Page 82 of Awakened Gifts
“You’re sure?” I ask anxiously, wringing my hands while trying to shift my wedding dress into place.
“Yes. You were right. Your savage can strip away the counter using empathic powers, and it can replace the counter with one better suited and chosen. As long as you fuse your blood into the code. This is going to shift evolution, Aria. You’re going to save so many people who have lost their counters or fallen in love with someone they can’t give up.”
Considering it only made sense to heal Simone first, she and Kellan were our test subjects. We don’t normally play with blood. It’s a dangerous game with a fine line to ride, but for someone to find what I have with Jase… We had to try.
“It worked?” Kellan asks, his eyes bright and excited as he joins us, apparently reading Simone’s squealing as a positive.
I grin and take a step back just as Simone collides with him in a violent embrace. My phone vibrates, and I glance down to see my husband’s name on the screen, forcing me to grin like a girl with a crush.
“Hey,” I say into the phone, still grinning.
“You swore you’d only be gone for ten minutes.”
“Sorry. Simone fixed the counter situation, so I still haven’t—”
“It worked?” he asks in disbelief, sounding just as excited as all of us are.
“Yep. So I’ve yet to finish what I set out to do.”
“It’s our redo wedding day, Aria. Can’t the rest wait until tomorrow?”
“I don’t want to make her wait. Bad timing? Yes. But we’ve had worse wedding days. And I sort of owe someone an apology.”
“No. You don’t. You deserved to treat him that way. Plus, you were a little bit overwhelmed with trying to save the world. The man kidnapped you, Aria. You don’t owe him an apology for anything.”
“Jase, you know how I am. I love you.”
He groans, but I can sense his smile. “I love you. Hurry. This wedding night is going to be so much better than our last one.”
A thrill shoots through me, and I hang up while smiling like a complete fool.
“I’ve got rounds to make. You two…. Gross!” I cut my eyes away just when I see Simone’s skirt sliding up. Damn hybrids.
Snickering and shaking my head, I leave the newlyweds behind. It’s a big day for everyone. It’s rare to have three people getting married on the same day, but it’s been so hectic with all the newest advances made. This was the only way we’d all get to attend each other’s wedding, and Jase and I definitely deserved a redo.
“Congratulations,” Rex says, wearing his tux like a pro.
When his arms wrap around me, I hug him back, smiling and ignoring the tears in my eyes.
“Congratulations to you, too.”
He grins as he pulls back, and Melania comes to stand by his side. He doesn’t hesitate to pull her to him. I’ve never seen him look so happy. His visions are getting so much better, even though they’re far from the measure than can be.
“I’ve got something to do, and then I’m going to enjoy my wedding night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Rex grins, waggling his eyebrows at Mel before saying something that leaves me with an ew face.
“So don’t need that shit in my head before I try to enjoy my night, you bastard.”
He just laughs as I walk by him.
“We just came to check out Simone’s progress before heading up. Bye.”
I refrain from smiling until I hear the lab door open. When Rex sucks in a sharp breath and curses me from behind while scrambling to shut the door, I burst out laughing.
“That’s so fucked up, Aria! You could have warned me!”
My laughter continues to pour out on my way to the interrogation room. But the humorous lightness I feel dissipates the second I step into the room that holds the defeated, broken man I once found so admirable.