Devil May Care Read Online Free PDF Page A

core, the bitter chill of his ice element. But despite the immense amount of chaos energy he was capable of wielding, he hadn’t been cold.
    Reluctantly, I withdrew from the images and lifted my hand from the car to sever the link to the past. The brilliant sunlit workshop dulled to somber dust-covered reality. The retreat of the warm memory left me shivering. The ghost of Stefan’s voice lingered for a few beats, but that faded until only the sounds of my breathing and the murmur of the city outside remained.
    A weighty sadness siphoned the strength from my limbs. It had been a mistake to delve into the past. The memories only served to remind me of what I’d lost—of the mistakes I’d made.
    A splatter of blood dripped onto the dust sheet, followed by another. I felt wetness on my top lip and tasted the coppery twang of it in my mouth and grunted a curse. Pain lashed up my spine, and a cry burst from my lips. I staggered back and bumped into the workbench, rattling the tools. A second slice of agony rode up my spine. This one turned my legs to liquid and dropped me to my knees. Blazing heat burned through my limbs and radiated up my back, over my shoulders, before drilling through my very core. The agony built, crawling beneath my skin as though it could burn my flesh from my bones. A third wave broiled up. Fire rolled across my flesh. I had a moment to realize my element had somehow broken through the Institute’s drug-induced cage before the surge of chaos energy snatched my consciousness away.

Chapter 5
    T he beep of a heart monitor punctured my dreams and hauled me from the depths of unconsciousness. My thoughts still slumbered, reluctant to make sense of the scene around me. I tried to lift my arm but couldn’t. Someone was holding me down. Damien, no... I gasped and jerked up. I was at the Institute. The heart monitor’s sound accelerated, attracting my blurry gaze. A bank of monitors blinked and flashed down at me. Graphs jumped, and numbers ticked. I tried again to lift my hand. When it refused to move, I peeled my head from the pillow and saw why. Leather restraints fastened me to the bed. From my right wrist, an intravenous drip wove its way up my arm to a clear bag suspended beside me.
    Ryder slouched asleep in a chair, his leg stretched out, and his head back. I swept my gaze around the small room as my molasses thoughts gradually organized themselves. I was in the Institute’s medical facility. A normal hospital wouldn’t have had a one-way observation window.
    “Hey, Ryder.” My voice came out more a hoarse growl than actual words.
    Ryder woke with a start, saw me glaring at him, and smiled a sleepy not-quite-there grin. He sat forward and pulled a hand down his unshaven face to drag away the vestiges of sleep. “You look pissed.”
    I tugged on the restraints and arched an eyebrow. “You have about three seconds to untie me before I lose my cool.”
    His smile grew, and his eyes brightened. He’d actually been worried, which in turn worried me. What exactly had happened? He glanced at the vast mirrored window then back at me. His smile faded away. I wasn’t getting out of here.
    Dropping my head back, I scowled at the mint-green ceiling. The light wavered, and the room tilted. I blinked to refocus. “What did they give me?”
    “Somethin’ to keep you calm.” Ryder bowed his head, finding his hands fascinating rather than meeting my eyes. “What happened?”
    “I have no idea. How did I get here?” I remembered the workshop and mining the metal of the unfinished Dodge for memories but nothing else.
    “I found you at the workshop.”
    I hadn’t imagined the tremor in Ryder’s voice. Nor did I imagine the worry lines pinched around his eyes. For once, he met my gaze and didn’t attempt to hide his concern. Whatever he had seen, it scared him.
    “I’m fine.” I tugged on the restraints. “Or I would be if they’d let me out.” A quick scolding glance at the window cleared my