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)
Devon pushed me to the ground and threw himself on top of me. My breath whooshed out of my lungs. Screams and the hissing of water burst through the room. I lifted my head, only to see a wave crash over our heads. The water swept over our bodies, rushing into my nose and mouth, and leaving us soaked. Devon rolled off me and I pushed myself to my knees, disoriented. My hands, which hadn’t been protected by Devon’s body, stung. Small splinters of glass stuck in my skin. I brushed them off as best as I could. Luckily the wounds they left were tiny. One of the water twins lay curled into herself a few steps away from me, cuts littering her back. They didn’t look life threatening but she’d probably have scars.
I stumbled to my feet and turned to Devon. My heart skipped a beat. His shirt was ripped and his back was far worse than that of the woman. It looked like someone had dragged a rake across him. I helped him to his feet as he surveyed the scene. The room was a mess. The lamps and the glass bar shelves had exploded. Only a few of the spotlights on the floor seemed to have survived the shock wave and gave off an eerily bluish light. It was hard to make out much. Broken glass crunched under my feet as I turned around to get my bearings. People huddled against the wall, while others were motionless on the ground. The smell of chlorine and copper hung heavy in the air. Had people been killed by the flying shards? I stumbled forward, looking for Tanner and Kate. Even if I didn’t trust them, I didn’t want them dead or injured.
I detected Kate on the ground. She was sitting with her face in her palm. I stumbled toward her to see if she needed help. Suddenly someone gripped me from behind. I twisted around, ready to punch whoever it was, but I found myself looking into turquoise eyes. Devon came up to us, shoulders squared. Zach’s gaze leveled on the wounds on Devon’s shoulders that were rapidly healing themselves and realization settled on his face. Then he turned to me.
“Come with me, please,” he whispered.
“You could have killed people. Why did you do that?”
“I didn’t start firing. I didn’t have a choice. We were just talking and, as usual, the FEA attacked.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but what he’d said was true.
“Please, Tessa. There’ll be enough time to explain it all, but that’s not now. And I knew nobody would die. The shards Will’s shock wave creates are too small to do any major damage and Devon can help the injured, right?”
I didn’t say anything but I never looked away from his eyes—they could have been my eyes. His hand on my shoulder was warm and soft. “I’ve been waiting for this day for so long.”
“Me too,” I said, because it was true. I’d always wanted a loving family, had looked everywhere for it, except for the one place where I was most likely to find it: with my real family.
Zach smiled and I could tell it was an honest smile, without pretense. A figure was staggering toward us. Zach’s head turned. “We have to leave now,” he whispered. “The agents will have called for reinforcements. Major could arrive at any second.”
Devon stepped up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders. His grip was warning. “Tessa—”
“I have so many memories I want to share with you,” Zach said quickly. “Memories of our dad and how we spent our first Christmas together. You have a family, Tessa. Whatever the FEA told you about us, it were lies to secure your loyalty.”
I searched his eyes in the dim, bluish light. He took my hand gently. “We could be a family and have a real home.”
A home. A family. Devon’s expression reflected uncertainty but also determination. “Have you ever met a Variant by the name of Ryan?” he asked suddenly. “He could make fog.”
Zach frowned. “Never heard that name.”
“He claimed that your army turned him into a raging killer. He murdered my sister.”
Surprise flickered in his eyes. “We didn’t turn anyone into a killer,” he said. “Have you ever considered that whatever happened in Livingston was staged by the FEA? That they needed a mission for Tessa, so they set up a mystery for her to solve? Don’t kid yourself. Major always knows what he’s doing. And he doesn’t give a damn about normal humans.”
Devon shook his head. “But why would he do that? That doesn’t make sense.”
A male voice screamed out an order, but I couldn’t make out the words over the crackling of electricity. It was a miracle that we hadn’t all been fried. People began to emerge from their hiding places.