Free Stolen by Ella James Page B

feel…”
“Crazy.” Meredith nodded. “I know! She does it to me, too. I think she does it to everyone, and some of them don’t remember it.”
“But you do?”
“Kind of. But that’s not important right now. Look, we’re not going to the infirmary.”
“We’re not?”
“No. The ladies there are spies. I think they keep reports on people—for The Three.”
“Spies?” Julia felt shaky. “What the hell is going on in this place?”
Meredith looked at her solemnly. “There’s nothing wrong with you. That theatre thing? It’s supposed to charge us up, like batteries. I’m not for sure, but I think it puts all our energy together and it somehow magnifies everyone’s power. I think yours just magnified like whoa. Look, has anything else happened?” She pulled out a pack of gum, holding it out to Julia; when Julia shook her head, Meredith popped a piece into her mouth.
Julia considered telling her about the prophetic stuff—and maybe even Lazarus the Turtle—but shook her head.
“That’s good.”
“This place is intense.”
Meredith nodded.
“I didn’t even want to come here.”
“Me neither.”
“Did they force you?”
Meredith nodded. “My aunt and uncle.”
“Nathan like…kidnapped me.”
“No WAY .”
“Cayne and I…” Julia pursed her lips. “Cayne and I were in D.C., downtown. We were fighting off a Bound—this other Nephilim thing—when Nathan and…Drew and some others showed up. They grabbed Cayne, and then they grabbed me. We weren’t even doing anything to them.”
Meredith’s mouth hung open. “That’s insane! Omigod , Julia, I had no idea . That’s like never happened.”
Which made Julia feel even worse. She should have done something to stop what happened. But she’d just…given up.
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get the nerve to admit what was twisting her up in knots. “I’m worried about Cayne. Worried that I won’t be able to help him. Does everyone hate Nephilim as much as Nathan does?”
“He hates them a whole lot,” Meredith hedged.
“Why?”
“A Hunter killed his parents.”
A sick, cold feeling settled in Julia’s chest. “Are you sure?”
Meredith shrugged. “He doesn’t talk about it, but everybody knows. Probably heard it from Drew, though. He and Nathan were pretty tight at one point, before Nathan went all Chosen Crazy and started working for The Three.”
“He works for The Three?”
“It’s just this rumor…”
Julia pressed her palm over her eyes. “I think I need to sit down.”
*
She didn’t know why she confided in the girl. Meredith wasn’t a friend. They’d never gone through anything together. And what she wanted—what she really wanted—was to escape with Cayne and never think about the Chosen again.
But Meredith’s eyes were big and solemn, and she kept offering Julia gum, and she went on and on about how awful it was that Julia had been “snatched,” and Julia was tired and confused and…not herself. Just seriously not herself, because the Julia she’d thought she was would never, ever, ever spill secrets to anyone . Except Cayne.
And yet…she found herself sitting cross-legged on the sauna bench, smoothing her creased pants down with her fingers, leaning forward and peeking at Meredith’s aura.
Still purple-gold. Nothing weird.
She felt relieved.
Meredith noticed. Julia knew she noticed, because the girl’s pretty face went blank and curious.
“I…” Her throat was dry. She didn’t want to say it. “Nathan kept saying he knew Cayne was bad. Like, knew knew .”
                  Meredith’s eyes widened. “Do you think Cayne was the one?”
“I don’t know .” Her stomach churned. “But he told me he’d done bad things, and at the time I told him I didn’t care.” She felt so stupid admitting it, but even now, when she thought of Cayne: Did she care?
“Yeah, okay.” A huge pink bubble bloomed between Meredith’s lips; she popped it, looking contemplative. “But it would have to be