Page 149 of Shadowblood Souls: The Complete Series

“I think we know everyone’s talent now except yours, Celine,” he says calmly. “What powers do you have? It’d be good to know in case they might come in handy.”

She lets out a giggle with an awkward dip of her head.

“I’m not sure how likely that is out here.

The guardians say my abilities have something to do with magnetism…

I can manipulate certain metals a little, and sometimes I pick up on things like radio waves, cell phone signals…

Haven’t heard any of that on this trip.”

She motions to the wilderness around us with a wry grin.

Nadia gives her a teasing nudge. “We’ll have to put you to work once we make it to the city.”

“It could definitely be useful there.” Jacob stretches his arms over his head and then considers the mousy girl with the earth affinity. “Any chance you can tell us how much farther we’ve got to go before we’re heading down again instead of up?”

Her shoulders come up a bit at his demanding tone. “I—I can’t really feel that far ahead. It’s farther ahead than I can tell, anyway, but I think that only means it’s not, like, ten minutes away.”

Andreas cocks his head, studying the peaks on either side of us.

“From the looks of things, I doubt it’s more than a few hours farther.

We’re not going to make it all the way down the other side before it gets totally dark, but it’d be good if we can push on until we reach the highest point.

We might be able to see the city from there.

It’ll give us something to inspire good dreams before we set off again. ”

Riva stretches her arms out in front of her with a gleam in her eyes. “That would be amazing—to know our goal is in sight.”

Once we’ve reached civilization, we can find out where we are. Start making more plans. See if we can gather more allies.

My heart thumps faster in anticipation, even though those events are at least a day in the future. Then my attention snags on Riva’s next movement.

She sat down a couple of feet away from Griffin, and she’s just slipped her hand around his.

As he looks at her with a quiet smile, my hackles rise automatically.

He’s been helping us with the escape. He hasn’t given me any reason to distrust him since we fled the facility.

But he hasn’t really explained himself either. Justified all the ways he worked against us with Clancy and whatever other guardians.

He helped Clancy form his plan to shove me and Riva together. Shared some of my most private feelings—and hers.

A growl forms at the base of my throat.

I don’t care if Riva’s decided she can trust him. He should prove it—to all of us. Or at least to my three friends who are tied to her as completely as anyone can be with the marks I might never be able to take on my own skin.

Maybe it’s not his fault. The guardians could have put him through all kinds of hell that we don’t know about.

We still need to hear it.

I confessed all my past shit to her. It was a good thing I did.

He should want to for all of our sakes, including his.

I stand up abruptly, my wolf-man features itching at my face. I’m not going to threaten him into it, even if part of me would like to.

When the others glance up at me, I jerk my head toward the area to the left of our path. “I can hear a stream somewhere off that way. Why don’t those of us carrying the jugs go see if it’s worth refilling them.”

That’s just us Firsts. We’ve shouldered the heaviest packs. And we’ve each got at least one empty jug by this point.

We wouldn’t really all need to go, but Dominic gives me a thoughtful nod as he gets to his feet as if he understands I must have some other motivation. Jacob’s eyes flash with sharpened alertness, and Andreas’s easy grin fades.

Riva looks around at the kids with a slight frown. “You’re all okay on your own for a few minutes?”

“Hey, we’re not toddlers,” Nadia says, her tone light enough to show she isn’t offended. She swipes the fringe of her dark pixie cut away from her damp forehead. “And I don’t think any of us would argue with having a plentiful supply of water.”

Griffin has stayed seated on the log. He ruffles his cat’s fur. “I’ll be here with them.”

I fix him with a firm stare. “You should fill up too if it looks like a good source. Come on.”

Griffin gazes back at me, and I know he can pick up on how I’m feeling. The threads of aggression, the determination behind my demand.

Riva makes a small noise as if she’s about to speak, but then Griffin gets up. He lets the cat leap out of his arms and go to the empty can he filled with water for it.

“That’s no problem. I want to do my fair share.”

I have to lead the way, of course, since I’m the one who can supposedly hear the running water. But when I check to confirm that the others are all with me, Riva has twined her fingers with Griffin’s again.

My fingers flex, my claws prickling with the urge to spring free. I keep walking in as straight a line as I can manage until the chatter of the younger shadowbloods has completely faded into the rustling of the leaves and buzzing of the jungle insects.

If my wolfish ears can’t hear them, they definitely won’t hear us.

I turn to face the others, folding my arms over my chest. “There isn’t any stream—at least, not that I’ve heard. I just thought we should talk. The six of us, alone.”

Riva knits her brow. “About what?”

I can protect her and my friends with more than my brutal strength. I can protect her from the secrets we need to be sure won’t come back to haunt us.

I lift my chin toward Griffin. “I think it’s time you told us exactly what happened to you in the past four years—and why we should believe anything you tell us now.”