Aeromancist (SECOND EDITION): Art of Air (7 Forbidden Arts Book 3) Read online

  Kat didn’t get her hopes up, not just yet. The way in which Eve broke the news was too grave. There was more.

  “But?” Kat asked.

  “I can’t replicate it.” She shook her head. “Not in time. It’s a complex viral culture, and I’m not a virologist. All I can tell you is whoever fabricated it is a genius.”

  “If they’re using a virologist,” Lann said, “how come we’re not?”

  “It’s not the virus that’s the cure,” Eve said. “The virus is simply a means of transporting the cure through the body. Cracking the formulation of the culture may take months, even years.”

  “How sure are you that this cure will work?” Joss asked.

  “Ninety-nine percent.”

  “Not one hundred?” Lann asked.

  Eve gave him an apologetic look. “In science, there’s always room for error.”

  Maya looked around the room. “What now?”

  “I think that’s for Kat and Lann to decide,” Clelia said.

  Joss walked to Eve and squeezed her arm. “Thanks.”

  She nodded. Slowly, everyone made their way to the door, considerately giving Kat and Lann privacy.

  When the others were gone, Lann took Kat’s hand. For a while they didn’t speak, each considering the facts quietly.

  Finally, Kat said, “If I go with Vanessa, you can have us followed, and come for me. We can snatch the cure.”

  Lann’s eyes filled with regret. “These people are powerful, maybe even more than Cain. You heard Vanessa. If any one of us comes after you, you’ll be dead.”

  “Will they really know if you follow me?”

  “Trust me, they’ll know. They’ll have safety measures as strong as Joss’s, if not stronger, warning them of possible intrusion, virtual or real.”

  “To go with them is a risk then. We don’t know if we can trust them.”

  He was quiet for some time. When he cupped her cheek, she knew what he was going to say and she didn’t want to hear it.

  “No,” she whispered.

  “Katherine,” his tone was urgent, “we don’t have a choice.”

  She shook her head, but he took her face in both hands, forcing her to look into his eyes. “I won’t lose you if there’s a way to save you.”

  “They could kill me anyway once Thomas is born,” she stammered.

  “They’ll expect us to negotiate conditions. I’ll ask for a guarantee of communication with you.”

  “What if they don’t honor their word?”

  The color of his eyes turned to a pale shade of yellow. “Then I’ll go in and kill them all, regardless of the consequences. They know this too.”

  Tears brimmed in her eyes. She tried to blink them away, but they fell in big blobs, rolling over Lann’s fingers. “I don’t want to give my child away.”

  Lann squeezed her face to the point of pain. “Do you believe I would ever give up my child?”

  “What will we do?”

  “I’ll go back for our child once you’re safe and out of harm’s way.”

  “You want me to go into captivity until our baby is born, give him up, and hope you can rescue him? What if you don’t succeed?”

  “I will,” he said with conviction.

  “You’ll have all the help you can get,” Joss said from the door. “Cain’s given you his full support. All of his resources will be available to you to rescue your son.”

  Lann let go of Kat’s face to stroke his hands over her arms.

  “I’ve just briefed Cain.” Joss seemed regretful when he said, “You have five minutes. We have to make a decision.”

  Kat looked at Lann imploringly. “I don’t want to give birth without you.”

  There was more behind her words than a fear of giving birth. It was dying alone that had her weak with terror. She swore she could see his heart breaking in his eyes.

  “Neither do I, krasavitsa.” He wiped his hands over her shoulders and said with conviction, “If there’s a way of keeping you alive, we have to do it.”

  He’d made up his mind. Kat could see it in the determined set of his jaw. Going willingly into captivity frightened her more than death itself, but she also saw the hope that shined with a new light in her husband’s eyes, something she hadn’t seen in those yellow pools for a very long time.

  “I’ll make sure you’re safe, Katherine. I promise you. I won’t let them hurt you.” His gaze turned intense. “Do you trust me?”

