Erik materialized three steps to my right. His arm shot out with lightning fast speed and I barely had time to deflect the blow. I felt the foot that struck the back of my knee at the same time an invisible arm squeezed my waist and dropped me back to the mat.
“Stay visible,” I demanded, flinging my fist where I thought Erik’s stomach would be.
“Stay out of my head and I will stay visible,” Erik shot back, trying to block my hands and keep me pinned at the same time.
Since Erik was the better fighter, I did the only thing I could think of. I used my head, literally. Our foreheads collided with sickening force and Erik momentarily lost his concentration and became visible. Stars danced across my vision as I wiggled out from underneath him.
Sweat stung my eyes and my arms felt heavy. Exhaustion was quickly setting in and I knew if I didn’t end this fight soon, I would lose. I remembered what Erik had told Cadence - don’t think, just feel. Taking his advice, I let the adrenaline pumping through my veins feed my stamina. I lost myself in the thrill of the fight, channeling my anger and frustration into my movements. My sight sharpened and even the slightest twitch of one of Erik’s muscles became perceptible. Even when he became invisible, I could make out the outline of his transparent form as it moved around the mat.
My nose filled with the smell of mine and Erik’s sweat mingling in the air and even when I couldn’t actually see him, I could pinpoint his exact location based on his unique scent.
Every time part of me made contact with part of him, the intensity of the interaction reverberated through every fiber of my being.
Mac subjected me to years of intense sensory training and long ago, I’d learned to focus my energy on each individual sense to heighten them in turn. But now, I was able to direct my energy to all my senses at once and maintain them simultaneously in an expanded state.
Finally, I was able to trip Erik up and knock him to the ground. I landed roughly on top of him, pinning him beneath my not so considerable weight. Erik’s chest heaved and his turquoise eyes were wide and shiny.
“I give,” he wheezed.
With those words, the fight went out of me and I collapsed next to him. My limbs trembled with fatigue. I hadn’t realized how labored my breathing was until the haze had lifted and I became aware of my surroundings.
Then the full impact of Erik’s statement hit me. I’d never beaten Erik in a fight. We’d agreed to call it a draw before, but I’d never actually won. He must’ve sensed I was too tired to continue, even though the thought hadn’t consciously crossed my mind, and submitted for fear I’d have a seizure or something.
“Wow,” Cadence said in disbelief as she walked towards us. “That was amazing. I knew you were good, Talia, but I didn’t actually believe it until now.”
“Thanks, I think,” I panted, working my way to my knees.
Sweat soaked my tank top making it stick to every inch of my skin. When I looked over at Erik, his dark hair clung to his forehead in clumps and sweat slicked his face and dripped down his neck. He rolled to his feet and pushed himself to a stand. Then he offered me a slippery hand and helped me to my feet.
“Just give me a minute to catch my breath and then we can go,” Erik said to Cadence.
“All that training with Kenly is really paying off,” he said to me. I beamed even though I knew that he was just being nice.
When Erik was ready, I leaned gratefully against the wall to observe their match. By the time they were done, my lids sagged with exhaustion and the cold gray cinderblocks were the only thing keeping me upright. Cadence would have gone all night, but when Erik caught sight of me using the wall to support myself, he wouldn’t hear of it.
“We can do this again tomorrow,” Erik promised her, glancing wearily in my direction. I must’ve looked pretty pathetic because Cadence didn’t press the issue.
Erik and I said goodnight to Cadence at the door to her room. Erik had his arm wrapped fully around my waist, supporting most of my weight as he escorted me through my own doorway. I wasn’t sure that I could muster the energy to shower even though I was salty with dried sweat and smelled like a boy’s locker room. It was only Erik’s refusal to let me get under my covers in my present state that convinced me it was necessary.
I only stayed under the water’s hot, penetrating spray long enough to rinse the stench from my body. I wrapped myself in a huge white robe that bore the hotel’s name on the lapel before exiting the bathroom. Erik sat in a chair he’d pulled next to my bed, lost in thought.
