Page 23 of Destined Dawn

I snatch my hand away. All my sympathy vanishing in an instant.

I’ve had Piglet once. Just once. And though it was fucking mind blowing, it was also rushed, quick, and not nearly enough. I want more of her. A lot more.

I’ve decided I’m going in search of her to get me some more, turning my back on my friend, when Spencer says, “What do you think about that memory? Do you believe it, Tris?”

I stare down at the faded rug beneath my feet and watch as a woodlouse struggle across the thick threads.

“I think …” My shoulders tighten. “I think my dad won’t rest until he has her in his grasp, until he has all of us. There are already rumors swirling about Rhi and he spent a lot of his time trying to get the truth from me. It won’t matter if we sail across the ocean, or rocket off to some distant planet; if he sees her as a threat, he’s going to come for us. Which means, it’s down to one thing and one thing only: us or him. And frankly, I’d much rather it was us.”

“You think we should make the initial strike?”

I stroke my chin. It was always our preferred gameplay when we dueled as a team. Get in that early strike, take them by surprise, weaken them right from the start. Could it work in this situation?

“We’re vastly outnumbered. But I can’t help the feeling that fate has thrown us together for a reason and I’m beginning to suspect that reason is to protect Rhi.”

Spencer lowers his voice. “You really think we could work with those others?” His face distorts with disgust. “With Barone?”

“He helped to rescue us, Spencer. They worked together to do that.”

“Yeah, but their stupid fucking plan nearly blew up in their faces.”

“Mine to rescue you didn’t fare much better, did it?”

Spencer stares at me, then tips his head back and laughs. And relief floods through my body. I’ve been worried about him, worried the stay in that damn awful cell had broken him somehow. At times he’s always been a grumpy asshole, but mostly he isn’t. Most of the time he’s upbeat, fun to be around. I haven’t seen much of that side of him over the last 24 hours. But hearing him laugh, that deep bellyful Spencer laugh, is a relief. He’s going to be okay.

“It was fucking cocky as hell,” Spencer chuckles.

I scrub my hand through the locks of my hair sheepishly. “Yeah, it was. And I’m …” I meet his eyes, “I’m sorry about what happened to your friend.”

He nods his head. “I wonder how many of my kind will be left by the time your dad is through.”

“Which is why I’m sure that premonition Rhi’s mom saw is correct. My dad is a sadistic, power-hungry bastard. He’ll want Rhianna’s powers. We have to stop him.”

I leaveSpencer warming up by the fire and go in search of Rhianna. I find her up in the main bedroom, curled up on the window seat with her friend and her pig. They’re whispering and giggling together but it all stops when I enter.

“Were you talking about me?” I ask, leaning against one of the posts of the bed.

“We were talking about girl’s stuff,” Winnie says, “things that are none of your business.”

I eye them both. Why do I suspect Rhi was giving her friend a lowdown about what happened between the two of us right after she drained the drugs from my body?

Thinking about what happened between us has me wanting to walk her friend out of the room so I can throw Piglet down on the bed.

My eyes lock with Rhi’s and my bond pulsates in my stomach. The bond is new and it wants us together.

“Okay guys, I get the hint,” Winnie says, ducking her head down and collecting the pig up into her arms. “I’m leaving, okay.”

“Wh-what?” Rhi says, struggling to drag her eyes away from me. “You don’t have to go.”

“Pip and I are clearly in the way here.” The pig squeaks in protest. “They want to tear each other’s clothes off, Pip, and wearein the way.” Winnie scuttles away towards the door and Rhi makes a lunge for her, missing. In the doorway, her friend waves at us.

“Have fun.” And then she shuts the door.

“Is she always so blunt?” I ask, swinging my gaze back around toward Rhianna and finding her charging towards me.

At first I fling my hands up to protect myself, assuming I must have done something wrong and am going to meet her wrath. But instead of pelting me with angry magic, she pushes me hard against my chest. It takes me by surprise and I fall back onto the mattress, the girl crawling on top of me immediately and straddling my lap.

I still don’t know what the hell is going on, but when shereaches for the hem of her sweater and pulls it over her head along with her top, I get a fair idea.