Eliana (22 page)

He wanted to teach her, to show her everything, just as soon as Kon was well.

“All done.” Doc rose and packed her bag. “You call me if you or Kon need anything, all right?”

“How is he?” Dane asked.

“Exhausted. His energy is totally drained. I don’t have all the test results back, but initial indications are that his breakdown was more emotional than physical. For now, he just needs rest. If there was another Sensitive available, I’d want them here, but we haven’t been able to find anyone. In lieu of that, some fresh mountain air might do him good.”

“Thanks, Doc,” Dane said. As soon as she was gone, Dane met Eliana’s gaze. “Master Nozomu lives up in the mountains. He’s not a Sensitive, but he knows a lot about energy.”

“Master
who
?”

“Nozomu. It means ‘desire’ in Japanese. He lives up in the mountains. We’ll take Kon there as soon as I—damn,” he said as he got to his feet. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, he was exhausted. He had to grip the back of the chair for balance.

Eliana caught his arm. “Tomorrow is soon enough.”

Nodding wearily, he let her escort him to bed where he curled up beside Kon. He wasn’t used to anyone doting on him, but he didn’t object when Eliana tucked the covers around his shoulders and kissed him good night.

She grinned mischievously. “Sweet dreams.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

In a reversal of the night she’d met Kon, Eliana sat in the backseat doing her best to comfort him. Kon hadn’t woken while being loaded into the car. Occasionally he twitched and murmured something incomprehensible.

Dane, on the other hand, had found a sheepskin seat cover to be gentle against his aching body. He’d slept through the night and into the next, waking more sore than he’d been when he’d gone to bed. Eliana sympathized, well aware of the plagues of aching bones, especially after a long ride.

About forty minutes into the drive, she could tell they’d reached the mountains from the sharp curves and the way her ears kept popping. She couldn’t see anything out the windows besides the occasional flash from a passing car. It was probably better that way; she wasn’t a fan of heights. She had to fight not to fall asleep. The last thing she wanted was to fall prey to whatever Kon was dreaming and leave Dane on his own.

“Sing,” she ordered.

“What?”

“Help me stay awake. Sing something. Show tunes. Nursery rhymes. Anything.”

After a moment, Dane sang, “
La cucaracha, la cucaracha, la la la la la la la
.”

If they weren’t on a winding mountain road, Eliana would have gladly wrapped an arm around his throat. “Your Spanish is terrible. Try something else.”

Dane’s voice turned operatic. “
Besame, besame muuuuucho
.”

His Spanish still sucked, but at least he made her laugh. She joined in, surprised at how well their voices complemented each other. “
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez
.” She wondered if he knew what the lyrics meant.
Kiss me, kiss me a lot as if tonight were the last time
. With luck, there would be many, many nights after this.

The first streaks of morning light were peeking over the mountains by the time Dane turned down a driveway that had no signposts to mark it as such. Happy the ride was over, she exited the car to stretch. The world was white and chill and frigid. The pure silence startled her.

She almost didn’t see the house, which had been carefully constructed in and around the trees, blending in to seem as much a part of nature as the trees themselves, though it was by no means modest or antiquated. Solar panels rested atop the roof, and while it was hard to tell the exact size from where she stood, the place seemed huge.

Dane walked over and pressed the doorbell. From within came the soothing sound of chimes. A few moments later, the door was opened by a silver-haired Japanese man dressed as if he’d just come from martial arts practice and wide awake despite the early hour. His gaze landed on Dane, though Eliana had the feeling he was well aware of her too.

Dane winced as he bowed, the recent beating evident in his stiffness. “Master Nozomu, Kon is in the car. He needs your help.”

Master Nozomu’s gaze roved up and down Dane. “So do you.” He turned to look at Eliana. “Both of you. Come in.”

They followed Master Nozomu inside. “We need to take our shoes off,” Dane said to Eliana. She removed her boots, then bent to help Dane out of his. Inside, the house was as beautiful as the photos of traditional Japanese houses she’d seen. Numerous windows let in the light. Furniture was sparse and efficient, the floors covered in wood or tatami mats. On the walls hung scrolls painted with erotic images, either males and females, males and males, or a mixture of both. The few knickknacks, now that she looked closer, were carved phalluses or figures in sexual encounters.

