“Right,” I scoffed. “His options are what, exactly? Doing your dirty work or being shipped off to Vault?”
Victoria sniffed and focused her attention on Erik.
“No. Should you decide not to represent UNITED in this matter, there will be no repercussions.” She sighed warily, then included me in her gaze. “I made you both a promise when you came to work for UNITED. I promised that as long as you submitted for regular physicals, you performed your jobs, and you remained in control, containment would not be an issue. Do you recall that?”
I nodded reluctantly.
“I know you don’t trust me, Talia. And I don’t blame you for that. Those you have known in authority abused their power, used threats and fear to lead. Danbury broke more promises and told more lies than I can count. But I am not like that. I will honor my word. You will both remain free under the terms of our original agreement.” A small smile flitted across Victoria’s mouth. “If disagreeing with me and questioning my policies was enough for me to ship you to Vault, Talia, you would already be there.”
Shock and shame forced me speechless. Victoria had made a joke. Was there a blizzard warning in hell? But it was what she’d said before the barb at the end that made me feel guilty. She was right, I didn’t trust her. And she was also correct as to why I didn’t trust her. Mac was my only point of reference. Still, Victoria had kept her word thus far. And she didn’t threaten to send me to containment every time some smartass remark popped out. She deserved a chance.
“We’re late for breakfast,” Erik said quietly. “I’ll comm you with my decision later today, if that’s okay?”
Victoria grinned broadly, as if he’d already agreed to do her bidding.
“Of course, Erik.” She turned to me. “Five agents’ names in the next hour, Agent Lyons. You will leave for London at…,” she glanced at her wrist, locating the time on what appeared to be a very expensive wristwatch. “10:00 a.m. That gives you just over two hours.”
“Got it,” I said.
“I will be here if you have any further questions,” Victoria promised.
Metal scraped against polished wood as the councilwoman pulled out a chair and sat, already turning her tablet comm back on and her attention elsewhere.
MY FRIENDS AND I ate breakfast in the Dolphin Cove Café, on the main level almost every day we were on Eden. One of about twenty eating establishments on the island—fifteen cafés and five formal dining restaurants—Dolphin Cove was cheap and casual and run by a third generation Edener named Alby. UNITED covered all of our expenses, so money wasn’t actually an issue. But having spent most of our lives as soldiers, we were accustomed to living simply. During our time in school and working for TOXIC, we ate in cafeterias, slept in dorm rooms, and only shopped on the rare trips into D.C. White-glove restaurants were a little much for us.
Erik and I didn’t speak on the short elevator ride from sublevel one to the main deck. Mind guarded, expression thoughtful, my boyfriend was contemplating Victoria’s proposal. He was going to agree, no doubt about that. Terms and conditions were what he was mulling over. I wanted him to talk to me. To ask my opinion. To ask what I thought he should request in exchange for compliance. But he didn’t.
“Are you going to do it?” I finally asked as we stepped into the bright sunshine. The silence was making me antsy. Unfortunately, it resumed once my words faded away.
While we’d been in our meeting, Eden had come alive. Children and teens were walking in groups, laughing and joking as they headed towards Eden Academy on the south side of the island. Their conversations ran the gambit from worry over a math test to the latest gossip. Apparently Nina, whoever she was, had broken up with Glen, whoever he was, and had been seen enjoying a romantic dinner with Jessi at the Fish Tank, the nicest restaurant on the Island, the previous night. It was unclear whether Jessi was a girl or a boy, but I was betting female since a perky girl with aqua hair was gushing about Jessi’s rhinestone-encrusted bubble dress from the gossip-worthy dinner.
As I listened to their problems to distract me from my own, I decided I envied them. The love triangle that had everyone buzzing made me long for my own school days. Glen probably felt like his heart had been ripped out and life was never going to get better. Nina and Jessi were probably high on love and their budding romance, both relieved it was finally out in the open. According to rampant speculation, the two had been canoodling long before Glen and Nina officially called it quits.
