Page 170 of Shadowblood Souls
I suspect the only reason she forced herself to go along with the request was her hope that Rollick would know how she could keep a tighter grip on that particular talent. Finally, she fixed her gaze on the creature, her body tensing, and seemed to work up to the brief shriek she pushed out.
It wasn’t much more than a squeak, but the rat-thing squealed as one of its legs dislocated from its hip.
That’s not the problem, she told Rollick after, when he commented that she’d restrained herself just fine.The problem is when I’m upset. It gets so much harder to rein the… the hunger in.
But Rollick hadn’t looked as if her clarification was a deal-breaker. He gave us all a homework assignment for today that we’re off to complete now before checking in with him later on.
Now we know that our talents—and Riva’s in particular—canwork on monsters as well as regular men, though.
What would it feel like to drag the life energy out of one of those unnerving creatures? Out of a demon like Rollick, who made the air quiver around him with all the power he contains?
I suppress a shudder and yank my attention back to the present. “We don’t know much about the shadowkind. What they want. How they think. The guardians obviously have mixed up priorities, but that doesn’t mean they’re totally wrong to see what they call monsters as… well, monsters.”
“And that’s why we’re going in with eyes wide open and ears pricked for any sign of trouble,” Andreas says, and pauses. “We definitely should stay cautious around Rollick, generous or not. I managed to sneak a few peeks inside his memories, and… he’s bashed some creatures up pretty badly at least once himself, for reasons I couldn’t tell.”
An uneasy shiver travels through my gut. “Then he doesn’t have too many qualms about resorting to violence to get his way.”
“We don’t trust him,” Jacob agrees. “But I’ll point out that for all we know, the things in that memory deserved it.”
“True.” Andreas hauls on the wheel. “Here, this looks like a good spot.”
We’ve ended up in an industrial zone on the edges of the city along the coast. Drey pulls into a vast shipping yard where a few pieces of steel machinery stand derelict.
The concrete storage building attached to this yard appears to be vacant. A grimy FOR LEASE sign hangs crookedly in one dim window.
The back of another long, low building stretches along the far side of the shipping yard, and a line of tall metal fencing creates a barrier to our left. A few narrower buildings stand across the street, with little visible activity, though I see a truck rumble toward them as Andreas parks.
Nice and secluded. No one nearby enough to see us flex our talents.
Andreas has brought the RV all the way over to the unused building, as far from any potential passersby as possible. We step out one by one into the warm fall air.
It only takes a matter of seconds for humidity to start building beneath my trench coat, even though Andreas picked up one about as light as they get. But I’m not risking flashing my monstrous extras around in plain view, no matter how isolated this spot is.
Jacob draws himself into a commanding stance. “All right. Everyone ready for this assignment?”
I think his gaze lingers a little longer on Riva than the rest of us. If she notices, she pretends not to.
Zian rubs the knuckles of one hand with the other. “We’re just trying to bring out a little of our power and use it without going overboard, right?”
Andreas nods. “Yeah. Get a feel for it, seeing how gradually you can extend it bit by bit. It makes sense. If we get more comfortable with our abilities, they shouldn’t get quite so overwhelming even when we’re under attack.”
He smiles easily at all of us, but I know he’s worried about his own talents and how they affect him. I saw him struggle to make his body completely solid again after he blinked in and out of visibility too many times in a row not that long ago.
How can I resent the things growing out of my back when Drey has to face the possibility of literallydisappearing?
Zian glances toward the RV. “I guess I’d better stay totally out of view if I’m going at all wolf-man.”
He’s trying to sound blasé about it, but his muscles tense as he strides around the vehicle so he’s sheltered between it and the vacant building.
Jacob swipes his hands against each other. “We should spread out some so we’re not feeling observed and self-conscious.”
I don’t know how self-conscious he ever feels abouthispowers, but I can appreciate what he’s saying for Zian’s benefit. “Good idea.”
He strides off to the left toward one of the looming machines, which maybe he’s planning on manipulating with his telekinetic powers. I’m not sure if he’s planning on bringing out his poison spines today too.
“I’d better pick a spot pretty far out of the way too if I’m going to be dipping in and out of visibility,” Andreas says with a crooked smile, and heads to the right where there’s a shadowed alcove in the side of the building.
Riva lets out a huff, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. “I guess I need to look for something alive. Do bugs feel pain?”
