but I shook my head. "Tell him. You need all the help you can get."
Logan jaw tightened but he relented and gave Saleem a quick précis. Vivid dreams that felt so real they were more like memories. His strong feeling that the girl was real. That she had something to do with his past.
"Have you considered," I said slowly, thinking aloud, "that she might be your sister?"
As I spoke, Saleem glanced at me, his expression odd.
Logan's face seemed more haggard than before.
"Of course you have," I murmured, my mind spinning. "Okay, maybe your memory has been tampered with. We all know Sentinel and Omega both resort to that kind of thing to protect innocents. They must have mages capable of doing the job."
"I'm not an innocent," Logan said.
Naturally he'd missed the point. "You were when you were twelve."
I spoke softly as he pushed away from the table and leaned against the back of the seat. He rested his hands on his thighs, running the palms back and forth along his jeans.
"Maybe," I continued, watching those restless hands, "they wanted to protect you from the truth."
He stilled. "What truth?"
I swallowed hard, reached for his left hand and threaded my fingers through his.
"That she's dead." I held his fingers tightly, keeping them as close to me as possible. "Have you considered that maybe she died in that fire? Maybe the memories were wiped so that your mind could heal."
It certainly made sense. To me at least.
Now he looked more than haggard. He looked sick. His head jerked left to right, a ragged negative.
Saleem snorted and we both snapped our attention to him. "What?" I asked, my voice curt and cool.
He raised his eyebrows, then shook his head. "Considering the fact they are holding my mother"--he jerked a thumb at his chest--"and that they abducted and experimented on your mother" --he stabbed a forefinger my way--"I wouldn't put it past them to be responsible for killing someone you love."
When he said the last 'you' he pointed at Logan. "She could be your sister," he said gently, his eyes never leaving Logan's face. "Or even a friend. But she must have meant something to you. Omega seems to be in the habit of taking people who mean a lot to us. If I were you, I wouldn't trust them right now."
"I wouldn't trust them at all." I didn't even try to keep the ice from my voice. "At all . Ever ."
The silence stretched across the table, a blanket of daggers. Sharp, tangible, painful.
Logan picked up my glass and downed the last of the drink. He set the glass back on the table a little harder than was necessary. Cleared his throat. "I don't plan to trust them."
"Have you thought about joining the High Council Elite?" I was supposed to have been gathering my team. But things had gotten away with me these past couple of days. They'd given me a week to decide, but if they really wanted me, I didn't think a few days more would matter.
Saleem looked at me, outraged, even Logan stiffened--the instinctive reaction of faithful men to the suggestion they should betray their oaths. But slowly, their expressions changed.
Oaths worked both ways. Omega had sworn loyalty and faithfulness too. Tonight the results of those broken promises cried alone in a compound in Virginia, whispered through Logan's dreams.
Logan cleared his throat. "We haven't considered it." He shared a glance with Saleem. "Not until now."
"What if we investigated on our own?" Saleem said.
"That's dangerous, don't you think? An organization like the Grande High Council provide backup in case you need it." I was beginning to sound like Cassie.
Logan shook his head. "Saleem is right. Let's approach this from a different angle. If we change sides and if there is a mole in the Corps then our families may be in danger. If the girl is my sister and she's dead, then all they have on me are memories. But if she's alive somewhere--like Saleem's mother--then we'll be endangering both of them. We can't risk it."
"So we stay
Logan jaw tightened but he relented and gave Saleem a quick précis. Vivid dreams that felt so real they were more like memories. His strong feeling that the girl was real. That she had something to do with his past.
"Have you considered," I said slowly, thinking aloud, "that she might be your sister?"
As I spoke, Saleem glanced at me, his expression odd.
Logan's face seemed more haggard than before.
"Of course you have," I murmured, my mind spinning. "Okay, maybe your memory has been tampered with. We all know Sentinel and Omega both resort to that kind of thing to protect innocents. They must have mages capable of doing the job."
"I'm not an innocent," Logan said.
Naturally he'd missed the point. "You were when you were twelve."
I spoke softly as he pushed away from the table and leaned against the back of the seat. He rested his hands on his thighs, running the palms back and forth along his jeans.
"Maybe," I continued, watching those restless hands, "they wanted to protect you from the truth."
He stilled. "What truth?"
I swallowed hard, reached for his left hand and threaded my fingers through his.
"That she's dead." I held his fingers tightly, keeping them as close to me as possible. "Have you considered that maybe she died in that fire? Maybe the memories were wiped so that your mind could heal."
It certainly made sense. To me at least.
Now he looked more than haggard. He looked sick. His head jerked left to right, a ragged negative.
Saleem snorted and we both snapped our attention to him. "What?" I asked, my voice curt and cool.
He raised his eyebrows, then shook his head. "Considering the fact they are holding my mother"--he jerked a thumb at his chest--"and that they abducted and experimented on your mother" --he stabbed a forefinger my way--"I wouldn't put it past them to be responsible for killing someone you love."
When he said the last 'you' he pointed at Logan. "She could be your sister," he said gently, his eyes never leaving Logan's face. "Or even a friend. But she must have meant something to you. Omega seems to be in the habit of taking people who mean a lot to us. If I were you, I wouldn't trust them right now."
"I wouldn't trust them at all." I didn't even try to keep the ice from my voice. "At all . Ever ."
The silence stretched across the table, a blanket of daggers. Sharp, tangible, painful.
Logan picked up my glass and downed the last of the drink. He set the glass back on the table a little harder than was necessary. Cleared his throat. "I don't plan to trust them."
"Have you thought about joining the High Council Elite?" I was supposed to have been gathering my team. But things had gotten away with me these past couple of days. They'd given me a week to decide, but if they really wanted me, I didn't think a few days more would matter.
Saleem looked at me, outraged, even Logan stiffened--the instinctive reaction of faithful men to the suggestion they should betray their oaths. But slowly, their expressions changed.
Oaths worked both ways. Omega had sworn loyalty and faithfulness too. Tonight the results of those broken promises cried alone in a compound in Virginia, whispered through Logan's dreams.
Logan cleared his throat. "We haven't considered it." He shared a glance with Saleem. "Not until now."
"What if we investigated on our own?" Saleem said.
"That's dangerous, don't you think? An organization like the Grande High Council provide backup in case you need it." I was beginning to sound like Cassie.
Logan shook his head. "Saleem is right. Let's approach this from a different angle. If we change sides and if there is a mole in the Corps then our families may be in danger. If the girl is my sister and she's dead, then all they have on me are memories. But if she's alive somewhere--like Saleem's mother--then we'll be endangering both of them. We can't risk it."
"So we stay
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