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Max waited, arching a brow. His expression told her that he didn t expect her to finish her
sentence and that he was disappointed in her inability to open up to him.
Victoria turned away from him and looked out over the dark shoreline. The tide was receding
and she could make out the outlines of strange objects that were now visible in the smooth, wet
sand.
I wonder what those are&
She took another bite of her bar and began to head in that direction.
Where are you going? Max asked, his tone irritated.
We re not getting anywhere anyway, Victoria told him, flatly. And I ve never seen any of
this stuff before& . She blinked. I think. She had a funny feeling inside. There was a round,
disc-like white stone in front of her feet. Its edges had sunk a little into the sand, but it positively
gleamed up at her.
She bent to pick it up and was surprised to find that it was very light. She shook it and her
suspicion that it was hollow was confirmed when something inside rattled.
There are angels inside&
Victoria froze. That hadn t been her own voice in her head. And she would recognize that
accent anywhere.
- 121 -
The Game
There was a chuckle, deep and soft and oh, so familiar. Five of them, luv. Break it open and
you ll see for yourself.
Victoria spun around to face Max and the horrified look on her face must have told her
captain all he needed to know because, in one fluid movement, he both pulled his sword and
rushed forward, grabbing her wrist once more to pull her away from the shore and toward the
darkness that waited inland.
They moved with incredible speed, even though Max could run nowhere near as fast as a
light leader could.
Or a dark leader, for that matter. Along with a knack for telekinesis, both kinds of leaders
possessed unnatural speed. And Victor Black and Victoria Red were the fastest leaders around.
How is he doing this? They ran over the sand, kicking up sprays of the miniscule pebbles
behind them as they moved. Victoria s heart pounded. How could she hear Victor in her head?
As a dark leader, he could read minds but project his thoughts? That had never been done
before.
Not between a light leader and a dark leader.
But between two dark leaders& . Theoretically, it was possible.
Victoria almost groaned inwardly, but was too frightened and was running too fast to make
any sound at all.
Where are you, Black? She wondered.
I m here, luv.
She nearly gasped at the sound. It was so close. She yanked her wrist free of Max s grasp
and came to a stop. No, Max! She hissed at him, trying to keep her voice down, but feeling like
screaming. He s after me not you. And I can run faster than you.
No way in hell, Max growled, grabbing her by the upper arm this time.
- 122 -
Heather Killough-Walden
She used her light leader strength to pull away from him again. His gaze narrowed, his grip
on his sword tightening. Don t you dare do this, Victoria.
You breached the wall. Clever girl. But bringing the captain along? Black chuckled again
and the sound vibrated through her body. Her nipples hardened.
Tsk, tsk, he scolded. This doesn t concern him.
Victoria stiffened, listening to the smooth, cool voice in her head. It was definitely louder
now. Closer. Much closer.
She frantically glanced around, but saw nothing. That didn t mean anything, of course.
Victor Black could become invisible.
The bastard was too fucking powerful.
I m not arguing with you any more, she told Max. And then, before he could object, she
lifted him with her telekinesis and sent him flying twenty feet back, to land safely on a dune of
sand. He was up on his feet with incredible, deft ease, but by the time he was once more racing
toward her, Victoria had already broken into a full-out run in the other direction toward the
shadowed unknown that waited long past the shore line.
She wished that she could fly. It was supposed to be a light leader ability, but she d yet to
learn of anyone actually having manifested it. How did Game Control even know that it was a
light ability in the first place? If they d never seen it done&
Her mind was wandering, skating around in hyper chaos as she sped across the ground so
fast that anyone watching from outside would have seen her form blur as it passed. She had no
idea where she was going and she had no clue what she would do when she got there.
And she wasn t at all sure that leaving Max alone on that beach had been the best plan. She
just hadn t wanted him to get hurt.
And Victor was so strong.
- 123 -
The Game
So, she ran. And the forest loomed closer before her.
* * * *
Victor stood still, watching with keen admiration and interest, as the object of his desire
drew nearer. She was running straight for him.
And she had no idea.
She was probably mad as hell at him at that moment. He d invaded her mind. She would
think he was breaking his word not to use any power she could counter with on equal footing.
Not that he cared about the promise especially after he d already broken it once to save her life.
But the truth was, he wasn t breaking it in this, anyway. He d sensed her burgeoning
darkness. Telepathic ability was burgeoning to life within her. He didn t know why. Maybe it
was Arthur One. What she d been forced to do to him.
But regardless, without that awakening talent, he would not have been able to communicate
with her in that manner. He wondered if she would ever realize that& .
As to his invisibility yes. He was being a bastard.
And he didn t care.
As she gained ground, he focused his power through the blur of her motion and took in her
form. She was dressed in a downtime uniform. But around her neck, she wore a smoky quartz
crystal on a delicate chain.
He inhaled sharply and his heart skipped a beat. His hands came away from where he d been
clasping them easily behind his back.
Suddenly, she stopped, and he instinctively went as still as she did.
She was still a good thirty yards away from the tree line, where he stood waiting for her. But
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