Free The Betrayal of Renegade X (Renegade X, Book 3) by Chelsea M. Campbell Page B

other guests to see. Come on, Zach.”
    “It was nice meeting you,” Zach says to them—even though I’m pretty sure it wasn’t—before hurrying after me into the crowd.
    As soon as I’m far enough away that I don’t think her dad can see me, I get out my phone to call Kat.
    “He was probably just being a jerk,” Zach says. “Kat wouldn’t have the time of her life without you, right?”
    “Of course not.”
    Unless she was on some awesome vacation with all her friends and I stayed behind like an idiot.
    Her phone goes straight to voicemail—she probably turned it off in case her dad called her again. I’m considering leaving a message when a familiar gruff voice behind me says, “There you are. We’ve been looking for you all night.”
    I look up and see my grandparents for the first time in about a year.
    Grandpa comes up to me like he’s going to hug me, then reaches over and zaps me behind the ear with his finger.
    “ Ow. ” I glare at him.
    “Still got it,” he says, laughing to himself.
    My grandma hugs me for reals. She smells like lavender and lemons, and she’s dyed her hair cotton-candy pink. The last time I saw her, it was dark blue. She says she was an attention-getting redhead her entire life, and she’s not about to let a little thing like her hair turning gray stop her from turning heads. “What do you think?” She moves her head from side to side.
    “Very cool. Though I’m surprised you didn’t dye it red and green to match Mom’s colors.”
    “It’s good for your mother to not get everything she wants. Who’s this?” She nods at Zach.
    “I’m Zach,” he says. “Damien’s friend. He goes to school with my brother.”
    “Your friend , huh?” Grandpa says, looking Zach over. “What happened to that Katherine girl you were seeing?”
    “Nothing. I’m still with Kat. She just, uh, couldn’t be here.”
    “You can tell us the truth,” Grandma says, leaning in close. “I’ve known a few boys who were ‘just friends’ in my day. But maybe you keep that Kat girl around, too? We want to have great grandchildren. I’m not saying we want them now, obviously. That Xavier’s enough of a handful as it is. But don’t go burning any bridges. Maybe you and Kat get back together someday, and then you knock her up and come back to this handsome guy here, eh?”
    “Wow, that’s, um, really great advice.” And by that I mean it’s the worst advice I’ve ever heard. “But me and Kat are still together. Really.”
    “Well, all right, then.” She sounds almost disappointed that I won’t be putting her crazy plan into action.
    “You should come over some time,” Grandpa says. “If that so-called father of yours will let you. And if he won’t, I’ve got a thing or two to say to him.” He pounds one fist into his open palm, electricity washing over both of them.
    Zach stares at him, his mouth hanging open and his eyes going wide in complete adoration. “That is so cool .”
    “I don’t need my dad’s permission to go to your house,” I tell them. “And he is my dad.” Whether they like it or not.
    “You want to see something really cool?” Grandpa asks Zach, acting like he didn’t hear me.
    “ Yes . Damien never wants to show me his lightning power.”
    Grandpa holds both hands out, palm up, and makes electricity arc between them, like an electric rainbow that touches down on each hand. He moves his hands farther apart, then closer together, the arc moving with them. Then he claps his hands together and the lightning disappears.
    “Whoa.” Zach glances over at me, as if he’s wondering if I saw that, and also like he’s maybe wondering why I never do anything that awesome.
    Grandpa cracks his knuckles. “It’s all in the wrist.”
    “We saw you on TV,” Grandma says.
    Who didn’t? “Don’t tell me. You think I shouldn’t have made a spectacle of myself.”
    She looks at me like I’m insane and puts a hand on her hip. “Honey, you know my