“I didn’t.” Dan shook his head. “Not at first. The message in Mia’s visions aren’t always clear from the start. It can be very frustrating for her, at times.”
Eden gave him a half-smile. “I know the feeling.”
“So, what changed?” Alex’s voice rumbled with the question.
His friend gave him a knowing look. “The next few visions showed the ball on fire and a silver cross necklace.”
“Jesus.” Alex sat back in the seat. No way was that vision a coincidence.
Eden’s gaze shot to him. “What? What does that mean?”
He hated dredging this shit back up again, but at this point, he really didn’t have a choice.
“When we found the village had been destroyed, our team buried as many of the bodies as we could find. The last one we recovered was Khalil’s. The fire hadn’t reached him, so he was easily recognizable. The soccer ball was lying about two feet from his body. We buried it with him.”
“Oh, Alex.”
“Anyway.” He did his best to get the rest of it out quickly. “After the grave was covered, we made a makeshift cross out of two smaller tree limbs and used that as a grave marker. I was wearing a silver cross necklace, so I took it off and hung it on the marker.”
Swiping a tear from her cheek, Eden looked at Dan. “The ball, fire, and cross. That’s what made you come to Alex.”
The other man nodded. “I knew it couldn’t be a coincidence.”
That his friend, whom he hadn’t seen in several years, hopped on a flight to deliver the message proved their bond didn’t end with their military careers.
“I understand why you’d think something was up with me, but why the concern for Eden? How did you come to the conclusion she was the one in danger?”
“Like the rest of the country, I’ve been following the news. I assumed her visions had something to do with this case you’ve been working on until Mia woke up in a panic this morning. Said this time she saw a woman with long, dark hair floating in a pool of blood surrounded by fire. Next to her were the soccer ball and necklace. The woman was dead, but her eyes were open.” Dan turned to Eden. “The golden color she described from her vision matches yours exactly. I knew the second I saw you I was looking at the woman from Mia’s vision.”
Fuck.
Alex ran a hand over his jaw but kept quiet. He so badly wanted to reach for Eden’s hand, but the fear he was experiencing from just the thought of something happening to her kept him from it.
“I don’t mean to frighten either of you,” Dan assured them both. “But Mia’s worked hard over the years to perfect her ability and better understand the visions that come to her. We believe her visions are a warning for you two. One you should take very seriously.”
“I can’t believe this,” Eden’s words escaped with a soft breath.
Reaching for something to ease her worry, Alex looked at her and said, “At least now you know you aren’t alone in what you can do. That the women of Phoenix hold psychic powers, too.”
He was rewarded with a tiny ghost of a smile.
“Oh, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.” Dan grinned. “There’s an entire network of women with psychic abilities that spans the globe.”
Eden’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”
“You ever hear of something called the Lotus Circle?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “But I always thought it was an urban legend. Nothing more than a myth.”
Dan’s smile grew. “I can assure you, it’s very real. Mark Halloran, one of my partners, is married to a woman named Faith. They’re both telepaths.”
“Bothof them?” Eden’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head.
Nodding, Dan said, “Their ability to communicate telepathically was the only thing that saved Mark’s life a few years back.”
Alex stared back at his friend. “That’s unbelievable.”
“Believe it. Not only that, Faith’s aunt actually plays a very vital role in the Lotus community. Women with abilities like Eden’s can email the group with questions about visions and what they mean, ask for suggestions, that sort of thing. Mia has found it to be an invaluable support system.” To Eden, Dan said, “If you’d like, I can put you in contact with her. I know she’d love the opportunity to talk with you.”
