Attitude.
Kinsey chuckled as she imagined her mother saying that. It was her favorite response to anything Kinsey and her sister had a problem with.
“It’s all about attitude, girls,” her mother would say.
Kinsey fell to one knee as the magic loomed over her. She felt like a candle flame that was about to be extinguished. It took a great amount of effort to get back to her feet. She was hunched over, unable to stand straight because of the weight.
“I’m not giving up!” she yelled, letting her anger lace her words. “You won’t best me!”
Kinsey threw back her head and laughed. “I won’t be beaten. I’ll endure. I’m going to find my way back to Ryder. The Dragon Kings will know the truth.” The laugh died as she raised her fist into the air. “Do you hear me?”
If there was one thing Kinsey had learned during the years after Ryder left it was that she was strong. Stronger than she ever gave herself credit for.
She’d gathered her broken heart and pieced it back together. She’d faced each day instead of hiding. She’d held that minuscule kernel of hope within her that one day she might find love again, that Ryder might come back into her life.
She’d become a hacker who was respected and revered in the computer world. She’d learned to take care of every aspect of her life from the trivial to the important.
All that showed her that she could beat whatever magic was being used now.
Kinsey gritted her teeth and fisted her hands as she began walking. Every step was an effort, but she didn’t give up. She hummed louder as she kept moving, always moving.
She didn’t know how long she’d been walking before she realized she was standing straight. The weight was all but gone. Kinsey walked faster and faster until she was running.
The white stretched endlessly before her, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t. If she did, she knew she might not begin again.
Kinsey was smiling widely. Somehow, someway she’d beaten the magic. In all her life she’d never felt so strong. Magic was powerful, but it wasn’t everything. She’d just proven that fact.
Suddenly she slammed into something. Kinsey intuitively lifted her arms to shield her face as she fell forward in slow motion as some kind of goo tried to hold her.
She landed on something hard and looked around. There were memories playing all around—her memories. Some so old she’d forgotten them.
Some more recent.
She got to her feet and walked to the one where Ryder was kissing her. Kinsey watched it replay over and over, her fingers against her lips as she recalled the feel of his mouth on hers.
Then she recalled how she’d gotten there. She looked over her shoulder, but only saw more memories that stretched on forever. No more white room.
“Ryder!” she bellowed and started running again—to her future.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Ryder held Kinsey’s hand. He’d been there several hours waiting for her to wake. But he wasn’t the only one. Henry was also waiting on Esther.
Neither woman had so much as stirred since Tristan spoke to them in their minds and the trackers had been extracted. But that was little consolation to Ryder or Henry.
While he waited, Ryder was going over everything in his mind about Kyvor. He began to methodically put it in order of when he and Kinsey unearthed the information and how it fit into the timeline of occurrences.
Of all the things they found, it had all been about them following Kinsey. It was the encrypted e-mails sent by someone Ryder had yet to look into that mentioned Kinsey. And cryptically at that.
Since the e-mails said very little, Ryder gathered there had to have been face-to-face meetings. In order to learn who these people were, it was going to require turning the tables on them.
If they could watch the Kings, then the Kings could watch them. And Ryder was very good at watching people.
Thorn poked his head into the cavern and said in an excited voice, “Esther has woken.”
Ryder was happy for Henry, but he was still waiting for Kinsey to open her violet eyes.
Thorn felt bad for Ryder. He quietly slipped back into the chamber with Esther and the others. Con stood off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest. Roman watched the siblings with an almost confused look in his eyes. Dmitri looked as on edge as he usually was. Only Henry was smiling.
“Henry?” Esther asked, a frown upon her brow. She glanced around the room and at the men. “Where am I?”
At this, Henry’s MI5 training kicked in. His smile dropped. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
Esther’s gaze dropped from Henry’s as she searched her mind. Then she sat straight up, alarm and a touch of fear clouding her face. “What did they do to me?” Esther asked more to herself than Henry.
“Who?” Henry urged.
Esther gave a quick shake of her head as she rubbed her temple. “I need to get back to London.”
“You’re no’ going anywhere,” Con stated in his cool tone that brooked no argument.