Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy, #1)

by Lauren Roberts

Men would likely go extinct without women to coddle them.

No lies told here

Leaning in, he adds, “Maybe you should consider that detail before you decide, darling.” Plagues, a pretty boy with pretty words. Dangerous.

“Every girl deserves something equally as pretty and deadly as they are,”

Prince Kai. I’d never seen the man. Never thought I would. Never thought I would steal from him either.

“Is this how you treat all the people who save your life, or is this a new thing for you?” I grind out the words through clenched teeth, mocking his first ones to me.

Her free hand finds the dagger strapped to my hip and slips it out, settling the sharp blade against my throat. “Would you like to find out just how skilled of a fighter I am?” She looks up at me coolly, amusement dancing in her eyes at the situation I’m currently in. She loves the sight of a prince pinned against a wall. And not just any prince: the future Enforcer.

Vicious little thing, isn’t she?

And yet, he failed to mention how he’d hit her. Perhaps I’ll relieve him of one of his hands, so he never has the opportunity to lay it on a woman again. “I spoke with him, yes,” I say quietly. “Though it seems we may be having another conversation in the near future.”

“Mark my words, Prince, I will be your undoing.” I lean in, ignoring the knife against my throat as I murmur, “Oh, darling, I look forward to it.”

“Too stubborn to ask for my help, Gray?” “No,” I say coolly. “Too strong to need it.” His next words are murmured close to my ear. “That’s what I like to hear.”

Well that just won’t do.

“Now, do it on your own. Just to make sure you were paying attention.” She stills, facing the tree. And then there’s a flash of silver hair as she swivels around, throwing a beautiful jab at my face.

“I don’t want to fight your power—I want to fight you. Just you.” Her piercing gaze never leaves mine as she says it, even as the other Elites turn their attention toward us, finding this fight far more interesting than their training. “So, you just want me? No powers?” “Yes. I just want you,” she breathes, annoyed with me. My mouth twists into a crooked grin. “I knew you wanted me, Gray.” And with that little comment, a high kick comes flying toward my face.

“Looks like I messed up your pretty face after all, despite my best efforts.” “Oh, this is nothing.” She laughs breathlessly. “You should see the damage I did to your pretty face.” My lips quirk into a smile as I lift my head toward hers. “Oh, darling, as long as you still think I’m pretty, I don’t give a damn what I look like.”

She is the embodiment of a bad decision. The twin of danger and desire. The fine line between deadly and divine. And I can feel myself drowning.

“You’re a vision.” “She is, isn’t she?” My heart skips a beat. The voice coming from over my shoulder is so cold I nearly shiver. Kai brushes my arm as he steps around me, facing the stunned boy still clutching me to him. “I’ll be stealing her now,” Kai says simply, completely aware of how inappropriate it is to cut in during the middle of a dance. But, then again, he is a prince, a future Enforcer, a cocky bastard.

He feels too familiar. We fit together perfectly, pieces of a puzzle snapping into place. I shouldn’t let myself relax into his touch. Shouldn’t let the tension ease from my body when he holds me. But I can do nothing to stop it. Utterly and completely powerless.

“Who knew that you’d be the one to pull a knife from my back and not the one to bury it there.” “There’s still plenty of time for that, don’t worry.”

Calloused hands are pushing the damp hair off my forehead while words are muttered close to my face. “Pae, stay with me.” His voice is stern despite the panic lacing each word.

And I’ve certainly never heard him call me “Pae.” I’m smiling up at him now, grinning like an idiot. I can’t stop. Delusional. I’m completely and undeniably delusional. But in this moment, I don’t want to die—if only so I can hear him say my name one more time.

He’s suddenly still. His eyes roam over my face, lips slightly parted as he takes me in. Then he blinks. Once. Twice. His dark lashes flutter, gray eyes flicking between mine as he says, “Remind me to make you smile like that again, when you aren’t dying, and I have all the time in the world to memorize it.”

And now I’m suddenly furious with her. She wanted me to leave. She was going to try to deal with this alone. She would have died alone. She’s so damn stubborn that she would choose to fight me until she collapsed rather than let me see her injured. The image of her crumpling to the ground sends a chill through me, icing over my burning rage.

“Just a little more, Pae,” I breathe. She shudders and I don’t miss the movement. Whether because of the pain or because I finally said her name, I’m not sure. I’m reminded of when she hit the ground. When I was feral, frantic, and I was suddenly aware that I hadn’t said her name to her since we met.

If I am to be her enemy, I want it to be because she loathes herself for wanting me.

