“I know. I should have protected her.”
Albert put a hand on his shoulder. “Let me call Tim, check on her, right? I’ll ask him if you can go.”
Matthias nodded, still not moving. Albert patted his shoulder. “Wait here.”
* * * *
Tim answered on the second ring. “How is she?” Albert asked.
“She’s okay. She’s right here.”
“Can you talk?”
“Yes. How is Matthias?”
“I’m about to dart him.”
Tim turned away from Taz and stepped to the edge of the boardwalk. “That bad?”
“Yes. He blames himself, of course.”
Tim glanced at Taz and she stepped toward him, motioning for the phone. He held a hand up. “She wants to talk to him.”
There was a pause, and he thought he lost the connection. Finally, “Okay, hold on.”
Robertson handed the phone to her. A moment later, Matthias’ anxious voice came on the line. “Taz?”
She gripped the phone tightly, her heart pounding. “It’s me.”
She heard his sigh of relief. “Taz, please, I’m sorry. Whatever I did—”
“Matthias, no. It’s not you. You didn’t do anything. I’m not mad at you. I just…I needed some downtime. To myself.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry I worried you.”
“Taz, I love you so much, if anything happened, I—”
“My dad’s here. I’m fine.”
There was a moment of quiet. “Where are you? Do you want me to come get you?”
Albert must not have told him. She closed her eyes and thought about it. Did she want him there right now? “Not today. Let me have one more day. Please?”
He finally agreed. “All right. If that’s what you want.”
She took a deep breath. “We can drive back together.”
He sounded better, less hurt at that suggestion. “Okay.”
“I love you, Matthias.”
“I love you, too, Taz. You have no idea how much I love you, and how sorry I am this all happened.”
She returned the phone to Robertson, and he stepped away again to make the arrangements. They would drive up to Mammoth Hot Springs and meet Matthias there the next afternoon. When he hung up, he turned to her. “What would you like to do now?”
She stared at Old Faithful. “I want to see where I almost died.”
* * * *
He drove them in the Land Rover up to Norris. She felt a wistful pang as they passed Midway Geyser Basin, where she first met Rafe. She loved the park, despite what they all endured. It was beautiful, raw nature. Powerful, unforgiving, and ever changing.
Robertson patted her leg. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Just remembering.”
“I know it’s difficult. It’s still fresh.”
They rode the rest of the way to the Norris Geyser Basin in silence. Taz followed him down the Back Basin trail to where the daemon pulverem shot her.
Where Matthias saved her.
She knelt on the trail, searching for any sign it ever happened. She looked around, shivering despite the warm air. “I was so close to dying. I saw this door in my mind, and this beautiful blue glow. I wanted to open it, but I heard Matthias calling me back.”
“You nearly died. We thought you had.”
She turned, looking around. Something else. “I thought there was a figure. Like someone else was there in my mind.” She tried to remember what the figure said. Something about “living, for both of us?”
“It’s hard to say what that might have been. Everything was so chaotic, so emotional. It could have been Matthias, or any one of us, mentally pleading for you to drink.”
She nodded, thinking, but wasn’t sure that was right. It didn’t feel like Matthias or the others. It had almost felt like…
Rafe was already dead by then. It couldn’t have been him.
* * * *
They worked their way south to Midway Geyser Basin and slowly walked it, reading the signs, staring at the features. Taz’s gut tightened, remembering how Rafe looked that day, how he tripped and fell when she slammed down her mental defenses against him from the other side of the basin.
She sat on the boardwalk near Grand Prismatic Spring, where she sat with Matthias that morning. Closing her eyes, she remembered how the day looked and felt. Today it was hotter but still comfortable. There were fewer people that morning. She remembered the feel of Rafe trying to probe her mind from across the basin, the gentle caresses.
“Like this?” And a familiar, gentle caress swept across her mind.
Her eyes snapped open. Robertson was ten feet away, reading one of the signs. He didn’t have that kind of power to touch her mind like that.
And it was Rafe’s voice.
She looked around, stood, dizzy. Robertson sensed something was wrong and turned to her, saw her face.
He returned to her side. “Taz, what’s the matter?”
“I heard him. I just heard his voice.”
Robertson took her hands. “Taz,” he said gently, “Rafael is dead. You’re just remembering things. You’re overwhelmed.”
She shook her head. “No, listen to me, I just heard Rafe!”
“Taz, honey, he’s gone. You’re hurting and in a lot of pain.”
She fought back the tears. “I can hear him! He’s not dead! He can’t be.” She sobbed, and he put his arms around her, holding her, trying to mask his own concerned thoughts.
He managed to get her to look him in the eye. She was so powerful now, and he wasn’t sure she’d let him take control of her, but she did. He calmed her, talked her into going back to the car. He helped her into the passenger seat, still in control, amazed she let him do it.
“Taz, sweetheart,” he whispered, “go to sleep for a few minutes. You’ll feel better when you wake up, all right?”
She nodded, turned her head to the side, and went to sleep.
