Chapter Three.
Phoe
“Did you just flick Drake?” I asked, amused.
“Yeah. He was spiralling right in front of us. The moment you mentioned ‘war’, Drake went down a rabbit hole. It’s conditioning.”
Drake looked confused. “Explain.”
“Hold on, who is Judas?” Phoe demanded.
“The person attacking Drake. Give him a name and fear fades,” Sapphire stated.
“Naming your bogeyman.” Drake nodded in understanding.
“’kay. This may be hard to understand, but psychic abilities exist…” Belladonna began.
Drake waved a hand. “I know that from Aurora-Victoria. What’s that to do with me?”
“You pissed someone off with powers,” Stitch stated.
“Break it down, ladies,” Drake ordered.
“From what I can guess, with the word ‘war’ being the trigger, is that somebody got butt-hurt during the RC fight. I believe it triggered some latent telepathic abilities. Judas focused all his blame on you and started slowly invading your mind. I’d bet everything began with a doubt here, a niggle there, as Judas built up layers as he increased power.
That created a brain fog; you couldn’t think or act clearly because Judas was gradually driving you crazy with guilt,” Belladonna explained.
“How did Drake become lucid when we arrived here?” I asked.
“Because I broke it when Drake arrived. I sensed the fogginess and smacked it away. Your attacker was caught unawares and made a desperate grab. That was to force you to commit suicide by being run over. You’ve met Judas, whoever it is, because there’s no way he could have such a grip on you unless he’d been up close and personal,” Belladonna continued.
“What does that mean?” Drake demanded.
“Everyone’s mind is built differently. Some are easy to invade, and others aren’t.
I can see what remains of a natural barrier in your head.
But there’s bore holes where this person has burrowed through and weakened it.
To achieve that, he’s familiar with you.
Drake, Judas has met you, to have a strong grip on you.
Now Judas has it, he’ll find you anywhere,” Belladonna said and leaned against a wall.
“He can force me to kill myself?” Drake asked in disbelief.
“Yes, Judas just nearly did. This is someone who was aware you felt guilty and understood how to play you. This was a planned and methodical attack. Drake, you’re in danger, and you need healing,” Stitch stated.
“Healing?” I said, leaning forward.
“Yeah. Damage has been done to Drake’s natural psychic wall. Belladonna can bolster that and patch the holes. But I would have to heal the repairs to make your barrier solid,” Stitch continued.
I cocked my head. Stitch was avoiding saying something. “That won’t happen overnight, will it?”
“No. There’s a lot of trauma. I’m picking up on it without even touching Drake. This isn’t an easy fix. To fuck with someone’s mind causes microscopic damage. It’s not a quick heal.”
“We can stay as long as needed,” I said.
Stitch and Belladonna exchanged glances.
“What aren’t you saying?” I demanded.
“The problem you have is, we can repair it, but as soon as you return to Rapid City, the attack will begin again,” Belladonna replied.
“In other words, Judas is going nowhere until he finishes his goal. Which is your death, Drake, in the most painful way,” Sapphire stated.
Drake loudly ground his teeth. “So, what’s the plan?”
“Bells and I will return with you. Give us two days here, working on you slowly to get you semi-healed. Then we’ll accompany you when we know you won’t snap back under his control in an instant.”
“In other words, you’re going to use Drake as bait,” I guessed.
Neither Sapphire nor Belladonna looked ashamed.
“Damn right we are. This type of asshole? Once Judas kills Drake, he won’t stop.
He’ll keep murdering anyone in his way. Hundreds might die because of Judas’ ambitions.
Say a pretty girl says no to a date—gone in the blink of an eye, the old lady getting coffee ahead of him?
Heart attack because she inconvenienced him.
This egomaniac will kill relentlessly. I’ve met his kind before,” Belladonna replied.
“You’ll stop him?” Drake asked, reaching out for my hand.
I grabbed hold and squeezed.
“Judas isn’t the first and won’t be the last. For now, he’s focused on Drake.
That’s good because Judas isn’t killing the snot-nosed neighbour’s kid for kicking a ball around.
As much as you might think it sucks, it makes sense for us to utilise his hatred of Drake.
I only have to be close to Drake to spring the trap,” Belladonna said.
“You’re stronger?” I questioned, biting my lip.
“No idea, but I’ve had my powers longer and understand how to utilise them better. Judas is using a club hammer; I use a scalpel. He won’t understand what’s hit him when I launch my attack. Trust us, Phoenix, this isn’t our first rodeo.”
I stared at Belladonna’s face before nodding.
“Okay.” That was all I could say. Belladonna was asking me to take a leap of faith, and for Drake, I’d do anything—absolutely anything.
