Free Public Enemies by Ann Aguirre Page A

survival mechanism, if the Harbinger took pity on captives who wept without restraint or shame. Seeing the kid’s expression, I definitely had the impulse to hug him and promise to take care of him.
    â€œYour family,” Kian said.
    â€œThe Harbinger said he found me thrown away in the street, and if anyone wanted me, I wouldn’t have ended up with him.”
    Ouch. But I wasn’t sure I trusted a self-styled god of mischief. For all I knew, he might’ve yanked Aaron out of a warm bed. “What if he was lying?”
    His eyes opened wide, as if he’d never considered such a thing. “He’s a god.”
    â€œSo he claims,” Kian muttered.
    â€œYou said it could wait until I feel better.” That was a crafty deflection and would probably result in Aaron living here indefinitely but I didn’t have the heart to argue.
    This was probably a bad, irresponsible move, but if Kian had someone else to look after, he wouldn’t be able to focus as much attention on me. Which meant, in turn, that I could work on figuring out how to save him from the deal with the Harbinger without him noticing. There would definitely be drama if he realized what I was up to.
    Sorry, Aaron and family.
    I told myself I was just respecting the kid’s wishes, letting him have a respite before the next life-shaking change, but my motives weren’t selfless. Kian sighed and sat down on the other end of the couch, patting the spot beside him. It was a weird way to spend New Year’s, but we watched TV together and late in the day, Kian made burgers from the supplies I’d brought. Though I went home past nine, my dad still wasn’t around. Briefly I considered going back to Kian’s apartment but that would be the same as giving up on my dad entirely.
    The next morning, I got up early enough to see him before he left for the lab and I made him eat some eggs and toast. He flashed me a wan smile before heading out, leaving me to clean up the breakfast mess. He didn’t notice the fact that I’m limping. He didn’t ask why I was late the other night. Hurt welled up like blood from a deep wound. He can’t help it. He’s just not coping very well. I’m sure he’ll do better in time.
    But I had no idea how I could save both Kian and my dad. The threats were completely different, but in my heart, I knew the danger was real. I’m going to lose one of them. That felt like an inevitable result, cause and effect. Whatever choices I made would ripple outward, and then there would be consequences.
    For the moment, however, I had to recover before I could do either of them any good. It irked me but I had to rest until school started. So I sat around my beige apartment for the next few days, chatting with Vi online, and resting my ankle. When school started back, I didn’t want to be helpless. I got regular messages from Kian, updating me on Aaron’s situation. So far he hadn’t been able to talk him into going to the police. In fact, the kid apparently acted like he thought they’d put him in a cage or something.
    Davina texted me on Sunday. You okay? Have a good break?
    With a wry smile, I answered, You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.
    Try me. Looking forward to hearing all the implausible deets.
    I also got a message from Jen. I’m back. See you tomorrow.
    Staring at my phone, I wondered if that was supposed to sound ominous. I recalled what Allison had said … and my private conversation with Jen about psychic vampires. But I had no idea who the liar was. Jen might be trustworthy and there was no doubt Allison could be malicious. She seemed to thrive on creating that kind of conflict; she might even feed on it. Which would explain her presence in a high school, as teenagers were so prone to drama. I wasn’t ready to burn my bridges with Jen, so I sent back:
    Glad you’re home.
    Sighing, I fell back on my bed with a groan.
    I