Page 423 of Shadowblood Souls
He grips the arm of his wooden chair. With a flex of his fingers, both his hand and the chair disappear, leaving him sitting on what appears to be thin air.
I stare, my breath catching in my throat. I’ve seen Andreas turn completely invisible himself, but never only partly. And never making an object larger than he could fit in his pocket vanish as well.
He releases the chair, which blinks back into view instantaneously, and shrugs at us. “I have no idea if that’s the direction Balthazar would have wanted my powers to go, but that’s what I’ve gotten.”
Booker frowns. “I’m not seeing auras brighter than I did before—or seeing anything new in them. Nadia’s said it hasn’t made any difference for her glowing either.”
His stance tenses, and I suspect he’s thinking of his girlfriend being led away by Matteo just minutes ago, after he returned Sully to us.
Booker glances at Ajax, who makes a face. “I still can’t control when I pick up thoughts or go any deeper than I used to. As much as I wish I could.”
The younger teen hesitates after that sentence, not voicing what I think he’d have added. If he could read minds more purposefully and clearly, he might be able to find us information that would get us out of Balthazar’s grasp.
We don’t mind talking about the things our captor definitely knows or could easily guess. Trying to keep totally closed-lipped about our real thoughts would drive us all insane.
But we all know it wouldn’t be wise to openly discuss total rebellion.
Ajax turns to Zian, his dark eyes full of thoughtful curiosity. “You’ve seen a difference?”
Zian tips his head with an obvious reluctance that makes me want to give his arm a comforting squeeze. I wish he could welcome that contact instead of being afraid it’d set off his past trauma.
“I’ve been getting… bigger, when I transform,” he says. “And some of the wolfish features more prominent. Matteo has been trying to see if anything will change with my X-ray vision too but not much there yet.”
His shoulders hunch as he takes a careful bite of his sandwich, and my stomach tightens.
Zian already hated the way he transforms and the monstrous rage that can provoke a shift. Now Balthazar’s people are amplifying that part of him even more.
How many ways will we be tormented before we can find real freedom?
I force myself to tear into my own sandwich, but the layers of fresh bread and sliced meat taste like sawdust. Tension winds through my muscles, begging for action.
But what action could I take? The deadly manacles that hold all of us captive clink against the table with the movements of our arms.
There’s been no sign that anyone’s reacted to the note I tucked into that man’s pocket at the gala a week ago. Did he not notice my plea for help?
Or maybe he thought it was a prank. Maybe he had no idea who Mr. Balthazar would even be.
My jaw clenches with the impression that the painted walls are closing in on us.
Farther down the table, Griffin’s head jerks up. His expression goes distant as if he’s focusing on something beyond this room.
We’re all on edge enough to pick up on his shift in mood. Jacob is already pushing back his chair. “What? What’s happening?”
Griffin’s lips purse in concentration before his attention comes back to us. He pauses as if he’s not sure how to answer.
Then he simply stands up. “Come with me. There’s something I want to check.”
Something he doesn’t want to overtly tip off to anyone listening in. I scramble to my feet, my pulse kicking up a notch.
We all hustle after Griffin, abandoning our lunch. He doesn’t give any indication about what he’s noticed as he strides down the hall and pushes open the door at the back of the villa.
Nothing about the grounds outside or the sprawling mountain landscape beyond them looks different from usual. Griffin doesn’t linger on them anyway, heading a little farther across the back patio toward a garden area with grassy paths winding between low hedges.
He pauses there, his head cocked. The rest of us gather behind him in silence.
After a minute, Griffin glances over his shoulder. “Jake, I think I can start this, but I might need you to… hold things in place.”
He’s still speaking vaguely for discretion. Jacob looks puzzled but nods without hesitation. “I’m ready.”
