Heart of Stone (33 page)

“It was Azotay's men,” he said as soon as he saw them. “They ambushed us at the plane, but it was a half-assed attack at best. I didn't think much about it, just considered myself lucky and got us in the air. That's when the real plan became clear. They'd gotten to the pilot.”

“Bob?” Rigo narrowed his eyes. “He's a good man. Was he hurt?”

“No. Your men have him in custody,” Gray said to Rigo. He looked at Darius. “I don't know that we want to turn him over to the cops for this, at least not until we confirm what I suspect happened.”

“What about Ben?” Faith demanded. “Where is he?”

“He went right to surgery. Still there.” Gray pointed to the nurses' desk. “You're family, so they should talk to you.”

Faith ran over to the nurses' desk.

“I would have thought they'd talk to you, Gray,” Darius said.

“They did,” Gray said, confirming what Darius had suspected. Adrian Gray was a Whisperer. It would be a simple matter to get the nurses to tell him what he wanted to know. “It doesn't look good.” He clenched his jaw, guilt hammering at him.

As if sensing what he felt, Tessa stepped up to the Warrior and peered at his face. “Got some bruising going on there, Mr. Invincible. Guess you're mortal like the rest of us.”

He touched her chin, his lips curving in sad, silent acceptance. “Didn't know you cared, princess.”

Faith came back to them, her face white as gut-clenching fear swished through her. “Still in surgery. They don't know if—” She cleared her throat. “They don't know if he's going to make it.” She raised terrified green eyes to Darius. “I don't know what I would do if something happened to him.”

Her panic overwhelmed him, burning like raw jalapeño peppers on the tongue. He could sense fatigue, too. She'd spent too long in the Stone of Igarle, and her reserves were faltering.

“Let's get something to eat,” he said.

She shook her head. “I can't leave. What if he comes out of surgery and I'm not here?”

He touched her shoulder. “Do you really want Ben to see you like this? You're pale, and you need to eat. I'm betting you haven't had anything since breakfast. I don't think you want him worrying about you, do you?”

Resentment flared, and she opened her mouth to argue. Then she sagged, and he felt the indignation fade. “You're right.”

He took her arm. “I'll go with you, if only to make sure you don't pass out before you get there.”

“Ha-ha.” But she didn't shake off his hold. For a moment, all the negativity of the past few days no longer existed. She needed him now, and that need lived alive and well behind the walls of her angry defenses. Without further protest, she let him lead her toward the elevators.

*   *   *

Adrian watched them go, furious with himself for letting all this happen. He should have realized that a man like Azotay did not reach his current position without being a master strategist. But he'd been in such a hurry to get Ben away that he'd overlooked what should have been obvious.

“Hey,” Rigo said. “You got the guy home alive. That's all anyone could do.”

“I could have prevented him from getting shot.”

“Maybe. Or maybe you both would have gotten taken out.” Rigo shrugged. “I choose to look at the positive.”

“Oh, no!” Tessa clapped a hand to the side of her head and swayed. “Not now!”

“Tessa?” Adrian caught her as her knees went out from under her. He dragged her to a nearby chair and sat beside her. “What's wrong?”

She was breathing fast. When she looked up, her violet eyes glowed, her expression far away. “One end begins another. Sacrifice is the only way to be free. That which was separated becomes one.”

Rigo squatted down in front of Tessa. “What's going on?

“Vision,” Adrian said.

“O-o-okay. And that stuff she just said … what does that mean?”

Adrian held Tessa as she slumped forward. “We'll ask her when she's more lucid.” He gave Rigo a considering look. “You must be wondering what's going on.”

“After what I saw last September when that Criten guy infiltrated the house, I figure the less I ask, the better.”

“You're probably right.”

“But I do have one question. Will she be okay? She's not having a seizure or something, is she?”

“She'll be okay,” Adrian said.

“All right, then.” Rigo stood. “I'd better check in with my men, see what's up with Bob. I'll be outside.” He headed out of the hospital, pulling his cell phone from his pocket as he went.

