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  The hairs at the back of my nape stood at attention. I straightened up and looked around because I knew what that meant—Alec was close by. I towered over everyone, so it was easy to see over everyone’s head, but I couldn’t spot his ashy blond hair. I went on tiptoes but still nothing. There were just too many darn people around.

  “Everything okay?” Daemon spoke too close for comfort.

  Something flared inside of me. It was Alec. I could feel him! My heart raced in excitement. I looked around again, but still nothing. Daemon’s cold hand on my arm doused the brief flare inside of me, and I had to take a deep breath from the sudden switch in sensation. I walked next to Daemon and looked back a couple of times until the hairs on my nape settled.

  We got back to the house and sat at the downstairs deck. It was somewhat private with planters and deep lounge seats, which made it easy to see out but difficult for the people walking the boardwalk to see in. I skeptically tasted the chicken in green sauce with flavored rice and was surprised at how delicious it was.

  I didn’t realize how hungry I was, so I quietly inhaled my food.

  I paused my chewing as I caught Daemon staring at me. “What?” I struggled to say since my mouth was full.

  “Nothing,” he said, the corner of his mouth turned up. “It’s just that I’ve never seen a girl stuff her face like you before. I thought only guys ate like that.” His smile got bigger.

  “Whatever.” I shrugged, annoyed he was making fun of me, but I wasn’t going to change how I ate. The only opinion I really cared about was Alec’s. “Well, who wears sunglasses indoors?” I nodded to the glasses on top of his head.

  A smug look broke out on his face as he continued to stare at me. He popped his glasses in place and wiggled his brows.

  I ignored his antics. For a second, I forgot he was the enemy. Of course he was a jackass—a quiet one waiting to strike. We had a temporary truce, a common enemy, that’s all.

  I cleared my throat. “So, can we get on with training, before they return?”

  He looked over the almost dark sky and took our trash and got up. I followed him, eager to learn more about my energy.

  He locked every window and door on our way up and continued to do so on the main floor. I stayed by the stairs and crossed my arms, a little nervous at what he was doing.

  He walked to the center of the room and impatiently gestured for me to come closer. “I will not hurt you. I would have done that already, if I wanted to. Plus, shutting the windows won’t do me any good. I’m sure your energy could smash through them easily,” he said in an annoyed tone.

  I was slightly embarrassed. I had every reason to be wary of this man in front of me. I slowly walked towards him and stopped a couple of feet away.

  “Okay, first let’s arm the whole building. I’m sure you know how to do this? I sensed your energy in the compound.”

  I rolled my eyes and pushed my energy to coat the whole building like Alec had taught me before. I sensed Daemon’s energy there already, so I just reinforced it.

  “It doesn’t have to be thick. We just need to be alerted if anyone crosses the barrier.”

  I nodded and stopped as soon as there was a thin coat of energy surrounding the building. Daemon’s brows knitted as he scrutinized me.

  Did I mess up? My brow furrowed as I double-checked my work. Nope, it felt fine. I even saw my aura coating the building. I shrugged it off and waited for more instructions.

  “Okay, next we create a safe dome around the living room.” He gestured around him and energy flowed out of his arms forming an arc surrounding us. “I want you to follow mine and reinforce it, as thick and impenetrable as you can make it.”

  I coated his and fed it thick enough that you could see a dark gray shimmering dome enclosing us. He chuckled and said, “You’re not even a bit winded. The boss has underestimated your strength.” Amusement still plastered on his face.

  I paused but decided it wasn’t the time to explore who this boss was. I wanted to learn more about my energy. He sat cross-legged in the middle of the dome, so I followed and sat in front of him.

  “You seem to have a handle of your raw power. It comes naturally to you. However, you don’t always want to fight with brute strength. You can’t just bulldoze your way out of a fight. I know you could beat anyone who challenges you, but there are plenty of instances that would require you to use different kinds of energy. ”

  I couldn’t help the snort that escaped my mouth. A former Dark one, telling me that I needed more finesse, was the most ironic thing I had ever heard.

