I think I’ll stick it out with you, Jonas, at least until after the threat is over. Then we can take the time to see if we’re even compatible.
Jonas still had her hand pressed against his lips. He didn’t realize air was caught in his lungs, and he hadn’t taken a breath in some time. The pressure on his chest was tremendous. He barely comprehended what she’d said. He found himself just staring at her like an idiot.
Camellia? The burning in his lungs increased.
Take a breath, Jonas.
The gentle amusement filling his mind was tinged with something he couldn’t quite identify but knew was good. Still. As much as I want this, you with me, it isn’t safe for you. The things you can do, Camellia, are unique and crazy valuable, and I can tell there’s so much more.
He knew there was more. He knew if one person found out who shouldn’t, she would never be left alone. Never. As much as he wanted her for himself, he didn’t want to risk her.
The bottom line is this, Jonas. I don’t know for certain whether or not Marigold betrayed me that night when I tried to escape. I do know she didn’t tell me about her twin sister, and I know she left me behind when we all escaped, but she’s still my family. That means she’s mine to protect. Lily is part of my family as well. I’m not going to run when they’re in danger. I just can’t do that. I’m not built that way.
Her response came as no surprise. She was loyal, and she was willing to sacrifice herself for those she loved. It didn’t matter that Marigold had hurt her beyond reason or that she hadn’t seen either Lily or Mari in a couple of years. They were important to her, and she would defend them with her life.
Jonas pressed his lips to her knuckles and then nipped the soft skin with his teeth. I’m reaching out to Rye now. Feed me as much energy as you can. He’s a good distance away. I’ll tell him up front that you’re helping me hold the bridge and can hear every word we say. Ryland will most likely have Kaden, one of our most powerful telepaths, doing the same on his end.
Jonas didn’t wait but reached out to Ryland. Rye. We’re all in trouble. I’ve got one of Lily’s lost sisters with me, helping me connect with you over the distance. Don’t have a lot of time. You need the details.
The response was slow to form, but several seconds later, his psychic energy spiked as two remote minds established contact with him. Ryland and Kaden together. They were strong when they twisted the path together, but the distance was long, and it took time to follow the trail back to him across such a distance.
Is everyone okay?
Yes. Camellia is with me. Jeff is watching our back trail. Kyle, at the moment, is keeping an eye on eight scouts tasked with kidnapping Daniel and Lily. A much larger force is coming behind them to wipe out the rest of our team and Team Two. They’re enhanced, at least the eight scouts are. We’ve not seen the troops they report to yet. Our understanding is the main force is still four to five days out. The ones sent ahead are to acquire Lily and Daniel so they can’t accidentally get harmed in the battle. Whoever these guys are, they don’t appear to know much about Team Two or their children, only our team.
There was a long silence while presumably Ryland and Kaden talked over Jonas’s intel.
We have a leak. Kaden’s voice was grim.
We do, Jonas confirmed, equally as grim.
No estimate on the size of the army coming at us? Ryland asked.
Not at this time, but we hope to capture a couple of live scouts, Jonas said. That’s why I don’t have a lot of time. We’re going to ambush them and get as much information out of them as possible. I doubt Whitney would send an army after us, but you never know.
Again, there was a long silence while Kaden and Ryland talked over what little Jonas was able to give them.
We can send you a couple more men, Jonas. If these soldiers are enhanced, there’s only the three of you.
Four with Camellia. She’s worth her weight in gold, Jonas corrected. She’s stood with us so far and intends to until the end. Says Lily is family and she protects family.
You have to be certain about her, Kaden cautioned.
I’m as certain of her as you are of Tansy.
Jonas felt Camellia dig her fingers into his thigh, centering his attention back onto her. What is it?
Tansy. She whispered the name into his mind. I remember her. We were all so little back then. She couldn’t have been more than five when Whitney took her away. He said he found her a home with good parents. Is that true? Did she have good parents? A good life?
Jonas kept possession of her hand and reached out with his free hand to touch her face gently. At that moment, it didn’t matter that an army was coming at the two teams. She deserved to know about another one of her lost sisters.
Kaden? he prompted. Kaden is married to Tansy, Camellia. He would know better than anyone else.
She had a good childhood but was betrayed by her father. That hurt her very much. She will love catching up with you. Thank you for wanting to help defend her.
Jonas was very grateful Kaden took the time to give Camellia that brief explanation. Don’t send anyone to help us, Rye. If anything goes wrong, you’ll need everyone there. Make certain Team Two is prepared to get everyone out. You should move Daniel and Lily. Have the Nortons get their children out.
They can’t. Let me correct that. Briony and her twins can go. Her boys are about five months younger than Daniel. Healthy boys. Briony’s healthy. Marigold had major problems with her pregnancy and delivery. Her boys are only a few months old. I think they can travel, but she has an infection. From what I understand, it would be dangerous to move her. If we had to, we could, but we might have to make a stand, Ryland said.
There was no question that Team One would stand with Team Two. If they divided to send some of the men with women and children away from the compounds, the others would stay behind. Jonas felt the energizing sparks running along his veins and traveling through the neurons to spread heat and awareness through his body. Now he knew what it was. His woman approving of his teammates. Of him. Recognizing their loyalty to one another.
Kyle suddenly turned his head. Those scouts are on the move, heading up the main trail, toward the top of the ridge. They’re running silently. Gray flew low and no one noticed, although the one they called Mott turned his head for a moment, so he might have caught the movement. Maybe not though, because at the time, they were still in the fog. They’re out of it now.
Are they staying to the main trail? Camellia asked. Did any of them appear suspicious when they crossed our trail? I wiped our tracks on the ground and through the brush and did my best with scent, but air is still the most difficult for me to manipulate.
Kyle nodded. They’re on the main trail. None of them noticed any tracks, and two in particular seem to be looking, although just in general I think, not because they believe anyone was watching them. They have one “sniffer.” He’s always testing the air. They’re coming up on the ravine. It’s deep, but not very wide. Not like the gorge we jumped. Mostly rock. There’s a large tree down, and they’ve stopped to maneuver it into position to use it as a bridge.