Chapter 12

Abby felt uncharacteristically warm. She had been having dreams of her life. Her family wasn't in the picture anymore and the only ones she could trust were her friends. That as all she needed. Then her man came into her life and let her feel alive once again. She rarely felt alive unless she was fighting. But now she was fine.

Her mind was foggy but that was normal when the Healers sent someone under so they could heal. But the last few moments of being conscious plagued her. Shawn was a Pyrokinetic who had protected her when she was shot. If things went on the way they had been, they were all in trouble.

She felt the effects of the sleep influence wear off. Her eyes fluttered open as a voice infiltrated her ears. When her vision cleared, she turned her head. Shawn was sitting on the bed reading a picture book. Deuce was sitting across the room listening to her and even helping when she was stuck on a word. It was a sight but she knew Deuce was just watching out for her.

"Shawn, look," she heard him say.

Abby's line of vision was blocked by a blond headed girl with big blue eyes. She was smiling broadly. She let out a squeal when Deuce grabbed her around the waist then flipped her over his shoulder. He set her on her feet then leaned over his teammate. Shawn ran around the bed and climbed up on the other side.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Abby thought about it then moved her leg. There was no pain, just a little discomfort. She nodded her head. When she tried to answer, her voice was raw. So she cleared her throat.

"I'm feeling a lot better. Thanks," she replied.

"Daddy had to give you a transfuksion, transfuhion." Shawn looked at Deuce. "What's the big word you said a few minutes ago?"

Deuce smiled. "It's a transfusion. Daddy had to give Abby a transfusion."

"Yeah! That's it! Transfusion."

"Is Daddy Paycen?" Abby asked. Shawn nodded emphatically. "That's good. Why don't you go find your daddy and tell him I'm up."

The little girl jumped off the bed and ran out the door. She saw a white blur that meant Serge had been in the room as well. When they were gone, Abby looked at her friend.

"How bad was it?"

"The bullet nicked your femoral artery. You would have died had the heat from the fire not cauterized your wound. It's all because of that little girl that you lived. Paycen helped me put you under and we gave you two transfusions. You've been out for two days," Deuce replied. "We were going to wake you up yesterday but you wouldn't come out of it. We figured it was because your body needed rest."

"Is Their Majesties still here?"

"Unfortunately. We tried telling them to leave because they were prime targets but they won't listen. They're too stubborn for their own good."

"They are the most powerful of us all. Maybe they have a plan."

"I hope so because our plans can't be figured out until we know what they are planning."

"You know how they are." Deuce and Abby looked to the door. Paycen was leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. "They won't tell us anything unless they want us to know. Glad that you're awake."

Abby smiled. "Thanks, but I'm hungry."

"Aggie's making lunch."

The silence between them suddenly became unbearable. Abby wanted to get up and move around. She tossed the blankets off her legs, swung them over the side of the bed and stood. She tested her balance and when she was certain they would hold her, she walked towards the door. The men let her walk out of the room, following her down the hall.

Abby was pleasantly surprised to see everyone sitting around the kitchen table talking and laughing. Anna was in the middle of everyone telling stories about Shawn when she was a baby. It was really nice to see the woman become part of their big dysfunctional family.

Usually when a new mate came into the fold, there was some kind of battle between the team and the mate. He or she was usually too set in his or her ways to conform to the way the team worked. He or she would always want to do things to help the team, but without knowing the dynamic, he or she usually got in the way. It usually took a good and firm reprimand to get the new mate to understand the gravity of the situation they were in.

Anna was different. Whether it was because she was a police officer or because she knew just instinctively understood, the woman was a good addition to the group. She and Paycen had been sharing the same thoughts before Paycen had bonded her to him. Abby wondered if she told the woman would she hit her.

Anna turned and smiled at her. She motioned her over then went to the coffee pot to make a new cup. Abby slid into a chair beside Keldin. He looked her over then raised an eyebrow at her. She nodded, knowing that if she lied to him he would just ask Deuce and Paycen. Keldin had been the only one to give her a job when no one else would. She owed a lot to him for more than he realized.

"Okay, Anna, ask us anything you want to know before we get started on our real jobs," Landen said.

Anna set the cup on the table in front of Abby then thought a minute. Everyone tried their hardest not to read her mind. When there was a barrier that was suddenly slammed down, they all started laughing. Anna looked at them but didn't say anything. Abby wondered if she felt the connection to the others fade or if she just didn't care.

"Telepathy," she said. "How does it work for you?"

