Free Dissonance: An Echo Trilogy Novella (Echo Trilogy, #2.5) by Lindsey Fairleigh

oxygen
had been slowly draining from the room, but now it had been replenished and I could
finally— finally —take a blissfully deep breath.
    Despite my overwhelming relief, I flinched when Nik curled his
fingers around the watch and picked it up. “Nik, are you sure—”
    “It’s perfectly safe now, Lex.” He flashed me a devilish smirk and
winked. “Promise.” His good humor lasted only so long. His eyes widened when he
looked at the back of the pocket watch, then narrowed to irritated slits. “I
suppose I shouldn’t be surprised,” he said, flinging the watch back into its
little depression in the case facedown.
    “It’s your name!” Kat exclaimed to Nik, having read the engraving
upside down.
    “No,” I said softly. While the letters N , I , and K were engraved into the smooth black
metal on the back of the watch, they didn’t spell out “Nik.” I sighed, suddenly
very tired. “Not NIK —it says KIN .” The same group who’d stolen the
sphere containing Apep , his twisted soul. The same
group who’d shot Dominic. The same group who’d turned Kat’s mom against Nejeretkind completely.
    I looked at Kat in time to see the color drain from her face. “You
don’t think it was—” She swallowed roughly, took a deep breath, closed her
eyes, and tried again. “You don’t think my mom was a part of this—of trying to—to erase you, Lex, do you?” When she opened her eyes, twin streams of tears
streaked down her cheeks.
    In that single moment, I didn’t feel fear or worry or the urgent
need to run and hide. Like Re had said—the danger, for now, was past. At the
moment, I only felt a deep-seated sadness for the young woman sitting beside
me. For the pain and guilt this was causing her. For the longing I could see in
her eyes—that of a little girl crying out for her mother to hold her and tell
her everything would be okay. For not being able to reassure her of her mom’s
innocence.
    So I did the only thing I could think of. I slid out of my chair,
crouched beside Kat’s, and wrapped my arms around her, giving her what little
comfort I could while she cried.

 
    9
    Exist & Live
     
    “Thank you,” I said to the four other people in the Range Rover.
Dominic had parked in the roundabout driveway, just before the entrance to the
house, but I wanted each of them to know how grateful I was that they’d kept
their word—and their silence, where Marcus was concerned—before we got out of
the car. “Really—” I met each of their eyes, even Dominic’s in the rearview
mirror. “Thank you.”
    I glanced down at my hands, fidgeting with the hem of my shorts.
“And, um, you might want to steer clear of the house for a couple hours.”
Passion had never been an issue where Marcus and I were concerned, and usually
I viewed that fact in a very, very positive light, but that same passion
made our relationship just a touch volatile at times. And I had no doubt that
the conversation Marcus and I were about to have was going to be one of those times.
    Neffe ended up being the only person to actually get out of the
car with me at the house, Nik and Kat opting to remain with Dominic until he’d
parked in the huge detached garage nearby.
    “You don’t have to come in with me,” I told her as we walked up
the broad paved steps leading up to the front door. “I’m perfectly capable of
handling him on my own.” The tension tightening my shoulders and making my neck
and head ache suggested otherwise, but I ignored it. Brave face and all that.
    Neffe snorted. Apparently she didn’t believe me either. “I’m
heading straight down to the lab.” She glanced at me sidelong. “It’s
soundproofed.”
    I inhaled deeply, but a sudden spurt of anxiety made me feel like
I couldn’t exhale all the way. “Good idea.”
    As I reached for the door handle, the knob turned and the door
opened. I had to swallow a yelp. “Marcus!” I said too brightly. “We’re back!” I
leaned in and kissed him, and