He sighed, closed the door, and took out his BlackBerry.
No reception.
“Dammit.” He climbed behind the wheel and drove them back to Old Faithful.
* * * *
At the cabin, he talked her into her room and put her to bed where she went to sleep immediately. He sat with her a few minutes, probing, trying to see into her mind. She was exhausted and deeply asleep, that much was obvious, but he couldn’t pierce her thick mental barrier. The long drive combined with her emotions had finally taken its toll.
There was something else, too, something he wasn’t sure what to make of, but he didn’t have the strength necessary to search deeper in her mind.
Taking her room key, he locked the door, walked to the restaurant, and got them both something to eat. Back in the cabin, the smell of food awoke her and they ate in silence. She didn’t ask him how she got there. He was still amazed, knowing her power, that she’d allowed him to do it.
After lunch they sat on her bed with her curled next to him, her head in his lap, the silence occasionally punctuated by her questions. He knew not to push her, to let her sort through it at her own pace.
“What will happen to Caroline?” she asked.
“I don’t know. That’s something you and Matthias must discuss with the Tribunal. She tried to kill both of you, and she murdered Rafael. Regardless, she’ll never be a free woman again.”
“Ever?”
He shook his head. “The Tribunal doesn’t tolerate rogues. They are far too dangerous.”
“Will they kill her?”
“I don’t know. That’s difficult to say. At the very least she will remain alive until they are certain they have extracted all useful information from her.”
“I want to be there if they execute her.”
“Taz—”
“I want to watch her die, want to watch her face the way she watched Rafe’s. For him.”
“He wouldn’t want you to be vindictive.”
“He was
a good man.”
“I know.” He stroked her hair. Her mental anguish radiated from her. And something else, a nervous, different energy he’d never felt from her before. Come to think of it, he noticed it started the morning she was shot, which would have been after her succubus session and Rafe’s death. He’d known her all her life and never sensed this from her before.
“Let’s go practice. Try to take your mind off things, shall we?”
He took her room key and handed her Rafe’s jacket. He knew who it belonged to, knew it would comfort her. “Come along, sweetheart.”
He led her down the boardwalk to Old Faithful. An eruption had finished minutes earlier, so the crowd had thinned. They sat on one of the benches, and he gripped her hand.
“Something easy,” he whispered. About thirty yards past Old Faithful, a bison grazed in the basin. Overhead, an osprey circled. He squeezed her hand. “See the osprey?”
She nodded.
“See if you can take it over and make it land on the bison’s back.”
She shot him a dubious look.
“Seriously. It shouldn’t take too much effort, especially not for you.”
“I won’t pass out?” Her earliest training sessions with Matthias left her practically incapacitated.
“No, not something as simple as this. Not now.”
She shrugged and focused on the bird of prey. Finally, its lazy circles changed, became erratic, and it looped lower and lower.
The bison, oblivious, continued grazing unmolested.
Tim watched as Taz focused and tried to control the bird. She managed to get it to circle lower, lower still. It swooped and—
Crashed headfirst into the side of the bison with a squawk and explosion of feathers.
Her eyes widened. “Whoops.”
Dumbfounded, Tim exploded with laughter. She joined him.
The osprey hopped away from the bison, who looked up and over its side at the bird. Eventually the stunned bird flapped and flew up to its nest in a nearby lodgepole pine, apparently none the worse for wear.
Robertson and Taz laughed, hard and hearty, leaning on each other. Finally, when she could get her breath, she sighed. “Oh, God. That poor bird.”
“Surprised it didn’t leave a skid mark on the bison,” Tim quipped.
She gasped, exploding into laughter again. They both watched as the bison turned its ass to them and sauntered away.
He patted her on the leg. “I think that’s enough.”
“I’m sure the bird thinks it is.”
That sent them both into one last round of giggles. Tim thought how good it sounded to hear her happy, to see her smile.
* * * *
They found a quiet bench away from the boardwalk, between the ranger station and Old Faithful Lodge. “Okay, no birds this time.” He paused while she snickered. “I want you to open your mind and listen for people.”
“What people?”
“There are at least two hybrids around us, right now, in close proximity. They are visible.”
Her eyes widened. “There are?”
He nodded. “Don’t worry, they work for Matthias. Well, technically. I know who they are. I want to see if you can identify them.”
“How will I know?”
“That’s something you must figure out. You don’t need to take anyone over. Simply listen with your mind, explore. Gently, patiently. Once you find the first, you’ll easily find the second.”
Taz lowered her mental barrier enough to sense the thoughts of those around her. She let her eyes skip along the people strolling the boardwalk, sitting outside the Old Faithful Lodge, in the parking lot, walking to the ranger station. She couldn’t focus and needed a mental image. Picturing a radar screen, she tried homing in on a signal different from the human thoughts bombarding her. She tried to tune out noises, thoughts, let them muffle and fall away. Eventually she isolated a different sound.
