Kian’s little revelation about Mrs. LaMotte was nagging in the back of my head, but there was nothing I could do about it. I could stomp into the room and demand answers, but she wouldn’t give them. So far, today had been eventful and everything from Kian’s rejection to our possible relationship to Luca to my grandfather to Mrs. LaMotte whirled like a tornado inside my skull. The pressure building behind my eyes threatened a headache later.
I shook my head fast in attempt to slow down the thoughts racing through my mind. Eventually my thoughts slowed and cleared and I was left with one question: How do I act normal around these two until one of them spills the secret?
Nothing came to mind, but I was done eavesdropping. The part of me that was a little curious and a lot angry that they were talking about me was pushed aside and all that was left was the part who just wanted to train.
I rolled my neck and took a few deep breaths before walking straight into the room. Mrs. LaMotte and Kian both turned to look at me, their conversation halted. I stopped suddenly once I took notice of their faces. A laugh bubbled up within my chest and broke free in a loud guffaw. Both of them looked like they had gotten caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Priceless.
My sides hurt and I grabbed them as I continued to laugh. “You. Should. See.” A deep breath. “Your faces.”
“Are you done?” Kian asked, each word laced with amusement.
I bowed my back and forced a few deep breaths to stop the laughter. “Yes.”
“It’s good to see you in such high spirits, Sadie.” Mrs. LaMotte took a few steps forward. Her face was neutral and if I hadn’t overheard their conversation, I would have never known she had been distressed a few minutes earlier.
“I’m happy you are here. How was the commute?”
“Commute? Did McCredie not tell you? There’s a bounty on my head. I’m wanted for questioning regarding your disappearance. I sent the council a statement in order to clarify that I was not involved, but I’m not sure it will help. Plus, I had to move here in order to train you. It would have been a security risk for me to commute each day.”
“A bounty? That sucks.” My eyes shifted to Kian who lifted his shoulders as if to say ‘I have no clue’.
“It is what it is. I would have moved here anyway given time.”
My lips widened into a grin that pulled my cheeks so broad it was almost painful. Mrs. LaMotte had uprooted her life and left her secure job for me. There hadn’t been another adult in my life who had sacrificed for me, unless I wanted to count my father not revealing his secret lover to his father, which I didn’t. He probably didn’t even know my mother was pregnant.
Mrs. LaMotte’s smile was less than enthusiastic and I was reminded of her conversation with Kian. There was an awkward pause before Kian coughed.
“I’m going to leave. See you at evening chow, Sadie?” I turned to look at Kian. His eyes were locked on mine and in them I saw nervousness. For a brief moment I wanted to stay mad at him, but I remembered what he had said to Mrs. LaMotte about relationships requiring work and forgave him for this morning.
“I’ll be there.” But we will talk about this morning again.
He lifted his chin in the universal guy nod before turning toward the door. Mrs. LaMotte and I stood in silence as Kian ambled away.
“Well, let’s see how far behind you are on your training.”
I stood straighter and adjusted my t-shirt in anticipation. “Let’s do this.”
Mrs. LaMotte didn’t waste time. She started my training where we left off and I was shocked to learn how rusty I had become in using my primary and secondary Talents. In my time spent in the Underground, I had suppressed my Talent in favor of expanding my knowledge in other areas. I never even thought about practicing my Talent or including it while fighting. Mrs. LaMotte had a way of making me regret my life choices. She gave no mercy as I struggled to reach the level I’d been at St. Vincent’s.
Her expectations were not exorbitant, but by the time our lessons were finished, I was mentally flinging every curse word I knew her way.
“You have room for improvement, Sadie. Have you forgotten you are behind every other Caelian your age? Don’t let yourself get behind again. I had originally scheduled you for training three times a week, but I think we should push it to daily until you catch up.”
My voice wouldn’t work through all the heavy breathing, so I just nodded and groaned in response.
“Tomorrow I will find someone to spar with you. It’s about time you learn to fight and use your Talent simultaneously.”
