Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,21

know I’m wary of him. We shake hands, and when nothing happens, I’m a little disappointed. The feeling doesn’t last long. His voice enters my mind, low and dangerous.

“You attempted to help Andromeda just now. I advise you to quit trying to mess with my recruit. You don’t want to get in my way, little brother.”

“I’m not your brother. And get the fuck out of my head!”

Nathaniel recoils, a physical reaction to my mental shove. His eyes flash with anger, and I brace for his retaliation.

“You’ve met Morpheus. What now?” Andromeda pipes up.

Nathaniel’s grin slips into a chilling smile. “Now we’ll get to know on—” He stops abruptly and diverts his attention to the crowd. “My, oh my. This evening is turning out to be quite magnificent.”

I follow his line of vision, finding the source of his amusement right away. Stephan is here, making a beeline in our direction. He took the dress code seriously. He’s wearing a perfectly cut tuxedo that makes him look like a movie star. Women turn their heads to watch him pass, but he only has eyes for Andromeda.

“Why is he here?” she asks in a small voice.

“I invited him, naturally. This is a party for the crème de la crème of Hawk City society, after all. What’s the matter, Andy? You don’t like the surprise?”

Stephan stops near us, sporting the coldest mask I’ve seen him wear. He spares Andromeda a glance full of loathing that makes me feel bad for her, even if she can’t see his glower. She’s clearly enamored with the guy.

“Welcome, Stephan,” Nathaniel greets him. “I’m delighted you could join us this evening. I know you’ve been busy these days.”

“Yes, extremely busy.” His blue eyes become sharper.

No one speaks for a moment, and the longer the silence extends, the tenser the atmosphere becomes. I have no idea what Nathaniel wants, but I didn’t come here to witness a staring contest. I open my mouth to get the answers I came for, but then all the lights in the room go out. The crowd lets out a collective gasp of shock.

Immediately, I reach for Andromeda, finding nothing but empty space where she was a second ago. Fuck! I search for her signature with my senses, but there’s nothing but an endless void. What the hell is going on?

A cold hand clamps around my arm, and then Nathaniel’s laughter sounds nearby. “Are you afraid, little brother?”

I shove him as hard I can, and he lets go. “Where the fuck am I?”

The absolute darkness begins to lighten into gray until a familiar landscape reveals itself. The island from my nightmares. I’m standing on its sandy beach, and before me, there’s the tropical forest that looks innocent enough but hides deadly secrets. Nathaniel is a few feet away from me, looking at the forest too.

“What’s this place?” he asks.

“You don’t know? You brought us here.”

He glances at me with eyes that are widely innocent. “No, I didn’t.”

A massive cloud formation converges on top of the lush jungle, crackling as bolts of lightning pulse inside. The face of the island god appears before us, filling my chest with dread.

“I never thought I’d see the day you two would meet,” the god speaks.

“Who are you?” Nathaniel asks.

Lightning shoots from the sky, hitting Nathaniel square on his chest. The force of the impact sends him flying backward, and he’s still caught in the electric current when he lands near the shore.

Damn it. I guess he wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t bring us here.

I run to where he landed while the island god’s laughter booms as loud as thunder behind me.

The veins on Nathaniel’s neck strain as he rides the electroshock. His eyes are wide, shining with fear. A part of me wants to help, but then I remember he’s been torturing Andromeda for months. Eventually, the tremors stop.

He gasps, bucking his chest. “Motherfucker!”

I turn around, daring to face the source of my torment. “Why are we here?”

“You’re here because both of you broke the rules. Now it’s time for your punishment.”

He sends a massive lightning bolt in my direction, but it’s deflected by the dark silhouette of a man that materializes out of thin air. The island god rages so loudly that the noise shakes the ground.

Nathaniel gets back on his feet, bent forward as he clutches his middle.

“Father?” he asks the newcomer.

Wait. Father?

My heart stops beating. I can’t breathe.

The man looks over his shoulder, and the only thing from his profile that I can see