“My friend is dying. Whatever your boss did to her weakened her more than usual.”
Mr. Red Hair muttered an obscene phrase as he motioned for his companion to move out of the way. “Step back,” he directed her.
Nikki took two steps away from the door, and a thin stream of fire passed between the door and the frame severing the locking mechanism. She pressed her hand to her chest. That was one precise weapon. Who were these two?
The guard went directly to Selina as Mr. Red Hair closed the door.
Nikki watched them closely, thankful for their help yet unsure of their motivations. Why would two complete strangers endanger themselves for three alien females? Could this be some sort of test? To determine what? She was being paranoid.
Be careful. This could be a clever trap.
The words were so in keeping with her own troubled thoughts that it took Nikki a minute to realize she had intercepted Mr. Red Hair’s thoughts. The guard shot the elf an impatient look as he moved closer to the cot on which Selina lay.
They are unarmed and traumatized, the guard argued. And this female is in desperate need of energy. This is no act.
Their caution calmed Nikki’s uncertainty, but hearing their thoughts compounded her anxiety. Her psychic abilities were a side effect of whatever the Cretzians were doing to her, and anything connected to her captors was unwanted and unreliable.
I can’t help her unless I release the shift, the guard continued. She forced herself not to react. She had no control over when this happened, but the spontaneous gift frequently offered crucial insights. And the strangest part was that the language used by the telepaths had no effect on her comprehension. If these words had been spoken aloud, she would have been oblivious to their meaning. Yet somehow her new-found gift not only intercepted the thoughts, it effortlessly translated them.
It’s your call, but we are here for Velmar, Mr. Red Hair responded. Don’t lose sight of our objective.
Velmar? She didn’t recognize the name, but an image flashed into Nikki’s mind, an elf male with long teal-colored hair. His head snapped up, and he looked around as if he sensed their connection. Then the image blinked out as quickly as it had formed.
I can’t let her die, the guard decided.
If you let the shift go, can you get it back? Mr. Red Hair wanted to know.
Shift. The guard was a shapeshifter?
I’ve done so in the past, but this guard is massive. I’m honestly not sure.
After a short pause, Mr. Red Hair urged, Do it. If you can’t get it back, we’ll just figure out something else. Improvising is what we do best.
The guard nodded, then the space around him...shimmered. Nikki felt her eyes widen as the phenomenon grew. His shape wavered, undulating like bad animation. And then a visible wave of energy swept over his entire body. In an instant, the guard disappeared and an elf materialized. His hair was green, and his features were so damn perfect that Nikki could barely breathe. She’d thought the female was beautiful until she saw this male. No, beautiful wasn’t the right word for someone this masculine, but handsome was insufficient. He was exotic and captivating. Magical.
The guard’s uniform now hung baggily from the elf. He bent to one knee beside the cot and pressed his hand against Selina’s upper chest. “I cannot heal her completely, but I’ll stabilize her. Then Ayran will get you out of here.”
“You can’t go after Velmar alone,” Mr. Red Hair or was it Aaron argued.
“I’m open to suggestions.” He closed his eyes and his hand seemed to illuminate from the inside.
Selina gasped, arching as if he’d just shocked her with a defibrillator. She inhaled sharply, her muscles gradually relaxing. A long sigh escaped as color crept back into her cheeks. Her lashes fluttered for a moment and then she opened her eyes.
“Oh thank God,” Haley cried and hugged Selina so tightly she groaned.
“What happened?” Selina still sounded groggy, but her gaze filled with curiosity as she noticed the colorful males.
“She needs rest and lots of food, but she’ll be fine,” the green-haired hunk said as he pushed back to his feet. He still wore the guard’s uniform though it hung off his smaller frame.
“We can come back for the females once we find Velmar,” Ayran proposed.
“Are you looking for a male with long, greenish-blue hair?” Nikki asked. There was no way she was waiting around for a couple of strangers to