“Hey,” I called as the thick steam rolled into the bedroom from behind me.
“Hey,” he smiled. “Feel better?”
“I do,” I answered, grateful to be clean. I glanced at the clock next to my bed and was shocked to realize it was well after midnight. No wonder I was exhausted. I crossed to where Erik sat and climbed in his lap. His hair was still damp from his own shower, and he smelled like the flowery soap in our bathrooms. He pulled me tight against him.
Erik slipped one hand inside my robe, just above the belt, and ran his fingers over my stomach. The desire to pick up where we’d left off before the waiter had interrupted consumed me. But my inability to keep my eyes focused kept me from acting on my urges.
“Thanks for letting me win,” I slurred, sleepily.
Erik’s fingers stilled and I regretted speaking. The lazy rhythm of the circles he’d been tracing around my belly button felt pleasant.
“I didn’t let you win, Tals. You beat me,” he said, sounding a little miffed. “I mean, you’re the only person who has ever even come close before, but today, you actually beat me fair and square.”
“No way,” I said drowsily, nudging his hand with my elbow so he would start making his circles again.
“I don’t know, Tal. You’re stronger than I remember. And there was something different about you when we fought,” he sounded slightly uneasy, but he started rubbing my stomach again, so I didn’t give his tone too much thought.
“Different? Different how?” I mumbled. I nestled my head into the side of his neck, and he rubbed the side of his face against the top of my head.
“I don’t know. I’m sure it’s nothing,” he mumbled, kissing the top of my wet head. “Probably all that rage you’ve been keeping bottled up inside.”
“Likely,” I whispered, finally letting my eyelids win the battle to plunge me into darkness.
I didn’t wake up when Erik placed me in my bed and pulled the covers snug around me. I wasn’t sure if I dreamed the feel of his soft lips on my forehead, but I muttered what was meant to be “I love you,” anyway.
Chapter Thirteen
A pounding on my door startled me early the next morning. A quick glance at the clock told me I hadn’t overslept. I threw the covers back and called, “Come in,” as I unlocked the door with my mind. Mac barged into the room, a slightly manic, slightly panicked expression on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, instantly awake and alert.
“We are going into lockdown. Testing has been canceled today. I don’t want you leaving this hotel. Do you understand me, Natalia?” Mac nearly shouted at me.
“Of course,” I stammered. “What happened? Can I help?” I asked, immediately going into good-operative mode.
“No, I cannot risk you getting involved right now. I am not entirely sure of the situation myself. Coalition forces attacked the Rittenhouse in Bethesda early this morning. Our people were able to capture several of the insurgents, but we’ve sustained heavy casualties,” Mac answered gravely.
“What?” I exclaimed. An attack? The Coalition hadn’t risked an attack in Agency territory since the war ended. And an attack so close to the nation’s capital was unprecedented.
“We are still learning the details. We don’t know what they took, if anything. We don’t know what they were after.” Mac averted his steely eyes, a telltale sign he was lying. Whatever the Coalition had been after, Mac knew exactly what it was. I wanted to call h
is bluff, but I didn’t dare – not when he was already so worked up.
“You said you captured some of their people?” I asked. “I can help. I can interrogate them,” I said, already pulling clothes from my suitcase.
Mac’s face softened slightly. “No, Natalia. At least not yet. I want to keep you safe, out of harm’s way, until we are positive we have captured all of Crane’s forces that are still in the area.”
“But......But I can help,” I repeated lamely.
“I know, Natalia, but you are a prime target for them after your escape from Nevada and your discovery of one of their spies. I cannot risk your safety right now,” Mac explained. “Promise me you will stay here at the Hamilton. It is heavily guarded and everybody is on high alert.”
“Will you come back and tell me more when you know?” I demanded, hating to be rendered so useless.
“Promise me,” Mac ordered as if I hadn’t spoken.
“I promise,” I said meekly.
