“Blaze,” he says. “You can’t. You go in there, you compromise the entire Resistance.”
“Thane won’t see me.” Blaze claps Zenn on the shoulder in his typical I-know-what-I’m-doing fashion. I long to feel him do it to me one more time.
“And what if he does? How are you going to explain the fact that the Assistant Counselor of Seaside is evacuating Insiders?”
“Don’t worry about it, Z.” Blaze actually sounds like he’s about to laugh.
Zenn doesn’t get the joke. His mouth tightens. “Stay here,” he commands.
The darkness pulses. When the world lightens, Blaze’s eyes are glazed over. He stands as still as stone.
“I’ll get the key code and meet you right here.” Zenn uses his voice. It’s powerful, controlling. Blaze merely nods.
I watch as Zenn abandons him. Leaves him there in the alley.
Sirens wail.
The red light doubles. Then triples. Dogs bark.
“Run!” I call, digging my fingernails into Gavin’s back. I vaguely hear her cry of pain. But I can’t stop now. Blaze is still in that alley. Still in danger.
And he can’t move.
Because Zenn told him to stay.
The vision fades. My hands ache from their clenched position. Anger pounds within my heart.
“Jag?” Gavin wipes my face. Her fingers come away wet. I look at them, marveling at the fact that I’m crying. I can’t decide if my agony is because Blaze died in an unknown alley in Freedom or because Zenn was the one who allowed that to happen.
Or because I sent them both there in the first place.
“He’s still your brother,” Gavin whispers. Her words and her breath cause goose bumps to erupt along my arms. I wonder who she means—Blaze or Zenn.
38.
“Are you up for breakfast?” My sister’s voice echoed over the tech-comm. I sat up in bed, my heart pounding. Zenn’s voice still caught in my ears. Jag’s emotions still coated my nerves.
Next to me, Jag rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, sure. I just need to shower.”
“Okay. Is Vi awake?”
“Isn’t she in her room?” Jag asked, putting a finger to his lips. I smiled at the guilty look on his face.
“This is her room.”
Jag laughed like he’d been caught, well, in his girlfriend’s bedroom. “Uh, no, she’s not awake yet.”
“Jag, did you sleep on her couch all night?” Ty carried a hint of amusement in her voice.
Something like that, I thought as Jag glanced to the couch in front of a sliding glass door. A ruffled blanket indicated that he had slept there at some point.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“I knew you would. Did she ever wake up?”
“No, she never did,” Jag said.
“Well, wake her up if you can. She can’t sleep today away too.”
“I’ll try,” he said, his face breaking into a wicked smile. The tech-comm beeped and Jag wrapped his arms around me. He kissed me and ran his hands through my hair.
“Jag.” His name stuck in my throat. “Shouldn’t we go eat breakfast?”
“No,” he said, his lips brushing my neck. “Don’t worry, I take really long showers. And I have to try to wake you up, that could take a very long time.”
I tried to laugh, but I didn’t have the breath. He murmured beautiful words in his sexy, controlling voice.
“No talking,” I whispered. He fell silent for a minute before saying he couldn’t resist telling me how pretty I was and how much he liked saying my name. I’ll admit, I liked hearing it.
“So . . . you did sleep on the couch,” I said, finally pushing him away.
“Yeah. I have some honor,” he said. “But you had a nightmare. You wouldn’t settle down. So I held you until you stopped shaking.”
A blip of fear stole through me. I wondered if it was my nightmare or his that had disturbed me. “Thanks,” I said, “for you know. Whatever.”
Jag smoothed my hair off my face. “Don’t worry. You didn’t say anything embarrassing.”
I laughed, glad (for once) that Jag knew what to say to make me feel better.
“I like it when you’re happy,” he said.
I curled into his chest. “When I’m with you, I’m happy.”
“I know.”
“What don’t you know?”
He chuckled. “Not much, my pretty girl. Not much.”
But he knew me. Better than anyone else. Better than Ty and Zenn and sometimes even better than I knew myself.
