Katherine’s mind was definitely playing tricks on her. Instead of having a nightmare about being tortured, she was hallucinating about a soft bed and a gentle touch to her skin. Julian’s voice was seeping through her subconscious again, and it was even better than before. Something pulled at her skin, but it wasn’t so bad she wanted to wake up. No, Kat wanted to sleep forever in the comfort of her surroundings. The soft touch disappeared, and voices sounded around her. They weren’t hateful, harsh tones like the guards used with her. It was more like distant mutterings. Those she could live with.

As the voices became more distinct, Katherine realized she wasn’t dreaming, and the people were talking about her. She cracked her eyes to find Julian standing at the door to a room covered in old wallpaper. Definitely not her cell. Had he actually done what he promised he would and rescued her? While they were all focused on their conversation, Kat took the opportunity to listen in. It was hard to do with only one good ear, and they weren’t talking loud.

“How did you know what antidote to use?” a pretty redhead asked a taller man who looked like he could be her brother.

“Because I found out who was poisoning her food, and I convinced him to tell me what he was using.”

“How did you even know we were in Texas? Where the hell have you been these last few months, and why the fuck haven’t you called me?” Yep, these two were definitely related somehow. A man stepped up to the redhead and wrapped her in his arms. He was… holy crap, he was the warden from New Atlanta.

“Red, you and Tamian have a lot to talk about. Why don’t you both go outside for a bit?” He kissed her on the temple, and she calmed down immediately.

“Come on, Andie. Let’s go talk,” the man named Tamian said.

“Fine,” Andie responded and stalked away.

Tamian nudged Julian and nodded at Katherine. Shit, he’d caught her looking.

“Katherine…” Julian exhaled her name as if he’d been holding it inside. He moved to the bed more gracefully than a man his size should be able to. Sitting next to her, he lifted her hand to his lips. “Hi, Sweetheart,” he said softly, brushing her hair back. “How are you feeling?”

Katherine mentally checked herself over. “Groggy, and my head hurts. Other than that, pretty good, considering.” She looked around the room and asked, “Is this real? Or am I still dreaming.”

“This is real. You are safe now. As soon as we get some food in you and you feel up to it, I will be taking you home.”

“Won’t they find me at home? Is it safe?”

“My home is safe. I am going to have to hide you out for a while, but the Feds have no reason to suspect you would be with me. Is that okay with you?”

Katherine nodded. “What happened?” she asked, holding up the hand with the IV taped to it.

“One of the cooks was poisoning your food. Tamian figured it out and gave you something to counteract it.” Julian rubbed his thumb back and forth across the back of her hand. “The bag is almost empty, so we will be able to remove the line in just a few minutes. You probably don’t feel like eating, but we need to get something in you to get your strength back.”

“I…” Katherine was afraid to eat. The last two times she had she’d gotten sick.

“I promise it will be poison-free,” he said with a grin. He was probably trying to lighten the mood, but she was still scared.

“Who are those people?” she asked, pointing to the door, even though the others were no longer standing there. “The woman looks familiar, but the one she was arguing with…”

“You have already met Gregor. He is my cousin. The female is his mate, Tessa, and Tamian is Tessa’s brother.”

“He called her Andie.”

“That is her real name, but she never goes by it. He is the only one who calls her that.”

“Why did you call her Gregor’s mate and not wife or girlfriend?”

Julian’s smile fell momentarily, but he quickly recovered. “That is one of the things on a long list I need to explain to you. As soon as you are up and about, I promise to tell you everything.”

Katherine trusted Julian. For whatever reason, she felt safe around him, among other things. It was a good thing she was out of it from the drugs, or she’d be asking him to take his clothes off. The need to touch him was getting stronger, and she didn’t mean holding hands. “What’s the date? I have no idea how long I’ve been away.”

“Today is April thirtieth. You have been away for six weeks and two days.” Julian waited for her to respond, but she didn’t. She’d missed out on six weeks of her life, and for what? Kat had no idea why she had been targeted.

“Can I bring you some soup? If you would rather wait until the IV is out so you can go into the kitchen and watch me prepare it, I understand. I probably wouldn’t trust anyone either.”

