Ghostwalker 09 - Ruthless Game

Kane and Javier were protective of him, but they didn’t understand him.
    “How? You have to tel me how.”
    While she could do some extraordinary things, she wasn’t quite as empathetic. She made a good soldier and she knew she did. Paul seemed a little lost. She looked from him to Javier and Kane. These men had accepted the boy into their world—their family. They offered him their loyalty and complete acceptance, which he obviously needed. He would give the same back to them tenfold.
    If it’s easier, Rose, I can take Javier into the other room.
    She took a breath and shook her head. She suddenly found she wanted to be a part of them as wel . She wanted that same acceptance. If she became one of them—like Paul had become one of them—Javier would give her the same loyalty he gave his family members. She wanted his respect and his protection, for her and for Sebastian. It was difficult to let go of her fears—she had so many—but she’d always believed in facing her fears.
    “I’m able to visualize in my head what’s going on in someone’s body under extreme circumstances.” She chewed nervously on her lower lip, trying to find the words to describe how the talent manifested itself. “I feel heat in my fingertips first. And then my palms. Eventual y my hands get so hot it feels as if they’re burning.”
    Paul nodded. “The nerves are raw, and the heat starts running up your arms.”
    Rose’s gaze jumped to him. He understood. He actual y understood the manifestation. They smiled at each other. “The first time it happened, I was seven, and one of the girls, Thorn, stopped breathing. We al loved her so much. I was panic-stricken. We al were. Whitney had just left the room, and Thorn suddenly dropped to the floor. She’d been defying him, and he’d used electric shock on her. I ran to her, and my hands burned. I knew I had to . . .”
    “Touch her. Put your palms on her,” Paul interrupted.
    Rose forgot everyone else in the room. She nodded, her heart pounding hard. “It was more instinct than anything else. Once I touched her, I could see her heart wasn’t pumping. It had stopped. I could see it in my head.”
    “And in response, you felt the electrical current needed to jump-start her,” Paul said, “running through your own body. It’s as if our bodies provide what’s missing from those hurt or injured in some way. I always refer to it as psychic healing.”
    “How does it work?”
    “I don’t know. I’ve tried studying what happens to me when I run across someone damaged. Each response is different. I see the patient in colors. Is it like that for you?”
    She shook her head. “Not real y. When I lay my palms on their skin, I see inside their bodies, not through my eyes but in my head, as if skin to skin, I absorb them into me.”
    Kane’s fingers tightened around her, startling her, drawing her attention. She looked at him, almost afraid of what she’d see. Seeing inside someone was a strange, freaky experience. Having her own body react to theirs was almost an intimacy, a bonding between the two bodies, hers providing whatever the other needed. She didn’t tel anyone if she could help it and she never elaborated on what happened—she didn’t want to think about what happened. It was frightening and exhilarating. It was also very, very painful.
    Her eyes met Kane’s. There was nothing but awe. Respect. Love. Her heart fluttered in her chest, and she swore her knees went weak. He had a way of looking at her. Hungry predator. Intense desire. Amazing, absolute devotion. Al the emotions were there for her, and he didn’t try to hide them. It was always a little difficult for her to believe he could feel those things for her, but she was trying.
    “You saved my life.” Kane brought her hand up to his mouth. “Didn’t you?”
    She shook her head. “I gave you a chance. I’m not adept at healing. I can only do it in a crisis. I managed to repair the severed artery, but I wasn’t certain it would hold, so I actual y held it together until we got to the airfield. They’d set up for surgery right there. The doctor who did the surgery fixed everything else as wel . The bul et ricocheted around in there and did a lot of damage. You were in surgery over three hours, and they nearly lost you twice, Kane.”
    “He would have died in the helicopter if it wasn’t for you,” Javier said. “We’re al very grateful to you.”
    Rose was so startled, she actual y took a step