fighting free of her powerful emotions to follow Ellery. When she reappeared with my gun in hand, my decision was made moot. Her determination and panic

became an emotional leash, tugging me forward, even as she tucked the Sig into

her hobo bag on her shoulder and swept past me.

“Kels,” I choked out. Desperate to follow, I turned and stumbled into the living room, losing my physical connection to Kayden. My heart clenched so hard, it was an actual pain. I watched her grab a suitcase and head for the hall.

“Kels, wait!” Even knowing how fruitless it was, I darted forward trying to

stop what would happen next. At the same time, my shin hit the low coffee table, and something tangled around my wrist, yanking me back.

“Dammit.” I hopped on one foot while simultaneously rubbing my stinging

leg and trying to keep Kelsey in sight. The unrelenting hold on my wrist tightened, piercing my haze. Then a solid band curled around my waist and spun

me around, away from Kelsey.

Steel blue seared past the chaotic brew of the past and I stilled. “Cyn, can you hear me?” Kayden’s voice sounded as if it was coming from a deep well.

The ruthless determination in his eyes held my attention and I managed a choppy

nod. Warmth cupped my face. “You need to refocus. Can you do that?”

Another slow nod, then I forced my eyes closed. Not only did it remove the

temptation to chase after Kelsey’s memory, but without the distraction, I could crawl into my own mind and reinforce the shaky walls holding the lure of the past back.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Never before had the role of observer been so hard to hold on to. It was as if

the memories had grown a will of their own and were determined to find the smallest chinks in my mental barriers. It shattered my protections and left me buried in the amorphous world of what was, and that difference could be lethal.

Think, Cyn, what had changed?

“Cyn?”

I opened my eyes and focused on the flesh and blood man in front of me, my

anchor to the present. Kayden. Snatches of Delacourt’s earlier warnings

whispered around the edges of my mind. What if his ability didn’t just enhance

mine, but pushed me deeper under, blurring the lines between the past andreality? I took a quick step back to put distance between us, and that strange connection we shared diminished.

He reached out, but his hands fell back when I flinched. His concern shifted

to confusion, and then went blank. “What’s going on?”

“You’re taking me in too deep.”

The skin around his eyes tightened in a micro-flinch, one he probably wasn’t

aware of, but standing this close I couldn’t miss it. Remorse rose, but

overwhelmed by multiple mental tasks, I couldn’t soften the verbal blow. “Don’t touch me unless I ask, okay?”

He dropped his chin in silent acknowledgement.

When I got out of this, I needed to apologize, or at least explain. Standing still, I kept my back to the image of Kelsey leaving for the last time and concentrated on the door to the bedroom.

The memories swirled and tangled with each other like some strange wave.

Their definitive edges blurred, proving my theory about Kayden’s touch correct.

I walked slowly forward, doing my best to visually sort through the images.

Ellery’s cold, masculine presence flickered for a fraction of a second, long enough to snag my attention. I stopped in the bedroom’s doorway and used it as

touch point.

It wasn’t easy. This room was Kelsey’s private domain, and her presence

dominated his. Which meant trying to capture his image was akin to trying to hold the curl of an incoming wave with bare hands. It was a vicious cycle. Ellery

would pop up, only for another, more powerful memory to surge forth and

swallow him under. As that memory faded, he’d reemerge and do it all again.

With each successive failure, the ache in my head expanded.

Something warm and wet touched my top lip. I wiped it away instinctively.

The smear of red on my hand caught my attention and held it.

“Dammit, Cyn.”

It was my only warning, then two things happened at once. Kayden’s hand

wrapped around my wrist, and the band of pain around my temples lessened its

hold. Then Ellery’s elusive trail became terrifyingly real.

Kelsey’s killer stood on the other side of the bed, facing me. A cold, inhuman

smile creasing his face. “Sloppy to leave her unprotected, Cyn.”

The crystal-clear reception of his voice sent a horrific shockwave through me