Tori Read online

  Trying to block out the men watching her, she turned to the massive barrier and closed her eyes. She tilted her head back and opened her arms wide.

  Behind her, the men shifted restlessly.

  Across from the other side of the barrier, she heard murmurs. Whispers. Questions.

  “What is she doing?”

  “Why is she standing like that?”

  “Isn’t she supposed to help?”

  Tori blocked them out of her mind, letting them sink into the white noise of the background as her authentic self stepped forward. When her balance was solid, she opened her eyes.

  In front of her, the gnarly tree mess had shifted into a seething mass of energy, twisting and knotting into a tighter morass that shimmered with a dark effervescence. Energy had a neutral base. People were the ones that attributed emotions to it, right or wrong, good or evil.

  In truth, it could be anything. It took its properties from the area surrounding it.

  And the people.

  There was more to it, and she’d need to spend a few minutes pondering the implication, but not now.

  She didn’t know if she could get through this, but it would take everything she had to try.

  And she had to focus.

  Taking a deep breath, she studied the energy patterns. In reality, she was nothing more than a locksmith. An energetic locksmith.

  Patterns dominated nature. One could find them in every area of life.

  In this case, as she studied the patterns in front of her, she realized that it wasn’t one pattern, but several. All working in and around each other. Twisting through themselves. Reinforcing one another.

  Tension coiled in each of the patterns. Mentally, she reached out and snipped one coil. It zinged backward, as the tension on the two sides lessened, and they sprang back, causing the whole mess to rock in response.

  People cried out. Some backed away. Others ran closer.

  She let her subconscious work as she studied the pattern and picked out the next strand to cut. Again, with the tension released, the whole morass shifted and rocked, but it didn’t fight back.

  And that was what she needed to know.

  Without having to worry about the energy attacking her in defense, she could do what she needed to do faster.

  She got down to work. She cut and separated and unwound energy strands. She worked on the outside, revealing the layers underneath. She lost track of time as she released more and more strands from their ever-tightening web.

  She could feel the tension in her own body build as she worked longer and harder. Sweat collected on her forehead, and she’d have loved to take a break but didn’t dare take the chance.

  Just because she was tiring, that didn’t mean the energy was. It could easily regrow if she stopped.

  That it had gotten so big was amazing…and scary.

  She worked steadily for what seemed like hours but was likely only one. She paused and reassessed. The left strand, once released, should ease back the tension on the other side. She reached out and snipped it. Instantly, the bulk of the remaining strands fell back, and the energy pulsing around her dropped. Her hair fell back down to her shoulders.

  She gave a long, shuddering sigh of relief, then stepped forward and opened the energy gate.

  Cool air rushed forward, and the large group of people rushed out.

  Tori collapsed to her knees and bowed her head.

  Now she was tired.

  *

  Devon had watched Tori as she battled the strange energy gate. They’d had specialists here since the damn thing closed, but no one had been able to deal with the strands of energy that seemed determined to keep the gate locked and closed. As they pulled back one strand, the others wound tighter. It had been the same for every one of them.

  Until Tori.

  The strands had separated at her order, cut when she snipped them, and the tension eased as she cut strand after strand. Until the whole mass had collapsed in a big whoosh.

  And still, she’d been physically able to step forward and open the gate.

  She’d also done it in less than two hours. Grandfather had said she wouldn’t be able to open it, and the specialists had said it would take days.

  As always, she’d surprised them.

  Or maybe shocked them.

  He watched the group that had been trapped rushing to freedom.

  “Oh, thank God.”

  “Thank you, miss. Oh, thank you.”

  He lost sight of Tori as the people raced past. He smiled as he watched the hugs and joyful exchanges. One of the workers turned around, a big smile on her face as she seemed to gulp in the clean air on this side of the barrier. Her gaze landed on his grandfather. Her smile dropped away, and she backed up slightly. Puzzled, Devon studied his grandfather’s face. Grandfather smiled, speaking animatedly with someone—one of the scientists. Both were waving their hands and seemed to be in good moods. So why the reaction?

  Then someone screamed.

  He raced to the sound, fighting his way through the crowd to find Tori in the heart of the group.

  “She just collapsed.” The woman was crying. “That’s so sad. She came to help us, and it’s been too much for her. I hope she’s going to be okay.”

  “Jesus.” Devon raced toward Tori. She’d fallen facedown, with her head to the side, but her arms were down by her sides. She hadn’t tried to break her fall.

  He reached out and stroked her hair back off her face.

  “Is she still alive?” The same woman bent closer. “She did so much for us…”

  “She’s alive. She’s just exhausted.”

  He rolled her over gently. “Tori, can you hear me?”

  She moaned.

  “Easy, Tori, wake up. Easy.”

  She opened her eyes, pale-blue and unfocused, struggling to understand. Her lips twisted in a frown. And that broke his heart. When he’d met her, all she did was smile. Her face always shone bright and cheerful.

  He’d fallen in love with that vivacious woman.

