The appearance of Jamie had called to my Rodas nature, but unlike before I was able to turn it off. My human side chided the Rodas one. She was my friend and this was half the reason I was there. Relief spread through me at the sight of her. A cool sensation flowed down to my fingertips and I pressed my hands against the glass just as Hannah arrived by my side.
Jamie was sitting in a chair, her hands draped behind her. Her hair was mussed as if there had been a struggle.
“What are you doing with her?” I asked Hannah, suddenly calm. “How do you expect her to work with us if you tie her up?”
“She isn’t cooperating. We are trying a new tactic.”
“Cooperating with what?”
The door behind the glass opened and Robert stepped into the room.
Jamie looked at her father, her voice hostile. “You won’t fool me again. What have you done with my father?”
I couldn’t see the black eyes, but I knew she could. The Possessed Robert grinned, an expression that stretched oddly across his mouth. He pulled a second chair out from the table and sat down. His movements were stiff, delicate even, almost as if this Shadowed hadn’t occupied a body in some time. “The fact that you understand what I am is just a part of the plan we have in store. How about you tell me what you know of us and we can go from there.”
Jamie turned her head toward the glass. “I’ve watched a lot of movies. I know there is someone on the other side of that glass. So let’s not pretend we are friends. I’m not going to speak to you unless I know that my father is okay.”
The Shadowed tilted his head, looking straight through the glass at Hannah. The effect was eerie but I kept my eyes on Jamie. None of this had been her fault. I had brought Robert’s attention to Ally and in turn brought Jamie under the Shadowed radar. I had to keep her safe.
The Shadowed seemed to get his answer because he stood up from the chair, the legs scraping against the cement floor. He left the room, leaving the door open behind him. Jamie’s hands started to move behind her and I snuck a peek at Hannah to see if she noticed, but her gaze was on the open door on the other side of the glass. Her smirk was unmistakable.
Jamie’s body stiffened and her eyes widened, nearly bugging out of her head. What had spooked her?
“Corporeal,” Hannah said.
A Shadowed manifested in the room. He was about Robert’s height but his olive skin and black hair were a stark contrast. I assumed that was the one in the Robert suit, but where had Robert gone? As much as I didn’t like the man he was still Jamie’s father and my concern for her had risen above everything for me at that moment.
“Human,” the Shadowed bellowed, startling Jamie enough for her to stop trying to wrestle free from the ropes tying her hands.
I waited with bated breath until I saw Robert’s body appear in the room. His feet shuffled across the concrete and he rubbed his head as if he had been asleep for hours. He blinked several times and I had the urge to jump through the glass and strangle him.
Look at your daughter! I wanted to scream. Look what you’ve done to her.
Jackson clasped his hand with mine, centering me.
“Dad!” Jamie cried. Her shoulders wrestled against her bindings.
Robert didn’t move from his place, he only glanced up at the Shadowed then back to his daughter. “Just do what they say, Jamie.”
The passive girl I’d gotten to know had disappeared. “What did they do to you?”
Robert started toward his daughter but the Shadowed let out a grunt which halted him in his place. “Listen to me—”
“If you are telling me to trust these monsters, then—” Her voice broke but she looked at him through slitted eyes. “Then you are not my father. You told me to never give in. Now look at you. What are they going to do for you when they are done using your body?”
Her words stunned Robert to silence.
The Shadowed moved to Robert and wrapped one hand around his neck. Robert choked under the pressure of his grasp.
“Stop it!” Jamie screamed.
My heart clenched at her pain, but I knew that she was valuable enough to keep alive in this place. They wouldn’t hurt her and I needed to tell her that. Having her on my side would be half the battle, then we could escape and regroup with the Guard somehow.
“This isn’t working,” I said. “Let me try. I think I can help.”
Hannah huffed. “I don’t think so.”
“Maybe we should bring it up to Abidan.” I still didn’t know where he’d run off to but by Hannah’s expression I knew she would give in. I could tell she had something to live up to with him and maybe offering me something I wanted would prove her worthy.
