Angel Fever (Immortal Legacy #3) - Ella Summers Page 0,56

He sighed. “And that is why I must stay. Much as I long to come with you, to see my family again, my place is here. I can best help them here.”

“You’ve foreseen this?”

“Foresights don’t always come in the form of visions. Sometimes, they manifest as feelings. I feel that I must stay here. Just as I feel that you must now go. Your family needs you. The fate of every living being in the universe depends on your going. And on my staying.”

I stirred my potion. “First time saving the known universe?” I said because he looked very worried.

“Yes.” He swallowed hard.

I patted him on the back. “It gets easier with every victory.”

“And the failures?”

I shrugged. “Failure builds character.”

“Spoken like a true angel.”

I cracked a smile. “Thank you.”

He laughed, and some of the tension relaxed from his shoulders.

I poured my potion into a tiny glass vial, corked it, and tucked it into my pocket. “Farewell, Zane Pierce. I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

“We will.”

I turned to leave.

“Wait.”

I spun back around and met his worried eyes.

“The path before you is fraught with danger.”

“My entire life has always been fraught with danger.”

“When you go to save your family, someone will die.”

A frosty chill rippled down my spine and dread set in. “Who?”

He shook his head. “I’m not sure. The future is constantly changing. Sometimes, I see you dying on a foreign world, far from here. Sometimes it’s Damiel Dragonsire who dies. And sometimes you both die. All I do know is that in every version of the future, someone dies.”

“You haven’t seen every version of the future.”

“No,” he agreed. “I have not seen them all. But I have seen a lot of them.”

“We cannot live our lives fearful of what may come. All we can do is try to always be the best version of ourselves.”

Zane nodded, his face determined. I could tell he was steeling himself for the future, preparing to be the best version of himself.

“Good luck,” I said.

“You too.”

“Wait.”

I turned around again. Zane’s hand was extended out to me, a vial of sparkling silver liquid balanced atop his open palm.

“What is it?”

“A dose of the Life potion,” he told me.

“I’ve already had all my doses.”

“It’s not for you.”

“Then who?”

“I’m not quite sure. I only know that you’ll need it.”

“Ok.” I took the vial from him. “Thank you.”

17

Broken

I left the lab and found my way to the ‘stables’, the place the Guardians’ agents, people like Taron and Giselle, suited up and got ready to depart the Sanctuary. Right now, Eva and Starfire were there, lacing up their boots.

Their white truck was parked just outside the stables, already fully packed and loaded. While their backs were turned, I stalked quietly toward the truck and lifted up the cloth sheet that covered the trunk. Knives, guns, and boxes and boxes of ammunition stared back at me. Eva had never been a light packer.

I climbed into the trunk and contorted my body to fit in between all those weapons. Then I pulled on the cloth sheet to cover the back once more.

“It’s not going to work,” Starfire’s voice drummed beyond the flimsy cloth sheet.

“Sure, it is. You just need to use your imagination,” replied Eva.

Their voices were growing louder. Closer to me.

“No amount of imagination can change the dimensions of this truck. Those boxes are not going to fit in the trunk.”

Boxes? I hadn’t spotted any boxes next to them. They were supposed to have been finished packing. The soles of their boots clapped against the asphalt ground. Every step brought them closer to the trunk. And to discovering me.

Honestly, I didn’t know what the Guardians would do if they caught me trying to escape, but I seriously doubted they’d offer me their heartfelt congratulations for a job well done.

The image of all those bodybags being hauled out of the Sanctuary popped into my head. Maybe they hadn’t died by Life potion. Maybe they’d tried to escape. And been killed for it. The Guardians needed someone with Immortal blood for their plans, but they could still decide that I was more trouble than I was worth and find another someone to replace me.

My hand tightened around the leather hilt of the knife strapped to my arm. My heart raced like an engine revving up. The sound was so deafening that I wondered how Eva and Starfire didn’t hear it.

“Of course the boxes will fit. Stop being so close-minded, Starfire,” said Eva.

“Do not speak to me in that tone.” His words dripped menace. “I