otherwise, Gabriel wouldn’t be safe from her.
***
Gabriel held Maya’s hands in his and realized that he had trouble concentrating. Normally, touching the subject made it easier to get access to the memories. In this case it was a complete distraction. But it was too late. He couldn’t pull back now. It would only show everybody how she affected him. And he didn’t want anybody to know, not his colleagues, and least of all her.
The fact that she’d dismissed him in front of the doctor like a naughty schoolboy had hurt and made him wonder about what had really happened between them. Had her kiss been spawned out of a temporary insanity brought on by the shock she’d experienced? Had she kissed him because she felt the same attraction he felt for her, or had it meant nothing to her?
A woman like her could have her pick of handsome men. He wasn’t much to look at. Any of his colleagues were more attractive than he was. Sure, he was tall, muscular, and strong, but this weren’t the dark ages. Women these days didn’t merely look at a man to provide for them. They wanted a handsome lover too. He wasn’t handsome, nor was he a lover a woman would wish for.
Gabriel pushed away the unpleasant thoughts and concentrated on the woman he faced on the sofa. He pressed his thumbs into her palm and stroked gently, making little circles. Her scent drifted into his nostrils and engulfed him. He closed his eyes and concentrated on her aura, a misty white fog that surrounded her. Only he could see it now, because he’d attuned his own mind to her frequency.
His heart beat at the same speed as hers, and he breathed when she did. Their bodies were in synch. He imagined himself in her mind, and a moment later he felt himself transported. When he opened his eyes, he didn’t see a scene in Samson’s living room in front of him. Instead, he saw a dark street.
He heard Maya’s footsteps like she would have heard them herself, felt the chill of the night fog. She searched for her keys in her bag, pulled them out. There was no light in the doorway as she reached it.
Then a voice, calling her name. The rogue had waited for her.
Then nothing. Darkness, except for a faint veil over the picture, as if the movie had gone grainy. He knew what it was.
Gabriel forced himself deeper into her mind and went back further in time. He saw her going about her work, shopping in town, eating at restaurants with friends, but everywhere he saw the veil. He went back in time for six weeks and found where it started. Before that, all memories were clear—after that they’d been altered.
Gabriel blinked and released Maya’s hands before he opened his eyes again. He’d broken the connection.
Maya looked at him, her expression curious. “Nothing, right? Just like I told you.”
He shook his head. “You knew him.”
She jumped up from the couch. “That can’t be.”
Gabriel rose. “I’m afraid it’s true. He called you by your name. He was waiting for you.”
“Did you recognize his voice?” Thomas interrupted.
Gabriel turned to him. “No. Maya feared him. That fear distorted his voice. I don’t know who he is.”
“But I would remember if I knew him. I would.”
Gabriel looked straight into her worried eyes. “There’s a reason you don’t remember. He wiped your memory. A couple of times in fact.”
“But I remember things before the attack, I remember fragments. I remember being at the hospital that night.”
Gabriel nodded. “That’s because he only needed to wipe out those memories that included him. When I looked into your memories, I went back about six weeks. I think you might have rejected him, so he wiped your memory and tried again. I saw the traces of where he altered your memories so there wouldn’t be any gaps. It’s like a veil. I think he stalked you.”
He noticed the tremor travel through her body and wanted to pull her into his arms to comfort her, but he restrained himself. What if she didn’t
***
Gabriel held Maya’s hands in his and realized that he had trouble concentrating. Normally, touching the subject made it easier to get access to the memories. In this case it was a complete distraction. But it was too late. He couldn’t pull back now. It would only show everybody how she affected him. And he didn’t want anybody to know, not his colleagues, and least of all her.
The fact that she’d dismissed him in front of the doctor like a naughty schoolboy had hurt and made him wonder about what had really happened between them. Had her kiss been spawned out of a temporary insanity brought on by the shock she’d experienced? Had she kissed him because she felt the same attraction he felt for her, or had it meant nothing to her?
A woman like her could have her pick of handsome men. He wasn’t much to look at. Any of his colleagues were more attractive than he was. Sure, he was tall, muscular, and strong, but this weren’t the dark ages. Women these days didn’t merely look at a man to provide for them. They wanted a handsome lover too. He wasn’t handsome, nor was he a lover a woman would wish for.
Gabriel pushed away the unpleasant thoughts and concentrated on the woman he faced on the sofa. He pressed his thumbs into her palm and stroked gently, making little circles. Her scent drifted into his nostrils and engulfed him. He closed his eyes and concentrated on her aura, a misty white fog that surrounded her. Only he could see it now, because he’d attuned his own mind to her frequency.
His heart beat at the same speed as hers, and he breathed when she did. Their bodies were in synch. He imagined himself in her mind, and a moment later he felt himself transported. When he opened his eyes, he didn’t see a scene in Samson’s living room in front of him. Instead, he saw a dark street.
He heard Maya’s footsteps like she would have heard them herself, felt the chill of the night fog. She searched for her keys in her bag, pulled them out. There was no light in the doorway as she reached it.
Then a voice, calling her name. The rogue had waited for her.
Then nothing. Darkness, except for a faint veil over the picture, as if the movie had gone grainy. He knew what it was.
Gabriel forced himself deeper into her mind and went back further in time. He saw her going about her work, shopping in town, eating at restaurants with friends, but everywhere he saw the veil. He went back in time for six weeks and found where it started. Before that, all memories were clear—after that they’d been altered.
Gabriel blinked and released Maya’s hands before he opened his eyes again. He’d broken the connection.
Maya looked at him, her expression curious. “Nothing, right? Just like I told you.”
He shook his head. “You knew him.”
She jumped up from the couch. “That can’t be.”
Gabriel rose. “I’m afraid it’s true. He called you by your name. He was waiting for you.”
“Did you recognize his voice?” Thomas interrupted.
Gabriel turned to him. “No. Maya feared him. That fear distorted his voice. I don’t know who he is.”
“But I would remember if I knew him. I would.”
Gabriel looked straight into her worried eyes. “There’s a reason you don’t remember. He wiped your memory. A couple of times in fact.”
“But I remember things before the attack, I remember fragments. I remember being at the hospital that night.”
Gabriel nodded. “That’s because he only needed to wipe out those memories that included him. When I looked into your memories, I went back about six weeks. I think you might have rejected him, so he wiped your memory and tried again. I saw the traces of where he altered your memories so there wouldn’t be any gaps. It’s like a veil. I think he stalked you.”
He noticed the tremor travel through her body and wanted to pull her into his arms to comfort her, but he restrained himself. What if she didn’t
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