I looked to my left hand, which hung loosely in Erik’s, and realized their problems weren’t so different from mine. The third entity in my relationship wasn’t another girl, or boy, but the lack of communication. Silence had come between us, threatening to tear Erik away and rip out my heart in the process.
“Yes,” Erik said, seemingly out of nowhere.
Lost in thought, I scrambled to remember what I’d asked him. Oh, right. Whether he was going to go before the cameras and assure the world that all Created were handsome, harmless, and misunderstood. The absurdity made me laugh. Erik was a lot of things. Most were wonderful, and even those that weren’t were part of him, so I loved every last one of them. But there was nothing harmless about him.
I studied his profile: the sharp slope of his nose, the brilliant, lethal glint of turquoise beneath long dark lashes, the hard set of his jaw. No, my boyfriend was definitely not harmless. Even today, when he was in an unusually good mood, the vibes coming off of Erik were ominous. He was a fighter, a soldier, a warrior, just like me. I found his dark, dangerous nature thrilling. But the wide berth the school-aged kids gave us as we strolled past reminded me that not everyone felt the same way. Victoria was playing with fire using him as her spokesperson.
“Not because I’m afraid of containment,” Erik continued, oblivious to my inner musings. “I won’t be used, or controlled with threats ever again. I’ve had enough of that for a lifetime. Besides, I believe Victoria will abide by her promise. I don’t think she’ll lock us up as long as we’re doing our job.”
“So, why?” I asked, not disagreeing with his decision, but genuinely curious. “Why do you want to do this?”
“Because she’s right. It’s an odd coincidence, but I saw something about that circus the other night on the wallscreen when I couldn’t sleep. It was about all of them, but I saw Mai Matsu performing. She’s an amazing Talent, Tals. I mean, you have to see her. She’s not like us. She doesn’t use her Talents for fighting. Her Talents are a thing of beauty. It’s…amazing.”
Awestruck was the only word I could think of to describe the expression on Erik’s beautiful face. Admittedly, I was a little jealous. It had been a long time since he looked at me with that same expression. Still, I understood what he meant. We were lethal. That’s who we were, and I wouldn’t change that for anything in the world. But not everyone was like that. Everyone couldn’t be like that. The world would be terrible place.
“I can’t let more people like her get hurt,” Erik continued. “I don’t know if I’m really the right person for the job. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m not. But I’m willing to try. Trust issues aside, I do think Victoria is smart, and knows what she’s doing. So if she wants me to do this, I will. If she thinks I can prevent one more innocent Talent from being attacked, I need to at least try.”
Grief swept aside the curtain shielding his innermost thoughts and a wave of pain and regret hit me with the force of tsunami. The intensity of his agony was startling, and I missed a step. Erik caught me before my tangled feet sent me to the ground.
“You are mighty clumsy for a trained fighter,” he joked.
“Wow Mr. Comedian, you’re hilarious,” I shot back, pretending his comment bothered me. In truth, it warmed my heart. My Erik was still in there.
He grinned, seeing right through the ruse. Erik leaned down, his lips finding mine. The kiss started out innocent enough. His mental walls were still down, which brought such relief. I wrapped my arms around his neck and arched my body into his, final
ly feeling the intimacy I’d been craving. As the kiss became way too suggestive for public, I saw some of what he’d been trying to hide from me. I felt the instability that terrified him. The raw power he both hated and craved. The dark shadows mixing with the golden goodness that was at his core.
I deepened the kiss. Yes, it was incredibly inappropriate in that setting, but I wanted, needed, to be closer to him. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. Erik must have felt the same way, because before I knew it, my back was pressed against something rough. A tree, I realized absently. The bark dug into my spine through my clothes as Erik pressed me against the trunk. His hands were around my waist, tugging at the hem of my shirt tucked into my dress pants. Longing poured through the whisper-thin barriers separating our minds, intensifying my own feelings. We were out in the open, exposed, but I didn’t care. Erik was finally letting me in, something that was so rare these days that it was nearly as thrilling as the feel of his hands on my bare skin. No way was I going to do anything to ruin the moment.
