Chapter

Feeling like an agitated mess of sweat isn't fun. No sleep again. I've slept less these past two weeks than I ever brfore in my life. Now I'm exhausted and hotter than ever - and not in a good way.

I'm ready to get into the night air and pray it offers a breeze. I almost dive off the RV, my hair dampened by the sticky air I left inside.

The small breeze feels good, but it's not enough. I need a freaking ice tub right now. I feel so sick, so tired, and my headache is back with a vengeance. I wish more than anything I could feel the cool arms of Jase wrapping around me and saving me from this sweltering suffocation and miserable pain.

The other massive vehicles form a circle around us as they park. Jase's RV is unloading all the important officials. Jase doesn't get out though. Neither does Simone, and that makes me sicker than I already am.

I decide I'm too curious to know what's going on inside that RV, and I can't help it. I step into it without getting stopped this time. I walk through the narrow aisle lined with bunks until my heart stops.

I gape at the bottom bunk where Jase is asleep with Simone pressed against him. His arms are behind his head, but one of hers is draped over his waist. I can't believe she did this. I can't believe-

"Aria?" he asks, waking up when my panicked thoughts grow too loud.

He looks down to my traitorous friend... the girl I called my sister, and then he looks back up to me with dull, indifferent eyes.

"It's not-"

"Not what it looks like?" I ask, laughing bitterly while turning away. "Do whatever. I don't care. Tell Simone to get the fuck out of my house. I don't feel like speaking to her."

I almost fall out of the RV on my way through the camp. I can't see the water from here, but I can smell it. We have to be close to a lake or a pond of some sort, and I'm desperate to cool down.

"Aria?" Kellan says when he sees me rifling through my bag. "What's wrong?"

"Simone's on a mission to prove a point apparently. You'll probably be her next target."

He glances up, and my eyes follow him as the chill of a full blood gets too close.

"Aria, she was hot," Jase growls, sounding more annoyed than apologetic or explanatory. "We have more hybrids with us than full bloods. They sort of absorbed all the cool air. You're being crazy right now, especially since you and I aren't together."

Kellan tightens his lips upon hearing Jase's words, not that Jase gave a damn about how loud he said them. The whole camp is watching us like some old school drama show.

"Whatever," I murmur. "Go cool my ex-best friend down some more. I'm going for a swim."

I walk away, refusing to meet Kellan's eyes or Jase's either. After pulling my shirt over my head, I drop it to the ground. My head is absolutely killing me right now. So much so, that I feel like getting away. For some reason, I feel the urge to head north, see what's waiting for me.

Just the mere thought of heading away makes my headache somewhat better. Maybe I should try it. I've got so much vacation time built up. I'll do this, and then I'll head up there when the council rules in favor of Kellan.

After blurring around to get into my swimsuit, I find the lake. It's not very inviting, with the creepy creature eyes of the dark staring at me. We drove all day, barely stopping here at all. We've got two hours before we have to leave again.

I dive in, ignoring the strange birds warning me away with their squawks. The water is so fucking cold, and it feels incredible. Holy shit I could live here.

It doesn't offer me the reprieve Jase's touch brings, but it's better than nothing. At least I'm not on fire right now, though my head is still banging.

I start floating on my back, ignoring the splash of someone joining me. I'm sure everyone is burning up by now, so I'm not surprised someone else needs the cool water as well.

Strong hands rip me up, and my legs wrap around the waist of the dirty blond hybrid hiding the same secrets as I am.

"Hot?" I muse, completely avoiding talking about what just happened.

"Incredibly."

I force a smile and bring my arms around his neck. As his lips find mine, I hear several other splashes.

"I guess we weren't the only ones," he chuckles out, our lips moving apart.

I hear a familiar voice calling to me, and I duck under the water, hiding like a child who doesn't want to be found.

"Where's Aria?" Simone asks, apparently finding Kellan.

The water muffles their sounds, but I can still understand their conversation.

"She-" he stops when I grab the firmest part of his body, and his breath catches. "You just missed her."

I cling to him, ready to hurt him terribly if he gives me up.

"Jase said she's pissed, but it's stupid. I was just hot. Tell her to find me. She should know better than to think I would do anything with him."

Sleeping in his arms is bad enough, traitor .

"Sure. I'll tell her, but she won't believe you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she scoffs.

"Well, you've been looking at me like an unwrapped present all day. Then you climb into bed with her ex... it doesn't exactly look good."

