Page 72 of Shattering Dawn

Gideon’s voice, cold and clear, acted like a beacon in the churning fog of dreams. She focused on it and the manacle-like grip he had on her hand. The combination guided her back to the surface.

When the room settled around her again she took a few deep breaths and willed her pulse to return to normal.

“Shit, I told you this was a bad idea,” Gideon said.

When she opened her eyes she found him watching her with a mix of dread and guilt.

“I’m okay,” she said quickly. “I just need a moment.”

Relief flashed in his eyes. It was quickly followed by outrage.

“Damn it, Amelia.”

“Please,” she said, tugging her hand free. “Save the lecture for later.” She looked at the woman on the floor. “Katy, wake up.”

Katy’s eyes fluttered. She opened them and looked at Amelia.

“What…what are you doing here?” Then she saw Gideon sitting on the bed. Comprehension infused with panic twisted her face. She sat up. “Oh, shit. I came here to kill you.”

Amelia got to her feet. “I’ve got an idea. Why don’t I make coffee for everyone? But first, let’s move into the other room. I really don’t like this one.”

Chapter Forty

She took amoment to work through the logistics of making three cups of coffee with a single two-cup brewing machine and then unplugged the coffee machine in room ten. She carried it, along with the coffee pods and cups, through the connecting doorway and set the things down on the table in her room.

“Katy, take the chair,” she instructed gently.

Katy looked dazed but she followed directions.

Amelia gave her a reassuring smile and then took a moment to pull on her light travel robe. Next she busied herself with the task of brewing coffee.

When she turned around she saw that Gideon had put on his shirt and was in the process of tossing a quilt over the rumpled sheets on the bed. For some reason it amused her to know that he found the intimate scene awkward in the presence of a third party. It was a side of him she had not seen until now. At least he was dressed, she thought. She was running around in a nightgown and robe.

“The whole time with The Colony feels like a bad dream,” Katy said. She raised her hands and massaged her temples. “I mean, Iknow it was real. But I don’t understand how I could have allowed myself to get swept up in a cult.”

“The experts will tell you that no one ever joins a cult,” Gideon said. “People think they’re getting involved with a movement. That they are part of something larger than themselves. Sacrifices are required. Things go bad from there. In your case, you were the victim of a very skilled hypnotist.”

Katy lowered her hands and folded them in her lap. “Merlin was a hypnotist?”

“That’s right,” Gideon said.

Katy shook her head. “Before any of this happened I would have told you that I couldn’t be hypnotized. I didn’t think I was the type.”

“Most people think they can’t be hypnotized, at least not against their will,” Gideon said. “Luxford started out as a con man, but at some point he convinced himself he really was born to control a cult.”

Katy shuddered. “And I was going to rule by his side, his chosen bride. He was twenty years older than me and not even good-looking in an older man sort of way. I must have been out of my mind.”

“No,” Amelia said. She set a cup of coffee on the table in front of Katy. “You were in a trance.”

“I was convinced that I had a duty to avenge his death,” Katy said. She looked at Gideon. “It’s so weird. During the day I told myself to forget him and move on. But when night fell I could not resist the compulsion to stalk you. I had this stupid plan, you see. I would leave things on your doorstep. The invitation. The flowers. The veil. And then I would kill you. Afterward I was going to kill myself.”

Gideon accepted a cup of coffee from Amelia and looked at Katy. “Where did the plan come from?”

“I don’t know,” Katy said. “I honestly have no memory of making any sort of plan. But somehow I knew what I was supposed to do.”

Gideon watched her for a moment. “Let me guess. You visited Luxford in jail after he was arrested, didn’t you?”

Katy frowned. “Yes. Once.”