Read Online Into the Shadows by Jason D. Morrow - Free Book Online Page B

person she is. I already know that she works with scum raiders—people like Scarecrow who killed my Lucas. I know what my sister saw, and how this Olivia might have had something to do with the greyskin virus. This is why I don’t want to be here. This is why I feel dread.  
    “I’m sure I already know what you think about me,” she says. “You have your opinions set in stone, but I wish that you would hear me out before you make me an enemy.”
    “Nothing you say can change what you’ve done,” I say. The words that pass by my lips surprises me. I’m not sure where the confidence comes from. The worst thing she could do would be to kill me, but I already know that isn’t going to happen. I’ve seen the future—at least until tonight.  
    “But you don’t know what I’ve done,” Olivia says. “You only know by what other people have told you.”
    “I know that you’ve employed raiders. And because of those raiders, the person I cared about most in the world was killed in cold blood. I know that you tracked us down to Elkhorn because we had some Starborn blood that you wanted, and that you didn’t care who died as long as you got it. I know that you’ve kept me here against my will, forcing me to watch as grown men torture Amber day after day.” I take another deep breath. “I know that you have something to do with the greyskin outbreak. I don’t know to what extent, but I would say having any association with its beginning is bad enough.”
    Olivia’s eyes never leave mine and as I finish my little speech, her lips curl into a smile. “Sounds like you’ve been spending too much time with Jeremiah Adams. He tends to talk too much.”
    “None of the information I just told you came from Jeremiah,” I say.  
    Olivia’s eyes narrow and then go back to normal—the movement so quick that I barely notice it. “Interesting.” She taps a finger on her desk and finally smiles again. “I wish you knew the whole truth of it all, but coming from me it will not mean much to you.”
    “Probably not.”
    “I want to gain your trust, Waverly,” she says.  
    “You expect to do that by keeping me here against my will?”
    “I keep you here because the solution to some problems is worth the sacrifice of your comfort. Your Starborn power has the potential to help the world.”
    “So why not just take my blood and be done with me?”  
    “Because I am not evil, and I don’t wish to hurt you. I would rather cooperate with you.”
    “You work with raiders,” I say.  
    “They are some of the best scouts. They know areas without us having to learn them. Never did I employ them to do harm. That was their choice. It was a necessary risk for me to take, and I know that it didn’t turn out well for everyone.”
    “You torture Amber every day.”
    “Amber is a murderer,” Olivia answers. “She volunteered for this assignment in exchange for clemency. She knew she would face harsh conditions. We do things to her to test your ability because we needed to see how you interpret the future.”
    I want to ask if that included rape, but I don’t want to give away something that might impede our escape tonight.
    “None of this changes the fact that you attacked Elkhorn,” I say. “I watched as your man, Samuel, shot down innocent people.”
    Olivia shakes her head. “Lies. I authorized no such attack. I do not even work with anyone named Samuel.”
    I don’t really know how to come back at this. Is she just lying to my face? Probably. I can’t really argue with someone like that.
    “I have many enemies,” she continues. “Many claim to be working for me, when in fact, they are not. I wouldn’t doubt if the person in charge of the entire attack was Jeremiah himself.”
    “Why would Jeremiah attack Elkhorn? For the Starborn blood? He could have just stolen it from me.”
    “To gain more allies against me,” she says. “Jeremiah is an evil man with evil intentions. I’m just trying to keep this