Free The Darkest Whisper by Gena Showalter Page A

wondered. And did they know where the Twinkies were?
    â€œGwendolyn?”
    Strider’s voice pulled her from her thoughts with a jolt. “Yes?”
    â€œLost you again.”
    â€œOh, sorry.” Had he asked her something?
    The plane hit another bump. A lock of sandy hair fell over Strider’s forehead, and he brushed it aside. Another cinnamon-scented breeze followed the motion. Her stomach grumbled. “I know you won’t eat,” he said, “but are you thirsty? Would you like something to drink?”
    Yes. Please, yes. Her mouth watered even more, but she said, “No, thanks.”
    â€œAt least accept a bottle of water. It’s capped, so you don’t have to worry that we’ve done something to it.” He produced a glistening, ice-cold bottle from the cup holder beside him and waved it in front of her face. Had it been there the entire time?
    Inside, she wept. Looked so good …“Maybe later.” The words were croaked.
    He shrugged as if he didn’t care, but there was disappointment in his eyes. “Your loss.”
    Surely there was something nearby that she could steal. Once again, she searched the plane. Her gaze snagged on the half-drunk cherry-flavored water beside Sabin. She licked her lips. No, it will be Sabin’s loss . Soon as Strider left her, she’d go for it, damn the consequences.
    Maybe. No, she would. But he was here now, and she might as well get some answers out of him. She could also use the time to build her courage. “Why are weflying?” she asked. “I saw the one called Lucien disappear with the other women. We could have reached Budapest in seconds.”
    â€œSome of us don’t handle flashing all that well.” His eyes darted pointedly to Sabin.
    â€œSo some of you are babies?” The words were out before she could stop them. It was something she would have said to her sisters, the only people in the world she could be herself around without fear of recrimination. Bianka, Taliyah and Kaia understood her, loved her and would do anything to protect her.
    Rather than offend Strider, however, her words amused him. He barked out a laugh. “Something like that, though Sabin, Reyes and Paris prefer to think they catch a virus whenever they’re flashed somewhere.”
    Twins Bianka and Kaia were the same way. They’d rather believe they were stricken by infirmity than cop to a limitation. Taliyah, cold as ice and twice as hard, simply didn’t react to anything.
    Slowly Strider’s merriment faded and he studied Gwen intently from head to toe. “You know, you’re different than I expected.”
    Hold your ground. Don’t squirm . “What do you mean?”
    â€œWell…wait, will what I say offend you?”
    And cause her to erupt, was what he was really asking. Seemed he was as afraid of her dark side as she was. “No.” Maybe.
    His intense stare probed all the deeper as he weighed the legitimacy of her claim. He must have seen the determination in her features because he nodded. “I think I’ve said this before, but from what little I know, Harpies are hideous creatures with misshapen faces, sharp beaks and the lower half of a bird. They’re spiteful and pitiless. You…you’re none of those things.”
    Had he so easily forgotten what she’d done to Chris?
    She glanced over at Sabin, who hadn’t budged. His breathing was deep, even, his lemon and mint scent wafting to her. Hadn’t he reminded Strider that not all legends were completely true? “We have a bad rap, that’s all.”
    â€œNo, it’s more than that.”
    For her, yeah. Not that she could tell him. Her sisters—lucky as they were—had shape-shifter fathers. Taliyah’s was a snake, the twins’ a phoenix. Hers, on the other hand, was an angel—a fact she was forbidden to talk about. Ever. Angels were too pure, too good for her kind to