Finding Sky

But that’s good isn’t it? The threat wasn’t real.

Yeah, but you’ve just swapped my imagined threat

for

the

real one

of

assassins.

Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of the Benedict family. I’d better stop talking.

Dad’s giving me these weird looks.

Zed?

Yeah?

Take care.

You too. Love you.

He cut off.

‘Sky, are you al right?’ Simon asked, turning the key in the ignition. ‘You’re looking a bit pale.’

Zed had said he loved me. Was it just a throw-away comment or did he mean it?

‘I’m fine. Just need to get some sleep.’

Simon yawned. ‘We’l have to report to the boss first.’

Zed loved me—maybe. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to believe him. The last thing I wanted was to fal in love because, deep down, I remembered that love hurt.

Our grand plan to pretend we weren’t a couple had been blown apart by our visit to the police station.

The gossip was too hot for me to put the fire out with indifference or denial. Zed must’ve realized for he came to find me after my first class, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was towing me into an empty room.

‘Are you OK?’ He gave me a hug.

‘Fine.’

‘I’ve been hearing about this drop-dead gorgeous skeleton from everyone. Seems she had to report to a police station with some idiot who took on a couple of sophomores.’

‘What did your parents say?’

He gave a hol ow laugh. ‘You real y want to know?

I’m going to have to work off my debt for Ben’s teeth with extra chores and go round to apologize. I’ve had to swear not to sneak out with you again. They make me feel about nine years old. You?’

‘It was OK. Simon blames you.’

‘Great.’

I wanted to ask Zed if he meant what he said about loving me but was too scared to ask.

He hugged me. ‘Yeah, I did.’

‘Stop nicking stuff out of my head.’

He ignored my protest. ‘I think I knew it from the moment you stood up to me in the parking lot, but, last night, when I saw you in the station dressed as a skeleton, defending me to the police, I knew for sure.’ He gazed down at me, framing my face in his hands. ‘I understand you stil have issues with what I’ve been tel ing you, but it’s more than just a random pairing, Sky: I real y feel so much for you, it’s scaring me to death. You are just … just everything—your smile, the way you think, the way you get embarrassed when I tease you, your stubborn streak.’

I sort of wanted to hear this—but also didn’t: how mixed up is that? ‘You’ve noticed I’m stubborn?’

‘Can’t miss it. To me, you’re the theme that harmonizes perfectly with mine.’ He trapped my gaze with his. ‘I’m in love with you.’

‘You are?’

His eyes deepened to a darker shade. ‘Sky, I’ve not felt like this before and it’s terrifying.’

‘Wel , wow. Um … perhaps you should try to get over it. I’m not good at this relationship stuff.’

‘Sure you are. You just need time to adjust.’ He put his arms around me so I could rest my head against him and listen to his heart beating strong and steady.

I was so confused. Savants—soulfinders—al that did not hide that this was real y about being committed to him. I’d spent many years defending myself by not exposing too much of my heart to other people; could I trust him enough to risk loving him back? What if I fel in love with him and got hurt?

What if something happened to him?

‘What’s going on now? Has Victor had any luck finding the people after you or who betrayed you?’ I asked.

Zed leant against a desk, positioning me so my back rested on his chest, his hands looped round me, chin on the top of my head.

‘He thinks it’s most likely it goes back to Daniel Kel y.’

I turned to look up at his face. ‘Hey, I’ve heard of him. Doesn’t he build skyscrapers?’

‘That’s only a tiny part of what he does. He’s currently building a city-within-a-city in Las Vegas.

It’s a massive complex of hotels, casinos, and apartments. But he does it with dirty money—not that anyone dare say as they’d be crushed by a ton of lawsuits. He’s got various relations heading different parts of his empire. Some are complete crooks—no better than the mafia. We caught a couple of them in Denver after a hit—we think on his orders, not that we could prove it; they went down for murder one a month ago—it was big news at the time.’

‘I remember them talking at school about it.’

‘Vick is trying to find out if they’ve got a savant on their payrol but it’s tough. They’re hardly going to talk to a Benedict and his sources are coming up dry.

Kel y’s got it in for us now. Wil and Uriel are at col ege in Denver so they’re watching each other’s back. The rest of us are confined to barracks.’

I linked my fingers with his.

‘What’s Wil ’s gift?’

‘He’s most like Dad, can sense trouble. He’s great at telekinesis too.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Moving stuff.’

‘Like lemons.’

‘Yeah.’ He smirked. ‘I’m way better than Xav at it.’

The bel rang in the hal way. ‘I’m missing maths.’

‘That’s too bad. I’ve missed being with you.’

‘I’l get detention.’

‘Then I’l get it too. Great idea.’

‘Won’t you risk getting thrown out—Tina said you were in trouble again.’

‘No, they won’t dare. I’l send you along to the principal’s office in your skele-suit. Man, I love that outfit.’

When no class came in, we realized we had another hour to ourselves.

‘So are you going to tel me the rest of it, about your family?’

He sat on the windowsil and helped me up beside him. ‘Yeah, I suppose it’s past time. We al can do different stuff like telepathy, but we each have a main gift. You know about Dad sensing danger. Mom sees the future and can read thoughts off people: she’s the most like me, I guess. Together they can maintain a guard around the house—it’s part of their combined power as soulfinders. Trace can read objects. If he touches something, he can see the person or the event that brought it there.’

‘Very handy for a cop.’

‘We think so. It’s either that or be an archaeologist. Uriel, I think I mentioned, sees the past. Victor can manipulate people’s thinking …’

‘What!’

‘Yeah, he cha

‘Bloody hel ! Yves looks so … wel , so friendly and studious.’

‘It was scary when he was a toddler, Mom says, but he’s got it under control.’

‘How can your family do these things?’

‘We just can. It’s like why do you have blue eyes?’

The question fel like an ice cube down my neck. ‘I guess I must have inherited them from my birth parents, but I wouldn’t know, would I? They dumped me.’

‘Sorry, that was stupid of me. I saw something about that in your memories.’

‘Sal y and Simon couldn’t have children so took me on when everyone else thought I was too disturbed for adoption. I didn’t real y speak for four years until they rescued me. They had the patience to coax me out of my shel .’

‘They’re special people.’

‘Yes, they are.’

‘In the most important respect, they’re your real parents now—I can see things from them in you.’

‘Like what?’

‘You’re as nice as your mom about people and that stubbor

‘Good.’ I liked the idea of inheriting Simon’s grit.

‘He’s a Yorkshireman. He’l be pleased to hear it’s catching.’

‘You shouldn’t be scared of what you inherited from your biological parents. I can’t see anything to be ashamed of when I look at you.’