Watchers.
A tear streaked down her cheek.
“Stop blaming yourself,” he said, “for what the center’s done through you.” His thumb wiped the corner of her eye. “Stop running from the wealth of information we could pull from your memories of Ruebens’s programming and from your life before you came to the center. You have to trust me enough to tell me—”
“I have told you, but you won’t listen.” Sarah steeled herself against his compassion. “Trinity’s all that matters now. I can’t go back and change the rest, but I can reach her in my dreams. We have a real lead to finding her now. Let Maddie and me work through the nightmare’s memories and figure out what they mean. If you want me to trust you, get out of my head. Stop pushing me. Focus on convincing your council that another dream projection has to happen. Go get my sister so she can help me.”
His pupils narrowed to pinpricks of emotion. She felt his struggle for control. He dropped his hand from her face.
“You always were a smart woman,” he said. “So why are you so determined to rush back into danger? You were lured into that ocean, Sarah. Your nightmare’sintent was to control your mind, not help you find the truth. I felt it, just like I finally felt how real Trinity’s cries sound to you. I watched Madeline’s mind crumble under the dream’s control. What makes you think that won’t happen again? Does your sister have to die before you accept my help?”
Sarah slapped his face. His hands snapped to her arms. His frustration fired through their deepening connection.
“I love Maddie,” she insisted. “I tried to protect her from what I had to do.”
His biting grip softened, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles. His consciousness wrapped around Sarah’s with a gentleness that made her dizzy.
“You were protecting yourself,” he said. “You were looking for a way out of doing the real work you have to do, and disguising it as some reckless mission to dig for the truth. The truth is that the two of you still don’t know enough about what you’re doing to control something as powerful as this projection. Blame me for doing my job, but don’t take your hatred for me out on Madeline. Or Trinity, assuming she turns out to be real after we analyze your nightmare.”
“She’s real.”
Sarah struggled against his hold. She gave up when it became clear he wasn’t letting go.
“Then so is the danger she’s in if you don’t let me take the lead from now on.” Richard released her and watched her wrap her arms around her body. “Without my help, you won’t find the proof you want that something’s calling to you from the nightmare.”
“It was Trinity.”
“Was it? Did you see her?”
Sarah didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. Because Richard was there now, sensing her memories and her doubts.
“The only thing we know for certain that’s waiting in your nightmare is death,” he said. “Yours and too many others, if we aren’t careful. Other legacies are in play because of this mess. Developments I don’t have time to explain. Things are about to get even uglier, and I can’t give you a choice of whether to cooperate. My mind anchoring yours, understanding all of you, is your only shot to prove what, if anything, is real about Trinity.”
“You said you heard her.”
“I sensed you needing to find something, someone, who kept moving away the further you fell into the dream. And there was fear holding you back. Weakening you. Tell me what you were afraid of.”
“I . . . I don’t know.” She couldn’t remember anything clearly with Richard so close, except for his dream raven’s demand that she come back to him. And the growing connection between them that had once felt as effortless as breathing.
“There was no little girl. Not the way you described Trinity in the dreams you and Madeline shared when Ruebens first drew your minds together. There was a dark presence. Voices. Power and purpose.
A tear streaked down her cheek.
“Stop blaming yourself,” he said, “for what the center’s done through you.” His thumb wiped the corner of her eye. “Stop running from the wealth of information we could pull from your memories of Ruebens’s programming and from your life before you came to the center. You have to trust me enough to tell me—”
“I have told you, but you won’t listen.” Sarah steeled herself against his compassion. “Trinity’s all that matters now. I can’t go back and change the rest, but I can reach her in my dreams. We have a real lead to finding her now. Let Maddie and me work through the nightmare’s memories and figure out what they mean. If you want me to trust you, get out of my head. Stop pushing me. Focus on convincing your council that another dream projection has to happen. Go get my sister so she can help me.”
His pupils narrowed to pinpricks of emotion. She felt his struggle for control. He dropped his hand from her face.
“You always were a smart woman,” he said. “So why are you so determined to rush back into danger? You were lured into that ocean, Sarah. Your nightmare’sintent was to control your mind, not help you find the truth. I felt it, just like I finally felt how real Trinity’s cries sound to you. I watched Madeline’s mind crumble under the dream’s control. What makes you think that won’t happen again? Does your sister have to die before you accept my help?”
Sarah slapped his face. His hands snapped to her arms. His frustration fired through their deepening connection.
“I love Maddie,” she insisted. “I tried to protect her from what I had to do.”
His biting grip softened, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles. His consciousness wrapped around Sarah’s with a gentleness that made her dizzy.
“You were protecting yourself,” he said. “You were looking for a way out of doing the real work you have to do, and disguising it as some reckless mission to dig for the truth. The truth is that the two of you still don’t know enough about what you’re doing to control something as powerful as this projection. Blame me for doing my job, but don’t take your hatred for me out on Madeline. Or Trinity, assuming she turns out to be real after we analyze your nightmare.”
“She’s real.”
Sarah struggled against his hold. She gave up when it became clear he wasn’t letting go.
“Then so is the danger she’s in if you don’t let me take the lead from now on.” Richard released her and watched her wrap her arms around her body. “Without my help, you won’t find the proof you want that something’s calling to you from the nightmare.”
“It was Trinity.”
“Was it? Did you see her?”
Sarah didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. Because Richard was there now, sensing her memories and her doubts.
“The only thing we know for certain that’s waiting in your nightmare is death,” he said. “Yours and too many others, if we aren’t careful. Other legacies are in play because of this mess. Developments I don’t have time to explain. Things are about to get even uglier, and I can’t give you a choice of whether to cooperate. My mind anchoring yours, understanding all of you, is your only shot to prove what, if anything, is real about Trinity.”
“You said you heard her.”
“I sensed you needing to find something, someone, who kept moving away the further you fell into the dream. And there was fear holding you back. Weakening you. Tell me what you were afraid of.”
“I . . . I don’t know.” She couldn’t remember anything clearly with Richard so close, except for his dream raven’s demand that she come back to him. And the growing connection between them that had once felt as effortless as breathing.
“There was no little girl. Not the way you described Trinity in the dreams you and Madeline shared when Ruebens first drew your minds together. There was a dark presence. Voices. Power and purpose.
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