Tessa stirred in Adrian's arms. Groaned.

“Hey.” Adrian stroked her hair away from her face. “It's all right. You're safe.”

“Oh, no.” She sniffed, and when she lifted her head all the way, he could see the tears welling in her eyes. “I've been so horrible to her. And all she wanted to do was help.”

“Hey, what's this all about? What did you see?”

“Faith. I saw Faith. And pain…” She closed her eyes. “But I can't read Faith. I must be getting this from Ben.”

“What? Was someone hurting her?”

“Not that kind of pain.” She touched her chest. “Here. Pain. Anguish.” She swiped both hands over cheeks damp from tears.

“Hey, it's okay. We're all okay.”

“For now.” She fell silent, and they waited together to hear the news.

*   *   *

Faith and Darius got to the cafeteria. She looked at the food, but the mere thought of trying to choke down a meal made her gag. Darius seemed to sense that. Of course he did, with his abilities, but she couldn't even drum up any outrage at him reading her emotions. For once, she was glad of it. He settled her at a table with a bottle of water and a yogurt. The water soothed her parched throat, and the yogurt didn't require chewing, just scoop and swallow. Scoop and swallow. It was the most she was capable of right now.

He sat across from her, concern on his handsome face, and she wondered if he really meant it, or if it was just an act. Had any of it been real?

“Do you really want to talk about that now?” he asked.

She gritted her teeth. “Cut that out.”

“Sorry, it's a part of me, like seeing and hearing.” He folded his hands on the table in front of him. “I never wanted to lie to you, Faith. I hope you believe that.”

She scraped another spoonful of yogurt from the carton. “I don't know what to believe anymore.”

“I didn't do it to be dishonest, or to manipulate you.”

She jerked her gaze to his. “But you were dishonest. And maybe you were manipulating me, with all that talk of mating bonds and stuff.”

“The mating bond is real.” A pulse of warmth came to her through the link. “I didn't manipulate you, Faith. I swear.”

She dropped the spoon in the empty container and shoved it away. “Then how do you account for all this? We just met a few days ago, for heaven's sake, and suddenly we're hot and heavy in your bedroom like a couple of horny teenagers.”

“It was the mating bond. It's powerful, and it became more intense the longer we were together.”

“Convenient. Well, playtime is over. Your father says if I want my money, we have to work together. So that's what we will do. Work.”

“Faith.”

Just her name, but the weariness and sorrow in the word sucked the anger right out of her. It was easier to rage at him than to think of what was going on in surgery. Of the possibility of losing Ben. Darius was trying to help her. She knew that. Even if he had lied by omission, she needed that quiet strength of his to get through this—damn it.

“I don't want to fight with you.” She met his gaze. “I'm ashamed to admit I need you right now. I just can't go through this alone.”

“I'm here.” He covered one of her hands with his.

She turned her hand palm up and twined her fingers with his. “I don't know if things can go back to the way they were.”

“You feel betrayed. I understand that. Now I need you to understand something, even if you can't forgive it. I made a promise to my parents before I ever met you that I would keep an eye on you while you were with us. You know how scared they are, how the Mendukati have been systematically murdering my mother's family.”

“I do.”

“And suddenly they were letting a former Mendukati agent into the house. They were terrified.” He squeezed her fingers. “This whole thing was my idea. I talked them into it. But I knew as soon as I met you that you didn't intend to hurt anyone.”

“Oh, Darius.” She took a deep breath. “I don't know if I can deal with this right now.”

“You're worried about Ben. I know.”

“Just … and I know I have no right to ask this of you … but can we just get through this? Sort out everything else later?”

“Of course. Ben comes first.”

Relief swept through her. “Yes.”

“But Faith.” He waited until she looked at him. “You can't keep running away from things forever.”

She jerked her hand from his, dropping both into her lap. “What does that mean?”

“You've been running from the Mendukati, from the war. Now you're running from us.”

She curled her hands into fists under the table. “I can't think about anything but Ben right now. And you know there might not even be an us, not after all this.”

