When I opened my eyes the next morning, Erik was already awake and stroking the tangled curls splayed across his chest. In the light of morning, Erik’s injuries looked much worse than they had the night before. His eye wasn’t the only part of his body stained purple. A necklace of angry, red welts ringed his throat. Grimacing, I skimmed his wounds with my fingertips.

  “You did that,” he joked, gently pulling my hand to his swollen mouth. The split in his bottom lip was more pronounced and a small part of me regretted all the kissing—an extremely small part. “I knew you’d be frisky, but I hadn’t imagined you’d be such a freak,” he mumbled against my skin.

  Playfully, I swatted his chest. “I did not,” I said with mock hurt. “You had those when you arrived.”

  Erik laughed and I was relieved to see he was much more relaxed. His turquoise eyes were still haunted, but the heaviness weighing on his shoulders had lessened slightly.

  “You did do that,” he whispered, reading my thoughts.

  “I’ll gladly take credit.” I smiled, snuggling closer.

  “How do you feel?” he asked, his tone turning serious.

  “Good,” I assured him. “For the first time in months, I feel really good.”

  “And I will gladly take credit for that,” he mumbled, his mouth moving to my forehead. The hand at my waist slowly began stroking the curve of my hip. Goosebumps sprang up all over my still naked body. “You wanna do it again?” he teased, walking his fingers over my stomach.

  I kind of did, but Erik’s injuries were more extensive than I’d first thought and I worried about making his pain worse.

  “I’m okay, really, Tal,” he whispered, smoothing the hair from my face. “But don’t worry. I was kidding, anyway.” Erik started tracing lazy circles across my stomach and I hated to ruin the happy environment, but I needed to ask him something.

  The night before, I’d been so caught up in the moment that any possible consequences hadn’t occurred to me. But now that I wasn’t consumed by the feel of his touch, I had to know why he hadn’t insisted we use protection. I knew why I hadn’t: Hunters were regularly screened for any and all diseases and positive test results were dealt with immediately, so I wasn’t worried about that.

  “Erik?” I asked tentatively. “Can I ask you something?”

  “You were amazing,” he mumbled, sounding as though he was falling back to sleep. “Best I’ve ever had.”

  I blushed, so not what I was going to ask.

  “Well, thanks, but I was actually wondering why you didn’t think we should… you know, use protection?”

  For some reason, I was embarrassed asking about it. I mean, if I was going to have sex with him, the least I should be able to do was talk about it, right?

  Erik stiffened. He was wide awake now. “I don’t have anything, Tal. And I’m only sleeping with you,” he promised, sounding weary about the direction of the conversation.

  “Oh, I know,” I assured him. “But aren’t you worried that, well, you know, that I might get pregnant?” I held my breath, dreading his answer.

  I wasn’t sure what I wanted him to say. Did I want him to tell me it had slipped his mind? That we’d be more careful next time? Or did I want him to tell me the truth—that he knew I couldn’t have children?

  The shots Crane’s men fired into my back had caused irreparable internal damage. Dr. Thistler broke the news to me months before and I hadn’t actually given it much thought since. I never seriously contemplated whether I did or did not want children. I had so many other things to worry about, it seemed inconsequential.

  “Tal…” he let his voice trail off and I knew that he knew.

  “So, you know?” I asked, seeking confirmation.

  The knowledge that he knew such an intimate detail and I hadn’t been the one to tell him, upset me. It felt like a gross violation of my privacy. Not that having kids was a priority for me, but not being able to was private and I’d wanted to be the one to tell him. Sure, I hadn’t told him yet, but I would have. Had it ever come up.

  “I’m sorry, Tal. I swear I didn’t go behind your back or anything. You left that file in my room and I was just looking for the stuff about the poison and equalizer. I promise I didn’t go seeking the information. It was just…you know, there,” he finished lamely. Erik gently nudged my chin until I looked at him.

  Tears swam in my eyes, blurring his face into a blue and purple water color.