“I’ll find you when I return.” With that, Mac turned on his heel and exited through the still open door to my room. He didn’t make it far before nearly colliding with Erik in his haste. When I took in Erik’s attire - full on, head-to-toe riot gear - I panicked.
“Make it quick, Mr. Kelley,” Mac barked at him.
Erik nodded.
“Are you going out there?” I demanded, both scared and miffed that Erik had been chosen.
“Yeah. I heard it’s chaos. The Director is sending all combat trained Operatives he can spare,” Erik replied, looking uneasy. His thoughts were racing a mile a minute and fear and pain radiated from his mind.
“Then why won’t he let me come?” I asked.
“You would be an obvious target. It’s too dangerous,” Erik said, echoing Mac’s earlier words. “I’ll find you as soon as I get back,” he added.
I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. The hard plastic of his outfit dug sharply into my body as I pressed it against him. “Be careful,” I whispered.
“I will,” he promised, his lips close to my ear. “I love you.”
Helpless, I watched Erik jog from my room in the direction of the elevator. Fear and confusion washed over me as I stood pondering why the Coalition had attacked a medical research facility. And why now? Toxic had been so worried Crane would attack in anticipation of Penny’s execution, but her death had come and gone without incident. It made no sense. Before I could think too much more on the subject, my third visitor of the day appeared in my doorway.
“You’ve heard?” Cadence asked anxiously.
“Yeah, just now. Mac came by and made me promise to stay in the hotel,” I replied, sitting in the chair Erik had occupied the night before.
Cadence stood awkwardly in my doorway, so I beckoned her inside. She smiled gratefully and joined me at the small table.
“I volunteered to go, but I was told to stay here,” she said, shaking her head.
“Yeah, me, too.”
We sat for several long moments of uncomfortable silence. “Do you want to get something to eat?” she asked finally.
I wasn’t hungry. The thought of food made me nauseous. But I didn’t want to be alone and even Cadence’s company sounded appealing just then.
“Sure,” I agreed. “Let me get dressed.”
The dining room buzzed with news of the attack, but nobody seemed any more informed than we were. I followed Cadence through the breakfast line, piling food on my plate without noticing what I selected. We picked a table in the corner and I pushed my food around on the plate without actually consuming a single morsel.
The long seconds turned to even longer minutes and, eventually, into hours. No one came in to the hotel and no one went out. Cadence and I sat in companionable silence in the dining room along with the other Operatives who hadn’t gone to Bethesda. When the smartly dressed waiters changed the food on the buffet from breakfast to lunch, we remained stationary. But when dinner came and went without any of the Operatives returning, I couldn’t sit still any longer. I was itching to do something, anything.
“Want to go to the gym?” I asked Cadence. She jumped a little at the sound of my voice. Neither of us had spoken in hours.
“The gym?” she asked quizzically, her dark eyebrows arching upwards.
“Yeah. I can’t sit here. I’m going crazy,” I muttered.
“He’s going to be okay,” Cadence said softy. “They’ll all be okay. Most of the Coalition’s men were probably gone by the time our people arrived.
“I know,” I agreed, giving her a weak smile. “But sitting here with all these other frantic minds is making it hard for me to think rationally.” That was true. The Toxic Operatives gathered in the dining room were all projecting strong emotions and while I couldn’t actually hear any of their thoughts, I could feel the heaviness of their minds, and it weighed me down.
“Meet you down there in ten?” Cadence asked. She stood and stretched. Her joints gave an audible pop, grateful to move again.
“Yeah, ten,” I agreed.
Cadence and I didn’t speak while we worked out. I didn’t have the inclination to spar with her, so we each did our own workouts. I spent the next several hours taking out my frustrations on a punching bag that had never done anything to deserve my wrath.
By the time I left the gym, the skin over my knuckles was split and bleeding; I barely noticed the stinging pain. Back in my room, I showered and dressed for bed in a haze. I didn’t have a medi-kit, so I called the front desk and asked for more towels to wrap my hands.
