Birthright (Residue Series #2) by Laury Falter Read Free Book Online

casting, he is now sent into the field with an entirely new focus…”
    Despite being temporarily blind, Ms. Roquette moved her head in the direction where she’d last seen me and said, “He is here to deliver information back to other Vires…an emissary to The Sevens. But don’t let his platonic position deceive you. Those who he has been assigned to watch have one thing in common…”
    Her voice fell away …this time suddenly , and she rolled her eyes in frustration. “They’re all…” she tried again , but it came out a wheeze. Whatever she was struggling to tell us was clearly significant.
    We waited, her effort to finish her sentence gripping us.
    “They’re all…” Obviously i rritated, she s lapped a hand to her throat .
    Then … unable to overcome her last bout of muteness … she mouthed the word … accentuating it so there was no misunderstanding.
    I heard it loud and clear.
    “Dead.”
    Piecing together her final statement, I turned cold inside.
    Those who m Theleo has been assigned to watch … are all dead.
    Jameson retained his detached persona, acting as if he were listening like everyone else in the room. But I knew better after catching him glancing at me from the corner of his eyes. A flicker of unease crossed his expression but, recognizing his lapse, he quickly blinked, swallowed back the emotion, and regained his aloof composure. It lasted even after class ended . He lingered behind with his family, ensuring that I left safely first.
    I was certain he was thinking the same thing I was, the same thing our families were:
    Theleo Alesius is now watching us.

3   RELICUUM
     
    The notions of all I’d learned tonight cycled in my head until I’d reached Aunt Lizzy’s house, brushed my teeth, and fell into bed. As my cousins quieted down, and after a threat from Nolan to knock Oscar’s head off if he didn’t stop mistaking their toothbrushes, I still couldn’t shake the looming discomfort.
    Ms. Roquette, whether intentionally or not, had just pointed out our most dangerous enemies. Unfortunately, only one of them I knew by sight, Theleo.
    My antagonizing thoughts gradually dwindled down , leaving one in particular. The name Phillip Turcott began to repeat faintly in my mind.
    If I was The Relicuum, he was after me , and I still had no idea how to identify him.
    For the next hour, I tossed and turned, twisting myself around the bed sheet . Just as I dozed away…
    Phillip Turcott…
    Phillip Turcott…
    Phillip Turcott…
    Vires were threatening enough , but for some reason , this man sent a pang of fear through me.
    In less than a minute , I was downstairs , although I wasn’t fully aware of where I was headin g until my subconscious stopped me outside Aunt Lizzy’s study.
    The door was ajar , and through the opening, I saw only one thing . Shelves stuffed with books.
    While pushing on the doorknob , my metal bracelet slid down my arm; the quartz crystal embedded in it tapp ing lightly against the wood. It was the only sound in the house , and it seemed to reverberate through the rooms. I grumbled under my breath at my lack of grace but didn’t hear anyone stir from upstairs.
    Once inside, I located the desk lamp and turned it on, but it offered such little light I almost turned it off again. I then made my way across her study , stumbling on the carpet and catching my toe on the leg of a foot rest. Just then, I began to wonder if my clumsiness was a subconscious sign proving my apprehension about being here. I paused and evaluated that thought, finding it to be true. Although I wasn’t sure what I was going to find , I didn’t expect it to be all that comforting. Shoving my worries aside, I began squinting in the darkness, reading off the titles of the books Aunt Lizzy had collected.
    Having been in her study once before, I had perused her assortment but didn’t recall seeing the name Turcott on any of the books . After a thorough sweep, I resigned myself to the fact that it was