Devotion

I shrugged. 'I sense when Charlotte's in the gym before we leave the mansion. But I haven't sensed anyone beyond that. I don't know if I can't or if there just isn't anyone to sense … if there's anyone else farther out.'

Rina nodded. 'You have been confined, I understand. It has been good practice for you, but I believe it is time for you to be among new people, new mind signatures.'

'Really? Who? The council?'

'I believe so. Do you think you are ready?'

I didn't know, but I wasn't about to tell her that. This was the moment I'd been waiting for–excitement crackled through my veins. 'Yes.'

'I will bring only one in at a time, as they are available,' she said. I tried to hide my relief. All of them as a group would probably still be too much for me. Rina broke her gaze from the ocean, turned to me and took my hands into hers. Her eyes pierced into mine. 'Alexis, you will be among people with whom you are unfamiliar.'

'I think I'll be okay. You said my shield was strong, and I haven't had any problems controlling that part.'

Rina's lips pressed into a thin line. 'No, you have not. I am actually concerned about that. I thought you would have relinquished that shield by now.'

My brows furrowed. 'What do you mean? I thought it was good.'

'Just now, with the others, you had a difficult time listening to more than one, no?'

'Yes,' I admitted. 'I had Dorian, Tristan and Owen, but all together, all at once, it became too much, and I panicked.'

'You closed them off without meaning to, yes?'

My eyes widened. 'Yes. How–? Were you in my head?'

Rina shook her head. 'No, darling. You would not let me in. You were surrounded by people you know and love, and still, you would not loosen your hold.'

'So why is that bad?'

'It means you are not comfortable with your gift yet. You cannot relax enough to use it properly, not even when surrounded by those closest to you. The tight control you keep on it prevents you from using the real power it contains.' She freed one of my hands while holding the other as she turned back down the path toward the party. 'Do you remember during the battle many years ago, when we were in the cellar of the safe house, and I shared what I saw through others' minds?'

I nodded. How could I forget? It had been the worst day of my life, watching through Rina's mind, which saw through soldiers' eyes, people destroying each other on the battlefield outside the safe house. Tristan even probed straight through one soldier's mind, past Rina's and right into mine to say his last goodbye. Rina had used her gift far beyond any capabilities I had. Oh! That's it! The thought hit me as though Rina had actually slapped me. That was the only way to convince her of what I heard from the council–I needed to be able to share with her, let her hear it for herself!

'How do I do that?' I asked.

'It is not too difficult. If you are at ease with your gift, that is. Not only one-on-one with those closest to you, but comfortable in various situations. With strangers, especially in groups, in any kind or size of crowd.' We'd returned to the lawn and the barbecue. She stopped walking and made her next words slow and deliberate to ensure I understood. 'Comfortable enough to let your shield down without losing control. You will have to allow it, Alexis. It is up to you.'

With that, Rina slid off her heels, hiked up her sequined gown and ran for the football game.

'You are going down, big man!' she yelled as she plowed into Solomon, who chased Dorian, the ball carrier. Rina tackled the vampire to the ground, but right before they hit, he swung her around so his body would take the impact while she landed on top of him.

Although my mind still chewed on what she meant–'you will have to allow it'–I couldn't help but laugh at them, along with everyone else. Who would have thought with those two? Dorian rolled on the ground with whole-body hysterics. But then I caught something in Martin's eyes that didn't match the grin on his face.

Was that a look of disgust? Or annoyance at the matriarch's behavior?

He caught me watching him and whatever I saw disappeared. His eyes were just as warm as the rest of his face as his smile widened. I returned his grin before realizing I did so.

Chapter 7

Were-birds were freaky. At least the one on the council was. Her name was Robin. No joke. She morphed into a falcon, which she inherited by birth, not by being infected, so her parents knew what they were doing when they named her. Why do parents do that to their children? Robin was the first council member I was able to listen to and her thoughts were … uh … flighty. I felt sorry for her, though. She seemed to have similar problems as mine during sex–she couldn't let herself completely go or she'd turn into a bird. My issues weren't so bad after all. At least I could enjoy it when (if ever again) we were alone. Robin and her husband, who wasn't a Were, had to deal with it every time, feathers flying as she reached her orgasm. I picked this up while Robin sat in Solomon's office waiting for him to begin his meeting with her while I sat in Rina's office to mentally eavesdrop. TMI was the part I hated about my gift.

Guilt for invading her mind and discovering her intimate issues stabbed me in the gut, but the need to find the traitor and the little girl gripped my heart and soul.

Robin was basically useless, though. As Solomon subtly interrogated her about a traitor, her thoughts bounced around, never focusing on anything for long, especially not on the subject of betrayal. She dismissed this idea, her thoughts giving me the impression she knew nothing of the traitor. Her only concern was she hoped I would have a daughter sooner rather than later so she could have her own children–she didn't want to bring young into the world if the Amadis would not be here long enough to protect them. I couldn't help but wonder if she'd give birth or lay eggs.

As the weeks passed, Rina brought in other council members as they were available. I couldn't help but notice that besides Robin–who Tristan thought was likely a test or warm-up for me because Rina knew she'd be harmless–the only others who came in were mages. First there was Shihab, a wizard from Arabia, followed by Jelani, another wizard, from Africa, and Attair, an Arabian warlock. They were all men, so not the person I sought, and Rina realized they weren't who she sought either. With obvious reluctance, she eventually brought in Minh, a Vietnamese witch, and Galina, a female Russian warlock. I understood Rina's trust in them immediately. They couldn't have been more faithful, trusting Rina and standing behind Tristan and me.

The others, however, each had their own opinions about the direction the Amadis should be heading. Shihab and Attair thought I belonged with Owen, and Jelani felt as though Dorian might be able to lead, believing that was the reason he came alone. These were fleeting thoughts, however, especially the one about Dorian. There was nothing to back it up, and I could only chalk it up to wishful thinking.

Frustration and uncertainty battled for dominance within me as time passed with no mention at all of a hidden girl. Not an inkling of a thought. Nothing. Each meeting with this nothingness only solidified Rina's argument that I hadn't heard what I thought I had at the council meeting, and I began to wonder myself. When impatience nearly drove me to madness, Tristan reminded me there was nothing we could do until we had more to go on, because all we had now was a fleeting thought that even I was beginning to doubt was real. The only way to find out was to continue listening to the council members.

If only Rina would have let me.

'It is time to move on,' she said one afternoon nearly a month after we'd started as we sat in her study. Galina, the final mage to be interrogated, had just left Solomon's office. 'I need to progress with a wider investigation. I need to involve the council.'

'But what about the rest of them? Shouldn't I listen to everyone?'

'There is no reason. They cannot be blocking me, and I have discovered nothing from them. I cannot spend anymore time on this.'

I dropped my head and stared at my hands in my lap. I couldn't help but agree the last month had been a