IN ADDITION TO Riley and his girlfriend, our group gained a third newcomer. Her name was Honora Sands, a ghostly pale girl around Talia’s age. She was shy and a little in awe of us UNITED agents, as if we were some sort of fabled superheroes her parents had read her bedtime stories about. Only, in reality, we were a lot scarier than Honora had envisioned.

Spending so much of my life at the McDonough School, I often forgot how off-putting others found some of us. Even those who were our kind. More so than the others in our group, Talent like mine, Talia’s, and Penny’s was something many found intimidating. Even if they didn’t understand why. Others found the abundance of raw Talent alluring, wanted to be close to us as if some of the power might rub off onto them. The latter was understandable to me, since I craved the closeness of other strong Talents. As did Talia. It was that desire, that calling from other’s gifts, which allowed us to recognize Talent in another.

Reactions like Honora’s usually bothered me, but today I found her fear sort of heady. Maybe that made me a weirdo. Maybe all of the physical power that came along with my Created Talents had finally burned enough holes in my brain that I was losing it. Nonetheless, it eased the feelings of helplessness.

The short flight to the safe house was filled with one rapid-fire question after another, lobbed in quick succession at our three new British friends. Riley, the self-appointed spokesman for the trio, provided most of the answers, with the girls chiming in to fill in the gaps.

While listening to the horror story from the beginning, my mood grew shadowy very quickly. As much as I found Kenly’s actions at the Hamilton inexcusable, no one deserved the experience she’d been having. And yet, my misery was deeper still than the empathy I felt for the girl. Hearing what Kenly had been through while in London made me feel like a piece of shit. It was my fault. I’d told her to run. I’d told her to go somewhere no one knew her. At the time, I’d figured she’d just choose some obscure state to hide out in. Like Idaho. After all, that was how my parents kept me out of TOXIC’s hands for so long. We’d hidden in small towns and stayed off the radar. That was what I’d assumed Kenly would do.

Part of me knew I was taking responsibility for something I’d actually held no control over. A whisper of logic deep within me tried to battle the darkness. How was I supposed to know that Kenly would cross an ocean because of me?

No matter the number of times I asked myself that very question, the guilt refused to abate.

“Stop beating yourself up, Erik. Please. It isn’t your fault,” Talia’s mental voice broke in through my self-reproach as the hoverplane began to descend in the English countryside.

My mental walls were down and she had a clear picture into my mind. The look of concern in her eyes and the paleness of her complexion made me wonder how much snooping she’d done while I was brooding.

“Is that a castle?” I asked aloud, pointing out the hover’s window at an enormous stone structure below.

Yes, I was trying to change the subject. Yes, it was like latching on to the first shiny object dangling in front of me. But the damned thing really did look like a castle. Like something from a book about knights and ladies-in-waiting and other crap. Maybe there would even be swords on the walls.

“It’s Walburton Manor,” Angus answered from the front. “Councilwoman Walburton’s family home.”

I whistled. This was not what I was expecting for a safe house. TOXIC’s safe houses had been dilapidated barns.

“Impressive,” I admitted.

“I’m sorry, I seem to have missed the part where this was a luxury getaway. Is she royalty or something?” Penny asked, practically crawling into Brand’s lap to get a better look. He didn’t appear to mind one bit, either.

“Not technically speaking. But her roots do trace back to the current ruling family, I believe,” Angus replied.

Talia and I exchanged a glance. And then Talia asked the question that was on both of our minds. One that she shouldn’t have said out loud.

“Please don’t tell me that it’s through King Jensen. It’s not, is it?”

“Possibly. I don’t recall offhand,” Angus said.

As if it was no big deal.

“You don’t think she’s related to the Poachers, do you?” Talia sent.

“Maybe. If so, she might know more than she’s telling,” I sent back.

Talia nodded in agreement.

We didn’t get another chance to talk about the theoretical link between Victoria and the Poachers just then, though. Before all of us had finished deplaning, two men dressed in UNITED flak jackets and black cargo pants emerged from the enormous front doors of Walburton Manor. Angus greeted them by name, calling one Chaz and the other Viktor. Brief introductions were made all around, then we were asked to follow them to the conference room.

