Chapters (48)
- Cover
- Dedication
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- Copyright
He stared at me, his face an agony of indecision.
And then the stun gun blast hit me from behind, and I knew nothing.
SEVEN
WATER DRIBBLED ON MY FOREHEAD, and I moaned in response. Two stun gun blasts in as many hours had left me disoriented and woozy. Slowly I blinked to find Cage bent over me, concern flooding his face as he let water drip from his fingers. “Hey,” he said softly. “Welcome back.”
“Cage!” I gasped, or tried to. I shot straight up, and the world lurched with me. If his strong arms hadn’t come around me, I would have kept going right off the other side of the bench.
I struggled for words, questions, but my mouth still wasn’t connecting to my brain. I closed my eyes and let my mind drift back to the conversation with Dad. That wasn’t how I’d imagined our first encounter. I’d thought I’d have to tell him how Mom died and what happened on Sanctuary, but Mars Mining and Omnistellar had taken care of that for me, really the only thing I was grateful for. Everything else about the conversation was a total disaster. Instead of understanding, Dad had parroted the company line, just like Mom. And instead of being helpful, he’d yelled at me.
Still. He had a right to be angry. I’d let him think I was dead for three weeks.
Rage crested in my throat, so sudden and powerful it sent a wave of dizziness washing over me. Yeah, I’d let him think I was dead. My survival had come about no thanks to my parents. After all, they were the ones who’d chipped me, hid my power, and lied to me about anomalies my entire life. And for what? Dad hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with answers.
And of course, none of that mattered if the aliens arrived to kill us. I groaned, pressing my hands into my eyes so lights burst behind my closed eyelids. I was starting to feel normal again, and I wasn’t sure I welcomed the sensation. “Where’s Rune?” I managed.
“Asleep.” He tilted me gently so I could see her curled against the wall. “They finished questioning me and must have brought me back shortly after you left. She was out by then. She needed the rest. I don’t think she’s stopped in days.”
“None of us have.” I coughed, and Cage tilted the glass to my lips. A few swallows of water cleared the cobwebs, and I leaned against the wall, wrung out.
A tremor shot through my body, and the muscles along Cage’s spine tensed. “What did they do to you?” he snapped.
I shook my head, sending a wave of nausea through me. “It’s only a stun gun blast. I’ll be fine.”
“Another one? Too many of those are dangerous.”
I glared at him. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
A sudden grin spread across his face. “Yeah, I know. You’re not doing it on purpose. Trouble just seems to follow you around.”