Page 73 of Awakened Gifts

After several silent and precious minutes tick by, he finally looks up and clears his throat. “There will be another way. One day. Evolution happens, and new blood changes the course of the past scars and future dreams. I can’t lose hope. I want to save my wife as much as you want to save yours. And I owe it to Hale Banner to save Aria right now, regardless of the fact she can’t save my wife. Not to mention, no one will survive if Alice kills Aria. She’s our only hope. You really won’t find it in time. Aria is probably already close to one location by now. Rumors of her new gifts have spread, and she could already be gathering information from one site if any of those said rumors are true. You need me, and I need to do something right for once.”

I’m probably the biggest fucking idiot in the world, but with a few muttered curses, I grab the keys to the cuffs, and I unshackle him from his place on the chair.

“One wrong move and I put a bullet through your head,” I warn.

He rubs his wrists once he’s free and he nods in acknowledgement. “You need to call Araya. I’ve heard the new hybrids were stronger, but she’s going to be our best hope of getting in. Never underestimate a protective mother with her adrenaline pumping as she goes to save her young. It might be the edge we need.”

Even in prison he knows as much as we do. Apparently people talk too damn much if he’s hearing the things we just learned.

“Where should I tell them to meet us?”

Everyone was resting when Aria turned to vapor and left me. I drove like a maniac to catch up, and I didn’t even think to call the others and have them follow us.

“Canterbury crossroads will be a good spot if they’re not too far out.”

Ah, hell. That’s at least a four hour drive from here.

“Let’s go.”

Chapter 24

KELLAN

“Kellan!” Simone hisses, forcing my head to snap up and my eyes to dart open, which is something I really regret when my head thunders. I’m almost positive that it’s not normal to feel like you’ve been disemboweled and reassembled. Twice.

“Thank God,” Simone groans, sounding close yet so far away as my eyes try to adjust to the dark room. There’s barely a glow of light, and when I try to move, I realize I’m fucking chained to the wall.

Bastards.

“Are you okay?” I ask, trying to find her, needing to see her, but my vision is still splotchy from whatever they did to me. My voice sounds weak, and I inwardly curse myself for not coming up with something to keep Simone safe.

“I’m fine. I’m close to… Got it,” she says just as a clicking noise catches my attention. The rustle of chains makes me anxious, and I try to search for her, when she’s suddenly in my face, scaring the hell out of me.

“Christ,” I whisper, relieved to see she looks okay.

Everything happens at the worst possible times for us. After Aria stripped our bond, everything I’ve been feeling for Simone and fighting was suddenly slamming into me. The thoughts in the back of my head rushed to the forefront of my mind. I finally get what I want, and now we’re… here.

“I realize I missed my moment,” she says, wringing her hands nervously, “and it’s rather cliché to do this during a life threatening situation, but I might not get the chance to do it if I don’t do it right now.”

The chains rattle again, and the pricks of uranium burn against my veins as I glare at the annoying cuffs holding me back.

“Do what?” I ask as I return my eyes back to her.

She looks up with small tears in her eyes as she reaches for my face. I lean into her warm hand, grateful just to feel her touch.

“I love you, too,” she says, kissing me gently on the lips. Before I can register her words, she’s pulling back and my heart starts pounding against my chest.

“Thank fuck,” I murmur just as her lips meet mine again.

I bend as low as I can, trying to deepen the kiss, but the chains hold me in place. Even on her tiptoes, she can’t make herself tall enough for this kiss to be more.

“They didn’t chain you down?” I ask when she steps back.

She smirks, looking smug as hell with her short, now dirty hair as she wraps her arms around me, breathing me in as she puts her cheek against my chest.

“They chained me, but they should have sedated me with something stronger if they didn’t want us escaping. Story of my life. People underestimate the one they don’t think is a threat.”

I have no idea what she’s talking about.