by Sarah Biglow
“I can try.”
Just as he bent down to start to work, the world grew fuzzy at the edges and I slumped sideways against the tree.
“Hang in there, Reese, I got you,” Henry said softly in my ear.
I let myself slide against him. “Adrenaline must be wearing off,” I mumbled.
“And the blood loss is catching up with you,” he added and prodded at my shoulder. “I could cauterize this, but it feels like there’s still some fragments in there.”
“Just do it,” I ground out.
“It’s gonna hurt.”
“No shit. Just do it,” I repeated.
The searing pain knocked me out. I knew that much. I wasn’t sure what roused me again until I opened my eyes to find Lena towering over Tina, a nasty gash on the side of her head and charred rings wreathing her wrists. She’d definitely managed to unlock Declan’s rapid healing. Tina was still sitting slumped on the grass and she wasn’t moving.
“Tina,” I croaked and weakly waved a hand, hoping to stop Lena’s advance.
A wave of nausea overtook me and kept me on the ground, unable to do more than watch as the woman who had been my mentor and mother figure hovered grotesquely over her own child. She held out one of her mangled hands and Felipe went staggering forward. He dug in his heels to avoid her touch, but he wasn’t strong enough to avoid her pull. His eyes widened as she wrapped thin fingers around his wrist.
“Well don’t you have an interesting ability,” she cackled before shoving him sideways away from her.
She bent down and cupped Tina’s chin in her hands. “You disappoint me daughter.”
The forest went silent and then Tina let out a long, low growl. “Stay out of my head.”
She shoved her mother backwards without touching her, rising to her feet and then hovering above the ground. Tina turned to look in my direction and I flinched, a look of pure hatred on her face. It didn’t matter that her ire wasn’t directed at me. I scooted back all the same to put distance between us.
“You think you can fuck with my mind, make me see what I’m most afraid of?” Tina snarled. “Guess what, I don’t have to imagine it. I’m looking right at it in the flesh. So, try again.”
Lena’s hands physically closed around Tina’s throat and I pushed myself to my feet. A loud crack echoed around us and Lena’s body went limp. A second shot followed the first and Lena’s body hit the ground. I turned to see Officer Boudreau lower his gun, his hands far steadier than they’d been earlier.
“She went too far,” he said and moved to bend over Tina. “I’m so sorry Tina. She went too far.”
I staggered forward, landing hard on my knees beside Lena’s body and felt for a pulse. None.
“Even she couldn’t survive being shot in the head,” he said. “All that power and she was still vulnerable.”
Where do we go from this? What was supposed to happen now?
Epilogue
Tina
Six months later
I still wasn’t used to waking up next to Reese even though we’d been living together for the last three months. I rolled over and watched his chest rise and fall as he snored softly beside me. I traced the tiny scar on his shoulder, the only physical evidence he bore from the battle with my mother. I slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I had a surprise for him. For everyone.
“You are up early,” Marisol said as I walked into the communal bathroom.
“I’ve got big plans,” I answered with a smile. I’d been wary of her for so long, it still surprised me that I no longer found her annoying or that I was okay with sharing a house with her and four other guys.
“I look forward to it,” she said with a small nod.
I let the water run, building up a nice layer of steam in the room before I climbed in and set to work. It was time for a change. One that had been a long time coming.
Twenty minutes later, I stepped out of the bathroom, ready to unveil my surprise. I marched downstairs to the kitchen. Everyone, but my father was already assembled, scrolling through Facebook feeds and sipping coffee. I cleared my throat loudly to draw their attention.
“Whoah,” Spencer said, setting his mug down hard on the table.
“Who are you and what have you done with our hacker?” Henry quipped.
“I think it suits you,” Reese said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.
For the first time since puberty, my hair was no longer bright blue. I touched it with one hand, tugging a few strands of natural blond into my peripheral vision. It would take some getting used to, but that was the point of change. I wasn’t the same girl I was six months ago. None of us were the same as we’d been. We’d vowed to each other to still use our powers to help people, but we would do it the right way.
“Well, it looks like I’m late to the unveiling,” Clayton said, entering the room leaning heavily on his cane.
Declan had been able to reset the bone, but Clayton had refused an infusion of Declan’s super-healing blood After the showdown with my mother, he’d shut down his own experiments, letting everyone he’d worked with choose whether to continue using their abilities or not. Some, like Felipe and Taylor, had taken the out and gone off to college in the hopes of living a normal life. I’d thought about doing the same, but I realized that being normal wasn’t really for me. Whether I’d asked for it or not, I wasn’t going to just keep my abilities hidden. I’d enrolled in the police academy and would be starting my training at the end of winter. Declan and Henry were planning a cross-country road trip to see what else was out there for them.
“I’m glad you finally found who you wanted to be,” Spencer said, regaining his composure.
“I couldn’t have done it without you guys. I know I was a pain in the ass in school, chasing after you and Declan, but you gave me hope that there was someone out there for me. That all of us could be happy.”
“It just took us all a little longer than we thought to get there,” he agreed and glanced at Marisol. He had actually decided to try managing his family restaurant with Marisol at his side.
The nerd and his internet girlfriend, the jock and his secret agent, and me and my cop boyfriend, all had worked out in the end.
If you liked this series, make sure to pick up a copy of Muse Song.
Also By This Author
Evolutionary Romance
Emotional Connection
Physical Attraction
Magnetic Chemistry
Captivity
Captivity
Sanctuary
Eternity
Geeks and Things Cozy Mysteries
Toil and Trouble
Pains and Penalties
Forgive and Forget
Debts and Debtors
Have and Hold
Saints and Sinners
Geeks and Things: The Complete Series
Muse Song
Muse Song
Seasons of Magic
Spring’s Calling
Standalone Titles
Unplanned
Archangel Rising: Volume 1
About the Author
Sarah lives in Massachusetts with her husband and child. She is a licensed attorney and spends her days combatting employment discrimination as an Investigator with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.
She is a self-professed TV junkie and in her spare time (what’s that?), she runs a TV recap blog with her best friend, Jen.
You can connect with Sarah at her website, follow her on Twitter, Facebook and BookBub.
For those TV-obsessed souls, you can head on over to the recap blog. You can also follow the blog on Twitter and Facebook.
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