No Peace for the Damned

again.
    Stop
. He stopped.
There’s a guard fifty yards away but I can’t tell if he’s coming or going
.
    Theo stood rooted while I listened to the guard’s movements.
    Moving away. He already passed by here
.
    Theo took a step forward.
    Wait, the wall is covered with cameras. Not a single inch isn’t under constant surveillance
.
    Then how…?
    You have to let me take over. The only way past the cameras is for me to create an illusion. I have to have complete control to do that
.
    Theo tensed. He could not, would not give me complete control of his mind. And how could I blame him? I sure as hell wouldn’t have done it. But I truly didn’t know of another way to get past the cameras.
    He didn’t think the words but I could read his distrust clearly: I was a Kelch. This could be a ploy to invade his thoughts and gain access to Network secrets. But then I could have picked anything out of Thirteen’s head at any time over the last several months.
    The confusion of the bond between us flitted in his thoughts.
    His mind shifted. Focusing on our strange connection, his breathing staggered, his stomach clenched. And his reaction only fueled my own.
    Mag!
Shit. Had I thought that out loud?
Just do it and get us out of here!
    Are you sure?
    The moment we are past the wall, that very moment, I want back in. Not a few steps past the wall, not once we get to the highway, but the very instant we are past that wall, I’m back. Agreed?
    Absolutely
.
    He nodded and closed his eyes. With a deep breath, I felt him blank out his thoughts. I slid right in. It was incredible, easy. I had never taken over another person’s mind so completely. It was like stepping into someone else’s life. His memories, his feelings, his senses—I could sense the core of who he was. Driven and capable, strong and loyal, trained and determined. I could recall every one of his memories, even those he had blocked, but I refused tobreach that level of privacy. I could also feel the pain of his injuries and a wave of respect washed over me. His physical control was incredible. It was like wading through the essence of Theo, his soul, almost. And my heart swelled as the bond between us grew even more defined.
    I located the cameras hidden among the trees. Instantly, I created a camouflage. The cameras would see nothing more than the stagnant vision of the bare white wall. Then in a leap I moved Theo’s sculpted body over the eight feet of brick and stone that enclosed the estate.
    I stretched as I landed on padded feet. His muscles flexed and his body pulled at my will, running us just beyond the property line.
God, the way his body moved
. Now that we were safe, I really needed to focus on bringing him back. But maybe I could, just real quick…
    I ran my hand down the front of his shirt. His stomach muscles rippled underneath the cloth. I brushed fingertips along the edge of his waistband. What would it feel like to touch the skin there? I shuddered.
    OK, enough of this
. Our eyes closed and I pulled back from his mind, sliding out just as easily as I had slid in. I felt his thoughts and body pull away and I knew I no longer consumed him like I had.
    Theo?
I called. Nothing. I didn’t feel his presence reemerging.
Theo!
    Was it good for you?
His thoughts were an octave lower now. And calmer somehow. Relief poured over me.
    Theo, thank God! Are you OK? I couldn’t sense you
.
    He started moving toward the glare of moonlight on the asphalt of the highway, visible just on the other side of the woods.
    Oh, I’m good. That was, um, quite an experience. Having you inside me
.
    Heat crept over me. Something about the way the words sounded in his thoughts made me blush. I was just about to ask what it had felt like for him when suddenly he was just…gone.
    Theo? Theo, are you there?
“Theo!” The last I cried out loud as I sat straight up in my bed, my new quilt bunched in a pile at my feet.
    I was in my bed at the farmhouse. The yellow curtains billowed from the open window. The clock beside my bed read 12:37 a.m.

From the kitchen through the great room, I paced. Had it been real? A dream?
Shit
.
    With a burst of purpose I flew out the front door to my car. I jammed the key in the ignition, turned over the engine, shoved the gearshift into reverse—then stopped.
    Where were Thirteen and the others? If Theo was really gone, where was the panic? Besides, what was I going to do anyway—drive out to my family’s estate and look for Theo along