My father’s attitude was: “Do as you’re told, don’t question me, and be a good little girl.” Basically, he wanted a brainless daughter.
Too bad that wasn’t me.
Hours turned into days, blurring time to where I’d lost track of how long I’d been inside the white walls, and I was no closer to feeling as if I belonged. Being with my family again was bittersweet. I was overwhelmed by who they’d become: a power couple in charge of such a huge undertaking. There were no family dinners. No walks in the courtyard. No sister slumber parties. Instead, there were secret meetings with the council, restricted areas no one without a key card could enter, and no one went in or out of the Diamond Towers without permission. A person couldn’t help but be suspicious.
Ember kept her distance, never bothering to engage me again, verbally or physically. When she did meander into the training room, I couldn’t help but watch her. She was a stranger to me, and regardless that she had hurt me, I wanted to know my sister. I wanted us to have that connection again.
But I didn’t know how to reach her.
She had grown so much in the last two years. We’re technically the same age now, a bizarre concept. She had shed the remaining baby fat and replaced it with toned muscle. She didn’t have the curves I did, but it didn’t detract from her having a stunning body. Too bad she had such a shitty attitude.
The locked doors finally stopped, and they no longer held me captive inside my room at night, but I still felt like a prisoner. Guards were everywhere I turned, making sure I didn’t wander down the wrong corridor or enter a forbidden room, but no longer being caged did have its advantages.
I could go outside and sit in the courtyard I’d stared down at for so many nights. It had become a place I spent the little free time I was given in, like now.
Lifting my face upward, the glow of the sun spilled over my skin. I had missed this: the fresh air, the heat warming my skin, the wind teasing the strands of my hair. I entertained myself by watching the sun set in bleeding reds and waited for night to steal the show, wondering where Dash was.
A shadow descended over me, blocking the fading warmth of the sun I desperately wanted. Miffed by the intrusion, I turned my eyes to the now occupied spot beside me on the bench.
Ryker.
His amber eyes shimmered in the sun like unrefined gold. His long legs stretched out beside mine, and he had draped an arm behind the bench. The lazy grin on his lips reminded me of a cat after eating the canary. He was one of the few guards who didn’t make mincemeat out of me or make me feel like an outsider. There was something almost human about Ryker, unlike everyone else who seemed to have lost their souls.
“How are you holding up?” he asked.
I shielded my eyes with a hand, staring at him. “I’ve been better.”
“It does get easier, not that it’s much of a consolation at the moment.”
I drew in a long, deep breath. “No, it’s not, but thanks.”
“You did okay today,” he said, softly tapping his shoulder against mine.
I winced. Everything hurt, even my ears. “What you really mean is that I didn’t have to peel my face off the floor.”
He chuckled, and it was a nice sound, a sound I missed. No malice. No judgment. No sarcasm. “There was that. But seriously, they have you going up against some of the most experienced Gifted.”
“I kind of noticed.”
“What did you do to piss them off?”
I watched him warily. “Haven’t you heard? I fraternized with the enemy.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Ah. Dash Darhk. Everyone has heard of him. He made quite a name for himself … and many more enemies within these walls.”
“I don’t get what the big deal is.” I said what was on my mind, ignoring the throbbing… well, everywhere.
He lowered his voice, the amusement gone from his eyes. “Dash has the kind of power the Institute is afraid of. He can’t be controlled, and that freaks them out.”
I chewed on my lip. “Do you like it here?”
He shrugged. “Depends on your definition of like. I’ll tell you what I don’t like. I’ve been outside these walls. Like you, when I woke, I didn’t get picked up by the guards. At that time, there weren’t guards in place to look for those who were disoriented and confused. I spent weeks on my own out in the Heights. The difference, however, is I didn’t have Dash as a tour guide. Maybe I would feel differently about the world beyond these walls if I had.”
“So how did you end up here?”
His grin was slow. “Dash.”
“He found you.”
“Yep. He was a Night’s Guard then.”
“He seems to have a habit of picking up strays.”
“Maybe, but Dash would never admit it.” We shared a grin.
It was evident Ryker knew Dash, and I had to admit, he was easy to talk to, especially since he wasn’t hell-bent on making me bleed. I shifted positions, trying to find one that didn’t cause some part of my body to throb. I winced as I rotated my shoulder. It had taken a beating earlier.
Ryker frowned. “You should see a healer. We have one, in case no one told you.”
They hadn’t. I started to scowl, but the pain on my lip reminded me why any movement was a bad idea.
“At the very least, you should get ice for that shoulder. And if you want to stop getting your ass kicked, fight back, Red.” His lips curved.
How original, his brain must have melted from exertion after coming up with that. The vibes I got from Ryker, he was definitely into girls, possibly into me. Just another problem I didn’t need. A guy.
Soaking wet and chilled to the bone, I picked myself up off the ground.
“How many times are you going to keep doing that?” Elssie asked. Her specialty was water in all fashions, and I found her tactics to be one of the most unpleasant abilities. She could drown a person. Don’t get her anywhere near water, which was nigh impossible. Water was everywhere. She only needed the tiniest drop and she could turn the training room into a monsoon.
“Doing what?” I asked, shoving wet strands of hair out of my face.
Elssie stood about five feet taller than me, with walnut-colored skin, and wild mocha hair that framed her oval face in tight spiral curls. She had large, owl-sized eyes and a big mouth, figuratively not literally. “Get the shit kicked out of you,” she replied.
“Perhaps she enjoys it,” Tyger piped in. Like his name suggested, Tyger was a ferocious cat, or, rather, as close as a human could get to a tiger. He had orange hair with a black stripe running down the center and fangs that would have made a vampire proud.
“You may have a point,” Elssie returned. “I know I sure as hell enjoy it.”
“Doesn’t matter what you enjoy. You’re supposed to be teaching her how to use her gifts, not bullying her because she’s Dr. Winston’s daughter,” Tyger pointed out.
“I’m right here,” I grumbled.