The MORE Trilogy by T.M. Franklin Page A

wasn’t exactly sure what to make of that, but she couldn’t deny she felt a bit of relief knowing she wouldn’t have to walk home alone. “I appreciate that,” she said finally. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.” She called out a good-bye to Jake, who waved a rag at her in response before heading down the street with Caleb. “What were you doing?” she asked.
    “Hmmm?” Caleb seemed distracted.
    “What were you doing downtown,” she clarified. “Why were you ‘passing by’?”
    “Oh.” Caleb shrugged slightly. “I was visiting a friend.”
    “Huh,” Ava replied, unsure why his response irritated her. “You have a lot of friends.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Oh, you know . . . the one you were going to meet the other day for lunch. Now this one. You have a lot of friends.” Ava knew she sounded ridiculous, but couldn’t seem to stop the flow of words from her mouth.
    “That’s two,” Caleb pointed out. “Hardly a vast number.”
    Ava gave a noncommittal grunt and looked straight ahead. She just couldn’t stop thinking that there was more to Caleb than she saw, but she also couldn’t figure out just what it was. On the surface, he seemed to be one thing, but for some reason, her gut told her something different.
    In fact, her gut just about screamed at her that there was something . . .   something . . . about Caleb Foster.
    But what?
    They crossed the street, stepping into the shadows of the trees along the edge of campus and Ava found herself sidling a little closer to Caleb. He didn’t seem to notice, though, so she pretended she hadn’t, either. They walked in silence, their steps synchronized despite Caleb’s much longer legs. He seemed tense, alert, as his eyes swept the area around them, never settling on any one thing for too long.
    “Is everything okay?” Ava asked.
    Caleb smiled, but didn’t look at her. “Sure.”
    “You seem . . . I don’t know . . . nervous?”
    He glanced at her briefly. “Just doing my job.”
    Ava snorted. “Your job is tutoring physics.”
    “Call this moonlighting.”
    Ava tucked her hands more deeply into her coat pockets as Caleb returned to his steady surveillance. She started to say something more, but forgot it immediately when Caleb stopped suddenly.
    “Caleb?”
    “Shhh . . .” He stepped in front of her, his head tilted to the side.
    “What is it?”
    He touched a finger to his lips, his body impossibly still.
    Ava froze, pressed slightly against his back as she tried to peer over his shoulder. He stretched his hand behind him, as if blocking her from something, and his fingers curled slightly around her hip, stilling her movement.
    A prickle of awareness ran over her skin, stealing her breath. For a long moment, the world seemed to slow around her, growing silent and still, and Ava closed her eyes, unsure what she was searching for, but feeling her consciousness reach out, calling out into the darkness.
    Ava gasped suddenly as a strong arm wrapped around her waist, sweeping her up in a blur of motion. Her eyes flew open, trying to make sense of the whirling world around her, and in the next instant, she found herself pressed against a wall, Caleb’s back to her. Her fingers gripped his shoulders as she tried to regain her balance and clear her head. A low voice chilled her blood.
    “Get out of the way, Foster.”
    No. Not him. Not again. Ava’s confusion gave way to outright fear. She shrank behind Caleb’s back, as if hoping to disappear.
    “Leave her alone, Tiernan,” Caleb said, his voice deadly. “The Council gave me three days.”
    A mocking laugh grated back at him. “Time’s up.”
    “Not until tomorrow.”
    “Technicalities aren’t going to change a thing,” Tiernan growled. “The Council’s fed up with your stalling. I’m taking her now.”
    “No,” Caleb said, his voice a quiet but not subtle threat. “You’re not.” He grabbed her again, so fast she didn’t even see him move.