Authors: Rebecca York
Dark Warrior (24 page)
“My name is Anna. I hope you’re feeling refreshed.”
“Yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Tessa,” she answered.
“I know it’s not morning, but you don’t have to pay attention to the time. You probably want a light meal. Should it be breakfast food? Or would you rather have dinner?”
She considered the choices. “Breakfast, thank you.”
“We have anything you want. Fruit. Juice. Eggs. Pancakes. Just tell me what you prefer.”
“Scrambled eggs. Orange juice.”
“Toast?”
“Yes.”
“Coffee or tea?”
“Coffee, please.”
It was such a normal conversation, in such abnormal circumstances. But she realized it helped her relax. This wasn’t a jail. It was a civilized household.
She was sitting at a table in the sun-filled breakfast room when Rafe came in.
He stopped and smiled at her, then walked to the counter and poured two mugs of coffee, which he brought to the table, along with cream and sugar.
As she added them to her mug and stirred, he sat down and took a sip of black coffee.
“You’re looking well,” he said. “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good.”
“I’d love to show you around after you get something to eat. I’ve got a fully equipped gym that you’re welcome to use. And a screening room. Swimming. A putting green. Tennis.”
“And what if I want to leave?” she couldn’t stop herself from asking.
“Let’s not deal with that yet,” he said easily.
She nodded, sipping her coffee. When the maid brought her breakfast, she tasted some eggs.
She ate only a little of the meal, before setting down her fork. “This is very good, but I’m not all that hungry.”
“You’ll probably feel more like eating later. Why don’t we walk around a bit. I’d like you to be entirely comfortable here.”
They got up and went outside, where he showed her the beautifully situated swimming pool, obviously very proud of the landscaping and the workmanship.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you. And we’re very good together, don’t you think?”
“It seems so.”
He was about to draw her into his arms when a servant came hurrying up.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but you have a video transmission,” he said to Rafe.
“I’m busy now,” he answered with an edge in his voice.
“He says you’ll want to talk to him.”
Rafe hesitated. “All right.”
She followed him to a wood-paneled library where he pressed a button on a remote. A section of the wall slid aside revealing a large, flat screen. When he pressed another button, the screen sprang to life and Tessa saw a man’s face.
She stared at him. He looked familiar. Had she met him before? Or maybe it was the distortion of the TV screen.
He was almost surely a Minot. Probably he reminded her of Rafe—and Jason, for that matter. Although he looked like he was in his forties, she guessed that he might be older.
Rafe looked back at her. “Would you excuse me please? I need to take this call.”
It was a polite request, but she could hear the tension in his voice.
She stepped out of the library but remained standing just out of sight in the hallway.
“You didn’t tell me you were going to call,” Rafe said.
“I don’t like to announce my plans. I’ve discovered over the years that it’s better to be spontaneous. Then find out what happens next.”
Rafe lowered his voice. “Are you calling to discuss my proposal?”
“I want to hear more about it. I think you’re suggesting a drastic step.”
“Perceptive of you.”
“The Ionian. I hope you’re treating her well.”
“Of course,” he answered. But it was obvious that he was being cautious in his responses. “We should wait until we have some privacy to talk more. If you come here, I’ll drop my Minot defenses around the property. But you’ll have to let me know you’re coming. And I want you checked for weapons before you come into the house.”
“Understood.”
Before Rafe could exit the room and find her eavesdropping, Tessa hurried down the hall. If she ran, she might make it to her room. Instead she took a chance and stepped into a powder room. If he found her here, she could always say she’d needed to use the facilities.
As she stood in the darkness, she thought about the conversation. Rafe hadn’t said much, but the implications had disturbed her.
He was planning something that involved her. Could it also involve the order?
Or was she just reading too much into his tone and the way he’d cut off the conversation?
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SIX
WITH A SENSE of urgency, Sophia stood up and turned to Jason. “We can’t waste any time.”
When he nodded and followed her out of the room, she knew the eyes of all the Ionians were on the two of them. Her relationship with Jason had challenged everything they had assumed about the Minot and about themselves over centuries. Some probably thought she was making a fatal mistake by trusting him. Others might envy her. If she and Jason succeeded, would that change the whole Ionian order?
She couldn’t think about the future now. The important thing was finding Tessa.
When they had stepped into the hallway, he said, “You think we can only connect on a deep level in the cave?”
She hesitated. “I don’t know.”
“In the barn—I started to hear your thoughts. And when I was carrying you to the lounge, I was speaking to you. Did you hear me?”
“Maybe.”
“You acted like you didn’t.”
“I was upset.”
He nodded and glanced back at the women who trailed after them.
Sophia followed his gaze. “We can’t talk here. The cave gives us some privacy, and we can call on the power the place generates.”