It was difficult to retain a modicum of dignity when passing through the imposing entryway; I felt like a kid gaping at the oversized toys in a luxury toy store. Though the outside of the manor looked straight out of the middle ages, the inside was like something out of a catalogue on modern living. The furniture was sleek, the floors a gleaming polished mahogany that couldn’t be bought in this day and age. On the walls were various moving, live-action screens created by the grand masters of the medium. Even knowing as little as I did about art, I was aware that many of them were celebrated works, akin to the old world’s Starry Night or Mona Lisa. Only the extraordinarily wealthy could afford to own a single one of the renowned pieces hanging the entire length of the hallway. Whether Victoria was related to the Poaching families or not, she was definitely loaded.

As we wound through the lower-level maze that ostensibly led to a conference room, Talia slid her small hand into mine. Her fingers were warm and comforting, making my heart feel a little lighter. Guilt over my part in Kenly’s abduction inched back into a corner of my mind where it could be forgotten for the time being. Talia had that effect on me—making me feel like, no matter what else was happening, everything would be okay. Because I had her.

“Erik?” Talia asked tentatively, testing the bond to see if my mind was open.

“Yes, beautiful?”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her smile. I loved her smile. I loved making her smile. And I hated that I was the reason she rarely did so anymore. Well, one of the reasons. Still, I was supposed to be her rock. I was supposed to be there for her, and lately I’d been slacking on my duties. Right then, I resolved to step it up. To be stronger, for her.

“This is really going to happen, right? I mean, Victoria is going to make sure this rescue happens? She isn’t going to change her mind?” Talia asked.

My girlfriend knew full well that I had no more insight into the inner workings of Victoria Walburton’s brain than she did, but I appreciated that she was talking to me about her concerns. As I felt the comfort of our connection, I realized that I really needed to keep my mind open to her more often. Regardless of how unmanly it was to think, she was the sunshine to my storm clouds.

“No, Tals. She won’t change her mind. She’s already making plans. Don’t worry, we’ll get Kenly back,” I promised.

Talia squeezed my hand, sending the thought of me kissing her. Unsurprisingly, my adrenaline spiked. Since the very first day I met Talia, she had that effect on me. Part of me wished I’d waited to experience all the physical stuff with her for the first time. The rest was all a waste of my time. Even though I didn’t know her back then, and she wasn’t always mine, I should have been more patient while waiting for the love of my life to come along.

“Here we are,” the agent named Chaz said, coming to a stop in front of a carved wooden door identical to the last twelve we’d bypassed. It stretched up well above my head and was wider than my arm span, as if people who lived in castles were all enormous. “Councilwoman Walburton is waiting for your call.”

“She obviously didn’t trust me to keep my promise,” Talia sent, rolling her eyes up at me.

“Do you blame her?” I sent back teasingly.

“Agent Lyons,” Chaz addressed Talia, “You will be seated at the head of the table. Agents Kelley and Meadows, you will sit on either side of her.”

Was this guy serious? This was a little much, even for Victoria

“Assigned seats?” Brand muttered, giving voice to my thoughts. “What are we, thirteen?”

I laughed, though the rigid Chaz didn’t look the least bit amused. Clearly, the guy needed to get out of these stone walls more. Viktor had yet to say a word thus far. Being castle agents, what I’d already begun to think of them as, was apparently detrimental to everyday social skills.

The large, oval conference table sat in the middle of a wood-paneled room with wallscreens on three of the four walls. There were enough chairs to seat twenty, but Chaz and Viktor did not join us. The castle agents stayed near the back, like sentinels watching over our group. Their odd detachment made me wonder why they were really there. Were they babysitting us? Was Victoria concerned I’d go rogue? She’d been sending me and the others out on missions to track the Created for weeks, and we always came back sans killing spree. So the added security was odd.

Without needing to dip in to her thoughts, I could tell Talia was thinking the same thing. She kept eyeing the two agents like they were the enemy, about to pounce on us at any moment. Her mistrust leaked into me, and suddenly I wanted them out of the room.

Steady, I coached myself, not wanting to validate any suspicions regarding my mental soundness.

Brand, Talia, and I took our assigned seats, with the others filling the empty chairs closest to where we sat. As I watched everyone getting settled, I noticed Willa clinging desperately to Honora’s hand. Every so often she would visibly tighten her grasp, but Honora didn’t utter a word of complaint. Riley kept rubbing his girlfriend’s back reassuringly. Curious, I took a quick peek into Willa’s mind, just to see why her hazel eyes were large as dinner plates.