  “Do you want to take this seriously?”

  I nodded and raised my hand in apology.

  He paused, making sure I was ready to listen, then continued. “In order for you to tap into the different kinds of energy. You will need to learn how energy is used. Only then can you manipulate and fight or sabotage the flow of energy.”

  I tilted my head in confusion. “You’ve lost me.”

  “If you’re trying to hurt someone and not leave any marks, for example, you will need to know how the human body works. You can’t simply crush a person with energy because that leaves a mark. If you know how the flow of energy or electricity courses through a person, you can either cut the current by cutting one of the major nerves, or you can disrupt the flow of electricity to the heart and decrease someone’s pressure, both of which, results in instant death. This you can do from a distance and without scars. When they do an autopsy, they think that the person had a heart attack or a stroke.”

  “Jesus,” I said as I got up. “That’s fucking disturbing! I hope that’s not what you plan on teaching me. I don’t want to be a fucking assassin. Although, what should I expect from a fucking Dark one! Fucking murdering psychopath!”

  He stood with his hands raised. “Okay, calm down. That was just an example. I didn’t say we would do that. I’m sorry. I forgot who I was talking to,” he hissed.

  I eyed him skeptically. My heart was still racing, but I sat slowly in front of him.

  “That was a bad example.”

  “You think?”

  He ignored my comment; his hands relaxed on top of his legs. “All I was saying was, if you were to manipulate energy, you’d need to know the intricate details of the object you are attempting to manipulate—like a car engine or computer. You can’t fix it unless you know where the flow of electricity is or how it works. There is a reason Fallen and Nephilim prefer using one form or another. Not just because they have an affinity to one form of energy, but also, they understand it more. For example, I have an affinity for lightning. I can sense when a storm is brewing and how strong it is. Since lightning is a form of electrical energy, I can manipulate electricity. Watch.” He placed his hands, palms down on the floor, then nodded for me to do the same.

  I copied his hands and felt for what he did. I sensed the energy burst out of his hands, which sought out the wires embedded in the walls. It then followed the source of the energy to the mainline and placed a shield to cut off the house source. Every light inside the house turned off. He then released the shield, and the lights flickered back on.

  “Do you want to try?”

  I nodded and pushed energy out of my palms.

  “Stop.”

  I looked up with my brows raised.

  “We already did that. Try something different. Another type of energy.” He crossed his arms.

  I thought for a minute and looked outside, then my gaze flicked up and above. The moon was too far, so I discredited that right away, so was the ocean—plus it was scarily powerful. Then I heard the music and laughter from the bars, and a smile broke on my face. “I want to hear what’s going on out there.” I pointed outside.

  His lip quirked up. “I like how you think. Okay, sonic energy is the same thing but since sounds surround you, you have to be careful because energy can be felt. You also need to be precise. For this, we will do it together. Just in case.”

  Facing the balcony, he pl
aced his hand out and let his energy trickle out. He looked back at me, so I followed what he did.

  “Who are we spying on?”

  “The bar on the right.”

  He nodded and then directed his energy that way. When it was over the balcony, he paused. “Now, there are different kinds of energy in the atmosphere. You need to decipher each one and follow the one you desire. Since you’re new to this, close your eyes and feel for them.”

  I closed my eyes, but it was useless. I feel energy—that’s it! I peeked through my lashes and saw his dark energy flare, then followed a buzzing thread of energy jumbled within the atmosphere.

  “This right here is mechanical. It’s strong since we are near the ocean.” Then he let go of the thread and followed another. “This is electrical; it’s more dominant as you get closer to the city.” This led back to the house. He latched on to a faint one. “This is electromagnetic energy. There’s not a lot. That’s why it’s faint. I think you can take it from here.” He backed off but hovered behind me.

