The icy air of late December stings my throat and lungs as I breathe, but I need its pure, clean essence to clear my mind. The absolute madness of everything that has happened tonight was just too much. I needed to escape the still volatile air inside the Hanover home for at least a few minutes. So I snuck out onto the deck, afraid, confused, and in need of some serious alone time. I just wish I had some chocolate. Chocolate always makes me feel better.
All I can feel right now is the tip of my nose going numb. My ears will be next. Numb is fine with me. The vast ocean of emotions, ideas, and thoughts that have been slamming against me for…I don’t even know how long anymore, they just need to be frozen until I can sort them out. The absurd mental image of tiny snowflakes, each one containing an emotion or thought, lying on a table in front of me, that I can calmly organize into their proper categories, makes me laugh.
“It’s too cold out here for anything to be funny,” says a voice from behind me.
I spin around and freeze, like one of the snowflakes I was just imagining. My skin prickles with goose bumps as soon as I see him. “Guardian Braden,” I gasp.
“You can just call me Braden.”
My eyes narrow despite his politeness. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you I’d see you again,” he says. He leans casually against the railing that surrounds the deck, but there is still a leonine readiness to his posture. His expression is warm, though, showing no hint of anything but amusement.
“How did you find me?”
Braden scoffs at my question. “It wasn’t that hard. Your friend and his family didn’t even change their names when they ran. I had their information in my files. Tracking down their address was simple.”
My mouth twists into an angry sneer. “Yeah, I suppose the Guardians would have resources like that.”
“Actually,” Braden says, pushing away from the baluster and taking a step toward me, which sends a warning shiver down my spine, “the only resource I needed was a phone book. Their number was listed right there in the white pages.”
“Seriously?” I ask. What were they thinking? Yes, his dad is a doctor who likes to make sure his patients can always get a hold of him in an emergency, but they were supposed to be in hiding.
Braden takes another step toward me. “I’ve seen elephants that were better at hiding than your friend.”
“Shut up,” I snap. “You don’t know anything about Milo.”
“I’m pretty sure I know more than you do,” he says.
I hate that he’s probably right. No doubt his files hold every detail of Milo’s life. No matter how much a person is willing to share, there’s almost always more that they aren’t.
“What do you want?”
“Besides standing out here freezing with you in the middle of the night?”
He’s not even a foot away from me, now. My flesh is humming, which is beyond strange and more than a little scary. He’s staring at me intently again. That same look of trying very hard to figure something out is back. I wish I knew what it meant.
“Why are you really here?” I ask. “The Guardians aren’t coming back for Milo, are they?”
Is he out here distracting me while his brothers sneak in and grab my boyfriend? My heart rate spikes, and I start for the patio door. Braden grabs my arm, not forcefully, but hard enough to stop me and keep me from running. Even under my jacket, the skin of my arm tingles violently at his touch.
“Nobody’s coming after your friend. I’m not here because of him,” Braden says.
“You’re here for me?” I squeak, fear squeezing my throat. I just found out what I’m supposed to do. They can’t take me yet!
“No. I’m not here for you. I’m a Cipher Hunter, that’s it. They’ll send someone else for you.”
“I won’t go without a fight. I hope Howe or Lazaro—whichever one is coming—knows that. I’m not ready to die.”
Braden watches me, for what I don’t know, but his eyes take me in very seriously. “You’re not going to die,” he says, “not yet anyway.”
“What do you mean?” I broke my deal with Howe. Everyone knows now that I really do have the talents of the Destroyer.
“Howe is a monster of order. Technically, Milo was no longer a Cipher, so I had no authority to arrest him. You were in the right. Technically.”
I shake my head. “No way that’s enough to keep Howe from coming after me. Lazaro would never swallow that reasoning without a fight.”
Braden cringes. “Well, unfortunately for both of them, what happened tonight is already being played around the world. It went viral on the internet about ten seconds after it aired. Milo isn’t the first Cipher. Plenty of other families have lost children because of Guardians like me. When they saw what happened, saw you protecting a Cipher, they started a campaign to protect you. If Howe and Lazaro go against them, it will be a fight that will end both their careers. Permanently.”
“Other Ciphers’ families?” I ask in disbelief.
“Turns out you have a few more supporters than anyone realized,” Braden says.
It’s encouraging, but Braden said the Guardians weren’t coming to kill me, not that they weren’t coming at all. “What do the Guardians want with me then?”
