Knock, knock... (30 page)

***

Stefan focused on the black energy trying to absorb it into his psyche. There was a familiarity to this energy. He looked for the energy signature. But the energy was old, the signature dissipated, or he'd have seen it at the beginning.

And that damned energy still felt wrong. As if it wasn't real energy.

Shit.
Stefan spun around in amazement.

It wasn't real energy in here. It was the
illusion
of energy.

With that understanding, the illusion faded from his psyche, and he could see the poor woman's mind.

Even as he watched, he saw the silver cord, barely attached at the body, start to separate.

No!

He jumped forward, frantically wrapping the cord in warm, healing energy. For several moments, he worked, calling out.

Stop. Don't leave. We can help you. It's not too late.
He poured energy into her mind, into her aura, into her cord.

And all for naught.

He couldn't hold onto the cord.

It separated in his grasp. Hovered briefly and slipped free.

Stefan stood, shocked, scared, and silent, in the empty shell where Shay's cousin had once lived.

***

She picked up Marie's hand and held it close to her chest.

Stefan's exhausted voice slid into her mind, tinged with frustration and overwhelmed with sadness.
Shay, I lost her.

I know.
Shay looked over at Roman, fat tears running down her cheeks. "She's gone."

He looked at her in surprise, and then moved to the other side of the bed and checked for a pulse.

His gaze, when it met hers, was black and lost.

"How? I don't understand. She doesn't have any sign of injury."

"No," Shay whispered. "She died from a psychic attack." And she knew, even as she said it, that this would be hard for Roman to take in. Hell, she was still struggling with what happened.

"Is this related to the attack on you earlier tonight? That I came racing to your apartment for?" he asked in a hard voice.

She bowed her head. "I don't know, but I'm afraid it could be."

"Does Stefan know?" Anger and fear had him striding toward her. He reached out and shook her shoulders gently. "Ask him."

With a nod, she did as he requested.

I can't be sure because I can't get a handle on the energy signature. But...I think it is.

"Stefan says, quite possibly but there's no way to be certain."

And that scared her shitless.

"Well you won't be alone again until this asshole is caught." His voice hardened. "I'll be bunking at your place for now. I may not be Stefan but at least I can watch over you. Call Stefan if you need help."

She studied him. She wasn't averse to having company until this was over. It's one thing to fight an attacker in the flesh. It was quite another to fight one you couldn't see.

And Roman had no idea how bizarre these attacks could get.

But neither did he know how to fight them either.

***

Once Stefan was back in bed, he opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. He'd seen a lot of death. He'd seen people before death, after, even during the process. He'd yet to see this sad, lingering, letting go. As if life wasn't precious enough to fight for or to believe in.

Stefan had seen suicidal people who cared more than Marie had. Often a suicidal person changed their mind when it was too late. Marie didn't seem to care either way. He didn't understand it. Had that other energy put thoughts of despair in her head, been so pervasive that Marie felt she had no choice but to let go? As if only darkness remained for her if she stayed.

Shay had experienced something similar a year ago. With Darren.

He thought about that. What would be required to do that?

He couldn't fathom the answer. As someone who walked on both sides of the veil between life and death, he'd yet to see this. It bothered him. If they had a new type of predator, he needed to know.

He'd done his best, but sometimes unforeseen things...happened. Like now.

He didn't want to think that an old adversary could have survived, but what if he had?

He’d spoken with a psychic friend who’d been locked in the ice palace in her mind. She’d told him the longer she was there the more she wallowed, just didn’t care.

But the energy inside this poor woman's mind had such a different feel. Like she had no thoughts whatsoever. And it had all been an illusion that disappeared when that realization took hold.

Stefan let out a sigh of relief. So it didn’t sound like Darren after all. Thank heavens for that.

And this energy only seemed to dissipate because it was old. He thought about that difference for a moment longer. It appeared his attacker could mask energy. Their own, and that of others, so they hide their identity within another person. And that person could look normal to everyone, but on the inside, this psychic controlled the other person without the awareness of the other person. Sounds like another asshole who needed to be eliminated.

Oh, if only the ones that died…would stay dead.

***

Knock, knock…

Yup me again. Shay, you still don't get it, do you?

I heard you went to the hospital to see your long-lost cousin. Why though? She didn't even remember you. And I asked her long and hard.

Too bad. All that and still she wasn't much help.

Of course, I'd hoped for a closer connection between the two of you. But it wasn't to be.

I guess I'll have to go back to your grandfather after all. He is all alone in the hospital...

Easy.

Maybe too easy.

I could go after some of your best friends first.

Oh, but maybe you don't have any.

Bernice is dead. That wasn't much fun either. And in no way did it have the intended impact. I wanted you devastated. She was a surrogate mother to you. You should have been hurt by her passing. Instead all you did was gain from it. Maybe you even wanted the old bag to die so you'd get her money.