I instantly regretted my decision.

Unlike Honora, Willa was not afraid of us. In fact, we barely registered on her radar. She was channeling Kenly, experiencing a flood of emotions that ranged from mortification to fury. And, suddenly, I was too. Every ounce of her indignity and anger streamed into me. It was an odd sensation, not seeing what the target saw, but instead feeling what she felt.

Talia’s mentee was a fighter, I had to give her that. Whatever was happening to her was bad enough to induce shame, but that shame was making her livid. Kenly wanted to kill her captors. Not figuratively, either. Really kill her captors. And Kenly’s rage was concentrated on one person in particular.

Truly grasping the extent of her situation, I wanted out of that damned conference room. I wanted to attempt to View her, and it was impossible in there. Remote Viewing was one of my more sporadic Created Talents, not something I could call on in a snap, and I needed a calm, tranquil atmosphere without distractions for it to work properly.

“Erik?”

I blinked several times, unaware that I’d lapsed into a daze.

“Yeah? Sorry, Tals,” I said, turning to look at my girlfriend. She had a vice grip on my arm with one hand, looking like she was about to slap me with her other one.

Dammit. How many times had she called my name?

“You okay, man?” Brand asked, his eyes showing genuine concern.

My gaze darted to where Willa sat hunched over in her chair, hands furiously twisting in her lap. My heart went out to the poor girl. She was going through real agony, feeling as though she owed it to Kenly to stay with her.

“Fine, Brand. Just zoned out for a minute,” I said, taking a beat longer than I should have to answer him.

Feeling torn, I wasn’t sure whether or not I should tell them about what I’d just felt from Kenly via Willa. I was worried about drawing unwanted attention and a barrage of questions to someone who was already on the edge. Willa looked like she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She was gnawing on her lower lip so intently that a tiny smear of blood had appeared in the corner of her mouth.

Talia followed my gaze and sucked in a deep breath, obviously putting together the pieces and understanding the big picture. Because I know my girlfriend better than she knows herself, I knew exactly what she was about to do.

“Don’t, Talia,” I said, my tone shaper than intended. “Please, don’t do it. You don’t want to see it. Feel it. Whatever. Just don’t. Okay? Let’s get through this meeting, and then I’ll tell you about it. And I’ll view Kenly. We need to hurry up and get through this so I can try to see her.”

Talia’s beautiful purple eyes searched mine, looking for answers she didn’t want. Answers I didn’t want to share with her. I didn’t ever want Talia to feel a modicum of the anguish that both Kenly and Willa were experiencing.

“Is she hurt?” Talia finally sent back, chewing her own lip just like Willa.

“No. I don’t think so anyway. She’s scared, though. But more than that, she’s pissed. And being pissed is good. It’ll get her through all of this.”

“Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds gazing adoringly at each other,” Frederick of all people said. “But we should really get this meeting started.”

Truthfully, I was surprised Brand hadn’t been the first to make a comment, with far more bite than Frederick’s. Making asinine remarks to Talia was his thing. One glance at Talia’s other side, and I knew why. Brand and Penny wore twin masks of concentration, a telltale sign they were having their own private conversation. They were new to the whole mind-speak thing, and Talia’s best friend and her boyfriend seemed to be under the impression that it worked better if they looked constipated. Regardless of how many times I told Brand that looking like you were in dire need of a restroom didn’t make the transmissions clearer, the guy never listened to me.

“Sorry, Frederick,” I said, trying to ignore the spectacle. “We’re good down here. Ready when everyone else is.”

Evidently the British agents had been waiting for this cue. Which would’ve been helpful to know five minute prior.

Behind me, either Chaz or Viktor clicked a button that caused the wallscreen at the front of the room to turn on. Instead of seeing Victoria sitting at the desk in her office at UNITED headquarters, as I’d expected, a duplicate of our conference room appeared. The effect was as though we were looking in to a reflection. Where our table ended, the one on the other side of the connection began. The only difference was that a group of young agents didn’t sit around the other table. The entire UNITED council did.

Shit.

