“I tried to explain that to them,” Lacy spat the last word of the sentence. “But I’m not sure they want our help.”
“Maybe they’re Koenig loyalists,” a voice from the back yelled.
“Who said that?” Eric screamed. His face turned a scary shade of purplish red. “Just because we don’t want help from the princess and her lackeys doesn’t mean we align with genocidal maniacs.”
Luca pinched the bridge of his nose before addressing the group. “Look everyone. We’re here because Marianne requested us to train all of your groups. Everyone on my team is well-trained and highly effective. Each one of us has combat experience. No one below the Moreau Elite squad can boast that. All we want is to give you guys a chance if worse comes to worst.”
“We get that, but we don’t want to train with the Moreau Princess or her crew,” a norm female stepped up behind Eric and spoke.
“And what is your issue with Sadie or us?” Madison asked. She stood apart from the group, the air around her shimmering from the heat licking off her skin. The only person brave enough to stand near her was Rebecca, who was making adjustments to her prosthetic. Her jaw was clenched as she stood, testing whatever changes she had made to the hardware.
“She’s trouble. She’s dangerous. And those around her die. We don’t want to be a part of any of that,” the female answered.
“Besides,” Eric sneered. “How can we trust someone with Koenig blood?”
“She has Moreau blood too,” Kian answered, his voice booming in my ear.
“She has been missing for seventeen years. How do we know she’s not some kind of implant or spy?” Eric suggested with a shrug.
“She’s right here,” I mumbled as I watched Lacy shake with rage. My eyes strayed to a large vein bulging in her neck, and for some reason the sight hypnotized me. My secondary Talent brightened.
No, it wasn’t my secondary that was brightening, it was Lacy. Her energy signal doubled in brightness. It wasn’t near the brightness as those with Talents, but it definitely outshone any of the other norms in the room.
My feet moved without any conscious thought toward Lacy. No one paid me any attention. Lacy screamed at Eric again, who had reclaimed the ground he had given during the short reprieve.
Curious. Something tugged at my brain as the pull in my chest increased. Another step. Then another and I was within arm’s reach of Eric and Lacy. All noise was sucked out of the room as time slowed down. With fascination, I watched in slow motion as Lacy poked Eric in the chest. Where her finger met his chest, the skin and cloth of his shirt rippled like a stone thrown into a pond.
Eric’s arms waved frantically, his face returning to its earlier state of purplish red, as he screamed.
A deep sadness settled in my gut. Neither one of them understood the other. Eric’s concerns were legitimate, although his attitude was less than desirable. And Lacy should be offended when her loyalties were questioned and her friends dragged through the mud.
My eyes unfocused for a second as I saw the white line of energy that connected each living person. Thicker strands stretched between me and my friends, while the one connecting me to Eric was as thin as a single thread.
Sounds began to break through as time sped up. Lacy was rearing back to punch Eric. By the look of her trajectory and the panicked, but ineffectual block Eric threw up, she would knock him out with one hit.
Why can’t they understand? With an almost unnatural speed, I grabbed both of their arms. Eric’s warm, healing Talent caressed my hand while the pulsing energy that all norms carry within them nudged at my other one.
I wish they could walk in each other’s shoes. As soon as I finished the thought, my Talent burst out of its cage, filling me with its energy and burning so hot that it felt as if my insides were melting. It poured out of my arms and into both Lacy and Eric until I was drawing on empty before it returned, with more than when it left.
Hands pulled at my fingers, trying to dislodge me from the others, and through the punch-drunk fog of energy I heard Jedidiah boom, “Let it be!”
At the sound of his voice, my mind was able to push through the fog. There were three distinct Talent signatures flowing inside of my body. Two of which had a thin tether of light which flowed down each of my arms. Unlike the other times when I had used my Talent, it didn’t try to pull out every ounce of energy. What I held inside me was enough, perfect to complete the task at hand.