  I prodded the energy around mine. My energy was an extension of me, like vapor, but it had all senses present. Daemon traced the energy by riding on top of it, but that was difficult for me. It was more like my energy sent me signals, and I could see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste what my normal senses couldn’t.

  When I used my energy, it was more potent, like looking through prescription glasses and being able to finally focus.

  With Daemon’s method, I couldn’t decipher one energy from the other, so I did what I always did. I dispersed a little of my energy and molded it to my surroundings. It was then I felt what Daemon had described, or more accurately, heard the sound echo along with the strong pull of the mechanical energy of the ocean, which I followed. I gasped when I finally recognized the drowning strength of the ocean’s current. I quickly stayed far away from it, along with the wind energy, which was just as turbulent. I made sure to gather my energy closer and avoided the energy waves, then zeroed in on the sound energy, which I happily followed to the bar below us.

  The cacophony of sounds overwhelmed me at first until I instinctively shielded, and the sounds muffled. I then placed a shield up the building and allowed any sound waves that didn’t belong inside, to escape. When I had the building tightly locked, I studied each wave’s signatures and was ecstatic to realize that not only did I hear them, but they had shapes and colors which allowed me to read their feelings.

  I noticed three separate ones from the main room. I narrowed my shield to just that room and released a little of my shield. I heard voices, faint voices, but enough to understand.

  “Frank, I don’t know why the register was short. Perhaps someone made a mistake.”

  “Don’t bother lying, Carrie. You were caught red-handed. You’re lucky we’re not calling the cops. If you leave the premises without causing a scene, then we can forget about this incident. Just do me a favor and don’t show your face in this establishment again. I hope next time you think of your young child and who would take care of her if you were behind bars.”

  I pulled away then and snapped back to the room in front of me, a bit dazed and disoriented. I blinked and looked around.

  Daemon eyed me curiously.

  “There were about fifty or sixty people. A band was playing a top forty song and couples were dancing—about a dozen or so of them. A couple in the corner were making out. One guy was passed out. A couple in the middle were fighting. Two middle-aged women were loudly singing along. There was a small room to the right with two people named Frank and Carrie. She stole some money and Frank let her go. She was crying and remorseful of her actions.”

  His fingers were steepled under his chin as he studied me with a wrinkled forehead.

  “What?” I snapped, irritated at his cryptic looks. Why couldn’t he use words?

  “Sorry. It’s just that I was expecting you to hear the music. I planned on asking what music was playing, but you gave me exact details of how many people were there, what they were doing, and on top of that, you tapped into their conversations?” he exclaimed in disbelief.

  “Yes,” I said slowly.

  He laughed.

  I crossed my arms and cocked a brow.

  “I’m sorry, but I now know why…” He trailed off. “Don’t tell any of the brothers the extent of your ability. As a matter of fact, not even your sister must know.”

  I paused, unsure if I should trust his words but decided to let it go.

  “Can humans see energy?” I asked.

  “Remember our aura or our soul is just another form of energy. Humans can’t read our aura but easily see some energies like lightning or a spark of electricity. They can’t see sound, but they have the technology to capture it. We Fallen and the Nephilim can see energies because this is the core of our powers. Depending on the strength of one’s aura, we may also be able to feel them. There are ways to shield your energy. That is why you can’t decipher what one’s core power is. You, on the other hand, after some training, may be able to read energy.”

  I thought about what he’d said. Maybe he was right. I could easily read their energy. I couldn’t always see it, but I could sense it somehow. I wondered if I could learn to see it every time, with training.

  “They will be here soon. We should call it a night,” he said as he got up.

  I reached for his arm, and he gazed back at me with a curious expression before sitting back down again.

  “We have the barriers up, so I think we have time for one last thing.” I gestured around dismissively. He eyed me skeptically.

  “Do you trust me?”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  I chuckled.

  He shrugged and waved his hand for me to proceed.

