Free Grace and Shadow by Viola Grace Page B

dropping ten minutes ago.”
    To her surprise, Shadow blushed.
    “I am Link, and I do the communication for these idiots; as you can see, they are lacking in verbal skills.” He smiled and kept an arm around her as he eased her into the structure in front of them.
    A bot rolled up with hot sweet tea, and Imgrace grabbed for a mug with shaking hands.
    She tried to bring the mug to her lips, but her hands were quivering and making it awkward. Shadow moved to her side and held the cup for her. She sipped carefully, trying not to scald herself. The temperature was perfect, and she gulped as quickly as she could.
    When the cup was empty, he put it aside and Link pulled her into a seating area while still rubbing her arms and legs absently.
    “You are probably wondering why Shadow and Shatter hauled you here.”
    She snorted. “Good guess.”
    “We need to test a theory about voids and talents.”
    Imgrace was wary. “What? That we die easier? I know that. There were five in our province when I was a kid. Now, I am the only one left alive. We are too easy to kill.”
    Shadow frowned. “They were exterminated?”
    She shook her head. “No, they were all killed by other children who were working to master their own powers. If a pyro flares out, a hydro talent can put him out, a telekinetic can move the fire. All a void can do is burn and die.”
    Link cocked his head. “How did you survive?”
    “One word for you. Homeschooling.”
    The three men blinked as if they had never considered that as an option. Shadow asked, “You didn’t interact with your own peers?”
    “The ones who would kill me by accident or in a temper? I was safer at home with my bot tutor and my studies.” She chuckled weakly. “I got my degrees, entered the workforce and wear the headband so that no one can jerk me around for fun. I have no defenses and can be a walking puppet in the wrong hands.”
    Shatter squatted in her line of sight. “You are that vulnerable?”
    She snorted. “Of course. The same power that gifted you with talent made me a raw nerve open to any attack. We are the same species but that is pretty much where it ends.”
    Link sat next to her. “We are going to ask you for an easy assist on a project we are engaging in.”
    Imgrace gave him a narrow-eyed look. “What do you need?”
    Link smiled. “We just need you to come along on an off-world jaunt to answer an age-old question.”
    “What is that question?”
    “Why do our talents stop working in space?”
    Imgrace was absorbing that when she started shivering again. It was turning into a very odd day.
     

Chapter Two
     
     
    Shadow brought out a suit, and he set it next to her on the couch. “This should help you with your body-heat issues.”
    Imgrace took the scarlet suit and pulled it onto her lap. “Thank you. Is there somewhere I can change?”
    Three arms pointed down a hall, and she got to her feet, shrugging off the blanket and following the muttered directions that Link gave her.
    She peeled off her outer tunic and then worked off her neck-to-toe bodysuit. The red suit was definitely thicker, and when she eased it up over her hips, she felt the warmth. When she wedged it up over her shoulders, she experienced the peculiar effect of her breasts being squashed flat. The suit was cut deeply, but her cleavage was compressed to nothing. She hadn’t been this flat since she was eleven.
    She reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out a hair band, pulling her hair away from her face. It was a little lumpy, but it was better than her yellow locks getting all wild during whatever was on the roster next. As a good citizen, she would always cooperate with the Guardians.
    Imgrace walked out of the lav with her normal clothing folded over her arm. The Guardians all jumped to their feet when she entered the comfortable space.
    Shadow frowned, and he sent a cloud of darkness that wrapped her from neck to knees.
    “What is that for?” she looked down and tried to