Page 19 of Defying the Relic Hunter

“Actually, they’re not.”

“Shall we find out?”

The note of amusement in the Overlord’s voice gave me the willies. “Nope. Not necessary. I can see and talk to dead people, that’s it.”

The Apache warrior crawled away.

I got in front of him. “Dude you’re like that bunny. You just keep going and going.”

Zarek scanned the Apache. “He’s been enhanced.”

The sociopathic killer screamed like a wounded banshee when he hit my energy field and went flying. Right into Ethan.

“Ooops. Sorry.”

“No, you’re not,” Ethan groused.

I smiled sweetly. “You’re right. I’m not.”

Voss, the Battle Commander, appeared beside Zarek. Yikes! He was abigdude. The burn scar on the right side of his hard face twisted his mouth into a permanent sneer. “This is the female who’s causing so much trouble?”

Me? Trouble? Nah. A wave of dizziness hit me. Whoa! I needed to sit down. I shook my head to clear it. Where was my backpack?

“Lower your energy field,” Zarek commanded.

“Not to be disrespectful or anything, but I can’t do that. There’s more bad guys here and I’ll be a sitting duck.”

An immense pressure wrapped around my head. I smothered a shriek.

Something terrifying flickered in Zarek’s eyes. “Obey my order or I will force your compliance.”

The sensation that my head was going to explode into tiny little pieces had me shutting down the energy field. “If I get killed by those Tomb Raiders, I’m coming back and haunting you.” My legs gave out and I hit the dirt. Crap. I had heat exhaustion again. I crawled toward my backpack.

“For God’s sake, let me help you.” Ethan scooped me up.

I struggled to get free. “I can take care of myself.”

“No, you can’t. You need a keeper.”

“She is dehydrated and suffering from heat stroke,” Voss said.

“Just. Need. Water.”

Zarek pressed a pressure injector against my neck and triggered it. “She’ll need some of your blood too.”

“What? Nuh-uh. Let go of me.” I fought wildly. A terrifying power was suddenly in my head.

“Stop!”Zarek commanded.

I literally couldn’t move.“Please. Just take me to the hospital.”

“Your clan abandoned you. We will not. You will never be alone again.”

A part of me liked the idea a lot, while the sensible part was screamingrun! A tremor shook me as I felt Zarek mucking about in my head, learning all my secrets. Long buried memories abruptly flashed across my mind. Hundreds of butchered bodies covering the ground. The tortured cries of the dying. The hiss of laser fire mingled with the endless volley of bullets. My mother and our clan fighting desperately to hold back the Tai-Kok horde.

I remembered my howl of fury when I saw her fall. I instinctively drew on my budding powers and summoned the spirits of the slaughtered fighters. The glowing, ghostly forms gathered around me and we swarmed across the battlefield. Any Tai-Kok the spirits touched, died instantly.

Every nerve in my body twanged with shock and denial when I reached my mother. She had a big hole in her chest. No, no, no. She couldn’t be dead. She couldn’t. I shook her. “Wake up. Wake up.” There was a tugging sensation in my head and the memories faded away.

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