Full Moon Rising

“Whatever right you do or don’t have didn’t seem to matter a few minutes ago.”

He shrugged. “Jack’s suggestion caught me by surprise.”

“But now that you’ve had time to think, you realize it might be the quickest way of finding your friend.”

He held my gaze steadily. “Yes.”

I looked away and took a sip of my coffee. “There are a great many risks in doing this, and Talon is no fool.”

“Neither is Jack. Trust him.”

“It’s Talon I don’t trust.” I glanced skyward. “And he’s the one who put the chip in my arm. If he snatches me, the first thing he’ll do is take it out.”

“But he won’t suspect that I, too, carry one.”

I glanced at him sharply. The smile that touched his lips never reached his eyes. “You’re not going in there alone.”

“If anyone should go with me, it’s Rhoan. He’s trained for this sort of stuff.”

“And I have centuries behind me. Life and time provide far better training than your Directorate ever could.”

“Jack won’t allow it.”

“Jack can’t stop me.”

“But Talon might not be tempted to snatch me if you’re with me.”

“Oh, I think he will. For a start, I gave him a broken nose when I rescued you, and I’m sure he’s itching to return the favor. And second, I’ve killed a lot of his precious clones.”

I had to admit, I felt far better about being bait with Quinn alongside me. I probably wouldn’t be any safer, but at least I wouldn’t be alone

“Thank you,” I said softly

He grimaced. “My reasons are purely selfish, so don’t read too much into it.”

“Meaning if it’s a choice between me and your friend, you’ll save your friend?”

The warmth fled from his face, leaving it emotionless. “Yes.”

Fair enough. He’d known his friend for many centuries. He’d only made love to me a couple of times. Had our positions been reversed, I probably would have made the same decision

I think

“There is one thing we should do before we get in there,” he continued. “Just in case we’re separated.”

“What’s that?”

“Develop a psi link between us.”

“Psi links can be nullified by psychic deadeners, and I’m betting Talon will have the latest installed.” Though the latest deadeners hadn’t worked with Quinn in the Directorate, they’d certainly stop me. “He couldn’t take the risk of not doing so if he’s developing vampire clones.”

“But we’ve shared blood.”

“So? A deadener is a deadener.”

“And it works on one specific section of the brain. Because we’ve shared blood, our psychic connection will work in a whole different area.”

“You’re shitting me?”

The smile that tugged his lips made my pulse skip. “No, I am not.”

I tilted my head slightly and studied him for a moment. “Why?”

He shrugged. “Because unless it comes down to that choice, I intend to get us both out of there alive.”

“And once the link is formed, can it be broken?”

He hesitated. “No, but I’m in Sydney most of the time, so it won’t matter.”

“And on the odd occasion you’re not?”

“It still won’t really matter. The link is basically a locked door between two rooms—your mind and mine. And like any locked door, you have to knock to gain entry.”

“No master keys?”

Starlight twinkled briefly in his eyes. “No keys.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Put your coffee down.”

I did so

“Now, raise your left hand and touch your fingertips to my temple, then close your eyes.”

He echoed my movements, his fingertips so warm against my head

“Now, imagine yourself standing on a vast dark plain. In the middle of this plain there is a wall you cannot see past. Imagine that wall as your psi shields.”

It was harder than I thought it would be. I’d always taken my psi shields for granted—they were a gift of my heritage, something I’d had since birth, and they’d strengthened greatly over the years. Rhoan had taught me how to lower them once he’d become a guardian, but that was about it for training. No one had ever told me I could create “doors.” Maybe it was something not everyone could do

Sweat trickled down my face and I resisted the urge to swipe it away. The dark plain was forming, and so too was a wall. It was red, endless, and seemed to shimmer slightly

“Now,” Quinn intoned softly, “imagine there is a door on the left edge of that wall.”

“The wall is endless.”

“Then either you have not envisaged an end, or you have psi talents you have not yet tapped. Imagine the door as far left as you can see without moving.”

Again I did as he bid, but the effort left me trembling

“Now, push that door open and see me there.”

I took a deep breath and envisaged that door slowly opening. It felt like I was trying to move a damn mountain. I pushed and pushed, and finally, with a snap, it opened, and I fell flat on my psychic face. I looked up, imagining Quinn standing there, imagining him laughing

And suddenly he was laughing, not out loud but deep inside. It was a caress of warmth that stirred the fibers of my soul, intimate in a way that went beyond touch, beyond sex

No one has ever fallen through a door before.

His mind voice was as rich and as sexy as his regular voice, though why I found that surprising I don’t really know

Well, I’ve never liked doing the obvious. I picked my psychic self off the floor, and added, So this door will remain open now unless one of us closes it?

Yes, but I think it best to close it now, simply because you are a wolf and your aura is reaching a peak. The minute we’re inside Genoveve, open it.

Meaning he wasn’t as immune to my aura as he was pretending? I couldn’t be sad about that. So how do I close it?

Simply imagine the door closing, and it will be done.

There was no “simply” about it. Closing that psychic door proved every bit as hard as opening it. But maybe that was because part of me simply didn’t want to lose the intimacy of it

It slammed shut the last few inches, as if given a push from the other side. A gasp escaped my lips, and I opened my eyes. His gaze met mine, warm and sexy

I dropped my hand from his temple. “It must be amazing to have sex like that.”

He raised an eyebrow, his fingers sliding from my temple to my cheek. “You’ve never made love to another psychic?”

“Well, obviously I have, because you’re psychic and I discovered this evening that Misha is as well. But never once has anyone suggested dropping shields and entwining our minds as intimately as our bodies.”

“It’s an amazing experience.”

His fingers were warm against my cheek, drowning me in sunshine and desire. My heart was hammering so loud I was sure they’d be able to hear it in the living room. I cleared my throat and somehow managed to stutter, “I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“Maybe one day—”

He didn’t finish the sentence simply because his lips met mine. On the kissing scale, it blew the top off