Zach’s stomach roiled. If Jessie couldn’t break this bond, she’d not only have to physically endure Braden, but he’d be in her head, too.
Jessie was staring at her hands. The fingers were so tightly interwoven, the tips were turning white.
The sight made Zach’s blood boil.
Buffy butted his hand and blinked her sparkling blue eyes up at him. When Cara glanced at him and raised one brow, Zach sighed and attempted to subdue his anger.
Cara nodded to him, then capped the needle and set it aside. She rose and moved to the other deck chair, pulling it until it faced Zach and Jessie, before seating herself.
“How long will it take to work?” Zach asked.
She examined him with her sparkling blue eyes. Eyes he’d seen on Willow. And now, on the cat in his lap.
“If it works, it should start to counteract Braden’s virus immediately. But Braden’s has been working on her for over three weeks. The Sabre virus is stronger, more virulent when fresh. This has been frozen, so it will have lost some punch.”
“So you really have no idea,” Zach summed it up.
Cara sighed and nodded. “I really have no idea.” She turned to Zach. “I hate to push on this. You’re tired and need rest. But Braden is likely to figure out we’re here pretty quickly if he hasn’t already.” She tucked her bag beside her on the chair. “So we’ll turn you into Superman sooner rather than later.”
Zach swallowed. He didn’t feel much like Superman. And his so-called talent had almost got them nabbed today. He looked down at the cat.
“You might want to sit this one out,” he told her, setting her down on the porch floor. Buffy’s tail twitched once, then she trotted off and vanished into the hedge. In pursuit of mice, no doubt.
“You need to have a stash of trigger memories ready,” Cara said, pulling his attention back to her. “To evoke emotions you can tap into. Fear, as you’ve seen, is an effective weapon. My research indicates that rage, properly channeled and amplified, can actually cripple or kill.”
Kill? Zach stared at her. “I could kill someone with this?”
Cara regarded him. “I honestly don’t know.”
“Um... you don’t know?” Jessie’s eyes widened.
Zach straightened. “Wait. You haven’t actually seen anyone do these things?” Her blue eyes blinked. “No. Empaths are not common. Especially powerful ones. It’s been a long time since I met the last one.”
Zach frowned. “What happened to him?”
“Her.” Cara folded her fingers together. “She died.” Her voice wavered. “I told you that absorbing too much negative energy can be dangerous. And it is.”
Jessie inhaled hard. “Maybe we shouldn’t be messing around with this.”
Zach’s fingers tapped on the arm of his chair. “But if we don’t do it, what are our options?”
Cara shook her head. “Kade has tried calling in reinforcements. But no one has Sabres to spare.” She looked grim. “They’ve always been the arms of the Cryptid council, but there aren’t enough of them to keep things under control anymore. And now the Dires have influence on the council. It may be that we are on the cusp of something here. Something that will affect the secrecy we have maintained until now.”
“Are you saying we have no other options?” Jessie asked.
“I am saying that things are changing. But my kind believes Fate puts events in motion and brings together the right people at the right time.” Cara’s gaze was steady. “I refuse to believe it’s a coincidence that a powerful Empath surfaces at the same time as an Amp.”
Zach stared at her in amazement. She thought he was fated to do this? Could his life get any crazier?
Cara noticed his expression and her lips twitched. “So. Shall we focus here?”
Zach closed his mouth. Sighed. And nodded.
“Okay,” Cara said. “Before we unleash your talent, let’s practice how to wall it off.”
“Wall it off?”
“We are going to build a mental wall,” she said with a smile. “One brick at a time.”
