Rikki was surprised to see Jinx at the farm when they returned. She slipped back into the barn in her wolf form, shifting quickly and putting her clothes on. She was back moments later, sliding under her mate’s arm, a slight blush of color on her cheeks. They would all know what she and Jeremiah had been doing. Would be able to smell it on them. She didn’t care. The man at her side was hers. That’s all that mattered.
“Rikki, Jinx is actually here to see you.” When she glanced over at Angel in surprise, she said, “He brought something of Amber’s with him. He’s hoping you can use your gift to figure out where she might be.”
Amber. The General’s daughter. According to everyone, she was good, kind, and sweet. Everything his other daughters weren’t. Rikki found that hard to believe, but if it was true, if Amber had done all of the things she’d done for the people Rikki cared about out of the kindness of her heart, then she deserved to be rescued. You couldn’t help what family you were born into, and if Amber was the saint everyone made her out to be, Rikki couldn’t imagine the hell she was going through right now.
Stiffening, Rikki clasped her gloved hands tightly together in front of her before nodding slowly. “I can try.” She hadn’t tried to read anything since she woke from her five-month beauty nap, and really didn’t want to now. Her ability was unpredictable. She never knew where it was going to take her, but she would do this for the woman who had helped so many others.
“We need to wait for Bane. He should be here soon.”
“Bane?”
“She’s his mate,” Angel said softly.
Rikki’s eyes widened, and suddenly, what she was about to do seemed that much more daunting. She knew what it was like, having her mate out there somewhere, not knowing where. Not knowing if he was alive or dead. If he was in pain or suffering. She had gone through that hell herself and didn’t wish it on anyone. “I didn’t know.”
“He’s not taking it well,” Angel admitted, her gaze going to the road. A large pickup was making its way toward them at a high, almost reckless speed. “He’s stuck between accepting her as his, and wishing she wasn’t because of who she is.”
“She can’t help that,” Rikki argued, moving closer to her mate.
“I agree, but that doesn’t make it any easier on Bane.”
Rikki nodded, leaning her head against Jeremiah’s shoulder. Hadn’t she just been thinking along those same lines? That she didn’t know how she could trust someone related to that bastard, the General? Why did finding out Amber belonged to Bane make things different? She didn’t know for sure, but it did.
“I think you will find things have changed, somewhat,” Jinx said, leaning up against the side of a small, all black, sleek two-door car. Was that a Porsche? Where the hell did Jinx get his toys?
“In what way?” Angel asked, as the truck came to a screeching halt a few feet from them. Bane jumped out of the driver’s seat, stalking toward them, his face in a dark and dangerous scowl.
“He knows he can’t run from the inevitable.”
“I told you to stay the fuck out of my head, nephew,” Bane growled, glaring at him.
Jinx just grinned. “About time you woke the hell up.”
“Let’s do this,” Sapphire interrupted. “I’ve been getting flashes of something over the past couple of days. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I think it’s Amber, and I think she’s in trouble.”
“Flashes?” Rikki asked in confusion. Angel had filled her in on a lot that had gone on over the past few months, but it was obvious she’d left a few things out. There’d been so much, Rikki didn’t blame her.
“Visions,” Sapphire told her. “Normally, I see more clearly in them, but this one is blurry. Fuzzy. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Maybe Amber’s future isn’t destined just yet?” Angel suggested. “Futures can alter, change, with each new development in life.”
“True.”
“I’m ready,” Rikki told them, removing her gloves and handing them to Jeremiah.
“Do you need anything from me?” he asked, encircling her waist with his arm and pulling her close protectively.
“Just what you are doing.” Rikki smiled up at him, tilting her head up for his kiss, before looking back at Jinx. Holding out her hand, she waited while he unwrapped a small wooden carving of a wolf painted black, his eyes a deep brown. He was standing proudly on all fours, his nose pointed in the air, mouth open in a silent howl.
“Wow,” Angel whispered, reaching for it, but stopping right before she touched it. Rikki knew it was for her benefit. The more people who handled the wolf, the harder it would be for her to catch a vision. Jinx seemed to understand that, too, because he only allowed the piece of cloth he held to touch it, nothing else. “It’s magnificent.”
“Amber made it,” Jinx told them, holding it up for them to see. Turning it over, he showed them the small patch of white on its stomach, and the white circle on the pad of one paw.
“It’s my brother,” Sapphire breathed in awe, taking a step closer. When she reached out to touch the wolf, Jinx swiftly pulled it back.
“Yes,” Jinx agreed. “It’s Bane. Only Amber has worked with this wood. It’s had no other touch except hers. Her energy is surrounding it. It’s best it stays that way for now, until Rikki does her thing. Too many different energy vibes will throw her off.”
“How did you know?” Bane’s tone was hard, but Rikki heard the pain underneath it, felt the man’s agony he tried to hide from everyone.
“Let’s just say, Amber has a few gifts herself.”
“She kept them hidden from the General, didn’t she?”
Jinx nodded to Angel. “For the most part. She pretended to be less than she was, so she would be in a better position to help those in need.”
