04 Last Read Online Free PDF Page A

advanced…everything?”
    Jackson smirked at Alex. “We do have advanced…everything. You stop smelling it after an hour or two.”
    “Awesome,” Alex said with a roll of her eyes.
    “Are you done?” Daniel asked us.
    He was not as interested in furniture or wayward smells in the dark. His eyes were focused on the wall to the left; they were focused in a way I knew was dangerous, not only for himself, but for those who were keeping Han and Beatrice. He was determined and hyper-focused. It was a look I did not test, not without a willingness to be burned by it.
    “Are you?” I asked Jackson.
    “Sure. There’s violence to be had…so, let’s get on with it,” Jackson said eagerly.
    Reaper was also looking at the wall to my left. His silver eyes were impressed with what he saw. He walked over and put a hand against the seemingly firm wall. He didn’t use his gift of turning to smoke, but his hand still went through the rock. The wall didn’t ripple or move with Reaper’s touch. It remained as solid-looking as the others.
    “You haven’t lost your touch, Preach,” Reaper complimented Preacher. “This is amazing work.”
    “Thank you,” Preacher said with a small smile. His orange eyes cut through the dark as he eyed the wall. “Would you like me to keep the illusion up?”
    Reaper nodded. “For now… Can you make sure we’re not seen when we go outside?” Reaper asked. “They might have people watching this area.
    “I’ll do my best,” Preacher said.
    “I can help with that,” Margaret said. “I’ll turn the storm this way.”
    “Good. The more cover the better,” Reaper said.
    “Yeah, speaking of that…Let’s go take a look,” Daniel said.
    He was impatient. He looked ready to storm the building all by himself. I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
    “Are you sure you can stay calm?” Reaper asked. “This is your family we’re talking about after all…I wouldn’t want your emotions to get the better of your judgment…”
    One of Daniel’s eyebrows arched dangerously. It was a look that came with a recommendation: don’t question him. He would do whatever it took – even if that meant waiting – to get them free. His impatience would not get the best of him. I knew that for a fact. Daniel had mastered waiting. He might fidget and get annoyed, but he never acted without forethought.
    Reaper smiled at Daniel, not taking the threat as seriously as others would have, and stepped through the seemingly solid wall. The others followed him. I hesitated. It wasn’t just because I didn’t want to be shown how impossible it would be to rescue Han and Beatrice. The cold, tingling shock of being watched was traveling through my body in a message of awareness.
    The others didn’t seem to notice the feeling – as trained and aware as they were, I knew they would have felt the feeling if it were real. The excitement and fear was obviously getting to me. I was wound up. Still, I couldn’t help but turn and look at the deep recesses of the cave for an answer to the feeling. Even looking straight at the darkness, the feeling didn’t fade.
    “Clare?”
    I turned at the sound of Alex calling my name. The others had already left; Daniel’s impatience had hurried their exit. Her eyes pierced mine through the dimly lit area. Around the question, there was worry. She knew something wasn’t right. She could tell from the expression on my face. I rolled my shoulders and tried to force the feeling from my mind. It was just my nerves. Nerves wouldn’t help what we were trying to do.
    “Yeah?” I asked.
    “What’s wrong?” she asked.
    “A feeling,” I said.
    “Uh-oh,” she said.
    “It’s nothing,” I said.
    “When is it ever?” she asked.
    I smiled but ignored the question. I hooked my hand through her arm and pulled her toward the wall. I focused on stepping through the seemingly real wall, so that I wasn’t focused on following through on my first impulse; the impulse that would have