Deadly Games - Cate Noble [13]
The next time he became aware, he felt coarse grass and bits of gravel scraping his cheek. He was facedown in the dirt. That the ground was softer and more uneven confirmed he’d at least made it off the roadbed.
For some reason, dying in a ditch seemed preferable to being run over and smashed to smithereens by a tractor trailer.
He recalled the cabin he’d been holed up in the last few nights. It had appeared out of nowhere, replete with clothes, food, supplies. But how he’d gotten there was a mystery. Had he imagined it? Flickering memories of climbing out of a ravine and wandering for days didn’t quite fill in all the blanks.
Maybe he should have stayed at the cabin a while longer. It had been quiet and deserted. Except, the owner would have returned sooner or later. And the growing urgency to find Rufin allowed Taz no respite.
Mission incomplete.
Flipping onto his back took most of his strength, but this time when he opened his eyes he saw tiny pinpricks of light high above.
Stars. Billions of them. Crikey, when was the last time he’d even seen the night sky? Just admired it, lying softly beneath it?
A woman’s voice teased his ear.“And every night we’re apart, I’ll look up at the sky and think of you. Knowing you’re out there somewhere, looking up at the very same stars. Hurry home to me!”
Taz writhed as white-hot agony ripped down his spine like a glowing welder’s torch. The price for a memory of love was the worst.
Those memories aren’t real. Forget them.
Bullshit! He recalled the scent of roses and screamed as fire licked through his veins.
“Hurry home.”
It was too late. He could never go home.
Tears rolled down his cheeks as he surrendered his thoughts. Mission incomplete. The phrase played over and over in his mind.
Roger, Taz acknowledged when he finally regained some control. He needed to find Dr. Rufin in order to complete the mission. The problem was, he had no idea where Rufin was. The telepathic link between them was gone. Or broken.
Taz had a vague recollection of discussing a contingency plan with Hades, but whatever strategy they’d formulated was also gone. Unfortunately, the urge to follow through—find Rufin—had not abated. In fact, it grew stronger and carried the threat that to not follow through meant punishment for someone he loved.
The scent of roses. No! If they harmed her …
I will find Rufin! Even if that meant opening his connection to Hades once more, something Taz had actively resisted. The mixed messages he received from Hades—“I’m Max, not Hades. You’re Logan, not Taz”—were confusing and ultimately short-circuited his thinking.
So why the hell could he tune into Hades’ thought but not Rufin’s? Practice? He and Hades had done it for months. Had Rufin tested the connection more than once?
Doesn’t matter.
The fact was, Taz had no choice but to contact Hades. He needed Hades’ help to find Dr. Rufin.
Closing his eyes, Taz drew his awareness into his body, focusing on his breath first, then on his heartbeat, then finally on his individual molecules. He concentrated, sensing the electrical pulse darting between cells. On. Off.
And in that tiny space between flashes, he slipped free, to another level of mind.
Here, for a short time at least, Taz could direct and manipulate the thoughts of others. Most others anyway. He could also access a direct link to Hades.
Help me, Hades.
The message Taz sent was guarded. Not so much language as image. Sensation.
Hades’ response was swift. Strong. I’m here. Or rather, we’re here.
Taz realized Hades was with a woman. He opened his side of the connection fully, briefly, and sensed the fierce bond between Hades and this female. That Hades would risk hell’s punishment to love again astounded Taz. Instinctively he pulled away.
Wait! Hades called out. I can help you. Tell me where you are.
A sudden and overwhelming blitz of sensory data hit Taz, shattering the connection to Hades. Taz snapped back to reality, hyperaware of his surroundings. A car had