The Mind Control Telepath Page 7

  Koel was grateful Shirl made the offer, but could not consider it. He was not about to run away from his soul mate. Darden had shown restraint all these years, Koel could do the same. Besides, maybe with her soul mate beside her, JoAnna would make better choices. She was alone in this world, not sure who she could trust.

  “Although I appreciate the offer,” he told Shirl, “my place is beside my soul mate. How can she prove to be trustworthy, if we have already branded her a traitor?”

  “What about Candy’s premonition?” Alex asked. Her tone indicated she wanted Koel to come up with words that would give Alex hope her friend was salvageable.

  “Feelings of an ensuing danger,” Koel answered, “is not a particular action. Candy sensed you were in danger, Alex. It was not until Candy saw in her mind Chanz plunged the dagger into your back that the premonition came to light. Had Tarsea or Tolfer been better positioned, Chanz would not have gotten close to you with that knife.”

  Alex frowned, “That did not help! He still had the knife and his intent was clear.”

  “But a number of factors could have swayed him from that action. A boyfriend from one of his former victims could have been waiting for him or he could have been called into work. He may have had the courage at that given moment to attack you, but would possibly not been able to do it another time.”

  “I suppose you are right,” Alex said, she did not sound convinced. “Either way, I am glad you are standing by her.”

  “Things would have been so much easier if you had been my soul mate,” Koel said. He had not meant it, but each pairing since Alex came over seemed to be more complicated than the next.

  Alex laughed, “I already told you, you’re too much of a goof for me.”

  It seemed like a lifetime ago when he purposely said things to get a rise out of people. He loved watching their reactions to the outrageous comments he made. He learned a lot about people from how they reacted to the unexpected. When Koel went on missions, he needed to know how people were going to behave when faced with an unplanned occurrence.

  JoAnna had been exactly that. He was surprised by the independence of the sultry beauty. Although she spent time with Jeryl Jarlyn, he doubted she had given him her loyalty.

  Darden rose and approached Koel. “I will be heading out to reside in the penal colony. Although Jarlyn has swallowed the half-truths we have told him, it is too dangerous for me to remain. Cassie will be joining me there.”

  Koel knew this day would come. His cousin had postponed his final departure from the Troyk universe until JoAnna arrived. Darden had been their only crystal telepath to help save the dissidents they would send through the portal. Now all the women were in the Troyk universe and Shirl could take over as their crystal telepath.

  “You will be sorely missed,” Koel rose and hugged his cousin. “I will see you in the penal colony world when we travel to meet with Benko Jarlyn. It is time you are united with your soul mate and for me to head to the Childers to be with mine.”

  Koel could see the apprehensive look depicted on Alex’s face. He wished his gut feeling did not mirror her look.

  Koel stopped dead in his tracks when he saw JoAnna in the Childers’s common room. His reaction to his soul mate had not lessened upon second sight. It was hard to dismiss his body’s reaction to her, as violent as it had been in Ginkgo Terra.

  Shirl shoved him in the back, she wanted to fully enter the room and reunite with her childhood friend. “Get control of yourself,” Shirl warned him through the warrior channel. “You are dead meat if you show any weakness.” Half the time he had no idea what Candy, Shirl, or Alex talked about. Although he did not like the analogy, Koel got the gist of what she said.

  “JoAnna,” Koel said. Although he had rehearsed what he would say when he was once again in his soul mate’s presence, Koel could not find the words to continue. He stood back, paralyzed, as Shirl stepped around him.

  The crystal telepath hugged his soul mate. “It is so good to see you again,” Shirl said. “We should have stayed in touch after you were adopted.”

  Koel continued to watch the two women embrace, cemented in place with indecision. His instinct was to move forward and pull JoAnna out of Shirl’s arms, into his own. The practical part of him held him back, clearly aware of the danger she represented.

  “We have so much to make up for,” Shirl cried. “I can’t believe you are here. When Koel came back without you, I feared you would remain on Earth. The thought we had lost you again was overwhelming.”

