Page 51 of When Monsters Rise
“Ican do it.”Shesmiled up at him warmly, and my stomach contracted.Ididn’t like the way she looked at him.
Shemstepped back with a slight frown. “Verywell.Penemue,Amaros, you’ll keep her and the children safe.”
“You’llhave to travel to this spot.”Zaqheld up a map forJilyanato look at.
Shestudied it for several beats. “Thisdoesn’t help me.Ineed to visualize whereI’mgoing.”
“Really?”Beeasked. “Didyou visualize the warehouse before you transportedRueand the watchers out of the mall?”
“No…and that could have gone very wrong, but we were on a time constraint.Iacted on instinct, and we got lucky.Iwon’t take that risk with these human children.”
“Sohow will you visualize the church?”Penemueasked.
“Bylooking into the mind of someone who’s been there.”Hergaze went toShem, and once again, my stomach tightened. “I’llneed to place my fingers on your temple, and you’ll need to allow me in.”
Shemtensed, and it didn’t take a genius to work out why.She’dbeen in his head before.Takenover his mind and his body and caused him to fracture theMorningstar, and now she was asking him to open his mind to her again?Couldshe be that clueless?
Iwouldn’t allow her to touch him. “I’vebeen there.Youcan use me.”
Hergaze flew to mine. “Oh…Thatcan work too.”
“Good.”Igave her a tight-lipped smile. “Afterall, you’ve been in my head before.”
Shelooked sheepish. “I’msorry about that.”Shelooked genuinely upset at having violated my privacy.
WasIbeing overly harsh? “It’sfine.Let’sdo this so we can be on our way.”
Sheslipped pastShemto stand in front of me. “Closeyour eyes, relax, and imagine yourself back at the church.”
Iforced my tense shoulder muscles to unwind and closed my eyes.Iwas back in the church, sitting on the wooden pew with the stained-glass windows around me.Itwas safe here.Quietand warm.
Mysenses prickled, and then a presence joined me.
“Thisis nice,”Jilyanasaid from the spot beside me. “Plentyof space for everyone.”
“Thereare a few back rooms too.Akitchen and another floor.”
“Wecan move the pews to make space in here.Ineed to see more.Takeme through the building.”
Iwalked across the main room and to the left, through a door that led to a short corridor and into the side room whereShemandIhad—
Myback was pressed to the wall andShemwas inside me.
“Yes, good girl, that’s it.Takeit,”Shemsaid, his voice thick with arousal.
Fuck!Ishook off the memory, and we were back on the pew. “Um…Thatwasn’t—”
“It’sfine,”Jilyanasaid tightly. “Wecan go back now.”
Iopened my eyes toJilyana’sflushed face.
“Ihave whatIneed now,” she said, ducking her head.
“Good.Gatherthe children,”Shemsaid. “Let’sdo this.”
Sammywas too weak to go anywhere withoutClara, butJilyanawas confident she could carry one more person.Itwas strange watching them vanish before our eyes.
“Let’shope they made it okay,”Sarqsaid.
