The first of the two missions was an abandoned warehouse in a Coalition town just over the border. The town belonged to The Coalition, but The Agency had a number of loyal followers there. TOXIC had become aware of the warehouse when it was still occupied by Coalition forces, but it was deemed an unnecessary risk to check out—or so that was what our intel said. Our mission was to search the warehouse for any sign of what was once manufactured there. The Agency believed it was just physical weapons—guns, swords, knives—but we needed to be sure they hadn’t been making biological or chemical weapons, as well. Even though this mission was technically on enemy territory, it was considered extremely low-risk since it was doubtful that we’d come in contact with any members of The Coalition.

The atmosphere on the flight was far less tense than the ride to Mexico City for our first mission had been. Still, I could barely sit in my seat, but it was more out of anticipation than nerves. Erik and Henri talked and joked for most of the trip, and Erik even went out of his way to include me in the conversation. Finally, things were starting to get back to normal between us.

Once we landed, we walked the short distance to another dilapidated-looking barn, where Henri chose a vehicle to drive into the town. We didn’t wear our adapti-suits but rather regular clothes, although we all had weapons concealed underneath.

Instead of going to an abandoned safe house, we drove straight into town and parked behind a small, well-maintained house. There was nothing remarkable about the building; nondescript was the best word for it. This safe house had no command center like the previous one, but thankfully, it did have a fully-stocked kitchen and two small bedrooms. I took one of the rooms and the boys shared the other.

Henri explained that we would scope out the area surrounding the warehouse after nightfall to ensure that it was, indeed, abandoned. As long as all of our intel was correct, we’d be able to go in the next night, gather the necessary information, and be on our way. This sort of fact-finding mission was the norm for Hunters. TOXIC knew that The Coalition was becoming stronger by the day, recruiting followers to aid in the battle against the Talented and those who supported us; what we didn’t know was how much progress they were actually making.

Intel, gathered daily, informed us that they were developing technology to rival ours. It was important for us to learn exactly how far they’d come in reaching that goal, but the locations of their research and development plants were hard to accurately locate. I assumed that they’d developed at least some form of masking technology, similar to ours, to scramble satellites so that we couldn’t pinpoint their whereabouts.

These fact-finding hunts ranged in difficulty and our mission ranked pretty low on that scale. Privately, I assumed that it was because of my performance on the last one, and that we’d been relegated to mediocre assignments. However, I actually didn’t mind. Easy assignments would give me the opportunity to redeem myself, receive high enough marks to graduate, and become a full-fledged Hunter—the only thing that truly mattered.

We were off in full hunting gear as soon as the sun had set. We spent the night watching the warehouse, and blessedly, saw nothing worth noting. We returned to the safe house just before sunrise, and I was happy to sleep the day away.

At nightfall on the second night, we once again set off in our hunting gear. We watched the warehouse for another few hours and, not seeing anything suspicious, made our move.

I opened myself up to both the boys’ minds, absorbing their thoughts and feelings. Their excitement and the thrill of the hunt filled me, causing adrenaline to surge through my veins. I felt invincible. I was ready for whatever came.

Once inside, we quickly assembled our equipment and combed the warehouse. I used a chemical detector to sweep the area, while Erik and Henri looked for evidence of the types of physical weapons made there. I found a trace amount of a chemical associated with the manufacturing of ammunition. I immediately uploaded my findings, sending them back to Headquarters. Erik and Henri found spare parts for several different models of rifles, but nothing impressive—nothing like the artillery The Agency manufactured. Henri finished the mission by taking images of every inch of the warehouse. We were back at the safe house well before the sun started peeking above the horizon.

We weren’t scheduled to leave until after dinnertime, so I went to lie down, but found it impossible to sleep. The mission had proved ridiculously easy and I was on a success high.

Erik’s easygoing attitude from the plane was gone. He was standoffish toward me and careful to keep his mind guarded when it wasn’t necessary for mental communication. When our minds were connected, I couldn’t help myself; I risked gently probing into his psyche. But he’d known that I would try, and all of my attempts were met with resistance.

Our third mission was much deeper into Coalition territory—the southernmost tip of California. Our only objective was to confirm that a man, believed to be a high-ranking member of The Coalition, had a residence in San Lucas, California. The most time-consuming part was actually traveling there; we weren’t able to take any hover-vehicles because the skyways in that area were highly restricted. We had to travel a great deal of the way by road-vehicle, and an even greater distance on foot—or hoof, as it turned out. I took it as a good sign that Erik didn’t insist that I ride on Henri instead of him.