“Fine,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “We need the Percipio to identify Gate Seven.”
I remembered the devastation from the last time I’d seen the Gate. “I thought you already broke through?”
“It has been moved,” Hannah said in a clipped tone. “We’ve followed it to numerous locations but have been easily blocked. They have newer wards, ones that we know she can see. The Percipio will follow our leads and find the Gate. Abidan will lead an attack to claim what is rightfully ours.”
“She’s not going to tell you anything when you have her bound to a chair. Let me help,” I said. “She trusts me. Let me talk to her privately in my room.”
Hannah narrowed her eyes, staring at the glass.
I knew Jamie well enough that I could tell she was terrified but she kept up the ruse of being strong and unwilling to compromise. It was believable but also something that could be used against her.
“My room is guarded. She won’t be able to go anywhere.” It was better to have her with me than in that cell.
Hannah hesitated but then she nodded her head in agreement. “You have one hour with her.”
Jackson met us through another exit from the cage room. Hannah instructed him to bring me to my room, but I hesitated. “You said you would break the bond if I brought out my powers.”
“And I will.”
“Hannah,” Jackson said, his jaw set. “A deal is a deal.”
“Yes,” she cried exasperated. “It’s not just a wave of the hand though. Your girlfriend wants her friend. Which would you prefer I do first?”
I was about to say something else but Jackson took my hand and pulled me away, squeezing it harder than necessary. “Let’s get her first. My freedom is the least of our problems at the moment.”
We trekked in silence to my room, the tension between us thickening with each step. When we arrived in the room, Jackson pulled me into his arms.
“I’m so sorry,” I said against his chest.
He pressed his cheek against my head. “It’s okay.”
I wasn’t a mind reader but I could feel his disappointment. “It’s not. I had one job and I failed. Abidan knows that I can express my power even in this form. There’s nothing stopping him now and we still have to find a way out of here.”
Jackson’s mouth quirked to one side. “You were amazing. For the days you held back your powers, they were distracted and I was able to find a way for us to get out of here.”
“You did?” I exclaimed, relief flooding my soul.
Suddenly his mouth was on mine and I was stunned into silence. His lips moved across mine, peppering my mouth with kisses, making my toes curl. When he pulled away, my head moved toward his. I tightened my grip on his arms, steadying myself against him.
He smirked, the gesture making my heart skip a few beats. “As much as I don’t need an excuse to kiss you, you should really control your voice.”
Someone knocked on the door.
I jumped, my body buzzing.
“It’s okay,” Jackson said, not leaving my side or my gaze. He reached up, tucking a chunk of hair behind my ear and his very touch seared me right down to my soul.
Then Hannah entered the room with Jamie in tow. Jamie had a cloth over her eyes and her hands were clearly bound. Rage surged inside of me, but I kept my emotions under control.
Hannah lifted the cloth from Jamie’s face and all the tension in my body floated away.
Jamie let out a shaky laugh. “Maggie!”
My gaze flicked to Hannah in an “I told you so” look.
“Release her,” I ordered.
Hannah did what I asked, albeit with a reluctant scowl.
Jamie shook her hands in front of her and bounced over to me, wrapping me in a hug before quickly pulling back. “You’re different.”
“Human,” I shrugged.
She shook her head in disbelief.
I laughed. “I’ll explain in a minute.” I looked over at Hannah. “A little privacy?”
Hannah paused and as if it were her own idea she disappeared from the room.
I reached for Jackson’s hand and he smiled, relieved. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.” Then he disappeared.
Pulling Jamie onto the bed so we were sitting across from each other, I touched her arms, willing her to understand everything I was about to say.
“Did they capture you too?” Jamie asked hurriedly, and then released a barrage of questions including, “How are you human? Who is that awful woman?”
I held my hand up to stop her. “I came here on my own.”
Jamie recoiled.