I look at him, finding his eyes already trained on me so intensely that I swallow before asking, “Where is the healing salve?” His expression is blank. “Gone.” I try to blink away my confusion, to no avail. “You used all of it on me?” “Without hesitation.” Cool, calm, collected. That’s Kai.

“Who knew the future Enforcer was such a baby?” I lather more salve onto his skin, and he grits his teeth. “And who knew the girl from the slums was capable of torture.” “Oh, please. Don’t be so dramatic.” “You know, I’m not entirely convinced that you’re not trying to kill me.” I quirk an eyebrow at him. “So, you don’t trust me after all?” “I don’t trust that,” he says, throwing a skeptical glance at the green paste I’m rubbing onto his wound. I laugh loudly, shaking my head at him. He suddenly goes still at my touch, his eyes dancing between mine with a small smile pulling at his lips.

And then she’s laughing loudly. I hold my breath, watching the way her head tips toward the sky, her silver hair cascades down her back, her eyes crinkle with amusement. She looks back at me too quickly, and I hope I’ve wiped the look of wanting from my face fast enough.

She’s so stunning, yet so stubbornly oblivious to how the sunset behind dulls in comparison to the vibrance that is her.

“I didn’t realize you had watched me so closely.” “Watched? Darling, I’ve never stopped.” She meets my gaze as an emotion I can’t place ripples in those ocean eyes of hers.

What has this girl done to me?

“Darling, I doubt that the sight of someone dying would affect me as much as you do alive and well.” She swallows. “You’re a shameless flirt, Azer.” “Only for you.”

I spin her if only to give myself some time to think. I’d never thought about what my favorite color was before. It never seemed important. Not until I looked into a pair of ocean-blue eyes and realized that perhaps drowning was a beautiful thing. Not until I looked into a pair of fiery blue eyes and realized that perhaps burning was a painless thing. Not until I looked into a pair of sky-blue eyes and realized that perhaps falling was a peaceful thing. I’d never thought about what my favorite color was before because I hadn’t seen one that was worthy of the title. Until now, that is. “Blue,” I say, my voice low.

The intensity in his gaze makes me swallow, but I don’t look away. I don’t want to look away. He runs his thumb over my knuckles, the action so soothing, so gentle.

“And I’ll save your life again and again, aimlessly hoping you will allow me to stay in it.”

“Thanks to you, I have a feeling I’m going to grow very familiar with it. Few have the power to make me plead.”

“Don’t call me ‘princess,’ Lenny.” “Okay, so, the princess also doesn’t like to be called ‘princess.’ ”

Interesting

Her touch vanishes, leaving me aching for her to lay her hands on me— That’s when it hits me. She’s right. She doesn’t need to do anything more to distract me. The mere thought of her being so close and barely touching me has my head spinning. I’m melted by the promise that her fingers gave me, promise of more, promise of something. Nothing. She won’t lay her hands on me. Instead, she’ll drive me mad by teasing me with her touch, only to pull it away, leaving me wanting more. Leaving me cold without the fire her fingers trail along my skin.

“I didn’t realize a single touch could affect you so much.” “Neither did I.”

“Oh, darling, my eyes were on the dance floor,” he says casually. “They were on you dancing with my brother.” Then he huffs out a laugh, craning his neck to shake his head at the canopy of leaves above us. “Why do you think I’ve been drinking?”

“Will you forever be the prize I am aimlessly trying to win?” I inhale sharply, staring him down as I say, “Is that all I am to you? A trophy?” A small smile twitches his lips as he shakes his head at me. “Oh, darling, a trophy implies that I won it, earned it, deserve it.”

“But if I get to have you, it will be because you let me.”

“So, you’re saying I’m allowed to touch you when I’m sober?” His tone sounds more like a challenge than a question. I consider it. Then I laugh. “I’m only saying yes because I doubt you’ll remember much of this conversation in the morning.”

“Don’t stop,” he murmurs. I nearly choke on my laugh. “Stop what?” “That. Laughing.” I still at his words, unable to stop myself from falling silent. He gives me a look, frowning slightly. “You never listen to me, do you?”

“I could get used to you being a gentleman, Azer.”

“And I could get used to being one for you, Gray.”

What do I think of her? When do I not think of her?

But upon arriving at Plummet, the first thing I noticed was the pen scribbled on my hand. My slanted, hasty handwriting is scrolled across my palm, relaying a very important message: She said I could touch her when I’m sober.

But I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again, and again, and again to save that silver-haired girl.

“Are you going to sleep?” “Oh, darling, I’m already dreaming.”

“I’m a fool.” The smile she gives me is equally amused and alluring. “Only when you’re around me?” “Only for you.”