Through The Veil (25 page)

“No problem, but I’m going to head to the barn now.”

The two women watched him lift off and then Bethany frowned
down at the ground, muttering, “We need to fix that. I’ve never really
considered it before, but you have no way to get to peoples’ homes and that’s
not acceptable. We want you to feel welcomed here, Lori. I need to have the
village engineers look at Marcus’s setup and begin some construction.”

She pivoted to face Lori with a gentle smile on her face.
“Sorry, I’m getting off track. How are you this morning? I gather from the bits
I got from Marcus last night that your trip up north proved to be fairly
harrowing.” At Lori’s nod, Bethany reached around her shoulder in a one-armed
hug. “Come inside and I’ll get you a cup of coffee. We can chat about your trip
and you can tell me what’s on your mind.”

Lori didn’t know exactly how to proceed with what she needed
to say, so instead she did the chit-chat thing with Bethany about the trip, her
few impressions about the factory up north, and the snowstorm.

“Well, I’m relieved you both made it back safe and sound,”
Bethany intoned. “But I don’t think rehashing your trip is exactly what you had
in mind with your visit. Would it help to know that we’re developing a plan to
get your friends free?”

Lori jerked her head back and felt her eyes widen in shock.
She’d come here figuring she’d have to talk Bethany into action. To hear she
didn’t need to work at convincing Bethany to help overwhelmed her. “What? How?
Who?” Her eyes filled with tears.

“
Griff
and Brooklyn are working
with the other Warriors on a plan. Those two, along with Marcus, will be who
you take along with you. It’s just going to be the four of you. I wish it could
be more, but things are too precarious right now. I need the remainder of the
Warriors and Malcolm to stay.”

“Of course, but…” Lori couldn’t even form a coherent
thought. This was just so unexpected and so much more than she hoped for.

“You need to recover your strength from your trip and
Griff
has fashioned some new tools for you that will help
you channel your gift. For now, the rescue mission is slated to head out in
three to four days’ time, unless something changes.” Bethany grabbed a small
notebook off the table and turned to a list that seemed rather extensive. She
scanned the list for a moment before looking to Lori. “I also need to make
plans for the village so we can accommodate your friends and any special needs
they may have. I understand some of them have been in captivity for a long
time, so they will need special care.”

Lori nodded. “Yes, William is a panther shifter and has been
there for over eleven years. His mind is close to shattered and with him being
an animal shifter, that can make him unpredictable.”

“Will he be dangerous to travel with and transport back
here?”

Lori frowned in thought. “It’s possible that he could be.
Savannah—she’s the telepath—will have a good handle on where he’s at mentally.
I need to dream walk with her to let her know we’re coming and she’ll be able
to tell me how things stand there.”

Bethany gave a sharp nod. “Agreed, but let’s wait at least
another day before you do that. I want you recovered physically first.”

Lori began to shake her head, but Bethany held up a hand to
stop her. “That’s non-negotiable. I’m letting you take my people into a foreign
world. They’re going to have to rely on you to initially get through the Veil
and then to get back. If you don’t have the energy reserves to do that, this
entire mission will fail and four of my people will die. That is unacceptable.”

Lori jerked her gaze back to Bethany’s. “Four? I thought I
was just taking the three Warriors?”

“Four.” Bethany’s voice softened. “You’re one of mine, too.”
Bethany leveled a hard stare at Lori and suddenly she knew why this woman was
their leader. There was no arguing with her, not that Lori wanted to when
Bethany offered such an incredible welcome. No one had ever shown such kindness
to her.

“Thank you,” Lori said, her throat closing up with emotion,
making it difficult to say any more.

“In the meantime, the four of you are moving into an empty
house in the farm complex. I need you to be able to work as a team for this
mission to be a success. That means you need to develop the same mental link
with
Griff
and Brooklyn that you have with Marcus.
Living together will make that transition easier.”

Lori had wanted to move someplace else, but this wasn’t what
she planned.
Griff
had never made it a secret that he
hated her and with the new tension between her and Marcus, this wouldn’t be
easy.

Bethany must have read something from her face or emotions
because she gentled her voice. “Lori, whatever difficulties you’re having with
Marcus need to be put to rest. If you don’t, then you could very well endanger
both your lives with this mission. All your lives could be in jeopardy. You all
have to be able to work together, in sync, or this will never work.”

“You’re right.” She nodded, considering the wisdom in
Bethany’s suggestion. “I know you’re right. Thank you, Bethany, for all your
support. I will do everything I can to keep your Warriors safe.”

“I know you will. They’re part of your new family. We’re
part of your new family. The world is changing and I think that’s a good thing.
It’s not going to be easy during this transition period while Mother Earth
decides how much freedom she’ll give back to us, but I have faith this is the
right thing to do.”

Overwhelmed, Lori didn’t know what to say to this kind of
blanket acceptance. Family? She’d never dared to even hope for that much.

Before she could respond, Bethany pulled her out of her chair.
“I think
Griff
is here to deliver you to your new
home and team.”