While I waited for the delivery, I engaged the metal case holding my injections in a staring contest. Steeling my resolve to administer my own medicine was actually a nice break from worrying about Erik and wondering what had actually happened in Bethesda.
I narrowed my eyes, mentally unhooking the clasps holding the case closed. Breathing in and out through my mouth, I summoned one of the needles and a bottle of the suppressant. With the syringe securely in one trembling hand and the vial in the other, I prepared the injection. Then, before I could lose my nerve, I jammed the tip of the needle into my bicep and depressed the plunger. Since I hadn’t managed to hit a vein, the drugs would take longer than normal to calm me, but for my first solo administration I was just happy I’d gotten the needle into my skin at all. I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes, waiting for the chemicals to take effect.
Just as the calming sensation flooded over me, the towel delivery girl knocked on the door.
“Come in,” I called, mentally opening the door.
“You ordered towels, ma’am?” a tentative female voice asked.
“Yeah, just put them on the table,” I replied, keeping my eyes firmly shut. “Thank you,” I added as an afterthought.
“You’re welcome,” she said softly. The almost imperceptible sound of the door closing marked her exit. I willed the towels to me and wrapped the soft fabric around my cracked knuckles.
My brain was on overdrive, my concern for Erik dominating my every thought. I doubted that I’d be able to fall asleep, but I must have because I nearly screamed when I felt a light touch on my face. Panicked, my eyes popped open. The bedroom was pitch-black, warm breath tickled my ear, and a familiar body pressed against my back. Relief flooded through me when I sensed Erik’s presence.
“You’re back,” I breathed, twisting my arm behind my head to cup his cheek.
He winced under my touch. I rolled over to face him, a pang of fear shooting through my stomach when I took in the huge purple bruise surrounding one of his eyes. My gaze traveled south. His bottom lip was split and a thin row of stitches ran the length of his jawbone on one side.
“What happened?” I exclaimed, drawing my hand back.
“A couple of Crane’s men hiding in a storeroom jumped me,” he answered hoarsely.
“Are you okay?” I asked, reaching to trail my fingertips around his swollen eye.
“They messed up my pretty face, but otherwise
I’m fine. Can’t say the same for them.” Erik’s turquoise irises were haunted with the memory of the assault.
“You still look pretty good to me,” I said, leaning to kiss a non-bruised portion of his cheek.
“What happened to you?” he asked, noticing the bloody towels wrapped around my hands.
“Punching bag,” I said sheepishly, unwinding the makeshift bandages and throwing them over the edge of the bed.
“Hate to see what that punching bag looks like,” he teased. While his tone was light, the heaviness never left his features.
“It needed a couple stitches,” I said solemnly.
Erik pulled me into his arms and I settled in against him. Despite the easy banter, Erik’s mood was dark, dangerous even. Sadness, fury, and pain swam through his mind, swirling together in a tidal wave of turmoil. Physically, he was with me in the bed, but his mind was miles away, still at Rittenhouse.
“It was awful, Tal,” he sent after a long minute. “They bombed the facility. Everything was on fire......People, buildings......Everything.” Erik’s mental voice was so disturbed, it broke my heart. He put on a tough act, but I knew he felt things more deeply than most.
“What did they want?” I asked.
“I don’t know. By the time we got there, it was chaos. I could barely tell who was on our side. I can’t even describe what I saw,” he said. Erik might not have been able to describe the horrific images he’d witnessed, but he didn’t need to. His mind was open, vulnerable, and I could see the scene in his head. I wished I hadn’t.
The sight was gruesome, bloody and blazing bodies everywhere. The flames consuming one half of the facility were an odd bluish-green. Dying people, ours and theirs, screamed in agony as their lives were cut short. Gun shots rang in my ears and more bombs rained down from overhead. Explosions rocked the earth beneath my feet and I gripped handfuls of Erik’s shirt to steady myself, like the bed was actually quaking. My nose filled with the nauseating mix of chemicals, sulfur, and death that hung in the air. The fear and pain that radiated from the Operatives’ minds seemed to overwhelm me even now.