Free Anarchy (The Stone Legacy Series Book 4) by Theresa Dalayne

voice.
    She squirmed, clearly trying to shift his arm off her shoulders without being too forceful. “What do you mean?”
    He calmly brushed her hair away from her neck with the other hand. She cringed.
    “Is there something going on I should know about?” he asked.
    She shrugged. “Just finishing my chores.”
    “Right.” He analyzed her face. “And you and the gringo . What about that? Something going on there?”
    She paused, and her eyes narrowed. “We’re just traveling together. I told you.”
    He let out a low laugh. “Kind of like how you and me were just traveling together, huh?”
    “No. Not like that.” She stepped back.
    His arm slid off her shoulders, and he pumped his fists. “No? Not like that?” He stepped closer, pinning her back against the wall.
    “Blade—”
    He rested a hand on either side of her, trapping her in place. “I missed the way you say my name, you know that?”
    Jayden crept up a step as silently as he could. If he had to step in, things would get ugly.
    “I need to go finish my chores,” Hawa said. Her voice carried a slight tremble.
    “Say my name again. Just one more time.” Blade shifted even closer to her, pressing his body against hers. He pinched her face between his fingers, puckering her lips.
    Hawa sucked in a breath and jerked her head to the side. “Stop it, Blade.”
    He grinned. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He dragged his fingers down her cheek. “I really did miss you, Brisa.” He grabbed her face again and forced his lips against hers.
    Jayden ground his teeth. That was it.
    When he stepped toward them, a shooting pain tore through his temples. He crumbled to the stairs and cupped his hands over his ears, squinting his eyes shut.
    The black space opened up to him, and Modem appeared behind his closed lids, in his subconscious. “You don’t want to do that.” She cocked her head to the side, pursing her lips.
    Jayden stood in the void space with the girl. “Get out of my head.”
    “You were about to do something stupid. I’m saving you. You could say thank you.”
    “He’s hurting her.”
    “What, are you her babysitter or something? Brisa has been dealing with Blade for as long as I can remember. If you step in, it’ll just make it worse.”
    “Not if I kill him first,” he said through clenched teeth.
    “And then what’ll happen to all the kids who live in the Thirteenth Street Hotel? You plan to take care of us when Blade is gone?”
    Jayden snorted. He could barely take care of himself.
    “Don’t forget, your powers are different now. That’s why I gave you the ability to talk to her with your mind.” She tapped her head.
    Jayden searched for a logical explanation, and came up with only one. It was her. She was the reason he could talk to Hawa with his mind.
    Modem’s eyes widened and her lips parted, showing a faint smile. “You thought you were doing that by yourself?” She laughed. Like, a full on belly laugh. Little jerk. “Okay. Here’s the deal.” She shifted toward him. “I’m helping you out because you’re helping Brisa. So as long as you’re here, with her, I’ll keep letting you borrow the ability to talk to her through your mind.” She quoted the word ‘borrow’ with her fingers.
    “And if I leave?”
    “You go back to your ability controlling you, and nobody there to help when the crazy witch decides she’s going to eat your brains.” She shrugged. “Everyone’s got to pay some kind of price, right?”
    He narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure you’re only twelve? Like, legit twelve?”
    Her brow furrowed again. “You’ve got to stop asking stupid questions. What other kind of twelve is there?” She rolled her eyes. “Just shut up and don’t do anything stupid. Brisa is a big girl. She can handle Blade, as long as you don’t make it harder for her. Meanwhile, you and I have a witch to hunt.”
     
    ***
     
    After his splitting headache subsided, Jayden wove through the hotel to Modem’s