things were happening outside his control. He looked almost as lost as I felt. His eyes, for just a moment, met mine. He inclined his head, just enough for me to notice.
Alcuin would come through for us before this was all over. I wasn’t sure how he’d ended up with Logan, but it wasn’t where he wanted to be. I’d bet my life on it. Logan was the true, tyrannical traitor.
The Alpha paced through the crowd, turning every few seconds to look my way. “I can see you’re trying to make sense of what’s happening. Let me help you. But keep this in mind, Ms. Carpenter, if you attempt to use any of your mind magic on me or anyone here, your friend, my dear sister, will be destroyed.”
I swallowed my frustration, hoping I appeared unruffled by his threats. I couldn’t, however, help rolling my eyes.
Misty, on the other hand, wasn’t so composed. She lunged at her brother, growling. Alcuin held tight, keeping her from breaking loose.
“Oh, come on, Misty. Give it up. You’re such a pacifist. War is part of life,” Logan chastised, choosing that moment to launch into an extended discourse on the many benefits and necessity of war.
Jazmine, Martin, and the others, turned their attention to the werewolf, hanging on his words like a life preserver. More than a few of the women blushed when his eyes rested on them for longer than a second. I felt certain if he offered poisoned Kool Aide, they’d drink it. That was a scary thought.
Disregarding his warning, I sent out another communication to Zane and the others, explaining the most recent developments. I figured as long as The Alpha didn’t notice any visible or harmful reactions to my mental activities, I’d be safe enough.
In addition, I’d created an effective mental barrier that would keep any unwanted intruders from entering my mind. Logan, I assumed, was worried about my more destructive talents anyway, like turning Jazmine into a moaning mess of meekness.
Remembering how she looked writhing on the ground gave me a sick sense of satisfaction. In the future, she’d know better than to provoke me … if there was a future for me ¯ for any of us.
I sensed Zane attempting to push into my thoughts and allowed him entrance.
We’ll be there, Princess. I promise. Keep Logan talking. One thing he has always loved is attention. That’s why I let him take the Alpha position without a fight. I didn’t want to be in charge. I’ll explain later. Without Alcuin’s teleporting talents, we’re stuck traveling the old fashioned way. Hang on, baby. Hang on.
I will. You can count on it. Hurry. Please.
Knowing we’d need all the help we could gather, I sent a beacon out to David and the cloaked creatures. With David’s advanced telepathic abilities, I was certain he’d hear me. I was uncertain, however, if he’d respond. I hadn’t heard from him since the guided dream encounter.
If everyone showed, we’d have a chance to defeat Logan’s clan.
Given the opportunity, Misty and Alcuin would join us, I was sure of it. Valamir had promised his services, and I felt certain he’d return. He wanted to collect a favor from me and would do whatever it took to gain that favor.
Zane, Stryder, the two M’s; they were a sure thing. With any luck, Connie, Deb, and Dillon were lurking close by. They’d come to our aid if they could. And we had one weapon no one else did: Me. When the time came, I’d use my powers like a nuclear weapon, melting the minds of our enemies like butter in a microwave.
I hoped there’d be some other way, though. I wasn’t real keen on becoming the cause of ultimate annihilation, and not all the women here wanted to follow Jazmine or Logan. They were trapped in forced training to serve as slaves.
How did all this fit together? What did the medical facility on some old barge have to do with Vegas hotels, random murders, and mutants? With me? How did Logan keep his evil agenda from his board members and Zane? I had too many questions and no logical answers.
Any logic I’d known before had pretty much vanished with Zane’s grand entrance into my life.
“Ms. Carpenter,” Logan snapped. “Were you listening?”
Feeling like I was back in a high school social studies class, I half stuttered, “Uh, well, I was kind of trying to figure all this out. Like … what are you hoping to accomplish? And what are you doing?”