ORDER OF SEVEN Read Online Free PDF

the room pushes in on my ear drums like when I dive too deep in the pool. My eyes lock on those of the dark-haired stranger. The energy flows around us, out of control, like an electric current loose in the apartment. From somewhere a million miles away, I hear my brother introduce us.
    “Devi, this is Baron. Baron, this is my sister.”
    “Nice to finally meet you,” Baron says, reaching out to shake my hand. When our skin connects, the erratic energy begins coursing through us in a steady thrum. I can’t let go.
    Thoughts. I can hear what Ben, Nodin and Baron are thinking.
    I’m aware of Nodin’s panic and confusion. He’s overwhelmed by the intensity of the energy. Ben’s mind is a flurry of thoughts and images. I see myself through his eyes and he’s shocked I’m sensing everyone psychically.
    And I hear Baron, who’s thinking a singular, clear thought: It’s her.
    Fear and anxiety grip me, although I can no longer discern who it belongs to.
    “Separate them!” Ben yells, and slams his arm down on top of our hands, forcing us apart.
    The easy thrum becomes spastic again. I wince as it reverberates through me and whips around the room. Something instinctual makes me back up to the fireplace. Baron follows suit, backing to the couch on the other side of the room.
    At this distance the energy wanes. It’s less painful, but the air pressure and hum are still present. I should be alarmed. Terrified. But I’m not. I’m exhilarated.
    Nodin and Ben meet in a frenzy of hushed discussion. Nodin’s eyes pull to his right, as if trying to see without turning his head. He does this when he’s communicating with Train and Emilet.
    I glance at Baron, whose fiery gaze captures me, holding my eyes to his again. He’s sitting on the couch, elbows on his knees, not quite shoulder length hair framing his just-enough-scruff face. He has on a black, long-sleeved T-shirt that clings to his toned arms and chest. Jeans hug long, muscular thighs. Damn, even his hands look strong, and then I remember he’s a competitive rock climber, because my brother went to Canada once to see him climb in a big competition.
    The urge to move near Baron is monstrous. I want to touch him again.
    “Devi,” Ben says, his tone full of warning.
    I suck in air and dart my eyes to him. I need to be careful around Ben. His psychic senses are highly alert right now. He looks away as Nodin pulls him back into discussion.
    Heat burns in my cheeks as I sit down on the hearth. My gaze lifts back to Baron.
    His eyes soften. “You alright?”
    “I’m fine.”
    “You have a ton of energy around you. I don’t know how you carry it with you all the time. Your aura is...” His eyes seem to follow my energy around the room. “Huge.”
    “Is it?”
    “You didn’t know?”
    I shrug and shake my head. “Evidently, I know very little about myself.”
    A low laugh rumbles in his chest. He runs his fingers along his scruffy jaw and looks back at me.
    We gaze at each other in silence. It should be awkward, but it’s not. We’re too distracted by the sensations of the energy. I just stare, pulse pounding in my fingertips, painfully aware I look like hell wearing my brother’s clothes. Nodin and Ben finally re-join us.
    “Are you gonna explain what just happened? Why could I hear all your thoughts?” I ask Ben.
    He inhales deep, like he’s about to recite something he’s had to say a thousand times. “It’s called arcing. Your energy reacts to another strong field and spindles to a peak. When this happens it can umbrella out, or arc, and tap into the other sensitivities in the room. You connect to them and take on their abilities, read their thoughts, feel their feelings.”
    I’m fascinated. “I can get inside anyone’s head if I arc?”
    “No. You can’t read Normals. Only SAIs,” he says. SAI is an acronym for sensitive and intuitive, and is pronounced sigh . It’s a nickname started at CISC.
    “Wait a minute, she just arced?” Baron