  “It doesn’t matter to me, Tal. If that’s what you’re worried about,” he said quickly.

  “I just wanted to be the one to tell you is all,” I sniffed.

  Erik squeezed my waist. “I figured you would. When you were ready.”

  I wiped the tears leaking from my eyes onto his chest. Why couldn’t I stop crying? I felt like an emotional yo-yo. One minute, I was flying into a jealous rage and the next, I was crying liking a baby over something that didn’t even matter to me.

  “Talk to me, Tal,” he urged. “Are you mad at me? Do you hate me? You shutting me out is killing me right now,” Erik said, shaking me gently to illicit some sort of reaction besides more crying.

  Of course, I didn’t hate him. Was I mad at him? Not really. Maybe it was better this way, him finding out on his own. At least he’d known the score when he first told me he loved me.

  “I don’t hate you,” I finally said, smearing hot tears with the back of my hand. “I just wish the situation were different is all. So many choices in my life haven’t been my own and this just feels like one more decision that has been taken away from me. I’m not even really sure why I’m crying.” Even as I said it, fresh drops fell down my cheeks.

  Erik leaned his face closer and when I didn’t pull away, he kissed me softly.

  “Down the road, after all of this is over, once we figure out what is wrong with you and find a cure for it, we’ll figure this out, okay?” he asked, pulling back just enough so that his lips could form the words without bumping against my skin.

  “Okay,” I whispered back, smiling weakly.

  “Are we okay?” he asked, fear causing his voice to crack.

  “Yeah, we’re okay,” I promised him.

  Erik kissed me gently again. I let my barriers drop, inviting him back in. He relaxed as my confused emotions rushed to greet him. He absorbed the distress and I began to feel a little better. My tears dried and before long, I was positive that I’d once again overreacted.

  Now humiliated over the conversation I’d just insisted we have, I wiggled out of his arms and tried climbing out of bed.

  Erik grabbed my bare waist as I made a break for it. “You never have to be embarrassed about anything between us, Tal,” he said emphatically, willing me to look at him. His earnest expression brought fresh tears to my eyes. I was turning into a leaky faucet.

  “I know, Erik,” I said, turning my head so he wouldn’t see how fragile I really was. “We should probably go downstairs. I’m sure there will be some kind of briefing or something,” I added.

  He hesitated for several long moments. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll go change while you get ready,” he finally replied, letting the subject drop.

  I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to cover as much of my nakedness as possible, and padded my way to the bathroom. Erik’s eyes bore into my back, admiring what he perceived as a pleasant view of my behind. Despite my ruining our perfect night with distasteful morning-after conversation, a thrill still managed to run through me as he sent the images of what we’d done just hours before my way.

  When I exited the bathroom, Erik was gone and I felt a pang of disappointment at his absence. There was a note scrawled in his tiny handwriting on the bedside table.

  Tal, come get me when you’re dressed. Love, E.

  Operatives were already congregated when we entered the dining room. I searched for Mac, but couldn’t find him. I did spot Cadence sitting by herself at a table near the window. Grabbing Erik’s hand, I led him through the maze of tables to where she sat.

  “Does anybody know what’s going on yet?” I asked.

  “Not yet. Director McDonough is supposed to make an announcement soon,” she replied nervously.

  Erik and I took two of the empty seats at the table to wait for Mac’s arrival. Ten minutes later, we were rewarded. Mac was wearing a crisp, navy suit with his customary white button-down and dark-red tie. But his short hair was messy, and large, dark shadows were visible in the hollows beneath his eyes. In twenty-four hours, stress had carved deep ridges around his mouth and across his forehead.

  Mac placed his thumb and index finger into his mouth and whistled loudly, quieting the crowd.

  “As I am sure you all know by now, Coalition forces attacked Rittenhouse Research Facility in Bethesda, Maryland early yesterday morning. Many of you were dispatched to the scene and witnessed the carnage first hand. We have several of The Coalition’s members in custody. In time, I am confident we will learn a lot of valuable information from the imprisoned men and women.” Mac paused to survey the room, letting the weight of his words sink in.

