Chapter 6
Rafe
Skye knelt at the foot of the couch where Aiden lay as if she were praying, her head bowed over him while she held his hand. Wyatt was still in the Chain bed. Skye felt like he deserved comfier accommodations because he was hurt and Aiden wasn’t.
Stubborn bastard. It was like Wyatt had been getting worse on purpose just because other Healers were here.
On the other hand, Aiden was fine, as far as Zephyr and even Marion could tell. He was just…asleep. Skye anticipated that we’d be coming back with Lena, who’d promptly wake Aiden, and then it wouldn’t matter that he’d have a kink in his neck from lying on the couch for too long.
I shuddered as Skye dropped her face to Aiden’s arm.
Her retreat into herself was terrifying.
For the first time since I’d actually met her, I couldn’t promise her that I’d be able to protect her.
I couldn’t have protected her even if I was there when the Crusader found her. I’d be asleep, just like Aiden.
I didn’t want to imagine how she would be reacting to all three of her Links being indisposed.
I wasn’t na?ve. I knew what was happening tonight. I knew what fate awaited Lena Iykos once Skye had gotten what she needed from her.
My Key was probably going to kill someone, or at the very least, torture them.
And I was all in.
My scouts had already gotten back to me, telling me that Lena Iykos was in residence at her manor, along with two of her Links. They were all Telepaths with assorted weaker affinities. One of the Links was a weaker Sensor, and the other a weaker Paralyzer.
We had nothing to fear going into that building.
Even though I could now see Skye really didn’t fear much. She only feared for the safety of those she loved, and that was something I could get behind.
Especially since that now included me.
I bit back a grin of the memory of this morning.
Skye telling me she loved me out of nowhere had been a shock, but I welcomed it.
Nothing about our relationship would be considered normal, starting with how I stalked her and then almost connected with her up against a tree.
Her declaration of love after a harrowing experience was right on track.
Skye kissed Aiden’s forehead, and my mouth went dry as she turned to face me. She was dressed almost the same as she’d been for Alaska. A simple, skin-tight long-sleeved top with black jeans and boots. Her hair was in one tight braid, trailing down her back.
I didn’t even consider pulling her braid to irritate her. That’s how serious this was.
I held out my arm to her, but she didn’t take it.
“Show me their home,” Skye said. “Show me anything you know about it and where it is. Show me a map. Anything.”
I nodded, lowering my mental walls without hesitation. I had to concentrate just to feel the softest flicker of her presence in my mind, and I was once again struck by the amount of power that greeted me.
Memories began to flicker through my mind, the Iykos family home, the address, where it was in reference to the Palace, what the inside looked like when I was young.
For some reason, I imagined Landon’s room, as I’d been in it once when we were children.
He’d tried showing Wyatt and I his toys, but we were already too old for such things and richer than him, so we hadn’t cared.
Was it because Landon was dead that I now felt a little guilty over that particular memory? Or was it because Skye could see everything so clearly, and I worried her opinion of me would change?
She watched another memory of Wyatt and I sneaking into the servant’s quarters before we –mainly me– pulled all the folded linens out and threw them around to make a mess.
I tried remembering why I’d done that, but then I blinked, and we were in Landon’s room.
I barely had time to gain my bearings before there was a squeak of shock coming from the bed, and then someone tumbled out of the sheets and onto the floor. The shadows didn’t react, completely trusting Skye’s affinity, and I stepped forward to see what we were up against.
I almost laughed.
Frozen with Skye’s affinity, Lana Iykos looked ridiculous.
She was wearing a large t-shirt that probably belonged to Landon.
It rode up slightly, but she thankfully wore some shorts underneath.
Her hair was messy and matted, her bangs sticking up enough to reveal a large, ugly gash of a scar across her forehead.
If Skye noticed the scar –and I’m sure she did– she didn’t react.
Lana’s eyes darted from me, to Skye, then widened in horror at whatever she saw in my Key’s expression.
The air seemed to chill as Skye squatted down next to Lana.
For a moment, I worried what she’d do. I hadn’t seen Skye interact with Lana much during first term at the academy, and I’d been busy for most of the second.
Had Skye befriended her after Landon’s death?
I knew Lana had been afraid of Skye at one point, but that was about it.
“Lana,” Skye said, gentle and firm all at once. “If you try to scream, I’ll tear out your vocal cords. Do you understand?”
Lana’s lips parted in shock, then she nodded frantically, though she made no sound.
“Where’s your mother?”