“I trust you, but I would like to get out of bed.” The smile on Julian’s face lit up the room. Her trust meant something to him. And why would he risk the wrath of the federal government to rescue her if he wanted to hurt her. “Julian, why did you risk saving me?”

“Because, you are exceptional, Kat. I have watched you from afar for some time now, but I am hoping after we have spent some time together while you are hiding out you will want to continue seeing me.”

“But why now?”

Julian glanced down to where their hands were joined. When he looked back up, he was smiling, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “My job within my family takes up a lot of time. I did not feel like I had enough time to devote to you. Things have changed, and let’s just say I have realized what is important.”

“And what’s that?” she dared to ask.

“You.” Julian kissed her knuckles again before standing. “Let me get the first aid kit. I will be right back.” Katherine studied Julian as he walked out the door. One of the things she’d noticed the first time she met Julian was how proper he spoke. That hadn’t changed. What had changed was the way he was dressed. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, something she’d never seen him in before. He’d always been wearing dress clothes, and she’d thought him sexy then, but now? The way his ass filled out the back of his jeans had her wanting to rip said jeans off his body. Could she honestly spend time with the man in his home and not make a fool of herself?

“Here we go,” he said, as he placed the first aid supplies on the bed at her side. Julian expertly removed the IV from her arm, placed gauze over the insertion point in case it bled, and covered it with a bandage. He took the bag from the makeshift stand, wrapped the rubber tubing around it, and stuffed it all into a small canvas bag. When he put the bag into a suitcase, he explained his motions. “We cannot leave anything behind that will point to you. Once we are ready to leave here, Gregor and Tessa will wipe the place down to make sure we leave no traces of DNA.” Once that was finished, Julian showed her a bottle of aspirin before he uncapped the lid and removed the safety seal. “Aspirin okay?” he asked. “Tessa bought the pain relievers along with several other items from the pharmacy in case you needed them.”

Katherine could see it was a new bottle, but like she told him, she trusted him. After she swallowed the pain relievers with some water, she asked, “How were you able to get me out of the prison?”

Julian smiled. He pulled something out of his suitcase and put it over his face. When he turned around, he looked like a completely different person. “I might have impersonated a federal agent.”

“That’s amazing,” she gushed. Kat knew the technology existed because of movies she’d seen, but to find out life-like disguises were available outside of the make-believe world of cinema was  astounding.

“Tessa portrayed Agent Rayaz. If Rayaz had not have called her boss fighting for your release, we would have been able to waltz in with no trouble.”

“She wanted me released? Why? She’s the one who probed my mind.” Kat reached behind her head and touched the spot on her neck.

“I guess when she was not able to get anything out of you that backed up the evidence, she realized you had been telling the truth, and she believed you had no knowledge of the crimes you were accused of. Her boss, however, had other ideas. I am pretty sure it was him who ordered you to be tortured and poisoned.” Julian’s face as well as his tone turned icy. Katherine didn’t want to be reminded of the torture so she changed the subject.

“Can I ask you something?” Kat wasn’t sure she should bring up the subject of hearing his voice, but she had to know if it had been real or a result of the mind manipulation.

He nodded. “You can ask me anything.”

“Were you… could you… I heard you talking to me in my head.”

Julian smiled at her and touched her cheek softly. “Yes, you did. If you had not been receptive to me, I would not have known about the basement.”

“But… how’s that possible?”

Julian’s smile faded a bit, but his hand remained on her face. “I concentrated on you through meditation. It is something most of us in our family can do. Don’t worry; we are not like circus freaks or anything. A few of us have a gift when it comes to communicating with the special person in our life.”

“How about that soup?” she asked, changing the subject again. Kat had never believed in psychic abilities. If anything, she’d scoffed at them. She wouldn’t doubt anyone after this. “Can you help me up? I’d like to go with you into the kitchen.” It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, but she didn’t want to be away from him if she didn’t have to be.

“Of course. Do you need to use the bathroom first?”

