Frowning, she placed the fortune cookies back in a line, her hands flat against the table on either side of them. She took a deep breath, imagining the cookies floating lightly into the air. A familiar tingle that she now recognized as her ability surged through her and one of the cookies jumped.
“Easy,” Caleb encouraged her in a quiet voice, resting his fingers over hers on the table. “Try to stay calm. It’s like a faucet. Try and turn it down a bit.”
“Easier said than done.”
“I know. I’ll try to help you.”
Ava nodded, rolling her shoulders and focusing on the cookies again. She tried to do as Caleb said, regulating the tingling with her mind. She could feel something radiating from Caleb’s fingers, another tingle, but different—almost like another frequency—and she realized he was using his power to help her keep control of hers. For a long moment, nothing happened, and then, slowly, one of the cookies rose up in the air, balancing on top of another.
“Good,” Caleb said. “Keep going.”
Ava kept her focus, Caleb’s touch somehow helping to both relax her and sharpen her concentration. The cookie swayed slightly, but kept its spot on top of the other, and gradually, a third lifted, carried by an unseen force to balance on top of it . . . then a fourth.
“I’m doing it,” Ava murmured excitedly, turning her attention on the last cookie. The tower wobbled slightly, and she fought to keep it steady as the fifth cookie rose ever-so-slowly to perch on top.
“Good job,” Caleb said. “Now I’m going to pull back. Try to keep it balanced.”
Ava nodded as Caleb eased back, his fingers leaving hers. She felt the withdrawal of his power like the air had been sucked from the room, and the tower swayed.
“You can do it,” he said, tension evident in his voice. “Stay focused.”
Ava fought to regulate the power rushing through her. She held it back, allowing barely a trickle to reach the tower of cookies and hold it steady. Breathing slowly, she focused on that trickle, but after a moment, she faltered, and the power began to seep through the cracks in her control. Ava gritted her teeth, trying desperately to fill the cracks, but suddenly it burst through in a massive flood and the cookies flew apart, hovering in the air for a moment before violently smashing together. They fell to the table in a pile of crumbs and torn cellophane, and Ava stared at the mess for a moment before her head fell to the table in defeat.
“Crap,” she muttered. “I’m never going to get this.”
“You will.”
“But not in time.” When Caleb said nothing, she looked up at him helplessly. “What am I going to do?”
Caleb reached out, taking her hand in both of his. “It’ll be okay. We’ll think of something.”
“How?” she asked. “They’re going to figure out I can do things, Caleb. And they’re going to know I don’t have much control over it.
“Are they . . . are they going to—?”
“Don’t.” Caleb moved to sit next to her at the table, still holding her hand. “Don’t think that way. I won’t let anything happen to you. I swear it.”
Ava felt a rush of warmth at his words . . . at his touch. She didn’t doubt that Caleb would try to protect her, but she worried about what that might mean.
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” she said quietly.
“Don’t worry about me.”
“But—”
“Ava,” he said firmly, squeezing her hand. “I’ll be fine. You need to trust me on this. If things go bad, I’ll do what it takes to protect you, and I can do it. I’ve been around for a while, you know? I know what I’m doing.”
He leaned in slightly, and for a moment, Ava had the crazy thought that he might kiss her.
And just as crazily, she almost wished he would.
He eyed her steadily, his breath barely teasing her skin. Ava’s mouth dried, and she licked her lips nervously. His eyes dropped for a moment, registering the movement, then abruptly, he sat back in his chair, his jaw clenched. Ava held back a whimper of disappointment.
What did she think would happen? Her life wasn’t a movie. It was a mess, and the white knight wasn’t going to ride in to sweep her away to a happily ever after.
Or kiss her. Apparently.
“Okay,” she said, pulling her hand gently from his grip. “Okay. Well, I vote that we don’t let it get to that. Which means, I should probably try again, right?” She looked away from Caleb’s intent gaze, reaching a shaking hand toward an extra pair of chopsticks and laying them on the table in front of her. “Slow and easy, right?” she asked, faking a confidence she didn’t feel.
Caleb moved to sit across from her again. Hesitantly, he reached out to touch her fingers.
“Right,” he said. “Slow and easy.”
15
Ava’s second day of testing went much like the first, at least as far as Caleb was concerned. For the most part, he waited in the antechamber as Ava went from doctor to doctor, sparing him a quick smile or nod as she passed in an attempt to reassure him.
He didn’t feel that reassured.
Ava was nervous enough already, so he tried to keep up a brave front, but in reality, he was worried. She was doing a good job of hiding her abilities from her examiners, but he knew it was only a matter of time before she was discovered. The medical tests would prove her Half-Breed blood without a shadow of a doubt. And Ava still did not have the control over her gifts that he’d hoped.
Not that it was her fault. Even when trained since childhood, it took years to gain the kind of mastery that might have hope of swaying the Council in their favor. And Ava had only been at it for a few weeks. Caleb had known it was a long shot, but he really didn’t see any alternative once she decided she would no longer run.
