Read Online The Cure by Teyla Branton - Free Book Online Page A

though he wasn’t Unbounded, his body exuded a readiness. He was the best mortal fighter I’d ever seen, better than many Unbounded. “Actually, he left the country this morning.”
    “So they sent you.” Not a hint of emotion escaped the mental shields he’d erected. I should have anticipated as much, since he’d been raised all his life to protect his thoughts. But a part of me was disappointed. I shrugged. “Guess they thought since you didn’t kill me before, maybe you wouldn’t again.”
    A smile broke through his reserve. “I’m glad you came. It’s good to see you.”
    I was rather surprised at the warmth I felt for him myself. Perhaps because I’d spent the past two months angry at Ritter and romanticizing my time with Keene. There was probably a syndrome named after it.
    “I ordered something,” I said, allowing my hands to slip into my lap. “Are you hungry?”
    He shook his head. “There isn’t time. Look, I might as well just get down to it. The Triad is planning something, and I need help stopping it.”
    “You mean your father?” I arched one brow, aware that the way I said it was a challenge.
    His mouth tightened. “My father’s the genius behind Emporium success, but while he may be a lot of things, he’s not a monster. You know as well as I do that it’s the other two pulling the strings.”
    He meant Delia Vesey and Stefan Carrington. Stefan was ruthless and amoral, but it was the ancient Delia I feared most. She was able to control people with her strong sensing ability, to bend them to her will. I’d barely escaped her grasp with my mind intact.
    “What are they planning?” As I spoke, I caught a glimpse of Jace at a table behind Keene, and the knot I hadn’t been aware of in my stomach relaxed marginally.
    “Who’s there?” Keene asked.
    “No one. I’m sure you watched me arrive.”
    “They wouldn’t have sent you alone, and you were looking at something behind me just now. You relaxed.” He turned to briefly study the diners, as though searching for something out of place.
    His perception was uncanny. I guess living in a world of people who considered themselves gods encouraged you to learn a few tricks to carry your weight. “What makes you think I take orders?” I asked. “I heard you called and I wanted to see you, so here I am.”
    His turn to raise his brows. “You wanted to see me?”
    “Of course.” My smile was genuine. “I never got to thank you for what you did for Chris and Stella.”
    “You’re welcome.” He pulled off the knit cap, briefly revealing the ugly scar that ran the length of his right cheek near the jawline before his brown hair settled down to cover it. He was still arresting, despite the obvious weight loss. “I guess it was too much to hope you’d want a repeat of what happened in that elevator.”
    I held back my smile. “What, when you looked at me like I was a freak?”
    “That was only after you tried to get into my mind.”
    “You were the one who’d kidnapped me, remember?”
    He waved a hand. “Details, details.”
    The waitress arrived with my food, and I was grateful for the interruption. “Would you like anything, sir?” she asked.
    He shook his head. “Just coffee. Thanks.”
    “Right away.” The woman took several quick steps to a nearby alcove and returned almost immediately with a steaming cup of coffee.
    “So what’s going on?” I asked when she’d disappeared.
    He glanced once more over his shoulder in my brother’s direction, though I’d been trying hard not to look that way. Thankfully, Jace had moved and was no longer in plain sight.
    Keene’s eyes riveted on my chicken, which was swimming in some kind of unappetizing red sauce. “First you should know that I’ve been working with the Hunters.”
    “What?” My hands curled into fists, and the knot was back in my stomach, every bit as large.
    “I’ve been able to keep tabs on what’s going on in the Emporium that way. You know they