Shit. Don't grill her, you asshole. Let her leave .

I wish he could read my mind right now. I grip him tighter, telling him what I can't say aloud. He just gets harder under my hand, which tells me I'm only turning him on - not hurting him.

Great.

"I haven't been... I never... You're putting shit in her head, you bastard."

"Aria is the one who brought it up. Personally, I'm used to it."

He's damn lucky I don't need air to survive. I'd be kicking his ass twice as hard if I did.

My foot feels something that draws my attention away from the awkward conversation they're sharing. I swim down without disturbing the water over me, and I start feeling the oddity with my hands instead of my feet.

It's a line... a power line. Underwater?

I lose all interest in Simone's denial as I start pulling myself with the line, following where it leads. I haven't got long before we have to load up and go, but I can't help but be curious. Who would have an insulated power line laid under water?

Before I realize how far I've gone, I hear a buzzing - a place where the electricity meets the end of the line. Through the murky water, I have little visibility. It makes it impossible to see what's going on.

I surge to the top, breathing in a comfortable breath as I start climbing up the embankment. It looks simple, plain even. It's just a regular field beside the lake. Where the hell does the electricity go?

"Aria!" Jase yells, his night vision finding me as he swims the distance between us.

Go away. I don't want to talk to you right now.

"I don't really give a damn. You're out of the safe zone we established. Get your ass back to the convoy," he growls while climbing up the embankment to join me in my fruitless staring.

"I'm checking something out. I'll just be a minute. It could be nothing, or it could be something."

I avoid looking at his perfectly sculpted body under the moonlight. His jeans are soaked, his ripped upper body is exposed, and my heart can't be still. Before he can acknowledge my thoughts or refute my off-mission probing, I speak again.

"I'm taking a vacation once the council decides Kellan is innocent. I'm going to use my full month of days. Just thought I'd let you know."

He breathes out heavily, sitting down as I start prodding the land with an oversized stick. I catch his eyes wandering to my skimpy, almost bare body, but he looks away the second he knows I see him.

"The council decided five minutes ago that Kellan was a free man. He'll have a probationary time where he'll be watched with a great deal of scrutiny, but the evidence you presented them with was enough to convince them you were right about him. I'm still not so sure."

I ignore his last bit, and then I poke harder against the ground. "Good. Then I'll take my time when we get back. I've got somewhere I need to go."

"Where?" he asks, leaning back as his eyes glance across the lake to the others slowly coming to join us.

"North. I feel like I need to go that way. Every time I think about going, the headache lessens."

He tilts his head, and then he stands up and puts his hand on my shoulder, just barely touching me. The relief is instant, and my eyes almost roll back in my head as I revel in the painless reprieve.

"The headache lessens when I touch you as well, but you do everything you can to run away from me."

I ignore the pain in his voice, my eyes coming back to rest on the ground. I'm sure Simone would be more adventurous for him. It's safer if he's not with me.

"Stop acting like I want Simone. And don't pull that safety bullshit with me," he gripes, flopping back down and allowing my headache to return.

It's true. You're the commander and I'm the daughter of an emergent's daughter. It's too dangerous. There's a long, long list of reasons we can't be together. Don't focus on that one.

"Your father was the commander, and he married your mother while fully aware of who she was."

Like I said, don't focus on that one detail.

"You'll always have an excuse, Aria. What it really comes down to is the fact you want your counter. Do you really think it's Kellan?" he scoffs, mockery in his tone.

"I've never thought that around you," I murmur in a crackling tone, feeling guilty for the mere mention of such a thing around him.

He laughs bitterly, his eyes not meeting mine. "No, but Simone has. Her mind was full of glorious details I wish I had never seen."

"Then I guess you shouldn't have curled up in bed with her."

My stick breaks in my hand when I find a spot in the ground that isn't as soft as it appears to be.

Ha!

"What is it?" he asks while avoiding my last snarky remark and showing interest in my hollow discovery.

"I don't know, but there's power running into the side of the dirt, and this is a metal hull. I bet it's another underground facility."

"Shit," he murmurs more to himself than me, and then he calls out to the ones closest to us.

"Grab the others. Aria just found a bunker."

They quickly swim back across, and within seconds, I hear people from all over diving in to cross the lake. Kellan is the first one to join me at my side, and his hand deliberately slides across my waist as a territorial claim.

"What's going on?" he asks, his eyes laughing at the full blood who he doesn't want to have me.