She turned, looking, her eyes narrowing. As the signal strengthened on her mental radar screen she focused on individuals, closing in.
Then she spotted the man, a ranger not too much older than herself from his looks. He stood on the boardwalk with a metal push cart, surrounded by nearly a dozen children of various ages. On the cart were several objects—a bison skull, piece of hide, a large rock. She knew he was giving a talk about the park, probably a junior ranger program.
Taz couldn’t hear what he said but felt his thoughts. As she focused, she sent a gentle probe, not touching, just looking.
The ranger briefly turned their way and waved.
Robertson nodded. “Good job.”
He was right. Now that she knew what to look for she sensed another. She turned, seeking, quickly finding her. She was driving a Park Service golf cart on the far side of the parking lot. She stopped, looked over at them, and held up a hand in greeting.
Robertson laughed and waved at the woman. “Excellent. They work for the Park Service, as you see, but they also get a stipend from Hawthorne International. He likes having allies working in and around the park considering how much time he spends here. That way, they can afford to work here full-time.”
Taz sat back and took a deep breath. “I didn’t hurt them?”
He shook his head. “No, not as gentle as you were. They are about as strong as myself and Albert, so they could sense you.”
“Are all hybrids able to do that?”
“No. Most can’t. Many of the weaker hybrids, the ones who don’t even know, you might have a difficult time distinguishing them from a normal human. Well, you might not, but it’s very difficult for someone else. The stronger ones who are in tune with their powers, as much as they can be, are the ones you can easily find.”
“What about the three Stooges?”
“Who?” Then he realized she meant the three guards who’d spent the week with them in Yellowstone the first time. “Ah, Travis and his team. They are hybrids. They also have very specialized military and security training, which makes them invaluable for various reasons.”
She took a deep breath. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For coming after me.”
He caressed her cheek. “You are my daughter, Taz. I told you that. Perhaps not of my blood, but I’ve raised you and see you as my child. How could I not find you?”
She hugged him. “I loved my father, but you’ve always been my dad.”
He embraced her. “Thank you, Taz. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
* * * *
Tim put her through her paces, very basic, simple exercises meant to build her confidence more than her skills. By dinner she was starving, but smiling. They had a good meal, and she was more talkative, not mentioning Rafe once.
After dinner, they sat and watched Old Faithful erupt before returning to the cabins.
“Would you rather sleep in my room tonight?” he asked. “I have two beds.”
She shook her head. “I’m okay, but thanks, Dad.”
He couldn’t help but smile at the term. There were times in the past she playfully and sarcastically called him that, or referred to him as that to someone else, but rarely addressed him directly in that way.
“Besides,” she continued, “I should be safe, right?”
Time to get serious again. “I hope so, but in reality whoever hired Caroline is still out there. I’d rather not take chances with your life.”
She paused, considered, and shook her head. “I’ll be okay. You’re just a few steps away.”
He walked her to her cabin. She let him check the room, just to be safe.
“You sleep well tonight, dear.”
“Thank you.”
He kissed her on the cheek and waited until he heard the door lock, then returned to his room.
* * * *
“He’s in the air,” Albert said.
“I’m surprised he didn’t insist on coming sooner.”
“When you have a tranquilizer gun pointed at you, you tend
to give weight to what someone says.”
“Seriously? He was that bad?” Tim asked.
“He blames himself for the events more than she does. How is she?”
“I think she’s on the road to healing.” He related the afternoon and Albert burst out laughing.
“No! Crashed into the side?”
Tim laughed, recalling the sight. “You should have seen it. It was absolutely priceless!”
“Well, he’ll meet you in Mammoth tomorrow. He’s arranged for a driver in Gardiner. I’m assuming she will drive the other car?”
“I pity the man who tries to take the keys from her.”
Chapter Eleven
After breakfast, Tim waited for her by her car.
He noticed her lack of luggage. “Where are your things?”
“I’m staying at least one more day. Matthias needs to be prepared to stay here until I’m ready to leave.”
He didn’t argue with you. “I’ll follow you.”
He waited for her to pull out and was surprised to see she followed the speed limit all the way to Mammoth. Arriving early, they found an outside table at one of the cafes and sipped coffee.
She looked at the town. “Remember when we stopped here before?”
He nodded. “You and Matthias had a row while Albert and I were busy.”
“He’d given me a demonstration earlier at lunch, in Gardiner, with the waitress. Teaching me why I shouldn’t have taken control of the guard at the house.”
Robertson studied her. “Oh.” He could only imagine what Matthias did. Certainly the waitress wouldn’t have been harmed, but it seemed to have an effect on Taz.
“That’s why I was so pissed off,” she whispered. “It made me realize how stupid I’d acted, but also I was jealous. He has a whole life he lived before I was even born.”
He touched her hand. “It’s okay, Taz. He loves you. Only you. Never forget that.”
“When we got to town I was mad, but I was thinking how I’d like to walk around and explore it with Matthias.”
She jumped when Matthias gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “I can’t wait,” he said, and she looked up.