At her statement, my body stiffened. “What?”
“We’re only going to practice using your secondary while your focus is engaged elsewhere, but you will learn how to spot openings and learn when it would be appropriate to use your primary Talent in hand-to-hand combat.”
“Alright,” I agreed with reluctance. The last thing I wanted to do was to accidently hurt someone.
“It will be okay. Your control is where it needs to be for this type of exercise. The only reason I push you so hard is because I believe your Talent is more than we think.”
“You do?”
“Yes, I do.”
At that revelation, I decided to leave before the prickling behind my eyes turned into real tears. I gave Mrs. LaMotte a nod and mumbled a thank you, turned on the balls of my feet, and left in a hurry.
As I rushed down the training hallway, I glanced up at the time. If I hurried, I would have plenty of time to shower before meeting up with Kian and Lacy for dinner. The thought of a warm meal made my stomach growl and squeeze, reminding me that I had skipped lunch.
My feet moved faster as I jogged back to my room. I was ready to have a relaxing evening with my friend.
Chapter 8
Media Release
A grainy picture from a video feed flashes across the screen.
Have you seen this girl?
Sadie has been missing from St. Vincent’s orphanage for over two months. She is the long lost granddaughter of Miles Koenig and is considered dangerous to both herself and others. If you see her, do not approach.
Call 1-800-555-4238 to report any sightings.
Chapter 9
A high-pitched squeal assaulted my ears the moment my body crossed the entryway to the chow hall. Lacy jumped from her seat across from Kian and ran at me full speed, both arms outspread, her shimmering brownish gold hair whipping behind her like a cape. Although she was a norm, the girl had speed. She rammed into me before I had a chance to brace myself for impact. The force of her hug pressed all the air out of my lungs in a loud ‘OOF’ and it took me a few breaths to curl my arms around her and return her embrace.
“I missed you,” Lacy whispered.
“Me too.”
Lacy unraveled her arms from my waist and took a few steps back, eyes narrowed in scrutiny, her carefree attitude nearly gone as I fidgeted under her intense gaze.
“You’re looking good,” Lacy remarked, crossing one arm across her chest and cupping her chin with the other.
“That’s what happens when you train four hours a day.” I shrugged and met her eyes, all nervousness gone.
“Well, yeah. That’s not exactly what I meant, but you have toned up a bit.”
“What did you mean?”
“You look confident. Sure.” Both of her hands rested on her waist as she cocked a hip to the side. Her lips were pressed into a firm line. “Kian and I have had a wonderful chat. Apparently, you’re on some vendetta.”
“I am.”
“Good.” Lacy’s posture relaxed a fraction and she turned to look over her shoulder at Kian. “Just don’t let your anger ruin a good thing. Okay?”
My comeback lodged in my throat and I sputtered, which quickly pushed me into a coughing fit. Tears filled my eyes as I struggled to breathe between each cough. Lacy knelt down in front of me, concern filling her eyes as she reached out to me. Before she had a chance to help, a large palm began slapping against my
back, successfully stopping the outburst.
The warm hand stayed pressed against my back as I rubbed the tears from my eyes with a vengeance, thanking the stars above that I was not the type of girl who wore makeup or I would be looking like a raccoon. When I opened my eyes, Lacy was glaring at the person behind me. My Talent flared to life and I recognized the energy signature behind me in an instant.
Luca.
“What are you doing?” Lacy demanded. “Stop touching her, you man-whore!”
“Lacy! It’s okay.” I reached out to her. Green eyes filled with concern locked with mine. I don’t know what she saw, but as she stepped away from me, her eyes filled with understanding and then anger.
“Sadie. I thought you would know better.” She looked around and then whispered. “What about Kian?”
“He knows,” I replied, confused. Luca chuckled and slapped my back again, not quite as hard as before, but firmly enough that I decided he would regret it later.
“WHAT?” Lacy shrieked. Her hands snaked through her loose brown hair, pulling at the ends. In my peripheral vision I saw Kian stand up and begin making his way over to us. I shook my head no and turned back to Lacy.
