Until tonight.
Until the urge to do so overcame her lack of confidence and she learned she had a talent she’d never recognized before. It was a talent she realized she’d had since her and Claire’s accident. The fiery car crash had nearly taken both of their lives, and had left each with subtle talents that for some reason they were terrified to reveal. Talents they had only shared the secrets of with each other.
“Geez,” Emma muttered as Liza blocked another move and came back at her quickly with an offensive jab to her jaw, then followed with one to the midriff.
Emma barely had time to block before awareness of another move slid into Liza’s consciousness and went straight to the instinctive impulses snapping through her brain then to her body.
Emma sent a jab to her jaw. Sweeping back and going to the floor, Liza caught herself on her shoulders and arms, legs swinging out as she rolled and swept Emma off balance.
As the Breed went down, Liza was there, her fist coming in and stopping short of Emma’s throat in what would have been a killing blow for a human. For a Breed, at the very least, it would cause a lengthy incapacitation, giving Liza a chance to escape.
As Liza blinked down at the shock in Emma’s face, she quickly jumped back, stared down at her hands, then to the Breeds and two friends watching her in wide-eyed disbelief.
In Claire’s eyes though, Liza saw fear—and a desperate warning.
Fear that the minute changes they had experienced after their recovery would be detected and alter them in the eyes of their loved ones.
The warning that she was skirting the line and placing them both in danger.
“Who the f**k are you and where did Liza go?” Emma sat up slowly, her gaze narrowed.
“I told you she was holding back,” Shiloh crowed in triumph as her mocking laughter filled the basement. “What have I been telling you for months and you couldn’t see it? Every damned time she could have shown she was picking up these damned moves she would back off like a scared little baby.”
“I never showed her that move.” Emma watched Liza as though she were a particularly complicated puzzle.
“Neither did I,” Ashley stated.
“No, we didn’t. But have you forgotten what Liza does for fun? She buys fighting videos and practices without us. I told you all along she was going to kick your asses one day when you least expected it.”
The suspicion, thank God. Oh, thank God. It eased from Ashley’s and Emma’s gaze as Shiloh’s explanation sank in.
Chelsea shook her head in amazement as Claire slowly began to relax.
“I watch Breeds fight too,” she reminded them all. “Their sparring sessions can get real interesting.”
“It can’t be easy sparring alone though,” Emma pointed out, a frown beginning to mar her brow.
“Tell me about it,” Liza breathed out roughly as she collapsed on the mat and took a deep breath. “Do you have any idea how many bruises I’ve gotten down here?”
It wasn’t a lie. There was no deceit in the statement. That part was easy to cover, especially when she was able to hide her face against her knees and simply concentrate on breathing.
One breath in, one out. One in, one out.
“Well, hell, I can actually tell Link now you’re just about ready.” Emma gave a short nod. “Claire will take a little longer, but she’s getting there.”
“I’ll so obviously not be on the front lines,” Claire said in amusement. “I prefer driving anyway.”
And there, Claire was excelling.
“Yeah, she has like f**king mad driving skills,” Ashley exclaimed in sudden excitement. “She’ll never lose control of a vehicle again.”
The sudden reminder had Liza taking in a hard breath. Her head jerked up, eyes opening wide.
She didn’t want to see that memory flashing through her mind again, or feel what she had felt when she had seen the darkness of death opening up around her.
She could swear she’d heard the wails of the dead. And it wasn’t a white light she’d seen. It had been darkness. Nothingness. Such a void of complete nothing that it had rocked her soul.
The same sight Claire had faced as the car exploded around them, the force of the blast blowing the doors open and throwing them from the vehicle seconds before flames had engulfed it.