A low growl built in Bane’s throat. “My mate is not less than anyone.”
A slow grin spread across Jinx’s face, and he nodded. “Glad that you can finally see that, Uncle.” Bane’s eyes narrowed on him, but he didn’t respond.
“Give it to me,” Rikki said, pulling from Jeremiah’s arms. It felt as if something were pushing her. The small wolf figure was beckoning, the energy around it pulsing, calling to her. Jinx held it out, and her fingers closed around it, clutching it tightly in her hand.
Immediately, she was swamped with several different emotions that brought her to her knees. Rikki heard Sapphire cry out, but she ignored her, concentrating on the emotions. Pain, sorrow, helplessness, guilt, fear. It was so much, almost too much. Crippling. She felt strong arms engulf her from behind, holding her against a wide chest, and breathed in the scent of her mate. It calmed her. Steadied her. Made it so she could stay connected to whatever was happening and continue down the path it was taking her.
There was a small flash of pain, and then she was in a place that was similar to a dungeon. It was as if she were watching from above, staring down in horror at the scene below her. A young girl, no more than ten, with long, blonde hair that touched her waist, and large brown eyes with a hint of gold stood beside a man who looked as if he’d been beaten almost to death. He was growling at her, his large teeth threatening to bite into her. She flinched, but stood stubbornly in front of him. As Rikki watched, the girl moved closer, holding out a piece of bread. The man grabbed her wrist, and the child cried out in pain, but didn’t fight.
“Please, eat. I brought some water, too.” As the man stared at her in confusion, she reached out and touched his arm lightly. “I would get you out of here if I could. Someday, I will be strong enough to free you. To free all of you.”
The man watched her closely, then slowly released her. He sniffed the bread carefully before taking a bite, then devoured it as if he hadn’t eaten in days. When the girl gave him the bottle of water, he downed it quickly.
“I have to go now, but I promise, I’ll be back.”
The man watched her go, his eyes narrowed on her until she was out of sight.
It was Amber as a child, there was no doubt in Rikki’s mind. She’d never seen her before, but Angel had described the woman to her. The long blonde hair, wide eyes… it was definitely Amber. Suddenly, the vision changed.
The girl was older now. Maybe sixteen or seventeen. She stood in front of the General, her head held high, streaks of blood covering every inch of her body that Rikki could see. She had to be in pain, but she never took her gaze from the General.
“You defied me, daughter. Because of that, you were punished.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do not fail me again.”
“Yes, sir.”
“They are animals. Abominations. Nothing more. Do you understand? You will stay away from them, or you will suffer the same fate they do.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rikki couldn’t imagine the will power it took to stare that bastard in the eyes, never flinching when he looked at her with that cold, unfeeling gaze. He had ordered someone to whip her. Who did that to his own child? “Amber.” The woman’s name was a breath on Rikki’s lips. She didn’t realize how that one word radiated with anguish to the people surrounding her as she was sucked into another vision.
“No, I won’t go. They will kill you if they find out what you’ve done for me.”
“Then I will die for a worthy cause.” Amber opened a door, motioning to the woman behind her. “Come on, Gemma. We have to hurry.”
They ran from the room, down a long hallway to a side door. Amber keyed in a code, then slipped through it, waiting for Gemma to follow. Soon, they were out in the middle of the woods. It was dark and cold, a light dusting of snow on the ground.
“Amber, come with me. Please. My pack will protect you.”
Amber glanced over at Gemma with a sad smile. “No one can protect me from him, Gemma.”
“We can,” Gemma said stubbornly.
Amber hugged the woman tightly, then leaned back and touched her cheek lightly. “Follow this path for the next mile. It will take you to a river where I’ve hidden a small row boat. I’ve sent a message to your pack. Someone should meet you a few miles down the river.”
“Amber.” Gemma’s eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around Amber tightly, holding her close. “I don’t know what I would have done without you, my friend. Please, stay safe.”
“You, too.”
Amber watched Gemma leave, her shoulders slumping slightly when she turned to head back down the path.
Rikki watched several more images similar to the ones she’d already seen. Images of the past, proving how giving Amber was. How she put her life on the line daily to try and protect all of the people whose lives the General ruined. She couldn’t imagine having the courage to go through the things Amber did, and still press forward. Still put your life on the line for others. There was a goodness in the woman that Rikki had never seen. Then, the visions changed.
A woman lay on a cot, her gaze unseeing. Her once long, blonde hair was now tangled and ragged. Her eyes that were a beautiful brown, now dull and glazed over, as if she had finally broke and was hidden somewhere deep inside herself. Dressed in what looked like a hospital gown, she was thin, almost boney. She shivered uncontrollably in the cold room.
The door opened, and Amber flinched slightly, the only indication Rikki had seen so far that she was still lucid.
“Your sister sends her greetings,” a man said as he walked in carrying a tray. “She’s unable to make it to see you right now, but soon. She hopes you are enjoying your time here.”