“No, I don’t have anything in me. I’m good.” Julian gently lifted her to her feet. “Gah, I need a bath, though. How can you stand to be around me?”

Julian kissed her on the side of her head. The smile he gave her then did reach his eyes. “It would take a lot more than a few days without a bath to turn my stomach. You are beautiful, Kat.” Together they walked slowly down the hallway of what appeared to be an old farmhouse. When they reached the living area, Gregor was staring at several computer monitors, but Tessa and Tamian were nowhere to be seen.

 

 

As soon as they were outside, Tessa was on her brother. Literally. She threw herself into his arms, the tears streaming down her face.

“Andie, shhh, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not! Where the hell have you been? Why did you disappear on me? Gods, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

“I think I have a pretty good idea,” he whispered.

Tessa pulled back and looked into his beautiful face. He couldn’t hide the torment. “Where were you, Tam?”

“Around. And before you throw out your attitude, I had things I needed to work through. I almost lost you, Andie. I know it was shitty of me, but when you were in your coma, all I could think about was not having you in my life. You’re my sister, for the gods’ sake, and we’ve been together for a long time. Then Gregor was there, and you didn’t need me anymore. I was jealous. I wasn’t the male in your life, and I couldn’t handle it. But don’t think for one second I wasn’t watching over you, mate or not. Gregor’s a good male; I know that. But I’ve watched over you for a long damn time, and I’ll continue doing it until I’m no longer of this world.”

“So, you’ve been watching me from the sidelines, letting me grieve?” Tessa was getting pissed.

“I’m sorry. I really am, but I had to work through this on my own.”

“Why now? What made you show up this time, and how did you know where we would be?”

“You might not talk to me mentally, but your thoughts are open to me. Sometimes it’s a good thing. Others…” Tamian cringed.

“Oh, my gods, you can listen in when… That’s just…” Tessa didn’t want to think about her brother knowing what all she and Gregor got up to when they were naked. Both of them liked to get down and dirty, and she didn’t need Tamian listening in on that.

“Don’t worry, I can shut it off. I don’t want to hear your thoughts about Gregor any more than you want me to.”

“What about all the times I’ve thought about you? I’ve talked to you in my head, even though I didn’t know you were listening. Why didn’t you answer?”

Tamian pulled away from Tessa and took her hand in his. He started walking, and they ended up at the barn. He leaned against the outer wall and crossed his arms. “I wasn’t ready.”

“And if everything had gone according to plan at FSM? Would you have kept silent then?”

Tamian shrugged the shoulder not against the wall. “Probably. You don’t need me, Andie.”

“If I didn’t know you could kick my ass, I’d kick yours right now. How can you even say I don’t need you? You’re my brother, Tam. I love you more than I love anyone with the exception of my mate, and that is completely different. You are the other half of my soul. Look…” Tessa pulled up her shirt and showed him the ink on her hip. “I have two tattoos. One for you and one for Gregor. I need you both, just in different ways. One day you’ll find your mate and you’ll know what I’m talking about. I won’t expect you to love me any less than you do now, Tam. You’ll just love someone else too.”

Tamian got a funny look on his face, but he quickly masked it. Tessa tapped into his thoughts, but he’d shut her out. “Don’t do that. Don’t shut me out now.”

“I’m not shutting you out. As with you, there are things in my mind you don’t need to hear. Can you forgive me? I’d really like to move forward from here.”

“Of course I forgive you. I love you,” Tessa whispered and stepped up to her brother, circling her arms around his waist. He pushed off the barn and returned her embrace.

“I love you, Andie. More than you’ll ever know.” The torment in his voice broke Tessa’s heart. She knew from what happened after her accident that Tamian’s feelings ran deep – deeper than siblings normally felt. But she didn’t fault him for that. They were from the same DNA. He was made from her, so it only made sense he would feel something on a level most people didn’t understand.

“Do you want to help me finish this shit so we can get back to Georgia?” she asked, looking up into his face so much like hers.

“What do we need to do?”

“The agents need an antidote. Julian and I used a hemlock serum to incapacitate them so we could impersonate them. If they don’t get the antidote–”

“They’ll be paralyzed for good.”