Jase rolls his eyes, not impressed with Kellan's maneuver.

"Try not to piss on me," I whisper to only Kellan, but I almost see Jase smile.

There's no way in hell he overheard that even though he is so close to me. He can't read my mind as long as Kellan's grip is on me.

Kellan casts me a scolding look, and I shrug while kneeling in front of the spot that needs to be dug up.

"Stop. It has electricity on it," Kellan murmurs while kneeling beside me. "It's designed to shock the fuck out of anyone who tries to touch it."

"What are you talking about? It's just grass and dirt," a captain interjects as Kellan rubs his hands together.

I whisper low once again. "I'm not fazed by electricity."

He smirks while staring down, feeling the invisible rhythm of the currents. "Good to know."

I roll my eyes at the obvious innuendo, and then I stand up as he works his magic. He deserves to be the hero right now.

Simone joins us, taking a step toward me, and I look away, disgusted by the sight of her. Jase frowns, reminding me he can read my mind now that Kellan isn't touching me.

"That explains a lot," he says in a disgruntled huff that wasn't meant to be overheard.

Kellan doesn't acknowledge anything but the ground in front of him, and Simone is practically foaming at the mouth for him as he starts spinning his own currents of electricity to counteract the waves in the ground before we get stung.

She seems mesmerized by him as he forces the currents to reverse and manipulates the electric waves to open the hidden hatch that lifts under his hands enough to prove how right I was.

"Guns," Jase whispers to the others.

We've already been too loud. They'll be waiting.

He nods while handing me a gun as another man disperses the weapons he managed to keep dry. Kellan looks at Jase when the man offers him one.

"Take it. You've been cleared of your charges."

Kellan doesn't hold back his smug smirk, and then he willingly takes it while leaning over to his anklet. His purple electricity surrounds the device and it flops off after deactivating.

A lot of good that would have done.

Jase grumbles under his breath, and Kellan just keeps his arrogant smirk intact while lifting the hatch. The electric hybrid is the first to drop through the hole, and I grimace as I look down to my slinky bikini.

Perfect fighting attire.

Jase takes my hand, relieving me of the pain in my head as he guides me toward the edge. I drop down, falling into Kellan's arms as he gives me a quick kiss on the lips.

Jase follows, ignoring our closeness as he takes the lead with his gun drawn. Seeing my full blood heartbreaker shirtless and still wet from the lake is too distracting. It's almost painfully distracting.

He motions to a general who bounds toward the front. He's a stocky hybrid, wearing only his boxers. We're the worst team ever.

Jase stifles a grin when he finds the same comedy in the general's attire, and then he motions for Kellan to join the general. Kellan kisses my head once more before going to aide in taking lead.

Jase reaches for my hand, and then he whispers so soft that even I can barely hear him. "You won't be able to focus with your head hurting like that."

As bad as I hate to admit it, he's right.

Fine, but I hope this doesn't cause problems for you and Simone.

He rolls his eyes as if he's agitated, and I join him, accepting his hand and reveling in the relief it brings me. I need to see if one of the other full bloods can help me out. It's too painful to hold his hand. The headache might be gone, but the heartbreak is still very much there.

He squeezes my hand, and I try to stop thinking as we stealthily make our way through the underground passage.

Kellan shakes his head, halting the stalk, and then he steps out to throw free his purple streaks. I watch in amazement as they round the halls, searching for prey to stalk, and then I hear the screams of men who were ready to ambush us.

"There might be more," he whispers, looking at Jase who can't read his mind, then his eyes fall on our hands.

Jase smirks, like he's the one who's smug now, and Kellan turns away, unwilling to give the commander too much time to gloat.

I feel like a piece of meat.

Jase leans over, pulling me in front of him as the halls narrow, and his breath finds my ear before his whispered words.

"Prime rib perhaps."

I would laugh, but it's not the time for laughter. He always did know how to make me smile at the worst possible moment.

"You were mine first, and you'll be mine again," he adds while guiding me through the curves of the labyrinth.

I was always yours, but you never trusted me enough to be mine.

His grip on me tightens as he fights the urge to pull me closer. I feel the restraint in his touch until he can't take it anymore. He whips me around, stealing my breath, but before he can make a scene, whimpers draw our attention.

"Children," my hushed voice releases, my whole body becoming rigid and weighted by the terror tainting the air.

Jase takes the lead, his gun drawn and my hand forgotten, as he hurries up the rescue. I hear gunshots ringing out, bodies dropping, and scuffles as a few opposing step out. Simone steps into action when gifted hybrids emerge, preparing to unleash their gifts.