The mission went off without a hitch. We were in and out in less time than anticipated, and Henri contacted Headquarters so they could send a hover-plane to meet us early. The rendezvous was close to the safe house we’d stayed in for the previous mission. We retraced our trek from the previous day without incident.

I was riding the crest of a victory wave when we landed back at Headquarters. The time apart—and, if I was honest, Erik’s coldness toward me—had made me long for Donavon and his comforting presence; I couldn’t wait to see him. I opened my mind long enough to confirm that he was in his cabin, but didn’t call out to him. I wanted to surprise him with my early return. I jogged the whole way back to Hunters Village with a big grin on my face.

My hand was already turning the knob to Donavon’s door when I realized something was off; a sick feeling filled the pit of my stomach. I sensed that there was something inside his cabin that I wasn’t going to like. I pushed his door open using my mind. The interior of the cabin was dark, but it took only seconds for my eyes to adjust. For the first time in my life, I regretted my training.

My eyes narrowed in on Donavon’s bed, where long, blond hair spilled over the side. A girl’s shocked voice let out a gasp as I let the door slam open. Donavon sat up so quickly, you’d have thought someone set fire to his mattress. He jumped off of his bed, wrapping a blanket around his waist; he was otherwise naked. I was vaguely aware of the girl saying something, but I couldn’t hear her over the ringing in my own ears.

All of the air in the room vanished, making it hard for me to breathe. The wind began to pick up, blowing leaves and twigs through the open doorway behind me. I locked Donavon’s eyes, so full of shame and fear, with my own and bore into his mind.

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“Tal, no, please don’t,” he moaned softly.

He started walking toward me, one hand extended in my direction, the other holding a fist full of blanket at his waist. I used my mind to hold him in place, rooting his feet to the floor and stopping his advance.

I felt the cold raindrops coming through the open door, splashing my back. Donavon tried to shove me out of his head, but I pushed harder; he was no match for me. I found what I was searching for—the fight with Erik. I saw through Donavon’s eyes as he kissed another girl, a girl who was not me. I saw as Erik walked over to him, demanding to know what was going on. I saw as Erik hit him in the mouth. I wanted to pull out of his mind; I couldn’t stand to see this, but I was in too deep to extricate myself. I watched the fight play out. I felt something inside of me freeze and then shatter into a million pieces—my heart.

Donavon was still fighting against my mental invasion. He started walking toward me again, and I used my mind to throw him back against the cabin wall. He landed with a thud. I heard the girl scream as Donavon moaned. He tried to get up, but I pinned him to the floor. One of his arms was hanging limply at his side. Blood trickled down his cheek as the light in his eyes slowly faded to unconsciousness. I caught movement in my peripheral vision as the blonde had begun to move. I didn’t think twice before mentally throwing her back down on the mattress, holding her in place. She whimpered, but was powerless to do anything more.

I refocused my attention on Donavon who was slowly regaining consciousness. I dove into his mind, and he started shrieking like a scared child. The blonde’s whimpers grew louder as she watched Donavon writhing in pain on the floor. He grabbed his head with both hands. I wasn’t sure if he thought that would help to keep me out, or to keep his thoughts in. I dug through Donavon’s mind, searching frantically for every memory involving the girl. I pulled on and discarded his memories, like his mind was a dresser drawer and I was looking for a matching pair of socks. The deeper I went, unlocking memories and thoughts that he’d worked so hard to keep from me, the more he struggled.

Finally, I pulled out of Donavon’s head. I couldn’t handle it anymore. Feelings of betrayal and pain swirled inside of me, fighting to get out. Thunder boomed and electricity streaked across the night sky, matching my mood. A huge explosion reverberated through the cabin, blowing the windows inward and spraying the entire room with shards of glass. A sliver sliced open my cheek. My entire world went black.

***

My head throbbed, feeling about eight times its normal size. I attempted to open my swollen eyes. Wincing, I tried to lift my cheek from the rough material that was scratching my skin. I failed at both. A large hand gently smoothed stray curls away from my face.

“It’s okay. You’re okay,” Erik’s deep voice cooed. Pain radiated from my skull down through my entire body. I groaned, but finally managed to open my eyes. Scenes from Donavon’s cabin invaded my mind. Erik’s voice brought on another emotion, almost stronger than the pain—humiliation. Burying my face in my shaking hands, I withdrew from his touch. Erik was the second-to-last person that I wanted to see right now.

Stupidly, I’d assumed that Erik had fought Donavon over his feelings for me. How could I have been such an idiot? He hadn’t actually been fighting him because of romantic feelings, but because Donavon was, in fact, an ass. Erik had been defending his partner. I was even more mortified by the fact that he’d let me believe the fight was actually over me.