Belladonna
“How are you feeling?” I asked Heart as she lay in bed.
“Fuckin’ awful. Did you feel that slap?” she murmured as she put on dark glasses, even though there was minuscule light filtering through.
“Couldn’t miss it. If I’d have known, I wouldn’t have—”
“Not your fault, but that level of hate? Wow. It was breathtaking in its ferocity. Whoever this is, babe, they’re going to keep growing and consuming everything around them.
You need to stop them. The malevolence underlying the hatred was jaw-dropping in its intensity.
Be careful. Once he realises you’re involved, there’ll be hell to pay,” Heart warned as she winced.
“The backlash was equally powerful. Judas was stunned that I’d interfered. Somehow, I get the sense that he thought he was the only one. Now Judas knows there’s another telepath.”
“Judas?” Heart murmured, amused.
“Yeah, give him a name and take away the fear of the unknown,” I replied.
“Did Judas link to you?” Heart demanded.
“No. Judas doesn’t understand how. But, Heart, he blasted through your shields like they were butter,” I worried.
“That happens, and it’s nothing new. Overly strong emotions can break through my walls, you know that, Bells.”
“The fucker struck hard, no doubt about that. Did you sense the panic in Judas that he was losing control?”
“Yeah. That will give him a temporary boost of strength, but it won’t be sustainable, as he hasn’t built a solid foundation. This asshole is running purely off emotion,” Heart stated.
“Can’t deny that. Stitch and I are going to work on Drake for a couple of days, then we’ll head to RC. Judas needs finding because he’s too dangerous to leave free.”
Heart nodded and then leaned back on her pillows and closed her eyes. I felt guilty, but Judas was the one at fault. He’d pay soon enough.
“Fight me, Drake, put everything into patching that hole,” I urged.
Drake glowered as he squinted and fought to stop me poking through a gap in his wall.
I caught a memory and dragged it up without remorse.
I sensed Drake’s anguish as he stood over the body of his son and knew his fate lay in someone else’s hands.
His son was dying, and in a miracle, Drake and another brother were a match.
Klutz—I grabbed the name from Drake’s mind—was going under the knife to save Micah.
I tore the memory apart, showing Drake blood and death and sheer misery, torturing him mercilessly until Drake finally roared and slammed me out.
“Good!” I exclaimed. “That took too long, but the force you expelled me with was excellent.”
“Drake?” Phoe asked.
I wondered what he’d tell her. At first, I believed Phoe was overprotected, but I soon realised that wasn’t the case.
Phoe had her own grit and wouldn’t let Drake get away with shit.
No wonder she was a sister in Hellfire MC.
That had to be fun. One half of the couple, Rage MC, and the other, Hellfire MC.
“Belladonna made me remember Fanatic’s accident. When the cult blew up Hellfire,” Drake rasped out. His emotion was evident, but it wasn’t a weakness as some might believe.
“And you shut her out?” Phoe continued.
“Yeah, I think so?” Drake looked to me for confirmation.
“Yes, you did. Just not as soon as I would have liked, but you actually did it. Now that you’ve fixed that hole, Stitch will apply some healing. Remember, it won’t be one hundred per cent, but it’s better than the Swiss cheese your brain currently is.”
“Wow, thanks,” Drake drawled.
“Let’s try again,” I said and attacked. Drake’s face scrunched in concentration, and he fought back.
Phoe
I curled into Drake’s side in the hotel room we’d booked. “How do you feel?”
“Raw. Even with Stitch giving me healing, I’ve got a slight headache. Belladonna is ruthless,” he replied.
“Can you believe these women exist?” I asked, still surprised by what I’d seen earlier.
“Yes and no.”
“You took it in your stride.”
Drake stared into the distance and jerked his head.
“Too many things exist that don’t make sense.
Aurora-Victoria is one of them, but that doesn’t mean she’s not genuine.
Warden’s Chapter of the Royal Bastards is full of people whom I can’t possibly understand.
But they’re real. We’ve seen shit, Phoe, that I can’t explain.
Look at Callie and Sunny. I never believed in ghosts, and yet everyone is saying Callie isn’t faking it. ”
“Rather enlightened of you,” I teased and smiled, but it faded.
“Someone’s attacking me that I can’t fight.
Not with fists or a gun, and I’m scared.
Psychic powers are fuckin’ terrifying, and it’s hard getting my head around this shit.
I grew up in a world where this crap didn’t exist, but it’s fast becoming reality.
How do I battle the unseen? Fury was bad enough, but he had a physical presence. This? How do I win?” Drake asked.