Even in a skimpy bikini, she's a force to be reckoned with. The blood falls from their eyes, noses, and ears before they can strike, and they crumble to their knees, writhing in pain. Kellan takes out several more, letting his purple beauties fly free as the men convulse and fall.

He's so powerful. I'm so jealous. I'm as worthless as a human.

"In here," Jase yells when the men opposing us are disabled.

I round the corner to see the numerous men dropped to the ground, all of them shot to death. He did all this? Alone? Damn that's hot.

He jerks me to him and motions to the box on the side of the wall. "Alright, tech girl. Your turn."

I stare at it curiously, realizing it's tapped to an explosive behind the door.

"Shit," I murmur to myself.

"Let me try," Kellan says with purple swarming his hands.

"It'll blow. One powerful surge, and it'll set off a chain reaction before we can do anything about it," I counter distractedly as I break apart the box.

Kellan's heated breaths are close, but not as close as the deliciously chilled ones on the top of my head as Jase towers over me, keeping his hands on my waist to relieve me of my headache while I focus. The wires are a mess, but it only takes me a few seconds to disable them, unarming the bomb as the door springs open.

I double over, hands on my knees, and I take a deep, relieved breath after seeing proof of my success.

"You did it," Jase murmurs softly, pulling me with him and forcing my wobbly legs to move.

Kellan stays on my heels, and we all hurriedly race until we're brought to the end of a corridor that breaks our hearts.

Locked up, devastatingly neglected, painfully forgotten, and callously abused are the children in the cells lining the walls. There are at least ten of them. Dirty, sad, terrified children shiver in the corners, huddling together for fear of what we've come to do.

They have track marks all over their arms from someone using a uranium-dipped needle to draw their blood. The wounds haven't healed because they've been refused blood.

Dark circles line their eyes that have sunk in. Before puberty, our kind needs food as much as any human. These children have been starved, beaten, and toyed with like science experiments.

Then I see why. I get sick - a dark, sinking feeling taking over. This is so, so much worse than I realized.

"Emergents," one older full blood whispers, treating the word as if it's blasphemous, and I go pale under the dim glow of the one-light room.

Jase is beside me, along with Kellan in that instant. Kellan looks at me, worrying what is about to happen.

"What's an emergent?" another asks, breaking the spell of silence that has descended upon all of us who know the answer.

They'll kill them. They'll kill all of them.

Jase's hand returns to mine, lacing our fingers together. My headache disappears, but the sickness in my stomach strikes all the harder.

My fearful inner comment is ignored as Jase turns toward the men. "Anyone who doesn't have the rank of a captain or higher, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to step outside and join the ones guarding the entrance."

Please don't let them kill them.

He looks at me, pulling me a little closer to him as the others disperse.

"Go topside. I'll come find you when we're done."

I nod, feeling sick all the same, and then I see another set of children - another ten -on the far side of the cell, blocked off by the segregating bars. They too have a secret, one I've never seen for myself, but it carries the same death sentence.

Their eyes are mixed - one pale blue, one cosmic blue. This is so tragic.

Jase, they're half hybrid and half full blood. They'll kill them too. Please don't let them.

His face goes pale as he stares at the children hugging each other, terrified for their lives. He doesn't say anything, and warm hands rip me away as Kellan steers me toward the outside.

"We'll figure this out," he whispers, keeping his voice too low to be heard by anyone else.

Simone steps out of the shadows, halting the men I never saw drawing their guns, when she brings them to their knees. They cry tears of blood, agony in their voices as they beg for mercy.

Kellan pulls me to him when I try to rush in. They'll kill her for this. What is she doing?

"Under the Civil Law of the United, I have the right to subdue any man willing to kill a child of undetermined lineage without first calling a committee meeting for a vote. As the daughter of Clay Jude, I have the ability to kill every one of you if you so much as think about touching one of them."

"You bitch," one scoffs. "You have no right."

"She does," Jase says, coming back from whatever trance he was stuck in. "That's enough, Dr. Jude. I've got this."

She releases her hold on them. Her threat proves to be a bluff when her eyes roll back in her head and she passes out from the overexertion of her gift. Kellan catches her before she slaps the ground, and he cradles her in his arms.

We can't go now. I have to hear this. I have to know what's going to happen.

