Page 5 of A Sea of Secrets
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
“Run!”
The shrill scream was close. Sweat beaded on my forehead and trickled down my spine. Whoever it was, they were moving closer still. I pressed deeper into the hedge. Twigs scratched at my back as the branches dug into my skin and drew pinpricks of blood. It wasn’t the smartest choice. Anyone who took the time to notice would have seen my imprint in the hedge, and any animal could have smelled my blood. But I counted on the Potential and whatever gave chase as being too occupied to catch those details.
Seconds passed. No one came.
The path remained empty with not a soul in sight.
The shouts and footsteps faded into the air and an eerie quiet settled over me.
They must have taken a different turn than I had. But which way did they go?
Steadying my breath and easing the adrenaline coursing through my veins, I breathed deeply. The smart thing to do would be to continue on my current path, but curiosity got the better of me and I decided to grab my clothes and investigate. It would be better to know what we’re up against.
I donned my gear and took a few steps when suddenly, something restrained me.
Branches encircled my legs, waist, and chest, holding fast, like the hedge had embraced me from behind.
“Fuck,” I hissed, trying to break the branches and shove myself forward. How had I not noticed? I couldn’t let this thing trap me. I needed to find Fallon and the guys.
Alarm rose like bile in my throat as my calculated attempts to unfold myself turned to panicked thrashing. The hedge held tight as more branches slid around me like wooden snakes. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. Fear stormed inside me as I was suddenly dragged backwards into the hedge. I wrenched at my bindings one final time, breaking the branch holding my torso and fell forward, dragged now by my legs. I dug my fingers into the gravel, where tiny stones lodged beneath my nails. I gritted my teeth as blood spilled from my fingertips. There was no way I was going to let this fucked-up hedge get the better of me. I had too much to live for and a long, long list of things I needed to do before my time came.
Fear and rage fought inside me, fuelling my desperation.
This was not the end of my story.
I wouldn’t let it be.
Metalcoatedmytongue,and the sharp tang of blood filled my nose and mouth as I came to. My head spun like a whirlpool, pulling me down, down, down into the depths of despair as my brain caught up with the steady aching of my heart.
I was in the auditorium what felt like only moments ago when some kind of gas came through the ventilation system. Once I realised, I’d tried to cover my nose and mouth, but it had been no use. Which meant they’d taken me and done who knew what withher. With her body…
Bile climbed my throat as visions of my dead sister came flooding back to me, and I snapped my eyes open, lurching up with a gasp. My sister wasdead. My sister, who had never shied from a fight, who never let anything get in her way, was now gone from this world.
A tear trickled down my face. Victoria and I were once so close… before our parents got their claws into her and turned her into a monster. So, over the last few years, we’d been at each other’s throats and once she began forcing me to do our father’s bidding, the love I’d held for her had quickly turned into resentment. Eventually, that resentment had festered into something deeply close to hate.
The feeling must have been mutual. She had tried to kill me several times since entering the academy, after all. I’d thought her so cold and cruel, but now I knew she was little more than a puppet pulled by my father’s strings. The fact that he’d manipulated her and warped her mind so thoroughly with some kind of brainwashing… fuck.
I didn’t know what to think of it, this elaborate scheme, this unending nightmare. All I knew was I wasted years hating my sister when I could have been helping her. If I’d known…
And the murderer… My fingers curled into claws at my sides. Oh, I had some special plans in mind for him. And for my father, the man responsible for all the pain and suffering my siblings and I had endured—Victoria, most of all.
Questions upon questions filled my mind, but they would have to wait because if my guess was correct, the Masters and Overseer had just pulled us straight back into a trial.
Pricks. They were miserable, blood-hungry bastards for doing this so soon. Especially after the poisoning of so many Potentials. What kind of shit show were they running at that damned academy?
With a groan, I hauled my ass up, ignoring the dried blood still coating my hands. I couldn’t think about that now. Not if I didn’t want my siblings to find themselves another sister short. I needed to stay strong for Ethan and Hadley.
Fuck!
I’d sent the guys—bless their sexy butts—after the murderer and had probably left them exposed and vulnerable as a result. I just hoped the guards had come quickly to retrieve their unconscious bodies and transport them here, wherever the hell here was. Oh gods, what if they’d been hurt? Or worse?
A chill ran down my spine, but I shook my head. No. I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of that happening. Besides, they were some of the strongest guys I’d met—certainly the strongest at the academy. They were more than capable of handling any big baddies that got in their way, especially if they were together.
Alone, they were a threat, but as a unit they’d be damn near unstoppable. My heart skipped a beat as I thought of them all. It wasn’t even the fact that they were powerful—although it didn’t hurt that they were all built like gods—but it was the different ways in which they were strong that endeared me.
Kayden was built like a damn dump truck, but he had the softest heart of all. Noah was quietly intelligent and kind, Zane was the glue that held us all together—the beating heart of our little group—and Ace… My broken bad boy. He was true grit and stubborn determination with the force of an electrical current.