I tilted my face up to his and he rested his forehead against mine. “I mean it, Vi. Without you, I would die. You really are my Choker. I’ve never felt so full.”
My life had always been empty, and I thought it was because my dad was gone or Ty was dead or my mother was awful. But that wasn’t it. It was because I didn’t have Jag. Did I tell him that, though? Nope.
But I think he knew.
Jag went downstairs while I showered. Meeting my sister, fainting, and then sleeping for twenty hours wasn’t how I’d imagined things would go in Seaside. What would I say to her? I wondered if it would’ve been so hard for her to contact me. An e-comm or a simple projection or something. As a ranger, she could have found a way.
Nervously, I opened my bedroom door. Jag’s voice filtered up from downstairs. “. . . was seen a long time ago. He won’t be able to control me now.”
“But Jag, Thane won’t give up, that I do know. And now you and Vi—” A machine whirred, drowning out the rest of Ty’s answer. When Jag spoke again, his voice was low and angry. I paused, waiting for Ty to reply. Her higher voice carried much easier up the stairwell. “Jag, I’m worried about you, maybe I can—”
“I said stop,” Jag said, louder now. “Look, I know what has to be done. All Vi needs is to get that tag out. I’ll go get her.”
I thumped down the last four steps and rounded the corner. “Looking for me?”
Jag had started to move away from Ty, who was near tears. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and poured something pink into a glass.
Before I could open my mouth, Jag moved in front of me and placed both hands on the sides of my face. “Don’t worry, babe. Everything’s fine.”
I closed my eyes and nodded slightly before stepping away from him, half-aware that he’d used his voice control on me. But I felt too tired to call him on it. My brain filled with thoughts, emotions, random memories and wishes. Nothing fit together.
Jag led me to the table, where strawberries and cinnamon toast had been laid out. He poured orange juice and loaded a plate with food. He sat next to me and watched as I ate. Ty stayed in the exact same spot, sipping her shake.
My tension increased with every bite. Several times Jag glanced at Ty, his eyes narrowing for only a second before looking back to me. The silence pressed down until I couldn’t take it anymore. “So, Ty, can I stay here?”
“I go by Gavin now. I wanted something with the letters of your nickname in it. Nice, huh?” She grinned at me like no time had passed. Like the conversation between her and Jag hadn’t happened. But something big was going on. Something neither of them would spill. And a smile—even from Ty—wouldn’t make everything better.
“That is nice,” I said. “Did you do it so you could remember me? Because I haven’t heard from you in over three years.”
Her smile faltered. Remorse flashed in her eyes. She took a step toward me. “I know, baby, I couldn’t. Mom had to think I was dead and gone.”
“What? Why?”
Jag stood up to leave, and I threw him a furious look that said don’t you dare.
“I gotta get the book, be right back.”
Once Jag left, Ty sprang forward. “Let’s get that tag out.” She grasped my wrist and motioned to someone behind her. Mark entered, holding a black marker.
“No,” I said, recognizing the surgery skin. I tried jerking my arm away, but Ty’s grip was firm.
“It’ll hurt no matter what, bu
t less if you hold still,” she said. “Don’t worry, Mark’s the best.”
The best at what?
She pinned my left arm to the counter. As skillfully as a doctor, Mark drew the marker around my wrist. I squeezed my eyes shut and pounded my foot on the floor as the skin dissolved.
“This one’s advanced,” Mark said, his voice deep and rich. “It’s not a problem though,” he added when he met my startled gaze. “They’ve just gotten better, that’s all.” He took out a piece of tech that looked like a pair of beefed up nail clippers with white tips. A blue spark jumped the gap between the blades. Shock scissors. He was going to cut me with those?
“Bloody hell,” I whispered. This was going to hurt. A lot. I clenched my jaw.
“It’s okay, Vi,” Mark said. “Tell her, Jake.”
I looked up to see Jake watching me. “Gavin’s probably seen how this turns out. And she’s never wrong.”
Gavin had a slight blush in her face. “Thanks, Jake.”