I lean back, finding a dark crevice to hide in as I listen for the voices around the corner. Kellan walks by, carrying Simone through the hallway, assuming I've already gone ahead.

"Simone Jude was out of line, Commander. You should-"

"Don't you dare tell me what I should do, General. You should remember who out ranks who here. Raise your gun at these children again, and you'll be serving lunch in the mess halls instead of leading brigades. As of right now, I'm calling these children recovered prisoners of war. Until the council meets, they are to be treated no differently.

"That's the law. Simone Jude is an officer of the United, and therefore she did what she had to in order to uphold the law. You men were not given the order to shoot, nor were you instructed to draw your weapons on a defenseless child. As a result, all of you who did so will be judged by the council as well.

"The children will come back with me. We'll take an RV, and we'll deal with this matter. The rest of you will stay here. Our original mission is being put on hold. You'll move the vehicles several miles away and camouflage them. Then you'll set up an ambush. It's very likely these men will return. I'm sick of them being ahead of us. It's our turn to get ahead.

"Those of you who didn't draw your weapon will run the show until I return. Once I've sorted out this situation, the council can deal with those of you who have disgraced the United with your callous actions here today."

With that, he's done, and I slink back farther in my crack. I listen to the shuffle of footsteps, and then I see the trembling, silent children holding back their whimpers as they pass in front of me.

My heart breaks, feeling the agony as though it's my own. The months and months of torture they've endured hits me as if I'm living it myself. I've always felt too empathetic, and right now it's painful. I usually can't cipher whose feelings I'm feeling, but this is obvious, and with so many of them sharing the same tormenting memories, I'm almost crying out from the pain running off them.

Jase is suddenly in front of me, pulling me from the crack. I half expect him to chastise me for my insubordination, but he takes my hand instead.

"You're coming back with me," he murmurs softly.

Jase, I have to tell you something.

He looks at me, his expectant, beautiful eyes glistening hopefully. I'm sure he's not expecting to hear what I'm about to tell him though.

Kellan is an emergent hybrid like my mother. He needs to come back too. We may have to run.

Jase's eyes widen, and then a flicker of pain passes through. He looks away, but he keeps my hand in his.

"That explains so much. Is that why you think he's your counter?"

I look around, not feeling too at ease about so many being around for this conversation.

I don't know if he is or isn't, but he'd be strong enough to be. There's a draw, it's... it's not what I expected, but it's there.

He nods, his lips tightening and his grip becoming painful on my hand. He loosens his hold immediately upon hearing my inner pronouncement of pain, but he doesn't drop it all together.

"Do you love him?"

Not at all.

Hope reappears in his eyes, and now I feel as though I've given him the wrong answer. I should have lied, told him I did love him, because I know what will happen one day. He knows it too.

"It doesn't have to happen, Aria. You've never gone savage. If he does, then you do what you have to do. I love you too much to give you up. I wish you'd see that."

The pain in his voice carries more weight than I care to acknowledge. I can't be with him. It's not fair. My anger for his lie has subsided more with each passing day, but I know, as much as I wish it wasn't true in this moment, Kellan is my counter.

Jase says nothing else, and I wish he could tune out my mind to keep from overhearing my words of heartbreak.

"Let's get the children loaded up, and then we'll feed them," he murmurs softly.

Tears threaten my eyes, but I hold them back. If they're that afraid of a few small children, what would happen if they saw my violet eyes?

Jase is the first in the RV behind the children. I stand off to the side, waiting for Kellan to return from our RV, carrying our bags.

I look at him apologetically, grimacing slightly for having revealed his secret to Jase. He reads me without needing to get inside my mind, further proving our connection.

"You told him?" he grumbles. "Shit, Aria."

"I had to. You would have been left behind, and I might need your help getting these kids out of the United," I whisper, keeping our conversation just between us.

He smirks, running his thumb over my lips as I pretend my head isn't about to rupture. Maybe I can learn to love him. Mom loved Dad and he was her counter. Most all counters fall head-over-heels in love... eventually. Maybe we're just off to a slow start.

"You're ready to be a fugitive with me?" he whispers.

"If it'll keep them safe, then let's go play Bonnie and Clyde - minus the bank robberies of course."

My light joke doesn't make him laugh. The way he looks at me changes from mischievously sexy to genuinely affectionate and endearing. My head hurts too badly to keep pretending it doesn't though, and I grab it when it becomes too much.

"Aria, that's not natural. We have to find out what's going on. Not to mention, you're sweating like a melting human right now."

