Chapter 18
Gemma awoke and stretched, then immediately realized that the bed was empty. Eyes shooting open, she sat up, searching the room. “Cal?” she said, even though she somehow already knew that she was alone.
Where is he? He said that this time he would stay!
Rubbing her eyes, Gemma climbed out of bed. She found her scattered garments and pulled them on slowly, trying to get a handle on her life. Yesterday, she’d been a different person. She hadn’t been whole. And now she was.
No, not entirely whole.
Not without Cal.
Gemma’s internal chronometer told her it was morning, but for the first time, she wished her room had a clock. In her previous state, she hadn’t been able to handle a clock or anything that provided even more data than she’d already been taking in. But that had been the old Gemma.
The new Gemma, she realized, was only different from the old one in one respect, a very important one. She still took in the same amount of data as before, but now she could focus, could choose which element to pay attention to.
That didn’t mean she blocked out the rest. It still flowed into her in a steady stream, but she could de-prioritize it, commit it to memory, confine its processing. She wouldn’t forget it, but she didn’t have to think about itright now.
It was a massive change from the way she’d been before. Having control at last was a game changer. Her thoughts spread out around her in neat, logical lines, and she almost broke down from the beauty of it. Gemma twirled around, arms out, head back and smiling.
Then she froze. Footsteps were coming down the hallway. Footsteps from more than one person. She caught a subtle scent. Night-blooming jasmine. She’d only smelled it once before. One of the doctors who’d been here when she was a child had a wife who liked to garden. She’d brought in a bushel of cut flowers from time to time, and one had contained the flower.
The footsteps stopped outside her door. There was no knock. The door creaked open, and Gemma realized where the scent was coming from.
The willowy Dr. Dunkel leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms over her chest. The scent emanated from her. At her side was Dr. Beyhard.
“You’re awake,” the dark-haired woman observed.
“Isn’t this one a total headcase?” Beyhard asked, flipping her red hair over her shoulder as she took a couple of steps into the room.
In that moment, Gemma realized that Beyhard had a scent too. It was much subtler than Dunkel’s, something beneath the surface that would probably go unnoticed. Faintly, very faintly, Dr. Beyhard smelled like Cal.
“Grimm thinks she’s more than she seems,” Dunkel replied, sounding bored.
“Something more, huh? Well, let’s see if we can prove him right.” Beyhard stepped forward, and Gemma noticed that the woman’s eyes began to blaze red. Just as Cal’s had, and his brother’s when they’d been accessing their powers.
And Cal’s powers had vanished. Was this where they’d ended up?
“I don’t know what you think you’re going to accomplish with the Vartik’s abilities,” Dunkel said. “If she’s loony, she might be immune.”
“Immune to the famous Vartik powers?” Beyhard asked, her voice laced with skepticism.
Gemma shot a glance to the tall, dark-haired female in the doorway. There was something in her tone that indicated she had more knowledge than she was letting on.
“Their powers act on the mind, not just the will,” Dunkel said, the faintest blush staining her cheeks, a detail Gemma did not miss. “This one seems mindless. And even if she’s not, how would she know whether she was the Guardian or not? She can barely string a sentence together and it’s not like these Guardian types are self-aware. Megrim made sure of that before Shadow scattered them around the galaxy.”
Gemma was getting a fascinating history lesson, but from the look on Beyhard’s face, it wasn’t going to last. It was clear the woman was eager to use the powers she’d stolen from Cal.
Iamthe Guardian, Gemma thought. But she couldn’t let them know that. She had to find a way to play dumb. Bracing herself for whatever was about to happen, Gemma hoped she could hang on under the onslaught of Cal’s powers manipulated by this creature.
Beyhard shrugged. “It’s amusing to flex a new power. Ready to have fun, little human?”
A sudden feeling of warmth pervaded her being. Gemma steeled her features, refusing to show a reaction. It was a sensation that was faintly different from what she’d felt when Cal had used his powers on her himself.
“Release the spirit inside, human. Let the Guardian out.”
Gemma stared at her.Really?It was the most ineffectual thing the woman could have done. Gemma had already integrated with the Guardian. Shewasthe Guardian. There was nothing to let out. Gemma concentrated on not showing her relief.
Dunkel laughed from the doorway. “Beyhard, you think persuasion can bring a Guardian to the fore? It requires a significant event in the Guardian’s life. Maybe if you brought her back from the dead, robbed her of her virginity, or pushed her to the brink of absolute rage, it might work. Otherwise…” Dunkel pointed to Gemma, who appeared unfazed.
