The MORE Trilogy (36 page)

“Please,” he said, holding up a hand, the other pressed unconsciously against his ribs, still a little sore from his injury. “Ava poses no threat to humans or to the Race. She acted in self-defense in killing the Rogue—or at least in my defense. He was going to kill me.

“I know her,” he continued, stepping forward. “She’s not a violent person. She would never hurt someone without valid reason.”

“And who’s to determine that reason?” his mother snapped. “Her? You? She has no loyalty to the Race!”

“And why should she?” he retorted. “We’ve done nothing but uproot her from her life, forcing her to hide in the shadows—”

“That was your doing, not ours!” Madeleine slapped her hands on the table, jumping to her feet. “You were to bring her to us!”

“Please!” Ava interjected, uncomfortable at pitting mother against son. “There’s no need for this.”

Madeleine calmed, taking her seat.

“If I may.” Andreas smoothly took over the conversation as he casually leaned back, his fingers tented before his lips. “Miss Michaels, how exactly do you propose we handle this rather unique situation?”

Ava shrugged. “I go home. I go back to my life. I never mention the Race or any of this to any other living soul.

“I don’t pose a threat to anyone,” she said. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I just want to live my life.”

Andreas laughed. “So you think we should let you walk out of here? Just like that?”

Caleb straightened, edging closer to Ava’s side. “I could watch over her.”

“You?” Andreas shook his head. “I believe you’ve proven you’re not exactly trustworthy where this one is concerned. No, detention is the only answer.”

Rafe cleared his throat. “Perhaps we might explore other avenues.”

Then everyone began to speak at once.

“. . . are no other avenues. The girl must be watched!”

“. . . training is essential.”

“We’ve no idea when the Rogues might attack again . . .”

“. . . can’t be held prisoner. She’s a member of the Race and has rights.”

“Enough!” Madeleine barked. “The time for discussion is over. I call for the vote. Should the girl be detained or not? Naomi?”

The kind-eyed Council member smiled at Ava as she said, “No.”

“Kaeden?”

The bald man stared at her, golden eyes hard. “Yes.”

“Andreas?”

“The threat must be contained,” he said simply. “I vote yes.”

“Rafael?”

He hesitated only briefly. “No.”

Caleb could feel Ava’s tension beside him and subtly reached for her hand, twining her fingers with his. He hated to admit it, but her fate was sealed. His mother held the last vote.

Madeleine stood to her full height. “Although I feel for your situation, Miss Michaels, my first duty must always be to the Race. Your actions to save my s—” Her gaze shifted a moment before hardening once more. “. . . your
Protector
, although understandable, prove your abilities could endanger those around you if you are not properly trained. Not only would this put the Race at risk, but also human lives. This is unacceptable. Therefore, for the time being, I am ordering that you be taken into custody to undergo extensive training in the use of your abilities.”

“For the time being?” Ava said quietly. “What does that mean?”

“As long as the Council deems it necessary to ensure you pose no threat.” She turned to the Protectors lining the walls of the Council chamber. “Escort Miss Michaels to the detention facility,” she said.

Caleb stepped in front of Ava. “I don’t think that’s necessary. I can make sure she gets there safely.”

Madeleine glared at him. “I don’t think so.”

A wave of fury swept through Caleb, and his fists balled at his side. He eyed the Protectors closing in around him, wondering how in the world he’d thought they could escape. He’d somehow held on to the hope that his mother might trust him one last time and let him be the one to take Ava away.

Apparently, his chances had run out.

Caleb reached for his power in a last ditch effort to sway the Protectors, or at least delay them long enough for them to escape. He knew it was futile. They’d all been trained—as he had—to withstand mental coercion. Still, he accessed it, the electricity humming along his nerve endings as he sent them a command to stand down. To stop. To wait.

Anything.

But they continued toward Ava, faces grim and determined. Even Tiernan, who flashed him a look that might have been a bit apologetic, didn’t falter in his steps.

Just as he was about to grab Ava and shift—somewhere, anywhere—a shock shot up his arm, and Caleb jolted in surprise, his fingers tightening reflexively around Ava’s hand.

“What was that?” he murmured.

She released his hand, saying only, “Stand back.”

Caleb’s eyes darted from her to the approaching Protectors. “What are you going to do?”

“Get us out of here.”

And with that, the Protectors all froze in place, then—one by one—they flew through the air until they slammed back against the wall, a few inches below the ceiling. None of them struggled, and Caleb quickly realized they couldn’t move. More than a dozen fully-trained warriors hung helpless, arms and legs splayed against the polished wood walls. He turned startled eyes on Ava.

“How . . . ?” But she wasn’t looking at him. Instead, she glared at Madeleine. At a flash of movement to the left, he saw Tiernan float into the middle of the room over their heads, then slowly rotate until he hung upside down.

“How’s that for control?” Ava asked archly. Tiernan glared at Ava as he twirled around—upright again—and floated slowly back to his position against the wall.

Caleb braced himself, preparing for a mental attack—a shift from James, a hallucination from Allison, a surge of emotional manipulation, a blast of ice,
something
—but nothing happened. Somehow, the paralysis Ava had created extended beyond the physical to their mental abilities as well. He’d never seen anything like it.

“Release them!” Madeleine shouted.

