Part 4: The Protector
Chapter 1
Cat hadn’t felt this light in a long time. During their passionate night of lovemaking, a burden had been lifted from her, and from Talon in the same way. She hadn’t realized until now that she could breathe easier, how much the events of the last few days had affected her. Talon was a fantastic lover, and not just because was familiar with the female anatomy. The heat in her cheeks deepened when she thought about the clever use of his fingers, tongue, and other body parts. No, it was also the fact that he had showed her during every second, how much he loved her. She had always found her body to be lacking in certain areas, but under his touch, it turned into an instrument of love. She shook her head, embarrassed at herself. She had never been good at kitsch and romance, but Talon awakened a soft and surrendering side of her that she still needed to get used to. Her body had become an instrument. Sure, she thought, and giggled softly. What next? Her rose-red mood couldn’t be any brighter, she thought as she snuggled up closer to Talon’s warm body. Lost in thought, she traced her index finger along his hard abdominal muscles. Was he really sleeping, or was he just pretending to be asleep so that she could enjoy exploring his body as thoroughly as he had hers? Her fingers wandered further upwards and traced a scar that ran across his ribs like a thin rope. Further up, on his shoulder, she discovered another scar that looked newer. She couldn’t help but ask herself what it would be like to grow old with him. She imagined an aged Talon, who still stood up straight, and in whom you could still see the warrior. Cat saw herself, with gray strands in her hair, looking up at him, completely in love, and kissing him.
Even when she had told him about her agreement with the Krak, the lightness hadn’t disappeared. Talon had listened and was sure that they could solve this problem together. Cat could see that he wasn’t crazy about the idea. It probably had something to do with luring the man he had served so faithfully for years into a trap, and with having to stay on Earth longer. She could feel the impatience in his muscles, and the urge to finally get away from here and start a new life. Waiting was the hardest thing for Talon, she realized. Not because he didn’t have any patience, but because he was not a man who counted passiveness as one of his character traits. Talon was, in every way, a man of action – something she loved very much about him.
She had felt Shazuul’s presence once or twice since he had left, but had rigorously denied him access to her head. There were some things that were none of the small and curious Sethari’s business. Her night of lovemaking with dreamy Talon was definitely a forbidden zone for anyone who wasn’t directly involved!
Talon had stood up and paced the room restlessly. Cat could practically touch the energy she felt in Talon’s presence. It was strange, but typical for him that his strength showed most during moments of great desperation. This, more than anything, convinced her that she had chosen the right man. A man who was difficult, but who stood behind her one hundred percent. One who caught her when she was weak – and he didn’t hold it against her when she was strong. Cat grinned happily. There was actually nothing that she couldn’t do with Talon at her side. When was the last time she had dared to build castles in the sky and to be this happy doing so?
The rational part of her raised its voice in warning. Don’t be happy too soon, it whispered. You haven’t accomplished even close to everything you have to before your happy ending with your prince comes true.
Talon was completely dressed now, so Cat gathered the rest of her things that had been strewn all over, and pulled them on. “Let’s eat something, and then we’ll set off,” she suggested. Talon looked at her. For a moment, she thought she could see something foreign in his eyes, darting by like a poisonous snake. Her heart skipped a beat, only to restart beating twice as fast. Had she just seen the mind twister in Talon’s head, or had she imagined the whole thing? She didn’t dare sneak into his head to try to find the mind twister’s trail. The risk was too high that he might discover her. Cat was good at what she did, maybe even too good, as the academy had confirmed at the end of her training, but mind twisters were a species that she just didn’t have enough experience with, to give her the confidence she would need. Among her former colleagues, there was only one human who was a mind twister and who worked with them, instead of against them, and that was Anna. What were the chances that Anna was helping herself to Talon’s thoughts, so she could bring her back? Of course, she could try to chase Anna from Talon’s head. She might even be able to hurt the parasite significantly, but the one thing that made Cat hesitate was Talon. She wasn’t ready to risk his well-being. He was not an assignment for her to complete obediently, especially if it meant that the object might be hurt. He was her lover.