Out of the three signatures, one was mine. One was familiar, but not one that I was intimately accustomed to. Not like the other one. No, that faint energy, which would never be considered a true Talent while inside its host, was one I knew almost as well as my own.
Lacy.
As soon as I thought her name, my Talent surrounded the two energies in a massive swirl of heat before separating the two again and again, pouring out of me through my hands.
My conscious mind filled with fear as I thought about how my Talent had hurt others. This time, it had Lacy in its clutches. If I hurt her, I would never forgive myself. With every ounce of mental resolve I had I tried to stop the process, but my Talent pushed back.
Let your Talent work as it should, Sadie. Jedidiah’s voice filled my mind. I didn’t want it to work as it should. I didn’t want Lacy to get hurt, but the strain of trying to stop my Talent weakened me in both body and mind. When I began to sway, I released the mental hold I had on my Talent, allowing it to work as it should and saying a mental prayer to whoever listens to save my friend.
When my Talent snapped back into my body, I felt a physical break from the others. The sudden emptiness made the world spin, and I took a few steps back before a set of arms wrapped around my waist. Although my mind was muddled, my Talent purred. It felt different. Fulfilled and at peace. As if it were finally content with its purpose.
Blackness began to swallow my vision as the muscles in my legs gave out. The arms holding me led me to the ground with gentleness.
“Sadie!” Kian’s terrified voice bled through the static of sound. Through pinprick vision, I saw his handsome face. With every ounce of strength I had, I cupped his cheek before the world went dark.
The steady beeping of a heart monitor was the first thing I became aware of as I struggled to pull out of the darkness.
Am I in a hospital?
The second thing was the warmth filling the entire left side of the cramped bed. A soft snore broke the monotony of the monitor. Hot breath pushed loose strands of my hair across my forehead. It tickled, but I was too weak to lift an arm to move the offending strands.
Why can’t I move?
Even though my body was weak, the mind-map shone bright behind my closed eyes. Kian’s Talent overwhelmed my location, which meant he was the warm body wrapped around mine. A warmth that had nothing to do with my Talent filled my chest and heated my neck.
For a moment I was content until I realized that my Talent still buzzed throughout my body unchecked.
What happened?
“All is well, Sadie,” a deep voice whispered somewhere opposite of Kian’s warmth. “Your questions will be answered once you are able to find me. Can you feel it? Your Talent is content now that you know its purpose.”
I mentally rolled my eyes at Jedidiah. He had to know I couldn’t answer him.
Jedidiah chuckled with soft breaths, the slight noise making Kian fidget in his sleep. “I know you cannot answer. These are just notions for you to think upon while your body recovers.”
Somehow I wasn’t even a little shocked that Jedidiah read my mind. He was an enigma that I knew I would never understand. Scraping of wood against tile broke through my thoughts. He must have stood up. Confusion and panic threatened to overwhelm me. He can’t leave. I need him here to explain what the hell just happened. Is Lacy okay?
“Your friend and the boy are perfectly fine. Their lives have been forever changed. It will be a rough transition, but it is all for the best. Don’t forget their struggles, Sadie. Until then, reflect o
n what you accomplished.”
I don’t understand what I did. Not completely. It had felt as if I had pulled Talent signatures from both Lacy and Eric—which didn’t seem right since Lacy was a norm—and then my Talent had pushed the energy back into their bodies.
“Remember what you saw and how you felt before you touched them.”
I recalled watching Eric and Lacy fight in slow motion and feeling sorry for the both of them.
“Almost. Look closer.”
Straining, I focused on my memory. Lacy glowed brighter, and the usually dull energy was more intense, more in focus. Unlike the other norms in the room. Then everything clicked inside my mind. What Jedidiah wanted me to see.
Norm energy looks all the same when you’re not focused. It took Lacy getting angry and igniting the energy within her for me to see the small nuances between her energy and the others. She had small strands of dormant Talent buried in her.
