Free Vengeance Borne by Amanda Bonilla

not to mention being terminally distracted. Normality had become such a non-thing in her life, how could a nine-to-five job have any place amongst the chaos?
    She tossed the steamy, warm rag into the sink, drawing a glare of disapproval from Bree. Screw it , she thought. I probably won’t be here much longer anyway .
    Leaning over the counter, she looked through the Statesman for any articles about missing children. Of course, the Changeling could have taken the body months ago, which made looking through today’s paper sort of a wasted effort. But Jacquelyn had to at least try to find out who the girl had been. She had to have a family somewhere, and they were no doubt worried sick and searching for their daughter, sister, niece, and/or granddaughter. Even if she did find out who the girl was, she’d have to sidestep Trish, because the Sentry forbade Waerds to make contact with any family members of victims who’d died at supernatural hands. And why wouldn’t they? The average human didn’t respond well to news like, “Sorry Mrs. Jones, but your husband was attacked by a Brimstone demon last night. We took care of it though, and smashed its body to ash.” But even so, Jacquelyn found ways around Trish and the Sentry’s rules. Every parent deserved to know what had happened to their missing child. And this girl was no exception.
    “This seems to be a pattern, my interrupting your reading.”
    For a moment, Jacquelyn didn’t look up. She recognized the energy that emanated from his Bearer’s body, pelting her like warm summer rain. Her eyes moved first, meeting his face. Her head followed and then she straightened. Glancing to his cheek, she noted the bruise he’d given himself by touching her wound. He didn’t even know what he’d done…
    “Your face looks better,” he remarked.
    Jacquelyn leveled her gaze with his. “I don’t suppose you know why that is, Micah, right?”
    He smiled when she said his name. An open, friendly smile that showcased a row of straight teeth, dazzling white in contrast to his darker complexion. His soft brown eyes zeroed in on her face and an electric zing shot through her. Jacquelyn knew that if he focused, he’d sense exactly how she felt. Luckily, she had no intention of letting her guard down enough to give him a glimpse.
    Micah opened his mouth to speak. Closed it. Jacquelyn focused, pulled a tight emotional shield around her. He continued to stare at her as though trying to deconstruct her. Good luck with that, buddy . We’ll see how it works out for you.
    “Are you being helped?” Bree interrupted in a contrived customer-service voice.
    He turned toward Bree as though just now noticing they weren’t the only two people in Grind. “Vanilla breve,” he said, drumming his fingers on the counter.
    “Size?” Jacquelyn asked, showing none of the cordiality Bree would want from her.
    “You pick.” Micah plunked down a ten dollar bill. He pulled away from the counter and took a seat in the far corner of the coffee shop, giving Jacquelyn the space that she’d been praying for.
    How could he not know what he was? His energy screamed at her; Jacquelyn had no problem identifying him as a Bearer. Stronger than Finn. Much stronger. Finn’s presence pulsed like a soft vibration against her, but this Micah—the minute he walked through the door, she’d felt a deep rumble travel the length of her body. He’d healed her quickly, almost instantaneously, whereas Finn’s touch healed her over the course of several hours.
    This guy was like a Mack truck of power. And the calming effect he had on her was nothing short of bliss. She wondered, as she steamed the half and half for his breve, if Micah realized how hard it was for her to appear stand-offish. Most Bearers read emotion better through touch. But Micah exuded so much power; it wouldn’t be a far cry to imagine he could sense emotions from even a great distance without making contact.
    Jacquelyn left her post—they