I glanced at our three new additions to witness their reactions. Willa, still lost in Kenly’s head, didn’t even look up. Honora stared at the councilmembers with that same wide-eyed mix of adoration and fear she’d given me and my friends. Riley sat blank-faced. Only the churning in his bizarre eyes belied his reaction. They’d morphed from flames to whirlpools.

“Mr. Wyld,” Victoria began, addressing Riley first. “On behalf of the council, I want to thank you for coming forward.” Her tone was frosty and seemed to contradict her statement. “Agent Lyons has asked that you and your girlfriend, Wilhelmina Tuggard, be included in this mission.”

Riley cleared his throat before answering.

“Um, yes. Thank you, Councilwoman.”

“It is our understanding that this auction is to take place tomorrow,” said another councilwoman. Her name was Amberly, if I was recalling correctly. She’d ignored Riley’s statement, instead addressing the team.

“This means we have precious little time,” Amberly continued, as though we might be unaware of the fact. “Other members of the UNITED taskforce are headed your way, as we speak. We also have strike teams on standby, but it is our hope that they will not be necessary. With the Treaty vote approaching, an assault will not do us any favors when it comes to public opinion.”

Again, she said it like we didn’t know the potential ramifications. Like Victoria hadn’t already given us the same speech. Since I wasn’t acquainted with Amberly in the same way I was with Victoria, I stopped myself from voicing my frustrations. She was wasting what little time we had, but it was her right to do so. Unfortunately, Talia didn’t practice the same restraint.

“If we need to use brute force, then we should,” Talia interjected. “These people are dealing in kidnapped Talents.”

It was as if uttering the words brought out her initial horror all over again.

I squeezed Talia’s hand, urging her to keep calm. Everyone on our side of the wallscreen felt the same way, but fighting with the council was not the way to go. They’d been complacent for this long where the Poachers were concerned, and I didn’t want them deciding that the whole mission was not worth losing face with the public.

“I know that better than you do, Agent Lyons,” Amberly said calmly. “But those heads of nations whom we need the votes of to renew the Treaty? Many are clients of the Poachers. Angering them now is not what we want. That being said, I think we can all agree,” Amberly glanced around the council table for confirmation, “that if it comes to an actual assault, then so be it. We cannot allow any of the Created to fall into the wrong hands. Private ownership of any individual is a revolting idea. But the Created are akin to deadly weapons.”

Talia huffed and sat back in her chair, somewhat mollified.

The news about the Poachers’ important clientele was not the bombshell the councilwoman had anticipated for several of us, drawing a curious expression tinged in suspicion from her. Evidently, Victoria had not informed the rest of the council that she spoke freely in front of Talia and me earlier that morning. Which of course had been passed along to the others at breakfast. Our team had been processing our outrage for several hours.

In fact, Victoria had shared critical intel with Talia and me, things that were above our pay grade, several times over the past few weeks. Thinking back on Victoria’s diatribe about trust that morning, I wondered if keeping us in the loop was her way of reaching out. As if by telling us the unbridled truth, gory details and all, she could gain our trust.

“Our Crypto teams are working to secure invitations to the auction for your team,” Victoria said, taking over before anyone on her side of the divide questioned our foreknowledge. “As you know, this mission will be clandestine, so each of you will assume the identities of actual auction invitees.

“The plan is for you to buy the Created. Money is not an issue, of course. Dummy bank accounts will be set up under your assumed identities. No matter the cost, one of you will be the highest bidder for each of the targets.”

Victoria’s golden gaze landed on Penny.

“Agent Crane, I trust that you can route the funds through enough servers and holding companies that the Poachers will be unable to trace them back to UNITED?”

“I can,” Penny agreed.

Brand beamed at his girlfriend and I had to suppress my instinctive urge to give him hell for it. Not because I didn’t understand the pride he felt, or what ridiculous things that love for a woman could do to a guy. No, it was because Brand gave me so much shit about Talia, and here he was all starry-eyed because his girlfriend was a computer whiz. Regardless of the Created Talents she possessed, Penny was a Brain, and had been since birth. The girl’s mind was a computer. If she couldn’t hack into some basic man-made mainframes, it would be absurd.

“One hindrance still remains,” Victoria said, her voice drawing my attention once again. There would be plenty of time to bash on Brand later. “The location of the auction is unknown. Though we were able to procure invitations, they do not have any obvious details on them.”

