Cara offered a small smile as she addressed Jessie first. “Your ability can amplify the natural talents of others. In Zach’s case, it amplified his empathic talent.”
Jessie sensed Cara’ssatisfactionas she relayed the information. And Kade’sconcern. Kadeworriedabout Braden. Zach was a tangle of uneasy emotion. Her gut twisted. This Cryptid stuff was challenging her coping abilities. An Amp? So she boosted Zach’s power. But... was she really still sensing all these emotions? “Do I only boost others? Because I swear I’m still reading people.”
Cara’s eyes danced. “Ah. Some Amps can temporarily absorb the powers of others. Sounds like you have that ability.”
Jessie swallowed. “Is this why Braden chose me?”
“I doubt he would be able to tell when I couldn’t,” Cara pointed out. Her fingers tugged on a long braid, making the crystals sing. “A Were’s power is primarily physical. An Amp would make them stronger. Faster. Maybe more.” She regarded Jessie. “Did Braden ever touch you?”
Jessie shuddered. “Yeah. And then he kept sniffing me. He made a comment that he liked me.”
Zach stiffened. He’d taken the seat across from her. “When Jessie touched me, my senses were enhanced. The colors, the sounds, the scents.”
Cara nodded. “That might be what Braden sensed too. He may or may not have figured out she was an Amp. Not sure how up he is on those things. And Amps are rare.” She hesitated, glancing at Kade. “Rare, and valuable.”
“Valuable isn’t good, is it?” Jessie swallowed. Perhaps making babies wasn’t the only thing Braden wanted from her.
“In this case, no.” Kade’s lips had peeled back from teeth that looked sharper than they should.
“Damn and hell.” Jessie didn’t like where all this was going.
Apparently, neither did Zach. He transferred his glare from Cara to Kade. “How do we stop Braden from getting to her?”
Kade opened his mouth, but Cara beat him to it. “Well, first of all, no more broadcasting. It blasts straight through my confusion shields. If the Dires were circling anywhere close, trying to find us, they would have zeroed right in.”
No touching Zach was what she meant. Jessie interlocked her fingers and squeezed them tight. “Shields? Like on Star Trek?”
Zach beat her to the key point. “You can confuse them?”
Cara nodded. “Only I can see the way through. It is complicated. Has to do with life energies. I attract beastoid and plantoid Cryptids, and in exchange for my protection, a select few help to confuse anyone trying to find me. But you guys lit us up like a beacon.”
“I just took her hand,” protested Zach.
“Yeah. And suddenly we were on a damned rocket ship.” Jessie shivered at the memory. They’d connected instantly, as though they’d been doing this all their lives. Was this what it meant to be Cryptid? To have such power at your fingertips?
Cara’s gaze drifted over Jessie. “I will have to teach you how to keep a lid on it if you two are going to continue with such activities.”
Jessie’s skin heated. “Can I choose toAmpsomeone? Or is it going to happen as soon as I touch them?”
“I’m not sure,” Cara confessed. “The Amp gift has always been rare. Even rarer than Empaths’.”
“At the moment, we have bigger damned concerns,” Kade rumbled. “Like keeping Jessie, and also Laura, out of Braden’s hands. And keeping them alive.”
Zach sat up straighter. “Laura is the other woman that was bitten? And Sarah...”
“Braden has Sarah,” Kade growled. “Neil just told me that five Weres came for her. Braden and the Were I killed were at Jessie’s that night, so he must have sent others to get Sarah.”
Cara inhaled sharply. “How many are involved in this?”
“They’re invested,” Kade said through gritted teeth. “Organized, and well-informed. The only way they got Zach’s address is if they have an insider on the police force.”
Jessie hadn’t thought of that. She’d assumed they found her through her driver’s license. But how else could they have found Zach?
Kade glanced Zach’s way. “I have spoken to my contact on the council. They have assigned a lawyer to your case. That should back the police off, for now. The profile provided to them doesn’t fit you. They would have dropped you as a suspect if it weren’t for finding the damned car.” Kade’s eyes flashed. “I’ve also sent Trevor to guard your place. There’ll be no more surprises left for the police to find.”
Zach stiffened. “I don’t need a guard.”
“Apparently, you do. One more piece of planted evidence may land you in jail.”