He took her arm and led her outside into the sunlight, causing her to blink rapidly. It felt like hours since the women had surrounded them, but it hadn’t been all that long.
They hurried to the parking lot and climbed into one of the four-wheel-drive vehicles the spa owned. When they’d both closed their doors and she’d started the engine, he said, “Come to my ranch instead.”
“That wasn’t our agreement with Eugenia. She’s trusting you not to run away.”
“I won’t. But it will give us more freedom.”
“You didn’t mention it while we were with the others.”
He shrugged. “Do you think that would have been a good idea?”
“Is this some kind of test?”
“No. But if you want to spend time hiking into the desert, we can.”
She thought about how long they had to get some information about Tessa and of her confidence in her ability to connect with Jason again. If they went to the vortex, they would be using up precious time, but if they couldn’t merge their minds deeply away from that place, they’d have to go into the desert anyway.
Tension made his body rigid as he waited for her to answer.
“All right,” she said.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“I have to.”
“I think we have to trust each other.”
They drove out of the compound, headed toward town, but he soon directed her onto a gravel road that led into the desert.
They bounced along until a low house came into view. It was earth-colored adobe, in the style that was popular in the area.
The place wasn’t designed to impress anyone, but she saw that he’d landscaped the yard with succulents, cactus, and other desert vegetation. And in one corner was a bed of river rocks with a pedestal fountain in the center. As she watched, a goldfinch landed, drank, and flitted away.
“I don’t need anything fancy,” he said as they climbed out of the car. “But I built a meditation labyrinth out back.”
“I take it you’re referring to rock-lined paths leading in a circular pattern to the center? Not something underground like on Crete where the Minotaur lived?”
He laughed. “I’m not
that
ambitious.”
that
ambitious.”
“You use it?”
“Yes. It’s got a calming effect on me. And building it was good occupational therapy.”
“You needed therapy?”
He laughed. “Probably all Minot do.”
“Why?”
“We have a lot of baggage to deal with.” He turned toward the house. “Maybe Ionians do, too.”
“We weren’t doomed to repeat our lives!”
“You have trouble dealing with change. You stick to ancient rituals that don’t necessarily work in the modern world.”
“That’s not fair.”
He sighed. “We’ve got more important things to do than argue about our heritages.”
She nodded. “Yes. Sorry.”
Curious to see what he’d done to the interior, she followed him inside and found he’d stuck with the southwest theme. The floor was made of large terra-cotta tiles, with a few Native American rugs. The furniture was leather. Bookshelves lined one wall. When she walked closer, she saw everything from popular novels to veterinary textbooks—interspersed with ornaments. Some were pottery. Others glass, metal, wood, or stone, and all were animals. Wolves lying down or howling. A pair of white monkeys. Rabbits sniffing the air. Horses, mountain lions, sea lions, dolphins, and other creatures.
She walked over and picked up a panther carved of what must be onyx and weighed it in her hand before putting it down again. She longed to examine all the objects that he’d selected for his own pleasure, but she knew she was only stalling. They had work to do, and she didn’t know if they could do it.
“You’ve made the place comfortable,” she said. “And unique.”
“It was more occupational therapy—while I was waiting to get the job at the spa.”
“You were sure you’d get it.”
“I was the most qualified.”
“You checked on the others?”
“Of course.”
“Who are your other clients?”
He looked slightly embarrassed. “Nobody. I came here to connect with the Ionians.”
She tipped her head to the side, studying the wry expression on his face.
“Lucky I didn’t check your local references.”
“I’m just getting started here, remember.”
“What are you living on?”
“That’s not a problem. My father left me a fortune. And I’ve made investments that have paid off.” He took her hand. “Why are you stalling? We should get to work.”
“We promised a lot. I’m wondering if we can deliver.”
TESSA
flushed the toilet, washed her hands, and came back to the breakfast room to find Rafe standing there.
flushed the toilet, washed her hands, and came back to the breakfast room to find Rafe standing there.
“Where were you?” he asked, a sharp edge in his voice.
She flapped her hand. “In the bathroom. My stomach’s a little upset.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing serious.”
“Maybe eggs aren’t the best breakfast.”
“Right. Do you have any bananas? And maybe some crackers.”
“Of course.” He turned toward the kitchen, and she heard him giving orders to the cook.
SOPHIA
had been holding herself away from Jason, postponing the moment when they came together, but when he gave a small tug on her hand, she walked into his embrace, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
had been holding herself away from Jason, postponing the moment when they came together, but when he gave a small tug on her hand, she walked into his embrace, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
They both sighed. Partly in relief and partly in anticipation. Could they join their minds on a deep level and reach out to Tessa? Away from the vortex?
Feeling a buzzing to her brain, she prayed that it was the start of something they could use.
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