Page 155 of Interion

“Is this block the same type of mental barrier Serguei told me about?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. At the mention of Serguei, the shadows stirred restlessly.

“Yes.” He immediately crossed his arms over his chest.

“And when are you going to start teaching me?”

I leaned back in my chair. Zion considered the question, and obviously didn’t want to do this—because in his mind, teaching me the barrier meant the beginning of bringing me into his underworld of secrets.

“Want to start now?” he asked, pushing his chair back to stand.

“You’re seriously going to teach me without starting a second Great War?”

He shot me a sharp look, but I didn’t let it shake me.

“I have no reason to argue with you. Now that you know everything, you really do need a barrier. Other psychics could come snooping around in your mind or try to hurt you. It’s good for you to know how to protect yourself.”

He extended his hands.

“Other psychics could have been snooping around in my mind and messing with it all these years. Why are you only worried now?”

I reached out to him, and he pulled me to his chest.

“Because Serguei and I have always been protecting you,” he replied as he transported us to the Dornéu.

“What? You’re telling me Serguei always had a barrier on my mind?”

“Not a mental barrier exactly, but he set up alarms in your mind. If someone tried to get in, he’d know and rush to block them. That’s what happened when Ivanov got in—Serguei hid what was important.”

The archemic globes cast light in every direction. Zion led us to the stone bleachers and seemed to be thinking about something, then turned to me.

“Wait just a moment.”

I nodded and he disappeared. I looked around. All that open sky was glorious—maybe this was the place where the stars shone brightest. I gazed at the constellation of Axtra, one of the largest, shaped like an eagle with outstretched wings, pointing north. But after just a few seconds alone, I started remembering what I’d witnessed in the corridor, and my heart began to race. Darkness would never feel welcoming again, and I didn’t know how to keep the fear from closing around my throat. Zion returned a minute later, and I couldn’t help but jump back. My heart was pounding, and he stared at my chest as if he could hear it beating.

“What happened?” he asked, scanning the area. He set two training mats on the floor before approaching me.

“Nothing. I was just thinking about this afternoon at the hospital,” I murmured, taking a deep breath. He gave me a worried look.

“Don’t be afraid. We’ll figure this out, or we’ll track down whatever you saw down there. I won’t let it hurt you.”

Zion took my hand and led me to the center of the arena, where the mats were. His words calmed me a little, but I was still on edge.

“Sit down,” he said, pointing to a mat.

We sat facing each other. Zion crossed his legs and I did the same.

“I might not be great at this. I’ve only taught one person to build barriers, and it took her almost a year to get the hang of it. I’m not a psychic, so I couldn’t show her every detail of how to do it, but in your case, we have the bond and we can use it.”

“Who was that person?”

Zion pressed his lips into a thin line and seemed a little uncomfortable.

“Kaori.”

Again that uncomfortable feeling crept through my chest, and I couldn’t tell if it was because of Kaori or just because of the story that came before—about Akira. I kept staring at him and he held my gaze, as if he suspected I was curious but was reluctant to bring it up. Seconds later, seeing that he wasn’t going to say anything, I decided to let it go. It would be stupid to ask something that would ruin our training. I was sure that when Zion was ready, he’d tell me himself.

“So let’s use the bond,” I murmured, moving on.

“Yes. I want you to close your eyes and find it inside your mind.”