“Or worse. I need to drop Rayaz’s car along the way and get the rental from her house. Julian was smart enough to get his rental in a fake name, so it’ll be safe where he left it. He can call it in whenever we get home.”

“Let’s do it,” Tamian said. Before he turned her loose, he kissed Tessa on the forehead. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too. But if you ever disappear on me again, I will find a way to kick your ass.”

Tamian laughed and said, “Deal.”

 

 

Katherine followed Julian to the table where Gregor was sitting, and she took a seat at the opposite end so she didn’t get in his way.

Gregor looked up at her and smiled before he placed his fist over his heart and bowed his head briefly. “Katherine, it’s good to see you up and about.”

“Thank you. It’s good to be up and about. I can’t wait to get out of these clothes, though. Orange really isn’t my color.”

“It’s not Tessa’s, either. She says it clashes with the red.”

“She’s not wrong,” Katherine muttered.

The back door opened, and Tessa and her brother came back inside.

“Oh, you’re up,” Tessa said, smiling. The woman was stunning. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay, but I’ll be better once I have a bath.”

“Speaking of, I have some clothes for you to change into so you can get out of those awful orange things. I’ll leave them on your bed before I go.”

“Just where do you think you’re going?” Gregor asked.

“Tamian and I are going to ditch Rayaz’s car, and then we’re going to administer the antidote to the agents before the sun comes up. I’m ready to get the hell out of Texas.”

“Antidote? What’s going on?” Katherine asked. Had someone else been poisoned?

“We might have dosed Rayaz and Everhart. No worries. It was temporary,” Tessa said, grinning. Katherine liked her already.

“I guess I need to thank you too. Julian said you both portrayed the agents to get me out.”

“It was fun. You also have to thank Tamian, because he kept the guards preoccupied so Julian and I could get away.”

Katherine started to thank Tamian, but he held up his hand. “Not necessary. I was merely watching my sister’s back.” He glanced at Tessa, and Katherine would swear they were carrying on a mental conversation.

“Still, thank you, for whatever reason. I…” Katherine remembered his voice. It was the same voice as the man who brought her food. And those intense eyes… she’d never forget those. He was the man who poisoned her. But hadn’t he said he found out who was doing it? Had she misunderstood?

“Kat, what is it?” Julian asked, kneeling down in front of her, taking her hands in his. “Did you remember something?”

“No, I… It’s nothing.” She pulled her hands away, missing the contact when she did. But she needed to be able to think, and she couldn’t do that with Julian so close. Like before, his presence messed with her rationality. He remained where he was, cocking his head to the side, studying her, much the same way the man who poisoned her did. She swallowed hard at the realization and began shivering. Julian moved back in gripping her arms, rubbing his hands up and down. The friction eased her mind somehow. She glanced up at Tamian who was staring at her.

“Katherine, I didn’t poison you. I did bring your food, but I didn’t realize it was poisoned until after the second time you became ill.”

“But your face…”

“I was disguised the same way Julian and Tessa were when they impersonated the agents. I was watching out for you, or so I thought. I wish I had gotten to you when they first took you to FSM. If I had, they never would have been able to… Let’s just say things would be different. I’m truly sorry for what you were subjected to.”

“How did you know what I was thinking? Can you read minds?” Kat asked.

“No, but I can feel your fear, and the look you gave me was evident that fear was directed at me. I’m the only one in the room who was there when anything bad happened to you.”

“Oh… Okay.” That made sense.

“We’re going to head on out before the Feds rain down on the agents’ homes.” Tessa walked over to Gregor and leaned in for a kiss. Tamian didn’t wait on his sister. He walked out the front door without her.

“I love you, Red.” Gregor’s tone was wistful, and Katherine had no idea what was going on between Tessa and the men in her life. Tamian had yet to say a word to Gregor.

“Love you too, Stone.” Tessa ran a finger down his face before following Tamian out the front door.

Julian was still holding on to Katherine. When she looked his way, the concern was evident, so she whispered, “I’m okay.” Julian kissed her forehead and stood, leaving her feeling cold once again.