Love in the Shadows by Caryn Moya Block Read Free Book Online

down the dimly lit hallway toward the
restroom. She didn’t want to take a chance that the tech would
follow her. She found the nearest shadow and shadow-walked back to
her motel room.
    There was a quiet knock on the hotel
room door a few minutes later. Katherine opened the door to let Joe
in.
    “That was quite a performance tonight,”
Joe said. “You’ll have to be careful if you see that guy
again.”
    “Did you hear all of it?” Katherine sat
on a chair and reached for the band holding her hair.
    “I think so. I’ll have Hugh look for
the fire-alarm button in the main building while he’s there
tonight. We’ll ask around town tomorrow and see if the cleaning
crew is from here or Manaus.”
    “Okay. Anything else I can do?”
Katherine asked, suddenly weary.
    Derek flooded into her
mind. You did great,
Katie . You had
that man eating out of your hand.
    Noticed that did
you? Katherine’s chest filled with
pride.
    “Get a good night’s sleep,” Joe said.
“I’ll expect everyone at my room at nine a.m.”
    Katherine got up and opened the door.
“See you in the morning, Joe.”
    He walked out without a
word.
     

Chapter Three
     
    Derek’s pain from healing faded as each
knife cut closed and the bones in his hand re-knit. He could feel
through his telepathic link with Katherine that she slept. Derek
let his consciousness resurface from the center of the
Earth.
    The bright lights in the lab room hurt
his eyes. He squinted up at the lights as they seemed to waver and
become the sun. Heat rose around him, and Derek stood in the desert
surrounded by sand and cactus. As he looked around, his ancestors
appeared near him.
    Derek fought a moment of panic. Was he
dying? Had his ancestors come to escort him home? He looked around
at the familiar faces. His mother gave him a stern look, then shook
her head. His father stood stoically next to her.
    “You have angered the
tribal elders, my son,” his mother’s voice
floated into his head . “Since you have
used the healing potion inappropriately, they require a sacrifice.
Your destiny has changed. You will no longer be a warrior for our
people. You must become the healer. Study well with Quiet Thunder.
His time is fading. If you do not accept this responsibility, your
life will be cut short and the potions that used to heal will
instead poison you.”
    “What must I do, iná ?”
    Derek woke as someone stabbed a needle
in his arm. He looked up to see Colette taking a blood sample.
Wait. Where had his ancestors gone? Where was his
mother?
    “You are doing
well, cheri. Almost completely healed. Tomorrow we will try some other
injuries and see how quickly you can recover.” She smiled at
him.
    How could he have thought this woman
was pretty? She was a complete nutcase. What was she going to do
when Quiet Thunder’s potions wore off, and he couldn’t heal
himself?
    “I’ll be happy to tell you what you
want to know,” Derek said “Just let me off the table.” If he could
get to one little shadow, he could escape.
    “Sorry, cheri . Science demands
proof, so I would still have to carry on the experiments. You do
understand.” She withdrew the needle from his arm.
    “Colette, I need to eat and move,”
Derek pointed out. “Those few steps to the bathroom are barely
enough to keep me from cramping up. Your experiments will be
useless if I grow too weak to heal myself.”
    “Hmmm, what you say may be
true. I will think on what you have said. Until then, heal, cheri .” Colette picked
up the vials and trash and walked out the door.
    Derek heard the locks snap into place.
He needed to get out of here today. He certainly didn’t want to
find out what Colette planned next for him. For a moment, Derek
couldn’t breathe. Being tied to a table and experimented on was a
nightmare.
     
    §
     
    Katherine felt Derek’s
fear and reached out to him. “ What is
it? ” she asked, not feeling anyone near
him.
    “Tell Joe he needs to move
quickly. They start more