tired. He hadn’t lied to Lily about how little sleep he’d gotten in the past few days. He’d only lied about why.
There was only one number programmed into the sat phone and it didn’t take him long to pull it up and dial it. The phone was clunkier than the old iPhone he’d had in the Before, but he’d been using it so long it was second nature by now. Sebastian answered on the first ring.
“You found them.”
“Didn’t you tell me not to call until I had?”
If Carter hadn’t been calling with such good news, Sebastian probably wouldn’t have put up with the attitude. Today, he just asked, “What’s their status?”
Grumpy. Pissed off. Suspicious. Bruised, if his own status was anything to go by. “Fine,” he said aloud.
“Were you right about her?” There was a tension in Sebastian’s voice that Carter had never heard before.
If he’d thought—even for an instant—that Sebastian might be capable of emotion, Carter would have called it excitement.
Carter rubbed a hand down his face and considered the question. Was she the one? It had been a long time since he’d last seen her in person. There’d been a chance—a damn good one—that his memory had played tricks on him. That maybe there was nothing special about Lily at all.
He let himself think about her now, not the girl he’d known back in the Before, but the girl she was now. Suspicious. Wary. Tough as hell. But she’d always had a sort of leery reserve to her. Yet even in their brief conversation, even bracing himself against it, he’d felt the pull of her personality. Felt the sway she had over his emotions. He thought of the desire he’d had to comfort her. The way he’d constantly wanted to touch her. The way he’d actually offered to leave if she asked him to.
What had
that
been about? And what the
hell
would he have done if she hadn’t told him he could stay?
He guessed he would have left. He’d have set up surveillance outside her building and prayed like hell he didn’t lose her. But the very fact that he’d
offered
was proof enough. She made him feel things no one ever had. In short, she made him feel things that
she
felt.
If anything, his memory had diminished the effect she had on him. If she could control his emotions without even trying to, then, yeah, she was the
abductura
Sebastian was looking for.
Once she learned how to control her power, she would be able to control the emotions of everyone around her. She was the one person who could turn the tide in the war against the Ticks.
Finally, Carter said aloud, “Yes. We were right.”
“Excellent.”
“Look, I have them under surveillance. I don’t want to leave, but I need a few things.” He rattled them off quickly. “I’m up on the seventh floor of the Walker building. A couple floors down, there should be some wooden chairs in one of the offices. Can you have someone bring one up, leave it in the stairwell? Also some sort of motion-activated camera that I can link into my phone, so I’ll know if they try to leave. And see if you can find me a razor and some shaving cream.”
“Certainly,” Sebastian said, his accent even more droll than usual. “Do you need anything else? Fresh towels? Maybe some hot cocoa from room service?”
Carter pretended not to hear the sarcasm. There’d been few enough times when Carter actually had something Sebastian needed. “Yeah. See if you can find some bubble gum.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because Mel likes it.” Back in school, she’d had special permission to chew gum in class because it was quieter than her Slinky. It had always seemed a little unfair that she could chew gum
and
blow the curve on every math test. “If I’m going to worm my way into their life, I need every advantage I can find.”
“You told me you were their friend.”
“I said I knew them. And if you’ve anyone else who can give you that, then you’re welcome to cut me off and do this without me.”
He could
There was only one number programmed into the sat phone and it didn’t take him long to pull it up and dial it. The phone was clunkier than the old iPhone he’d had in the Before, but he’d been using it so long it was second nature by now. Sebastian answered on the first ring.
“You found them.”
“Didn’t you tell me not to call until I had?”
If Carter hadn’t been calling with such good news, Sebastian probably wouldn’t have put up with the attitude. Today, he just asked, “What’s their status?”
Grumpy. Pissed off. Suspicious. Bruised, if his own status was anything to go by. “Fine,” he said aloud.
“Were you right about her?” There was a tension in Sebastian’s voice that Carter had never heard before.
If he’d thought—even for an instant—that Sebastian might be capable of emotion, Carter would have called it excitement.
Carter rubbed a hand down his face and considered the question. Was she the one? It had been a long time since he’d last seen her in person. There’d been a chance—a damn good one—that his memory had played tricks on him. That maybe there was nothing special about Lily at all.
He let himself think about her now, not the girl he’d known back in the Before, but the girl she was now. Suspicious. Wary. Tough as hell. But she’d always had a sort of leery reserve to her. Yet even in their brief conversation, even bracing himself against it, he’d felt the pull of her personality. Felt the sway she had over his emotions. He thought of the desire he’d had to comfort her. The way he’d constantly wanted to touch her. The way he’d actually offered to leave if she asked him to.
What had
that
been about? And what the
hell
would he have done if she hadn’t told him he could stay?
He guessed he would have left. He’d have set up surveillance outside her building and prayed like hell he didn’t lose her. But the very fact that he’d
offered
was proof enough. She made him feel things no one ever had. In short, she made him feel things that
she
felt.
If anything, his memory had diminished the effect she had on him. If she could control his emotions without even trying to, then, yeah, she was the
abductura
Sebastian was looking for.
Once she learned how to control her power, she would be able to control the emotions of everyone around her. She was the one person who could turn the tide in the war against the Ticks.
Finally, Carter said aloud, “Yes. We were right.”
“Excellent.”
“Look, I have them under surveillance. I don’t want to leave, but I need a few things.” He rattled them off quickly. “I’m up on the seventh floor of the Walker building. A couple floors down, there should be some wooden chairs in one of the offices. Can you have someone bring one up, leave it in the stairwell? Also some sort of motion-activated camera that I can link into my phone, so I’ll know if they try to leave. And see if you can find me a razor and some shaving cream.”
“Certainly,” Sebastian said, his accent even more droll than usual. “Do you need anything else? Fresh towels? Maybe some hot cocoa from room service?”
Carter pretended not to hear the sarcasm. There’d been few enough times when Carter actually had something Sebastian needed. “Yeah. See if you can find some bubble gum.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because Mel likes it.” Back in school, she’d had special permission to chew gum in class because it was quieter than her Slinky. It had always seemed a little unfair that she could chew gum
and
blow the curve on every math test. “If I’m going to worm my way into their life, I need every advantage I can find.”
“You told me you were their friend.”
“I said I knew them. And if you’ve anyone else who can give you that, then you’re welcome to cut me off and do this without me.”
He could
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