Read Online No One (Element Preservers, #3.5) by Alycia Linwood - Free Book Online

element. I could always stay nearby, but all eyes would be on Ria, and we couldn't let anyone suspect we were together. She wouldn't have time to meet me in secret if she had to be at the university and at her job. Did it even matter if I couldn't touch her? Yes, yes it did, but I couldn't give Alan what he wanted.
    The ice barrier fell apart and the guards came through, pointing their guns at me. Even after they had used their elements on ice, they still trusted their weapons more. I didn't have any weapons, so I wasn't conflicted when I sent ice shards their way. Rolling on the ground, I barely managed to avoid a ball of fire that someone made to destroy my ice.
    "Stop!" Alan yelled, and the guards watched him dispassionately, their fingers on the triggers. I pressed my back against the wall so I could see everyone, but there were too many guards, and paying attention to all of them was tricky.
    "We have orders to capture the carrier, sir," one of the guards said. I used the distraction to freeze the guns and the guards dropped them, cursing.
    "Adrian! That's enough!" Alan shot me a dark look, then his features softened as he faced the guards. "I have the carrier under control. We'll be taking our leave shortly."
    "I'm sorry, sir, but Mr. Quinn said..."
    "Call Mr. Quinn if you must." Alan tapped his foot, looking bored. The guard glanced at me and whispered something to his friend, who then ran down the hall.
    "I need your answer now," Alan said, his dark eyes meeting mine.
    "Ok, fine. We're both going to the university." If I thought I had a chance of getting out of here on my own, I'd have refused. I did want to be with Ria, but I didn't want Alan near her. But I figured I could come up with a good plan once Alan and I were out of the lab.
    Alan's lips quirked up and he nodded, clearly satisfied.
    "What is going on?" Quinn was surrounded by four guards, and I could swear there was a bulletproof vest underneath his white coat.
    "I believe there has been a misunderstanding. The carrier won't be staying here. I have business elsewhere," Alan stated.
    "You are the one who misunderstood me. I don't plan to let you go." Quinn smiled lazily like a cat waking up from a good nap.
    "Excuse me?" Alan's face paled. "I can leave whenever I want. You can't stop me. The government will hear about this." A quiver in Alan's voice told me that he wasn't so sure about it. Awesome.
    "The government won't even know where you are." Quinn not only didn't want to let me go, he didn't want to let Alan go either. So much about their friendship, favors and whatnot. A second later, bits and pieces of earth and dust started flying around us, blinding us all. The wind blew in my face and it was almost impossible to breathe. I had to use my element or I would have tried to steal someone else's. Gunshots rang through the hall, but I couldn't see who was firing. It had to be someone who came later to help. I couldn't see anything because there was too much dust.
    The energy of Alan's element enveloped me, and the world seemed to tilt and turn upside down. Squeezing my eyes shut, I concentrated on my breathing and tried to find an opening between the guards. Hopefully, no one was wearing an element-blocking suit now that elements were being used right and left. Cameras must have stopped working too. Someone grabbed me by the arm and I stumbled.
    "Go," Alan yelled into my ear, and I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other. After all they had done to me, I had pretty good control of my disease, but I had never been around so many elements while they were all being used. My mouth went dry when a current shot up my arm. Alan was using his element while still holding on to me.
    I reached for something solid and somehow I knew that if I squeezed long enough, my energy would be restored. I only needed to apply a bit more of pressure and I could... Pain spread through the back of my head and the world went black.
     

Chapter 20
    Now
    Bright light