“Obvious details?” Frederick asked, brow furrowed.

“Yes. The Poachers use symbols to indicate the date, time, and location of their auctions. It is a safeguard so that undesirables and law enforcement cannot just show up. The men who attend these auctions are among the most powerful in the world, requiring security against detrimental exposure. Though not everyone disagrees with the Poachers, it would cause great scandal nonetheless if these dealings were public.”

Was it bad that I was a little impressed by the ingenuity?

“Our Cryptos are busy trying to decipher the code on the invitation itself. Agent Crane, if you would also take a look, that would be appreciated. Otherwise, we will have to rely on those of you with viewing capabilities. Agent Kelley….” Victoria paused to smile affectionately at me before continuing. “You are acquainted with Ms. Baker, correct?”

Returning her smile, I nodded.

“And you believe that you will be able to locate her?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” I said without hesitation.

My insides squirmed with the half-truth. There was no guarantee that I’d be able to find her. But one look at Willa—who’d given her lip a rest in favor of maniacally twirling a lock of hair around her index finger, tugging on it every so often—renewed my resolve to give it my most determined effort. For Willa’s sake, I would find Kenly. Hopefully once I made a physical connection with Kenly’s mind, Willa would be able to relinquish her emotional one. Her sanity might just depend on my success.

Yeah, no pressure.

“Excellent. Your false identities and documents will be ready late tonight, and will arrive by the morning at the latest. I shall be in touch as necessitated until then, and throughout your preparations tomorrow. Until then, I advise you all to rest. You have an exceedingly long day ahead of you.”

Without any further sendoff, the picture disappeared and the council was gone.

“I will show you all to the guest wing now,” Chaz’s rigid voice spoke from behind us.

“Those two are so creepy,” Janelle muttered under her breath, as she stood.

I shot her an amused grin. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

The guest wing was not nearly as modern as the rest of the house, it had more of the castle-like atmosphere I’d been expecting from the stone exterior. Oil paintings of old dudes in ceremonial clothing hung on the walls and antique knickknacks littered the hallways. There was even a suit of armor, which made Penny and Talia giggle. And yes, the swords I was hoping for were there, too.

Even though there were more than enough rooms for all of us to have our own, I followed Talia into hers without a second thought. She told Riley and the two girls to rest, promising that someone would come find them as soon as we knew more. Talia wanted to question Willa, I felt her desire as if it were my own. But we both could tell the girl was distraught, and now was not the time. Besides, if I was able to View Kenly, Honora’s input would be unnecessary.

To my utter dismay, Frederick and Henri followed Talia and me into our bedroom.

“We’ve been wanting to get you two alone,” Henri said, closing the door behind him.

“Sorry, man, I’ve told you before. I might be into the whole orgy thing, but Tals is a little shy.”

My joke fell flat, and I regretted it the moment the words left my mouth without thought. Humor was my coping mechanism, and I was as close to the edge as Willa. Ever since I’d connected to her mind, I was having trouble detangling myself from it. Kenly’s emotions were still bleeding from Willa’s thoughts into my head. Because Kenly was so upset, the pull was that much stronger.

“And I’ve told you, you’re not my type,” Frederick deadpanned, playing along. “Regardless, if you can get me a picture of Kenly, I’ll try to View her. I know your abilities are…not quite steady yet, Erik.”

Frederick sat down on the end of a chaise lounge, next to a trifold screen with koi fish painted across it. He was trying not to offend me by stating what we all knew to be true: my new abilities were spotty. Though I appreciated his efforts, I wasn’t offended, and wouldn’t have been if he just said it outright. Unfortunately, the fact that I was actually acquainted with Kenly—you can’t get much closer to a person than almost strangling them—I was the better candidate.

“It’s okay,” I told Frederick. “I’m going to try. If I can’t, then you should definitely have a go. But I do know her. And I’ve, um, had physical contact with her. So, in this one case, I might actually have better luck with it.”

Neither Henri nor Frederick knew how close I’d come to killing Kenly in the Hamilton. Truthfully, I wasn’t even sure Talia knew. I hoped she didn’t, I didn’t want her to. Those images from the fleeting minutes in front of the door to McDonough’s suite at the Hamilton, that feeling that had overcome me…those were things I’d buried so deep in the subterranean reaches of my mind that Talia would need to destroy my psyche to find them.

