Powerful (The Powerless Trilogy, #1.5)

by Lauren Roberts

With the hand unmarred by my sneeze, he combs long fingers through dark hair. It’s parted and shaggy and likely long enough to partially tie back with a strap. But when he brushes the strands out of his face, I catch sight of a silver streak hiding among the rugged black waves. My heart stops at the sight. At the reminder of Pae. “Was walking through the wall not proof enough of that?” he asks blandly, his eyes finally flicking to mine. I doubt I’ll be getting so much as a smile anytime soon. Or a kind word, for that matter. But that doesn’t mean I can’t try to earn one. “Sorry, um, I’ve just never met another Phaser before.” I smile despite the stony expression he wears. “I mean, obviously I knew there were others. I’m not special enough to be the only one. Although—” “See, as incredibly interesting as wherever the hell you were going with that is, we need to get down to business.” He pairs a solemn nod with what he likely thinks is a sympathetic look. “So, I’m gonna go ahead and let you ask one more question before I dive into everything.” I blink at him, temporarily dazed. “Excuse me?” He raises his eyebrows. “Are you sure that’s the question you want to ask?” “W-what business are you talking about?” I sputter. “What is going on?” “All right, that’s two questions. So, pick which one you like more.” We stare at each other. I can only imagine what Paedyn might have done at this point, and it most definitely involves a dagger. But I choose a far less violent approach. Mayb...