etched with lines of illness.
“Vince?”
His eyelids flickered and his free hand gripped the sheet. It seemed to take a good thirty minutes before he finally peeled his lids up. It’d probably only been one or two. She leaned over him. “What have they done to you?”
“That banshee bitch. Keep her away from me.” He didn’t look at Astrid. His glazed eyes searched about and he struggled, tugging against the restraint and making a clanking sound in the room.
“She’s not here. Do you see me? It’s Astrid.”
“She was supposed to come with me. Not let that deaf boy finally mate her. That boy had to die. Now she’s lost. Lost. Where’s that bitch?” His arm flailed out and she tripped back to avoid being hit.
“The banshee isn’t here. Tell me, about that girl in Florida? The hurricane? Remember? Neil said…”
His head jerked up and he stared beyond her. Vince cackled. “Neil. You’re here, boy? We told that Astrid girl. Hurricane in Florida. She’s so gullible. Tell her, Neil. Tell her to take their powers. Then we’ll get them.”
“But. If we take their powers, isn’t that doing what we said was bad enough they should be stopped? What does that make us?”
“That makes us the winners, boy. I’ve always taught you to win.” Vince’s vacant stare and slurred speech grew worse. “We will be the ones to rule the para-talents. Us. Our family. Not theirs.”
“You need the doctor.”
“Forget that old crackpot. Don’t need him. Follow the plan. I’ll be okay then. Like I said. We’ll all be okay when they’re out of the way.” His head dropped back down on the pillow.
“What about what’s right? How can doing wrong make us the winner?” Astrid gripped her stomach, acutely afraid she was about to be sick all over Vince’s white sheets.
“You sound like that Astrid girl. Make sure you tell her what to do. Good thing she can follow a map because she needs one, to know what to do. When you claim her, you’ll probably drain her dry, she’s so weak. Enjoy it my boy. But don’t take her until she’s done her job. Tell her to do it.”
Swallowing the bile creeping up her throat, she straightened her spine and glared at Vince. “Astrid knows exactly what to do.”
And it sure wasn’t this plan to use her talent to take from others. She’d get to the bottom of why they wanted to use her. But she knew. It was just greed. They used her to get power. Even her own mother. It was time to finally admit what a horrible person had given birth to her. Astrid blinked, focusing back on a newly agitated Vince.
The deranged man gesticulated again, staring at the door and laughing, his voice cracking. “Tell her to do it.”
Cold and shrewd, his stare narrowed to follow a movement behind Astrid.
Her entire body went rigid.
They weren’t alone.
Chapter Seven
A fluttering cloth came down over her head and she screeched. Kicking out and struggling, she threw her body back against a large muscular chest. The scent of rain saturated her. Griffin.
“Calm down. Wouldn’t want to wiggle so much the cloth comes off. Then we’ll be touching. Skin to skin.” Griffin’s hold tightened. “Or is that what you want, sugar? Want to touch me?”
She did. Oh so much. But she couldn’t. Ever.
“Cause that’s what it sounded like with your cozy little talk with Vince. You’re here to double-cross us like that asshole lying there half out of his mind.” The deadly menace in Griff’s voice froze her for a moment, her brain refusing to think past the movement of his virile body carrying her with apparent ease.
The cackling of Vince Nelson dimmed. Griff carried her away and she shook. Where was he taking her?
Unable to see, she shrieked again when she went flying through the air. Landing on a mattress, she let out a whoosh and struggled to catch her breath. Griffin’s large body landed on top of her. She stilled. If she accidently brushed against his skin, she wasn’t really sure what
“Vince?”
His eyelids flickered and his free hand gripped the sheet. It seemed to take a good thirty minutes before he finally peeled his lids up. It’d probably only been one or two. She leaned over him. “What have they done to you?”
“That banshee bitch. Keep her away from me.” He didn’t look at Astrid. His glazed eyes searched about and he struggled, tugging against the restraint and making a clanking sound in the room.
“She’s not here. Do you see me? It’s Astrid.”
“She was supposed to come with me. Not let that deaf boy finally mate her. That boy had to die. Now she’s lost. Lost. Where’s that bitch?” His arm flailed out and she tripped back to avoid being hit.
“The banshee isn’t here. Tell me, about that girl in Florida? The hurricane? Remember? Neil said…”
His head jerked up and he stared beyond her. Vince cackled. “Neil. You’re here, boy? We told that Astrid girl. Hurricane in Florida. She’s so gullible. Tell her, Neil. Tell her to take their powers. Then we’ll get them.”
“But. If we take their powers, isn’t that doing what we said was bad enough they should be stopped? What does that make us?”
“That makes us the winners, boy. I’ve always taught you to win.” Vince’s vacant stare and slurred speech grew worse. “We will be the ones to rule the para-talents. Us. Our family. Not theirs.”
“You need the doctor.”
“Forget that old crackpot. Don’t need him. Follow the plan. I’ll be okay then. Like I said. We’ll all be okay when they’re out of the way.” His head dropped back down on the pillow.
“What about what’s right? How can doing wrong make us the winner?” Astrid gripped her stomach, acutely afraid she was about to be sick all over Vince’s white sheets.
“You sound like that Astrid girl. Make sure you tell her what to do. Good thing she can follow a map because she needs one, to know what to do. When you claim her, you’ll probably drain her dry, she’s so weak. Enjoy it my boy. But don’t take her until she’s done her job. Tell her to do it.”
Swallowing the bile creeping up her throat, she straightened her spine and glared at Vince. “Astrid knows exactly what to do.”
And it sure wasn’t this plan to use her talent to take from others. She’d get to the bottom of why they wanted to use her. But she knew. It was just greed. They used her to get power. Even her own mother. It was time to finally admit what a horrible person had given birth to her. Astrid blinked, focusing back on a newly agitated Vince.
The deranged man gesticulated again, staring at the door and laughing, his voice cracking. “Tell her to do it.”
Cold and shrewd, his stare narrowed to follow a movement behind Astrid.
Her entire body went rigid.
They weren’t alone.
Chapter Seven
A fluttering cloth came down over her head and she screeched. Kicking out and struggling, she threw her body back against a large muscular chest. The scent of rain saturated her. Griffin.
“Calm down. Wouldn’t want to wiggle so much the cloth comes off. Then we’ll be touching. Skin to skin.” Griffin’s hold tightened. “Or is that what you want, sugar? Want to touch me?”
She did. Oh so much. But she couldn’t. Ever.
“Cause that’s what it sounded like with your cozy little talk with Vince. You’re here to double-cross us like that asshole lying there half out of his mind.” The deadly menace in Griff’s voice froze her for a moment, her brain refusing to think past the movement of his virile body carrying her with apparent ease.
The cackling of Vince Nelson dimmed. Griff carried her away and she shook. Where was he taking her?
Unable to see, she shrieked again when she went flying through the air. Landing on a mattress, she let out a whoosh and struggled to catch her breath. Griffin’s large body landed on top of her. She stilled. If she accidently brushed against his skin, she wasn’t really sure what
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