Page 19 of Tainted Gifts
“Abram?” I squeal in disbelief. “He can’t even track down matching socks. How the hell did he find a guy who has eluded the United for years?”
She lets a laugh free when she hears the obvious envy in my tone. The convoy slows to a halt as several men jump out and pull out the new prisoner. His head is hooded, his hands bound, so it’s hard to tell much about him. His stride tells me he’s not wounded.
“He’s completely healthy. There’s no way this is Kellan Maverick. Abram wouldn’t have caught a gifted hybrid who wasn't wounded to the point of barely breathing.”
I almost pout as they drag in the phony posing as the deadly threat we’ve all been on edge about.
“Jase says it’s him. They sent him a picture, and he did confirm it just before the sirens went off. He didn’t want to bring him here with so many civilians in the city, but he had to. So he had the sirens sounded to tell the simpletons to duck and cover. Come on. Let’s go watch your mom work her magic.”
I groan under my breath, and she laughs all the harder. It’s a guy, so she’ll probably use seduction. Considering he’s hybrid, it’ll be heavy seduction.
Ew.
We head into the building which is serving the United as a holding cell for the man accused of being in allegiance with this unfathomable force. It does have padded hybrid interrogation rooms, so it’ll work.
I step into the room and lose my breath when sex and candy invades my sense of smell. Jase is propped up, conversing very quietly with my mother while Uncle Brazen studies the man intensely.
There are so many people in the damn room that it’s hard for me to get a glimpse of our suspect. I finally find a tiny gap, and I wiggle through it to see the dirty blond hair tousled sexily atop his head.
The strong lines of his face actually sculpt a pretty damn sexy man. His hybrid blues are fierce but secretive. I know his secret though. He’s like my mom... or me. His contacts are way better than mine.
I regret letting that thought slip, but I look over to see Jase hasn’t seemed to notice my blabbermouth mind. He's too engulfed to be paying very much attention to me.
I exhale in relief, and then I turn my attention back to the man that has struck fear in so many.
His chiseled body is relaxed as he leans back in his chair with his cuffed wrists strapping him into place. A smile is daring to play on his lips, making him seem a little menacing, but I don’t feel as afraid as I should.
The chatter in the room is ridiculous, making it hard to concentrate on anything other than the conspiracy theories spewing from everyone’s mouths.
“At this time-” Jase pauses as all the chatter calms down “-I need silence. Let’s back away from the window and try to line the walls so everyone can view. We don’t need theories right now. We need answers. Unless you have some insight that can benefit the group. Keep quiet or I’ll ask you to leave.”
My eyes cut to him. I know he just heard me griping inside my own head, but he refuses to make eye contact with me. I hate he knows that I’m looking at him without having to see me looking at him. It makes it impossible to not get caught.
He smirks, and I instantly refrain from slapping my own-damn-self for thinking too loudly. Feet shuffle as everyone complies with the commander’s order, and they move to the back of the room to silently observe from afar.
“So what’s your take?” Mom asks Uncle Brazen.
He’s the only one who didn’t move away from the window when Jase commanded it, and my mom joins him at his side, looking to him for insight. It's amazing how much she trusts him.
“He’s too comfortable. It’s as though he knows something we don’t. They said he didn’t struggle… almost as though he came too easily. I don’t like it. Something’s up, and I don’t know what. It irks me.”
She frowns as she studies him closer, and Jase joins her as the three of them block the view from the rest of us.
“He’s good, Mrs. Mordel. He never gave anything away the last time,” Jase murmurs warily.
Why don’t you just read his mind?
He turns to me and tightens his lips as his eyes gauge the rest of the room staring. It’s not like he can just answer my question aloud. Full bloods shouldn’t have any gifts, and he’s very obviously full blood.
He adjusts his tie while motioning for me to join them, and I swallow hard against the lump in my throat as I come to take his side.
His cold heat rushes me like a wave of intoxicating pleasure, and my knees threaten to buckle as he slides around behind me to lean over to my ear.
“Because for some reason, his mind is always blank to me,” he whispers almost too low for anyone else to hear.
I just nod while swallowing harder, and then I shift from side to side to show my discomfort. He doesn’t withdraw though. His body stays pressed against mine as he speaks to my mother.
“How are you going to approach him?”
