Fortunately, their students started spilling in and put an end to the conversation. A few minutes later, the class started.
When it was over, and everyone had left, Eleanor lifted her duffle bag off the floor. “Are you ready?” She slung the strap over her shoulder.
“Let’s go.” Kri followed her to the door.
Since she left her things in the locker, Kri didn’t have a bag to carry.
The lockers were free for everyone to use, but Eleanor’s old habits and suspicious nature made her uneasy about leaving her things unattended. It wasn’t as if she had anything to hide in her duffle bag, but in case she ever had, it was better for people to get used to seeing her always keeping it with her.
“You didn’t even break a sweat,” Kri said. “My class is too easy for you.”
“I’m so ready for the advanced one. I can’t wait for Brundar to return from Scotland.”
Kri fell in step with her. “You’ll need to pass his test first, and it’s brutal.”
Eleanor grinned. “As I said, I can’t wait.”
As they walked down the corridor to William’s lab, Turner stepped out of Onegus’s office.
“What a lucky coincidence. I was just on my way to talk to you.” He offered his hand to Kri. “I have a job offer for you.”
“Thanks, but I already have a job.”
“It’s only for a couple of days.” Turner motioned for them to keep walking. “I asked Kian to loan me a couple of Guardians, and after I explained what I needed them for, he suggested you. I spoke with Onegus, and he has no problem with giving you a leave of absence.”
“I’m honored.” Kri put her hand over her heart. “And I’ll gladly help you out with whatever you need. If Kian suggested me, it’s probably a very low-risk job.”
“It is, and as a female, you will have an easier time infiltrating the cult.”
Eleanor’s ears perked up. “A cult? That sounds interesting. I’ve always suspected that cult leaders have some compulsion ability. I would love to test that theory.”
Turner eyed her from under his pale lashes. “I suspect the same thing. Some humans obviously have the ability to compel the cooperation of others. Hypnotic suggestion is a watered-down version of compulsion.”
“I have an idea.” Kri put her arm around Eleanor’s shoulders. “How about Eleanor and I infiltrate the cult together? Her talent makes her uniquely suited for the job.”
“I didn’t tell you what the job is yet.”
“Given the type of business you run, someone hired you to save a loved one from a cult.”
Turner nodded. “A concerned father hired me to retrieve his daughter. I did some digging into the so-called spiritual retreat she’d joined. It’s obviously a cult like any other, exploiting its members financially and often also sexually.”
“Is it a retreat for singles or for couples?” Kri asked.
“Both.”
Her hand on Eleanor’s shoulder tightened, and she drew her closer. “Then, Eleanor and I can join as a couple.”
“Are you nuts?” Eleanor flicked her arm off.
“Not at all. It’s the best cover.”
“No, it’s not. I bet that the cult leader is a man, and he won’t be interested in a couple of lesbians.”
Kri grinned. “On the contrary. Men are fascinated with lesbians. All we have to do is hint that we swing both ways, and our acceptance is guaranteed.”
“I agree,” Turner said. “The problem is that Kian will not allow Eleanor to leave the village.”
“She will be with me.” Kri wrapped her arm around Eleanor’s shoulders again. “I will guarantee her return.”
“I’ll have to talk to Kian and Onegus.” Turner looked at Eleanor. “But before I do that, you need to decide whether you want to join the mission.”
“What’s the risk factor? And what’s the backup plan? I assume that we are not going entirely solo.”
“You assume correctly. Between you and Kri, you can thrall and compel whoever you need to and get the girl out peacefully. But if anything goes wrong, my teams will take the place by force.”
“How would you know if anything went wrong? We can’t go in with wires on us. I’m sure they check for them.”
Turner smiled. “I know what I’m doing, Eleanor. Every detail will be covered, but before I can finalize the plan, I need to assemble my team, so I know what I have to work with.”
“He’s good,” Kri confirmed. “Turner is the best strategist on the planet.”
The guy smiled smugly, not even trying to pretend humility and refute Kri’s exaggerated claim.
“If Kian and Onegus agree to let me go, you can count me in. But I doubt that they will.”
“Hey, I have an idea.” Kri let go of Eleanor. “If either Ella or Vivian come with us, the communication problem will not be an issue. They can talk with each other in their heads.”
Turner nodded. “Not a bad suggestion, but I doubt either of them is ready for another adventure. They’ve endured enough.”
“True.” Kri deflated. “What about Lokan? He can dream share with Eleanor.”
Eleanor lifted a brow. “What are you talking about?”
“Lokan can dream share with immortal females. That’s almost as good as Ella and Vivian’s telepathic connection. I just hope that he can still do that after bonding with Carol. She also might object to him dream-sharing with another female. It’s kind of intimate.”
Frankly, the idea of sharing dreams with any guy seemed creepy. Even if it were Greggory, Eleanor wouldn’t want to do that with him. It was too invasive.
“I don’t want to dream share with anyone. It’s creepy. You can do that.”
“I can’t. Michael would have a fit.”
“Ladies.” Turner lifted a hand. “We are not going to use Lokan, so there is no point in you arguing about who will dream share with him. Leave the communications problem to me. As I said, I know what I’m doing.”
39
David
As David opened his eyes, he was fully aware that he was opening them in a dream and that his physical body was unable to perform the simple operation of lifting his eyelids.
He wasn’t fully unconscious, though. From time to time he could hear the conversations going on around him, but when Jonah was there, everything else faded away.
It was good to have his brother back though, even if it was only a dream. David had prayed and hoped for that ever since Jonah had died. Any contact was better than none. Any proof, no matter how intangible, that the soul continued after the body died was a gift that he was grateful for.
Since no voices were filtering through David’s awareness, he assumed that Jonah was either there or about to manifest.
Jonah? Where are you? We are not done talking.
As the doorway appeared and his brother stepped through, David didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. The light on the other side was so damn tempting, and the yearning to cross over so strong, that he couldn’t understand how even a handful of people managed to resist it and come back from the brink.