  She couldn’t stop the silent tears that rolled over her cheeks. How could she take away Lann’s hope? She had to be brave.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He planted a chaste kiss on her lips. “Good girl.”

  Joss checked his watch. “I have to call in the others. We have to make the call.”

  “Are you ready, Katherine?” Lann asked.

  What he really asked was if she agreed.

  “Yes,” she said, her voice firm this time.

  Lann pulled her roughly against him. His beautiful face was rigid when he turned to Joss. “We’re ready.”

  When Joss signaled for the rest of the team, Lann kissed the crown of her head. “You’ll come back to me alive, and I’ll get our son. That’s a promise.”

  Closing her eyes, she allowed his words to sink into her heart where she’d nurture and remember them whenever she needed hope.

  Clelia and Maya entered. Clelia connected Cain on the satellite feed while Maya ran security checks.

  A moment later, Vanessa’s voice came onto the line. “Did you get my gift?”

  “We did,” Lann said in a clipped voice.

  “I assume you have conditions.”

  “I do.”

  “We’ll start with mine. We meet in one hour in Paris. Kat will come alone. If anyone follows her, she’s dead. If anyone tries to follow her after today, she’s dead.”

  “We won’t follow her,” Lann said, “but I’ll see her off. That’s non-negotiable.”

  “Fine. I’ll allow it, but only because I love sad farewells.”

  “Kat has to be treated well. You know what I mean by well. I want to speak to her every day.”

  “As for treating her well, we want the baby to be healthy, so don’t worry. Your princess will be pampered in her tower. Every day? No can do. Weekly is as much as I can guarantee.”

  “If anything, and I mean anything, happens to her, you know I’ll hunt you down.”

  “That’s what Gideon’s for, or did you forget about my insurance policy?”

  “Believe me, if anything happens to Katherine, Richardson and what he will or won’t do, will be the least of my worries.”

  “Fine,” she said in a condescending tone. “Stop acting like a woman with wet knickers. Tell Kat she doesn’t need to pack. She comes with nothing but the clothes on her back. Now take down the address.”

  Back in their room, Kat faced Lann. “What will you tell my parents?”

  “I’m going to send them emails on your behalf. I’ll say we’re traveling around the world.”

  “What if it doesn’t work out? What will you say?”

  He gripped her shoulders. “It will work out.”

  She understood. He needed her to be strong. She nodded.

  They had less than five minutes. Bono was refueling as they spoke.

  “I love you, Lann.”

  What else could she say in five minutes? There were many things she wanted to talk about, such as Thomas’s room and how it had to be done, and the work she hadn’t yet finished with Marie, but nothing mattered as much as those words.

  He kissed her with much tenderness. “I know. You’ll be fine, krasavitsa. Thomas too.”

  Without a handbag or a suitcase, she felt strangely empty. When she slipped the bracelet from her wrist and placed it in Lann’s palm, his face contorted into a painful expression. He opened his mouth, but a knock on the door cut him short.

  “Bono’s ready,” Clelia called. “You’ve got to go.”

  Lann only look
ed at Kat for a few, strained seconds before saying in a hoarse voice, “I won’t see your belly grow with my child.” His eyes grew hard. “I’ll never forgive them for doing this to us.”

  The emotion in his voice was like a blade twisting in her heart.

  He placed the bracelet on the dresser, and took her hand. “Come, krasavitsa.”

  Downstairs, Maya, Eve, Joss and Clelia waited for them. No one said a word as they each embraced her. They watched with solemn faces as she and Lann boarded. Even Bono was quiet during the flight.

  Kat had promised herself that she wasn’t going to cry, and she was proud of herself for doing a good job so far. Dread made her throat thick. She was willingly walking into a prison, and nobody could guarantee the outcome.

  When they touched down, Bono stayed in the helicopter while Lann drove Kat to their designated meeting point, a different airstrip farther north.

  Knowing what was to come, they held hands in the car. Too soon, the storm would tear them apart. The lonely hangar came into sight too quickly. Five armed men guarded an unbranded jet.

