Page 3 of Surrendering Hope (The Hope Legacy)

“Wow,” Aaden remarks.

“We need to figure more out about you and your origins. Plus whatever was lurking in the Jar and what the implications are for you and the world,” Duncan says.

“Is that all?” I quip.

“Also, there’s the problem of Lawrence,” Zee adds, touching the pink scar on his neck where Lawrence tried to kill him.

“Well, of course, dealing with evil incarnate isn’t enough. We have to add the Prince of Violence in the mix. Hell, let’s send Lucifer an invitation, seems cruel to leave him out of the party.”

“Have no doubt, Natia. Lucifer will know precisely what’s happening,” Duncan says.

Chapter Two

Natia

Taurus: One of the kindest people alive, but can freeze Hell with a glance.

“Concentrate,” Duncan says for the seventieth time, his patience wearing thin.

I fist my hands at my sides. “I’m trying,” I grind through my teeth as a bead of sweat rolls down my temple. “We’ve been at this for three days, Duncan. Maybe teleporting was a fluke?”

He sighs from across the large living space. “We’ve been through this, people don’t teleport by fluke. Concentrate on my location and find the link to me. It’s similar to when you communicate telepathically.”

Flashes of pain bounce in my skull, throwing off my concentration and making me wince. “You’re trying to teleport out of the cave again,” Duncan states.

“Not intentionally,” I grind out through the tiny knives of pain warning my brain against the wards preventing me from going anywhere but within them. It’s like an ice-cream headache… hmm… ice-cream, excellent idea.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Duncan says.

“Like what?” I ask, screwing up my face.

“It’s the exact look you wear when you’re about to gut a demon.”

“Weird, I was thinking about ice-cream.”

“You were afraid the last time you teleported?” Aaden chips in as he looks up from his laptop. Zee’s head pops out of a book to give me a hard, disappointed stare.

I nod. “Terrified.”

“And your thoughts were of getting to safety?” Aaden asks.

I nod, then shake my head. “No, I was terrified one of you was going to be hurt.”

“So your power came from the need to save others, not yourself,” Aaden declares like the nerdy analyst he is, even when assessing emotions.

“Again,” Duncan says, pointing at the spot in front of him, like shifting space and time is as easy as declaring it. Although he makes it look easy. I screw my eyes up and concentrate on Duncan, digging for the urge to protect him. My phone buzzes on the dining table in front of Zee. He snatches it.

“It’s Jed… again.” The world shifts, and ribbons of color wrap around my body. The content feeling of being home warms my mind. I blink and arrive in front of Duncan. I let out a loud whoop and do a little victory dance.

“I did it! Suck on that, universe.”

Duncan chuckles as something warm wraps around me from behind. “It’s progress. But you need to learn to bring your clothes with you.” I glance down. Yep, naked as the day I was born. Awesome. Told you it’s a habit.

I swaddle myself in the blanket Zee has placed on my shoulders and sigh at the sight of the still ringing phone displaying the fifty-eighth missed call from Jed. “You should answer,” Zee says.

“No,” I state, swiping the reject button and chucking my phone on the table. I’m not ready to face anyone connected to Archan yet. I’m not sure where his loyalties lie, and if Evil Archan has corrupted the rest of his team, it could be a trap.

An unfamiliar ringing erupts in the cave. I frown and twist to search for its source. Aaden taps his laptop and glances at me. “It’s Charlie, he’s been updated.” The large TV screen comes to life revealing Uncle Charlie, his silver hair sticking out at odd angles. Grandpa sits next to him.

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