Chapter One
Bryck stared down at Sayvor and knew the Synn demon wasn't going to make it. Already his mind chased the shadows, searching for the lost connection to his twin.
Damn the soul madness.
Why did it have to be like this? Always the Anom'tan walked on the dangerous edge that all too often led to insanity and death. Only the bonds of a mate or twin held back the nightmare. Yet every one of them had volunteered for the duty, offering to walk under the sun and complete the tascs the night-working Tascryn would otherwise miss.
Each had ritualistically reclaimed their souls to allow them to walk under the sun without being burned alive. The blessing was also a great burden. The very act of tascing a mortal soul put the demon's soul in jeopardy. The balance wore heavily on each one of them, but it was bearable as long as they had an anchor.
With the twins separated, they were both without anchors and within days could be overcome by the madness. Tascing mortal souls was out of the question, yet Sayvor would still need to find strength through sex.
Not that it would matter if they couldn't find Flayvor. Bryck shook his head. The twins were his responsibility. It was his duty to protect them, and he'd failed.
Sayvor's eyes blinked open. His blurry gaze met Bryck's and cleared quickly with a frantic rush.
"I need to know more about the attack, so I can track the ones who took your brother." Bryck knelt beside Sayvor, pressing his body close to help the Synn focus. He'd led them long enough to know how important touch was to the Synn. "Can you remember anything? A face. Maybe a name?"
Sayvor's expression crumbled. He moaned, "No, I don't remember." The Synn's voice barely rose above a whisper.
"Do you remember where the attack happened?" Sayvor shook his head mutely. Bryck hated to push but he needed to know the truth. "Do you remember where you'd come from or where you were going?"
Sayvor shook his head again. Then all at once, he was sobbing into his hands.
It was just as Mayce said. Sayvor had blocked out the entire attack. Even what he'd known before was gone.
Bryck stepped back to the doorway of their strange new home. He had an idea. It probably wouldn't work, but maybe when Sayvor was back to full strength the Synn could be helped to remember.
"Doctor Washington, are you ready to see him?" He spoke quietly to the woman sitting on one of their mismatched sofas. Her navy pants suit was proper and professional, yet it clung nicely to her body and showed off her pleasing, trim lines.
Sasha Washington stood, using all her self control to not reach up and fuss with her black hair. It was a nervous gesture, but she couldn't help her reaction to these people. They were entirely too beautiful to be human. They set off her radar like a nuclear waste dump.
She just didn't know what they were.
"Yes, I'm ready." She paused next to the huge man. "You never said what exactly is wrong with your friend." Nor had the man said how they were connected or why she was the one to whom he'd come for help.
Mr. Bryck shook his head and waved her into the room.
She entered what must have once been the former warehouse's office space but was now a combination bedroom and hospital ward. At first she didn't see her patient. The bed was rumpled and the room was sparse, at best. Someone had hung a poster of a sunrise on one wall.
Then she saw the window with its heavy iron bars and steel mesh, and she went still. Good Lord, was the man dangerous? What had she agreed to?
She stepped backward until her hip met the thick door. Fear crawled up her spine. Mr. Bryck had closed her in the room!
Her hand rose to bang on the door, but froze at the quiet whimper coming from the bed.
She had to at least speak with the man. Surely she wasn't so cowardly that she would run before she even met him. It wasn't as if Mr. Bryck could contact anyone else for help. She was the only practicing clinical Paranormal Psychologist in the whole region. She already knew these people were not human. She had to help them if she could.
"Hello." She edged closer to the bed. "Mr. Bryck didn't tell me your name." The bed covers shifted and a quiet moan immerged from beneath them. She made it to the side of the bed and looked down anxiously, searching for the man she was supposed to help. "My name is Doctor Sasha Washington. Your friend thinks I may be able to help you."
The man was completely covered. She couldn't even see his face. But by the sound of his panting breath, she could guess at his position.
With one hand, she carefully drew back the blankets to reveal thick, tangled, brown hair. When he didn't object to being uncovered, she pulled the blanket back further.
His face ... he was so pale. The man's white skin glistened. It was almost bluish, with pale smudges of tan. He looked fragile and ill, but behind that terrifying exterior was a stark beauty so breathtaking she thought for a moment he must be an angel.
)