“I don’t take orders from you.” Ava smiled, stepping up to lean forward against the table. “And I’m not staying here.”

In a blur of movement, Kaeden vaulted the table, muscles flexing as he landed before them with a quiet thud. He shoved Caleb aside and reached for Ava, golden eyes hard and teeth bared in fury.

As if he’d slammed into an invisible brick wall, he jerked to a stop with a loud grunt and fell back onto the table. He tried to get up, struggling against unseen bonds, unable to move. “We can’t allow—” he snarled at Ava.

“It wasn’t a request,” Ava snapped, moving to loom over him, holding him fast without breaking a sweat. “I’m going home.” She turned her gaze to the rest of the Council, finally coming to rest on Madeleine. “I won’t expose you. I won’t hurt anyone. But I’m not staying here.”

Madeleine swallowed, and she raised a trembling hand to smooth her hair. “You won’t be protected out there,” she warned. “The Rogues could still come after you. The fact that a group of them was working together does not bode well. It’s never happened before, and there’s nothing to say there aren’t more of them.”

“I can take care of myself.”

Madeleine raised a brow. “Perhaps. But you’ll be on your own, Miss Michaels. Don’t expect us to come to your rescue.”

Ava smiled humorlessly. “Don’t worry. I won’t.” She turned to walk down the aisle to the door, Caleb by her side. She turned back at the last moment, tilting her head slightly, and the Protectors slid to the floor.

Kaeden jumped to his feet, a feral growl escaping his lips as he started after her.

“No!” Madeleine shouted. “Let her go.”

Ava smirked. “Like he could stop me,” she murmured under her breath.

Caleb fought a laugh as they walked out of the Council chamber, the crowd parting before them as they made their way down the hall and out into the early-morning sunshine.

Residual jolts of electricity shot through Ava’s body as they walked toward the border of the city. She was still more than a little awed at what she’d done, and oddly, instead of being tired after the massive display of power, she felt a strange euphoria settle into her bones. She walked with a spring in her step, energized, as if she could do anything.

They’d stopped at Caleb’s house only long enough to gather their things, neither wanting to test the Council’s patience by lingering in New Elysia. Ava hefted her backpack higher onto her shoulder as she followed Caleb up the path toward the edge of the cloak.

“I still can’t believe it,” he said, eyeing her with a slight smile. “Remind me never to make you mad.”

Ava grinned. “You think Tiernan will ever forgive me?”

“Oh, probably. Just give him twenty or thirty years.”

She laughed, and right before they passed through the cloak, she turned back to gaze one more time at the city. It lay spread out below them, sparkling and miraculous, and for a moment, Ava felt a twinge of regret that she’d most likely never be able to return.

Sure, they were a pain the neck, but they were her people, after all. The only others like herself.

With a heavy sigh, she took Caleb’s hand as they walked through the cloak, the air shifting and shimmering as they passed through it. When they emerged on the other side, Ava glanced back once more, but thick trees and snow-covered undergrowth hid every sign of the path.

She pondered what she’d learned about the Race, since she had time to think about how it applied to her. What it meant, knowing that she wasn’t entirely human.

She held up her hand, examining it closely.

“What are you doing?” Caleb asked.

“Trying to see through the Veil,” she replied absently. “But I can’t. I just look . . . normal.” She turned to him, holding out her hands by her sides. “What do you see?”

Caleb’s eyes trailed over her, and he flushed, dropping his gaze. “You look . . . the same.”

“Yeah,” she said. “Weird, huh? Maybe I don’t have one.”

“Or maybe you have a really
strong
one.”

Ava hummed lightly, contemplating the idea.

They continued down the mountain, each lost in thought. Ava stumbled once, falling into Caleb’s arms, and he steadied her with a soft smile. They came to a small outcropping and stopped, Caleb pulling a water bottle and a couple of cubes from his duffle bag. He opened the bottle and handed it to Ava as he popped a cube into his mouth.

“You want one?” he asked, holding out a cube.

“No, I’m good.”

“We’ll try a shift when we get further down the mountain,” he said. “I don’t want to risk it until we’re closer to flat land, but we should put as much distance between us and the Council as soon as we can.”

Ava took a drink of water, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand before handing it back to Caleb. She watched him as he took a drink, head thrown back and a small drop of water escaping to drip down his neck as he swallowed. She blushed, looking away, her stomach a mess of butterflies.

She couldn’t help wondering what would happen when she got back to Allenmore. Caleb had assured her that no one should have been worried about her departure—the Council had taken care of it—and in fact, she’d only been gone a few weeks.

Ava marveled a little at that. So much had happened. She glanced at Caleb again.

So much.

But she didn’t worry about school or her parents or Lucy. As difficult as it was to imagine, she knew she’d be able to slip back into her life, catch up on her schoolwork. Get back to normal.

She just didn’t know what she’d do without Caleb. Sure, the Council wasn’t too happy with him at the moment, but she assumed he’d need to get back to work. Go back to seeking out Half-Breeds and other threats to the Race.

She could hardly ask him to stick around and be her physics tutor.

He handed her the water bottle, and she took another drink, not meeting his eyes.

“So,” she said, “you must be glad this is almost all over, right? You’re probably as eager to get back to your life as I am to get to mine.” She stole a glance at him and found him watching her steadily.

“Is that what you want?” he asked quietly.