Untamed Hawaiian Heat (Rift Hunters) (27 page)

Tiaki stood at the edge of the clearing, his eyes a burnished gold burning with the power of the magic he commanded so effortlessly. Golden lightning sparked around his hands, shooting off multiple energy blasts at the cyborgs not smart enough to take off after their three compatriots had been taken down with a single blow.

Mateo quickly stood up and rushed to help Monte tend to Niki, who’d taken a nasty blow to the head. He knelt down beside his friends and checked her pulse while scanning her to see how bad her injury was. All the while he was acutely aware of Tiaki cleaning up the rest of the cyborgs.

“Come on, Niki! Answer me!” Monte cried.

“Is she responding through your link?” Mateo asked quietly. An image of Kiana lying helpless after the mine had exploded, impaling her with the toxin-laden needles, flashed in his mind.

Monte shook his head.

Mateo felt Tiaki approach them and kneel down. “Maybe Tiaki can heal her like–”

“I can’t.”

Mateo glanced over his shoulder. “What do you mean, you can’t? You healed me after I was blasted almost clean through the chest.”

Tiaki moved to sit next to where Monte sat cradling Niki’s head in his lap. His eyes fixed on the blood matting her hair. He looked up and met Mateo’s gaze. “I can’t because I’m not a master healer.” He paused as though trying to figure out how to explain. “Healing more than minor injuries, especially someone else’s, isn’t something a Rift Hunter can do naturally. Unless they’re a master healer. I believe I was able to heal you and Kiana because of the soul bond.”

“Isn’t there anything you can do for her?” Monte asked, his voice thick with anguish.

Tiaki turned his attention to Monte. “No, but…” He glanced down at Niki lying so still in her husband’s arms.

“But what?” Monte prompted.

Tiaki met Monte’s eyes. “When you first met Niki, did something inside you—”

“Mine,” Monte interrupted. “That’s what you were going to ask, isn’t it?”

Mateo nodded in agreement. He’d experienced the same thing when he’d met Kiana three years ago. The same thing he could feel his magic whispering in his veins about Tiaki. He pushed the thought away and concentrated on the conversation between Monte and Tiaki.

“In that case, you may be able to help her yourself, Monte.”

“How? Tell me what I need to do, and I’ll do it. Just help me save my Niki. I can’t live without her.” Tears streamed down Monte’s face as he looked down at his wife. “Please.”

Tiaki laid a hand on Monte’s shoulder. “Can you direct your magic with only my instructions to guide you?” Before Monte could answer, he continued. “I could help you guide it, but since I’m not a master healer, I don’t know if I could keep myself separate from the process. The only major healings I’ve done were on”—he glanced up and met Mateo’s gaze—“my soul mates.”

Mateo didn’t respond to Tiaki’s declaration. Instead he turned his thoughts inward and began scanning for Kiana again while Tiaki talked Monte through the healing.

This time he went slowly, searching every inch of the camp. He was beginning to think he wasn’t going to find her when he felt a tremor of panic shiver through his emotion link. Zeroing in on it, he finally located her in the holding cells.
What the hell is she doing there?

“She’s not alone. We need to get over there. Now!”

Mateo whipped his head up at the intrusion of Tiaki’s thought.

Tiaki was giving Monte final instruction of what to do for Niki. When he finished, Tiaki met his gaze. Fear clouded Tiaki’s crystal-blue eyes. “Come on.” He rose and started running for the holding cells.

Mateo noticed how Tiaki kept to the shadows whenever possible. When cover wasn’t minimal, he would wait until Mateo was close enough to touch; then he’d whisper something before moving forward again. They were about to cross the clearing to enter the holding cells when the doors burst open. Tiaki tensed.
“Fuck!”

Mateo glanced around him to see what had caused the change in his demeanor. At the sight of Thanos, Mateo started to step out from their hiding place, but Tiaki grabbed his arm.

“Don’t.”

Mateo met Tiaki’s gaze.
“Why? We need to find Kiana.”
He would rather have spoken aloud than acknowledge the link between them, but he understood the need for silence.

“The women behind Thanos.”
He motioned for Mateo to look again.
“Their names are Proioxis and Palioxis. They’re Eris’s daughters, two of the Makhai, spirits of battle.”
As they watched, several cyborgs came out of the building. Two of them were supporting Ferran between them, and another had Kiana slung over his shoulder. From the angle she was at, there was no mistaking her unconscious state.

