Author's POVShe closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel it. Really feel. All the fear she'd been carrying around - fear of her power, of failure, of letting everyone down. All the grief at seeing that girl die in the facility hallway. All the confusion about her grandmother, her mother, this family she'd never known existed.And underneath all of it -- deeper, stronger -- the loneliness. The gaping hole that was in her chest as long as she could remember. The surety that she was unwanted, unloved, and aloneExcept now she knew that wasn't the case. Her mother had loved her. Her grandmother had been looking for her. She had people.She had family.The fire in her palms responded and flickered to life. But instead of demanding that it take a specific shape, instead of forcing it into a ball and trying to aim, Eilish just . . . asked.Please, she thought. Help me. I need to hit that target. Can you help me?The fire pulsed once, warm and almost affectionate. Like a cat rubbing on her

Zenna POVMy phone buzzed. A text from Marcos: Where are you? Zayan's asking.Great. Perfect timing.I ignored it, got up, and brushed dust off my jeans. Maybe I was looking at this the wrong way. Maybe the case wasn't what I was supposed to find. Maybe there was something else going on here.I began my search of the rest of the room into filing cabinets, pulling out papers I didn't understand. Technical documents. Research notes. Names, dates, and coordinates that meant nothing to me.But it was something. More than the case in which I could not reachI picked up what looked important - papers with official letterheads, documents with multiple signatures, whatever looked like it might be important - and stuffed it into my backpack.At least I wouldn't go back empty-handed.Another text from Marcos:Seriously, where are you? He's freaking out.I needed to leave. Needed to get back before Zayan did something stupid like call the school or—Footsteps.Outside the warehouse.Multiple set

Zenna POVMore shots followed. I felt one graze my shoulder - even slowed down, bullets hurt - but it wasn't enough to slow me down. The shadows went where I went, and kept that sphere of heavy, thick air between me and the guns."Don't let her escape!" someone shouted.But I was already around the corner. Already, three buildings are a distance from them. The shadows were breaking up now, too hard to keep if running, but it didn't matter. I'd gotten far enough.I ran for 6 blocks when I finally stopped and collapsed behind a dumpster in an alley, gasping for air.My shoulder was burned where the bullet grazed it. My entire body hurt from whatever had occurred when my power had connected with Aires's corruption. My hands were shaking so badly that I could barely hold my phone, pulling it out.The files. I'd lost them again.Tiago was really going to be disappointed.No--worse than disappointed. He was going to question whether I was, in fact, capable of this. Whether or not I deserved

Author's POVThe training session had moved outside.It was Astoria's idea - get them out of the underground facility, get them outside to practise in natural conditions where variables were unpredictable and harder to control. The weather was overcast and threatening rain, with wind that gusted in an unnatural way and made everything more difficult.Perfect, in other words.They'd set up in the empty lot next to the Sanctum's hidden entrance--a patch of cracked concrete surrounded by chain-link fence and abandoned buildings. Not so ideal, but private enough that they could use their powers without drawing too much attention to themselves."Eilish," Astoria called out, standing at the center of the makeshift training ground. You're learning something new today.Eilish looked nervous. She always looked nervous before training, but this was different. More uncertain."You have been practicing control in static environments," Astoria continued. "Keeping your fire when nothing else is mov

Author's POVBut he should have let Zenna in on it.Maybe if she'd known what was really going down, what they were really fighting, she wouldn't have been susceptible to whatever lies Tiago had told her.Maybe this was his fault.The thought made something break inside his chest. Made it hard to breathe. Caused the world to shake under his knees.But he could not stay on the ground. Couldn't stay broken. Not when Zenna was walking toward them, her skin marked with corruption, her hands black.Something compelled him to give it a try. I would like to reach her. To make her snap out of whatever stupor she's been put under.Because this girl, with the gray lightning bolt spreading over her shoulder, with power that was hundreds of years old, with eyes that looked at him like he was the enemy, couldn't be his sister.It couldn't be.Zayan stood.His legs shook. His whole body protested. But he stood.And he walked toward her."Zenna." His voice cracked on her name. "Why are you doing thi