  “Those of you here will commence with the aptitude testing today. The city’s mandatory curfew will now be sundown instead of midnight and will extend to all of you, as well. I implore you to remain vigilant when you leave the hotel. It is doubtful The Coalition will chance another attack right now, but we do not want to take any chances.

  “The vehicles to take you to the testing facility will begin leaving within the hour. Thank you.”

  The silence that had fallen over the room when Mac entered shattered into a cacophony of shouted questions and excited voices.

  Mac surveyed the room and when his eyes landed on me, he moved toward our table.

  “Natalia,” he greeted me as he approached.

  “Mac, I’m glad to see you’re safe,” I said stiffly.

  In fact, I was glad. Despite my growing distrust, I had once thought of Mac as a pseudo-father and I did care about his well-being.

  “Yes, it has been a very long night,” he replied wearily. “Natalia, I want you to be extremely careful right now. I am going to assign you a bodyguard for when you are outside of the hotel.”

  “What?” I exclaimed. “That is completely unnecessary. I can take care of myself,” I insisted. “I’m better trained than anybody you could assign to me.” There was no way that I was letting one of Mac’s cronies follow my every move.

  “We have reason to believe you are a target, Natalia. One of Crane’s men admitted as much under interrogation,” Mac snapped, his expression hard. “I will not lose you.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  I swallowed over the growing lump in my throat and engaged Mac’s gray eyes in a staring contest. If he thought that I would allow a shadow, he was crazy. Mac might honestly believe I needed protection, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a convenient excuse to keep a closer eye on me when he wasn’t around.

  “I’ll do it,” Erik offered, jumping to his feet. “Why don’t you let me guard her? I’m highly trained and she never leaves the hotel without me anyway. I care about her well-being more than any person you could assign to her.”

  I was shocked at Erik’s audacity. He never backed down from a confrontation. Hell, he frequently incited them. But when it came to Mac, few people spoke out of turn and Erik was no exception. Of course, Erik had more to lose than most if he crossed Mac.

  Mac gave Erik a withering stare that would have made a lesser man crumble. But Erik stood his ground

  “Mr. Kelley, I am well aware of how much you care about Natalia’s well-being. So much so that you defied a direct order not to sleep in her room while you are here. You might think that I asked you to do that because I would prefer you not be intimately associated with my daughter, but the reason I commanded you to leave her alone is because her medical condition requires her to get a great deal of rest.” Mac was seething and I worried he might actually start foaming at the mouth if Erik pushed him any further.

  Then his words sank in. Mac knew Erik stayed in my room the night before. How did he know that? Mac wasn’t even supposed to be in the hotel. I wanted to crawl under the table and hide, I was so mortified.

  “I’m sorry, Director McDonough,” Erik hissed to Mac through teeth so tightly clenched that a muscle in his jaw jumped erratically and I worried his stitches might split open. “You’re right. I did spend last night with Talia. After what I saw yesterday, what I went through, I wanted to be near her. But you know as well as I do that I will not let anything happen to her. She is like my family and you, of all people, know the sacrifices I’m willing to make for my family.” Erik’s words were a challenge.

  Raw fear showed in Mac’s eyes as they quickly darted in my direction. I kept my face impassive. Inwardly, I reeled at the realization that Mac was aware of the fact that Erik’s father and brothers were virtual prisoners. Almost worse than Mac’s knowledge was Erik’s omission. Why hadn’t he told me? Did he honestly think that I was too delicate to handle the truth? Erik was normally so cognizant of my mood, but he was too focused on Mac to register my irritation now.

  Mac quickly recovered his composure. He glanced between me and Erik, seeming to choose his next words carefully. “You make a compelling case, Mr. Kelley. I will grant your request. However, I am serious about you sleeping in your own room. Should I find out you disobeyed me again, or let anything happen to her, I will personally ensure that you are sanctioned for your obstinacy,” Mac threatened him.

