experiment with your power. Now that I know exactly what it’s like to take hold of another ability, I’m more easily able to recognize it. Like right now,” he says. “I feel as though I could quite literally reach forward and take hold of your energy. It was just as simple with Kenji,” he says. “He was standing right there. My survival instincts took over.”
And even though this is a terrible moment to dwell on these things, I can’t help but allow myself to panic. That Warner can so easily project his powers. With no training. No practice.
He can tap into my abilities and use them as he pleases.
This can’t possibly be good.
Warner’s hands squeeze my shoulders.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“I’m trying to see if I can pass the power on to you—if I can retransfer it and make us both invisible—but it seems I’m unable. Once I’ve taken the energy from someone else, I can use it, but I can’t seem to share it. After I release the energy, it can only be returned to the owner.”
“How do you know so much already?” I ask, astonished. “You just learned about this a few days ago.”
“I’ve been practicing,” he says.
“But how? With who?” I pause. “ Oh .”
“Yes,” he says. “It’s been rather incredible having you stay with me. For so many reasons.” His hands fall from my shoulders. “I was worried I might be able to hurt youwith your own power. I wasn’t sure I could absorb it without accidentally using it against you. But we seem to cancel each other out,” he says. “Once I take it from you, I can only ever give it back.”
I’m not breathing.
“Let’s go,” Warner says. “Kenji is moving out of range and I won’t be able to hold on to his energy for much longer. We have to get out of here.”
“I can’t leave,” I tell him. “I can’t just abandon Kenji, not like this—”
“He’s going to try and kill me, love. And while I know I’ve proved otherwise in your case, I can assure you I’m generally incapable of standing by as someone makes an attempt on my life. So unless you want to watch me shoot him first, I suggest we get out of here as soon as possible. I can feel him circling back.”
“No. You can go. You should go. But I’m going to stay here.”
Warner stills behind me. “What?”
“Go,” I tell him. “You have to go to the compounds—you have things to take care of. You should go. But I need to be here. I have to know what’s happened to everyone else, and I have to move forward from there.”
“You’re asking me to leave you here,” he says, not bothering to hide his shock. “Indefinitely.”
“Yes,” I say to him. “I’m not leaving until I get some answers. And you’re right. Kenji will definitely shoot first and ask questions later, so it’s best that you leave. I’ll talkto him, try to tell him what’s happened. Maybe we could all work together—”
“ What? ”
“It doesn’t just have to be me and you,” I tell him. “You said you wanted to help me kill your father and take down The Reestablishment, right?”
Warner nods slowly against the back of my head.
“Okay. So.” I take a deep breath. “I accept your offer.”
Warner goes rigid. “You accept my offer.”
“Yes.”
“Do you understand what you’re saying?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. I’m not sure I’ll be able to do this without you.”
I feel the breath rush out of him, his heart beating hard against my back.
“But I need to know who else is still alive,” I insist. “And the group of us can work together. We’ll be stronger that way, and we’ll all be fighting toward the same goal—”
“No.”
“It’s the only way—”
“I have to go,” he says, spinning me around. “Kenji is almost here.” He shoves a hard plastic object into my hand. “Activate this pager,” he says, “whenever you’re ready. Keep it with you and I’ll know where to find you.”
“But—”
“You have
And even though this is a terrible moment to dwell on these things, I can’t help but allow myself to panic. That Warner can so easily project his powers. With no training. No practice.
He can tap into my abilities and use them as he pleases.
This can’t possibly be good.
Warner’s hands squeeze my shoulders.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“I’m trying to see if I can pass the power on to you—if I can retransfer it and make us both invisible—but it seems I’m unable. Once I’ve taken the energy from someone else, I can use it, but I can’t seem to share it. After I release the energy, it can only be returned to the owner.”
“How do you know so much already?” I ask, astonished. “You just learned about this a few days ago.”
“I’ve been practicing,” he says.
“But how? With who?” I pause. “ Oh .”
“Yes,” he says. “It’s been rather incredible having you stay with me. For so many reasons.” His hands fall from my shoulders. “I was worried I might be able to hurt youwith your own power. I wasn’t sure I could absorb it without accidentally using it against you. But we seem to cancel each other out,” he says. “Once I take it from you, I can only ever give it back.”
I’m not breathing.
“Let’s go,” Warner says. “Kenji is moving out of range and I won’t be able to hold on to his energy for much longer. We have to get out of here.”
“I can’t leave,” I tell him. “I can’t just abandon Kenji, not like this—”
“He’s going to try and kill me, love. And while I know I’ve proved otherwise in your case, I can assure you I’m generally incapable of standing by as someone makes an attempt on my life. So unless you want to watch me shoot him first, I suggest we get out of here as soon as possible. I can feel him circling back.”
“No. You can go. You should go. But I’m going to stay here.”
Warner stills behind me. “What?”
“Go,” I tell him. “You have to go to the compounds—you have things to take care of. You should go. But I need to be here. I have to know what’s happened to everyone else, and I have to move forward from there.”
“You’re asking me to leave you here,” he says, not bothering to hide his shock. “Indefinitely.”
“Yes,” I say to him. “I’m not leaving until I get some answers. And you’re right. Kenji will definitely shoot first and ask questions later, so it’s best that you leave. I’ll talkto him, try to tell him what’s happened. Maybe we could all work together—”
“ What? ”
“It doesn’t just have to be me and you,” I tell him. “You said you wanted to help me kill your father and take down The Reestablishment, right?”
Warner nods slowly against the back of my head.
“Okay. So.” I take a deep breath. “I accept your offer.”
Warner goes rigid. “You accept my offer.”
“Yes.”
“Do you understand what you’re saying?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. I’m not sure I’ll be able to do this without you.”
I feel the breath rush out of him, his heart beating hard against my back.
“But I need to know who else is still alive,” I insist. “And the group of us can work together. We’ll be stronger that way, and we’ll all be fighting toward the same goal—”
“No.”
“It’s the only way—”
“I have to go,” he says, spinning me around. “Kenji is almost here.” He shoves a hard plastic object into my hand. “Activate this pager,” he says, “whenever you’re ready. Keep it with you and I’ll know where to find you.”
“But—”
“You have
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