She watched him unobtrusively as he picked up her jacket and went into the entry hall. Cat followed him, her heart beating loudly, but she acted completely normally. Talon reached for the little animal he had killed and started pulling its fur off. The smell of blood and the sight of the animal cadaver were too much for her, so she turned away quickly. “I will start a fire,” she said, and went to the fire pit that Talon’s men had built on the once flawless marble floor. There were still enough logs remaining for her to get a good fire going. She would make herself a nice cup of hot tea, and maybe she would even be able to find a chunk of bread somewhere.
An hour later, they started making their way into the city. Cat fought against the heavy exhaustion that made her steps difficult. They had briefly considered waiting until the following evening to set off, so they could rest for a day, but Talon had decided against it. Not only was he restless, but he was also of the opinion that nothing would be gained by postponing the unpleasant situation any longer. “The sooner we find a place to stay, the better we will be able to prepare for Ferthoris,” he argued. And he was right, in every way. Even so, it was a long walk in the dark.
Talon stayed close at her side. He and some of his men had been in the city several times to trade a few things, so he knew the way. Cat was still watchful, especially when they passed the freight yard. Men and women who were on the run from the law often hid there, and they were not squeamish when it came to clothing or food. They snuck past the glowing fire in the shadows of the bushes and stopped only to check if they were being followed. When they finally reached the city, Cat gave an audible sigh of relief. Not because they were safe here, but because they were close to their destination. She and Talon had agreed to seek shelter in an old, abandoned department store.
“How do you know that other humans haven’t moved in there already?” Talon asked reasonably.
Cat smiled. “That is the trickiest part of our plan that has a lot of holes,” Cat admitted. The building is empty only because nobody wants to live near the Mind Readers.” She sighed heavily when Talon stopped walking and looked at her, stunned. Before he could say anything, she continued quickly. “It’s almost like moving into a house right next door to the secret service – everyone would be afraid that the house was bugged. People think that the Mind Readers have nothing better to do than control every tiny and unimportant thought that those across from them might have.”
“Is it not like that?” Talon shook his head but allowed Cat to convince him to keep going. He mumbled something she couldn’t understand.
“I worked there myself,” she reminded him. “I know that this is a pretty brazen step, but it also has its advantages. Nobody would ever think that I would be dumb enough to move in next door. Where is the best place to hide a needle? Not in a haystack, but among other needles. I can’t imagine that anybody would look for us, or more accurately, me, there.”
“That’s true,” Talon growled, but she could see that he didn’t like the idea. “I still think the risk is too great. The building is surely guarded, right? What if they see us walking in and out of the department store?”
“There is a garage underneath the store that has an emergency exit. The exit leads to the rear. Also, they are doing exactly what you said: They are guarding the Mind Readers’ headquarters, not the building next door, and this gives us an advantage over Ferthoris. When he comes, he will need to be careful. He will not be able to just walk in and pull us out of there while there are armed guards right next door watching the street.”
“You shouldn’t underestimate his vanity,” Talon warned her. They had left the edge of the city behind them. The closer they got to the inner city, the more evidence there was of enemy attacks. The streets had holes in them. Where houses had once stood, deep craters now remained. It smelled of urine and trash. “The problem with somebody like Ferthoris is that he doesn’t care how many of his men die in pursuit of his idiotic undertakings. As long as there are enough left to fly him and his rightful prey, meaning you, safely home, he won’t care about the rest.” He gave her a sharp look. “Is there another reason why you chose this particular spot, right under your former colleagues’ noses, for shelter? Aren’t you actually on the run from them?”
A sharp pang of guilt hit Cat, but she shook her head. She could hardly tell him that she suspected that a mind twister had settled in his head, and that she thought that it might be one of her former colleagues. Being close to the headquarters would make it easier for her to search for Anna, and if push really came to shove – well, then she would offer her life in exchange for Talon’s.
And that was something she definitely couldn’t tell him.