Anger suffused Mateo. His muscles tensed in preparation to rush forward and rescue her. His magic surged violently as though it sensed she was injured. Inhaling sharply, he started to step from their hiding place. Again he felt Tiaki’s hand on his shoulder.

A deadly calm washed over Mateo. One he was sure hadn’t come from within him.

“Mateo, you really don’t want to go out there right now. I promise you I…we will get her back.”

Mateo turned his head and met Tiaki’s gaze. He closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath. The image of Remi the last time he’d seen him flashed in his mind. Remi’s eyes had burned with a desperate determination as he’d asked him not to fight the bonding. The magic in his blood warmed at the memory and whispered,
Trust Tiaki.

Mateo’s emotions warred within his chest. It still felt like he was betraying Remi, yet something inside his soul told him this was the only way to save Kiana. Yes. For her. For Kiana he would set aside all his reservations and allow the connection with Tiaki so they could rescue her.

Once she was safe and the OS had been dealt with, he’d reexamine what Remi had told him and figure out what lay between him, Kiana, and Tiaki. His decision made Mateo reach for his magic. He tentatively sent it toward Tiaki. A shudder of pleasure rippled through the connection when it finally met with Tiaki’s. He chose not to think on that for the moment. All that mattered now was being able to tolerate being near him so he…they…could rescue Kiana.
“I can’t promise I won’t kill your brother.”

Tiaki returned his attention to the group. Kiana still hadn’t moved.
“I can’t either.”
Tiaki’s eyes hardened.
“Let’s go.”

Mateo could have sworn he saw a fire flare to life right beside the golden flecks of his magic. Mateo watched Tiaki’s full power begin to recede as one of the goddesses opened a portal and disappeared through it. He rose and moved to catch up with Tiaki. He could feel his own magic simmering inside, barely controlled at the thought of how still Kiana had been, slung over the cyborg’s back. He didn’t have to be told what would probably happen to her in their camp. He already knew the living hell they’d put her through. If it hadn’t been for Remi, he’d have… Well, it really didn’t matter what would have happened.

“Don’t think about it, Mateo.”

“How the hell do you know what I was thinking?”

Tiaki continued to walk toward the Com Center, being careful to make sure there weren’t any more of the OS forces before rounding corners.
“Your normal defenses are down because you’re focused on Kiana. I’m sure you realize by now that the link our magic formed when I healed you works just like your cybernetic link with Kiana. Only the barriers aren’t defined until we put them up. Though I’ve heard that in times of stress, those types of barriers don’t work.”

“Shit!”

“Don’t worry, Mateo. I’m exercising as much restraint on my magic as I can. Though it wants to ferret out all your secrets. I respect and care for you too much to do so without your invitation.”
Tiaki glanced back at him and added as an afterthought,
“I’m really glad Remi was there for you. Whether he told you or not, I have a feeling there was more to him than he let on.”

Mateo stared at Tiaki in disbelief, trying to figure out how he’d sensed that about Remi. Tiaki had only seen brief snippets of memories he’d not been able to hide of Remi. Before he could ask, Tiaki disappeared through the doors of the Com Center.

Chapter Twenty-One

Kiana came awake by degrees. The sound of frantic whispering pushed through the fog permeating her mind. Her eyes fluttered open. She turned her head to get a better idea of what was going on. She immediately regretted the movement when a sharp pain shot through her head. She tried to choke back a cry of pain but failed. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to breathe through the pain.

“She’s coming around, Gem.”

Kiana fought to recognize who had spoken. She’d heard that voice before, and he’d said Gem. When the pain in her head finally became a dull throb, she carefully opened her eyes again. She struggled to remember how she came to be here.

Gem came into Kiana’s line of sight and raised her eyelids to check her eyes. “Thank God! You’ve been unconscious so long I was beginning to worry they’d hurt you worse than it looked.”

Kiana waved her away. “I’m fine. I think.” She pushed off the bed and sat up. Her head spun for a moment before she regained her equilibrium. She glanced around, careful not to move her head too fast. “Where the hell are we?”

“We’re somewhere near ‘Iolani Palace. As far as we can tell, anyway,” Griffin said.

