Capturing Today (TimeShifters Book 2) by Jessica Keller, Jess Evander Page A

needle?”
    “I didn’t.”
    I jerk my arm away from him and cradle it to my chest. “No way then. Get Darnell. I can’t—”
    “I was joking, Gabby.” He winks. “Relax. Darnell taught me how. I could give some of his nurses a run for their money.”
    “Time and place, Eugene. Time and place.” I hand my arm back over.
    He wraps an elastic band around my upper arm, meaning he’s going to poke the needle into my vein soon. If I think about it too much, I won’t last. But I have to do this. It’ll be better to know what’s different about my blood.
    I need a distraction. My eyes go to the image of the Portal on his desk, and then I look up and away from where he loosens the band around my arm.
    Distract. Quick. “I ran into Lark’s Pairing when Michael and I were on our mission. He mentioned something about problems in the shifting world.”
    The needle slightly pinches my skin. I close my eyes and inhale through my nose until it feels like my lungs will burst. Eugene will discover what’s wrong with me. I part my lips and release the air as slowly as I can.
    Eugene’s voice is soft. “Since you left, the Shades have been growing stronger. No one is exactly sure how they’re doing it. But they are. I have some theories, but as of yet they’re unsubstantiated.” He presses something against my arm. “The Shades move as quickly as we do now. They aren’t slumped. They’ve changed.”
    “Your theory?”
    “ Theories . More than one.”
    “Eugene.”
    “I’m not avoiding telling you. I haven’t had the opportunity to look into them at length. So they aren’t worth mentioning yet.” He squeezes my wrist. “Here. Hold the gauze in place while I open the Band-Aid.”
     “You’re done already?” I peak through almost closed eyelids. Sure enough, he’s capped the needle and waits for me to assume gauze-holding duty. “I hardly felt it.”        
    “Told you I’m a needle ninja.” He sticks the Band-Aid on crooked.
    I flex my fingers, testing to make sure nothing hurts. “If the whole mad scientist thing doesn’t work out, you could try your hand in the medical ward.”
    Candy apple red takes over his cheeks. “I’m just a computer guy.”
    “You aren’t just anything, Eugene. And you know that.”
    He ducks away from my compliment and busies his hands, tucking the vials of my blood into a small pouch. “My fear with the Shades is that their newfound strength is somehow tied to their plans for you.”
    “Me?” My voice squeaks.
    “They want you, Gabby. And they’re going to do whatever they can to get you.” He shoves up his glasses and looks me in the eye.
    An image from my nightmares projects onto my mind like an old black and white movie. The Shades grabbing me and dragging me away. Someone cackling in the background while they do it. Calling out for help and no one responding.
    But it’s all in my head. It has to be. If Erik has a colossal evil plan like the Shifters believe he does, he had every opportunity to haul me away when we met, and he didn’t. There were Shades all over No Man’s Land, and not one of them made a move to come after me.
      Tell Eugene about Erik .
    I stare down at my hands. If Eugene knew I trusted Erik, he’d be upset with me. He’d probably stop telling me things. More than anything, Eugene would no longer look at me as if I have some untapped potential that he’s waiting to see come to fruition. I’ve disappointed so many people in my life—I can’t bear the thought of disappointing him.  
    I need to redirect the conversation before I spill everything. I tap his scrawled picture. “Can the Shades take down a Portal?”
    He leans against the desk so he’s facing me. “I’m afraid so. Again, I don’t have a ton of information—Donovan’s been keeping most of that under wraps. What I do know comes from piecing together overheard conversations. Basically, people have been going out on missions and finding the Portals in shambles.