  Lann felt Kat’s gaze on him as he cut the engine. He turned to her, took her face between his hands, and kissed her long and hard. Her breath caught when he released her. He knew his woman well enough to know it was as much from fear as from the fact that she needed air.

  “I’ll never let you go, krasavitsa,” he said, feeling the weight of what he had to do like a meteorite crashing down on him. He lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on her belly. “Look after my son until I can come back for him.”

  She gave a brave nod. He gripped the door handle before he could change his mind. Getting out of the car, he took stock of the surroundings with a quick sweep of his eyes. The pilot and copilot were in the cockpit. Through the window, he could see them doing the preflight check. They were going to take off immediately. The guards wore masks. They were armed to the teeth. He let Kat out, and, turning to the men, lifted his arms. One of them stepped forward, aiming a weapon at Lann.

  Lann blocked Kat’s body with his as the man walked up to them. Without a word, he patted Lann down. They no doubt carried advanced devices that would’ve scanned his person and the vehicle by now. The man nodded over his shoulder, and stepped aside in silent instruction for Kat to follow him.

  Kat stood very still in her white slacks and polo neck cashmere sweater. A cream wool coat reached her ankles. The soft curve of her growing belly was visible under the open coat. Her burgundy curls cascaded down her back. Her red lips were slightly parted, and her blue eyes shimmering with unspoken emotions. She was the most beautiful being he’d seen.

  The guard’s gruff voice carried his impatience. “Say your goodbyes.”

  Lann had expected Vanessa to be there. For some reason, he’d believed she arrived in Paris with the sample to personally escort Kat to the secret destination. He wasn’t sure if he was glad or distressed about her absence.

  Facing the masked man, he said, “If anything happens to her, your mother will wish she never gave birth to you.”

  The man’s lips curled into a sneer, but he refrained from commenting. He tilted his head toward the plane. “Her ride’s waiting.”

  Lann lifted Kat’s cold hands to his mouth, first kissing the ruby ring on her right hand, and then the wedding ring on her left.

  “I love you, Katherine.” Inside he was an animal going feral, clawing and growling, but he used the coldness of the hatred he felt for his enemy to maintain a controlled demeanor. He allowed it to frost over his soul and freeze his heart as he prepared to take leave of his wife and unborn son.

  He deliberately repeated his earlier words, which was as much for him as for her. “Do you trust me, krasavitsa?”

  “I do,” she whispered.

  She even managed to smile for him.

  Then the man with the mask took her arm and guided her to the plane. The movement of air around her started to fade. No. Lann desperately tried to hold onto her presence, but he felt the molecules going still around him with every yard she moved farther. Her eyes remained locked onto his as she looked at him from over her shoulder. So many emotions reflected in those blue depths—fear, uncertainty, sadness, love, trust.

  With every step she took away from him, his mind and body became a little more undone while his heart and soul turned to stone. His nostrils flared with hatred for the person who did this to Katherine, who brought her to him in Santiago, knowing he’d be defenseless against her, knowing he’d become addicted to her body and soul, only to tear her away with his seed in her belly.

  His body turned cold when they pushed her into the aircraft, and denied him the right to his woman and his child with the shutting of the door. As his lip curled in fury, his soul iced over and cracked. His heart stopped beating when the plane took off as he watched it, helplessly, disappear into the clouds. All of what he’d been before ceased to exist. What was left was a machine, dead inside, to which he gave freedom to destroy whatever stood between him and what was his to protect.

  Chapter 17

  Five men boarded the plane with Kat. For now, she didn’t think about the loss that almost crippled her at leaving Lann behind or about her fear. She only focused on survival. Once inside, they made her sit at the back. They removed their masks, but she made a point of not looking at their faces.

  The one who’d escorted her to the plane approached her and said, “I’m Mark. If you need something, you talk only to me.”

  He didn’t seem to mind her knowing his name or seeing his face, and this sparked more concern.