  “I’m not sure if this will work or if it will hurt, but I want to try,” I said as my hand hovered over his arm.

  He nodded.

  I touched his arm again and let my shield down. His cold energy invaded my senses, but this time I fought back and flooded his. He sucked in a startled breath. Just like Lilly’s, his energy was dark and fought against mine, but I kept pushing. We didn’t have much time, so I wasn’t gentle about it. Unable to use any memories since I didn’t know him, I used happy thoughts and good intent and just pushed raw energy to drive out his darkness. I pushed and pushed.

  Daemon had his eyes tightly shut, his hands balled in a fist, and his whole body was tense. I only slowed down when mine won and dominated him. This was when Lilly had almost died, so I braced myself for Daemon to react the same way, ready for any hints of distress. Instead, I got flashes of his past, just like Alec, when I saved his life. I released Daemon’s arm in surprise.

  He slumped forward, clutched his head and groaned.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to pull away abruptly. I just didn’t expect to see flashes of your life.”

  He reached for me blindly. “What?” He groaned again and bowed his head.

  I felt intrusions from the building perimeter. I stiffened up, then jumped up, tugging Daemon with me. “Shit! They’re here.” I disbursed the dome and the shield around the building and helped Daemon to the couch. He looked pale.

  “Do you need help to your room?”

  He shook his head. “Can’t make it,” he bit out. He plopped his heavy ass on the couch and lay with his eyes closed. His lips were white, and he was taking deep, struggling breaths.

  The brothers and Lilly loudly came up the stairs. They sounded like they had been drinking. When they saw us, their smiles faltered.

  Jake was the first to recover. “What’s wrong with him?” he said, walking over to Daemon.

  I shrugged. I surveyed Lilly, but she avoided my eyes. Her aura seemed darker.

  “I’m fine. Sunburn. Bad fish.” Daemon grunted from under the pillow as he gestured them away with his hand.

  The other two laughed and went to their room.

  Jake went to the kitchen with Lilly trailing behind.

  Daemon peek
ed from under the pillow and gave me a pointed look. I understood what he wanted. He wanted to know about his past. He must have noticed my hesitation because his gaze turned hard.

  I nodded.

  He hid his face under the pillow again.

  I got up and followed the lovebirds to the kitchen.

  “Lilly, can I see you in our room?” I asked as I glared at Jake.

  She rolled her eyes and said, “What did we do now, Mom?” She laughed at her own joke and turned to Jake, but he only gave a half-hearted laugh, and her smile faltered.

  Lilly huffed. “Whatever!” She stomped off to the room.

  I narrowed my eyes at Jake, but he avoided eye contact, then I followed Lilly.

  When I got into the room, Lilly was in the bathroom, getting ready with the door locked. I waited and sat on the bed. When she came out, she turned all the lights off and climbed into bed.

  “Lilly. I wanted to talk to you. Stop being rude!”

  “I’m tired, Gabby. I’ve been out all day and night. Let’s talk tomorrow. Okay?” She turned her back and didn’t say a word.

  I stared at her for a second, blinking back tears.

  As usual, I couldn’t sleep. I glanced at Lilly’s outline, and a pang of pain shot through me. When would I accept that I had lost her? That really wasn’t Lilly anymore. As bratty as Lilly was, she was never intentionally cruel—I was so sick of feeling helpless.

  I heard my phone vibrate. I reached for it and read Alec’s text. Are you okay? Why are you still awake?

  I smiled, but as suddenly a pang of loneliness hit me, I blinked rapidly to stop more tears from flowing. I really missed Alec.

  I miss you too. Remember, I’m never too far away.

  That reminded me. Were you close by today? I asked.

  He didn’t respond right away. Go to sleep, Gabrielle. I’ll be dreaming of you in my arms tonight—pressed tightly against me.

  I smiled and clutched the phone to my chest. I felt a flare of heat in me that I recognized as Alec’s emotions, which helped me relax, and eventually, I fell asleep.