Rebel Born (Secondborn #3)(104)

I shiver, unsure whether to believe him. Or is he completely insane? “You don’t have to destroy our world. You can resist being a psychopathic terrorist. You can change.”

“Why would I ever want to change, Roselle?”

“Crow, what do you want?” I shout through gritted teeth.

“I want to watch you suffer.”

He raises his fusionmag and aims it toward Reykin.

“No!” I scream, and rush forward, thrusting out my palm. Crow raises his hand, somehow blocking me, and triggers his weapon. A blistering pulse strikes Reykin in the back of the head. Pieces of him hit me, like dirt on a grave. I manage to catch what’s left of my love’s collapsing body. The next moment is a blur. White-hot energy snarls from my hand, straight at the laughing Crow in front of me. It tears through him, creating fissures in his veneer. The energy passes through him to the other Crows behind him. They all electrify, flaming into thousands upon thousands of burning pillars on the seaside.

I drop my hand and cradle Reykin’s nearly lifeless body in my arms. He slumps, and I lay him on the ground. Kneeling, I bend near his ear and whisper not words, but frequencies. The waves generate a magnetism, coaxing the scattered molecules from the pieces of Reykin, returning them to him and reassembling like a neurological jigsaw puzzle.

I ignore the acrid smell of the burning bodies around me. I’m singularly focused on Reykin. The blood on my face slips away, returning to him. My head feels like it may explode at any moment, but I don’t stop whispering, finding all the ways he fits together. When I have all his atoms reassembled, I rub my hands together, creating a seed—a neuro-enhancement like mine. The glowing nucleus floats up and disappears inside Reykin’s nostril to bore through his nasal cavity and penetrate his cerebral cortex. There it will grow, like mine has, transforming him into a being like me. Immortal. If I’m not too late.

Clifton kneels by my side, having broken free of his bonds. “What can I do?” His gaze is on Reykin’s unconscious face.

I’m trembling and weak. My hands won’t stop shaking. “Get Cherno. He’s still in the anchor room. He needs help.” I look at the metal shackles restraining Reykin, and they crack and fall away.

“You need help,” Clifton replies softly.

“Get Cherno,” I seethe.

Clifton nods grimly. He calls one of his men and orders the others to contact the Sozo One. Everything’s fuzzy. I have no idea how long it takes for the hoverstretcher to arrive. Or how Reykin comes to be on it. I vaguely register clutching his hand and stumbling next to him. Then I realize Hammon’s talking to me, draping a blanket around my shoulders in the wide corridor of the Sozo One. The infirmary lights dim on Hammon’s command. I walk, holding Reykin’s hand. Once we reach a private compartment, the physicians work around me, because I won’t let go of him.

They cut away Reykin’s armored wet suit and clothes. He’s covered and bandaged now, but his abrasions are rapidly disappearing. The physicians perform scans and whisper words like “miraculous” and “astonishing.” Cherno’s thick growls sound from an adjacent room. He’s yelling at Clifton.

Periodically, people talk to me, but I can’t understand what they’re saying.

Finally, Hammon shoves me into the bed with Reykin and orders everyone to leave us.

Tears slide down my cheeks unchecked. I snuggle against Reykin’s warm side, feeling an uncanny déjà vu. Hawthorne feels like a lifetime ago. Now I just need Reykin to wake up.

The rocking of the vessel lulls me, and I close my eyes. When I open them again, I’m staring into Reykin’s, their aquamarine literally glowing. I blink.

“Did it work?” he asks.

“Did what work?” My voice is gravelly.

“Did you find Hawthorne and the other you?”

“Yes,” I whisper. “Hawthorne believed his world was the real one, but I managed to convince him otherwise.”

“Everything else go well?” he asks.

“Yes. You were right. There is another me. She’s going to build an army and help us defeat Crow.”

He looks around at the walls, the ceiling, the bed we’re in. “How did we get here?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Why don’t I have any clothes on?”

“That’s a longer story.”

“The next time I wake up in bed next to you, without any clothes on, you have to be naked, too,” he says, pulling me toward him and kissing me.

“Deal,” I whisper with a little sob, but then I kiss him back, passionately.

He pulls away when he realizes I’m crying. “Hey”—he cups my cheeks tenderly—“shh, what’s wrong, Roselle?”

“Nothing. I’ll tell you later. Just kiss me.”

Reykin smiles and accommodates.





Chapter 20

My Own Life

One Year Later

He holds his hands over my eyes.

We traipse through fragrant grass and wildflowers. “Where are you taking me, my love?” I giggle and sway. My hands lift to his forearms to steady myself on the uneven terrain. Around us, I hear the nickers of horses. The loamy scent of sod fills my nose. A crisp breeze stirs my hair, teasing it against my cheeks.

“Only the most special place in the entire world,” Reykin replies.