  Anger and frustration shimmered around Erik like an aura. His hands clenched into fists, and for one terrible moment, I was convinced he would hit Mac. My mouth gaped stupidly in shock and I sat paralyzed, unable to send Erik calming thoughts before he did something stupid. Luckily, Erik was better at controlling his emotions than I was and he quelled his temper without my help.

  “Natalia,” Mac said turning to me, his tone softer than the one he’d used on Erik, but still stern. “I am aware that you are not blameless in all of this. I am partially to blame for your misguided belief that rules do not apply to you, but in this case, they do. I know you think I am being overprotective, but I am simply looking out for your mental and physical health, so please humor me. It would also please me if the two of you would show a little discretion in public.”

  I snapped my lips shut, swallowing my bitter retort. “Yes, Mac,” I agreed quietly when I finally regained my composure.

  Ordinarily, I would have put up a fight, but the knowledge that if I refused, I’d end up with one of Mac’s spies trailing me around halted any further argument on my part.

  “Good. We are all in agreement. Natalia, I’ll stop by and see you this evening.” With that, Mac was gone.

  I let out a long breath and Erik slumped back into his chair. Cadence’s small eyes were impossibly large as she glanced back and forth between us.

  “I think I’m going to get something to eat before we go,” she mumbled, practically leaping out of her seat in her haste to get away from the uncomfortable scene she’d just witnessed.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” I hissed to Erik once she was gone.

  “I know,” Erik whispered. “But I couldn’t let him have some random guy following you around. I hate the idea of him spying on you more than he already does. The whole situation makes me sick.”

  “Do you think he’s making up the threat to my safety?” I asked.

  “Not exactly,” Erik began slowly. “I just think it’s very convenient is all.”

  “What about your father and your brothers?” I asked. “Aren’t you worried he’ll do something after you brought that up in front of me? And why didn’t you tell me that Mac knew?” My temper was rearing its ugly head.

  “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think you’d believe me. I thought it would be hard enough for you to believe that TOXIC would do something like that in the first place. And don’t say you would have, because I know you still have your doubts,” Erik growled, his rage rising to match my own.

  When Erik got angry, he scared me, but I was still reeling with the knowledge that he’d lied to me.

  “Had doubts,” I snapped, straightening my spine defiantly.

  “Huh?” he asked, slightly thrown off, the fire in his eyes dimming.

  “You said I have my doubts. I don’t,” I hissed. “I know better.”

  Erik deflated and reached for my hand. When I didn’t pull away, he laced his fingers through mine. “I’m sorry, Tals. I’m not angry with you. And to answer your question, no, I don’t think he will do anything to my father or brothers. I knew it was a risk, but I figured mentioning it in front of you would ensure he didn’t. At least I hope that is the case,” Erik said.

  The conflicted expression that passed over Erik’s features extinguished my own anger. He’d chosen me over his family. He’d risked their lives to spare me the indecency of having a babysitter.

  “You shouldn’t have,” I repeated weakly.

  “What’s done is done.”

  Getting a late start to the day meant the testing ran well past dinnertime. The children all exuded a fear well beyond that of those we’d seen in the previous two days. I took my time with the questions and did a fair deal more improvising in an attempt to put them at ease. Today, Cadence didn’t care about my lengthy sessions, or at least if she did, she refrained from commenting.

  Erik’s bruised and battered appearance did little to comfort the children and I even considered suggesting that he wait in the other room with Cadence. But the mental exertion was exhausting and having him next to me helped lessen the burden.

  “Just one more,” Cadence said, passing through the doorway separating the two rooms.

  She sounded as tired as I felt. Her eyes were slightly swollen and her short, black hair was mussed around the temples from where she’d been rubbing her head to ward off a headache.

  “Thank god,” I mumbled. “I’m starving.” My stomach rumbled loudly, punctuating the statement.