Comparing her energy to the other norms in the room, she and maybe one other had that dormant strand. Once I understood that she had the potential to be a Talent user, the events that followed made more sense.
When I drained Link, I had pulled every ounce of Talent out of him and it had killed him. While I held on to his Talent, I had the urge to push it out of me. It was the same when I partially drained Mrs. LaMotte. With Lacy and Eric, my Talent pulled all but one small strand, temporarily connecting the three of us.
Once I spoke Lacy’s name in my mind, my Talent focused its energy on her, rearranging and depositing energy. That’s what I did. I transferred Eric’s Talent into Lacy’s body, leaving only the possibility of Talent in Eric.
My Talent’s true nature wasn’t destructive. I wasn’t meant to be a killer. I was meant to keep the balance. My Talent’s purpose was to dole out justice by removing Talents from Caelians and depositing them into norms who had the dormant ability.
“Yes,” Jedidiah whispered. “As a human’s body created antibodies to fight disease, you’re the first—and will not be the last—to develop a Talent that will end the norm/Caelian conflict at its core.”
And that is?
“That the two are so irrevocably different that they cannot live together in peace.”
It didn’t escape my notice that he didn’t include himself in either category, but I knew better than to think on it anymore. All I would get in response was some cryptic remark.
“You are a clever girl, Sadie. I would enjoy one more visit with you before I depart, but I fear that may not be. Rest well and think on these things. Now that you and your Talent are in accord, it will not lead you astray. Trust yourself and you will change the world.”
Although I had never thought my actions would ever amount to anything close to world-changing status, the implications of what he said were staggering. For once, I believed that one person could affect the entire world. My mind grew heavy as the stress of mind-speaking took its toll. There was so much for me to think about. As my Talent buzzed with contentment just under my skin, one thing was certain.
I wouldn’t have to fear my Talent anymore.
Chapter 33
Breaking News
The Talent Registration Act passed the Senate by a close margin and is now being sent to President Herrera for signing.
Riots broke out across the country in response to this bill. A protester at one such incident was quoted as saying, “This bill is unconstitutional and just one step away from igniting another civil war. What will be next? Forced relocation into camps or incarceration for Caelians?”
A formal statement from the White House hasn’t been released as of yet.
Chapter 34
When I awoke next, the heaviness in my limbs had lessened and I could twitch my fingers and toes. Pins and needles exploded up my extremities, taking away my ability to breathe for a few short minutes before the pain subsided and my breath returned to normal.
“Sadie! What’s wrong?” Kian’s voice shook with fear.
My eyes felt like sandpaper when I forced them open. The world was a swirl of white as I struggled to focus on the dark mass in the center. As Kian’s face came into focus, I first noticed the thick golden hair that covered the lower half of his face. The slight pink of his plump lips stuck out somewhere in the middle of the significant facial hair growth, creating a focal point on his kissable lips.
I flicked out my tongue to wet my cracked lips, but there was no saliva to moisten them. “Water,” I whispered with a scratchy voice.
Kian walked across the room, returning with a cup. He placed the straw against my lips and I gradually sucked the ice cold water down my parched throat. The slight burn invigorated me. I drank in earnest and before I felt satisfied, I emptied the cup.
“More,” I whispered.
As he left to refill the cup, I tried to move my extremities again. The pins and needles feeling was still there, but not as intense. I found with focus, I could bend my elbows and knees. Progress.
After finishing two more cups, I felt more like myself.
“How are you feeling?” Kian raked his fingers through greasy hair.
“Much better now. Still can’t move my arms and legs very much. It hurts.”
“Don’t move yet. Your body is still recovering from Talent sickness. It may be another day or two before you have full motion.” Kian wrapped his hands around mine before sitting next to me on the bed. “Why did you do it? You could have killed yourself.”
He didn’t have to explain what he meant. I understood, but would he?
