Free No Love for the Wicked by Megan Powell Page A

just asked because at your meeting last night another guy showed up, a late arrival. I could have sworn I caught a feeling of power the moment he stepped into the house.”
    I swallowed the rest of my whiskey in a long, slow gulp. Theo’s powers were strong enough now; I could imagine someone who knew what to look for feeling his energy.
    When I remained silent, Tony nodded and shot me a tight half smile. “Yeah, that’s what I figured.” Then he walked out and closed the door behind him.

C HAPTER 10

    The next day, Heather and Cordele showed up early on my doorstep with plans to go shopping. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who got bored with research. I’d never really done the whole “girlfriends” thing before, but since my cell phone had remained silent all night—Theo hadn’t even bothered to send me a text—I had to admit that I looked forward to getting out of the house. Downtown was too far away, and the closest mall was overrun with holiday shoppers taking advantage of the last weeks of Christmas sales. So in an attempt to avoid all that, we just went to the nearest Target.
    “It’s weird not having everyone drool all over you anymore,” Cordele said casually while inspecting a new bath mat.
    I flipped through some shower curtains. I’d been showering with just an open stall because the last shower liner had molded while I was away. I should probably grab some thicker curtains for the bedroom too. And maybe some lamps. And groceries, definitely groceries. God, I loved Target—it had everything!
    “I mean, it’s cool,” she continued. “It must be horrible having every person you pass want to jump your bones.” I ignored the hint of jealous sarcasm she didn’t realize she was throwing. “But it must take a lot of control to suppress something that’s a natural part of you like that. Your powers must be getting really strong.”
    I froze with two toilet covers in my hands. She didn’t look at me, but there was a nervous tightness in her face as she continued to flip through the same bath mats she’d been flipping through since we’d come down this aisle. I looked in her thoughts. Bath mats, bath mats, bath mats—her focus was way too intentional.
    “My powers are what they’ve always been,” I said carefully.
    She nodded quickly, studying the pattern on the mat in her hand. “Oh, of course. I mean, you’ve always been more powerful than anyone we’ve ever heard of. Did Thirteen tell you about the truth serum I developed for interviews? I would have never thought to combine the doses like that if you hadn’t shown us how you can use your telepathy aggressively. There’s a lot we could learn from you.”
    I relaxed a bit. I’d forgotten that Cordele had moved into the R & D end of things. No wonder she was so interested in my power level. I’m sure I’d make an excellent lab rat. Not that that would ever happen—I’d kill everyone in the Network, including Thirteen, before I let someone lock me in a cage and study me. But at least I could understand the why behind her interest.
    “They have Merona tank tops on sale,” Heather said, appearing at the end of the aisle. She had a cart half-full of clothes and shoes.
    “Why would we buy tank tops when it’s thirty degrees outside?” Cordele asked.
    “Because they’re only fifteen dollars and they never shrink.”
    “Seriously?” Cordele pushed past me. “I’ll meet you over there.”
    “You want some?” Heather asked me.
    “Er, that’s OK.” I had enough clothes for now. And truth be told, while I was fine buying discounted lamps and bath mats, I wouldn’t put that cheap-ass fabric on me if she paid me to. One of the residual effects of growing up on the estate: everything I’d ever worn had been top-of-the-line or custom-made. Not because Father cared about what I wore, but because that was all that was ever purchased. Nothing but the best for anyone with the name Kelch. That my clothes were burned or shredded off