The MORE Trilogy

by T. M. Franklin

  He gasped into the touch of her lips, pulling her close and reveling in the feeling of their power mingling. It was like coming home. And it was only going to get better.

  “Yes,” she whispered against his mouth when they drew apart to catch a breath.

  He grinned. “I’m not sure I actually asked anything yet.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said, her grin matching his. “Yes. To everything. Anything. All of it.”

  Caleb couldn’t find it in himself to push the matter, so instead he just kissed her again. And they stood, wrapped in each other’s arms long after darkness fell, forgetting all the challenges that stood before them and simply remembering what it was like to be together.

  To be meant to be.

  Chapter 1

  A block of ice smashed against the wall above Ava, raining down a shower of freezing crystals. She cursed under her breath and made a dash for the adjoining building—a detached garage—and pressed her back against the wall next to Caleb.

  “I thought you said she’d be reasonable,” she said, sneaking a glance around the corner and ducking back with a gasp as another bowling-ball-sized block of ice shot their way and landed at their feet.

  “That’s what the intel said,” Caleb replied. He clenched his jaw as he scanned their surroundings.

  They’d received word of a possible Half-Breed named Sophie near the border in Minnesota, and Caleb was supposed to get to her before the Council did. Ava had begged to come along, after going crazy with boredom while holed up at the Colony for almost a month. He’d agreed only because there’d been no time to argue and no one else to go with him. Since his kidnapping and manipulation, the Guardians had instigated a strict buddy system. Even Caleb was subject to it.

  There had been a plan, of course. There was always a plan. But as Ava was quickly coming to realize, when it came to the Race, such plans often fell apart.

  They’d driven to Minnesota but had left the car at the gate so they could shift into the neighborhood where Sophie lived. Caleb had been careful to materialize out of sight of the house, only to find the girl standing at her mailbox, staring at them wide-eyed and obviously scared out of her mind. When Caleb had stepped toward her, she took off running toward the house, and the ice bombardment had commenced.

  “We should have brought Adam,” Ava said, shivering as the ice crystals in her hair melted and dripped down her collar.

  “He was needed back at the Colony.”

  The dampener could mute gifts, sometimes block them altogether, but Gideon was leery to let Adam go too far from the Guardian Colony ever since the Rogue attack. Caleb had assured his father that he and Ava could handle it. It was supposed to be a routine mission, after all.

  “Well, he sure would have come in handy with Miss Ice Ice Baby over there,” she said with a disgruntled frown. Ava spotted a couple of garbage cans propped against the house and an idea began to form. “You think you can shift us behind that tree on the other side of the yard without her noticing?”

  Caleb snuck a quick peek. “Yeah. What are you thinking?”

  “I need to get where I can see her so I can try and bind her.”

  Caleb stiffened. “No way.”

  Ava bristled with a familiar nudge of frustration. “Come on, Caleb, it’s no big deal.” He’d been such a mother hen lately, and she was fine.

  “You can’t use your gifts. You promised. Not until we figure out—”

  Another ball of ice ricocheted off the corner of the building, and they fell to the ground, covering their heads.

  A cryokinetic—that’s what they’d called her. Someone who used cold and ice like a pyrokinetic used fire.

  More like a human snow blower.

  Ava still couldn’t believe this was her life.

  “We need to do something!” Ava snapped. “I’m open to other ideas.”

  Protectors would be coming soon—within a day or two if their intel was correct, not that Ava was counting on that—but Caleb and Ava had yet to get to the front walk, let alone the front door. Ava knew their only chance was to bind Sophie long enough to convince her they weren’t there to hurt her. Convincing Caleb of that, however, was easier said than done.

  “We can wait her out,” he said as a burst of smaller ice pellets hit them. He pulled Ava into his arms and rolled closer to the wall to shield them from the worst of the blast. “She’s panicking . . . afraid . . . and her gift is lashing out. She can’t keep it up for long. When she calms down, or gets tired, we’ll be able to get to her.”