"That's because I'm burning alive. Are you not hot?"

He studies me intensely, regarding me with nothing but seriousness in his caring eyes.

"I'm hot, but I'm not suffering the way you are."

His concern is authentic and in no way forced. If I could ever get over Jase, I could be with Kellan the way I'm supposed to be. I know it now more than ever that he's meant for me, but my heart still belongs to Jase.

"Where's Simone?" I ask, ready to shift the topic.

"I put her in the bed she slept in on the way out here," he says with a shrug, intentionally provoking my anger.

She slept in Jase's bed, and although he didn't just say that, it feels like he was subtly reminding me how betrayed I just felt. I don't like this game.

"You need air. Let's crank it up and see if we can get you cooled down," he says softer, showing his concern again.

I nod, allowing him to take my hand briefly before I'm forced to pull it back and grip my head again. He lets me walk in front of him, keeping his hand on the small of my back as he guides me through the narrow passage of the massive RV.

It's at least forty-feet long and fourteen-feet wide. It's a house on wheels, and it takes a special sort of skill to drive, a skill I lack. As long as the children bunk three or four together, we'll have plenty of room.

The last time I was in this RV, I had to see Jase and Simone cuddled up together. I really hope he's not tending to her right now. I hope he's not lying in bed beside her.

Kellan stays behind me, stopping to store our stuff in one of the overhead compartments I'm too short to reach

I look around to see so many children, all of them too afraid to let go of each other as they cling to one another for security.

Blood mats their hair, fear stains their eyes, and tortured agony burdens their young faces. I want to do something, say something, but I'd only frighten them more.

I've never been good with kids. Mom's the one for this job, but I can't tell her. She'd slaughter anyone who got in her way and make it her mission to save them. I'll just save them the sneaky way.

"You won't have to do it alone," Jase murmurs from out of nowhere, startling me as he comes out of a back room.

A small girl clings to his hand as she hides behind his leg. She peeks out with her mismatched blues, and then tucks her head back behind him again when her eyes catch mine. It's painful to see them so terrified of us.

"Who's driving?" Kellan asks while squatting down beside a group of emergent hybrids, pretending he's not paying them attention as they study him.

"Mel is about to be here. She wasn't far away, and she's going to leave her men here to help ours out with the ambush. She'll drive us back, and we'll try to get these kids cared for. They need food, water, showers, and so much more. Mel is stopping in Carontine, a town not far from here, and she'll bring them back some clothing from there. It won't take her much longer."

"They need medical attention too," Simone says while slowly rising from her slumber and wiping her bloody nose and staring at the red trail on her hand it left behind. "I knew that was going to hurt."

"You shouldn't have done that," Kellan says, seeming worried about her blood loss.

"I had to. Jase was spaced out, and they were about to shoot before asking questions. Fucking animals."

I cringe, glancing around at the kids.

"They've heard worse, Aria," Kellan murmurs while kissing my hand.

Jase turns his eyes away, and I drop to a bed, grabbing my head and praying for relief. My prayers are answered by way of a cool, incredible touch on my shoulder. The little girl who was hiding behind my full blood runs off to huddle with a group.

"Have you been able to sleep at all?" Jase asks while lowering down to sit beside me, pushing all my pain away with just his gentle touch.

That feels so good.

He smiles a little, and Kellan steps up to knock his hand away from me.

"What the hell are you doing?" he gripes, growing tired of the commander's affectionate attitude.

Simone rolls her eyes while pulling out packs of blood to disperse to the children who greedily guzzle it down, gratitude beaming from their eyes. Jase starts to get up, but I pull him back down, desperate to feel the relief only he provides.

"It doesn't hurt when Jase is touching me," I murmur, gasping as the relief floods me deeper, banishing the feeling of being lost and needing to be somewhere.

Jase smiles smugly, fueling the fire in Kellan's eyes. The full blood loves provoking the hybrid emergent, but right now I don't care. I need his comfort, his relief. I'd bottle it if I could.

"Simone," Jase says, souring the moment of peace I felt when I hear her name on his lips.

She looks up, a stinging burn in her eyes when I cut away from her gaze.

She's seriously looking to me for permission to answer? She should have asked for permission to sleep with the only guy I've ever loved.

"For fuck's sake, Aria. We didn't sleep together the way you're assuming," Jase scolds, making me ready to endure the headache and escape his touch.

I rip away and plop down on a bunk beside some quiet, trembling children.