Déjà vu made her shiver.
Kon must have been dreaming about a room here
. She’d have to ask Dane when she had a chance.

Master Nozomu rang a bell. Two young men dressed in similar outfits appeared within seconds. He spoke quietly to them. They went out and returned shortly with Kon carried between them. Dane and Eliana followed them to a bedroom with a futon on the floor, where the acolytes made Kon comfortable. Dane sucked in a breath as he knelt. Kon stirred. “Dane?”

Dane bent down to kiss him. “Yes, darling. It’s me. Just rest. We’re at Master Nozomu’s.”

“Master…Nozomu?”

“We brought you. Eliana’s here too.”

“Ellie…”

She kissed him too, delighted to see the recognition in his eyes. “Good to see you, sweetheart.”

A faint smile touched his lips. Dane grasped his hand. Kon calmed at the touch. Dane held on a while longer, then said, “He’s asleep.”

Eliana would have stayed at Kon’s side, but Dane gestured for her to come. This time they gathered around a low table next to a window overlooking the snow-covered mountains. Dane sat cross-legged on a cushion, but Eliana found it more comfortable to follow Master Nozomu’s example and kneel. A blond woman, also dressed in dojo clothing, carried in a tray with a bowl, a kettle, and accoutrements for tea. She knelt and placed the items on the table, then bowed to Master Nozomu and left.

Dane remained silent while Master Nozomu went through the intricacies of preparing and pouring tea. Dane was tense, the only outward sign of the same impatience Eliana felt, yet Master Nozomu moved with such deliberate slowness she couldn’t help but be fascinated by it. Everything was minimal yet elegant, from the way he used a bamboo scoop to place powdered green tea in the bowl, to the way he poured the water and whisked it into a froth. Not a single ounce of energy was wasted.

By the time he handed her the bowl, Eliana was caught up in the lesson. Conservation. Deliberation. Putting oneself into the movement. She lifted the bowl to her lips and sipped, mindful of how much effort it took to perform the simple gesture.

Master Nozomu gave her a faint, approving nod. Eliana felt giddy, as if she’d just passed some important test. She handed the bowl back, and Master Nozomu cleaned it with an orange silk napkin before refilling it and handing it to Dane. Despite his stiffness, Dane drank with nearly the same thoughtfulness as their host.

He returned the bowl to Master Nozomu, who cleaned and filled the bowl one last time. As he drank, he emanated such peace and pleasure Eliana wondered how someone could reach such a state. At some unspoken cue, Dane related Kon’s predicament and outlined their plan. Master Nozomu listened without speaking, from time to time glancing at Eliana. When Dane reached their tryst in the car, she kept her eyes downcast and fiercely hoped she wasn’t blushing.

“Your instinct is good, Dane. She’ll make an excellent Warden.”

“Not my instinct. Kon’s. He’s the one who found her.”

“But you’ve already been teaching her, haven’t you?”

Unease twisted inside Eliana. Much as the old man deserved her respect, she didn’t like being talked about as if she weren’t there, especially when it came to topics which should remain private. “I’m not going to be a Warden. I just found my family. When this is over, I’m going back to South Dakota to help my aunt with her work.”

“There’s no reason you can’t do both,” Master Nozomu said.

Maybe not, but now that she’d found freedom to live life as she chose, she wasn’t in a hurry to give that up. “I’ll consider it,” she said, with every intention of ignoring his suggestion. The one concession would be to learn to drive so she could visit Dane and Kon. Often.

“As you wish. There is no reason to rush such a decision, though I assure you, you have great potential.” Master Nozomu set his empty cup on the table. “Both of you should rest and relax. I’ll have a room readied for your use. My students shall assist you in any way you require, and I will see to Konstantin.”

Apparently, they were dismissed. Master Nozomu rose and left without saying anything more. Eliana gazed at Dane, hoping for some sort of explanation.

“He’s always been a man of few words, but I trust him. So does Kon. He’s been a Warden for over forty years and trained hundreds of students, whether they’re into BDSM or not. He’s also one of the rare ones who treats the cambions as if they’re human instead of a liability. I like it here.”

“Why not stay?”