“At first, I didn’t know what I was doing. It was more of a compulsion than anything else, but if I hadn’t done it, I would have never figured out the true nature of my Talent.”
“I don’t want you to use it again,” he whispered as his eyes shone with unshed tears. “You almost died.”
“You know you can’t control what I do. According to Jedidiah, my Talent is some kind of natural selection, but instead of killing off a species, it’s to be a kind of species preserver. It’s made to keep peace and deliver justice.”
“When did you talk to Jedidiah? You’ve been in a coma for nearly three weeks.”
“Wow. Three weeks?” The idea of losing so much time shocked me to silence.
“Sadie. When did you talk to Jedidiah?”
“The last time I was conscious.”
“You were conscious? When?”
“I’m not sure. When I woke, I couldn’t move. I could hardly make a coherent thought, but I saw your Talent and felt you sleeping next to me. Jedidiah was in the room and he knew I was awake. He could read my mind or something like that. You know, he’s strange.” I stopped and pointed to the cup. Kian offered it to me and I took a long sip. “Send him a message. I’d like to ask him a few questions.”
“He left a week ago.”
“Oh.” I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice, but failed miserably.
“Hey.” Kian lifted my head and tucked me into his chest. I sighed into his embrace. “It’ll be okay.”
“I know. He said he’d like to see me again before he left, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
“Hmmm.” Kian’s chest vibrated like a kitten purring.
“Where’s everyone else?”
“I sent Madison away not too long ago. She was exhausted between shifting her time between you and Lacy. Rebecca and Luca are supposed to be coming by later this afternoon. They have been tasked with extra training shifts now that the Talent Registration Act passed the Senate. Between the Caelians’ anger at being oppressed and the victims of the Koenig serum popping up more and more—an all-out civil war is just one wrong step away.”
“Wow. That’s a lot.”
“Yeah.”
“And Lacy?”
“She’s adjusting. You rewrote her DNA without her consent and overturned her life. You understand that she’s angry and will most likely be that way for a while.”
“I figured as much. Eric?”
“He’
s taking it better.”
“Well, that’s good. I guess.” I was hit with a wave of sadness. During my mental conversation with Jedidiah, I didn’t stop to think about how Lacy or Eric would feel about what I had done. Rogue thoughts, promising that Lacy would never forgive me filled my heart with fear and regret.
Madison’s Talent signature grew closer, followed by a vaguely familiar one, until they both stood right outside my door. I lifted my gaze, waiting for them to enter.
“What are you looking at?” Kian asked.
“Madison and someone else are standing outside the door.”
“She probably has Lacy with her. Madison has been bringing her by every day.”
“Oh,” I whispered. Awareness dawned that a confrontation I wasn’t even a tiny bit prepared for was happening and soon.
The door creaked open and Madison’s neon orange hair popped through. Her eyes widened when she saw me awake. Within seconds, she was at my side, one arm pulling me into her chest and the other pulling out her communicator. Her thumb moved frantically across the screen for a few seconds before she tossed it onto the foot of the bed.
“I’m so happy you’re awake.” Her arms tightened as she pressed me harder against her.
“You’re smothering me with your D cups,” I huffed.
She released her hold, gently setting me back onto the bed. “Some would say a face full of my girls would be the best way to go.”
Kian coughed as he pretended to look at his communicator. Madison had a wicked smile on her face as she watched Kian squirm. I opened my mouth to comment when Lacy stepped inside the room.
The sight of her made it hard to breathe. Standing across from me was the female version of Liam. Her previously chestnut hair had turned a deep, earthy green that softened her features—giving her an overall peaceful characteristic. When she lifted her sage green eyes flecked with lavender, I wanted to cry.
Lacy was always beautiful, and I never would have wanted a single part of her to change, but Caelian Lacy was perfect. She radiated confidence and a healing peace that contradicted how her features twisted in pain-filled anger.
The Caelian Cycle Boxed Set Page 54
