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With gritted teeth, the guard nodded obediently, grabbed the arm of the dazed Quinn and left the room.

When the door was closed behind him, Sir Oswald shouted, “Conference!” and the remaining guests moved to sit at thelong, narrow table close to where Jordan and Alex stood like statues.

“Come on,” Jordan whispered, barely moving his lips as he tugged on her hand.

But Alex was frozen to the spot because, as the people stepped closer and sat down, she realised she recognised some of them. She couldn’t identify anyone by name, but she’d definitely seen them before. As she tried to put the puzzle together, she noticed Sir Oswald speaking through a ComTCD to someone before he abruptly ended the call.

“Are they coming?” a woman asked Sir Oswald, motioning to the Device in his hand.

“Any minute now,” the host answered tersely.

Something about his words caused uneasiness to swirl in Alex’s stomach.

“Jordan, we need to leave. Right now.”

Prompted by her urgency, they edged along the wall until they were beside the fake plant. Just as Alex spotted the juggler’s bag, a Bubbledoor opened in the centre of the room, diverting her attention.

Three people stepped out, and Alex barely held back a gasp when she identified them as Calista Maine, the tattooed Gerald and, bizarrely enough, Signa, the mind reader from the military

Only then did Alex figure out why the people seated at the table seemed so familiar.

“Jordan!” she whispered, her already uneasy stomach now churning with dread. “These people—I recognise them from the file Darrius showed me. He thinks they’re all Claimed by Aven!”

Jordan gripped her hand tighter in response and she followed his gaze to where Signa was standing—and staring straight at them. Signa might not be able to read her, but he’d sensedJordan and Kaiden earlier that day, even in their transcended state.

Their situation had just worsened exponentially.

Sir Oswald was busy informing the new arrivals of the night’s events, and he snapped at Signa for not paying attention. The mind reader smirked darkly at the place where Alex and Jordan stood before he slowly turned to the older man.

“Hurry!” Jordan urged.

She reached behind the plant for Samson’s bag, handing it to Jordan who slung it over his shoulder. He spun them both around, seemingly intent on running straight through the wall to get them out of there.

They took three steps before their progress was halted. As in,literally. It was as if they’d stepped onto a patch of superglue, since neither of them could move their feet so much as an inch. While that was a distinct problem, Alex was more concerned when she felt Jordan’s transcendence dissolve around them, bringing her vision into clarity and leaving them visible to everyone else in the room.

“It’s impolite to leave a party without saying goodbye,” purred a voice that sent shivers of trepidation down her spine.

Alex and Jordan found themselves being physically turned around as if on invisible rotating platforms until they faced the entire group of people. Alex’s focus was solely on one person, though. She had no idea where he’d come from, but she was certain he hadn’t been there a moment ago.

“I’d say it’s good to see you again, Aven, but I’d be lying.”

“It’s unfortunate you feel that way, Alexandra,” he replied. “I, however, am pleasantly surprised by your unexpected appearance. And you’ve even brought a little friend with you. Would you care to introduce us?”

Alex didn’t respond. She looked around the room, trying to figure out who was responsible for their current state ofimmobility. But with all the potentially gifted—not to mention, potentiallyClaimed—people in the room, she didn’t know where to begin guessing.

“His name is Jordan Sparker,” Signa informed Aven. “He’s a student at the academy. He has an impressive gift, as we all just witnessed for ourselves. But his thoughts are scattered. He’s very difficult to read.”

Alex glared at the mind reader who turned his gaze upon her.

“I knew you were lying,” Signa said arrogantly. “Those military idiots played right into your hands, didn’t they,Princess? I was so disappointed that I didn’t get to listen to you scream for mercy while they tortured you for information. But it looks like the tables have turned now.”

“Silence, Signa,” Aven ordered, and the other man quieted immediately.

The Meyarin sauntered slowly across the room, with Calista, Gerald, Signa, Sir Oswald, and another woman following. They stopped directly in front of Alex and Jordan. She felt incredibly vulnerable in her immobilised state, and she wondered why her gift wasn’t protecting her. Shouldn’t her willpower allow her to decide who could use their powers on her? Why wasn’t it working?

Signa sniggered. “It seems that the all-powerful Alexandra Jennings is second-guessing her ability.”

Her eyes widened. How could he read her mind now? Something must have changed. She looked around the room and locked eyes with Jordan, specifically where their hands remained linked.