24

Riley lay on her bunk in the dim twilight of rest period, working her way through a multitude of options for escape. It was the only time she could be reasonably sure no one was listening to her thoughts. She stifled a yawn. So far, every idea was overflowing with flaws. There was only one door and it was guarded around the clock. She couldn’t teleport past the perimeter, even if she knew how. Dean rarely left her alone and her orb was linked to his somehow, meaning he’d know if she used it to force her way outside. And besides, they were hundreds of metres below the surface and she had no idea how to get on top of the island or how to get off it once she did.

A slight rustling caught her attention. Someone was creeping along the divider wall that separated the sleeping quarters from the main chamber. Riley sat up and squinted. There was something familiar about that silhouette.

The shadow slid up to her bunk and a hand whipped out of the darkness to clamp across her mouth. “Shh,” Darius hissed. “Stay quiet.”

Riley peeled his hand away. “Just what the–”

Darius gave her shoulder a shove and dropped down onto her bunk beside her. He lay back, tugging her arm so that she would lie beside him. “Don’t attract attention,” he whispered.

“Get out of my bed,” Riley ordered as she shoved him.

“Just a sec. We have to talk.”

“We can talk at meal times,” Riley began, her voice starting to rise with annoyance.

“And everyone will see us,” Darius said quietly. “Haven’t you noticed they’re keeping us apart?”

Riley’s jaw clenched. She’d been planning to casually sit next to him at a meal or “accidentally” wander into his work station, but this was way too obvious. If Dean woke up …

“Do you have your orb?” Darius asked.

“Sure. Always,” Riley nodded. No one had told her to do it, she’d just felt odd, leaving it on the pillow or in her locker. Like taking off her arm and leaving it somewhere else.

“Good. Never let it out of your sight. You’re the only one of the three of us who has one now.”

“Doesn’t Alec?”

“No. They’re preventing him access. I have a good idea why, though.”

“So?” Riley shoved his arm with her elbow. “Spill.”

“No one has told me directly. Anna’s not talking.” He sounded bitter about it. “But I’ve looked in Logan’s files and overheard a few things.”

“Does Logan know you’re rooting through his stuff and eavesdropping?” Riley interrupted.

“Don’t be an idiot.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake, Dare,” Riley said. “He’ll have your nuts in a sling if he catches you.”

“He’s gotta catch me first.”

She could almost hear the grin in his voice. He rolled over onto his side. His breath was warm on her cheek. “Look, Riley, here’s the point. Logan’s convinced that Rhozan has somehow tapped into the kid’s mind and is using his knowledge of this world against us.”

Riley sat up with surprise. “What the–”

“I know, it’s crazy.” Darius grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back down until her head lay on the pillow beside his. He was silent for a moment. When he did speak his voice was low and urgent. “Logan’s only given another two work periods for Anna to break through and get Alec under control. Or else.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“I’m not.”

“Then you’re mistaken. Logan’s the Mr. Spock of this little party. He’s hardly going around yelling ‘off with their heads.’ I’ve watched this guy for a week. He hardly has any emotions.”

“I don’t know who this Spock fellow is, but I know Logan. He’s seriously worried. And when Logan gets worried, he gets rid of whatever worries him. I’ve worked for the guy for years, remember?”

Her heart did a nasty twist inside her chest. Logan had seemed pretty pissed the day she arrived, even if he hadn’t shown a flicker of it since. “What are we going to do?”

“That’s my girl. I’ve got a plan.”

Of course he did. Darius’ eternal optimism that he could work things out was one of the most attractive things about him. Next to his lips, his smile, and of course, his killer eyes. She hastily amended her thoughts, in case he tapped into them. Which wasn’t easy because he smelled really nice and his lips were so close he could just … She forced those thoughts out of her mind completely. “How are we going to stop Logan from–” she couldn’t make herself say “kill”; it sounded so melodramatic “–doing Alec in? Can we get him out of here?”

“Anna’s watching him around the clock. She’s pretty tough to outwit.”

“But you have, right?”

She heard his smile. “I have the access codes to get in and out of the Base. And I know the way to the surface. But without an orb I can’t use the codes, get past the guards and transport us off this island.”

“What about a ship? How close are we to the mainland?” Riley’s mind was racing. They’d need transportation, ID and probably money. Did she still have her wallet somewhere? What had Dean done with her clothes?

Darius shook his head. “You can barely see the main island from here, and only in good weather. A few fishing vessels pass by, but you can’t count on one being there when you need it. And besides, the bloody rock above us is completely surrounded by cliffs. We couldn’t get down to the water’s edge, even if we saw a boat.” He rolled on his back and clasped his hands behind his head. “Getting off this island is going to be a huge problem.”

“Can’t Alec transport us? He did before.”

“Pure instinct is one thing, trying to do it under pressure is another. Even with me guiding him, just the off-chance thought, and we could end up in Outer Mongolia. Look what happened last time.”

“That’s better than Alec dying here,” Riley summarized succinctly.

Darius gave a deep sigh. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Without warning he partially sat up and leaned over. The kiss was warm and quick and threw her heart into overdrive. “I hate to leave a lady curious,” Darius chuckled as he slipped off the bed. Within a second, he’d rejoined the shadows and disappeared to his own bunk at the other end of the row.

Wow. The man really knew how to kiss. It took ages to fall asleep.