Reid's Deliverance (18 page)

Reid hunkered down and Thane joined him. Reid willed his erratic heartbeat to slow. Adrenaline during a fight gave him an edge, but too much of it would make him sloppy. Lauren’s life depended on him staying focused. Thane knew the drill. That’s why Thane had him working the plan. To help him stay centered on what he could control.

Reid drew a rough map in the dirt with a stick. “This point is south. The cabin is here. Pond is east. Main road to the north. He’ll expect us to come from that direction. If I was him and I had backup, I’d station a perimeter with a focus on the high ground here and here. We phase a little higher up from that. Get a peek at things.”

Thane pointed to the diagram of the cabin. “What’s the layout?”

Reid went through the details of the rooms. “My bet is the loft. From up there, he’ll have a bird’s eye view of both doors and the main room. I’ll phase sweep the loft and living room. You take care of the bedrooms and hallway. ”

“Agreed,” Thane said. “Once we get Lauren, rally point is the motel where Celine and I are staying. Lauren knows where. It’s outside of Mazree. Be there by sundown. If I’m not there by that time, get Lauren and Celine to a safe place. Celine won’t fight you.” Thane’s expression sobered as he studied the ground. “I’ll call her now and make sure she understands. Just make sure you finish the mission.”

Thane called Celine.

As Thane said his goodbye, Reid swallowed against tightness in his throat. They’d gone through situations like this too many times. The mission came first, but they took care of their own. He’d leave the present permanently to watch over Celine if something happened to Thane. Thane would complete the mission for Reid if he didn’t make it out. Even if it meant Thane had to phase to the present with the canisters.

And possibly lose Celine forever.

He’d wronged Thane by accusing him of abandoning the team. Stupidity. Selfishness. Take a pick. His ego had almost destroyed his friendship with Thane. His best friend. His brother.

Reid and Thane materialized back-to-back in the woods near the cabin, weapons drawn. They listened. Waited. All clear.

Thane signaled he’d move left to check the perimeter. His footfalls were undetectable as he disappeared in the trees.

Reid circled the opposite direction. Leaves rustled in the wind. The cabin came into view. No movement. No sound. No vehicles. Fuck. Without their com sets, scopes, and the rest of their gear, they were going in blind. Reid completed a quick-phase of the perimeter. A faint energy-like buzz approached him.
Thane.
They materialized and took a knee.

“You see anything?” Thane darted a glance at Reid.

“Negative.” Reid’s unease mounted.

What had Kell done with Lauren? He shook off the anxiety. Here. Now. That’s what mattered. A strong wind blew through the trees and swirled up a funnel of leaves by the shed. That sound. Not the breeze. A muffled cry?

He tapped Thane. “The shed. I think I heard something. Cover me. I’m going inside.”

Thane moved into position.

Reid phased to the side of the shed. He pressed back to the wall. Thane materialized by the covered woodpile. If they didn’t find her there, they’d phase to the cabin. He inched toward the doors. A muffled moan carried through the vinyl-covered steel. His heart sped up. He signaled the countdown to Thane on his fingers. Three. Two. One. Reid phased inside. Lauren lay tied and gagged in the middle of floor. Energy waved into the room. Formidable. Slightly familiar. Not Thane or the others, but unmistakable in perception. A threat.

Reid snatched her up. As they quick-phased, it was as if time and space flowed through him. His senses heightened. Every object and sound stood out visible and clear. In midflight, he felt the depth of Lauren’s fear. He held her close.
I’ll keep you safe.

As if she’d heard him, Lauren relaxed and gazed at him.

What did she see? A burst of golden light or his face?

A cold foreign energy sliced through him. Gravity rapidly sucked them down. His arms grew numb and his grip loosened from around her waist. He’d lost control of the phase. Was Thane right? Had the contents in the canisters screwed with his power? But he couldn’t drop Lauren. He had to get her away from Kell.

A golden light barreled through the slow stream of time.
Thane.
Reid gathered his energy and flung her toward his best friend.

Lauren screamed as she broke free of Reid. For her, it would feel as if he’d ripped a bandage from a large, open wound.

Reid crashed through the roof of the shed. He hit solid ground. Air wheezed painfully in his chest. A metallic taste bubbled into his mouth. Thane’s phase signature dissipated. Tears wet Reid’s eyes. He’d fucked up her life and put her danger, but he’d saved her from Kell. Whatever happened to him didn’t matter. He’d freed Lauren.

