A block of ice smashed against the wall above Ava, raining down a shower of freezing crystals. She cursed under her breath and made a dash for the adjoining building—a detached garage—and pressed her back against the wall next to Caleb.
“I thought you said she’d be reasonable,” she said, sneaking a glance around the corner and ducking back with a gasp as another bowling-ball-sized block of ice shot their way and landed at their feet.
“That’s what the intel said,” Caleb replied and clenched his jaw as he scanned their surroundings.
There had been a plan, of course. There was always a plan. But as Ava was quickly coming to realize, when it came to the Race, such plans often fell apart.
“We should have brought Adam,” she said, shivering as the ice crystals in her hair melted and dripped down her collar.
“He was needed back at the Colony.”
The dampener could mute gifts, sometimes block them altogether, but Gideon was leery to let Adam go too far from the Guardian Colony ever since the Rogue attack. Caleb had assured his father that he and Ava could handle it. It was supposed to be a routine mission, after all.
“Well, he sure would have come in handy with Miss Ice Ice Baby over there,” she said with a disgruntled frown. Ava spotted a couple of garbage cans propped against the house and an idea began to form. “You think you can shift us behind that tree on the other side of the yard without her noticing?”
Caleb snuck a quick peek. “Yeah. What are you thinking?”
“I need to get where I can see her so I can try and bind her.”
Caleb stiffened. “No way.”
Ava bristled with a familiar nudge of frustration. “Come on, Caleb, it’s no big deal.” He’d been such a mother hen lately, and she was fine.
“You can’t use your gifts. You promised. Not until we figure out—”
Another ball of ice ricocheted off the corner of the building, and they fell to the ground, covering their heads.
A cryokinetic—that’s what they’d called her. Someone who used cold and ice like a pyrokinetic used fire.
More like a human snow blower.
Ava still couldn’t believe this was her life.
“We need to do something!” Ava snapped. “I’m open to other ideas.”
Protectors would be coming soon—within a day or two if their intel was correct, not that Ava was counting on that—but Caleb and Ava had yet to get to the front walk, let alone the front door. Ava knew their only chance was to bind Sophie long enough to convince her they weren’t there to hurt her. Convincing Caleb of that, however, was easier said than done.
“We can wait her out,” he said as a burst of smaller ice pellets hit them. He pulled Ava into his arms and rolled closer to the wall to shield them from the worst of the blast. “She’s panicking . . . afraid . . . and her gift is lashing out. She can’t keep it up for long. When she calms down, or gets tired, we’ll be able to get to her.”
“And how long will that take?” At his silence, she pushed away from him. “You have no idea, right?”
Caleb rolled over to sit braced against the wall and glared at her with a mulish expression but said nothing.
Ava took a deep breath and crawled on her knees to sit between his sprawled legs. She touched his face, and the mingling of their power settled them both. “I’ll be okay,” she said softly. “I won’t use a lot. You know it’s only bad when I try to do too m—”
“We don’t know that.”
“I’m fine,” she said, willing him to believe it and ignoring the ache behind her eyes. “We have to do something. It’s only a matter of time before a neighbor calls the cops.”
As if emphasizing her words, another ice ball crashed into the garage door.
Caleb frowned in the direction of the noise, and she knew he was desperately trying to think of an alternative plan of action.
“Come on.” She got to her feet and held out her hands. “We need to do this. Now.”
Caleb tried to stare her down, but when she didn’t look away, he took a deep breath and let her pull him to his feet. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked, reaching out to touch her cheek, his gift sparking along her skin.
“I’m sure.” She stepped close and wrapped her arms around his waist as another ice ball flew past. “Let’s go.”
Ava closed her eyes as Caleb shifted them across the yard and took a second to steady herself before peering around the trunk of the tree. She spotted the girl peeking out from the living room blinds.
Ava used her gift to rattle the garbage cans by the garage and smiled when another ice ball flew in that direction. She reached out for Caleb’s hand, using his gift to boost her own and to ground her. “Okay, I’m going to bind her so she can’t run then you shift us inside,” she said.
“I really don’t like this.” He squeezed her hand, though, so Ava knew he was with her.
“I can deal with anything she throws at us.” She glanced back at him with a wry smile. “You do the talking.”
“Great.”
“Hey, you’re the one with all the experience.”
Another chunk of ice crashed into the garage, but it was smaller.
Ava hoped that was a good sign.
Caleb yanked on her hand a little. “First sign of trouble and I’m shifting us out. She’ll just have to take her chances with the Council.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said with a reassuring smile. “Ready?”
He gave a curt nod, and Ava turned back to the window. She let her gift flow up and out, willing it to wrap around the cryokinetic and visualizing ropes lacing around her in a tight web.
When they heard a muffled shriek, Caleb pulled Ava close and they shifted inside.
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