Free Evernight (The Night Watchmen Series Book 2) by Candace Knoebel Page A

He rakes a hand through his hair, exhaling out his growing frustrations. “Can no one take a joke around here? Sheesh.”
    Jaxen groans. “I can see this is getting nowhere fast,” he says. “So keep acting like a child. It looks good on you.” He takes my hand in his and pulls me forward, leaving Weldon behind us.
    “What’s gotten into him?” I lean in and ask.
    “He’s just worried,” Jaxen says, sounding tired. “He always gets like this when he’s worried about something.”
    “About Clara betraying us?”
    “Maybe. Probably,” he says with a shrug.
    We turn the corner, and I have to beg my heart to stay steady. Flashbacks of the night I came to the city assault my mind, barraging me with unwanted memories. Being torn from Jaxen’s side. A bag thrown over my head. Thrashing in the dark, only to wake in a white jumpsuit behind silver bars meant to lock me away.
    “Faye!”
    It’s Jaxen’s voice. He’s staring at me, cupping my face in his hands.
    “Faye, breathe.”
    I lock my eyes on his and suck in a deep breath. Somehow, I manage to grab his hands and pull them off my face. I suddenly feel the curious stares of everyone around us. I’m not blending in well enough. I never do.
    “I’m fine, really,” I say.
    “Thank the Goddess,” Cassie shouts out desperately from in front of us.
    I look away from Jaxen to find Clara standing outside the Training Facility with trays of steaming coffee in her hands. Her smile is tight. Her stance is even tighter. Quaintly poised. Effortlessly elegant.
    Dressed in an all-white skirt suit with the flags dancing behind her, she could be the face of this Coven. The face on every poster that rallies up enough Watchmen to head into battle against the unknown in the Underground. Even her aura holds a sense of power—a bright orange color that flares like the sun.
    And I don’t know if this scares me or sets me at ease.
    “You brought us caffeine?” Cassie asks hopefully, stopping in front of Clara. Her fingers are twitching, hovering over the cups as if she’s trying to decide which one she wants, and then she pulls back hesitantly. “It’s not… it’s not poisonous, is it?”
    Clara’s smile flattens. “No.” 
    “Oh, good.” Cassie smiles pleasantly and grabs two, handing one to Gavin. Her eyes roll back when she takes her first sip, and she lets out a small, heavenly moan. “Boy, did I need this,” she says gratefully. We all step up and take ours from her, whispering our thanks.
    But even with it not being poisonous, I still don’t want to drink it. Not when it’s from her.
    “I had the brewer add a little Moonwart as a blessing to the Goddess herself, and a little chamomile to calm your nerves for the big day,” Clara says. “I thought bringing a peace offering for any wrongs you’ve felt from me in the past would be a nice way to start your day.” Shifting her stance, she straightens her back. “I know what it feels like to be in a new city, to not know what to expect, and I don’t want you all to feel afraid. I’m here for you.”
    Weldon snorts. I didn’t even hear him approach.
    Her head whips in his direction. “Do you have something you’d like to say?” she asks, her gaze slicing over him.
    “Yeah,” he says, sticking his chest out. “I call bullshit.” He steps up to her, his posture stiff and his shoulders squared. “My power might not rest in reading auras and seeing the future, but I can smell a lie better than anyone here, and nothing irks me more than when someone lies straight through their teeth. Right to my face.”
    “Well,” she says, bearing her teeth a little, “I guess it must be hard for you to live with yourself then, because all I’ve ever heard from you are lies.”
    His fists clench and unclench at his sides. The cords in his neck protrude. Hate permeates the air between them and, for a moment, I’m scared of what he might do. Terrified he might morph right here and take it all out on her. But he