Lana’s jaw worked suddenly as Skye freed her.
“Her wing,” Lana croaked. “West wing.”
Skye nodded, moving to stand, and Lana’s eyes flared.
“Wait…what are you going to do?” Lana whispered. Her gaze darted to mine again, and she blanched.
Skye looked her over for a moment, the stood to her full height. “Go back to sleep, Lana. Don’t follow us. You don’t need to see what’s going to happen.”
“Skye, wait,” Lana whispered again. “Are you…are you going to kill her?”
“Maybe,” Skye said. “But I need her to wake up Aiden.”
Lana didn’t react the way I’d suspect, she only nodded with some type of resignation. She seemed a little too calm for this encounter.
“I’ll show you her room if you free me.”
Skye stared at her for a moment, then shook her head. “No, Lana. You don’t need to be there for this.”
“Yes, I do,” Lana sounded pained. Her eyes welled with tears and I physically recoiled, stepping back. Crying girls that weren’t Skye freaked me the fuck out. “Landon tried to protect me as long as he could, but they got him. I’m hiding in here because she was going to give me to the Crusader.”
“Ew,” Skye hissed.
Lana choked on a laugh. “Not…not like that. He’s going to steal my affinity. My mom told him I can shield now, but I don’t know why she’d lie. I can still only paralyze.”
Skye turned, giving me a look over her shoulder.
I knew she was remembering our conversation with Vince, the Sensor, and how he’d told us affinities could evolve. But Lana had no reason to lie to us. Shields were untested when it came to Telekinetics, so a shadow skittered across the tile before prodding at Lana’s shoulder.
Lana gasped a little loudly, then pursed her lips. Even as she trembled in fear, she was still keeping quiet.
“Not a Shield, then.” Skye sighed while Lana nodded frantically. Had she been lying, the shadow wouldn’t have been able to touch her.
I squatted down while Skye remained standing, and Lana trembled more, looking very much like she was attempting to pull away from me, which was hilarious. I was dangerous, but I wasn’t the danger in this room.
“If you turn on us, I’ll kill you.” I said quietly. “The shadows will cut your throat before I even realize you’ve moved against us. They don’t listen to me. They act subconsciously. Do you understand?”
Lana’s eyes widened even more, but she nodded again.
I stared at her just a bit longer, to unsettle her even further.
I didn’t doubt our ability to handle her, but I didn’t want Skye to keep killing people she knew personally.
That was a dark path to follow, and Landon’s death affected her more than she let on.
If she killed his sister and his mom tonight…
she’d be upset, at the very least, and I wouldn’t have that.
I never wanted to see her this hopeless ever again.
Skye freed Lana, and Lana breathed out in relief. She rolled onto her hands and knees, then rubbed her palms before standing on shaky legs. “If they catch us, they’ll kill me anyway. At least if you do it, I won’t be tortured first, right? Or have my affinity ripped out.”
Lana fussed with her bangs, trying to hide her scar, which was impossible not to notice.
“How did that happen?” I asked curiously. Skye shot me a look, and I shrugged. It was a rumor she’d done it herself during her psychotic episode, but maybe the rumors were wrong.
“You’re always in Mr. Craig’s office,” Lana almost sneered. “You’ve never read my file?”
My first thought was to sneer back and tell her she wasn’t anything worth snooping about, but I was slightly amused by her sudden bravery, so I only shook my head.
“Well, it’s not in the file, but I used to be a Telepath,” Lana said, her voice cracking slightly. “But the Ward took it away.”
Skye went very still. “The…the Ward?”
“Yeah,” Lana said, sniffling. “The Crusader’s Ward. He steals affinities. They made him take my telepathy and it almost killed me.”
We moved through the house, silent as a shadow.
Lana stayed close, not speaking as promised.
After her bombshell back in Landon’s bedroom, Skye hadn’t said a word. She was completely silent, clenching and unclenching her hands into fists. She chewed her pouty lip like she did when she was lost in her thoughts, and she barely stifled her sighs.
I stopped us at a crossroads in the halls, pulling us into an alcove beside a literal bust statue of Lena Iykos. I made sure to get a good mental image of it. Wyatt would think it was hilarious.
And he would be seeing it. Wyatt was going to be fine. He would heal just fine, and then I could sucker punch him for all my pain and suffering. He’d probably punch me back, and then we’d all be one big, happy fucked up Chain again.
Skye barely noticed the bust, another sign she was deep in thought. Ordinarily, she’d be right alongside me, trying not to laugh.