her. “Why, yes, I am! Of course, I am! I don’t know you and now you’re constantly around me. Why shouldn’t I be suspicious of you?”
“Because I’m not here to hurt you. I might be the only person you can trust.”
“It’s not that easy,” she said, walking once more.
Her heart raced in her chest. She closed her eyes and took a ragged breath.
“I know, but you aren’t willing to even try,” he said.
“By staying at your place? Of course, it makes perfect sense. My house was broken into and vandalized. I have men after me, an ex-boyfriend stalker after me, and now I have a stranger who thinks it’s perfectly fine for me to go to his house, despite everything going on, so he can prove he can be trusted.”
He lifted a brow. “Don’t forget we kissed.”
Lilian felt her face heat. “You’re a jerk.”
“I can help you.”
“I don’t need your help. I’m going to have to leave town anyway.”
“Running isn’t the solution.”
“Thank you. Why didn’t I think of that?” she asked in a biting tone.
“You still owe me some answers,” he pointed out.
“I’m still not going to your place.”
Matthias sighed. “Fine. Have it your way. However, we can’t walk all the way into town.”
“It’s not very far,” she said. “I walk it every day.”
“Get on the bike.”
Lilian wanted to argue with him. The motorcycle, while sexy and conjured images of rebels and freedom, still felt unsafe to her. However, between his stony expression and her emotional exhaustion, she opted to give in without a protest and climbed onto the back of the bike.
“It’d serve you right if the cops ticketed you for no helmets,” she sniped.
Matthias laughed as he started the bike. Before she could poke him for laughing, he took off. Lilian grabbed onto him and buried her face into his back, nixing any other witty retorts she might have come up with.
* * * *
After checking her into the motel, they walked over to the diner. She had refused to get back onto the motorcycle, and she refused to allow him into her motel room. He had grinned at her, and she glared back, but neither said anything.
Finding a booth in the back corner, they each ordered a meal and drank iced tea as they waited. An awkward silence enveloped them. Watching him fidget with the salt and pepper, she sighed.
“All right, already. We better talk,” she said.
He nodded.
“Where to start?”
“You could start with why those men are after you.”
Lilian nodded and went silent, trying to put her words into some semblance of order.
“Like I said before, they’re members of a secret organization called Custodes Secreti. They’re an off-branch of what used to be the Knights Templar. When the Knights were declared heretics and rounded up for extermination, escaping members took Templar treasures for safekeeping.”
She took a shaky breath. She knew the next part would be a little strange to the uninitiated.
“A small group ended up with paranormal items. Books, scrolls, magical items, those sorts of things. When they discovered what they had, they began to study the possibility of magic and supernatural beings.” Lilian took a sip of her iced tea, giving her time to think about her next words.
Matthias, much to her gratitude, stayed silent and just listened, letting her speak at her own pace. She watched his facial reactions to gauge how much to tell him. So far, he was open and receptive to her explanation.
Odd.
“When I was ten years old, my stepfather murdered my mother in front of me. He beat her to death. I killed him.”
Matthias looked surprised. Before he could say anything, she hurried to continue.
“At least, I think I killed him. The coroner said he died of a massive heart attack brought on by his stress and his overexertion when he beat my mama to death. I never told them that as he was dying of the heart attack, things were flying around the room and pelting him. After he died, I ran and hid in the attic. It took two days for them to find me.”
Matthias reached over the table and took her by the hand, holding it tight enough to be reassuring, but not confining. She studied his face expecting disgust or at the very least, disbelief, but there was neither.
“I spent a couple of weeks in a mental hospital. I had stopped talking, withdrawn into myself. When I did manage to come out again, I started developing odd abilities. I knew what the attendants were thinking. I could make things move with my mind and I could communicate with others without speaking.
“When word got out what I could do, they isolated me away from the other children. They started running tests. Soon, I was being sent to other hospitals for more tests. After a few months of this, everything changed. I had new handlers, and they took me to a different location. I found out the group was called the Custodes Secreti. They apparently paid a hefty amount for me.” Lilian couldn’t help the bitter note to her voice.
“Between the ages of eleven and eighteen, I became their guinea pig. They ran several examinations, both medical and psychological. I learned to control my abilities, use it at will, or when they wanted me to. I was given an education as well as physical training, combat training, and encouraging me to use my telekinesis to aid in combat.”
Matthias frowned. “You were being trained to be an enhanced soldier.”
Lilian gave a faint smile. “Yes. Project Knight.”
“Project Knight?”
Lilian paused when their orders were delivered. She smiled at her co-worker, Peggy, who gave her a pointed look, flicked her eyes toward Matthias, and looked back at Lilian with a wink and a smile.
Needless to say, everyone would hear about it. She knew there would be an interrogation about the biker gang leader she “dated”.
Matthias released her hand as the plates were set down. He smiled at Peggy, thanked her, and picked up the ketchup to add to his fries.
Once Peggy had refilled their drinks and left them alone, Lilian continued.
“I said the CS was a branch of the Knights Templar. Actually, I’m not entirely sure the Knights Templar is aware of them. They came from the original Templar, so while they shared their roots, I doubt they’re affiliated with one another now. Anyway, Project Knight, spelled with a K, is a branch of the CS specifically for the training of agents and knights, specialized for the retrieval of either rogue agents or the acquisition of new members.”
