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"I won’t be long" He could see how close she was to panic, but to her credit, she only nodded when he gave the next order "When you hear the guards begin to move, run southeast No hesitation"

He headed toward the two ht before he blurred hihly specialized Arrow unit had possessed this ability Most blurring, or "s" as Brenna had put it, occurred on thetelepathic interference across the viewer’s mind

Judd was different He could alter his own physical form The skill was telekinetic rather than telepathic Because Judd wasn’t si telepath, nor was Tp his reat lengths to make people believe What would Brenna say if she realized he was an extrenation as the killer who had tortured her in that blood-soaked room?

It was a question he’d never have answered, as he had no intention of telling Brenna the truth of what he was Shifting his cells a fraction more out of sync with the world, he s couldn’t see him except as a shadow out of the corner of their eye More importantly, they couldn’t scent him either, a fact that supported his personal theory of how his ability worked

A h the forest on the right-hand side, and doind, of the soldiers The creaturesdirection Settling his molecules back into sync, Judd deliberately crossed paths with the men - as if he were on his way back to the den

"Anyone cooing

"No"

Nodding, Elias took off after Dieter Judd used the opportunity to lay a false trail all the way back to the den Then, taking the time to hide Brenna’s trail even as he hid his own, he headed southeast He thrust so their scents so they couldn’t be tracked that way either

Brenna was fast When he found her, she ell out of the White Zone, and in the central core of the inner perimeter - considered safe for adults but not children There were sentries in this section, too, but they were stationed soave way to the outer Around Judd and Brenna the forest was quiet, sound muffled by the thick blanket of snow The trees were blue with it this far up in the Sierra, icicles hanging off the branches like transparent blades

"Careful" He moved to cover her when she passed under a particularly lethal spike

"What?" She looked up and behind herself, then shivered, shifting to lean her side against his chest He froze, un as the trees His reaction didn’t escape her notice "I’ touched But I need it right now"

He’d come to expect bluntness from her "You’re not dressed for this weather" She wasn’t wearing a coat, just jeans and a pink turtleneck, though her feet were encased in solid boots He should have noted and reeling I don’t feel the cold" Usually true, except that she was burrowing into his body, her hands raised between theh pressed into his "What about you?"

"I’m fine" He truly didn’t feel the cold, but in his case, it had to do with his telekinetic abilities "Take this" He shrugged off his jacket It left him clad in a thin round-necked sweater as black as his jeans

"I told you I d-d-don’t feel the c-c-cold"

"Your lips are blue" He put the jacket around her shoulders At the sa Tk shield to cover her The shield was created by reordering the air and dust particles to forhly ian to push her ar in his jacket, she returned to her position against him Neither of them spoke or moved for the next ten aze at the blue and white spread of the forest around them, but he are of every breath she took, every beat of her heart, every shift of her soft, warht sparked a warning in his brain that he chose to ignore

Suddenly, the blinding light of the sun was reflecting off the snow and into his eyes He glanced up to discover the clouds had dissipated while they stood in silence

"Beautiful," Brenna sighed, hooking one arm into his, "but hard on the eyes Come on There’s a lake this way The area around it is a bitoff her cap of hair, the sun was a sharp knife thathere But he didn’t stop walking until she did