Free Broken Skies by Theresa Kay Page B

stay in my seat and blindly hope for something to intervene. Dane crosses the stage and leans down until he’s face to face with me.
    “Get up, Jasmine,” he says. “You’re embarrassing me. Don’t make me call your name again. I can make things rather unpleasant for you if you test me.”
    I rise onto numb feet and my legs carry me to the front of the stage with jerky, robot-like movements. Flint steps up onto the stage and my entire body relaxes into the sigh of relief that breezes out of me. Finally. But something isn’t right. His expression isn’t triumphant or angry or anything but resigned. He reaches out and takes my hand.
    I move to pull my hand away, but Flint simply shakes his head. My gaze goes out to the onlookers, waiting for the rest of the rescue team or whatever Flint has planned. Eyes drill into me, curious ones, pleasant ones and maybe even a few hostile ones. I have no anchor here and my mind is flailing for something, anything to hold onto. Nothing is happening.
    Zoned out, I only catch the end of what Dane is saying, “…. the last one of the night and the most important one of all.” I shake myself and concentrate on his words. “My son, Flint Jacobs and Jasmine Mitchell.”
    What? Flint and me what? My eyes dart around looking for answers.
    Flint pulls me closer to him and plasters a smile on, nodding out at the crowd. “Smile,” he hisses into my ear.
    “What? Why?” What the hell is going on?
    “It’s the only way I could protect you, just go with it. You at least need to try to look happy about it.” Flint’s breath tickles my neck and I shiver.
    “Happy about what?”
    “Our Promising.”
    Hold on. My body stiffens and I blink rapidly. Did he just say that we were Promised? “What are you talking about?”
    “I promised Jace I’d protect you if anything happened to him. This is me keeping that promise,” he says against my neck. “It’s not so bad. Dad could have given you to that old guy.” A fleeting sensation of his dry lips pressing against mine sends my mind spinning out of control.
    I hold myself together though, barely. Stand. Smile. Wave. Walk. Flint leads me back down the steps. Once we’re through the crowd and out of sight, huddled in a dark corner behind the library, I turn on my heel and send my fist toward his nose. He must’ve been expecting it. He dodges.
    “What. The. Hell.” I punctuate each of my words with a punch to his arm. Those he doesn’t try to avoid. Good. I need to hit something.
    “It was the only way.” He winces as another punch lands on his arm.
    “It was a stupid way!” I yell. “Of all the idiotic, lame-brained ideas in all the world, it was the worst!”
    Flint catches my next jab at his arm. “It was what your brother wanted.” His words are soft, but his eyes blaze with anger. “Stop hitting me.”
    I swing my other hand at him. “You’re not my brother. You don’t get to order me around.”
    Flint’s shoulders tense and he closes his eyes for a moment before sighing. “I know that,” he says. “I just— there’s a lot we need to do.”
    “You’re right,” I say. “We need to plan how we’re going to get Jace back.” I cross my arms over my chest, daring him to argue.
    “Jax…” Flint sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “I don’t know if we can.”
    I step forward until I’m right in front of him, our toes nearly touching. “No. Maybe you can’t, but I can and I will. With or without your help.”
    The muscles in his jaw clench and I can see the pain in his eyes. “You don’t understand.”
    “No! You don’t understand. I will not leave my brother there. I will not. I will not.” I turn to storm away, but Flint’s hand catches my arm. Before he even has a chance to say anything else, I bring my right fist around, landing it directly on his temple. The hook shot knocks his head to the side violently. His eyes roll back and he crumples to the ground.
    Well, that’s one way to occupy him