  And something had gone so very wrong.

  He knew he was in the wrong. That he was responsible for wiping that joy out of her life; that smile off her face. He knew that, and the guilt ate away at him. He still loved her.

  But he’d done a piss-poor job of showing her.

  Now she hated him.

  And he couldn’t blame her.

  But he slipped his arms around her body and lifted her tiny frame, hating that she seemed so frail…still, she was back in his arms. And that’s where she belonged. He couldn’t be happier.

  She’d lost a lot of weight in the last year. Too much weight. The three sisters were all small, but Tori had slipped well past lean.

  Carrying her carefully, he fell into step as the last of the group moved ahead of him. He hadn’t taken a dozen steps when Stan approached him. “I can carry her if you need a break.”

  Surprised, Devon ignored his brother’s snicker from beside him. “I’m fine, but thanks for the offer.”

  “All right. Just let me know if you change your mind.” He stepped back a few paces. “She let my sister out of that nightmare. I want to make sure she’s taken care of.”

  Devon nodded in understanding. “I’ll make sure she’s fine.”

  “You do that.” He cleared his throat. “And take care of her good.” He shot him a stern look, “If you know what I mean.” And then he damn near ran away.

  “What the hell was that about?” Devon came to a halt, watching Stan hurry off.

  “Everyone knows,” his brother said.

  Devon stared at his brother. “Knows what?”

  “That you broke her heart.”

  Chapter 7

  Waking up slowly, Tori stayed quiet, enjoying the comforting feeling of being carried in Devon’s arms. Of course it would be him. He’d always been protective.

  Even when furious with her, he’d never have let anyone else hurt her.

  Too bad he didn’t find h
urting her himself a problem.

  She was jostled up against his chest as they moved down the path. The rich smell told her where they were going; back to the cars. She’d opened the knots of energy in the forest, and then she’d dropped her knees to catch her breath, and after that, she remembered nothing else.

  She must have passed out.

  It had taken an incredible amount of energy.

  Thankfully, she’d managed to get the job done. She couldn’t imagine what those poor people had gone through. She didn’t blame them, because Grandfather was obstinate and lacked the basics of good leadership. He had no problem stepping on top of people to make his foundation a little more secure. There was no competition for him, and there hadn’t been for decades; he’d either bought out—or forced out—everyone who could be.

  Her nostrils twitched as she sniffed the air around them. It had a fresh smell again, as if the land was waking from a long sleep. It should never have slept in the first place. She wanted to know how it had. And why.

  These were not easy questions when she wouldn’t be privy to any of the company’s information. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t come back here and see for herself. Or better yet, go to the sacred caves below this part of the forest. There were roads where she could drive to some of them, then hike in farther. But she had no wheels, and she dared not ask anyone else to go with her.

  She’d contact her sisters. They could go together.

  “How are you feeling?”

  The rumble from his chest rolled out, long and clear. The sound fascinated her to the extent that she almost forgot the question.

  “I’m fine.” She struggled to get down onto her own two feet. He tightened his arms around her, but she wanted to stand on her own.

  “Stop struggling. I’ll drop you.”

  “That’s the point. I want to walk.”

  He stopped and glared down at her, letting her down “You could just rest up and heal. There’s no reason to always prove that you’re strong enough.”

  Instantly, her back went up. She shifted, carefully adjusting her balance, and stepped back from him. “I have nothing to prove.” She turned and walked away. She hated the glare burning into her back, but she hated that damn pity more.

  His long-enduring sigh had her spinning around, almost spitting with frustration.

  “Stop that.”

  He gave her a mocking look. “Stop what?”

  “Stop pretending that I’m being a difficult person.” She closed her eyes briefly then spun around and kept walking. There was no point in arguing. Best to ignore him.

  “You’re always cranky when low on energy.”

  Her back stiffened, but she refused to comment.

  “See. Any other time, you’d have tossed back a laugh and said something about me deserving it.”

  She frowned. Surely not.

  “Now you’re tired and cranky and just want to walk away from me. Like you always do.”

  Was that a bitter hurt in his voice? If anyone had walked away, it had been him. Sure, she’d physically walked, but emotionally, he’d already left a long time earlier.

  Silence reigned as they walked through the forest. Darkness should have been on them, but as the forest responded to the freeing of its most prized energy, the colors zigged and zagged around her in a continuous ripple. The colors were warm, and vibrant, and beautiful. She was used to seeing this region full of responsive color. Although this appeared more exuberant than she’d expected, it was normal. Already healing.

  And beautiful.

  She couldn’t help smiling as the rays wafted around her legs; touching, freeing, healing the forest floor under her feet.

  “You did that. You should be very proud.”

  He really didn’t get it, did he? She shook her head. “Pride has nothing to do with it. I’m happy to have helped the forest, but what it’s really done is made me very angry at the damage having happened in the first place.”

  *

  “It wasn’t your doing,” he said quietly.

  “No, it wasn’t,” she agreed. “But then whose was it?”

