Time was passing so relentlessly, pushing them inexorably toward the future. Her future.

That yawning grave.

“Sarah? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She pushed the whispering little fears out of her mind, determined not to spoil tonight.

It might well be all she ever had of him.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “It’s just…I’m surprised, that’s all.”

“Why?”

Sarah felt her cheeks warm, which was, she told herself, ridiculous. “I’ve never— That is…”

“Haven’t you?” His hand slid to her inner thigh and stroked her sensitive flesh lightly.

The warmth was spreading through her rapidly, but Sarah tried to concentrate. “No. I mean…like I said, it surprised me. To feel like that. I didn’t expect it.”

“What did you expect?” He leaned down, nuzzling the sheet aside as his lips trailed over her upper breast.

“Pleasure. But not like that.” Her fingers tangled in his hair and she shifted a bit to better feel the hard length of his body against hers. “Not like this.”

“I’m glad I could surprise you.” His eyes gleamed at her in a fleeting glance. “It’s obviously something I won’t be able to do very often.”

She wanted to tell him he was more right than he knew but had a hunch that this was not the best time to explain that the passion between them had sparked yet another aspect of her peculiar abilities.

I’m not alone anymore. You’re with me.

Something inside her had opened up to him, had flung itself wide and invited him in, and whether he knew it or not, Tucker had accepted the invitation. It was not something she had expected, or even wanted consciously, yet it was what she had needed. It was the most amazing sense of closeness Sarah had ever known, an inner warmth that seemed to wrap gently—and protectively—around her soul.

It wasn’t that she knew what he was thinking or feeling. It was more than that. Deeper than that. She knew him better than she would ever know herself, and far, far better than he would ever know himself.

What that would mean, to him and to her, Sarah didn’t know. The door that had opened so abruptly and shown her the “crossroads” where she had found the intimate knowledge of Lydia and the certainty that she and Tucker would become lovers on this night had closed just as abruptly. And since she had no idea how she had managed to tap into that place at all, she doubted the door would open again anytime soon.

“Sarah…”

“Hmmm?”

“Dammit, pay attention to me.”

She couldn’t help but smile when he lifted his head to show her a glare that was only half-feigned. “I’m paying strict attention to you.”

“You were thinking. This is not the moment to be thinking.”

“Even if I was thinking about you?”

There was a glitter of amusement in his eyes, but he frowned and held on to the playful role of sulky male. “Well, even so, if you’re able to think about anything at all, I’ve obviously lost my touch.”

His touch roamed up her inner thigh just then, and Sarah had to struggle for a silent moment to find the breath to murmur, “Perish the thought.”

“Literally? You can’t think anymore?” He had pushed the sheet down, and his lips teased her breast with single-minded intensity.

“Tucker…”

“Don’t think about anything, not even me. Just feel.”

She didn’t have a choice. He had quickly learned just how to please her, and he used all that knowledge now to keep her mindless. It was a gift, a glorious escape from fears and worries and dread of a future that loomed all too near and much too dark, and Sarah accepted it gratefully.

And just as before, it surprised her that he could make her feel so much, surprised her that she was even capable of feeling so much.

But when he came inside her, when her body surrounded him and they moved together, everything that had gone before seemed merely a prelude, a pale imitation of what they were truly capable of. The pleasure built and built and built toward some impossible peak Sarah couldn’t even imagine, and when they reached it at last it was together.

One body. One soul.

THIRTEEN

Murphy wasn’t happy and it showed; she had never been known to hide her feelings. About anything. “This is not a good idea,” she said.

“You’re ideal for the job I need you for, we both know that. You have a natural shield, and it’s the strongest I’ve ever encountered. They’ll never know you’re sharing information with me.”

“You’re trusting I won’t tell them.”

“I know you won’t.” His voice was calm. “You’ve given over your entire life, all that you are, to this war.”

After a moment, she said, “Interesting that you call it a war.”

“Don’t you?”

“Yeah. And it’s one we have to win.”

“I agree. Which is why I need someone on the inside to keep me, as much as possible, in the loop. Some information I’ll find myself, the way I found you, but there are way too many puzzle pieces still missing.”

“Just how did you find me?” That was bugging her, and it showed.

“I don’t believe in coincidence as a rule, but you happened to cross paths with one of my team whose ability is detecting other psychics. She was probing because we were on a case. She picked up on you. With a little luck and a lot of effort, I was able to find you, obviously. You aren’t completely off the grid, just mostly.”

“Yeah? And what about you and your team? You’ve got a good shield yourself, Bishop, but that doesn’t mean one of your people or one of the bad guys you go after might not pick up on more than either one of us can live with. Literally.”

“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. Aside from myself, the only other team member who knows anything about what’s going on is Miranda, my wife.”

“And I’m supposed to trust you on that?”

“Yes. You are.” He paused, then added, “It’s a two-way street. I can be a source for you, especially when it comes to information you might need on various…factions…of the government. I can get information for you more quickly than you could ever get it on your own.”

“And all I have to do in return is keep you informed.”

“I need to know what you know, Murphy. If for no other reason than I need to be sure that my team is safe, that Haven operatives are safe. I have to be certain none of them are targets, and that means I need all the information you can give me.”

She drew a breath and blew it out impatiently. “That’s sort of the point of this setup, you know; the fewer people who know everything, the less damage done if somebody goes down. I’m not planning to go down, but let’s just say I do. Now I’ve got knowledge about you and your teams.”

“No more knowledge than you could find tapping into any law enforcement database. The other side has to know about the SCU and Haven. That’s why I need more information from you and the people you’re working with. As far as I can tell, none of my psychic agents or operatives have been targeted. Yet. There must be a reason for that.”

“Yeah, I imagine there is. But I can’t give it to you.”

“Not directly, no. But over time the information you can provide me will be pieces of the puzzle. Until I can put it all together.”

She scowled. “Look, my source says you can be trusted, but my trust has to be earned.”

“I understand that. Ours is a relationship I hope to build on.”

“It may take a while,” she warned.

“That’s all right,” Bishop said. “I’m a very patient man.”

It was several hours later when Tucker woke. He propped his head on one raised hand, the better to watch Sarah as she slept, but otherwise didn’t move. He still felt a bit shaky, and it wasn’t only because his muscles had been pushed to their limits tonight. Something else had been pushed to its limits, maybe beyond them. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew he’d never be the same again.