Revealed by April Zyon Page B

watched
everything. Then she frowned. “Wait,” she said sharply and put her hand on
Gaius’s shoulder. “Up ahead.” She tilted her head to the side. “There’s
something that isn’t visible to the naked eye, but I see it because it’s wrong.
It’s like a thin thread, across the roadway, just about here. It’s wrong. It’s
a lie. An optical illusion.”
    “Holy mother of
the gods,” Hector said on a hiss of air. “What is that, Riley?”
    “What? What are
you seeing?” Gaius asked.
    “I don’t know.”
Hector frowned. He was blinking rapidly and shaking his head a little now and
again.
    Riley leaned
closer, her cheek to Hector’s. “Pull on our bond. See what I see,” she
whispered. “See through my eyes.”
    He sucked in a
deep breath, his hand coming up to touch hers, pressing her palm to his skin.
Hector closed his eyes, took another couple of deep breaths, then let his lids
come up. Tilting forward, he pulled her with him a little as he squinted.
“Fucking hell. Stop the truck. They’ve rigged up one hell of a surprise for us.
In fact, back us up again and call Mercury. If they hit that, they’ll be
chopped in half before the explosions kill them.”
    Riley wasn’t a
fighter, but she could see things that weren’t natural, weren’t right, and she
was very glad that she could, in that moment. “Keep the connection to me open.
I don’t know what to look for, but you’ll see it. Draw on what I can do, draw
on the truths that are out there,” she urged Hector.
    “Will it hold if
we’re not touching?” he asked. Turning in his seat, he looked at her. “Because
I have to say—that’s one hell of an ability you have, Riley.” Lifting her hand,
he pressed a kiss to her palm, nipping gently at the skin.
    “Mercury’s one
minute out. He knows about the trap and will swing out wide. He’s got Jason
with him, no one else, though. The Mountain was empty except for Emily,” Gaius
said.
    Riley focused on
Hector. “I don’t know if you can draw on my ability without touch. This is all
new to me. I just assumed that you would be able to draw on what is mine
through our bond. I’m hopeful that you will be able to use it often.” She
wanted to do anything she possibly could in order to keep him safe.
    “We may need to
practice with it before I use it in the field.” He cupped her cheek, but he
kept the contact light. “I love you, Riley. And I want you to stay inside the
vehicle at all times. No matter what—do not get out. It’s armor-plated and,
beyond that, has some unique protective spells that will prevent the monsters
from getting in. Unless you open the door, which is viewed as an invitation.”
    Riley nodded and
licked her lips. “I trust you.” He
hauled her close and kissed her hard. “Stay in the vehicle,” he ordered. Then
he pulled a blade from somewhere, flipped it over, and handed it to her hilt
first. “Just in case.” He stared into her eyes for a moment more before turning
and getting out, Gaius sliding out the other side. Their doors slammed shut,
and they both moved around to the front of the truck to stand facing what was
out there, between her and them.
    Riley looked
down at the blade in her hands and dropped it onto the seat beside her. She
didn’t like weapons. She moved closer to the window, her hands on the door as
she watched Hector. She pushed as much energy and her ability through the link
as possible, in the hope that he would be able to see what was off and what
wasn’t.
    He turned his
head to look at her and winked. He must have felt something, which meant he was
keeping the bond between them wide open. Turning back around, he shook out his
arms before reaching up over his shoulder and under the collar of his jacket. A
moment later, he pulled out a stumpy-looking sword. With a flick of his wrist,
it became a very long, imposing blade.
    Riley gasped. Holy balls, that’s a big piece of metal. She shifted so that she could see better. Pausing, she