Page 23 of Stealing Embers
Bringing a hand to my face, I pinch my nose. The back of my neck is hot—I imagine it’s because Steel is trying to burn a hole there with his gaze.
I slowly twist in my seat and find myself facing his broad, t-shirt covered chest.
Yikes, maybe this guy is older than I thought? There’s just somuchof him.
“Listen, I didn’t mean to offend you or anything . . .” Of their own volition, my eyes travel up the remainder of his chest and connect with blue fire.
Oh man, big mistake.
The intensity in his stare freezes the words on my tongue. And I just . . . sit there . . . gawking at him.
And he just . . . stands there . . . staring back.
The cafeteria has suddenly gotten uncomfortably muggy and suspiciously quiet. I’d bet money that I’m once again the star of the evening, but I’m too overwhelmed to check.
Why isn’t he saying anything?
Why is he just staring at me like this? Like he doesn’t notice or care about anyone else in the room.
It’s incredibly unnerving. I wish he would stop.
“I . . . ah . . . there were . . . um.” Words stutter out of my mouth in an incomprehensible mess.
I’m seriously considering crawling under the table when an alarm sounds loud enough to jolt me almost out of my seat. The lights in the cafeteria pulse red.
What’s happening?
Gasps echo throughout the room. A recorded voice blares above the alarm. It repeats the words “level one breach” over and over.
I can only hear the sound of chairs scraping over linoleum as students jump up and scatter in some sort of organized chaos.
Ash grabs my arm and tries to pull me to my feet. My confusion makes me sluggish to respond.
Hadley and Kenna have already disappeared. Greyson and Sterling round the table and stand by their brother. And Steel . . . he towers above me, eyes unfocused and head tilted at a forty-five degree angle, as if listening for something. What he can possibly hear over the alarm, recorded voice, and pounding of feet as people run from the room, I have no idea.
“Emberly, come on.” Ash’s eyes are wide and wild. I don’t like that look one bit. Panic is already crawling up my gut.
Steel’s voice cuts through my anxiety. “Grey. Sterl. Don’t even think about phasing.”
Phasing?
“Don’t give us this big brother crap,” Sterling shoots back.
“I’m not arguing with you two. I outrank you in age and class. You’ll follow orders like you’ve been trained.”
At Steel’s barked command, Sterling clamps his mouth shut. If he were Superman, lasers would be incinerating Steel right about now. Grey doesn’t look much happier.
Wiping a hand down his face, Steel tries to soften the blow. “Listen, you need to help get Newbie to one of the bunkers. She has no idea where to go. Then find yours and make sure Blaze and Aurora are there. But I’m not kidding, don’t phase.”
“Yeah, sure mom,” Sterling grumbles under his breath, but not quietly enough to go unnoticed.
“Let’s go, girls.” Greyson jerks his chin toward the exit, seemingly unconcerned with speed.
“Get out!” Steel suddenly yells. “They’re here.”
In a flash of light, Steel disappears. I gasp as the two remaining brothers and Ash herd me toward the exit.
“Show off,” Sterling mutters.