Kiana looked up to find Griffin standing watch near the cell door. Glancing around the cell, she noted Caelan, another recon team member on the opposite side doing the same. Newt lay on a cot against the far wall. She frowned. “What are you guys doing here?” She returned her gaze to Gem.

Gem clenched her jaw. “We were sent out after Cy got the information about the location of the OS headquarters to set up some surveillance.”

“Only we didn’t get very far before they ambushed us,” Caelan commented in an irritated tone.

Kiana nodded to Newt, who hadn’t moved since she’d woken up. “What’s wrong with him?”

Gem glanced over at Newt. “I’m not sure exactly. He started convulsing shortly after they captured us.” She twisted her hands nervously. “I heard one of the guards mention something about a serum they had injected into one of us during the last skirmish. I think that might be what’s causing him to act this way.”

“Tell her what you tried to do, Gem.”

Gem glared at Griffin. “I was getting to it. I don’t need you butting your nose in.”

Kiana stood and held up a hand to silence her team members. “Enough. Whatever happened, you did it to help. Right now, we need to figure out how the hell to get out of here. You can explain once we’ve escaped.” She walked over to Newt and laid a hand on his forehead. She glanced up at Griffin. “Do you think you can handle carrying him?”

“There’s no need for him to,” Gem said.

Kiana raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

Gem approached Newt and knelt down beside him. “Um. I tried to do that healing thing I saw Tiaki do with you, and it helped him stop convulsing so often.”

“You did what?”

Gem used her fingernails and reopened a cut on the inside of her left wrist. Emerald green swirls of her magic oozed from the cut as she lowered her hand to Newt’s mouth.

Kiana watched in stunned silence as Newt stirred as though sensing her presence, then grabbed hold of Gem’s arm and pulled it to his mouth. She saw his canine teeth elongate into what looked like fangs; then he proceeded to suck not only her magic, but it looked like he was drinking her blood as well. What the hell? That couldn’t be normal. Maybe Tiaki would know. She reached for her connection with him through their magic and panicked when she couldn’t access it.

She took a deep breath. There had to be an explanation for why she couldn’t use her magic. She made a mental note to talk to Tiaki about that when they got back to base.

Gem was breathing hard when Newt finally let go of her. Her eyes were dilated and unfocused. She swayed and started to fall.

Newt sat up, steadied her, then guided Gem to sit beside him.

“I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to do that again, Gem. Talk to Tiaki before doing so.” Kiana glanced at the others. “How often do the guards come to check on you?”

“Every couple of hours. The last time was about an hour and a half ago,” Caelan replied.

“Good. Let’s discuss our strategy and get our plan laid out before they get here.” Kiana looked over at Gem and Newt. “We definitely need to get them out of here before Gem’s magic wears out of Newt’s system. I don’t want her doing that again.”

* * * *

Tiaki took a deep breath and focused on calling to his magic. It sped through his blood with an eagerness he’d never experienced before. Almost as if it sensed they were heading out to find Kiana. Beside him, he felt Mateo shudder. A tremor of awareness raced along his skin when Mateo reached out with his magic and encouraged it to connect with his. He glanced over at his reluctant mate.

Mateo met his gaze.
“I’d do anything for her. Besides, you aren’t familiar with the area we’re jumping to. I thought I might be able to help you direct your portal.”

Tiaki sensed there was more Mateo refused to admit. Now was not the time to push, though. They needed to focus on Kiana.
“The help would be appreciated.”
He turned to glance at the extraction team. Vice Admiral Grant, Cy, Ash, Monte, and Niki stood silently waiting for him to open the portal to get them as close to ‘Iolani Palace as possible. He would rather the team had been smaller, but a recon team they’d sent to the Palace a couple of days ago hadn’t checked in.

Returning his attention to the clearing in front of him, he sent a pulse of energy into the earth, calling to the core magic to help reinforce his when he opened the rift. He backed off when he realized the addition of Mateo’s magic intertwining with his increased the power he summoned from the core. When it didn’t threaten to overwhelm him, he drew on it to form a single thread of shimmering light. Shock coursed through him at the control he had over it.

“Hunter, shake it off and figure out why later. We have someone waiting for us.”
Mateo pushed the image of the place they’d decided to jump to into his mind.