  “Why does there have to be someone to blame?”

  “Because this wasn’t natural. The forest was defending itself. But against what? Why did it feel so threatened that it tried to stop those people from leaving?”

  “You think the forest was trying to protect itself?” His voice rose incredulously. He looked around in disbelief.

  She glanced over at him. “Of course. What did you think it was doing?”

  He didn’t have an answer. He stared at her. Was she serious? Then he glanced around at the trees beside them. “That makes no sense whatsoever.”

  “Really? And why is that?”

  “Because no one was doing anything to hurt it.” He shook his head. “We all need this forest. All our systems recharge with the energy it produces. Why would anyone hurt it?”

  “Are you so close to the issue that you can’t see the most basic of problems?” This time she shook her head. “You’re no fool, Devon,” she said, her voice accusatory. She picked up her feet, almost flying forward in her frustration. She called back. “You know all the puzzle pieces. You figure it out.”

  She disappeared around a curve and under the brush, letting herself go deeper into the forest. And away from him. Damn. He was good with puzzle pieces. It was his specialty. Or, it had been—when his abilities had been healthy.

  “Tori?” He called. “Where are you?”

  She didn’t answer.

  Of course she let the forest do it for her.

  And it gave him the response she’d expected.

  Silence.

  Chapter 8

  “Tori,” Devon called out. “Answer me, please.” Heavy footsteps pounded behind her.

  She stopped, her head spinning, and bent over, breathing heavily. Damn it. Why wasn’t she booking it out of there? The man had broken her heart. He couldn’t be trusted. She knew that. But apparently, she hadn’t learned anything.

  “Thank you.” He approached slowly, cautiously.

  And so he should. She had some serious issues burning inside of her. She wanted to claw his face apart, but at the same time she wanted to jump his bones. She’d tried the latter and walked away with a broken heart, which made the former her only option, but that wouldn’t end well, either. He was bigger, stronger, and way nicer than her. He’d let her claw him up.

  And that would just piss her off more.

  “Look. I know you’re pissed at me. I got that. I also understand you can’t wait to get the hell away from me, but please, let’s get you out of the forest safely first.”

  That didn’t even deserve a response, but she couldn’t resist. “You think I need you to get out of here?”

  He shook his head. “Not the way you mean. I know you don’t. This was always your backyard.” He straightened and stretched out his arms, rotating them gently. “I was thinking about how much effort that energy knot took to untie. That you might be tired, and I don’t want you to collapse out here and have no one around to help you.”

  “I’m tired, but not that tired.” She scowled at him. “And what do you care?” Okay, so that came out a little more bitterly than she’d expected. And from the look in his eyes, he’d heard it. He opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut.

  “Yeah, don’t bother.”

  She turned to study her surroundings. The parking lot was just off to the left, another ten or twenty minutes ahead, but she wanted to go to the other side where she might get some answers. She’d need to ditch Devon first.

  “Forget it.”

  She turned to study him under a hooded gaze. “Forget what?”

  “Your plans. Whatever they are.”

  The bushes beside her jostled, sending the leaves bouncing up and down. She studied the undergrowth, then smiled. Jessie. “I wondered where you’d gotten to.”

  He scampered up onto her shoulder and made himself comfortable. He nu
zzled against her neck, making her laugh, and caught Devon’s gaze. Oh, right. He never believed her about Jessie. He couldn’t see Jessie, and therefore he didn’t exist.

  Some things never changed.

  Whatever.

  “I’ll see my own way back.” She turned to walk back to the parking lot. “I’ve had about as much of your help as I can stomach.”

  *

  And again, she walked away from him.

  He fell in behind her. “Too bad. I brought you here, I’ll take you home.”

  “Right, like you’re going to take me all the way home.” She scoffed. “Like hell you will. Too bad there’s no law here anymore. You’d be doing time for kidnapping.”

  “There is law around here. And yes, you could probably get me in a lot of trouble if you chose to go that route.”

  “What a joke,” she shrugged. “Grandfather is the law in these parts. And as he likely told you to retrieve me, he’s certainly not going to punish you for doing the job he gave you.”

  Damn. Now he was his grandfather’s lackey in her eyes. He knew it looked like that on the surface, but there were extenuating circumstances. He and Grandfather had gone a few rounds after she’d left him. Too late to save his relationship, but it had been necessary to put Grandfather in his place. He studied her.

  “Surely you can see what kind of emergency we had here?”

  “And? What did you do to cause this in the first place? All we did was fix the symptom. The original problem is still out there. It’s dangerous, and it’s still damaging the forest.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked cautiously, spinning to look back the way they’d come. “It looks normal again.”

  “Well, it isn’t. And you should know that. You used to be able to read energy. What happened that you can’t?”

  He stuffed his hands moodily in his pockets. What to tell her? “No idea. From one day to the next, it stopped.”

  And had left him feeling bereft. Lost. And as that’d been the time she’d walked away, he’d been a mess. It had taken him every day since then to come to terms with it.