Sadly, it was looking more and more like that might be her only option. Caleb just hoped he could fulfill his promise to her and get her to safety when the time came. Despite his bold talk, he knew it would take everything he had—and everything Ava had, for that matter—as well as a boatload of luck for them to escape New Elysia with their lives. Still, he hadn’t been lying when he told her he knew what he was doing. He’d been plotting and planning since before they’d arrived, and if the Council decided that Ava was too big a risk, he would put his plan into action.
It would mean cutting all ties—to New Elysia, to his friends, to his mother. He could never return to his home, the only true home he’d had for more than fifty years.
But he would do it. They’d make their way to the Guardian colony and start a new life. Ava would be safe and he . . .
Well, Caleb wasn’t exactly sure what he would do. He supposed he’d make sure Ava settled in all right—she was his responsibility, after all—and then move on. Maybe spend some time in Europe. It had been a while since he’d been back to Ireland. Perhaps returning to the rolling emerald landscape and quaint villages where he’d spent his first years as a Protector might help him put the whole situation behind him.
Or maybe he’d just brood on the moors like a modern-day Heathcliff. Caleb half-laughed at the idea, but for some reason, the thought of leaving Ava behind left him a bit unsettled. He wasn’t exactly sure what was wrong with him. Ava was an assignment. Sure, he liked her, but his willingness to stand by her had more to do with his growing disillusion with the Council than anything about Ava personally. At least, he’d been trying to convince himself of that. Ever since he almost kissed her.
What was he thinking?
Caleb’s gaze lifted from his clenched hands to the closed door where Ava was undergoing the last examination of the day—more psychological testing, he believed. His foot tapped nervously on the carpet, and the leather squeaked as he shifted his position on the waiting room chair.
No. His job, his duty, was to keep Ava safe. That was all. There was no room in his life—or in hers, either—for any romantic complications. Their situation was difficult enough without adding that to the mix.
Not to mention it was da
ngerous. Forbidden by the Law.
It was the intensity of their circumstances leading to heightened emotions, he reasoned. It was only natural that two people going through a stressful time might turn to each other for consolation.
But it wasn’t real. And as the older, more experienced of the two, it was Caleb’s responsibility to keep it all in check.
Yeah. He could do that. He was a professional.
The door opened, and Caleb shot to his feet as Ava emerged, rubbing a hand over her face. She smiled wanly at him as he approached.
“How did it go?” he asked.
“I have no idea.” Ava laughed humorlessly, turning toward the door. “They ask all these questions, do all these tests, but nobody tells me anything.”
Caleb nodded. It was standard procedure. Ava would find out the results the following morning when the Council made its ruling.
“I know it’s frustrating,” he said. “But it’s the way the Council operates. The good news is, the testing is over. There’s nothing to do now but wait.”
Ava rubbed her eyes as Caleb held the door for her and they walked out into the bright sunshine.
“So,” he said, forcing a note of cheer into his voice. “What do you feel like for dinner? Pizza? Sushi? We have a pretty good Greek place.”
“Actually, I was thinking I’d like to cook tonight.”
“Really?”
Ava smiled, shrugging slightly. “It relaxes me, and I think it might help take my mind off things.”
“Well, I’m not one to turn down a home-cooked meal,” he replied, grabbing her elbow and turning them around in the opposite direction. “But I don’t have any food in the house, so we’ll have to go shopping.”
“You super humans have grocery stores?”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “Of course we have grocery stores. Where else would we go to get our kryptonite and apocalyptic freeze rays?”
Ava laughed, and Caleb enjoyed helping her forget her troubles, even for a little while.
“But where does it all come from?” she asked, waving a hand around her. “Chinese restaurants, pizza places, grocery stores. And you’re on the side of a mountain hidden by a magical cloak. It’s not like you teleport all your supplies in.” She eyed him curiously. “You don’t teleport your supplies in, right?”
This time it was Caleb’s turn to laugh. “Sometimes,” he admitted. “There are shifters who have a much stronger gift than me, so they can bring supplies in from long distances if needed. Generally, though, we do it just like you do. The Council has people in charge of procuring what we need, and they go out into your world to obtain it. We have supply trucks kept hidden at the base of the mountain, and shifters bring it up from there.”
Ava nodded. “I’d imagine it would be tough to get a truck up here.”
“We don’t really have a need for vehicles in the city,” he said with a grin. “By the time you back it out of the driveway and get where you’re going, it’s faster to run—or shift.”
“Well, maybe for some people.”
Caleb shrugged. “I’m happy to give you a lift wherever you need to go.”
They walked down the street to a small market, and Ava jokingly noted that they were out of kryptonite but smiled when she saw the jars of supplement cubes lined up near the cash registers. She picked out what she needed for the meal, and Caleb trailed after her contentedly, only stepping forward to place his thumb on the reader when it was time to check out.
Ava peeked over his shoulder. “That doesn’t look like Visa.”
He smiled. “It’s not. We don’t use traditional currency in the city. It’s all electronic credits, linked directly to my thumb print.”
“Huh,” Ava said, examining the machine as they gathered their bags. “It’s like a sci-fi movie.”
Caleb shrugged. “I suppose.”
They walked back outside, and Caleb stiffened, spotting a flash of movement across the street.
“What is it?” Ava asked.
