Read Online Dissonance: An Echo Trilogy Novella (Echo Trilogy, #2.5) by Lindsey Fairleigh - Free Book Online Page B

angles.”
    I split my gaze between Dominic and Re-Nik for several long
seconds, then settled my focus on the more ancient of the two. I was confounded
by his apparent indifference to how this might’ve happened, but I put that
aside for the moment. “While figuring out who did this is definitely a top
priority, I think getting rid of the danger is probably a smidgen more
important at the moment.” As Dominic reached into his trouser pocket for his
cell phone, my eyes snapped to him. “Do not call Marcus right now.”
    His dark gaze burned into me, his sharp features tense. “He needs
to know.”
    “Not yet.” I took a deep breath and set my jaw, preparing for a
prolonged stare-down. It was a tactic that usually worked on Dominic on the
rare occasion that we were at odds with one another. Not this time. As he
inhaled to argue further, I cut him off with, “It’s pointless to tell Marcus
now. We’re too far away for him to be able to do anything but worry.”
    I could see Dominic’s determination wavering.
    “We’ll go back to the car and I’ll sit in there like a good little Meswett until Neffe gets back, and I promise I’ll
tell Marcus everything as soon as we get home. But if you tell Marcus now,
he’ll demand that we return immediately, and Neffe won’t be able to finish her
research on poor little Tarsi .  . .” I
stared into his eyes, pleading with my own. I couldn’t stand the idea of Tarset being frozen in time for a second longer than
necessary. “Dom, please.”
    Finally, Dominic gave a single, slow nod. “But if we sense even a
hint of danger, we’re leaving immediately.”
    “I believe the only threat to Alexandra on this day is sitting on
the table,” Re-Nik said, pointing to the slender box with his chin. “Clearly
whoever planted the watch on Dr. Ramirez intended for it to find its way to
Alexandra, and we can safely assume that their objective was not simply to kill
her, but to remove her from existence entirely.”
    I frowned. “Isn’t that sort of the same thing?”
    “No, my Alexandra, it is not.”
    I raised my eyebrows.
    “Had you touched the pocket watch, in time, it would have been as
though you’d never existed at all.” He leaned forward, elbows on the table and
fingers steepled together. “The past would have
rearranged into a pattern absent of you entirely. And considering your recent
trip into ancient times, anyone can see that the ramifications would be
enormous.” He nodded slowly to himself, his eyes squinted in thought. “But had you touched the watch, it would have taken quite a while to unravel the
threads of your existence completely and weave those that remain back together
in a new pattern, so .  . .” He nodded
again, more definitively this time. “It seems fairly obvious to me that you are
quite safe right now, especially from whoever laid the trap. The deceiver has
invested in this particular offensive.” He looked at me, certainty written all
over his face. “Killing you would be counterproductive, at present.”
    I blew out a breath and slouched back in my chair, mimicking Kat.
“Well, isn’t that a relief,” I said sarcastically.
    “Yeah, not so much,” Nik said, his sarcasm matching mine. His eyes
had returned to their natural pale blue once more, his features transformed to
his harsher, standoffish expression. He reached out and dragged the box closer
to him, then lifted the lid once more.
    “Nik!” I all but shouted as he lowered his hand to the beyond-deadly
pocket watch. “What are you doing?”
    He glanced at me, his eyes steely. “Neutralizing the threat,” he
said, his hand hovering over the watch.
    I saw a flash of quicksilver beneath his palm, and then a
translucent film of pearly At seemed to wink into
existence around the offending device. He’d encased the watch in solidified At .
    I stared at the thing, eyes wide with wonder. The ticking—the
feeling of dread, of revulsion, of wrongness—was gone. It was like the