“Ready?” Mark asked. “I promise it’ll be fine.” I believed him. He looked so serene, so in control.
I nodded. He inserted the shock scissors into my wrist and snipped next to the tiny knot. A charge of tech sparked, burning a hot spot in my chest. A metallic clang echoed in the kitchen, and I saw the tag fall into Jake’s hands before I went blind from all the techtricity.
“Sweet. Goodie tech. A tag, no less. I’ll get right on it.” His voice radiated the excitement that surely showed on his face.
Ty sighed as two sets of footsteps hurried from the room. When my vision cleared, she was holding out a glass of cloudy water. “Drink.”
The solution tasted like rancid vitamins, but I downed it. “What is this?” I noted that the ache in my arm had already faded.
“Skin regenerator. Sorry, the boys only have it in powdered form. You probably got a shot at the facility, right?”
“I’d drink this nasty concoction any day over getting a shot, trust me.”
Ty threw back her head and laughed. The sound awakened happy memories. She bandaged my wrist and drew me into a hug. I relaxed into her, clinging tightly and willing myself not to cry.
“Vi, I’m so glad you’re here. Really. Will you stay?”
I inhaled deeply, finding the familiar scent of coffee with brown sugar. “Can I? Stay here with you?”
She smiled and looked like my mother. “I filed your petitions yesterday, back dating it to last week. Jag’s too.” She studied me like she expected me to spill my guts about Jag. Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.
“That’s great. Will the petitions be approved?”
“These kinds of things move pretty slow, so I don’t think anyone will notice the lag, especially not with the events of this past week.” Ty didn’t sound worried, didn’t appear concerned about anything. She comforted me the same way she always had—with her confidence. “Jag agrees.”
“What’s your talent?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from him.
“Premonitions.” She pushed herself up and sat on the counter. She wore black soft-soled shoes with bright pink socks. Totally Ty. “I can see things. Usually the future. Sometimes the past, like I did with you. Sometimes I can just see what makes people happy or unhappy, or see the decision they should make that will make their life better, or anything really. I work here, helping the people in Seaside to see more clearly.”
“Sounds nice.” And it did. I glanced toward the stairs, hoping Jag would show. Both brothers stood on the landing, watching me. Jake smiled, and I involuntarily returned the gesture. Alarmed, I turned back to Ty.
“Don’t mind them,” she said. “There are different levels of mind control, and I can help you develop yours. If you stay, you can use your control to help people. That way we can protect you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you can’t ignore your talent. You have to use it. But the Counselor can file a petition with the Association detailing that you are using it to help people—the way I do—in a much less controlling way. Then you don’t have to go to Freedom and train to be a Director. Isn’t that what you want? What you need?”
It was. But Zenn needed me too. I couldn’t abandon him. I rubbed my gloved hand. “Yeah, but Mark said things have gone all wrong.”
Ty waved her hand. “Don’t worry. Dad can’t come here.” If she was lying, I couldn’t tell.
“What’s with the glove?” she asked, changing the subject as easily as I had earlier.
“I need to get this sticker off, and Pace said you could do it.”
Her eyes flickered to my silver hand, where the outline of the ring bulged. “Pace did?”
“Yeah. So? Can you do it?”
Ty glared at me for second before she left the kitchen.
I followed. “Hey! Can you do it or not?”
Ty spun on the bottom step. “No, I can’t do it. Only someone with extreme control can remove a sticker. I can’t believe Pace told you I could do it. I. See. Visions.”
“O-kay.”
Like that cleared everything up. Thanks, Sis.
39.
Ty-Gavin-Whatever stormed up the steps calling Jag’s name. I could barely keep up with my mad-as-hell sister. At the last door on the right, Ty didn’t stop to knock, she simply barged in, bellowing for Jag. “Get out here and explain yourself!”
His room was clean and unused, with a bay window that opened onto a balcony. The ocean breeze ruffled the curtains amidst Ty’s foul language.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“He’s gone,” she said.
Her words punched me in the gut, eliminating my ability to breathe. Ty banged open closet doors and metal drawers, like Jag might be hiding in one of them.
