understood how to
hide and evade. If she understood him, he was terrified of both visions the
stones had offered. She touched his cheek and leaned forward, pressing her lips
to his. He responded, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth and wrapping his
arms around her.
She broke the kiss, gasping for air. “First we have to find
out how there can be two futures. Then we have to understand how it is you can
trigger a vision.”
“How do we do that?” His voice was ragged.
“We’re going to have to see my grandmother. She’ll know what
it all means.”
“And where exactly is your grandma?”
“She’s in hiding. I knew Oscar would use her as leverage if
he could find her.” She trusted him with her life, but she was not ready to
trust him with the life of the only family she had left. Her grandmother was
too precious.
He kissed her forehead. “I can’t get you there if you don’t
tell me where we’re going.”
She rested her head against his chest. His heart beat a
steady rhythm and she closed her eyes. “I will tell you, Kane. Just not yet.”
The sun began to set. They walked hand in hand back to the
hotel. In the lobby, Kane stopped a bellman. “Can we eat in the restaurant in
these clothes?”
“ Sí, señor. It is casual here. Would you like for me
to check on a table for you?”
“Yes, please.”
A few minutes later, they were seated one level below the
lobby at one of the dark tables in the outdoor restaurant. Lena barely noticed
the food. She ordered some kind of fish, but she only ate because she was
starving. She plucked pieces off the soft roll and popped them in her mouth
while she thought about how to get to her grandmother.
“Why don’t you tell me what the problem is and we can work
it out together?” Kane asked.
She looked across the table at him. His white shirt was only
buttoned part of the way. The smattering of dark hair that covered his chest
was visible. His bright-blue eyes devoured her as if she were his soft
roll. She wanted to comb her fingers through his mussed hair and pretend they
were on vacation, the same as all the other couples eating around them. But
they were not on vacation. They were lovers because fate had thrust them
together. The vision of them frolicking as a happy family must have been a
mistake. Though she’d never heard of or seen the stones make any errors.
Lena sighed. “I don’t even know where to start.”
His smile was warm. It was the kind of look she could get
lost in. Oscar had never smiled at her that way. He had been too smooth for
warm looks. He used seduction and guile. Kane made no pretenses. He was exactly
what she saw, rough edges and all.
When he spoke, it was low, for her ears only. “You are
worried that finding your grandmother will expose her to Oscar.”
Her heart jumped. “Can you read directly from my mind? I
thought you could only sense feelings.”
“Relax. I am not reading your mind. I would not invade your
privacy that way. I just know I would not want to expose someone I was hiding
by seeking them out. I can practically see you trying to work out the logistics
as you brutalize that piece of bread.”
She felt relief, but something he said troubled her. “Then
you can read minds? Really read them?”
He looked away and his expression was hard and distant. When
he looked back, she saw pain in those beautiful eyes. “When I was in training,
they taught us to probe minds. If you are in physical contact, it’s possible.
If you have permission and the person opens their mind to you, it is very
intimate. It’s possible to share something unique.”
“I’m guessing not everyone feels permission is necessary,”
she said.
His jaw ticked. “If a telepath probes a mind that is closed,
it is violent, painful and can destroy the victim. I consider it a type of
rape.”
She could not help the shiver that ran up her spine at the
idea of someone like Wade or Banta invading her mind in such a way. Then she
thought about
hide and evade. If she understood him, he was terrified of both visions the
stones had offered. She touched his cheek and leaned forward, pressing her lips
to his. He responded, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth and wrapping his
arms around her.
She broke the kiss, gasping for air. “First we have to find
out how there can be two futures. Then we have to understand how it is you can
trigger a vision.”
“How do we do that?” His voice was ragged.
“We’re going to have to see my grandmother. She’ll know what
it all means.”
“And where exactly is your grandma?”
“She’s in hiding. I knew Oscar would use her as leverage if
he could find her.” She trusted him with her life, but she was not ready to
trust him with the life of the only family she had left. Her grandmother was
too precious.
He kissed her forehead. “I can’t get you there if you don’t
tell me where we’re going.”
She rested her head against his chest. His heart beat a
steady rhythm and she closed her eyes. “I will tell you, Kane. Just not yet.”
The sun began to set. They walked hand in hand back to the
hotel. In the lobby, Kane stopped a bellman. “Can we eat in the restaurant in
these clothes?”
“ Sí, señor. It is casual here. Would you like for me
to check on a table for you?”
“Yes, please.”
A few minutes later, they were seated one level below the
lobby at one of the dark tables in the outdoor restaurant. Lena barely noticed
the food. She ordered some kind of fish, but she only ate because she was
starving. She plucked pieces off the soft roll and popped them in her mouth
while she thought about how to get to her grandmother.
“Why don’t you tell me what the problem is and we can work
it out together?” Kane asked.
She looked across the table at him. His white shirt was only
buttoned part of the way. The smattering of dark hair that covered his chest
was visible. His bright-blue eyes devoured her as if she were his soft
roll. She wanted to comb her fingers through his mussed hair and pretend they
were on vacation, the same as all the other couples eating around them. But
they were not on vacation. They were lovers because fate had thrust them
together. The vision of them frolicking as a happy family must have been a
mistake. Though she’d never heard of or seen the stones make any errors.
Lena sighed. “I don’t even know where to start.”
His smile was warm. It was the kind of look she could get
lost in. Oscar had never smiled at her that way. He had been too smooth for
warm looks. He used seduction and guile. Kane made no pretenses. He was exactly
what she saw, rough edges and all.
When he spoke, it was low, for her ears only. “You are
worried that finding your grandmother will expose her to Oscar.”
Her heart jumped. “Can you read directly from my mind? I
thought you could only sense feelings.”
“Relax. I am not reading your mind. I would not invade your
privacy that way. I just know I would not want to expose someone I was hiding
by seeking them out. I can practically see you trying to work out the logistics
as you brutalize that piece of bread.”
She felt relief, but something he said troubled her. “Then
you can read minds? Really read them?”
He looked away and his expression was hard and distant. When
he looked back, she saw pain in those beautiful eyes. “When I was in training,
they taught us to probe minds. If you are in physical contact, it’s possible.
If you have permission and the person opens their mind to you, it is very
intimate. It’s possible to share something unique.”
“I’m guessing not everyone feels permission is necessary,”
she said.
His jaw ticked. “If a telepath probes a mind that is closed,
it is violent, painful and can destroy the victim. I consider it a type of
rape.”
She could not help the shiver that ran up her spine at the
idea of someone like Wade or Banta invading her mind in such a way. Then she
thought about
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