Mystik Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book 2) by Brenda Trim, Tami Julka Page B

must tell me about the experience. Surely there is something new to be learned, given the uniqueness of your mate.” The Queen’s interest was genuine, yet unease at that interest skittered down Jace’s spine.
    Jace understood the need for politics and niceties, but wanted to scream. They didn’t have time for this. Cailyn did not have time for this. He had not experienced anxiety or fear since his imprisonment several centuries before, but he was buffeted by both regarding Cailyn’s condition. The longer Cailyn was under the magic, the worse she became. He feared that the longer they took, the greater chance Cailyn wasn’t going to make it. She was human, and time was not their friend.
    “With all due respect, Zanahia, I doona have time to share anything aboot my mating right now. Cailyn is in trouble and we need to act quickly to help her,” Zander interjected. Jace was relieved that Zander cut to the chase.
    “Yes, of course. I apologize, I am as curious as everyone else is about your mating. It was a momentous event, after all. With regards to Cailyn, I am afraid that I will not be of much help. All I can say is that if you were to ask the right people, they would tell you that seeking the Voodoo Queen is a dangerous and impossible trip. I can’t say anymore. I must protect myself and my people, you understand.” Her smile held more venom than her innocuous words. Jace didn’t stop to consider her mood. They had a place to start, and if rumors were true, the trip to Marie Laveau was going to be deadly.
    The Voodoo Queen was a myth as far as he knew, so he had no idea how to find her. He wracked his brain for other options, but there were none. “We don’t have time to go to New Orleans and seek Marie Laveau. Cailyn is not stable enough to make what is sure to be a treacherous journey. If you don’t help us, she is going to die,” Jace cursed impetuously. Sweat poured down his back as palpitations slammed his heart against his rib cage with his anxiety.
    “Calm doon, Jace. Zanahia, surely there is something more you can offer. I know you doona want to see an innocent suffer,” Zander implored, trying to appeal to the Queen’s empathy. Zander had lost his mind if he thought this female was going to give them any helpful information.
    The Queen paused and clasped her hands in front of her body. “I am truly sorry, Zander.”

CHAPTER FIVE

    Elsie sat on the bed next to Cailyn and laid her head in Cailyn’s lap just like they had done countless times when they were children. They’d always had a special bond due to their unique abilities. When they were little, it was Cailyn that Elsie went to when she was teased ruthlessly by her peers. It was Cailyn who had taught her sister how to cope, and made it better.
    Elsie had had premonitions for as long as Cailyn could remember, and the other kids called her names and ostracized her for them. Cailyn had learned early on to keep the fact that she was able to hear what others were thinking to herself. It only took her parents threatening to take her to a psychiatrist and have her medicated for her to realize that she needed to keep her ability secret and pretend she was normal. She didn’t have anyone looking out for her, or helping her, so she made certain that Elsie’s sanity was never questioned, and she had the support she needed to cope.
    It wasn’t easy being different. It had been difficult for Cailyn to make friends as a child when she knew what the other kids were thinking, both good and bad. It only worsened when she became a teenager and could go out on dates. Dates were short-lived most of the time because she wasn’t one to sit at dinner with someone while they thought about her breasts or having sex with her. She hated how men lusted after her body and didn’t see her as a person.
    Her telepathy was one of the reasons she vowed never to get married. She wanted to be accepted by someone who knew about her ability. She wanted to be able to share