“I’m not sure. I thought I saw something.” He started across the street, Ava tagging along behind him. He stopped, glancing back. “Maybe you should wait back there.”
Ava rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. Not gonna happen.”
Caleb huffed, waving her behind him as he proceeded across the street. He ducked between two buildings and searched the parking lot behind them but saw nothing.
“Do you think it was Tiernan? Or maybe Katherine?” Ava asked. “They’re always lurking around, it seems.”
“No, I would have recognized either one of them, even without seeing them,” he replied. “Maybe I’m imagining things.”
“I know the feeling.” Ava turned to follow him back out to the sidewalk. “Who could it be, do you think?”
“I don’t know,” Caleb admitted. “I didn’t recognize their energy.” At Ava’s puzzled look, he tried to explain. “We have the ability to feel energy from individuals. It’s harder with humans, but with the Race, it’s as unique as a fingerprint. Like being able to recognize someone’s voice, or the way they smell.”
Ava bit her lip. “So you know it was someone from the Race, but you don’t know who?”
“Well, someone with Race blood, at least. It could have been a Half-Breed, too,” he said. “The Council probably has someone watching us in case we decide to make a run for it.” Yet, as they continued on their way, Caleb couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it than that. He found himself on alert, constantly scanning the area for a sign of whoever he’d spotted—on edge with the jittery sensation that they were both being watched.
Sure, it was possible someone was keeping track of them on the Council’s behalf, but Caleb thought it unlikely. The Council had eyes all over New Elysia, every border monitored by a sophisticated camera network. There was no need for anyone to follow them around because the Council could see where they were any time they were outside.
It left him feeling uneasy, but he tried to put on a calm facade for Ava’s sake. She had enough on her mind.
He relaxed a bit once they arrived at his house, sparing only one more quick glance out the window before turning his attention back to helping Ava with dinner. They spent the evening pleasantly avoiding any talk of the Council or Ava’s testing as she prepared Chicken Marsala with salad and crusty bread. She even baked a batch of chocolate cupcakes for dessert.
“Should I practice?” Ava asked, absently stirring a cup of decaf coffee as they relaxed in the living room after dinner.
She yawned, and Caleb felt torn. She definitely needed to practice, but he also knew exhaustion would make her efforts fruitless. There really was no point anyway. She wouldn’t miraculously gain meticulous control over her abilities overnight. And even if she did, it was a long shot that she’d be able to affect the Council’s decision, anyway. Their only hope would be to throw themselves on the mercy of the court—so to speak—and hope Ava was ordered to remain in New Elysia instead of the alternative.
Caleb didn’t even want to consider that.
Ava yawned again, and he realized she was still waiting for an answer.
“No,” he said. “You probably should get some sleep. Big day tomorrow.”
Ava nodded, taking her cup to the kitchen before heading toward the stairs. She stopped, turning to face him. “Caleb, no matter what happens, I want to thank you.”
“There’s no need—”
“Don’t give me that. I know what you’ve done. You risked yourself to protect me, to help me.”
He looked down into his own cup, shrugging slightly. “It’s not only you, you know. What the Council’s doing . . . it’s wrong. I’ve been feeling that way for a while now. But meeting you . . . I should be thanking you,” he said, lifting his eyes to hers again. “For giving me the courage to finally do what I know is right.”
For a long moment, they stared at each other, the air growing thick and heated. Caleb’s chest tightened as Ava took a tentative step forward, her hand still gripp
ing the handrail at the foot of the stairs. She watched him, licking her lips nervously, and Caleb felt a sudden urge to go to her—to vault the coffee table, sweep across the room, and take her in his arms. Which was crazy.
Maybe, if things were different.
But the rules were very clear. Intermingling with humans, even Half-Breeds, was punishable by death. And that sentence would apply to both of them.
So instead, he took a deep breath and looked away, sipping his cold coffee.
“You better get some rest,” he said, his voice rough and quiet.
He heard a quiet “good night” but when he looked back toward the stairs, Ava was gone.
Despite her exhaustion, Ava tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. The strange moment with Caleb haunted her, and she didn’t know what to think about it, let alone what to do. She’d felt a connection to him in those few seconds when their eyes locked, like perhaps there was more to their relationship than simply Protector and Half-Breed. But then he’d looked away, and Ava realized that, once again, she was letting her imagination get the best of her.
Embarrassed, she’d hurried up the stairs, unwilling to face Caleb after she almost threw herself at him.
Between that and her anxiety over the Council’s decision, she found herself staring up at the ceiling, the wall, then back to the ceiling, her mind whirling with all the possible outcomes and settling on only one.
They would have to run. Again.
She hated it, but she now understood what Caleb had tried to tell her. The Council wouldn’t let her go back to her old life. If they didn’t decide to kill her—and that was still a big if—they would most likely confine her to New Elysia. She’d be cut off from her family, her friends. Her future virtually eliminated and her freedom only a fading memory. Ava couldn’t live like that.
Although she hated the idea of putting Caleb in more danger, she knew he would never let her go by herself. Not that she could, even if she wanted to. She needed him to escape New Elysia, and even if she couldn’t return to her old life, at least she could have some semblance of freedom outside the city borders.
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