He pulls me away from the door where someone might see us. My foot is still in an elastic bandage rather than a cast, and so sore and bruised that I don’t think I could run from him even if my life depended on it. But I know it doesn’t, somehow. It isn’t Vision or any other talent reassuring me. It’s something else, something I don’t understand, but I find myself trusting it easily. Braden isn’t here to hurt me. We are stowed away in a dark corner of the deck before he speaks again.
“Look, Libby, when I got the file on your friend, it was just another assignment. Track down the Cipher, bring him in. Simple.” His hand comes up to my shoulder firmly. “You've changed that. I did what you asked. I told Captain Blackwood that your friend isn’t a Cipher anymore. He agreed that there wasn’t any point in bringing him in now, but there was something behind what he was saying. I could see the way his whole body tightened up like a piano wire. He dismissed me after that, but the whole compound started jumping.
But not killing. Milo’s parents have to be right about the killing. I can’t handle having that on my conscience.
“They’re sending someone to come get you for questioning. They want to know how you unlocked Milo’s talents and what you plan on doing with him now.”
Braden’s other hand comes up to my shoulder and he leans closer to me. “Libby, do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into? Whatever spooked the Captain, it’s not good. Are you really planning something? Something that has to do with the Ciphers?”
Now it’s my turn to scoff at him. “You really think I would tell you if I were? You’re on the wrong team, Braden.”
He shrugs with a hopeful expression, but his mouth slips back into a frown quickly. “If you are planning on coming after the Ciphers, you’re going to get hurt.”
“Shouldn’t that make you happy?”
“Maybe,” he says, moving closer, “but it doesn’t.”
I can hardly breathe with him so close to me. I can’t explain it, but his presence seems to wrap itself around me. It’s a strangely comforting feeling, but it freaks me out regardless. I try to back away from him. The rail behind me keeps me from getting very far. I’m way too strung out to be dealing with this right now, but my voice comes out strong and fierce when I finally pull myself together enough to use it.
“You really want to know what I’m planning?” I ask.
Braden nods, his nose bobbing much too close mine.
I came out here to figure things out on my own and failed. Strange that being faced with Braden is the catalyst that brings me to a decision.
“I am Cassia. And I’m going to do exactly what I was meant to do, Braden. I’m going to destroy the kind of people who lock up innocent citizens i
n the name of protecting people. I am going to come after your Captain and anyone else who thinks they can stop me.”
I expect him to pull back, demand I change my mind, arrest me maybe, but he simply holds very still. When he speaks, the laughter in his voice surprises me. “I suppose that should scare me more than it does.”
“You think I can’t do it?” I demand.
He shakes his head grimly, grief edging into his expression. When he speaks his voice is soft and haunted. “Not at all. You took out my entire strike force tonight. I’m sure you can do anything you want.”
“Then why aren’t you scared?”
“Maybe because I’m not so sure I see what you’re planning as wrong.” He finally steps back from me and lets his hands slide from my shoulders, slowly, thoughtfully. I can’t believe he’s telling me the truth, but he’s no Perceptive. He can’t hide the honesty of his thoughts from me.
“Just try to be careful, okay?” he asks. Braden turns away then, ready to sprint back into the darkness he appeared from.
It’s stupid, very stupid, but I can’t let him go like that. There is something about him that affects me, and I find myself completely unable to ignore the sensation. “Braden,” I call out quietly.
He turns back with a curious expression. “Yeah?”
“If you ever want to change teams,” I say, “I’d be happy to have you.” I want to die for even suggesting it, but I had to. He would be an indispensible asset. That’s the only reason. Really.
He smiles lightly, and says, “I’ll think about it.”
Gone before I can blink again, Braden’s smile and answer linger with me. As do my own words. Guardians are on their way to drag me off for questioning, but I feel a sense of peace settle over me. I have a plan. I’m really going to go through with it. Milo was the first to suggest attacking the Guardians. Saying I was hesitant then would be an understatement, but now I am absolutely committed. I meant what I told Braden. No matter what happens, I’m going to rescue the Ciphers.
All my life I have feared there is something dark and deadly inside of me. After tonight, after all the dead Guardians lying at my feet, I don’t wonder anymore. I know. The power and ability to take life and destroy is inside of me if I choose to use it. I’ve made my choice.
I am Cassia. And I am the Destroyer.
THE END
Keep reading for a sneak peek of Book Two of The Destroyer Trilogy
Secret of Betrayal
Chapter 1
Blood and Kissing
My life has been about betrayal from the moment I first drew breath. I should be used to it, expect it. But I never see it coming.