Secret of Betrayal: Book Two of The Destroyer Trilogy by DelSheree Gladden Page B

of
that spiel I never planned on telling anyone, let alone him, but I had to do
it. It was the only way to restore some of Lance’s belief in me. I just hope it
works. He’s still staring at me. I hold my breath and wait.
    “You have feelings for him? What kind of
feelings?” Lance asks.
    “I don’t know. I like him, as a person, but
there’s something more than that, too. I can’t explain it, and I don’t want it,
but it’s there.” I know none of that makes sense, but there it is. I wait for
Lance to attack me for this whole stupid situation and tell me what an idiot I
am.
    “You realize he might just be playing you to get
close to you, right?” Lance asks slowly.
    “Yes,” I say with a sigh of relief, “but I think
it’s worth the risk.”
    Lance’s anger dissipates. His hands, which were
trying to shake me to death a few seconds ago, rest absentmindedly on the back
of my neck. Braden doesn’t appreciate that gesture, either. I ignore Braden,
but I still knock Lance’s hands away from me. He barely even notices. He’s too
busy thinking.
    “You realize you’re not just risking a broken
heart if you let Braden get close to you and help you. You’re risking your
life, Libby. If you don’t change his mind, he’ll be the one to kill you. No
matter how he feels about you personally, he’ll be the closest Guardian with
the best access. His Captain will give the order and he’ll follow it.”
    “I know, but I have to do this. Milo’s mom isn’t
helping me enough. She’s a great therapist, and I have no doubt she could guide
or manipulate the heck out of anyone she meets, but getting in and out of the
spirit world isn’t her area of expertise. She has a hard enough time going by
herself, let alone teaching me how to get there,” I say. “If Braden thinks he
can help me, I have to let him try. I have to get to the Ciphers as soon as
possible.”
    “I don’t like this, Libby. It’s too dangerous.”
    I shake my head at him. “It’s too dangerous not
to do it. Without the Ciphers behind me, I won’t survive past my eighteenth
birthday. And you know it.”
    Lance loves to argue. We spent a lot of our
childhood arguing with each other about who was right,
what the rules to a game were, and a million other things, but when Lance
realizes he’s wrong he knows how to let it go. Mostly.
    “I want to be there the next time you meet with
Braden.”
    “No.”
    “Why not?” Lance asks.
    “Because I know you too well,
Lance. The first thing you’ll do when you see him is punch him in the
face.” And then Braden, full Guardian with complete access to his talents, will
pound Lance into the ground.
    Lance grins. “And that would be a bad thing
why?”
    “Because he might not help me if you hit him,
and then I’ll die,” I say.
    That wipes Lance’s smile off his face. He won’t
risk my life for his pride. “I won’t do anything that would put you at risk,
including letting you meet with him alone.”
    “I can’t have you in the room with me.” I shake
my head when he tries to argue. “You know how difficult it is of me to use my
Spiritualism. Knowing you’re next to me feeling my frustrations, wanting to
punch Braden, and everything else that will be going
through your head and heart will make it impossible for me to do anything. If
you’re right next to me, I’ll feel everything you’re feeling and get distracted.”
    Lance works his jaw back and forth, his
irritation at my logic apparent in the motion. “I’ll wait outside in my car,
but that’s as far as I’m going.”
    I sigh, knowing it’s the best I will be able to
get from him. “Fine.”
    Lance nods and looks over my shoulder to glare
at Braden. “What did he do that woke me up last night?”
    Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing.
    “You promised,” Lance reminds me.
    I knew I was going to regret that promise.
    “He kissed me.”
    I can feel the burning jealousy radiating from Lance,
but he surprises me by saying,