  “And how long will that take?” At his silence, she pushed away from him. “You have no idea, right?”

  Caleb rolled over to sit braced against the wall and glared at her with a mulish expression but said nothing.

  Ava took a deep breath and crawled on her knees to sit between his sprawled legs. She touched his face, and the mingling of their power settled them both. “I’ll be okay,” she said softly. “I won’t use a lot. You know it’s only bad when I try to do too m—”

  “We don’t know that.”

  “I’m fine,” she said, willing him to believe it and ignoring the ache behind her eyes. “We have to do something. It’s only a matter of time before a neighbor calls the cops.”

  As if emphasizing her words, another ice ball crashed into the garage door.

  Caleb frowned in the direction of the noise, and she knew he was desperately trying to think of an alternative plan of action.

  “Come on.” She got to her feet and held out her hands. “We need to do this. Now.”

  Caleb tried to stare her down, but when she didn’t look away, he took a deep breath and let her pull him to his feet. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked, reaching out to touch her cheek, his gift sparking along her skin.

  “I’m sure.” She stepped close and wrapped her arms around his waist as another ice ball flew past. “Let’s go.” Ava closed her eyes as Caleb shifted them across the yard and took a second to steady herself before peering around the trunk of the tree. She spotted the girl peeking out from the living room blinds.

  Ava used her gift to rattle the garbage cans by the garage and smiled when another ice ball flew in that direction. She reached out for Caleb’s hand, using his gift to boost her own and to ground her. “Okay, I’m going to bind her so she can’t run then you shift us inside,” she said.

  “I really don’t like this.” He squeezed her hand, though, so Ava knew he was with her.

  “I can deal with anything she throws at us.” She glanced back at him with a wry smile. “You do the talking.”

  “Great.”

  “Hey, you’re the one with all the experience.”

  Another chunk of ice crashed into the garage, but it was smaller.

  Ava hoped that was a good sign.

  Caleb yanked on her hand a little. “First sign of trouble and I’m shifting us out. She’ll just have to take her chances with the Council.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she said with a reassuring smile. “Ready?” He gave a curt nod, and Ava turned back to the window. She let her gift flow up and out, willing it to wrap around the cryokinetic and visualizing ropes lacing around her in a tight web.

  When they heard a muffled shriek, Caleb pulled Ava close and they shifted inside.

  When Caleb released her, Ava swayed on her feet and tried to stay focused on keeping Sophie bound.

  The girl screamed, and a small ice ball shot toward them that Ava deflected easily.

  Caleb maintained a safe distance, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. “Please, calm down,” he said. “We’re not here to hurt you. We want to help you.”

  The girl struggled against Ava’s grip, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  She was young—maybe Ava’s age, possibly a little older—with warm brown skin and black hair wildly curling around her shoulders. She wore jeans and a red sweatshirt tattered at the sleeves.

  The room was cold, ice crystals forming around the windows, and Ava shivered
as she watched the girl’s panicked eyes search for an escape.

  Eyes like mine.

  “Caleb,” Ava murmured.

  “I see it.”

  There wasn’t time to contemplate the discovery, however, as another spray of ice shards flew toward them.

  Ava stopped them in midair, and they fell to the ground as though they’d hit an invisible shield.

  The girl choked out a sob.

  “Don’t be afraid,” Ava said in a quiet voice as she stepped around Caleb.

  Sophie whimpered, and the temperature dropped a little, but there were no more ice balls.

  Thank goodness.

  “I’m going to let you go, but don’t run, okay? We just want to talk. We’re not going to hurt you.”

  After a moment, the girl nodded jerkily.

  Ava pulled her gift back, and Sophie slumped to the sofa.

  “What do you want?” she asked, wiping away tears with the back of her hand. “Who are you?”

  Ava smiled and eased down to sit on the other end of the sofa. “I’m afraid that’s kind of a long story.”