“I’m lost.”
“Lacy thinks you and I are hooking up,” Luca clarified. His face lit up with glee as he watched me process the information.
“Oh. Gross!” I moaned and turned to Lacy. “No. Nothing like that. Luca is my friend. I mean he tried to seduce me, but I DON’T like him like that.” My verbal diarrhea wouldn’t stop. All I knew was that I wanted Lacy to understand.
Once Luca stopped laughing, he wrapped an impossibly long arm around both mine and Lacy’s shoulders pulling us against his torso. “Sadie, you are a master at stroking my ego.”
“I’m not stroking anything involved with you, Luca.”
Luca steered us toward Kian and with an unusual act of chivalry, he pulled out a chair for both Lacy and me before walking around the table to sit next to Kian. Both men acknowledged each other with a manly nod before turning back to us.
Lacy was sitting there, eyes wide, as she took in our little group.
Kian was the one to break the ice first. “I see you have met Sadie’s new friend.” The word friend sounded as if he were spitting out an unsavory bite of food.
“Oh I’ve known Luca for years. His… reputation precedes him.” Lacy turned to look at each of us before continuing. “This is weird. Luca has never made friends with a girl he has no intention of bedding.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Lace. I’d jump on that in a heartbeat.” Luca coolly swept his hand in my direction. The motion made Kian’s face turn an unnatural shade of red and I swear a little bile rose into my throat. “But she refuses to give in to my charms. Stubborn girl.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
“That you have,” Lacy answered. Her entire body relaxed as she accepted this new weird arrangement Kian and I had with Luca.
“So, tell me what’s been going on since we last spoke.”
We talked long after the last person left the chow hall and by the time the intercom announced all common areas were shutting down, Lacy was up to speed.
“I know there’s nothing I can do right now, but keep me in the loop, okay?” Lacy wrapped both arms around my waist and gave me a hard squeeze. Her head just reached my shoulder, but that didn’t deter her. She laid her head against my chest and took a few deep breaths.
“I missed you too.” I rubbed her back as the boys waved goodbye, giving us some privacy. “But we’re going to have to get going before they cut off the lights.”
“Right.”
“What hallway is your apartment?”
“Same as yours, but a little farther down.” My eyebrow quirked up in question. Lacy chuckled at my reaction before shrugging her shoulders unashamed. “I asked McCredie this morning.”
We stepped out of the chow hall just as darkness slammed down with a loud CRACK, causing both Lacy and me to jump. My heart was racing. I placed a hand over my chest and bent at the waist to catch my breath. Lacy was having a similar reaction and when her widened eyes met mine, we broke into raucous laughter.
Lacy sucked in a few deep breaths and squealed while trying to force a stop to her laughter, but the noise only caused the giggles to start up again.
“Stop!” I demanded between breaths. “I can’t.” It took a few minutes for both of us to regain our composure.
“Here we are, two trained soldiers who jump at loud noises.” Lacy shook her head as she linked an arm with mine, turning the both of us back toward our residential hall.
“I haven’t laughed like that since the night I left Saint Vincent’s.” The thought of my friends left behind brought on a somber mood.
Lacy bumped my hip as we turned. “Hey! None of that.”
“Yeah.” I coughed in an attempt to stop the tears from forming. “What are your plans now that you’re free?”
“I’m going to be a nurse. McCredie told me this morning that I was accepted into the HCA scholarship program, so my school is paid for. Helping people, it’s all I’ve wanted to do ever since…” Lacy paused for a moment. My spine stiffened. I didn’t know about her, but I didn’t speak his name aloud unless it was absolutely necessary. “Michael.” She stopped again, taking a deep breath.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to.” I squeezed her arm.
“No, I do. He deserves to be talked about. To be remembered.” Her comment was like a punch to the gut. Was I disgracing his memory by not talking about him? With Liam and now Michael, I had refused to say their names aloud for months because it hurt too much.
