found him watching her. She’d bet he was burning up with the need to tell her to get back. To move to safety. But he was doing a great job of keeping it in, so she flashed him a smile.
The door opened.
She held a breath, waiting for someone to appear. Did they know they were here?
She was guessing yes. She could sense Jake and the others coming up behind them, but she didn’t take her concentration away from the doorway.
Finally, an arm appeared, and a circular object was hurled in their direction.
“Stun grenade!” Melody shouted already diving to the side.
Arms grabbed at Kaitlin’s shoulders hurling her to the ground, then Kane came down on top of her, and the air left her lungs with a whoosh.
Hands came over her ears as the world exploded around them.
The shock reverberated through her brain.
Black stars danced behind her eyes, and for a moment, everything went dark.
When she came to, she couldn’t move. Was she damaged? Paralyzed? Then she realized Kane was lying on top of her. He was heavy and he wasn’t moving.
She slipped her hand between them and felt for his pulse. It was strong and steady.
“Kane!”
He shifted slightly and groaned. Presumably, he had saved her from the worst of the effects of the blast. He rolled off her, and she scrambled to her feet.
Grabbing the rifle she’d dropped, she looked for someone to shoot.
All around, her friends were lying on the ground.
Most were starting to stir, but those closest to where the grenade had landed were still unmoving.
Off to her left, Jake got to his feet, pressing his hand to his head, and looking frantically around.
Christa had been standing right next to him before the grenade had gone off, but now she wasn’t there.
Kaitlin searched beyond the group and her breath caught in her throat. Stella stood with Christa in front of her, a pistol pointed at her head.
Two others stood with laser pistols pointed at their group. She recognized her old friend Clyde.
“Shit,” Kaitlin muttered.
Kane pushed himself to his feet, shaking his head, and blinking. His gaze landed on her, and relief flooded in his eyes.
“Drop your weapons or we shoot her,” Stella said.
At the words, Kaitlin tore her gaze from Kane and moved it back to Christa. She was standing very still. Her gaze fixed on Jake. “Don’t do it,” she said. “We’ll all die anyway.”
Was it over? Had they failed already? Because they couldn’t allow Christa to be shot. Even if it meant the end of the world. And that they would all die anyway.
Jake shook his head. Then he tossed his rifle toward Stella. He pulled the pistol from the holster at his waist and threw that down as well.
He didn’t look at the rest of them.
Kaitlin took a step forward and tossed her own rifle toward Stella. She glanced at Kane, and he gave a small shrug. Then he picked up his weapon from the ground and threw it after hers. The rest of them, who were on their feet, all did the same.
“Kaitlin,” Stella said. “Go around and collect the other weapons. Throw them over here.”
She did as she was told. What else could she do? Her mind scrambled for a way out of this. There were three people still on the ground. Imogen, Stefan and Ryder, had been closest to the blast, and she checked their pulses as she collected their weapons. They were all strong and steady.
Would it matter though? If the bomb went off, they would all die.
She moved slowly, her mind racing as she tried to come up with a plan. Anything.
“Kaitlin! The weapons.”
She gritted her teeth and picked up the last rifle, then carried them over and dropped them in front of Stella. “Let her go,” she said.
Stella shrugged but then gave Christa a little push. She hurried over to Jake. His arms came around her and he hugged her close.
Behind Stella, the last of the Tel agents appeared in the doorway of the time machine. He was pushing the bomb in front of him, heading toward the crashed spaceship.
“Just stay where you are,” Stella said, “and no one will get hurt.”
“Are you freaking crazy?” Kaitlin snarled. “You’re going to set off a fucking bomb that will destroy most of the planet, and you can stand there and say we won’t get hurt.”
Stella shrugged. “It will kill you, but I doubt very much it will hurt.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Kaitlin said.
“If we don’t, then my people, my family, my world will cease to exist,” Stella replied.
“You don’t know that for sure.” But Kaitlin knew as she spoke that she was wasting her time.
And really, could she blame them? They were presumably saving the ones they loved.
To them, the cataclysm was history, something that had already happened.
Kaitlin, and the rest of the Kindred, were already dead and had been for centuries.
Christ, they couldn’t fail now. There had to be a way. She moved closer to Kane and slipped her hand in his. His strength flowed through her.
Think.
They had numbers on their side—there were only four of the enemy—but they didn’t have any weapons.
Except they did.
They had their minds—the most powerful weapon available. Rose could send psi-bolts, Quinn could compel people, Sadie could control animals. Alone, none of them were powerful enough to attack the Tel agents. But they weren’t alone.
The Tel Group might have capabilities beyond any of the Kindred’s individual powers.
But they didn’t have Kaitlin.
She was a Foci.
That was her superpower.
The problem was she had no clue how it really worked, whether she could channel their powers, focusing the Kindred into a weapon that would defeat their enemies.
But she had to try.
Except while everyone was wearing the reflector device, she could do nothing.
None of them could. Which meant they would have to come off.
Shit, this was going to hurt. And hurt bad.
But could they function through the pain?
Just long enough to take down the Tel Group?
They had to. Because nothing else was going to save them. And she didn’t want to die.
She edged closer to Kane. He looked down at her, a frown forming between his eyes.
“We have to take off the reflector devices,” she whispered.
His eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”
“It’s the only chance we have, but it’s going to hurt. So we need to be prepared, and we’re going to have to be fast.”
“Will it be enough?”
“It will have to be.”
She stared at Jake, willing him to look her way.
He still held Christa in his arms, but as though sensing her concentration, he turned his head slightly.
She stared some more, then casually touched her finger to the reflector device.
His eyes narrowed, but then he gave an almost imperceptible nod.
He turned to Quinn, who was to his right.
Kaitlin shifted her attention to Rose, sent the same message, and she in turn passed it on to Finn on her left.
Within seconds, they were all informed. They were all ready, their attention on Kaitlin. She glanced at Stella.
The woman was watching her, suspicion in her narrowed eyes.
Damn.
Stella slowly raised her pistol.
It was now or never. Taking a deep breath, Kaitlin reached up and tugged off the reflector device. All around her, the rest of them mirrored her action.
For a second, nothing happened, and then the pain hit her like a giant fist slamming into her mind.
She went down on her knees, which was lucky as a laser blast shot over her right shoulder.
It would have taken her in the center of her chest. She forced herself to keep focused.
Reaching through the agony, she found their minds.
“Accept it,” she sent. Because they couldn’t fight the pain.
It was too much. She sensed them calming a little, and she reached out again.
Found Kane, felt his love. A switch flicked on deep in her head.
I can do this.
She drew Kane’s mind into hers and bound him to her, then each of the others, pulling them together, forming a group, becoming as one.
“Kaitlin!” Christa shouted.
Kaitlin opened her eyes and dived to the side as a blast burned along her arm, searing her skin. The stench of burning cloth and flesh filled the air. But the pain was nothing compared to the agony in her head, and she ignored it. She had to do this.
“Rose. Now!”
Rose shot out a psi-bolt and Kaitlin fed it through the group, drawing on their strength, expanding the blast and sending it out toward Stella and the others. Stella crashed to the ground. And behind her, she sensed the others going down.
But she was losing control. And there was one more—the man with the bomb. She forced her eyes open, peering through the blinding pain. He was almost at the ship. Kane’s hand gripped her shoulder, and the physical touch gave her strength, focusing her.
“One more,” she said.
Rose sent the psi-bolt, weaker this time, and Kaitlin used the last of her strength to magnify it. The man crashed to the ground.
The pain vanished, but Kaitlin felt her consciousness wavering. She collapsed forward onto her hands and knees and then everything went black.