“We can get past this, if you're willing to stay and fight for it. Not run away and pretend it isn't happening.”

“That's it.” She stood, her chair skidding back with a loud scrape. “Stone Bear—Ben—the only family I have, is up there fighting for his life.” She sucked in a shaky breath. “And you want to duke it out about our affair. Some empath you are.”

He stood and took her shoulders in his hands. “It was more than an affair. You know that, Faith. I started falling in love with you the first time I heard your song in my head.”

“Stop it. Stop it.” She jerked away from him, her throat tight. “Don't lie to me, not now.”

“I'm not lying.” He pulled her, still stiff, into his arms.

She should push him away. Chew on him some more about lying to her and then wanting to get her right back into bed. Words whipped through her mind, sharp and accusing. But his arms enclosed her, his heart a steady thud against her ear. His calm composure, that feeling that he could make everything all right, had her clinging to his shirt instead of pushing him away, burying her face in his chest instead of railing at him.

He said he could use a scrap of her emotions and enhance them, but if he were doing that now she'd be a ranting basket case. She didn't feel the least bit at peace. So these soothing feelings she was getting had to be just him. Just Darius.

For an instant, their connection felt like it used to, warm and irresistible, like a cozy blanket and hot chocolate before a winter fire. Safe.

Adrian's voice sounded in her mind.
You two had better get up here
.

They jerked apart, and one glance at his face told her Adrian had spoken to both of them.

“Ben,” she whispered.

His face grim, he grabbed his cane with one hand and her with the other. They hurried from the cafeteria.

*   *   *

They got back to the waiting room to find Adrian looking grim and Tessa sitting in a chair with her face buried in her hands. Both of them looked up as Faith and Darius entered. Tessa jumped up and came to Faith, wrapping her in a hug.

“I'm so sorry I was such a bitch to you,” she whispered.

Uncertain how to react, Faith just said, “Okay.”

Tessa pulled back to look at her. “I really am sorry, Faith. Darius was right. I can't read you, and it made me suspicious. Plus your past and…” She shrugged. “My family's been through a lot recently from people I can't read. I was scared.”

This Tessa seemed a completely different person from the woman Faith had seen up to now, but she couldn't worry about Tessa's angle at present. Her mind was on Ben. “I get it. Thanks.” Faith looked at Adrian. “What happened?”

“The doctor wants to talk to you.”

As he said it, an older man in scrubs walked over. “Ms. Karaluros? I'm Dr. Flyte. I understand you're Mr. Wakete's daughter-in-law?”

“Yes.” Without taking her eyes from the doctor, Faith felt for Darius's hand where he stood beside her. His strong fingers closed over hers. “How is he?”

“I'm very sorry. We lost him. The bullet nicked an artery, and he lost too much blood. He was diabetic, too, correct?”

“Yes,” she whispered, her world crashing down around her.

“That didn't help.” The doctor paused, seemed to be searching for words. “I'm very sorry,” he said again.

Through the roaring in her ears, she heard Darius asking questions about claiming the body, paperwork. But she couldn't think about it yet. Couldn't comprehend.

Ben was gone. The Mendukati had killed him. All because of her.

The rage started as a slow burn in her gut, consuming everything. Ben was dead, a good man who had nothing to do with this stupid war the Mendukati had launched against the Seers. He'd sent her to the Montanas to protect her and so she could help. Well, she hadn't done much helping at all, had she? She'd fallen into bed with Darius and wallowed in her part in Michael's death while she stuck her head in the sand and pretended she had no stake in this battle.

She'd been fooling herself.

The Mendukati had taken her only family from her. They wanted war? She'd bring them one.

*   *   *

The plan had failed. Azotay paced in his cabin at the camp, going over the strategy in his head. Luka, the Whisperer, had put the compulsion on the pilot to see the instruments as heading toward Sedona, even though the coordinates had been set to land in Roswell, closer to the camp. A brilliant plan that should have worked. By the time Adrian Gray realized what was going on, they would have been caught.