Orchid by Jayne Castle Read Free Book Online

steadied. The dreadful spinning ceased.
    Strat-talent energy, a lot of it, more raw power, in fact, than she had ever focused in her entire career, slammed into the prism she had crafted.
    “Better. Much, much better.” Rafe’s voice was hoarse with relief. “Definitely a good idea.”
    “Thanks. All part of the package of exclusive services available from Psynergy, Inc.” Orchid let out the breath she had been holding. “Don’t forget to tell my boss about this. I may be able to use it to get a raise.”
    The nausea faded as her sense of physical and spatial disorientation receded. She was still blinded by dense darkness and the obnoxious sound waves continued to assault her nerve endings but she found that she could now keep the nastier effects of the security system at bay by concentrating on holding the focus.
    She studied the off-the-chart level of power pouring through the glittering crystal prism she had projected on the psychic plane.
    “Class six, I believe your certification papers said,” she murmured very politely.
    There was a short, tense pause.
    “You don’t appear to be having any trouble dealing with my talent,” Rafe pointed out dryly. “That makes you something more than a full-spectrum. A lot more. In fact, now that I’ve had a chance to focus at this level with you, I can see that there’s something different about the kind of prism you project. What is it?”
    Orchid was suddenly grateful for the enveloping darkness. It made it impossible for Rafe to see her blush. At least, she amended, thinking of his para-heightened senses, she hoped it made it impossible for him to notice the heat she felt in her cheeks.
    “I’m an ice-prism,” she mumbled. Until tonight there had been no reason to demonstrate the full range of her abilities to Rafe.
    “A what?”
    “An ice-prism.”
    There was another short silence. “I’ve heard of those. Never met one.”
    “There aren’t very many of us around.”
    “Is it true what they say about ice-prisms?” He sounded genuinely curious. “Can you really manipulate the prisms you project?”
    “Mr. Stonebraker, do you have any immediate plans to get us out of here or are we going to hang around chatting all night?”
    “Sure.” An unexpected note of amusement laced his voice. “But you’ve got to admit that this is rather ironic. A couple of psychic vampires meeting in the dark. Just like something out of a novel. One of yours, perhaps?”
    It was uncomfortably similar to a scene in her latest book, Dark Desires , but she had no intention of telling him that.
    Out on the metaphysical plane, the raw chaos of energy pulsed through the prism, emerging in sharply controlled, brilliant bands of power. Orchid knew that, so long as she channeled the energy for him, Rafe could use it the way he used any of his other senses.
    Strat-talent energy waves looked different from other kinds of paranormal power. The colors were deeper, stronger, less transparent. They vibrated on slightly different wavelengths, augmenting ancient hunting instincts and heightening senses that had long been lost to mankind. That was why the experts considered them more primitive in an evolutionary sense.
    Rafe’s psychic energy was fierce and powerful but it was clean, even at this level of intensity. It was not tainted with the muddy hues of evil and incipient madness that had shaded Calvin Hyde’s talent.
    She watched, enthralled as the energy surged across the metaphysical plane. It was exhilarating to focus at the highest ranges of her own power. This was what she had been born to do, she thought. It was akin to breaking into a run after walking all of her life.
    She knew that she was not the only one savoring the experience. She could feel Rafe’s exultant satisfaction. It occurred to her that he had probably seldom, if ever, had a chance to focus at this level for any extended period of time.
    “Five hells.” He sounded slightly dazed. “This is good. This is