“We can’t live in a fantasy forever. Besides, it’s easier for Kon’s patients to come to the city. Not many are able or willing to trek this far into the mountains.”

“But if it’s easier on you…” she began, thinking of Evan.

“If I stay holed up, then there’s one less cambion around to prove we’re not all as dangerous as it’s believed.” There was a bitter edge to his words.

The blond woman reappeared, this time accompanied by a young man. “Miss Eliana? My name is Katie. I’m to help you prepare. Trent will do the same for Mr. Dane.”

Dane gave Eliana a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “It’s all right. Go with her. This is all for the power and comfort in ceremony. Rest. Focus. I’ll see you later.”

From his drawn and wearied face, he’d been affected by Evan’s treatment worse than she’d imagined, and he badly needed the personal, private attention. She gave him a peck on the cheek. “See you.”

More than a little nervous at being left to the care of strangers, she let Katie lead her away.

* * * *

Dane was dozing on a futon when Trent slid the door open. “Master Dane. You have a phone call.”

All the blissful effects of his massage disappeared. “Someone from the Warden’s Council?” He wasn’t prepared to cope with questions about Evan.

“No. It’s a Doctor Jensen. She says she has some test results you should know.”

Heart pounding, Dane followed the young man into the reception room and picked up the receiver. “Doc?”

“I’m glad you took me up on my suggestion of getting Kon out of the enclave, especially since there’s nothing physically wrong with him. The only substance in those vials was saline.”

“Saline?”

“I ran every test I could think of. No sign of anything besides salt and water. The drug was a placebo. It’s possible the first vials contained a different substance, but Kon’s blood tests didn’t show anything unusual.”

So his father really
was
fucking with his head all along
. “Then how the hell did he suddenly start projecting his dreams?”

“I’m no expert on Sensitivity, but with the kind of talent he has, it wouldn’t be hard to plant a suggestion and have him act on it subconsciously. ‘Traüme’ is German for ‘dreams.’ After the psychological shock of his father’s death and going through that file, he was vulnerable. We don’t know everything his father did. There could have been code words in that note which triggered a reaction. Whatever it was, those vials arrived at exactly the right time to induce him into doing something seemingly impossible.”

And then Dane had added to the shock by making him relive Valerie’s abuse. Along with Eliana’s accusations and abrupt departure, it was no wonder he’d gone into a tailspin resulting in a physical breakdown. “What are you going to do with…” He couldn’t bring himself to say the name.

“We’re sending him to Monterey for treatment. He should have gone years ago, but the Council claimed he was fine. I’m sorry we had to find out the hard way he wasn’t. They’ll be getting a tongue-lashing from me on your behalf, I promise you that.”

“Thanks, Doc. I owe you one.”

He hung up. Pure relief sapped the strength from his limbs. Evan was gone. Kon wasn’t going to die. He’d be fine as soon as Dane and Eliana worked out a way to snap him out of this funk.

Dane sank down against the wall and didn’t move for a long time.

* * * *

Eliana, wrapped in a luxuriously soft white robe, rested on a couch and figured she could get used to this pampering thing. Her hair was soft and shiny, and her skin glowed from the oils Katie had used during her massage. Her nails were a dark, sexy red, an indulgence she’d never before bothered with.

“If
you
don’t feel good, how do you expect your partner to?” Katie had asked.

Eliana saw the point. Thus when Dane walked in, she made no effort to rise. “Kon may just have to wait. I don’t think I’m up to moving for a while,” she said.

Dane slouched in a padded chair across from her. “That’s all right. We’re not in as much of a hurry as I thought.” His tone held a lightness she hadn’t expected.

“What do you mean?” As he related Dr. Jensen’s phone call, she felt her blood pressure rise. “I’d ask how his father could be so cruel to manipulate him like that, but I know. I know.” She softened as she remembered the hell he’d gone through. “Are you going to tell him?”

“Do you think I should?” he asked.

She was surprised at how natural it seemed for him to be asking her opinion about Kon.

“I think if you say anything, he’ll feel worse, and we’ll have to go through this all over again. Besides, I kind of like the dreams. The good ones, at least.”

“So do I.” He leaned forward and clasped his hands between his knees. His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Next question is, how do we make him pay for worrying us?”