  Mac’s allegations from that morning weighed heavily on my mind. All day, I had been contemplating whether to approach him about letting me question Crane’s men. I had to know whether the threat was as severe as Mac had implied or if he was being overly cautious. And more than anything, I wanted to know what it was Crane intended to do with me if, and when, he found me. Was he finally going to kill me? Finish what his men had started the night my parents were killed?

  “Do you want me to do the last one?” Erik asked, rubbing my neck to ease my tension.

  It was well past the time when I normally took my medicine and I was beginning to feel jittery, on edge. But I wasn’t the only one who had slept little the previous night and I wasn’t the one who’d spent the previous day in a war zone. So instead of letting Erik take care of me, I told him no.

  “I’m okay. I can do it.” I smiled reassuringly.

  Erik looked doubtful, but said nothing.

  “Bring her in,” I said, turning to Cadence.

  She nodded and turned to fetch the waiting child.

  When she returned, she was accompanied by Alexia Cruise and a small girl in a flowery dress with a white cardigan fastened over her small shoulders. Hair the color of corn was held back from her forehead with a white band that tied in a bow on one side. Beautiful pink irises twinkled brightly with unshed tears.

  The girl’s angelic features and nervous demeanor were a sharp contrast to the power radiating from her small body. In my time with TOXIC, I’d encountered other strong Talents, but none that exuded so much raw energy. I was drawn to her, a moth to a flame. One glance at Erik told me he felt it, too.

  The little girl climbed into the empty chair across from me and Erik, her pudgy legs swinging as she kicked her white patented-leather-clad feet back and forth. She held her head high and stared straight ahead as Alexia Cruise readied to inject her with the amplification drug.

  “That’s not necessary,” I said quietly, nodding to the syringe poised over the girl’s pale arm.

  “What?” Ms. Cruise asked, confused.

  “She doesn’t need the drug,” Erik clarified, letting out a heavy sigh.

  “But its protocol,” Alexia Cruise insisted.

  “Just draw a sample of her blood,” I ordered. “If anyone asks why you didn’t give her the injection, you can tell them it was my decision.”

  Not that I had the authority to make such a decision, but that had never stopped me before. There was no point in amplifying the girl’s abilities, anyway.

  Alexia Cruise hesitated for the space of a minute before nodding. She extracted a blood sample and was on her way. Cadence studied me curiously. I realized she couldn’t feel it. What was so obvious to me and Erik was lost on both Cadence and Alexia Cruise.

  “Your name is Ingrid, right?” I asked when Cadence had finally left the room.

  “Ingrid Bowman,” the girl replied in a clear voice that held more maturity than any five-year-old’s should.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ingrid. My name is Talia,” I told her. “And this,” I pointed to Erik, “is my friend, Erik.”

  Ingrid’s rosy cheeks spread into a big grin. “You mean your boyfriend,” she said knowingly.

  I laughed. “Yes, my boyfriend,” I agreed.

  “I don’t have a boyfriend,” she replied, her face falling.

  “Well, you’re still young; you’ve got time to change that.” I tried to keep a straight face, but the girl’s solemn expression made it hard.

  “You know why you’re here, don’t you, Ingrid?” I said it as though it was a question, but it was really more of a statement.

  “Because I can hear people’s thoughts,” she answered in a small voice, the earlier tears coming back.

  “Yes, you have a form of mental manipulation called telepathy,” I replied honestly.

  “Am I going to be taken away from my mommy?” she asked, her voice cracking.

  “No, no. You aren’t going to be taken away,” I soothed, even though essentially she was. “You’re going to get to spend the school year with other special children like you.”

  Next to me, Erik’s expression turned grim.

  “Will I still get to see my mommy?” Ingrid asked frantically.

  “Of course, you will,” I replied, giving her a tight smile.

  The half-truth ate away at my gut. Ingrid would return to her family during summers and holidays. Over time, the trips home would be less frequent. Training and fine-tuning her abilities would start to take precedence.