Rikki saw a glint of something in Amber’s eyes, and then it was gone. When the man left, Amber turned on her side facing the wall. Slowly, she started talking, and Rikki was shocked to find out she was talking to her.
“I know you are here. I can feel you. I don’t know who you are, but please, help me.”
Rikki froze. Then she tried to respond. “Can you hear me?” She had never done anything like this with her gift before. It didn’t work this way. She couldn’t talk to people in her visions, only see what was happening. And, while she could use telepathy, she wasn’t strong enough to hold a connection like this.
“Yes.”
Holy shit! It had to be Amber connecting with her. There was no other explanation. “Amber, my name is Rikki. I’m with RARE.”
“Rikki? I don’t know you.”
“That makes two of us.” When she felt the vision beginning to fade, she growled, “Amber! You need to tell me where you are.”
“Florida,” came the soft reply, as Amber’s eyes began to drift shut. “So tired.”
“What part of Florida?” When there was no response, Rikki hollered, “Don’t you dare pass out on me, Amber! Where in Florida?”
“Don’t know.”
“We are going to find you, Amber.”
“Cold.”
“Amber! We are coming. Your mate is coming.”
A small frown appeared, but Amber’s eyes didn’t open. “Mate. Wolf. So beautiful.” The words were a soft whisper, one Rikki almost missed, then she was gone.
Rikki was yanked from the vision and found herself screaming Amber’s name. “It’s okay,” Jeremiah said soothingly, rubbing his hands over her arms. “You’re back from wherever the hell you were. Safe.”
Rikki looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “But Amber’s not.”
“Tell me,” Angel demanded, ignoring Jeremiah’s growl of warning.
Rikki’s body shook, and she pushed herself closer to Jeremiah in a vain attempt to crawl inside him and warm up. She knew it was left over psychic energy that was causing the coldness, but it didn’t stop her from clinging to her mate. At least, she told herself that was the reason why, and it had nothing to do with the lost eyes of a woman who had put her life on the line several times for others.
“Rikki.” Angel’s tone was patient, but Rikki could hear the worry in it. “What happened?”
Jeremiah placed a gentle kiss on her temple, holding her tightly. That was when she noticed she was still on the ground, where she’d collapsed in the beginning of the visions. Visions. More than one.
Lifting her head, she met her alpha mate’s gaze. “My gift has never worked like that before. There was so much. So many visions from the past.” A tear slid down her cheek as she whispered, “Amber helped so many people at the risk of her own life. That bastard beat her, whipped her, but she still helped. She refused to give in to him, refused to run from those who needed her. She stayed, knowing she would probably die a horrible death because of it.” A low growl filled the area, and her gaze swung to Bane. “She’s alive, Bane. And she’s strong. Somehow, she connected with me. She’s,” Rikki hesitated, “she’s in hell right now. But she’s a fighter.”
“Where?” he snarled, his hands clenching tightly into fists.
“Somewhere in Florida. She’s not sure where.”
A roar left Bane’s throat and he turned, slamming a fist into the hood of the Porsche. Rikki’s eyes widened in shock when the front of the car seemed to cave in.
“Shit,” Flame whispered. “Hope you didn’t need to take that car back, Jinx.”
“Fuck the car,” Jinx snarled, turning away from them.
“Jinx, where are you going?”
“Hunting.”
“Not without me, you’re not,” Bane growled.
Jinx glanced back at him. “I need to find out what part of Florida Amber is in.”
“I told you, get me near that bitch, and I will get the information we need.”
“Bane, no!” Sapphire gasped. “Please.”
Bane looked back at her, growling through gritted teeth, “What would you do if it were your mate, Sapphire? Leave him on his own, or do something about it?”
Sapphire was silent for a moment, then her gaze hardened. “We are coming with you,” she told Jinx quietly.
“You will keep us informed.” It was an order, one Angel expected to be obeyed. “Call us when you get a link on where that bitch is hiding her. We’ll be there.”
“All of us,” Chase growled, his arm going around his mate’s waist. “Amber is one of mine. I claimed her as a White River Wolf. You call, we will be there.”
Bane gave the alpha a short nod.
“Bane?” Rikki struggled to her feet, quickly closing the distance between them. Taking his hand in hers, she placed the wooden wolf in it. “I told her that you are coming for her. She knows you. Knows your wolf.”
Bane’s jaw hardened, and he nodded once, his hand closing tightly over the small wolf. “Thank you.” Then, he, Sapphire, and Jinx walked away without another word.
Rikki watched them go, getting into Bane’s truck and driving away, her heart hurting for the man. Jeremiah slipped a finger through the loop on her jeans and pulled her back against him, his arms going around her waist. Leaning into her mate, she grasped his hands tightly where they lay folded over her stomach. “Do you think he will be okay?”
“He will,” Angel said, her eyes going glacier hard. “We won’t have it any other way.”
Rikki snuggled closer to Jeremiah, her eyes on where Bane had disappeared from sight. She knew what it was like to be separated from your mate. She wouldn’t wish that on anyone. “No, we won’t.”