I wrapped fingers around his arm as I addressed Kurt. “Where did you get the key to the lock?” Last I knew, Yani had kept it with her.
A wary look came over his face. “Yani,” he said.
Damn it. “What did you do to her?”
“Nothing. She’s fine. I put some sedative in her tea. Then I took the key.”
That wasn’t nothing. I turned and ran for the engineering bay.
Yani was sitting propped up against the power core containment, rubbing her eyes. I crouched down beside her. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know what happened,” she said. “I must have fallen asleep.”
“Kurt—that is what happened.” Xandros rumbled as he entered.
“Kurt?” Yani’s eyes widened. “He didn’t?—”
“He did, after he slipped something into your tea,” I said through gritted teeth. “And we don’t know how long Senaik’s been gone.”
Yani’s eyes rose to Xandros. “Zyair and Rhodes…”
“We’ve got no way to warn them,” I said.
“I—I will go to them.” Xandros sounded as desperate as I felt.
Yani looked at her watch. “I think I drank the tea about two hours ago.”
Two hours. I exchanged a glance with Xandros. “If that’s where Senaik’s going, he might already be at the town.” I swallowed—my gut was twisting painfully.
Xandros had a funny look on his face. “We could try?—”
“Try what?” I eyed him.
“My brothers’ mate, Amelia—she links them.” He gestured as if he was having troubles explaining.
Linked? “You mean they’re telepathic?”
He shook his head. “But they can see through each other’s eyes. It might be a talent only she has. And you have not mated Rhodes…”
Yani’s gaze widened as she looked at us.
“But you and I and Zyair—” I said.
Xandros’s eyes lit up. “Yes. You could warn him—give him an indication that something is wrong.”
It sounded unlikely as hell, but it was also worth a shot. “What do I do?”
He seemed uncertain. “I—I am not sure. Amelia described it once. She thinks about them, and it links her. Think about Zyair.”
“Why don’t you send mental images of Senaik walking off the ship?” Yani suggested. “Use lots of emotion. That might help.”
“Okay.” As I closed my eyes, Xandros gathered me against his hard body. Encased in his warmth, I was suddenly filled with a terrible, tearing kind of fear—his fear for his brothers. It flooded through me, and gave me hope that I might actually reach Zyair.
I tapped into that, and then imagined Senaik running away fromthe ship. Changing into a dragon—he’d be black, blacker than Rhodes in the gathering darkness. I wrapped the images in emotion—fear and warning.
I don’t know what I expected, but there was no response. When I opened my eyes, Xandros was watching me closely. “I didn’t feel a damned thing.”
He was quick to school his features, but I saw the flash of disappointment.
