True Born

Chapter Five

Hey, Wattpad! This is Day 5 of 10 Days of True Born! I'm releasing the first ten chapters of the book here ahead of its May 3rd release (coming to a bookstore near you!). Thanks to my publisher, Entangled Teen, for letting me post these - and thank you to everyone who took the time to comment on this story/vote or just read! It's been amazing sharing this with you.

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"We need to get my sister!" I argue with the rumpled blond slouching against the wall.

If I weren't two seconds from hysterical, I'd probably still be drooling over him. Half bathed in shadow, his face looks like a sculpture. Besides the worn pants that fit his slim body like a second skin, he's got on an old moss-green shirt with "Girls are fun" scribbled on the front in neon pink.

Jared. On the drive over the Mohawk woman had called him Jared. Now I have a name. For a second I can't help but stare. He stares back. "You need to calm down. You know where she is, right?" I nod. "Then no problem, right?"

The cold of the room, decorated with metal benches and equipment, doesn't seem to bother my captor in the least.

"Hey now. It's Lucy, right?" A blond curl flips over one eye, and he tosses it back. Storm's man saunters over to me, thumbs hooked into the loops of his pants. If I weren't spitting mad and sulking, I might be swooning, although his personality has all the charm of the rabble. Which is to say, none at all. "Storm's on it. You really do need to get a grip."

I turn on him. "It's Jared, right?" His small smile tells me he doesn't get the sarcasm. "Well, Jared, why don't I let you in on a secret. I'm not some little girl you can park in your...science lab or whatever this is." I wave my arms at the gleaming benches. "And my sister is in real trouble. So if you aren't going to produce Mr. Storm right now, I'm going to walk out that door. Right after I throw you through it."

His head tips back as he laughs, knees bending like he can't stand up. I'm still glaring at his esophagus and wishing I had a knife when Mr. Storm himself breezes through the steel door.

"Lucy, sorry to have kept you waiting." He moves stealthily, every step measured and sure. I try to size him up but find I can't. It's as though he cast a net around himself and ties up all the air so you can't really see him. But then he smiles, a genuine smile, warm and gentle at the same time. "Come with me," he tells me, nodding only slightly at Jared as he pivots and marches out of the room. I follow, Jared's presence behind me poking me into a hot ball of nerves.

Storm leads me through winding hallways, some lit by lights I can't see, others long and broad and filled with hazy light coming in through floor-to-ceiling glass windows. I'm lost after the first turn, and by the time we enter an office with a living room set, I'm ready to sit down. My way in was much easier: Jared had simply slipped a knotted handkerchief over my eyes, right before he picked me up and carried me out of the car, whispering in my ear, "No peeking." I can still feel the hot band of his hands beneath my knees and back as he carried me into the cold metal room and dumped me on my feet.

Storm gestures for me to sit on the long, cream leather sofa, the soft kind that aren't made anymore. A woman with thick-framed black glasses in an olive green business suit brings in a tray with a pitcher of water and a coffee urn. Her hair is caught up in a tight, smooth bun, but I recognize the glimmer in her eyes. She's only pretending to be a secretary, I think to myself. She doesn't look at me, not even once, and I wonder what she's doing for Storm.

"Thank you, Alma," he dismisses her and sits. Even on the extra-large couch he's too big. He seems to gobble up all the air. And yet, I can't help but be electrifyingly aware of the blond slouching against the wall.