* * * *

Lauren spiraled downward, out of control. Her skin burned. Her heart ached. What happened to Reid? A force slammed into her back. The twisting stopped. She soared. Within seconds, she landed. Warmth and hard muscle cushioned the impact. The strong arms banded around her waist loosened.

“Lauren.” Thane’s chest rose and fell with harsh breaths. “Are you with me?”

“Yes.” A spasm clenched her belly. “I’m going to be sick.”

He rolled Lauren toward the toilet.

Celine burst into the motel bathroom. “Oh, thank God you made it!” She held back Lauren’s hair. “You’ll be okay. It’s because of the quick-phase.”

Heat flooded Lauren cheeks. Celine knew about the guys and she hadn’t said anything?

Thane untied Lauren’s hands and helped her up. As the blood tingled back into her fingers, Thane’s golden-brown gaze rested on Celine. “Baby, do you trust me?”

The love and concern in his eyes prompted pangs of longing in Lauren.

Celine kissed him. “Of course I do.”

Thane wrapped one arm around Celine. He wrapped his other arm around Lauren. “Hold tight.” He gave Lauren an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

Lauren stood on shaky legs. The roller coaster of twirls and spins had gone on forever.

A deep blue sky showcased snowcapped mountains and trees. A lush carpet of grass unfolded to a modern home. Sunlight reflected off of large glass panels in the center of the log and brick two-story. It complemented the picture-perfect landscape.

Celine sat on the ground, mouth agape. “Where are we?”

“We call it The Drift.” Thane helped Celine up. “It’s the ancient’s home.”

Traveling through time faster than she could blink. Jumping around from one place to another. Lauren broke out in a sweat. She just wanted normal!
Breathe. Just breathe.
“Is this like a safe house or something?”

Thane’s gaze landed on the house. “You could call it that, especially now. It’s separate from any other dimension in time.”

Apprehension tightened, spurring queasiness in Lauren. He wouldn’t casually reveal a secret like this. Something was wrong. “Is Reid on his way?”

“This is our emergency fallback.” Thane’s mouth flattened into a grim line. “He knows this is the safest place for us to protect you.”

Celine brushed dirt from her jeans and shirt. “Protect us from what?”

“That’s what we need to figure out.”

The front door to the house opened. A broad-shouldered man dressed in hiking boots, jeans, and a gray long-sleeved shirt emerged. In the next instant, he stood before them. A silvery golden light bathed his long, dark hair and bronze skin. His laser-sharp gaze focused on Thane. “Why are you here?”

The way he snapped out the last word caused Lauren to flinch.

“I don’t have time to get into it. We’ve got problems. Consider me reinstated.” They stared as if in silent communication.

This must be Dalir. His anger seemed to melt into a questioning frown. “Go.”

Thane disappeared.

Dalir turned to Celine and Lauren.
He’s an ancient warrior with powers.
Reid’s remembered words sunk in. Lauren closed her mouth and gulped. Dalir didn’t look much older than Reid or Thane.

“I am Dalir. You are safe.” He spun on his heel and stalked toward the house.

She and Celine followed at a walk-jog pace.

“What about Reid?” Lauren blurted out. “You have powers. Aren’t you going to help find him?”

Celine’s eyes widened. She shook her head at Lauren, trying to get her to shut up.

Forget about keeping secrets. They had to find Reid.

Dalir paused in mid-stride. He turned to Lauren. “Who told you?”

“Reid didn’t have a choice. I saw him time travel, phase, or whatever it is.”

His jawline squared. Dalir flicked his gaze over Celine. “I’m assuming Thane didn’t keep his mouth shut, either?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Lauren’s control completely snapped. “I get you’re upset about us knowing, but there’s a whole pile of crazy crap happening that’s more important than your little secret. You think you’re having a bad day. Let me give you a taste of mine. I watched Reid almost get killed saving a woman. Then he tells me he can travel time and that pretty much equaled the end of our relationship. I get kidnapped by some sadist nutjob who threatened to slit my throat if I didn’t get in touch with Reid. Apparently, he’s got unfinished business with his asshole brother and thinks Reid can help him.” Hysteria trumped reason as she threw her hands in the air. “And courtesy of this so-called gift you passed along, I’ve experienced the equivalent of a roller coaster ride during the worst hurricane ever.” She stepped up to Dalir, rose on her toes, and poked his chest. “Yes! They told us. Embrace the suck, move on, and find Reid!”

Dalir’s moved her hand away from him. “Calm down.”

She couldn’t look away from his stormy, gray eyes as his voice echoed in her mind. Like water thrown on fire, her anger flickered away to steam.

