Megans Mark (Breeds 6)

She could handle it. She would kill him later, but for now, she could handle it. Do the job; that was the important part. The rest she could tackle later.

"I'll be here with you, Megan. " He turned, his expression still, almost blank. "We'll work on it together. We'll balance each other. I promise. "

Her lips flattened as she fought the bitterness that seemed to seep through her. Balance each other.

"You won't feel what I feel, Braden. " The betrayal still stung. The sense of being used seared her soul.

"That's not balance. "

"You'll see. " He turned and continued down the path. "'Explaining it would make no sense, but you'll see what I mean. "

The closer they moved to the floor of the canyon, the stronger the impressions came. At this point, it wasn't the rage or the death. She felt determination, a sense of purpose.

She paused at the wide entrance, fighting to still the tremors that passed through her body. One of the unfortunate side effects of her abilities was the fact that she felt not just the emotions of the event reaching out to her, but also the lives the victims had lived. Not clearly. Not enough to find answers or even completely understand the darkness that filled her mind - and would later fill her dreams. And the darkness within the two Breeds who had died here had been deep.

She paused just within the rising cliffs, closing her eyes and trying to focus. They hadn't been frightened. They had stopped here, staring into the canyon for long moments, aware of something_ Danger.

"They were hunters. " Braden's voice was soft. "Mark and Aimee were paired in the Labs because their abilities complemented each other. Mark was a perfect shot; Aimee was more in tune with the weapons-what would work best where-than he was. She had a feel for them. She was an excellent tracker: he was a strategist. We suspect they were mates, but they never came forward to verify it. "

Megan sensed that the two had been close, though they had fought to hide it. The small distance she felt between them wasn't a result of that attempt to hide their bond. It was a result of betrayals. They had loved, but that love had been marred horribly.

"They were mates. " She frowned as she sifted through the impressions. She could feel a bond, and it was strong.

Strange, the information that could be found on the outskirts of violence. As though everything that had been felt had been saved, impressed upon the area like information to a hard drive.

Braden. He stood just behind her, his primal DNA a magnet to the psychic impressions.

"Concentrate. " His voice was almost mesmerizing. "I'm here, Megan. I know what's here with us. Trust me to help you. "

She moved slowly in to the canyon, one step at a time, feeling the presence of the two Breeds as she made her way between the sheer cliffs that rose above them.

Mark had been hard, fierce. He had believed irnplicitly in whatever they were there to do. Aimee had been less certain. She hadn't been frightened, but rather wary. She could sense things easier than her partner, her mate.

Megan inhaled sharply as she stopped. She hated this. Her insides clenched with pain, a physical sensation to match the mental excesses as she felt the spirit of the woman reach out to her.

She felt death.

"I can't" She whimpered then, desperation rising inside her as her hands went to her own stomach.

"You're not a part of it, Megan. " His voice was at her ear, his hands gripping her hips, holding her to her feet when she knew she would have fallen. "Feel around your mind, right now. " His voice hardened.

"Keep your eyes closed, baby. Remember. You are separate. Separate yourself. "

Separate.

Her hands clenched at her stomach as she felt the pain rising in her soul.

"She was pregnant. " She wanted to curl into a ball, to find a hole that could hide her, that would let her grieve.

No. No. That was Aimee. Aimee had wanted to hide.

"She was pregnant. " Braden's voice was low, aching with sadness. "Why was she here, Megan? Why did she want you? Go beyond Aimee. There's a place beyond the emotions, the pain, where the truth lies. What did she want?"

What did she want? There were so many emotions rolling over her, through her. Sift through them. Find the core. There was a core.

"Revenge. "

Megan stiffened, gasping at the strength of the thought. Aimee wanted revenge.