  Ava closed the bathroom door quietly, leaned back against it, and closed her eyes against the pain in her head. Once Sophie had calmed down, Caleb began to explain about the Race and Half-Breeds, and Ava had been able to excuse herself without much notice.

  She left the light off and fumbled in her jacket pocket for the little container of painkillers she’d taken to keeping close at all times. She popped a couple of the pills in her mouth and swallowed them dry, followed by a couple of R-cubes. With a heavy sigh Ava turned to the mirror and winced at her washed-out appearance. She prodded at her nose carefully, glad that she’d at least managed to avoid a nosebleed. There was no way she would have been able to hide that from Caleb.

  She’d been hiding a lot lately.

  But with the ongoing threat of the Rogues, and the upcoming trip to New Elysia, she knew she was needed. Her gifts were needed. If they were to come under attack, Ava had to be able to fight. If Caleb or the others found out that her headaches were getting worse—that she’d started having them even when she wasn’t using her gifts—they’d leave her behind, and she couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t let them face the Council, not to mention the Rogues, without her. She couldn’t let Caleb face that kind of threat alone. Not after she’d come so close to losing him.

  Ava bent over the sink and splashed some cool water on her face, swiping it over the back of her neck as she sagged against the counter. She’d see Talia again once she got back to the Colony. Hopefully, she’d be able to help, and since she was bound by the same confidentiality as a human doctor—Ava had made sure of that before she had ever approached the healer in the first place—she’d keep her secret.

  It was only for a short time, anyway. Once they got to New Elysia, the doctors there would figure out what was causing her problems and she, and everyone else, would be able to focus on figuring out how to stop the Rogues.

  “Ava?” Caleb’s muffled voice at the door made her jump. She’d been so lost in thought she hadn’t even felt his approach. “Are you all right?”

  She turned off the water and wiped her face quickly with a towel. “Yeah. One sec.” She checked her appearance once more and brushed her fingers through her hair. The headache had eased, thankfully, and her face had regained its color. Ava reached for the door and forced a relaxed smile before opening it.

  Caleb searched her face. “You sure you’re okay?”

  “Of course,” she said, widening the smile a bit. “Everything okay with Sophie?”

  “Yeah. We really should get out of here, though.”

  “Well, let’s go, then,” she replied, patting his chest as she squeezed past him in the narrow hallway. He trailed behind as she made her way into the living room, which had warmed to a normal temperature, the ice on the windows melted and dripping onto the carpet.

  Sophie emerged from a bedroom on the other side of the living room, carrying a small duffle bag and a backpack.

  “You ready to go?” Ava asked.

  Sophie took a deep breath. “I think so.” Her lip trembled slightly, and Ava crossed to her.

  “It’s going to be okay,” she said, reaching out to gently squeeze the girl’s shoulders. “We’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

  Sophie nodded and swiped away a few errant tears.

  Ava led her to the front door as Caleb opened it and poked his head out to scan the yard before waving them through. He grabbed Ava’s arm to hold her back.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” he whispered, glancing at Sophie a few steps ahead on the walkway. “No headaches?”

  Ava ignored the curl of guilt in her stomach. She hated lying to Caleb, but she didn’t see an alternative. Not if she was going to keep him safe.

  “I told you, I’m fine,” she said, popping up to kiss him lightly.

  He caught her around the waist and studied her for a moment, focused and intent as he looked into her eyes.

  She forced herself to meet his gaze—not to flinch, even as her heart thumped heavily in her chest.

  “Okay,” he said finally, sliding his hand down to squeeze hers. “Let’s go.”

  Ava let out a slow breath as they took off at a jog toward the road. It was probably nothing anyway. Her powers were new, and her body was still getting used to them. Even the Colony healer couldn’t deny the possibility. Her body and her brain simply needed to adapt to her new abilities and the headaches would stop. She’d be fine.

  Ava picked up the pace and turned right toward the gate.

  She’d be fine.

