Adaptive: A Young Adult Dystopian Romance (The Elite Trials Book 2) by Becky Moynihan

Author:Becky Moynihan [Moynihan, Becky]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Broken Books
Published: 2019-07-16T05:00:00+00:00

Polite detachment.

That was how Brendan handled our time together for the next three days. I told myself over and over that it didn’t bother me, that spending my free time with his sister was good enough. But there was an ache, an empty hole behind my ribs that I couldn’t fill no matter how busy I made myself, or how often I burned off excess energy.

If I was being completely honest with myself, it was a Brendan-sized hole. Nothing else could fill it. Was this a sign that I needed therapy? Because these feelings seemed . . . obsessive. But how could I ignore them when I spent several hours with him every day?

A thought whacked me upside the head and my eyes flew open.

Dominic sighed, but not in annoyance. He was too good-natured for that. “You’re still fighting my attempts at unlocking your memories. Your mind needs to be clear, focused. Where’s it at this morning, Lune? It feels scattered.”

“Sorry.” I shook my hands out and uncrossed my legs. Meditation must not have been something my old self did. The position felt entirely unnatural to me. “Can we take a five minute break? I think I finally figured out why I can’t focus.”

His eyebrows rose but he unfolded his limbs and stood, offering me a hand. I smiled my thanks and quickly left the soundproof cubicle. It didn’t take much searching to find my guard. He was leaning against the Ability Center’s outer wall, his eyes already trained on me as I approached. Did he ever get bored of guard duty? How had he spent his time before Tatum City and the Elite Trials?

I was doing it again. Distracting my mind with thoughts of Brendan Bearon instead of focusing on manifesting my ability and unlocking my memories. I sighed through my nose. There was only one way to fix this problem. I stopped several feet away, making sure there was lots of space between us. Not knowing how best to say this, I went with blunt honesty. “I want a new guard.”

He pushed off from the wall but didn’t come closer. I noticed his jaw harden though. “Why?”

Ah crap. I hadn’t thought of a proper explanation. “Because . . . because I can’t have distractions right now.” Ugh, nope. Try again. “Look, I don’t think babysitting me is what you want. If your heart’s not in it, then why not pass me off to someone else? I’m sure your ability is needed for far more important things anyway.”

There. That was rational.

Then why did I feel terrible when his expression shuttered, like he was protecting himself from the blow my words had just dealt him? I opened my mouth, not knowing what to say but wanting to fix the look on his face. It almost looked like betrayal. Before I could speak, he cleared his throat, then said softly, “If that’s what you want.”

It wasn’t. “It is,” I replied, already mourning the loss of his future company.

He gave a curt nod and broke eye contact.

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