  “How come I don’t hear your thoughts?” she asked me quizzically. “I hear everyone’s thoughts. Is there something wrong with you?”

  I almost laughed. There were so many things wrong with me. Where to begin? The reason she couldn’t read my mind, though, was because as soon as she’d picked up on the fact Erik was my boyfriend, I’d put up walls. No one, let alone a child, deserved the torture of rooting around in my head. It might scar her for life.

  “Well,” I began slowly, not quite sure what to tell her. “You see, I’m like you,” I finally said after a long pause.

  It wasn’t exactly the truth, but it wasn’t really a lie either. I could read people’s minds, but I needed to establish a connection with the person beforehand. Ingrid, on the other hand, needed no such connection; her gift provided a direct line to others’ thoughts and feelings, whether she wanted it or not.

  “At the McDonough School, you will be taught to block your mind so others like you can’t read it,” I continued.

  “Really?” she asked hopefully.

  “Really,” I confirmed. “You will also learn to control your abilities, so you only hear others when you want to.”

  Ingrid’s big, pink eyes lit up at my promise. “Do you read heads, too?” Ingrid asked, turning to look at Erik for the first time.

  “Sometimes,” Erik answered uncomfortably.

  Explaining how mimicry worked to a child would take all day; it was too complicated. I barely understood Erik’s talents.

  “Your brain doesn’t buzz like hers,” Ingrid accused him.

  “No, it doesn’t,” I confirmed, impressed she had picked up on the fact. “Erik’s abilities are slightly different from mine.”

  “Hmmm,” the little girl replied, pursing her small lips together.

  “Can you do anything else special?” I changed the subject, returning to the actual administration of the test.

  “Nope,” she answered, averting her gaze to her lap.

  A brilliant liar she was not.

  “Can you control other people? Make them do what you want?” I asked softly.

  “Nope,” she responded, shaking her blonde head so forcefully, the bow threatened to detach from the headband.

  I’d established enough of a connection to read her mind; she was telling the truth. She was young and inexperienced enough that I didn’t need to probe at all to figure out what she was hiding.

  “You can make it rain,” Erik said kindly before I got the chance.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “So can Talia,” Erik assured her.

  “Really?” she asked me, a plea for confirmation.

  Oddly, her control over the elements bothered her more than the ability to read minds.

  The ability to control the weather was an odd byproduct of mental manipulation and, in rare instances, Telekinetics demonstrated the power. When my emotions ran out of control, as they often did, I was able to make it rain or kick up strong winds. At least once that I knew of, I had even caused an electrical storm.

  “Yes, really.” I nodded, feeling a strong kinship with the little girl.

  Discovering you possessed abilities others did not was unsettling at first. With time, she would learn to cope with that. It became easier after you learned you weren’t alone.

  I asked her a couple more probing questions about the extent of her powers as she knew them, but wasn’t able to glean any more useful information. If she had other abilities, she wasn’t aware of them.

  When I was confident that I had extracted all the pertinent facts, I turned to the mirror and nodded to Cadence, indicating we were finished. Cadence came through the adjoining door instantly and told Ingrid to follow her.

  Ingrid Bowman’s pink eyes stay glued to me until she’d exited the room, her mix of trepidation and relief mirroring my own. We were both relieved she would be going somewhere she would no longer feel like a freak for being different. But we both ached at the thought of the forced separation from her family. I personally knew how hard it was to be torn from your parents, but unlike me, Ingrid would at least see hers on vacations. That fact absolved me slightly of the guilt at having been a part of taking her away from those she loved.

  Since I hadn’t allowed Ms. Cruise to give Ingrid the amplification drug, her mind wasn’t numb the way the other children’s had been by the time they left the interrogation room. So I felt her pain more intensely than I had with the other kids and it made me profoundly sad. It reminded me how unfair the Mandatory Talent Testing Act truly was. Children like Ingrid did need the School to help them learn to use their talents and to feel normal. But that was a choice that they should be given, not one decided for them.