“Okay….” Frederick drew out the syllables. “We’ll leave you to it then. Just let me know if you need me.”

“I will,” I promised.

Frederick stood to leave. Henri already had one hand on the doorknob when he paused and turned to Talia.

“We’ll get her back,” he told my girlfriend, with a kind smile.

“I know,” Talia said. To my surprise, she didn’t leave it at that. Mounting irritation streaked her words as she continued on. “I just hate how the council is treating all of this, you know? I mean, I get it. They want the Created in containment. Okay. Fine. They don’t want to piss off a bunch of important people before the Treaty vote. Okay. Fine. But they’re missing the bigger picture. The Poachers. It’s not about what else is happening in the world right now. It’s about them. And they need to be stopped. Not in a week, not in a month, not at some indeterminate point in the future. Now.”

Arms crossed over her chest, defiance etched in every inch of her face, Talia looked every bit the warrior that she was. Impossibly, I loved her more in that moment.

Frederick wrapped an arm around Talia’s shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze.

“I know, Tal. I agree. But if the Treaty doesn’t pass, none of it matters. All of us, UNITED, everyone—we’ll all be forced to live on the island or go into hiding. There will not be anywhere safe for us. No one will treat us as if we deserve the same fundamental human rights as everyone else. In the eyes of the law, we won’t be equals. Poaching won’t just be something that’s done quietly underground if that happens. It will, essentially, be legal. The only prayer we have of stopping the Poachers is to make sure that Treaty passes. Then we can shut them down. If it doesn’t pass, we won’t have any authority, no resources, no UNITED. If it doesn’t pass…we won’t have anything, just a tenuous hope for survival ahead of us.”

That was a sobering thought. From Victoria’s pep talk earlier—had it really only been that morning?—I understood how important the Treaty vote was. Until Frederick spelled it out in such plain terms, though, I didn’t truly appreciate the ramifications of it failing. If I was being honest, I hadn’t considered that as a real possibility.

But he was right. The council was right. Diplomacy, at this precarious juncture, was key. The vote had to go in our favor. There was no other option. If it didn’t, the Poachers would be the least of our concerns.

Frederick bent down and placed a soft kiss on Talia’s forehead before crossing the room to where Henri was holding the door open for him.

“We’ll see you guys in a little bit,” Henri called over his shoulder.

He pulled the door closed behind them, leaving Talia and me alone. Finally.

There was a giant four-post bed in the center of the room, with curtains tied to each wooden beam. Talia walked over and flopped down on the mattress, causing a thin layer of dust to form a cloud around her small body. She wrinkled her nose and sneezed.

“I guess Victoria doesn’t have a lot of houseguests,” she said, waving at the air with her hands to ward off the particles flying up her nose.

“Probably not,” I agreed, crossing the room to sit beside her. I eased myself gingerly onto the bed, attempting to avoid another eruption from Mt. Dustmore. Then I lay down next to her, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her close.

Talia rolled onto her side, burying her face in my shirt. Having her in my arms was like a balm to my frayed nerves and raw emotions. The ever-present storm within me quieted. I stroked her hair, playing with the curls. We lay there in silence for several long minutes, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I was half in my own head and half in Willa’s, gauging Kenly’s emotional state. With Talia’s mind wide open, I felt the struggle going on inside of her. She was worried. She was scared. She was pissed. She felt useless. And, after Frederick’s words about the Treaty, she was starting to lose hope.

“Let’s focus on the one thing we can do something about,” I told her. “Let’s get Kenly back. Get the other Created. Once that’s done, we’ll worry about the Treaty. Okay?”

“What about the other Talents at the auction?” she asked, her voice muffled since she was essentially talking into my shirt. Ignoring the heat her breath sent through the material, warming the skin and causing my mind to wander, I focused instead on her words. “Are we just going to leave them behind? That’s not right.”

A small wave of darkness crashed within me and I gritted my teeth. Somehow, I hadn’t considered that point. All anyone had discussed, seemingly all they cared about, was getting the Created out. There hadn’t been any talk of the Talented. But Talia was right, we couldn’t just leave them.

“We’ll do what we can, Tals,” I said, knowing the vague promise wouldn’t appease my girlfriend. Needing to do something useful, I added, “I’m going try to View Kenly.”

