Free Arabella by Nicole Sobon Page B

showing it. In my defense, showcasing emotions, admittedly, had never been my strong suit. Which was why I had sought other methods of showcasing that I cared: such as, by doing what I could to ensure Gwen wouldn’t die at the hands of a bunch of psychotic murderers.
    Like Cole and I, she had powers, but she was still developing them – still struggling to control them. She was exactly the type of Super that the Horde needed to get their hands on; she was my father’s research personified. Everything they needed was within her blood. The key to creating their own brand of Supers lay within her bloodstream, the very thing we were taught to protect from early on.
    Against the Horde, Gwen didn’t stand a chance.
    Everyone knew that.
    Except for her.
    She ran head-first into their trap, completely oblivious to the terrible fate that awaited her. I always believed that Gwen had been too naïve, too innocent for the world we’d lived in. That night I was, unfortunately, proven to be right.
    See, while my father and his pet, Mara, liked to believe that their research was succeeding in helping to shape the world, I’d seen beneath the veil. I knew that, trying to cleanse the world of discord and corruption, only led to furthering its demise.
    They wanted us to protect the world from those eager to destroy it.
    But the fact of the matter was, we were still vulnerable, we were no better than the people we were meant to protect. They allowed themselves to ignore the fact that the very monsters they’d created to save them were nothing more than humans with altered genetics – monsters they had created to defeat their own demons, to protect their horrifying secrets from being revealed.
    In them, I had witnessed just how mad desperation could drive someone.
    We were disposable. They had plenty of Supers ready to take over for us when we could no longer protect them. They’d placed their hope in not us – but their machines. It was quite ridiculous, honestly.
    After all, machines were known to malfunction from time-to-time.
    “You enjoy making it difficult for me to read your thoughts, don’t you?” Cole moved in front of me, managing to maintain a perfect pace with me as I made my way down the hall. Not that I expected much less from him. He was my father’s prize, his best result from Project X to date. He was a telepath, and he also had the ability to absorb powers from other supers, and he did everything he could to take full advantage of it.
    It became incredibly annoying during combat training, given that he could mirror my every move. I was what my father liked to refer to as a “well trained Super” – although, assassin would’ve done just fine, really. I had been trained to fight, to watch my enemy’s every move, to strike before they had a chance to do so. I’d also been lucky enough to have super strength and speed. Which really helped with the whole assassin thing.
    Expect for when it came to Cole.
    Freaking Cole.
    “Only when I’m sure you’re going to run back to my father,” I managed to muster, trying my best to move around him.
    “Seriously? How many different ways are you going to think of to call me an ass?”
    I shrugged my shoulders. “Eh, I’m positive I can think up a few more.”
    He arched his brow as he fought off a grin. “Don’t think I forgot what we were originally talking about, Bell. You can curse me all you’d like in your thoughts, but I’m not going to let you head off on your own again.”
    “Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware you had stepped into the role of my father,” I groaned. “I’m an adult, Cole. I’m more than capable of making my own decisions. I suggest you learn to do the same. Staying here is only going to get you killed.”

Bitter Pill
    T wo days later...
    I sat perched atop the building, crouched as I glanced over the brightly lit streets. The warm night air beat down upon me, instantly making me regret my choice to wear a leather ensemble.
    Gwen and I