  His soul mate’s glance returned to him. There was so much heat in her cat-like eyes, Koel’s internal temperature started to rise in response. How was he ever going to maintain a non-sexual relationship with JoAnna?

  Shirl released his soul mate and JoAnna walked to where Koel stood, still frozen in place. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her body into his. Without a word, JoAnna placed her lips against his. This was no sweet, welcoming kiss! As he opened his mouth, her tongue entered to meet his. She tasted incredible.

  Everything around him faded. JoAnna became his reality, nothing else mattered. All he desired was to possess the woman in his arms. Koel grabbed the hem of JoAnna’s tunic and started to pull it up her torso. He had never felt a softer material, although he knew her bared flesh would be finer than the most expensive silk.

  “Whoa, cowboy, slow down.” Shirl’s voice cut through the trance he had been in.

  Koel had lost control. It felt as if he had been directed by a force outside of his own mind. There was not a doubt, Koel would have had JoAnna on the floor and he would have plunged into her with an audience present.

  “The two of you were as frantic as Shirl and I were the first time we had sex,” Starc commented. “We had no control as the soul mate link attempted to right itself after that damned vampire Drake corrupted it.” Koel was as confused about what had just happened as his baffled cousin was.

  “I guess we’ll have to pick up where we left off later,” JoAnna said. “My uncle just called me to The Palace. Jeryl Jarlyn wishes to see me. Koel, can you accompany me?”

  “Shirl, can you walk with JoAnna?” Koel asked through the warrior channel. “I have some things I need to figure out.” He had never lost his faculties as he just had. All of a sudden, spending time in the penal colony did not seem like such a bad idea.

  “Jo Jo, I have to report to crystal telepath headquarters. Starc and I have not been debriefed on our last mission. The Palace is on the way, let me go with you. It will give me a chance for us to catch-up. Candy had her turn, now it’s mine. I am sure Koel will understand.”

  Although JoAnna looked momentarily disappointed, she nodded her approval. Koel took a step back, he broadened the space between him and his soul mate. He needed to figure out what had just happened before he came within close proximity to her again.

  As soon as JoAnna, Shirl, and Starc left, Koel headed to the common room and poured himself a drink. He downed it in a single gulp and poured himself another glass. With the drink in his hand, he sat in the overstuffed chair, he needed to think.

  “There is not enough alcohol to dull the ache you are feeling, my friend.” Tarsea pulled out a glass and joined Koel. “My relationship with Alex has had its peaks and valleys. I woke up one morning too often with a hangover. Trust me when I tell you it does not work.”

  “If you weren’t so bossy and controlling, we would not have fought,” Alex said as she sat in Tarsea’s lap.

  “What was JoAnna like when you all lived in the orphanage?” Koel knew it had been a lifetime ago, but he yearned to learn as much as he could about his soul mate.

  “Jo Jo was so full of life,” Alex responded. “She was always up for a challenge. If she was told not to do something, she found a way around the rule or warning. Actually, she reminds me a lot of you. Jo Jo always l
ooked at all the possibilities and took the best path. She was only six when she left, I can only imagine what she is capable of now.”

  “That is what I am afraid of.” Koel had not planned to voice his doubts. Nature would not be so cruel as to tie him to a woman he could never have. He took another sip from his drink. There had to be a way to rescue JoAnna from Jeryl Jarlyn’s clutches.

  Chapter 8

  JoAnna only half-listened to Shirl, as they made their way to The Palace. The kiss she shared with Koel was nothing like the one he gave her on Earth. That kiss had been the knee weakening kind. What had just occurred was mind-shattering explosive. He reacted exactly how she had wanted, almost as if she had directed his actions. She had been so caught up in the moment, she forgot Shirl and Starc had been present.

  “Earth to JoAnna,” Shirl screamed in her ear. “I can imagine what you are thinking about, but we are here. If you are going to meet with Jeryl Jarlyn, you need all your mental faculties.” It felt like Shirl wanted to say more, but she did not continue. Once again, her friends were guarded about the information they shared with her.

