Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“I won’t take long.” He moved closer but then he thought better of it and stopped in the middle of the room. He looked uneasy, as if what he was going to say next was way out of his comfort zone. “Alec loves you. You know that, right?”
Of course I knew. Alec had said the words to me, but hearing Tanner say it made them seem more real. “Love isn’t the problem,” I said quietly. I glanced at the photo of Alec and me on my nightstand. Why did things have to go wrong so fast? There had been a time in my life when I’d thought Alec admitting his love for me would make me the happiest person alive.
“All you need is love. Want me to sing the song?” he joked. But the grin died on his lips when he saw my expression. “Not a good day to make jokes, eh?”
I shook my head. I stared down at the clothes clutched in my hands.
“Alec’s beating himself up because of the whole thing,” Tanner said. He was rubbing his checkered sneakers over the floor, back and forth, back and forth. I focused on them instead of his face. “He wanted to tell you. But things aren’t that easy when Major is involved.”
I raised my head. “So you know about his Dual Variation?”
Tanner hesitated, his dark eyes cornered. “Yeah, but—”
“Did he tell you?”
Tanner gripped his mohawk. “Jeez, Tessa, I’m making a mess of things.”
“So he told you, but not me?”
“It’s complicated.”
I pointed a finger at him. “Oh no, not you too. I’ve heard those words so often and I’m sick of it.”
“Alec was worried about how you’d react if you found out. But believe me, he wanted to tell you.”
“Did he send you to talk to me?” I demanded.
Tanner snorted. “Alec? Please. You know him. He tries to deal with stuff on his own. He’d probably kick my ass if he found out I was here.”
“I really need to change into Pollard now,” I said.
Tanner nodded and moved toward the door. His hand on the handle, he turned to me once more. “You two guys need each other. You should give him another chance. Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Believe me, I know. And I never said I wouldn’t give him another chance. But I’m upset and I really need to focus.”
Tanner hesitated as if there was more to say but then he slipped out and closed the door without a sound. I stared at the white surface for a moment, trying to calm my raging emotions before I started undressing. How was I supposed to focus now?
I didn’t bother to put Senator Pollard’s clothes on, since they would have been too big for my current body.
My transformation started off slow because I was distracted, the rippling decreasing to a gentle tremble. I returned my focus to my transformation and within seconds, I had changed into Senator Pollard.
Holly came out of our bathroom and her eyes widened as her gaze traveled over the foreign body. “Oh my god,” she breathed, flushing pink.
It took me a moment to realize why she was reacting like that. I stood naked before her—in Senator Pollard’s body. There wasn’t any part of it that was covered. Laughing, I staggered toward the pile of clothes and thrust my legs into his underpants. I had to admit I didn’t even want to think about the fact that I’d have to touch his thing at some point, if I wanted to pee, at the very least.
“And?” Holly asked.
I frowned.
“How’s Alec fairing in comparison?”
It took me a moment to understand what she meant. “He’s in a league of his own.”
Holly giggled then finally helped me get dressed. I jammed the hem of the shirt in my zipper three times before she stuffed the fabric back into the trousers and zipped me up. She didn’t stop giggling.
“I hope you don’t have a laughing fit during the mission. I think people might get suspicious if the empty air starts to make a sound,” I said.
It was meant as a joke, but I regretted the words when I saw the anxiety on Holly’s face. This was her first mission, and her Variation hadn’t exactly been reliable in the past. I put a heavy, long-fingered hand on Holly’s shoulder.
“Everything will be fine,” I told her in Senator Pollard’s deep voice. “Alec is there. He won’t let you fail. If things get tough, he’ll just use his freaky Variation to manipulate your emotions.” I could almost taste the bitterness on my tongue.
Holly peered at the hand on her shoulder with a little frown before she burst into laughter once again. “I’m sorry. This is just too absurd.”
“I know,” I said with a smile, glad that her dark mood had disappeared. When the suit was in place, Holly and I headed for the heliport.