Page 62 of Shattering Dawn
“Have you ever tried to make someone hallucinate on demand?”
“It’s not the kind of talent you can run experiments with.”
“You don’t know that because you’ve never tried to run the experiments,” she said. “I’m suggesting that we could work together to guide me through my lost memories.”
“What the hell makes you think that’s possible?”
“I’m almost certain your talent is a form of hypnosis. That’s why you were able to pull me out of the nightmare using my name. If I’m right, you have more control over your talent than you realize.”
“What the hell makes you think that?”
“I’ve seen your aura, Gideon. I’m looking at it right now. My intuition tells me you have all the power you need to control your psychic senses.”
He was aware that his left hand was clenched very tightly around the steering wheel. But she was getting to him. How many times had he wondered if there was some other use for his talent?
“What if you’re wrong?” he asked quietly.
“We’ll take it slow. You’ll be in control. If you think things are going sideways you can just stop.”
“My talent doesn’t work that way.”
“Here’s the thing that I’m pretty sure will make all the difference: I won’t be a target. I will be a willing participant in the experiment. Hey, I survived one test run tonight and it worked. I got some memories back accidentally. Imagine what might be possible if we worked together to recover the rest.”
“Damn it, Amelia—”
“Please, Gideon. Just give it a try. I’m begging you. Tonight, at the hotel, I almost saw the face of the man who stole a night of my life. A man who is responsible for killing who knows how many people in the course of his so-called experiments. And now he’s trying to kidnap me. I need answers. So do my friends.”
He ought to say no. He knew that. But she was right about one thing. She had bounced back swiftly tonight after he had hit herwith a shot of his talent—and she had recovered what she was certain were genuine memories. If they went about it slowly he might be able to calibrate his talent.
“This is a really stupid idea,” he said.
Amelia glowed. “I knew you’d agree. Don’t worry. It will work.”
Chapter Thirty-five
She sat onthe edge of the bed in her room. Gideon took the chair. The lamps were off but the connecting door was open, allowing some light from room ten to slant across the floor. She was nervous. Anxious. Excited. But she knew Gideon was in a far worse state. His aura flared in the shadows. He was terrified that he might hurt her.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m not fragile.”
“You’re sure you want to do this?”
“Wait.” She jumped to her feet. “Hang on, I want to get something.”
She hurried to her tote, took out the velvet pouch, and removed one of the crystals. She went back to the bed, sat down, composed herself, and tightened her grip on the stone.
“Go,” she ordered.
A silvery sheen illuminated his eyes. She realized she could see the heat because she was in her other vision. Tendrils of energy shifted in the atmosphere, reaching out to close around her and drawher down into the depths. She resisted the urge to push back, trying instead to open herself to the escalating currents.
She slipped beneath the waves and searched for the partial memories she had recovered earlier.
The crystal heated in her hand. Without any warning she was suddenly deep in the nightmare…
…There’s an arm around her neck. The needle stabs into her upper shoulder. She sinks into the darkness. A man in a surgical mask and gown appears…
…She feels the gurney move as if it is riding a wave.
“Shit. A fucking earthquake?” the man in charge says.