  “I’ll find my way back when I am done with the Prime Ruler,” JoAnna said. It was hard to mask her disappointment in Shirl. “You must be exhausted after your mission.”

  “Yes, I am. We’ll go out to Gerard’s for their second seating of dinner tomorrow night. I understand you have some awesome outfits. I can’t wait to see them.”

  “Shirl?”

  “Yes?”

  Confronting her friend on the street in front of The Palace did not seem like the appropriate place. “Nothing,” she replied. “We’ll talk tomorrow.” She desperately needed a sounding board, but did not know if Shirl was the one she could confide in. JoAnna was the outsider, the one who had abandoned them.

  Shirl gave her a long assessing look. Her expressive eyes showed she still struggled over what to say to JoAnna. “How much do you know about the legend of the mated female crystal telepath?”

  “Next to nothing,” JoAnna admitted. “Jeryl Jarlyn has mentioned it several times, but not to the extent I understand the stories shared or what you are capable of.” She was on a cliff and decided to jump into the mix of all the intrigue in this world. “The Prime Ruler mentioned I should watch you and report back to him.”

  Shirl did not seem surprised by JoAnna’s confession. “There is not a whole lot to tell him. Tread carefully where he is concerned. Everything he does is about garnering more power. You seem like a smart woman, JoAnna. Do not be taken in by his charm.”

  This had been the most honest conversation JoAnna had had since she arrived. Unfortunately, Shirl had to report in and Jeryl Jarlyn waited for her. They embraced and Shirl was on her way. JoAnna momentarily stared at the majestic beauty of The Palace. Once again, beauty provided a facade for the corruption of the mind control telepathic government.

  Unable to delay her meeting with Jeryl Jarlyn any longer, JoAnna made her way into The Palace. She was now known to all the palace guards, who waved her on. Her trip up the stairs was uneventful, with nothing to temporarily distract her from making the meeting. When she entered The Prime Ruler’s receiving room, he was alone. Her uncle, who always attended their meetings, was not present.

  “JoAnna, my girl,” Jeryl Jarlyn greeted her. “We have a lot to discuss today, let us get straight to business.”

  She sat in her usual chair. There was a cup of coffee and a pastry laid out in front of her. Everything seemed normal, with the exception of her uncle’s absence. JoAnna felt Jeryl Jarlyn was finally going to get to his real agenda. She picked up the cup with the black brew and started to sip.

  “Have you been able to enter another’s mind?” Jeryl Jarlyn asked.

  It took a tremendous amount of self-control to swallow the coffee and not spit it out. Her mind immediately flashed to the time in the portal and what had happened with Darden. It had been an odd sensation, nothing she had experienced before.

  Jeryl sat forward in his chair, aware of her reaction to his question. She could not deny anything had happened. Her usual poker face had abandoned her.

  “When I entered the portal with Darden, I had a strange cerebral moment. Did I enter his mind, I don’t know. It felt like I saw the workings of the space oddity through his eyes. There was nothing intentional in what occurred and I doubt if I could reproduce it.”

  “It is indeed a rare talent a mind control telepath possesses,” The Prime Ruler admitted. “However, through the use of crystals, you can hone your skill and control another person.”

  The ability to sway indecisiveness was one thing, what Jeryl admitted was quite another. The idea of making another person a puppet to be controlled was a scary and atrocious proposition. Suddenly, JoAnna thought of the kiss she had just shared with Koel. He had been holding back and her desire for him to become more aggressive plagued her thoughts. Had she been responsible for the loss of control Koel had experienced?

  “There was another occurrence, was there not?”

  “I’m not sure,” JoAnna answered truthfully. She was full of doubt over whether she had driven Koel to crave her as much as she wanted him. How could she start to understand the extent of her power and how to control it, if she was not honest with Jeryl Jarlyn?

  “Tell me,” Jarlyn commanded.

