Read Online The Cure by Teyla Branton - Free Book Online

I started walking. I pulled my long leather coat tighter, my eyes scanning the darkness and the few passersby. No Unbounded registered in my mind. There was nothing out of place, and nothing unusual on the rooftops that I could see. No suddenly extinguished light, no suspicious shapes. I turned my head every now and then to see if I could catch a glimpse of Jace tailing me, but his speed made him near invisible when he wanted to be. He was there, though, behind me. Or someone was. I could pinpoint a mental blip of light that signaled a life force.
    All at once the light toned down a notch, and I told myself it was because Jace had finally remembered to protect his mind and not because he’d been attacked. If it had been an attack, I would have known. Or at least I hoped so.
    Pushing out a breath, I rounded the corner of the block and strode onto the main street. There were more lights now, and more people, but no one looked threatening. Was Keene observing the restaurant from somewhere in the dark, or did he trust his brother? In his position, I wouldn’t trust anyone.
    Tasty aromas wafted through the streets, reminding me that I still hadn’t eaten, and might not, though the meeting was at a restaurant. No matter—absorbing had brought my mental strength back to normal. I’d be more than ready to help Ava with the Hunters later. I reached out my mind for Jace, but with so many life forces gleaming from the people around me, I’d completely lost him.
    A few whistled notes of a nameless song escaped my lips, a sure sign that I was anticipating this meeting. Keene and I had sparred both physically and with words, and though I’d been a prisoner, it hadn’t been all bad. Except now the anticipation meant I needed to be more careful. I clamped my lips shut and the tune cut off abruptly. For all I knew, Keene was planning a press conference where he’d out both the Emporium and the Renegades. I hoped not. We weren’t ready for that—yet. First we had to track down and remove Emporium agents who were embedded in high places.
    The restaurant bustled with life, but there wasn’t a waiting list. The hostess, a young Chinese girl with acne covering her rounded cheeks didn’t recognize Keene’s name when I asked, so I let her take me to a small table in the middle of the room. I felt exposed and uncomfortable under the bright lights without a wall to my back and a clean view of the entry, but this was Keene’s show and I had to be available. I still couldn’t see or sense Jace, and I was starting to worry. Before the Change my brother had been a fun-loving, capable man. Since the Change, he was still fun-loving and capable, but his reckless streak seemed to be growing. Funny how now that we could live two thousand years, I worried about him more than ever.
    Minutes ticked by and Keene still hadn’t shown. Only the waitress appeared, wanting my order. Looked like I was going to have that chance to eat whether I wanted it or not—and I wasn’t that fond of Chinese food, though I loved the smell. I ordered something with chicken and leaned back, my arms folded. At least I could sense no Unbounded nearby; each of the diners around me were decidedly mortal.
    A man in a black overcoat and gray knit cap came into view from another aisle and slid into the seat opposite me, bringing a taste of chill and danger. His face was tan and lean to the point of gauntness, the lines hard. My hand went to my weapon, this time equipped with a silencer. “Easy,” he said. His own hands were in his coat pockets, no doubt holding a pistol pointed in my direction.
    “Keene.” I recognized the voice if nothing else. Slowly, I placed my hands on the table where he could see them. He’d changed, or maybe I simply hadn’t remembered him correctly. Most of our time together had been filled with terror, at least on my part.
    “Where’s my brother?” Keene’s green eyes glittered, but his voice was casual.
    Ah, the eyes were the same. And