“I’m sorry. I miss… Michael too.” Saying his name was like setting a broken bone. The pain was tangible, tightening my chest and almost stealing my breath for a moment, but a sweet relief filled me afterwards. The open wound of Michael’s loss was cauterized and I felt hope.
At my door I scooped Lacy into a tight embrace. “You’re going to be the greatest nurse, and Michael would be so proud!”
Lacy patted my cheek before turning to leave.
As I walked past the wall panel in my room, it lit with a message that I was to report to Mrs. LaMotte first thing in the morning instead of the training room. That lady isn’t going to give me a break.
With a groan, I changed into my pajamas. It was late and if I didn’t get at least a few hours of sleep, I would be useless for Mrs. LaMotte tomorrow.
I awoke with a start. The console’s bright lights told me I was up nearly an hour before my alarm was set to go off, which meant I’d only had three hours of sleep. My phone vibrated on the nightstand, the sound like a chainsaw in the silence of night. Who is calling me at this hour?
“Yeah,” I grunted into the phone.
“Where have you been?” Madison’s calm voice sent my body into shivers. “Well?”
“I’m in my room.” Confusion laced my hoarse morning voice. I threw the blanket over my head, cocooning myself in a warm, fuzzy burrito.
I almost drifted off to sleep again when Rebecca’s hysterical voice pulled me back to reality. “So, she’s not dead? I’m going to kill her.”
“Dead? What’s going on?” I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes and rubbed hard in an attempt to force myself to stay awake.
“You were supposed to call us last night. Rebecca, John, and I have been worried sick.” Madison’s icy voice rose somewhat to let me know she was more agitated than I first thought. A pit formed in my stomach. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten about our phone date. “We’ve been texting and calling you all night.”
“Oh my god. I’m so sorry.” I sniffed and began rubbing my eyes for a different reason as the tears threatened to fall. My voice broke. “I know there is no excuse, but Lacy arrived and we had a pow wow about my grandfather.”
“Is Sadie crying?” John whispered.
“Yeah, she feels bad,” Madison whispered back.
“She should!” Rebecca yelled. “Her g
randfather’s insane family threatens the HCA and the world is going crazy, but she can’t take 5 minutes to check in!”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered again. They were right. I should have at the very least sent a text message to let them know I was alive but too tired to talk.
Silence fell. I didn’t want to be the first to speak in case it set one of them off again. They had to be exhausted if they had stayed up all night worrying about me.
“I take it you heard about what the Koenig family did,” John broke the silence.
“Yeah.”
“What is the Underground going to do?” Madison asked.
“Nothing right now. There really isn’t anything they can do without exposing themselves or me.”
There was another silent pause. This time I spoke up, “What’s new with you guys?”
“My fundraiser was a success and my designs won an award,” Rebecca spoke up, all anger removed and her perkiness reinstated. “It’s been lonely here without you. Especially now that I’m the third wheel.”
“Becca!” Madison and John hissed in unison.
I laughed out loud, picturing the two of them, faces red and eyes narrowed at Rebecca. “I’m happy for you two. It’s about time.”
“Right?” Rebecca giggled.
“I wanted to tell you,” John protested. I could hear his pout through the phone and the visual of it brought a smile to my lips.
“Tell me the details.”
“What’s there to tell? She finally gave into years of pining for me from a distance. OOF!” I heard the punch through the phone and it sent Rebecca and me into a fit of giggles.
“More like I finally gave in to his persistent begging.” Madison’s voice lacked her usual sternness and I could hear how happy she was.
“Yeah. There’s that,” John agreed.
“Sadie! You have to save me. They’re making puppy eyes at each other. It’s gross.”
“Says the siren…” John’s quick remark made Madison and me giggle.
We spoke until the wall console alarm announced it was time for morning chow. With promises to call soon and with any luck meet up, I reluctantly ended the conversation with my childhood friends. My eyes felt heavy, but I knew I had to get up before I fell asleep.
The Caelian Cycle Boxed Set Page 19