Talia sat up and scooted towards the ornate headboard. She wiggled into the pillows, adjusting positions until she found one she liked. When she was settled, she beckoned for me to join her. Crawling up the length of the mattress until I was at the top, I lay down beside her. I wanted to put my head in her lap, have her run her fingers through my hair to relax me. But that would have only proved a greater distraction than a help.

“You’re supposed to be clearing your dirty mind,” Talia scolded mockingly.

“Then you probably shouldn’t touch me,” I volleyed.

“Seriously?” she asked, fingers already massaging my neck.

Giving in to temptation, I rolled over and placed my cheek on her stomach.

“No,” I answered, relaxing into her touch. “I mean, yes, you are distracting, in the best way possible. But no, keep rubbing my neck. It’s helping me settle down.”

Closing my eyes, I took a brief moment to breathe in Talia’s scent, and then focused. Even with her so close, with her hands on me, concentrating was surprisingly easy.

Instantly, I was drawn to Willa’s mind. The girl was in agony, feeling Kenly’s emotions as if they were her own. I was almost scared to View Kenly, scared to step into her reality. For maybe the first time ever, I actually wished Talia was not there. Knowing the pain that Kenly’s current situation would cause my girlfriend—she would surely experience it to some degree, from me—I tried to block Talia while still keeping my mind open and receptive to Willa’s.

“Erik, don’t worry about me right now,” Talia murmured, gently running her fingers through my hair. “I can handle it, whatever ‘it’ is. This isn’t about me. It’s about Kenly. Forget I’m even here.”

Right. Because that’s ever going to happen, I thought.

Talia rewarded me with a soft laugh.

Sparing her a small smile, I obeyed the command in her whispered words. She’d only used a hint of manipulation, and I easily could have fought it, if I’d been so inclined. Instead, I let her orders wash over me and ease my mind. At first there was nothing but a soft blackness that enveloped me for what felt like several long minutes. Then, gradually, like slowly dissipating fog, the images in my head came into focus. I no longer felt Kenly as Willa did. Instead, I saw the younger girl.

Kenly was in a study or library of some sort, the kind that belonged in a castle much like Walburton Manor. She was sitting on a couch, and there were several other people in the room with her. Seven, to be exact. Three of them—a boy and girl roughly my age, and an older man—were off to one side. The man sat in an armchair, with the other two on either side of him. His imposing nature and confident demeanor clearly stated that he was in charge. The pair flanking the leader were most likely his children, judging by their similar bone structure and golden coloring.

Once I’d taken them in, my gaze landed next on the small—no, tiny—girl seated in an armchair on Kenly’s left side. The scowl adorning her pursed lips caused faint lines around her mouth, ones she was much too young to have. They suggested that the dour expression on her face was ever-present.

Back in my world, Talia gasped and her pulse spiked. She was witnessing the same scene I was, using my mind as the conduit. My eyes darted around the study for the source of her alarm. In front of the fireplace, I found it. A guy, maybe nineteen or twenty, stood between two guards, who were playing a game of who-can-hit-the-hardest.

James. His name popped into my head at the same time Talia muttered it aloud. Any lingering doubts over whether he’d been involved in Kenly’s abduction vanished. Understanding dawned. The emotions that Willa was getting from Kenly, the panic and hopelessness, weren’t really about Kenly at all. She was scared for James. Scared for what might happen to him if she did or did not do…something. Since my Viewing abilities worked differently than Willa’s, I didn’t know what that “something” was.

So far, my vision was all video and no audio. Concentrating harder, I fully immersed myself in the scene in my head. It worked. The older man was speaking to Kenly.

“That will do now, let us all calm down. Please aid Mr. Wellington to his feet,” the man said, lazily waving a hand at the guard before turning back to Kenly. “The Isle is owned by, and therefore under the control of, UNITED. Being that you are Created, Miss Baker, I believe it is safe to say that you will be placed in containment the moment you step off the hoverplane. One assumes that this is not the fate you wish for yourself, now is it? As for natural born Chromes, the space is limited. To my knowledge, it will be a first come, first served situation. As I understand it, the Isle, inclusive of all of its islands, has a capacity equal to one-third of the world’s Chrome population. It seems this will leave an overwhelming majority of your lot to fend for themselves.”

