Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,3
happen? I retrace my steps and grab my phone from Rosie’s hand.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Daisy. It’s Andy. Are you still in Hawk City?”
“Yeah, but not for long. We’re heading to the airport as soon as everyone finishes packing. What’s up?”
“I hate to do this to you, but I need your help.”
I notice the tension in her voice, which raises all kinds of alerts in my head. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“I can’t explain over the phone. Can you meet me in person?”
“Yeah. Are you in the dorm building?”
“No, I’m a block away from Paragon Academy. I’ll text you the address. And please, don’t tell your boyfriends. My problem is of the… sensitive variety. Definitely not something I want to share with a bunch of guys.”
I wasn’t planning on telling any of them, but Andromeda’s remark sure as hell makes me curious. I wonder if her problem has anything to do with Stephan. I know Principal Fallon wants to return to Saturn’s Bay as soon as possible, but she can wait a little longer. Andromeda has saved my ass countless times. I’m not going to turn my back on her now.
“Okay, don’t worry. I’ll be there in a few.”
When I end the call, Rosie stares with a question in her gaze. “What happened now?”
“Andy needs my help with something. I’m going to meet up with her.”
She stands. “Can I come? I don’t want to be alone right now.”
“Sure. But promise me you won’t be rude to her.”
A blush creeps up Rosie’s cheeks while guilt shines in her eyes. “I know I’ve been acting like an ungrateful brat lately. I see now that I was wrong to put every Idol in one bucket of evil.”
“Yeah, you were wrong,” I reply, though not to be mean. I’m done sugarcoating things for her. “But I’m glad you can see that now. Better late than never, right?”
She lifts her gaze to mine. “Right. Well, if we want to sneak out without a security detail, we’d better get going. I’m sure one or all of your boyfriends will be here any minute.”
Rosie isn’t wrong. No sooner do we step foot in the hallway than I sense Morpheus and Bryce getting near. They must be inside the elevator.
“We need to take the stairs,” I say.
We break into a run. If I can sense them, they can probably sense me as well. Crap. That won’t leave me much time to find out what Andromeda needs.
By the time Rosie and I reach the ground floor, her breathing is coming out in bursts.
“Shit. Why are we running?”
“I sensed Bryce and Morpheus nearby. They’re probably on their way here.”
“What are they? Bloodhounds?”
“Something like that. Come on. Let’s go.”
We race out of the gates of Paragon Academy, following the directions I typed into my phone. It leads to an intersection where there are more commercial buildings than residential homes. Restaurants and small convenience stores are still open and bursting with activity. The directions lead away from the busy pedestrian traffic into a narrow alleyway between buildings. Soon, the cacophony from the street behind us fades away.
Rosie steps closer to me, pulling on the sleeve of my jacket. “Are you sure you have the correct address?”
I check Andromeda’s text again. “Yes.”
“This doesn’t seem right.”
A sense of dread licks the back of my neck, giving me goose bumps. I’m getting a bad feeling about this too.
Something small crashes ahead of us, making my heart leap up to my throat. Tense now, I focus on my powers, letting them flow freely through me.
“Andy?” I call.
Someone steps from the shadows, and my heart expands in relief when the small streetlight shines over Andromeda’s lavender hair.
“Hey, Daisy, thanks for co—” She stops abruptly as her gaze settles on Rosie. “Why is your sister here?”
“Uh, you said not to bring my boyfriends. I didn’t think you would mind Rosie.”
“I’m not here to be a brat. I swear,” she says.
Andromeda drops her chin for a second. At the same time, her chains fall from her wrists and circle around her. “I really wish you had come alone.”
She throws her arms forward, launching her deadly weapons in our direction. Rosie screams, and I’m too slow to block Andromeda’s attack. Her chain wraps around me faster than I can blink, squeezing me like a boa constrictor. She yanks both Rosie and me forward, and trapped like that, we both fall on the dirty ground.
“What the hell! Why are you doing this, Andy? I thought you were my friend.”