"Usually we're all interconnected. We can talk to each other no matter where we are. Now there are some natural places on earth that we can't talk in unless someone's there to project the wavelength," Deuce said. He looked at Keldin then.

"Telepathy is used in one of three ways. There is the communal way. That means we can talk to each other all day long. Everyone can hear the conversation if they choose to do so. Then there's the personal way. We call it two teammates talking to each other. We use it the least because it's just easier to convey orders on the communal wavelength. This wavelength is mainly used for reprimanding. No one else can hear it so there's no embarrassment," Cougar added.

"And the final form telepathy is the most intimate form. It's only used between mates. It resonates from deep within the being. Whereas there's a tell-tale sign that telepathy is being used, most of the time no one can tell when a mated couple is talking. There's no head buzzing or itchy feeling," Tyler finished.

"Also a mate can close the telepathic bond to his or her mate. Paycen did it to you just moments ago. The twin Royals can close down telepathy between all of us if they so choose. Aiden's done it before," Keldin said.

"What happens when the link is shut down?" Anna asked as let the rest of the information sink in.

"Our minds get really cold. It's kind of like living in Siberia in the middle of summer. Your body is really warm and you're going along until a sudden chill slams into your mind. You know instantly that the link has been shut down, and you don't like it one bit. It's usually reserved for times of crises and people who have been excommunicated from the Courts," Landen explained.

"You don't seem fazed by my questions."

"We explain this a lot. It's too detailed for you not to know, especially now that you know what you're getting into. It will also help you with Shawn. A parent and child telepathic bond is actually really cute," Keldin said.

"Okay. Let's get down to business," Paycen said. "Abby, since you've been out, you've missed some things."

"Such as?" she asked.

"Aiden's in jail."

The woman stared at him. She would be alarmed if the guys weren't wearing funny looks. They were all amused by this. She shook her head as if to make herself understand this more.

"Why is Aiden in jail?"

"She and the captain came up with this harebrained scheme to keep an eye on Arin. Tonight Keldin is going to collapse the tunnels. Hopefully the ones working with Arin will be trapped inside. If they are we will extricate them after we get the third party."

"So that means Aiden has to sit in jail."

"Come on, Abs," Deuce said. "You know Aiden has Second Sight. She can tell loyalty from a mile away. There's no doubt she's going to use it tonight. She will do whatever it takes."

Abby scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "This is so out of the ordinary. Why would the twins be here? Something's not right."

"You think there's more to it than what we've been discussing?" Tyler asked. He sat back and thought over it. "Do you think it has something to do with the past?"

"It might. I'm not sure right yet. There could be another reason, one that we're not seeing."

Anna tilted her head. "You said some time ago that Aiden and Mikey were adopted. What happened?"

"Their stepfather killed their mother right in front of Aiden." Keldin pointed his finger at the woman. "You think they have something to do with that incident. It happened sixteen years ago. Why would they do it now?"

"You said so yourself that the twins hunted everyone involved down. What if they missed the kids?"

"It's the missing piece," Tyler said. He grabbed his computer and started typing away. It was very amusing to watch him go nuts over his laptop. He made a noise of triumph then turned the computer around. "You were right. The dirty cop is Jason Henderson. His dad was a drug dealer in the Dallas area. He moved in with his grandmother in San Diego when he was sixteen when his dad was sentenced to life in prison for a murder. He became a cop about six years ago."

"So he was linked to Trip Masen all those years ago," Paycen said. "Oh, Aiden's going to be mad about this if she doesn't already know."

"She's got to know. The last name Henderson would trigger a response to the two of them. If I'm correct, Mikey and Aiden kept tabs on all of the men that were involved in that incident."

"So we have to be very careful in everything we do tonight," Abby said.

Paycen laughed. "We are going to be careful. You are going to remain here with Aggie, Anna and Shawn. You're not medically cleared to go on tonight's mission."

Abby's mouth fell open. She knew better than to argue with Paycen. Deuce wasn't going to be any help because in times like these the Sector Healer deferred to the strongest one around. That was Paycen so Deuce wasn't going to go against him. She looked to Keldin for help. If there was anyone who could help her in this instance it was the Sector Leader. Unfortunately for her, Keldin shook his head. She sank back in her chair.

Anna nudged the other woman's shoulder. "Don't worry. I hate these guys sometimes too."

Abby laughed. Oh, yeah. She really liked this woman. Secretly she hoped that Anna would give Paycen a run for his money.