  “We’ve been instructed not to hurt you,” he said, almost sounding bored, “so you can relax.”

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “No questions,” he said gruffly.

  “I just want to know how long the flight is going to be.”

  “I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

  One of the men called from the front, “We should’ve just drugged her.”

  “She’s pregnant, remember?” Mark turned back to her. “If you need the bathroom or food, ask me. You don’t get out of your seat unless you speak to me.”

  He walked down the short aisle and took a seat somewhere in the front. Kat eased into her seat marginally, pretending to gaze out the window while she kept alert to what was happening around her.

  It was a long flight. Despite fighting her fatigue, she fell asleep, and when she woke, it was dark outside. She wished she’d worn a watch so she could tell how much time had passed. She hadn’t removed her coat, but she was shivering. It was cold.

  A long time later, they were still steady on course, and she needed the bathroom badly. She had no choice but to call Mark, who hadn’t been back to check on her.

  He walked to her seat with an indifferent expression. “What do you want?”

  “I need to use the bathroom,” she said.

  He took her arm, pushed her to the back, and opened the toilet cabin door. When she exited a few minutes later, he stood waiting, ready to take her back to her seat. Without a word, he pushed a bottle of water into her hands.

  Not long after that, the pressure in her ears told her they were descending.

  Mark appeared next to her seat. “Put on your safety belt.” When she’d obeyed, he said, “I’m going to blindfold you.” He showed her a black cloth and tapped her head to indicate he wanted her to lean forward.

  She sat quietly while he tied the fabric over her eyes. At least he wasn’t tying her up or cuffing her.

  After a smooth landing, Mark took her arm and pulled her to her feet. Treading carefully, she followed him to the front, her heart beating in her throat. As soon as the door of the plane opened, a blast of hot, humid air assaulted her. She was too hot in her coat now, but didn’t dare utter a word. No one spoke during the transit from the plane to the next transport medium, which turned out to be a car.

  The inside of the vehicle was cooler. The AC was probably on full blast. She listened for sou
nds, anything that could tell her something about her location, but all she could hear was the soft hum of the engine and the crunch of the wheels on the tarmac, and then there was only the sound of the air fanning through the AC. At least with no one speaking she could count in her head, trying to figure out for how long they were driving. It wasn’t easy, but she guessed they had to have traveled no more than fifteen minutes before they pulled to a stop.

  The door opened and hot air washed over her again. This time, she was dragged from the car and up a path that sounded under her heels. Mark kept his hand firmly on her arm. The other men’s footsteps fell around them. They stopped. A buzz and a click sounded, and then she was guided forward again. The air was cool. She was inside a building. She walked for a short while before Mark turned her left and stopped. A knock fell on a door. When it opened with a creak, Mark shoved her over the threshold. The door shut behind her. Was she alone or was Mark with her?

  When nothing happened for several seconds, she tentatively reached for the blindfold.

  “You can take it off now,” a female voice said.

  The sound made Kat jump. She pulled the blindfold over her head and blinked several times for her eyes to adjust to the light. She stood in a bedroom, but her priority was focusing on the person facing her rather than exploring the environment.

  As her eyes focused, she recognized the journalist she’d met at the Valentine’s Ball in Santiago. The brunette stood on the opposite side of the room with her arms crossed. She was dressed in skinny jeans, a red sweater, and heels.

  “Good flight?” Vanessa asked. Without waiting for an answer, she waved an arm around the space. “This will be your room for the next six months. Make yourself at home.” Approaching Kat, she scrutinized her. “Whatever does Lann see in you?”

  As she rounded Kat, Kat cupped her stomach protectively.

  “What kind of mother would give away her child to save herself?” Vanessa asked with an ugly smile.

  Kat didn’t answer. She simply followed Vanessa’s movements with her gaze.

  Stopping abruptly, Vanessa grabbed a fistful of Kat’s hair. “If I ask you a question, you’ll answer.”