  The drive back to Red Lake took about eight hours. Caleb could have cut some time off that if he’d been able to shift, but with two passengers, it wasn’t possible. Ava had tried to convince him to shift Sophie and leave the car with her, but he didn’t feel comfortable with Ava out of his sight. She’d rolled her eyes, muttering about the bond, but it wasn’t that.

  Well, it’s not only that.

  He was worried about her. No matter how many times she insisted that she was fine, that the headaches had tapered off, he couldn’t shake his concern. It was better for them all to stay together anyway, he reasoned. Ava could relate to Sophie in a way he couldn’t. Especially if the suspected Half-Breed was really what they thought she was.

  “So let me get this straight,” the girl in question said as they approached the border crossing at International Falls. “You’re saying you can somehow get this guy to let us across, even though I don’t have a passport?”

  Ava turned and grinned. “Caleb’s really good at this. Trust me.”

  Sophie shrugged, but Caleb spotted her fingers twisting nervously in her lap through the rearview mirror.

  “It’ll be fine,” he said as they crawled forward in line. He held his and Ava’s passports and tapped them lightly on the wheel as they pulled up to the checkpoint. Caleb rolled down the window, a bright smile on his face.

  “Morning. Where are you headed?” the guard asked as he took the passports.

  “Red Lake.” Caleb reached out with his gift to touch the man’s mind.

  Just a little push.

  “How long will you be visiting?”

  “Oh, couple of weeks, I think. Going to see family.”

  The man nodded and ran the passports under a scanner. “Bringing anything into the country?”

  Caleb heard Sophie’s sharp intake of breath and cast her a warning glance in the mirror. “No. Nothing.”

  “No alcohol, tobacco, or firearms?” The guard sounded as though he’d asked the questions so many times he could probably do it in his sleep.

  “Nope. Just us. The two of us.” Caleb willed the man to accept his words. The guard froze for a moment, his gaze drifting slowly to the backseat, and Caleb reached out to touch his forehead. “Only two of us in the car. Just a routine check. Nothing special to see here.”

  The guard nodded slowly and turned to face Caleb, his eyes still a bi
t blank. “Nothing?” he mumbled.

  “Are we finished?” Caleb asked, pulling his hand back.

  The man started and shook his head as if to clear it. “Sorry, yeah.” he said, handing back the passports. “You two have a nice visit.”

  Caleb saluted the man with the passports and drove through the checkpoint, turning off the main highway almost immediately. He preferred the back roads, for obvious reasons.

  After a few minutes, Sophie burst out in laughter. “Okay, you have to tell me how you did that.”

  Caleb smiled at her in the mirror. “Practice. Lots of practice.”

  “Don’t let him fool you,” Ava said, turning sideways in the seat to face Sophie. “I’ve been practicing a ton and I can’t do it.”

  Caleb reached out to squeeze her knee. “You can do plenty of other stuff.”

  Sophie perked up. “Oh yeah?”

  They’d talked about the Race in general terms but hadn’t got to specific gifts yet.

  “Like what?” she asked.

  “I can move stuff around . . . you know, with my mind,” Ava said, waving her hand around as if to illustrate. “And make stuff.”

  “Make stuff?”

  “They call it manifesting. I can manipulate—” She sat up suddenly and grabbed Caleb’s hand. “Do you feel that?”

  “What?” He instinctively checked the mirrors, but there was nobody behind them.

  “Someone . . .” Ava’s eyes glazed over. “Someone’s coming. Fast.”

  Caleb stepped on the gas, searching the horizon. “Who? Anyone familiar?”

  “What’s happening?” Sophie asked.

  Ava shook her head. “I can’t tell. Not yet anyway. You think it’s Protectors?”

  Caleb’s jaw tightened. “Or Rogues.”

  “You think they know?” Ava glanced at Sophie.

  “We don’t know. Not for sure.”

  “Would somebody please tell me what’s going on?” Sophie shouted from the backseat.

  The temperature in the car dipped as frost formed along the edges of the windows.

  “You’ve got to calm her down,” Caleb muttered, taking a turn too fast and swerving to correct. “Now.”