Unfortunately, being out in the open like that, it couldn’t last. Surely enough, someone else ruined the moment for us.
“You two are the most lecherous people I know. Seriously, Kelley, can’t you do that shit in private?”
Only one person said things like that. And he wasn’t my favorite person by a long shot.
Instead of being irritated by the intrusion, like I was, Erik’s lips curved into a smile against mine. With one last lingering kiss, he pulled back. Maintaining eye contact with me, Erik called over his shoulder to the voyeur.
“Good morning, Brand.”
“It was a good morning. Then I had to see the two of you sucking face,” Brand griped as he walked over to stand next to our tree.
“Hello, Talia,” he added curtly.
Readjusting my shirt to cover the strip of stomach that was showing, I glared at Penny’s boyfriend.
“To what do we owe the annoyance of your company?” I asked.
Brand cocked an eyebrow.
“Victoria didn’t tell you?” he asked, genuinely surprised.
“No,” I replied, a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Realization dawned. “Wait. Crap. You’re going to London with me, aren’t you?”
“Lucky you!” Brand quipped.
“Ugh, why?” I groaned.
Victoria had said I was allowed to choose my team, yet she’d apparently forgotten to mention that Brand was a de facto member. This was not going to be a fun trip.
“In case we need to organize a strike on short notice,” Brand said condescendingly. “I have experience leading a massive operation. You do not.”
Oddly enough, Brand’s words inspired hope, instead of annoying me as he’d meant them to. He loved getting a rise out of me, and the dig about my lack of leadership experience was supposed to do just that. But if Brand was going with me to London, it meant the council really was prepared to move against the Poachers. In the meeting, Victoria had made it sound as though the decision were still up in the air, contingent on what exactly we learned from the tipster.
“Also, someone needs to keep you line, since your boyfriend won’t be going,” Brand continued.
The three of us began walking, once again headed towards the Dolphin Cove Café. Erik reached for my hand, lacing his fingers with mine.
Inspiration struck like lightening.
“Who said he’s not?” I shot back with a smile.
“Um, Victoria—”
Brand’s reply was cut short when a pair of teenagers sped by in front of us, nearly colliding with Erik. Chimes tinkled from the far end of the island, signaling the start of Eden’s school day.
“Outta the way, we’re late!” one of them yelled, a boy with glistening white-blonde hair and an unfortunate case of acne yelled at our trio.
His companion, a pretty girl without the pimples but the same shimmery hair, stopped abruptly. She stared up at Erik, eyes wide and dazzled.
“Sorry. Excuse us,” she said quietly. “We didn’t mean to….”
“Don’t apologize, Lace. They were in our way,” the boy said, yanking her roughly by the arm to get her moving again.
“Van, don’t be such an ass.” Lace tore her gaze away from Erik to include me and Brand. “Sorry…,” she repeated.
“It’s okay,” Erik replied with his trademark grin, amusement making his irises brighter than the sea surrounding us.
When he realized that he wasn’t going to be pulling Lace away from Erik anytime soon, Van turned to really look at us. He gulped, realizing for the first time who he’d shoved aside in his haste.
“S-s-s-sorry,” he stuttered, backing away slowly now.
The chimes sounded again—the late bell.
“Better get going,” I said kindly. “The punishment for being tardy is detention. I hear it’s pretty crappy here.”
My attempt at a joke was lost on him. Apparently, students served their detentions on Eden in the waste management section of the island—uber gross.
Without another word, Van tugged on Lace’s arm again, this time jarring her free from the allure of Erik. With one last look at us, the oh-so-fascinating UNITED agents who had invaded their island, the duo turned and sprinted towards the school.
Once they were out of earshot, Brand chuckled heartily.
“I can’t decide if Victoria’s idea to use you as the face of the Created is a really good one, or a really bad one,” he told Erik. “The women of the world will fall all over themselves to meet you. Everyone else will be terrified of you.”