I lowered my voice. “We came here to find you.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “We?”
I quickly explained to her about my memories. “Jackson was always on my side. I just needed to remember that.”
Her eyes narrowed as if she didn’t quite believe it, but she moved on quickly. “But how did you know where I was?” Her voice cracked. “They used my dad to drug me and then they locked me up here. It was awful. They want to know about my gift but I didn’t tell them anything. And they did something to Yera, I know they did.” Tears streaked Jamie’s face and my heart broke for her. I didn’t want to tell her the truth about Yera just yet so I squeezed her hands in mine in an effort to comfort her. “I did overhear something though.”
I leaned closer, interested in what information she had that I didn’t.
She nibbled on her bottom lip before speaking. “On the plane I pretended to be asleep and I heard that they were taking Prognatum.”
“I know.” I remembered my first time watching Hannah taking the soul of one and shivered.
She shook her head. “No you don’t.”
“Hannah is like me,” I explained. “But not. That’s beside the point. I saw a Prognatum here and she took his soul.”
“They have been taking out entire lines of Prognatum.”
My breath caught in my throat. “What exactly did you hear?”
Jamie looked around the room. She’d be able to tell if there was a Shadowed in there better than I could. “They were recruiting Prognatum for their side. I assumed David had been a part of that mix but he was the only one. All of the others that they have asked who refused, they destroyed.”
Or Hannah took their souls to feed Abidan’s large appetite.
Why hadn’t Felix told me that? Maybe he knew I would have hesitated with my decision? I probably would have stayed on the Guard to help fight if I’d known. So Felix had lied to me once again, what else was new? I didn’t know who was worse sometimes, Felix or Abidan.
“Okay,” I said, forming a plan in my head. “We need to get you to safety.”
“What about my dad? I can’t just leave him here with them.”
“This is our best chance. Once we meet up with the group we can come back here and get him. He’s not going anywhere.”
She frowned as if weighing her options. “How are we going to do this?”
“Don’t worry, Jackson has a plan.”
I silently summoned Jackson using my emotions. He appeared his eyes darting between us. “I thought—I felt—”
I shrugged. “I thought it was the best way to call you without getting their attention.” He frowned and gave me a look, which I promptly ignored. “What is your plan for us to get out of here?”
“I am going to distract Abidan, since the closest way out of here is through Abidan’s quarters,” he said.
My jaw dropped. “Are you kidding? That’s a suicide mission. Even if he isn’t around, what if there are other Shadowed in there and I can’t see them?”
“Ahem,” Jamie dramatically excused herself. “Percipio standing right here.”
Jackson nodded.
“Okay, well what about the Shadowed outside my door?”
Jackson led us to the far wall and moved the nightstand revealing a crawlspace. “I demanded the exact specifications of this room to be small enough to have a space behind it.”
“That is so cool,” Jamie said, her eyes wide.
“You think of everything don’t you?” I teased, hoping I could trick my body into lightening the mood even though I wanted to jump out of my skin.
“How are you going to find us?” I asked Jackson.
“Like I said, you can be pretty loud with your thoughts.” Jackson explained where the exit to the outside was through Abidan’s quarters.
I didn’t like the idea of us separating again but I knew if we were going to all get out this was our best chance.
“Just give me a few minutes’ head start,” Jackson instructed.
“Don’t take too long finding us,” I said.
He winked and disappeared from the room while Jamie and I waited by the trap door. I expected the Shadowed to come in at any moment and find us huddled by the bed.
Jamie distracted me by filling me in on what she had been up to before “Robert” kidnapped her. She explained that Yera had started her lessons before they had a chance to meet in person. These involved sensing After beings before seeing them. She would be able to anticipate any Shadowed presence and she had nearly perfected her gift.
“They had me trapped in a cell for who knows how long, I needed something to keep from going insane,” she said.
After about five agonizing minutes, I pushed aside the panel that concealed the door. It was time to get out of there.