Page 79 of Remnants
Harvey shares a confused look between Aiden and Jack. “And…what is that intel? What immortality?”
“You’ll let him know that we’re searching for someone with the gift of immortality. That we’ve found a lead, and you think we’re getting close,” Aiden explains. “He’ll want you to stick around in case we do find that person so he can be the first to know about it.”
Dane frowns, crossing his arms defensively. “I thought you saidwe shouldn’t go looking—”
“We won’t,” Jackson answers instead. “It’s a ruse.”
“A red herring…” Reid murmurs thoughtfully.
The headache pounds more insistently in my head, beginning to drown out their words. I rest my head on my arm on the table, trying my best to keep following this conversation even as my body aches for sleep.
“You’ll need to convince him that your cover is still secure for this to work,” Aiden adds.
Harvey’s voice is tight. “He saw Kellan confront me. It was pretty obvious I was discovered.”
“You were discovered at the scene of the crime, but you could come up with a wild excuse for being at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Aiden reasons. “Did you interact with your father in front of Kellan?” A short pause, then, “Did you ever say or do anything in front of Charles while he was here to admit you were with him?”
“No…”
“Good. And how are your acting skills?” Aiden asks. “When you meet with him, you’re going to need to act like your life depends on it. Because it will.”
That’s the last thing I remember before exhaustion wins out, and I fall asleep.
While Dane and Kellan are occupied training Guild members and Aiden’s downstairs working in his office, I decide I can’t stay in theLoft another whole day. I can’t train yet, but I have enough energy to find Reid and learn more about my half-brother.
Popping my head out of the already-open door to the balcony, I tell Jack, “I'm going to visit Reid in the infirmary.”
The words are ripped from my lips as a gust of wind whips around him and throws my hair in every direction. The planters are hovering off to the side while glass panes ripple and hum from the pressure. His dark blue gaze swings to me, and the wind stops abruptly, freeing my hair to fall haphazardly around me. I realize I’m panting as I claw my way free of the tangled hair in my face, the air now feeling fuller than it had a moment ago.
“What was that?” I gasp.
Jackson lowers the planters to where they belong, then closes the distance between us. He smirks at the rat’s nest I’m sure my hair is, pinching a small clump sticking out to one side. “My new move.”
I knock his hand away and try finger-combing the strands back to normalcy. “What’s it do?”
“It gathers surrounding air, strengthens it, then sends it back as sharp cuts.”
“How do you make it stronger?”
He cocks his head, his expression turning thoughtful as if trying to think of the right word. “I compress it.” When I give him a look of confusion, he smiles and elaborates, “I take in all the air and force it to a thinner shape like blades. It’s the same amount of force contained in a more precise attack.”
I pause, wondering if I could apply that technique to my gift somehow and what it might do. Jackson gently untangles hairbeneath my ear, the coolness of his fingertips and the leather on his fingerless gloves grazing my neck and inducing a heady shiver that breaks my train of thought.
“Reid’s not in the infirmary anymore. I’ll take you to his new apartment,” he murmurs while still focused on his task. He trails his fingers through my hair as if to show it’s been fixed, then pinches a section to bring to his lips while his eyes lock on mine.
The air catches in my lungs beneath his intense stare, my heart skipping as it picks up speed. Jack lowers his hand, leaning in, and my mouth parts automatically. His lips curve to a dangerous smirk. He stops a breath before mine and I feel the slow slide of his hand curving around my neck.
“Jack,” I pant into his lips, my heart jumping again when they touch for the barest of seconds. I’m not sure if I’m admonishing him for the tease or because I told him I was leaving and he’s distracting me.
“Just a taste, little one,” he whispers darkly and then presses his mouth to mine, setting my heart on fire.
I throw my arms around his neck, clutching him closer as I kiss him back with everything I have, my body tingling and hot where we touch and aching where we don’t. I could lose myself in his kiss, forgetting all our troubles as I give in to his dark demand. I almost do, bathing in his affection and letting it sink beneath my skin, filling me up with warmth.
Until he ends it far too quickly and pulls away, leaving me winded and bereft.
He slips his hand to the small of my back and directs me towardthe door, his breath feathering the back of my ear. “I’ll devour the rest of you later. Let’s go talk to your half-brother.”
Fuck.