The next six hours were spent sparring with Brooklyn and
Griff
at their new home on the grounds of the farm
compound. They were to live in a little three bedroom log cabin. In back stood
a corral-type enclosure where they spent the day training.

Most of that time, Lori spent blindfolded as she tried to
connect with Bethany and
Griff
on a telepathic level.
It wasn’t working. She hadn’t seen Marcus all day. That, combined with her
failure at this seemingly simple task, had her frustration level at an all-time
high. She refused to be the weak link on the team.

“Baby, there’s nothing weak about you from where I’m
standing.”

Marcus.

She could feel the mental brush of his eyes as they ran down
her sweaty body. He stood nearby. Brooklyn had loaned her some workout clothes
that were fitted and skimpy. Based on the vibes coming from Marcus, those were
his favorite aspects of them.

She couldn’t deny the rush of relief at his presence. And
with that relief came an onslaught of other voices in her head.

“I thought you planned to let us work with her alone for
a while to see if this would work,”
said
Griff
,
his tone judgmental.

“I can feel her getting upset,”
Marcus responded.

“She has to learn to do this without you or this will
never work. What happens if we go over there and you get killed?”

Alarm slammed through her and she yanked off her mask. “No,
I won’t let that happen.”

All three of them swung around to look at her surprised.
“You could hear us that time,”
Griff
said.

She nodded.

Brooklyn tilted her head, looking between Lori and Marcus
like they were scientific specimens. That curious gaze made Lori’s skin crawl.
She never wanted to be studied ever again.

“I have an idea. Let me go grab my bag,” Brooklyn said and
then ran into the cabin. When she returned, she asked
Griff
,
“Do you have any of the
ley
line
athames
on you?”

“Of course.” He reached down and pulled a short blade out of
his boot.

Brooklyn held it in her palm and it shimmered curiously. As
Lori drew close enough to see it clearly, she realized the blade was made out
of crystal. She pulled her necklace out of her shirt. “Is that like this? Made
from the crystals of the
ley
lines?”

Brooklyn nodded, grabbed her bag and a small bottle out of
it, and bit her lip while she glanced between the two items. “I think this will
help, but none of you are allowed to tell Malcolm about what I’m doing. He
hates this woo-woo natural shit.”

“Woo-woo natural shit?” Lori asked with a smirk. “I’m
guessing that’s not the scientific term for it?”

Brooklyn chewed her lip as she glanced between the three of
them again.

“Oh man,” Brooklyn muttered under her breath, “Malcolm is
going to pitch an ever-loving fit when he finds out about this, but I think it
will work. Okay, we can do this.” She straightened her shoulders as if she’d
just bolstered her own self-confidence with that little pep talk.

 
“Look, we all know
that our powers are greater when we use the natural energy from the
ley
lines.” She held out the knife as she talked. “We know
that Lori and Marcus have a special relationship which has made their
telepathic connection especially strong. And obviously, he acts as a boost when
he’s in close proximity so she can hear other people. Part of that is because
of what you both share on an emotional level, but I think part of that is
because you are physical with each other, too. We see the same levels of deep
communication all the time between mates because of the physical and mental
exchange with sex.”

Griff
immediately started backing
away. “No way. I’m sorry, Brooklyn. You’re both very attractive, but there is
no way I’m having sex with you or Lori just to strengthen our bond, and if you
think that I would ever sleep with Marcus, then just…” His voice sputtered
away. “Just no,” he said as he continued to shake his head.

Marcus scowled and clenched his jaw, but waited to hear what
else Brooklyn had to say.

“
Ew
.” Brooklyn’s eyes widened in
shock as she shook her head. “No! Oh Goddess, that was not what I meant. Oh,
ugh. That is so gross.” Brooklyn’s lips curled in distaste and her expression
emanated pure outrage. “I don’t want to sleep with you.”

Lori couldn’t hold in the little giggle as the group of
Warriors and friends squirmed in revulsion at the thought of sleeping together.
They all turned to her and glared.

“What?” She widened her eyes innocently. “Oh come on, that
was funny.” She snorted a little bit more before she rolled her hand trying to
get them back on track. “But obviously you didn’t mean sex. So spit it out,
Brooklyn. What can we do to fix this?”

Brooklyn lifted the knife. “I think we should do a minor
blood exchange.” She lifted her other hand and wiggled her fingers. “Just a few
drops from our hands. The crystal will help to strengthen the connection if we
use it to make the cuts.”

Griff
swiped a hand across his
face. “So let me make sure I understand what you’re suggesting. You want us all
to slice our hands with the
ley
line blade, then
press palms like some sort of elementary school blood pact?”

“Um, yeah, something like that. And none of us are ever
going to tell Malcolm about this. I think it will work to strengthen our bond,
and honestly, we need every advantage we can get for this mission.”

“Okay,”
Griff
sighed. “Fuck, what
can it hurt, right?”

“There’s that positive attitude we all know and love.”
Marcus said drolly.

“I was about to say, ‘Fuck you,’ but thank Goddess, I don’t
have to worry about that anymore.”
Griff
clapped his
arm across Marcus’s back and grinned. “So, let’s do this. Who’s bleeding
first?”