Page 17 of Land of Shadow

She grips my wrist hard, her fingers digging in. “Youcannotgo after Valen or any of them, you understand me? They are dangerous, Georgia. All right? They’ll hurt you. Promise me you won’t.”

I’m dumbstruck by the way she’s looking at me, by the tremor in her voice. That’s when I realize she’s terrified of Valen, of the people she just warmly praised in her press conference.

“I mean it!” She tries for stern but comes off more unhinged than anything else. I’ve never seen her like this, rattled so badly her self-control is gone. “Promise me!”

“Jesus, Juno. What is this? What’s happening?” I take her hands in mine. “Who are they?”

“You wouldn’t believe me.” She takes a deep breath.

“Try me.”

“To us, they’re …” She squeezes my hands as if worried I’ll bolt. “They’re a different species. Like you know how other types of humans died out forever ago so that our species remained? Their line didn’t. They’re superhuman.”

My mouth drops open. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I try to yank free from her grip, anger growing right along with my worry. “After all this, and youstilllie to me?”

“It’s not a lie!” She pulls me away from the door with a rough yank. “I’m serious.”

A harsh laugh croaks from my throat. “Bullshit. There’s no way a completely separate line of humans has been existing right along withHomo Sapiens. We would know. It’s simply not possible. Unless you’re going to tell me they’ve established an Atlantis at the bottom of the ocean somewhere? Is that what you’re going to tell me next? Or maybe they live in space? Like the Little Prince on their own planet?”

“Georgia.” Her face goes stern. “How else do you explain this?” She holds out her arm. “You saw it yourself!”

“I saw something. What I didn’t see was the Missing Link! Or Sasquatch. Or vampires or werewolves or a fucking mermaid! My god, Juno, does Vince know about this shit?”

“That they’re superhuman?”

“That youthinkthey’re superhuman, yes.”

“He knows. He’s seen.” Her face pales. “He’s seen it firsthand.”

“Seen what?”

“What they’re capable of.” She swallows hard. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me, Georgia. I don’t care. I really don’t. But what Idocare about is you. So promise me right fucking now that you won’t do anything to antagonize them.”

“Like what? Ask if they can fly? Ask them to contact the mother ship? Or if they can leap tall buildings in a?—”

“Georgia!” Her sharp yell makes me jump. “This isn’t a joke! These people—these, thesethings—they aren’t human. They’ve stood by and watched us die out again and again and done nothing. This time is different. No more hiding. They are real, they are here, and they have offered to help.”

“If they’re just ‘things’ who clearly terrify you, then what are you doing working with them?” I shoot back.

“Because they can save us.Youcan save us!” She pulls me down to the bed, her eyes boring into mine. “Their blood is real, what it can do is real. You will have access to it, and you will find a cure.”

“Why?”

“What?” She blinks.

“Why now? Why you? You said they’ve sat back and watched us struggle, so why are they acting now?”

She looks away. “Like I said, they see a way forward for their people and ours if I win the White House. If we work together.”

“President Gray wouldn’t work with them. Is that true?”

“Yes.” She glances away. “He’s refused their offer of help.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” She’s never had an obvious tell, not really. That’s why she makes an excellent politician. She could lie right to your face and you’d never know. But she’smysister. She knows more than she’s saying. “President Gray is … Well, you’d have to ask him.”

“Juno,why?” I glare at her. “You have to know why. You seem to be five steps ahead of everyone, including me. So why would President Gray turn this offer down when it would cement him the White House?”

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