Free No Love for the Wicked by Megan Powell Page B

me every night during Father’s sessions had been a moot point.
    I tossed my bathroom stuff in the cart with Heather’s things and started to the next aisle. After a few steps, I realized she wasn’t following me. “You OK?” I asked, looking back at her.
    “I was about to ask you the same thing,” she said with a frown. “What were you and Cordele talking about? You seemed tense when I showed up.”
    Ah yes, an empath at work.
    “She was interested in my powers. How strong they are now compared to before I left.”
    Heather nodded. “Yeah, she talked about you a lot while you were away.”
    “Really.”
    “You saved her life twice last summer: once on the assignment with your uncle’s guard, and then again when you rescued her and the others from your brother Markus. She wants to get to know you better now that you’re back, but she just doesn’t know how.”
    I considered that for a moment. Becoming friends with Heather had been easy. She was so open and kind, it had been impossible not to like her. Cordele was different. Her thoughts weren’t open at all, and her attempts at chitchat seemed like forced conversation.
    Heather inched the cart up next to me. “Have you talked with Theo yet?”
    Instantly power sizzled beneath my skin. It had only been a day and a half, but still. I’d expected him to call or text me or something.
    “No. I haven’t had time.”
    She gave me an arch look. I started walking at a clipped pace. She kept up, pushing her shopping cart quickly. “We’ll talk soon,” I said. “I just don’t know when I’m going to see him outside of a meeting.”
    I could see her argument forming: I should just call him and get it over with. Fortunately, when I ignored her, she decided to let it drop. For now anyway.
    We had walked all the way to the electronics section of the store. A wall of TVs showed the local news in various degrees of HD. I headed to iPod accessories. Over my shoulder, Heather moved to one of the wider TVs and turned up the volume.
    “With the call center expansion, Kelch Inc. is looking to bring another three thousand jobs to the greater Indianapolis area. Governor Bader was enthusiastic in his press conference yesterday afternoon, explaining that the addition will help bring the state’s unemployment rating to a twenty-year low. When asked if the north-side expansion can be seen as a stepping-stone to further growth, CEO Magnus Kelch was unavailable for comment.”
    The newscaster moved on, and Heather turned the volume back down. “How come your father never speaks to the press? Senator Kelch gives press conferences every other day practically. It would make sense that Magnus would want some of the limelight as well.”
    “Father hates people,” I said bluntly, browsing the available iPod docks so I wouldn’t have to look at her. “Sees them as sheep. They’re good for working the various jobs at Kelch Inc., but why should our family, with all of our powers and intelligence, waste time speaking to them any more than necessary? Normal peopleare totally beneath us. Uncle Max hates them too, but he needs voters. His telepathy is powerful enough that he can coerce an audience pretty easily. So he does what’s necessary. If he didn’t need them to maintain his position, he’d never acknowledge them at all.”
    “It’s all about power with your family, isn’t it?”
    I felt the hum of energy tickling inside me, waiting for the rush of release. “Power is everything,” I said softly. Then I shook myself. “Come on.” I nodded back toward home goods. “I forgot to get curtains.”

C HAPTER 11

    The snow had taken the past few days off, giving the sun a few teasing moments to show its colors. When Heather turned onto my driveway, the dirt road had turned to slush and mud. For once, I was grateful I wasn’t the one driving. We got to the tree line, and instantly my guard went up. People were in my house again. I touched the intruders’ minds as we pulled