And just like that, Brand and I agreed on something. Maybe the world as we knew it really was coming to an end.
As we entered the café, we were greeted by a thirty-something man wearing a polo-style shirt covered in embroidered dolphins. He gave us a tight smile and backed up several paces as we entered, further proving Brand’s point.
“Table for three?” he asked in a high, squeaky voice that didn’t go with his muscular frame.
“No, we’re meeting our friends. They’re right over there,” I said, indicating a table on the other side of the restaurant where Penny, Frederick, Henri, and Janelle sat with Cadence Choi.
It suddenly struck me as odd that Cadence hadn’t been at our morning meeting, a fact I hadn’t even realized at the time. Then again, Cadence spent most of her time on Vault, working with the children in containment. Maybe she’d just returned.
The greeter shoved menus in our hands without a word and scurried off as if he had something pressing to attend to. Unfazed, we began to weave our way through the table and chairs between us and our fellow outcasts.
The man’s reaction was sadly representative of the way most Edeners treated us. On the one hand, it was understandable. The island natives weren’t used to such a heavy military presence. Still, the mix of awe and fear they exhibited was unsettling. Almost all of Eden’s residents were Talented. And the majority of them were extremely strong, Elite-level Talents. So why did they find us so intimidating?
I pushed aside the unanswerable question as Erik, Brand, and I joined our friends. Since the work and school days had begun, only a handful of other tables were occupied. Our regular waitress, a twentyish woman named Amal, appeared to take orders for us newcomers. She was one of the few Edeners who treated us like normal citizens. I liked her a lot. She was always pleasant, and sometimes even joined our table to chat when there was a lull. Though I did wonder about her social intelligence at times, since she constantly made eyes at Frederick, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he and Henri were a couple.
“What did Victoria want?” Janelle asked around a mouthful of kelp-bacon.
Livestock was rare on the island, and therefore carefully portioned. As a result, most of the “meat” wasn’t actually from an animal, but instead kelp-based and flavored to taste like the real deal. It was not something any of us land-dwellers—the Edeners nickname for anyone not born on the islands—had gotten used to.
I grabbe
d a piece of the greenish pork substitute from Penny’s plate across the table.
“I’m not even sure where to begin,” I said in answer to Janelle, and then bit into the bacon.
Yeah, my trip to London suddenly had a very big upside—real food.
Between the three of us, we caught the group up on the latest developments. Their reactions to the news of the Poachers was what I’d anticipated—horror, anger, and outrage. I waited until the discussion had died before pressing forward.
“She said I get to pick five agents, so…” I trailed off, looking around the table at my friends and Brand. “I don’t know if Brand counts, but he generally doesn’t,” I shot Brand a smirk, “so I’m not going to include him. How about it? Do you guys all want to come with me?”
“Definitely,” Frederik agreed without hesitation.
“I’m there,” Henri said next.
“Of course,” Penny chimed in.
My best friend had been the most visibly bothered by news of the Poachers. Yes, everyone at the table was disgusted. Everyone was shocked and appalled that there was actually an organization trafficking Talents. But Penny was trembling and had gone white as a sheet. In that moment, I was glad that Brand was there to place a comforting hand atop hers. I could feel the pain radiating from Penny’s mind. She felt a deep empathy for the Poachers’ victims. Aside from her and Erik, the rest of us couldn’t truly appreciate what they must be going through. Feeling helpless, I focused on planning our take down.
Janelle and Cadence also said they wanted to go on to London. Relief flooded me, knowing they were all onboard. Working with Victoria’s seasoned lackeys was always a little awkward.
Most of the veteran UNITED agents resented taking orders from anyone who was new to the organization. But it felt like they took extra offense when I was in any position of authority. Some because of my age. Others because of my seeming inexperience. And many didn’t trust me simply because I was Created. They worried that I would go rogue on a mission and start a killing spree.