“Gone?” My voice sounded much too high. That wasn’t true. Jag wouldn’t leave me. Not again.
“Yes, Vi. Gone.” Ty’s eyes flashed dangerously. She moved onto the balcony and yelled obscenities toward the water. “See?” She turned, holding a metallic rope in her hands. “Gone.” She flung the evidence away.
Jag had left me for, like, the fourth time. I felt lost without him. Numb. Empty.
I left Ty cursing on Jag’s balcony and shuffled down the hall, down the stairs, down to the lobby. Outside, the sun shone guilty rays on my bare skin. My feet carried me toward the beach. I dropped to my knees and closed my eyes as a hole opened in my soul.
Then a voice entered my mind, familiar and fatherly. Violet. You have the power to change the world.
Dad’s words echoed in my mind over the crashing surf.
I can help you remove the sticker. Zenn is desperate to see you.
A response formed, but I didn’t allow it to leave my mind. Dad knew my weaknesses. Just because he’d been gone for seven years didn’t mean he was stupid.
The Association needs you, Vi. Tyson has chosen a different path, but that doesn’t mean you must follow her. We need Jag, too. You can help him see reason. You can be together.
I opened my eyes and blinked in the bright daylight. Dad was right. I could control Jag.
I realized that’s what Dad wanted. I remembered the way he’d watched me in the tech facility. With interest. Like I could do something for him. And I could: get Jag to join the Association with me.
No way in hell, I thought. Jag will not make your transmissions. Not as long as I’m alive.
Dad’s disappointment stole through me. Your death would be tragic . . . Think of what that would do to me, V. I’ve lost you once, will you make me go through it again?
The threat hung there, floating in the enraged space in my mind. I don’t know if I blocked my dad out or he left, but I didn’t hear him again. My shallow breathing washed in and out with the waves. The weight of my unmade choices pressed down on me until I felt like I couldn’t stand up.
How does anyone ever figure out what to do with their life?
“Vi.”
I looked up at the familiar voice. Right into Zenn’s beauti
ful face. Tears stained my cheeks. “Zenn,” I choked out.
He gripped me in a fierce hug before placing both hands on the sides of my face. “Shh, beautiful. Go to sleep now.”
His voice spread thick honey over my senses. My eyelids drooped, no matter how hard I tried to keep them open. “Zenn,” I murmured.
“Trust me, Vi. Go to sleep.”
Problem: I didn’t trust him. But I couldn’t fight his voice, and the calming darkness swallowed me.
Everything moved. Strong arms held me close. It wasn’t Jag, I would know his scent anywhere.
This person smelled like the wind, fresh and free and full of salt. My head bounced on a muscled shoulder. No color. No light.
“Put her down and get out.” Ty’s words carried a vein of fury.
“I’m here to help,” Zenn said, sincerity written in every syllable.
“I don’t believe that.”
“And I don’t care what you believe. If I hadn’t taken her from the beach, Thane would have her right now.”
Ty made a noise of disapproval in her throat.
“Besides,” Zenn continued, “I’m the only one who can remove that sticker.”
“That’s not true,” Ty argued. “Anyone with enough control can remove it.”
“It’s a new security feature. Only the one who put the sticker on can take it off. Thane reconfigured Vi’s ring while she was at the tech facility. He didn’t want her to be able to remove it herself.” Zenn slid his hand into mine, and it felt familiar and safe. “I gave her the clue to get her here, hoping Jake could help her, but—”
“She made it here, didn’t she?” Ty traced her fingertips along my eyebrows.
“I stalled Thane as long as I could, but she still almost didn’t get out in time.”
“She’s fine, Zenn.” Ty sounded exhausted. “Let’s get this done. Vi?”
I wanted to move, speak, something. I couldn’t.
“You put her to sleep.” Ty sounded hysterical. “Wake her up. Right now.”
“Let’s get her unstuck first,” Zenn said.
When I tried to open my eyes, I couldn’t. Something thick lay across my face, creating a fierce blackness. I struggled against the binding.