“Lauren?” Celine clutched her hand. “Something’s wrong with her.”

“Shock.” Dalir swung Lauren up into his arms and stalked to the house.

I am not in shock!
Part of her silently raged in the midst of unnatural calm. She couldn’t express the thought.

Celine followed them through the living room and into the kitchen.

He put Lauren down.

The tile floors didn’t have a speck of dirt. A lone coffee maker sat on the shining marble counters. Nothing was out of place. Polished. Perfect. Surreal. She felt off balance. A wave of dizziness came over her. Celine wrapped an arm around Lauren’s shoulder.

“Sit.” Dalir pointed. Four deep brown, solid wood chairs surrounded a matching table.

Celine bristled. “Would it put a cramp in your style to say please? And take Lauren off of mute or whatever it is you did to her. You can’t just shut people up because you don’t want to hear what they have to say. She has every right to be upset.”

Lauren waited for him to zap Celine.

He snagged two mugs from the drain board and filled them with water from the faucet.

He put them in the microwave, slammed the door, and jabbed the control buttons. “Sit. Please.”

“Thank you.” Celine crossed her arms. “We will just as soon as we freshen up. Where’s the bathroom?”

Dalir pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. He pointed to the brick, arched entryway. “To the right.”

In the bathroom, Lauren washed out her mouth in the sink. Parts of her felt raw. Her head throbbed. Everywhere else ached. Her dress was trashed.

They returned to an empty kitchen and two steaming mugs on the table. Had Dalir joined the hunt for Reid? If he had it wouldn’t take long for Dalir to find him. Right?

Lauren took a sip—chamomile tea with a hint of lavender. Nausea started to fade. “How did you feel, when Thane first told you?”

“Shocked. Relieved to have an explanation.” Celine rubbed her palm over her jean-clad thigh. “I was freaked out about how fast I was falling in love with him. I didn’t tell you and Ari, but I broke up with him. He had to tell me or I would have left him.”

Lauren recalled her and Reid in the chapel. Finding out his secret had the opposite effect. “At the motel today, did you have any second thoughts about saying yes to Thane?”

Celine chuckled. “When your boyfriend tells you he’s taken an oath to save the world, that’s as close to superhero as you can get. Why not trust him?”

“I didn’t trust Reid.” The knowledge brought an uncomfortable ache. “When he did remember who he was and tried to tell me, I accused him of using his power to take advantage of sleeping with me. I pushed him away. I should have listened or at least told him I’d wait for him to explain it better when he got back. We could have figured out what we wanted.”

“Oh.” Celine paled. She slumped into the chair. “Reid didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

Celine opened her mouth to speak and hesitated. “If Reid would have gone back to the present, you wouldn’t have been able to pick up where you left off. Any time they phase months or years, they’re wiped from existence. He would have had to convince you all over again to be with him.”

“But what about you and Thane? You’re together.”

Celine fiddled with the handle of her cup. “Something bad was happening to me in the future. I don’t remember it, but Thane said I would have disappeared permanently. He saved me. One of the consequences was he had to stay with me. He can’t phase ahead or back to the present. He gave up being with the team for me.” A sad smile tugged at her lips. “I know he misses them. I could see it in his eyes when he saw Reid again.”

Anxiety sparked up. Is that what caring and love always cost? A huge sacrifice that left gaping holes for regret and doubt to fall into? But Thane’s sacrifice had saved Celine, and the two looked so happy. Spending time with them at the cabin had erased her doubts about them belonging together.

“Thane really loves you, Celine. The way he looks at you, anyone can see all he wants to do is take care of you. If that involved a fight, he won’t hesitate.”

“I know.” Celine smiled softly. “In case you haven’t noticed, Reid has that same look in his eyes. I think he’d do the same for you.”

* * * *

Reid inhaled sharply as he jerked to consciousness. Nerve endings fired pain from his scalp to his bound, bare feet. Metal bit into his wrists from chains pulled over a beam above him. A faint breeze seeped through gaps in the wooden slats of the old building. It heated the sweat running down his shirtless torso.
Time to phase.
Whoever strung him up would have to pardon him for not sticking around. As he focused on phasing, a golden light emanated from him. He drifted, but a force pressed down on him. He couldn’t break free. Not again. He tugged on his arms. The metal chains rattled. The chair, old and rickety looking, sat feet away, but if he could get his foot on it… He rocked his torso and stretched out his legs. His wrists stung. Gaining momentum, he tried again. Shit. Too far away. As the sway subsided, he swung again. Moisture soaked the waistband of his jeans.