"Yeah," Simone huffs, finally acknowledging Jase as I try to think of a way to help these kids.

"You never took my blood, and you wanted to find a way to help Aria. Now's as good a time as any," he murmurs, letting me feel his chastising eyes falling on me.

I ignore him as I lean over and pull out my contacts in front of the violet-eyed children. For the first time, they all make a sound, gasping as they stare at me in disbelief.

Kellan smiles when he sees what I'm doing, and he joins me on the bunk, following my lead as he too pulls out his contacts. The children all fall over each other to wiggle to the end of the bed, feeling my face with their dirty hands.

The blood has healed their wounds that show on the surface, but I can't imagine what it'll take to heal the scars we can't see.

"You're one of us," a little girl whispers. "You both are."

Kellan nods as a little boy takes my hand, feeling the lines with his fingers as he stares attentively at it. "You're more than us," he murmurs, glancing up from my hand.

He's already gifted. "You can tell what I am just by feeling my hand?" I ask, suddenly curious about his ability.

"It's my gift," he says, and then he takes Kellan's hand.

I stare, watching the small child no older than seven, as he studies the lines in Kellan's hand. His tattered shirt reveals his side and part of his back. His ragged pants are barely even staying up on him. It's enough to make me want to cry, and without worrying about anyone seeing my secret, I let the tears fall freely.

"You ready?" Simone asks, holding a knife over Jase's arm.

"Do what you need to, but keep anything you find to yourself," he whispers, making her eyes glisten with curiosity.

More secrets?

My mental scoff goes unanswered. Jase stares at the bed of children as they all fawn over Kellan and myself.

"Let's cook," Kellan murmurs, kissing my the side of my head that is trying to explode.

I force a smile while standing up and heading to the kitchen area. At least the children are warming up now that they know they have someone on their side. I'll make sure they grow up... if they can.

Emergent hybrids rarely live past puberty. How will we help them?

"Kellan?" I murmur in a whisper too soft to be overheard.

"Mm?" he says while pulling down pans and sifting through the small fridge.

"How did you make it? Mom had a drug given to her when she was a child that blocked out the full brunt of her power until she was centuries old. It saved her life. What about you?"

He glances over to the children, realizing the tragic prompt for my query. "I just got lucky. That's all it was. It's rare we survive past twelve or thirteen, and though it was a painful change, I survived it. Did you have any problems?"

"None," I murmur in huffed disappointment.

I was really hoping for insight. Pure dumb luck isn't going to disperse very well around a group this big.

Maybe Simone can come up with something. The oldest kid here looks barely eight. That gives us a few years to work with.

As Kellan prepares the food, I wobble to the back. The sound of the shower falling rings out, and I smile lightly as I hear a small cluster of giggles. Something as simple as a shower is exciting them.

I find the back room where there are changing areas and various other things. I see something foul, and then I smell it. A child got sick back here. I bet that's what Jase was doing with the little girl. She ran when she got sick, and he had to coax her out.

If my head wasn't hurting already, it would be aching from the empathetic misery I'm enduring. My heightened senses have always left me vulnerable to pain those around me experience. Their misery becomes mine. I hate it.

I love touching Jase because my empathy switch gets turned way down, turning into insight rather than a true feeling, and sparing me the emotions of others. Maybe it's because he has some special link to the mind.

Right now, between the foreign infection intruding upon my mind and the suffering trauma of the children, my head feels like there are needles and knives in it.

The heat is suffocating, though it doesn't seem to be bothering the others as much. Tears fall as the pain becomes unbearable, and suddenly cool arms are wrapping around me, saving me from my misery.

"You never answered me earlier," Jase murmurs softly as I fall into him without meaning to. "When's the last time you slept?"

He steadies me, filling me with such glorious relief. I shake my head, shrugging after.

"It's not easy to sleep when you feel like I feel."

He frowns and then helps me up.

"Let's go lay down. You can go to sleep, and I'll make sure it's a painless, peaceful sleep."

I stare at him, unsure of what to say. I can't lie down with him, not knowing how much I still... stop thinking. Stop thinking.

"It's not negotiable. I'm the commander," he says sweetly, kissing my forehead and chilling me with his incredible breath.

It all feels so good.

"My sister will be here in a minute. Kellan and Simone can handle the children."

Crap. Kellan's never going to stand by and let me climb in bed beside Jase. He won't understand. Gah, this is so frustrating.

