He laughed. “We aren’t staying in the woods, Ember. We’re going to the hunting cabin.”
“Hunting cabin?”
“Yep. Some of the others use it, but I’ve pretty much taken it over. It’s a good place to get away from stuff.”
“Oh, well that—shit!” Not paying attention to where I was walking, I stumbled, my foot getting snagged in a gnarled tree root.
Hayden spun around and caught my shoulders before I ate dirt. He got me standing on my feet again, an uneven grin on his face.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
“You’ve got to be careful. There are a lot of holes and upturned roots in the ground.”
“Now you tell me.”
His grin spread, and I noticed then that Hayden was still holding me. And we stood so close my sneakers brushed his shoes. I lifted my head, bewildered by the sudden desire for him to pull me against him again. Our eyes met. There was a long stretch of silence as we stared at each other. What was I thinking?
And why wasn’t I moving away?
A wild sort of smile appeared for a moment before he dropped his hands and backed off. “Come on.
We just have a little bit more to go. I think you’ll like it. No one but us knows it’s even out here.”
I shoved my hands in my hoodie, my fingers immediately finding the odd coin. I clenched it and ignored how fast my heart pounded. A good twenty minutes later, a cozy-looking log cabin came into view. Surrounded by tall trees and thick brushes, the cabin was even more isolated than the house.
Grinning, Hayden dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. A musty smell that reminded me of family camping trips and the aroma of coffee beans greeted me as I followed him in. He dropped the keys on a small table and started lighting candles with a lighter he pulled from his pocket.
“The cabin hasn’t had electricity for a while.” Hayden explained as the flame danced across his face.
“I use the pellet stove if I’m here in the winter.”
“Do you come here a lot?”
“Not that much lately, but I used to. It’s quiet out here.” He paused. “Anyway, what do you think of it?”
When he was done, soft light ate away at the darkness and revealed a rather large room outfitted with a small kitchen, an antique-looking couch, and a… a bed. Nervously, I turned away and folded my arms.
The place reminded me more of a love-nest than anything else. Then again, the stockpile of rifles hanging on the wall kind of ruined the cozy feel.
“It’s nice.”
“Strange,” Hayden moved past me, toward the bed.
My heart flip-flopped. “What?”
“Someone’s been here.” He stopped at the bed, frowning.
I didn’t know what he’d seen that gave it away, but whatever. “Do you think someone will find us here?”
He glanced up. “No. Parker’s the only one who ever really comes down here. Cabins aren’t Phoebe’s thing.”
“What about Gabe?”
“No television means no Gabe.” His eyes met mine. Midnight had nothing on them; they were that dark.
I bit my lip. “So what do you have in mind?”
His eyes still held mine. “I have a lot of things in mind.”
All the air left my lungs. I felt dizzy. “Really?”
A wolfish grin flashed across his striking face before he turned and grabbed a potted plant. “Training, Ember. Grab a seat.”
Feeling like an idiot, I opted for the couch while Hayden grabbed a wooden chair from the small table and placed it in front of me. Then he sat down, knees pressed again mine, plant in his lap.
“Take off the gloves.”
I didn’t want to, but I did. Taking a deep breath, I laid them next to me. “What do you expect me to do?”
“Just touch it.”
Leaning back, I met his dark gaze. “Why?”
“Are you going to give me a hard time?” He sighed. “Ember, if we have any hope of getting this to work, you have to do what I say.”
“
Hayden arched a brow. “Ember, you don’t even know what reality is. You know nothing about gifts.”
I rolled my eyes, but didn’t say anything.
He looked sort of smug.
“Fine, then educate me. How are you the way you are—what makes you
Hayden slid his palms over the ceramic pot. “A normal person uses only a small portion of the brain at any given time.
“Who’s ‘they’?”
The look on his face grew distant and cold—shuttered. “The Facility has searched for years to find out why we’re gifted. So has my father, and even though the twins are both gifted, Cromwell has said it isn’t typically hereditary.”
Because if it was hereditary, then Cromwell wouldn’t need to intervene with parents as often. My stomach twisted.
“Any more questions? If not, I’d like to see what we can get done tonight.”
“Sure. Let’s do this.”
“Touch the plant, Ember.”
I wasn’t sure what the purpose of this was, but oh, well. I brushed my fingertips across the velvety leaf.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the leaf shuddered. The outer ridges curled inward as the vibrant green faded to a dull, crispy brown. Death flowed through the rest of the plant, and within seconds, nothing was left but a dried-up stem hanging limply to the side.
There was a sharp intake of breath, and at once, I felt ashamed. Awful. Monstrous. “Okay,” he said a few moments later. “What were you thinking?”
“I don’t know. I really wasn’t thinking anything.”
“You had to be thinking something, Ember.”
I shifted down, feeling for the coin in my pocket. Holding it my hand was kind of comforting. “I guess I was thinking about what you wanted me to do.”
“Okay. What else?”
“That’s all. I mean, I could’ve been thinking about other things, I guess.”
“Like what?” Hayden stood and walked toward the little kitchen area. In front of a large picture window, several plants basked in the fading sunlight. He picked a flower, one blooming with pretty, white and pink petals.
Closing my eyes, I forced myself to concentrate. “School. Olivia. The dead rabbit. Why Cromwell really has everyone here. Mom and Dad.” I paused, sliding a look at the bed.
“Okay.” Hayden sat back down, and his knees once again pressed mine. “That’s a lot going on.”
I snorted. “Sorry.”
He grinned. “Try to empty all of that out. Get rid of it. When you aren’t thinking about anything, touch the plant again.”
I sighed. “It’s such a pretty flower.”