The betrayal and embarrassment became too much. My body trembled uncontrollably with silent sobs. Erik wrapped his arms around me, and I didn’t pull away. Instead, I clung to Erik’s shirt as hot tears scorched my skin. He rocked me while I quivered, overwhelmed by hurt, humiliation, and exhaustion. The ache in my chest made it hard to breathe. I longed to retreat into the darkness from which I’d just woken.

“Close your eyes,” Erik murmured into my hair. His voice was firm and authoritative. “Sleep, Tals. Go to sleep,” he repeated softly. I obeyed, over the stinging protests of my eyeballs.

Unfortunately, the blackness didn’t come. Colorful dreams of Donavon laughing and kissing the faceless blonde played in my subconscious. Rage filled me as I recalled the images of me attacking Donavon, screaming and clawing at his shocked expression. I wanted to physically hurt him the way that he’d hurt me. I continued to shriek while my fists pounded his chest. Cold water dripped from the crown of my head, down my face. Rough fingers encircled one of my wrists as I raised my hand to strike Donavon again. I struggled against my attacker.

“Get off of me,” I screeched hysterically. “Get off me.”

“Talia,” a sharp voice hissed in my ear. “Wake up.”

I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to my current surroundings. I was back in my cabin. Erik, not Donavon, was leaning over me, his hands pinning my wrists next to my head. I thrashed against his weight, but he refused to release me. Finally, my body stilled—Donavon and the girl were just a nightmare. I struggled to sit up in bed. Erik’s eyes were filled with alarm.

I brushed at the water that was actually dripping down my face. My fingers brushed a small bandage on my cheek. The sound of exploding glass filled my ears, and a stinging sensation tingled the nerve endings under the bandage. The memories flooded my mind; it wasn’t a nightmare. A damp cloth was leaking water onto my sheets, the wetness seeping into my thin pants. Erik tentatively released my wrists and picked up the offending rag. He slowly wiped my forehead.

“Hey,” he said, giving me an uneasy smile.

“Hey,” I muttered, not meeting his eyes; I couldn’t stand to see the look of distress there again. We sat in uncomfortable silence for several long moments.

“Are you hungry?” Erik finally asked. “I can get you something to eat.”

“No, I don’t feel much like eating,” I mumbled.

“Can I get you anything?” He let his hand and the towel drop back to my mattress.

“No, thank you,” I said in a small voice. I hesitated. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I finally demanded, regretting the words the second they were through my lips.

Erik didn’t answer immediately. He looked away, the wall next to my bed suddenly becoming so intriguing that he couldn’t tear his gaze away.

“I didn’t think that I was the right person to tell you,” he said carefully, measuring his words.

“You let me think that you got in a fight with him over me? You thought that was better?” I demanded, hysteria rising in my chest.

“At the time, I thought it was better. In retrospect, probably not the best move.”

“How long has it been going on?” I grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to meet my gaze.

“I honestly don’t know.” He opened his mind to me, showing me that he was telling the truth.

“Had you heard things? Is that why you hated him so much?” I pressed, looking into his head, instead of at his face, for the answer.

“Well… yes. I’d… heard things. But I’ve never liked him, even at school.”

I saw snippets of memories dance through his mind; a much-younger Erik and Donavon trading insults in the School’s gymnasium; Donavon, his hand resting on the small of a blonde girl’s back, ushering her through a crowded bar; Harris’ gray-blue eyes pleading with Erik to mind his own business when he tried to follow them.

“I see.” So, everyone knew but me. Awesome. My humiliation deepened, squeezing my lungs like a vice.

“Tals, I’m so sorry—sorry this happened, sorry that you had to find out this way, sorry that I didn’t tell you. Sorry that I lied to you.” The words tumbled from his mouth, tripping over each other to get out.

“Sorry that you let me be self-absorbed, and think it was all about me?” I prompted. Rage boiled, hot and unpleasant, in my stomach. I wanted to lash out at somebody, pummel something. The pillow next to me took the brunt of my fury.

“I did get in a fight with him because of you,” he snapped, anger clouding his features. “I flipped out when I saw him with her. I wanted to kill him.” The intensity of his words unnerved me. In that moment, I honestly believed if Arden hadn’t been there, Erik might’ve killed Donavon.

“Right, but you let me believe that it was because you cared about me or something,” I spat back. Pity flashed through his turquoise eyes, fueling the flames of my ever-growing rage.

A knock at the door cut me off before I could say something that I might have regretted later. I looked at him in alarm. Erik shot up to answer the door. I didn’t open my mind because I was afraid that it might be Donavon. I might kill him if I saw him right now. It wasn’t Donavon; it was worse... Mac.