And your friend Tabitha is dead, but that caused hardly a ripple in your world. Sigh.

I was hoping to toy with you. But this is damn boring.

Isn't there anyone else in your life who you care about?

God you live like a nun.

With all that money, too.

What a waste.

That's all right. I'll see what I can do about relieving you of some of that money.

Then I'll take care of you.

***

Tuesday morning…dawn

Shay? Call Ronin. He doesn't want to wake you.

Sleepily, Shay blinked several times, trying to sort out Stefan's whisper through her mind. And adjust to her surroundings. She was home in her own bed. But she'd only been there for a few hours.
Damn
. She glanced beside her. Alone.
Double damn.

Focus. This is important. It's about Darren. You don't have a problem calling Ronin, do you?

No.

Now she was awake. Talk about a subject guaranteed to keep sweet dreams a long way away.

She reached for her phone.
Stefan, do you know what's going on?

Yes. But not all of it. I asked Ronin to search out more family members of Darren's. Just in case there is someone else with the ability to do what he did.

And of course family members have the closest chance.
She held the phone up to her ear, her heart pounding nervously in her chest. Darren had told her that he had no family. But then he'd lied about everything else, so...

"Shay. Glad you called." Ronin sounded too perky for this time at night.

While Shay listened, trying to shake the sleepy cobwebs from her mind, Ronin gave it to her, short and succinct. There was nothing sweet about it.

"
He had a twin?
A twin brother?" Shay shook her head, slumping back against her headboard. "Not possible."

"Not only possible, but definite, at least according to his foster care history. The brother's name is Danny."

She didn't know what to say. "Wait – did Darren even know him?"

"It's hard to say. We're looking for him right now. But there's no proof to say they'd actually hooked up."

"So it could be that the twin wasn’t in contact with Darren or even know that Darren existed?"

"Absolutely. Both were in dozens of foster homes before they hit fourteen. Darren ran away several times and ended back in the system and the inevitable round of homes. His brother Danny ran away at seventeen and dropped out of sight. We're investigating the possibility that the brothers found each other…somehow…but I don't know how."

Their abilities would have drawn them together,
Stefan murmured.
They wouldn't have been able to resist the pull of another like themselves.

"But he's alive?"

"No reason to believe he isn't. Like I said, we're looking for him."

Stefan's thoughts whispered through her mind again.
Make sure he lets you know as soon as he finds out
.

"Thanks Ronin. Please keep me in the loop. Oh, and did you ever go through the personnel files I gave you?"

"First thing. They both check out, so do the staff at Folgrent Foundation. No worries there. And I'll call if I find out anything."

She hung up the phone slowly. "Damn it, Darren. When will you leave me in peace?"

Soon.
Stefan murmured comfortingly in her head.

I hope so.

"Darren? Your ex-fiancé? What's going on, Shay?"

Oh shit.

Yeah, that's my call to leave.
With a chuckle, Stefan disappeared.

She glanced at her doorway. And gave a start. Roman, bare-chested and looking lethal as hell, slouched against the entrance to her room, his hands shoved into jeans riding dangerous low. She swallowed. Just now realizing how little clothing she had on herself. A white cotton cami and matching boy panties.

She'd forgotten he was sleeping in her spare room.

How had the temperature in the room risen so quickly?

This man was dangerous – in so many ways.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to collect her thoughts and said, "That was Ronin. Apparently Darren had a twin brother."

Those dark eyes burned with a fire inside. "And you are thinking this twin had something to do with these attacks?"

She nodded warily, took a deep breath and explained what Darren had done. "Ronin is trying to find him now."

He'd straightened at her explanation but had let her get it out. He sauntered a few steps closer, his gaze holding hers so tightly she could barely breathe.

The room seemed hotter with his every step closer. She had a dozen reasons why she needed him to leave. Why she needed sleep tonight. Although to be honest, the night was mostly done. But now, all thoughts of sleep fled. And they were replaced with thoughts of being with him in bed.

Even as the dangers registered, her skin warmed, her nipples tightened, and she struggled to take her eyes off him.

She didn't think she was ready for this. But her body was screaming for him. It had been a year. A long, lonely year of sleeping alone, of never being held, hugged or touched with caring. Without love.

Dare she trust Roman? Dare she trust her own emotions? Her own body?
She'd been so wrong before. She couldn't stand to be wrong again.

Roman sat down on the bed beside her.

"Does Darren have anything to with
this
?" His voice flowed over her like liquid heat.

She swallowed.
This?
"No, he has nothing to do with anything, including us."

"And he's gone from your heart and mind?"

"Heart, definitely. That happened a long time ago. From my mind?" She'd answer if she could think straight, but his nearness and intensity were doing things to her insides along with that blatant look that said he wanted her any way he could get her.