Marcella’s face pinched in concentration, her eyes appearing to gaze into the distance.
“Is she—”
“Shhhh. Don’t interrupt.”
I nodded and went back to my coffee. Seconds ticked by. Finishing my cup, I set it aside and tucked my legs beneath me.
“Blue-black feathers dipped in—”
I swallowed.
“Blood. So much blood. A battle. Blades drawn and shots fired.”
This was why I didn’t like Marcella’s visions. They never led to happily-ever-after.
“The TK has to die.”
See! There was that line again and personally, I wasn’t fond of dying.
Marcella’s eyes cleared and she smiled up at me. “Does that help?”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. It didn’t. But she looked so hopeful I didn’t have the heart to tell her it just left me with more questions than answers. “It does. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She hopped up from her place on the sofa and headed out of the room. She stopped once she reached the doorway and turned back to me. “Mom says my words can be confusing and I’m supposed to clarify sometimes.” Her face pinched in concentration. “You don’t have to die. Just the TK part of you. But before that happens you’ll find your friend. You just won’t be able to save her until that part of you dies.” She turned to her mom. “Did I clarify right?”
“Yes, dear. You did wonderful.”
Marcella preened under her mother’s praise and left the room.
“Well, it’s better than nothing.” I stood.
“You’ll have to come back for coffee again under less dire circumstances.”
“I’ll do that.” As long as Marcella didn’t give me any more of her visions. At least none related to me.
I sighed. Sleep would be a challenge tonight.
10
I headed back to the Compound. There wasn’t anywhere else to go at this point. I replayed Marcella’s words through my mind again and again.
Blue-black feathers dipped in blood.
Marcella didn’t see the past, only the future, so she couldn’t be referring to the feathers we found back at the apartment. Either Melody was still bleeding or she would bleed again.
Blood. So much blood. A battle. Blades drawn and shots fired.
Who’s blood? Melody’s? Mine? Someone else? I was banking on it being someone else’s because whoever was stupid enough to go after Melody was in for a world of hurt.
But what about the battle? Blades drawn and shots fired?
Maybe a battle would take place when we rescued her? But for that to happen, I would need to know who took her in the first place.
And for me to rescue her the TK part of me had to die. That was the cherry on the sundae of this happy day.
Gah, this vision got me nowhere.
Melody was still missing, still in danger, and somehow a part of me needed to die. The telekinetic part of me, apparently. Was that even possible? It had to be or Marcella wouldn’t have said it, right?
But a psyker couldn’t survive the loss of their abilities. I’d seen that first hand when I’d absorbed Aiden’s TK abilities and watched the light fade from his eyes. I was a pyrokinetic but TK powers lived inside of me now. They were a part of me.
I shivered just thinking about them being ripped out of me as memories surfaced of me lying on a cold metal table.
I didn’t want to be back in that room. I didn’t want to be weak again.
Another memory surfaced. One through Inarus’s eyes.
I was still on the table but I wasn’t scared. I was angry. How could they do that to her? How could Viola violate her own daughter like that?
Rage and fury fill my veins. I was no victim. I was a survivor.
I took a deep breath. All I needed to focus on right now was finding Melody. The rest could wait.
Robert pulled in beside me with Declan riding in the passenger seat.
Declan jumped from the car and stalked to my door. Opening it, he cupped my cheek in his palm and I leaned into the touch. “What’s wrong?”
I smiled up at him and shook my head. “Nothing. I’m good.”
“You’re angry?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Just reliving the past. Nothing to worry about.”
He scrutinized me. “You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
He took me at my word and led the way inside. Jason stood just inside the door waiting for me. I groaned. “I don’t have time to—”
“Make time.”
Robert and Declan came to a halt beside me. Wait, why was Robert here? He was supposed to be with Caden.
“Look, my friend is missing. We’ll have to do this another day.”
Jason’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed, that friendly boy-next-door demeanor of his vanishing in a flash. “Do you have a plan of action?”
“I’m working on it.” I brushed past him and headed further into the hallways.
“So, you’re waiting then? For news or leads but regardless, you’re waiting?”
I ground my teeth together. “Your point?”
Robert chuckled behind me and I shot him a furtive glare. “You’re not supposed to be here,” I pointed at him.
“My point,” Jason said, not missing a beat, “Is that you have time to train. Let’s go.” He angled toward the stairwell that would lead to the Compound’s lower-level training room. I decided to ignore him and turned in the opposite direction, but a firm hand on my forearm brought me to a halt.
“You should train.” Declan’s emerald green eyes stared down at me, imploring me to follow Jason.
“Melody is missing!”
He nodded, his gaze solemn. “She is, but worrying yourself over it will accomplish nothing. Train. Get better, stronger. You can’t let this fall by the wayside because your mind wishes to be somewhere else.”
I exhaled with a huff. “Fine. But the moment you hear anything concrete, you come get me.” I
