“Why should I let you take me back there?”
“You do know how special you are, right? You know your blood has unique curative characteristics and you are a powerful empath. You’re an asset and powerful men have uses for you.”
“And that’s supposed to convince me to go to him?” she asked incredulously.
“Listen, the Senator has the answers you’re looking for. He’s the best chance you have to get your life back. He’s already helped you more than you know. Hell, Meg. He ordered me to rescue you from Williams—the man who has been hunting you and your family your entire life.”
“I’m not buying it. Answer my question: Why should I let you take me to him?” Meg’s mind echoed the answer she already knew.
“He can offer you asylum from the world hunting you and a safe haven away from the family that fears what you’ve become.” His last words stabbed a raw spot in her heart. She remembered clearly the undeniable sense that her family looked at her through different eyes. She winced at the memory of their fear.
“The world is only hunting me because of him,” she managed to say.
“A fact he deeply regrets and wants to make amends for,” Gideon’s honey eyes sparkled with genuine concern.
“Your orders aren’t so altruistic in practice.” Meg narrowed her dark eyes at the soldier. Her body betrayed her by shivering in the cold autumn breeze.
Gideon took note of her weakness, but decided the best way to manage the girl was to be as honest with her as necessary. Now was no time to earn her trust with lies, but he wasn’t going to give her anything if he didn’t have to.
“Let him explain it to you himself, Meg. If you don’t want to stay with him after you’ve talked, I will personally take you to find your family.”
Meg hesitated, feeling his intentions, “You’re serious.”
“Absolutely.”
“You’re that sure of Arkdone’s intentions?”
“I’m betting my life on it.”
“Why?”
“It’s a very safe bet.”
“Are you so sure I’ll be persuaded to stay with him?”
“I’m sure he’s that persuasive.”
Meg held still for a moment, trying desperately to process everything she just learned and comparing it to her powerful intuition. Her intuition was so hard to control when her mind was this exhausted.
Meg looked down at her hand still holding his and cocked her head as though listening to a whisper on the air. “You’re telling me the truth, Gideon, but why are you so afraid if you’re telling me the truth?”
“I’m not supposed to have said any of this. Arkdone gave me direct orders.”
“That’s not true,” Meg frowned, picking out his lie immediately.
“Yes, he wanted me to bring you to him,” Gideon insisted.
“That part is true, but it’s not you he ordered.” Meg pinched her eyes shut trying to read him like a book in the dark. “You’re working with someone else?”
“No, just me.”
“You’re lying,” Meg glared. “Tell me the truth, Gideon. Who are you working with? You know you want to just say it. You’ve never told anyone else before. You’ll feel so much better once you get this off your chest,” Meg was sloppy and out of practice at forcing her will onto someone, but she had to try, though her exhaustion levels were critical. The more she spoke in her soothing tones, the more she felt Gideon quiver until he stopped abruptly. He held as still as a stone.
Chapter 43 Introducing Sirus The Gatekeeper
Meg watched as his pupils dilated so his eyes looked black instead of the honey blonde they were moments before. His jaw was tight, the muscles there working angrily. He tossed her hand down like it was a disgusting piece of garbage.
“Get back to the car now, Naya.”
“Who are you?” Meg asked without missing a beat. She sensed the change immediately.
“I am Sirus and we have a plane to catch.”
“Arkdone gave his orders to you, didn’t he?”
“I am the candidate,” the new personality said casually, walking back toward the car. Meg followed out of curiosity just as he knew she would.
“Who is Gideon?” Meg watched the young man who scanned the parking lot with aggressive, intelligent eyes.
“He’s the core.”
“How many others are in there?”
“That is not your concern.”
“Are you the,” she searched for the right word she sensed when she first recognized there to be a different personality behind Gideon’s. “Are you the gate-keeper?”
“You could call me that.”
“So does Gideon even know about you? Or the others?”
“They know only what they need to know.”
Deciding to redirect the questioning, Meg followed her instincts. “Sirus? Why did you call me Naya?”
“That is the name the controller gave you.”
“Who is the ‘controller’?”
“Senator Donovan Arkdone, of course.”
They stopped walking. Meg watched his dark eyes and wondered how this could be.