  “I kissed someone and it turned into a frenzied affair.”

  “Was there a discharge of electrical current and the ability to communicate through a new telepathic channel?” The Prime Ruler could barely contain his excitement.

  JoAnna’s face reddened, through no fault of her own. She could not control her body’s reaction to Jarlyn’s words. “Yes, it happened on Earth when Koel touched me.” Jeryl Jarlyn knew of the soul mate relationship between Shirl and Starc. JoAnna just hoped The Prime Ruler would give her and Koel the space he had provided the other couple.

  “Excellent,” Jeryl Jarlyn answered, “when you are ready to be with him, your power will become intensified. But first, you need to harness the gift you have barely touched the surface of.” The Prime Ruler rose and walked over to a display case of crystals. He picked up a gold stone and returned to JoAnna, handing her his treasure. “This is herderite. It will help to awaken the power you have dormant in your brain.”

  JoAnna could feel the power emanating from the gem. She had never believed in hocus pocus or the power of crystals, but the sensation she felt as she held the stone was hard to deny. “How does it work?”

  “In the beginning you will have to concentrate, get into a meditative state. Eventually, you will just need to grasp it in your hand to harness its power. I had called you here to tell you I wanted you to start to travel with Shirl and Starc in order to exercise your power with non-telepathic people. However, I think we need to have you and the team travel to Terra Flora to retrieve more herderite.”

  JoAnna had not considered she could journey from world to world, as Shirl and Starc did. Shirl had been so tight lipped related to her travels, JoAnna questioned whether she would be welcome. Ultimately, it appeared they would have little choice if the Prime Ruler so decreed it. Jeryl Jarlyn did not delay in executing his latest plan. The communal pathway was already abuzz with news that the Prime Ruler’s protégée would be traveling with the female crystal telepath.

  “You should report to crystal telepath headquarters and prepare to leave with Shirl and Starc immediately,” Jeryl Jarlyn ordered. JoAnna doubted Jarlyn took into consideration Shirl’s present state of exhaustion.

  “Is it not true a crystal telepath gets power primarily from the brain?” JoAnna asked. “Shirl just returned from a mission that lasted almost a week. Wouldn’t it be wise to have her rest a day or two before you send her out again?” Besides, JoAnna was also concerned about traveling through an unstable portal with a crystal telepath who was not at one hundred percent of her capabiliti
es.

  “I suppose you are correct; Shirl should rest for a day. It is hard not to be excited about what power you will possess. Grasp the crystal and concentrate on absorbing its essence.”

  JoAnna fisted the herderite, until its rough edges dug into her palm. She was not sure how one went about gathering energy from stones, but she had nothing to lose in making an attempt. Rather than pushing through telepathic communication the way Tolfer had shown her, JoAnna concentrated her gift on the object in her hand. She felt a sharp pain in her head and she started to bleed from her nose.

  “Careful,” Jeryl Jarden warned, “you have collected too much energy with one telepathic pull. Imagine you are sipping wine, rather than gulping down water.”

  JoAnna rose to collect some tissues to clean herself up. Wouldn’t it be convenient if she had the gift of telekinesis? All she would have done was concentrate on the box of tissues and it would have come to her. She stopped in her tracks and tried to manipulate her power to move objects. Having no success, she continued her short trip to the tissues.

  “Take the stone home and practice with it,” Jeryl Jarlyn instructed. “Although the bleeding will have no lasting effect, it is a sign you are overtaxing your brain. Too much of that carelessness could result in you damaging the part of your brain that contains your gifts.”

  The warning was duly noted by JoAnna. For the first time, the occurrence of a nosebleed resulted in a warning that permanent damage would result if her behavior was not modified. JoAnna wondered how many of the Prime Ruler’s protégées ended up destroying their brains.

  JoAnna was escorted to crystal telepath headquarters by one of the palace guards. Although she had not felt the sensation that someone followed her, she thought it wise to have someone accompany her. In addition, she had not visited this building in the short time she had been in the Troyk universe.