The brief history lesson about the islands seemed to stun Kenly. It wasn’t surprising since, until recently, I’d known very little about UNITED’s Isle of Exile. I tried reaching her mind, to read her thoughts and get inside her head. But my powers either weren’t strong enough, or I wasn’t well enough acquainted with Kenly to use telepathy from such a great distance.

There in the study, several moments of tense silence passed while Kenly debated her next words carefully. After a minute or two, an odd-yet-familiar look crossed Kenly’s features. Her brown eyes became slightly unfocused and the anxiety drained from her expression like water through a sieve. There was a Mind Manipulator in the room. I’d seen Talia use her powers countless times, and I knew the signs well.

But Kenly was clearly a decent blocker, and the Manipulation wasn’t taking hold the way the wielder had hoped. When Kenly finally spoke, her voice was hesitant, as if half of her wanted to comply with the orders in her head and half of her remained unconvinced.

The guy, James, was begging Kenly to ignore the voices in her head. But her attention never wavered from the golden-haired girl sitting beside the older man, as if fascinated by what the girl had to say.

“All you have to do is answer a few questions with the absolute truth, and your boyfriend may remain here, as well,” the golden-haired girl said, her tone warm and friendly. “It’s that simple, Kenly. Just answer a few questions. Back in America, you were mates with a girl called Natalia Lyons, is that correct?”

Now I, too, was captivated by what the girl had to say. The mention of Talia’s name, her full name, was disconcerting. They shouldn’t know her name. I didn’t want them knowing her name, having her on their radar. Talia was mine and no one was going to take her from me.

As engrossed as I was in Kenly’s reality, I still felt Talia squirm beneath me. The fingers in my hair stilled and my girlfriend’s heart began to pound harder. Guilt bombarded me through my connection to Talia. She blamed herself for Kenly’s capture, believing that the younger girl had been targeted simply because of her friendship with Talia.

Eyes still closed, I reached blindly for Talia’s hand. Instead, my fingers closed around a more interesting part of her anatomy. When I squeezed lightly, Talia swatted my hand away.

“Focus,” she admonished.

Honestly, the boob-grab had been a total mistake. I mean, touching Talia was never a mistake, but I’d only been trying to reassure her. Not provide myself with a cheap thrill. Regardless, the effect was the same. Talia relaxed and her guilt abated slightly.

Unfortunately, those moments of levity cost me. I missed part of the conversation between Kenly and the blonde, who, judging by the melodic tone of her voice, was the Mind Manipulator.

The attention of those in the study had momentarily shifted to James, once again on the receiving end of several well-placed punches. Instantly, I admired the guy. He took hit after hit with barely a grimace. All the while, he kept pleading with Kenly not to give in to them.

“Wrong answer, Kenly,” the Manipulator bellowed. “Let’s try again, shall we? Where is Natalia Lyons?”

Kenly doubled-over in pain, clutching her head like she’d been the one taking the punches. As much as I hated Kenly Baker for the attempt on Talia’s life, a part of me ached for her. She was being asked to choose between Talia and the guy, James. It was clear from the scene that James’s punishment would purportedly end if Kenly divulged Talia’s whereabouts.

Anticipating another infusion of guilt from Talia, I reached for her hand again, this time finding my mark. Talia threaded her fingers through mine, but she seemed distracted. At first I thought she’d gone numb, that the burden being placed on Kenly was causing Talia so much anguish that she was shutting down.

Of course, I should have known better. Talia was empathetic to a fault, but she was also good at compartmentalizing her feelings when necessary. Especially when she could take action.

It was like someone had hit rewind on my thoughts. All of a sudden, images and snippets of conversation drifted through my head, appearing as blurs and indecipherable babbling. The odd sensation was almost enough to pull me out of the vision.

“No. Focus, please. I’m almost there, I think. Just hold on a little longer,” Talia sent.

That was when I realized that my girlfriend was doing what I could not: sifting through Kenly’s memories. Using me as a go-between, Talia was able to read Kenly’s mind. She was going backwards through her mentee’s most recent memories for some indication as to where she was being held.

Impressed was a vast understatement.

Even more impressive was the fact that it worked.

Andrew’s Rock. Wherever the hell that was. That’s where the Poachers had Kenly. Also, the location of the auction.