Powerful (The Powerless Trilogy, #1.5)

by Lauren Roberts

My teeth grind together, the feeling foreign and full of frustration. This man is, so far, slightly insufferable. I’ve never met someone so completely cold and condescending. It’s impressive, really, his ability to ruffle even me. The thought suddenly has me setting my jaw along with a new goal for myself. I hereby refuse to give him the satisfaction of irritating me. And that is why I scare him with a wide smile as I say, “So, why is it you need my help?” It takes him a moment to recover from my sudden shift of emotion. “Look,” he says with a sigh, “someone very important to me just got sent into the Trials.” His eyes search mine. “You know exactly what that’s like.” “How do you…” I trail off, confusion crinkling my brow. “How do you know that?” “I was out on the street when the coach pulled up to take the contestants to the castle.” He clears his throat. “Watched Hera climb in before the Silver Savior followed. And that is when I saw you, jumping and waving at her like she was your everything.” “That’s because she is,” I whisper. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I never got to say goodbye to my everything.” He spits out the words as though they left a bitter taste in his mouth. “Hera won’t make it through these Trials. And that is why I need your help.” I pair a sympathetic look with a shake of my head. “What could I possibly do?” He steps toward me, swallowing the distance between us. “I need to get into the castle and see her one last time. There’s something