"If he's really your counter, and if he really cares, he'll keep his mouth shut. You're hurting. You're hurting enough to cry, and I know that takes a lot. I've seen you a bloody mess and cracking jokes. This is bad.

"Simone's going to experiment with my blood and yours when we get back. Let's hope she finds a cure, otherwise you'll just have to start staying with me all the time."

His beautiful grin shines free and butterflies ruffle through my stomach in response.

"Come on," he murmurs, when my mouth refuses to release a word.

Kellan is feeding the kids when we emerge. Simone is close by, helping disperse the food to the starving orphans.

Jase motions to the bed, and he holds my hand, keeping the pain away, as I climb in first. Kellan narrows his eyes and then stalks toward us as Jase climbs in next, ducking low to keep from slapping his head on the top bunk.

"What the-"

"She's hurting bad enough to cry. You really want to make her endure that just so you can try to stake your claim?" Jase says in interruption.

I can't look up. I don't want to see the scrutiny in Kellan's eyes.

"You just want to get inside her mind with your twisted little gift you shouldn't have. You're probably the reason her fucking head hurts like that," Kellan barks.

"Stop," I mumble, pushing my head into a pillow as I turn away from them, letting my head rest on Jase's arm. "Please. I just want some sleep."

Kellan grumbles under his breath, but I can't deal with him right now. I'm sweating, miserable from the heat caused by so many young hybrids in here.

"Why is she sweating like that?" Kellan asks.

My stomach churns when I hear Simone answer, her voice still sounding like nails on a chalkboard to me after seeing her with Jase.

"I don't know, but I don't like it. If her temperature gets too high, it'll force her body to shut down. Hybrids aren't usually fragile. We overheat often, but we usually cool down just as quickly. However, Aria's system has been screwed up for almost two weeks. I can't find anything wrong with her blood either."

"What happens if she shuts down?" Jase asks, sounding worried.

"I don't know. Comas are common. It could take her months to snap out of it. You should cool her down."

I look over to see Kellan grinding his teeth, but he doesn't object the way I expect him to. He just walks away, leaving me in the saving arms of my full blood.

Jase wraps his arms around me, and his cool breath falls over my face. I'm instantly feeling the relief from the heat. I almost moan at the delicious chill he fills me with.

Thank you.

He smiles while kissing my forehead, pulling me closer. His lips on my head make me think back to so many times I've felt those lips in less innocent places.

Puppies, cats, butterflies, puppy breath.

Jase lets a small chuckle free, making my cheeks run hot despite their newfound cool. I just roll my eyes, not acknowledging his teasing glow.

"I'm here, and I've got clothes for the kids," Melanie's voice chimes in, but she stumbles to a halt when she sees us cuddled up together.

"You're back together? Thank fuck," she says in dramatic exasperation, making me look curiously to Jase.

He lets out a disgruntled huff, and then he pulls me closer to his deliciously icy body that seems to be getting colder to aide me in cooling down.

"They're not together. It's a long story," Simone chimes in when she sees the seething hybrid glaring at us with his furious eyes that have been masked again by the hybrid blues.

"O... kay," she releases with a slow draw. "I'll get this thing moving. You can fill me in on your plan later."

Jase nods, and then I look at him. You have a plan? Care to clue me in?

He smiles as he kisses my forehead again. Kellan has fortunately joined Melania in the front to keep her company as she drives. I'm sure it's not too fun to watch me curl up with my full blood.

Jase smiles, letting me know my mind is running its mouth again.

"Don't worry about the kids. I'll get them out if I have to," he murmurs softly, his perfect lips finding my forehead once more, making me wish he'd just kiss me.

He does. My unfiltered mind opens the gate for his breath to flood mine as his tongue pushes in, finding mine. I don't fight it like I should either. He tastes so good, feels so perfect, and nothing hurts when I'm with him.

His feather soft lips, chiseled hard body, and a menacing tongue all work together to own me. He pulls me tighter, his hands sliding down my back and tugging me to him as the kiss deepens. Tears start dripping from my eyes, and their acidic drops sizzle against the bed beneath us.

He pulls back, proving he's as breathless as I am as he wipes away one of my tears.

"I'm sorry. I know thinking something isn't the same as really wanting it, but I couldn't help it."

I keep my mind blank to avoid telling him anything else. I offer him a nod before closing my eyes and pressing my head to his chest.

It doesn't take long for my sleep-deprived, exhausted, and drained body to succumb to the sleep I've been desperately seeking.