Page 70 of Cops and Robbers

“I’m sorry,” Sajani said.

“There’s nothing to apologize for.” Kate rested on the edge of the coffee table and caressed Sajani’s face.

Raz’s dragon sent heat through him, but he shushed the flare of jealousy. He knew the two had become close enough for Sajani to confide in Kate about everything she’d been doing for Matsuda, but just how intimate that was—he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t his place to ask, but from the cocktail of heartache and guilt flowing through the link, Kate cared deeply about her. Which would explain why the two seemed to trust each other.

Energy fluxed between the link as if Kate were preparing to use more power. A chilling unease flowed through his chest. He feared she couldn’t keep this up and stay in Illusion on the submarine.

“You did great,” Kate said. “You don’t know what this means to me. Thank you.”

Sajani smiled, and as she rested her cheek in Kate’s hand, her face paled, lips turning blue. A frost tinged her brown hair as if she had sat in a freezer for hours. Something twinkled white in his peripheral vision.

He jumped forward. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t move.” Kate’s fiery demand stopped him in his tracks. “She’s fine. You can collect those feathers for me while I alter her memories.”

Feathers? Sure enough, a feather lay on the counter, and a few had floated to the floor. Had she performed a miracle? What was this costing her? She never mentioned if performing miracles was taxing, but he wasn’t sure how many feathers she had left.

As the blue glowed between her fingers and Sajani’s skin, he grumbled but picked up the others. The pristine white almost appeared bleached with some radioactive substance. The middle rachis glowing blue furthered his mad science project thought. Fallen feathers.

Kate continued working on Sajani. The minute ticked by like an hour before she squatted back and drew in a deep breath.

“What did you do?” he asked.

“I used a miracle to erase her memory ever since the day we met, then copied the memories I gave the guards, so she thinks the other person she’s supposed to rotate with decided to stay longer and Sajani returned from the submarine after installing equipment.”

No wonder it took a while. She stood but faltered backward. He grabbed her arms, and she fell into him with all her weight.

“Kate?” he asked.

“Whoa, I haven’t used that much energy in a while. Altering memories isn’t as easy as changing my appearance. I need to rest.”

He hoisted her around the waist, and she wrapped her arm around his shoulder. The same thing happened to Caige if he used too much Illusion. His heart pounded against his chest. “Are you good to walk?”

She nodded. “Bring the brownies. I’ll need the energy. And don’t forget her backpack. It’s what she normally brings to the submarine.”

Holding her, he bent to grab the plastic plate and backpack. He brought her back to the van. Caige opened the door for her, and she rested back before grabbing the plate from Raz.

Handing the guard’s keys to Raz, she said, “Take Caige and grab the largest piece of equipment from the rear of the SUV in the driveway. It should be in a black case.”

He made her comfortable in the backseat and deposited the backpack before he left with Caige.

“Everything okay?” Caige asked as they crossed the street.

“She replaced three people’s memories.”

Caige whistled under his breath. “Seems like it took a toll. I didn’t know Fallen were capable of that.”

“Me neither. But she’s covering our tracks.” At the black vehicle’s trunk, Raz tried each key until one slid into the lock. The door swung open to a large case that looked like a coffin.

“Will she be okay to stay in Illusion for the next few hours?” Caige asked, hopping into the back and around the case.

Raz strummed the link between them. Anxiety and exhaustion came rushing in, but also calm confidence that settled his own fears. “She’ll push herself if she has to.”

“Ready?” At Raz’s nod, Caige continued, “One. Two. Three.”

They lifted, and Raz’s muscles burned from the weight.

“Didn’t think scientific equipment would weigh a ton.” Caige shook his head as he hopped from the rear. Raz kicked the door closed before they loaded the coffin into their van.