Page 242 of The Reluctant Hero

“Snacking and a meal are two different things,” Cade glares.

“I did warn you,” Jake mutters to me with a pointed look.

When Cade moves to nudge the plate again, I stop it on my side. His instant scowl makes my lips tighten.

“Cade,” I whisper as gently as I can. I want to smack him on the side of his head, but I can’t. He looks like he’s losing his shit. “I can’t. Not right now.”

Just seeing the pictures has my stomach shrinking up. I can already tell there’s a bad one in the batch. My chest is getting tight.

Cade leans back and eyes me as if I might be lying to him. “I’m not going to sit here and watch you waste away. None of us are.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “I think we’ve got some time before that becomes a concern.”

“Don’t fucking do that,” he snaps back fiercely. “It isn’t a joke to me or anyone else here. You’re perfect, and I’m not going to let it go.”

Jake, Ace, and Mikael nod, silently supporting the decree. What surprises me is when I catch Gabriel nodding along. He notices my disbelief aimed right at him, and his brows furrow slightly. I jerk my attention away from him quickly.

How can he act like he didn’t see half my body and run away? It washes away all the day’s pampering in a rush. I hate him a little bit for that.

“None of you decide when I eat or how much,” I tell them with a frown. “It’smybody. I know when I’m hungry or not. If I want to live off coffee and candy bars for the rest of my life or one lettuce leaf a day, I will. Get. Over. It.”

I push the plate away and move the photos to take its place.

Cade opens his mouth, and I flip the top photo into his face. I don’t know how my aim got so good, but every time I toss something athim,it hits his face. I have Cade targeting. As a superpower, it isn’t very useful, but it makes me happy, so I’ll keep it.

When it hits him flat in the face, he snatches it up and shuts his mouth.

Perfect. I don’t want to argue with him anymore. The thought is surprising.

I shuffle through the photos of random houses with foreclosed signs and open areas that have signs saying what will be built there. Coming soon! A coffee shop. A site for a strip mall that makes me feel uneasy. My brows furrow as I look at it. There’s that feeling but it’s subdued enough to hardly be noticeable. The same feeling I got from the names at the beginning of this mess.

Not ready but earmarked.

I hate that I’m understanding this stupid power better.

A few other pictures give me a sense of unease, and then I get to a picture of a mansion.

Dark red brick built like a fortress instead of a home. The windows are small and sparsely placed. As big as Gabriel’s manor but more solemn in tone. Three stories of luxury that make me want to puke.

I gag a little and move it out of my sight before I really throw up. The feeling pressing on my chest makes it hard for me to breathe.

“Manda?” Ace’s worried voice brings me back to the present.

“No more,” I choke out and shove them hard enough to land on the floor.

“The manor?” Jake’s eyes narrow on me. “You recognize it?”

I shake my head as cold sweat beads on my brow. I press a hand to my chest as if it could help that feeling. It doesn’t. Even out of my sight, my skin is still crawling.

“I don’t. I don’t ever want to see it. It’s perfect for it.”

I sound panicked, even to myself. I get out of my chair and out of that room as fast as I can. It isn’t until I get in the bedroom and close the door that I start feeling better. That was just as bad as when I found the body. From a simple picture. Am I losing my mind?

The door opens and closes behind me. Arms wrap around me tightly as Ace’s cologne fills my nose. I’ll take that over the remembered scent of that place any day.

He doesn’t say anything, resting his chin on my shoulder and rubbing my arms like he wants to warm me up.

We stand like that until my breathing steadies. When my body relaxes into him, he lets out a rough breath.

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