Indebted by Amy A. Bartol Read Free Book Online

Brownie and Russell here sooner.”
    “I cannot leave here now. They will have to make their way alone. I have not explained Russell to Dominion as yet. We can protect him once he is here, but I do not trust them to deliver him here if I were to tell them about him. It is too great a risk that they will keep him if I ask them to protect him,” Zephyr finishes.
    Fear causes my palms to sweat as I see what I have done. I have ruined all of their carefully made plans. The plans to bring Brennus to them according to their own timeline and the plans to secure the safety of Russell and Brownie are now being scrapped because I messed up again. “No, Zee, you have to get them!” I say adamantly.
    “They’ll be fine. Brownie is a Reaper and she kicks ass. She’ll be able to handle it,” Buns says with assurance, but I see the look she gives Zephyr over my shoulder. She is looking for him to reassure her.
    As I observe Zephyr, something in his demeanor makes me feel cold. He is uncertain about them, that’s why he was going to get them. “Please, go get them, Zee,” I whisper in a hollow tone.
    “He can’t, Evie. He has to stay with us now,” Reed says firmly. “We will have to rely on Brownie and Russell to make it here without help.” I want to argue with him, but I can see by the set of his jaw that he is not going to change his mind. He is firmly entrenched in the “protect Evie” mode and he will not deviate from that mission, no matter what I say.
    Clenching my hands into fists, I want to break something. I keep thinking that this is all my fault. Grasping my phone, I walk from the room to out beneath the endless expanse of darkened sky in the courtyard. I dial Russell’s number, but it goes straight to voicemail. When his brief message prompts me to leave a message, I say, “It’s me. Call me when you get this.” Hanging up, I start to wonder if I affect Russell just as Brennus affects me. I wonder if the sound of my voice rips open all of the scars I have left behind in him.

CHAPTER 3
    The Army
    Trying to sit quietly and clear my mind as Phaedrus is instructing me to do, it is proving to be nearly impossible. I have thousands of thoughts going on in my mind and there are new layers of thought expanding almost daily. How am I supposed to channel that into one stream of consciousness? I wonder. Several “what if” scenarios are currently at work, viciously torturing me. Most of those scenarios have something to do with either Russell or Brennus, and in the worst scenarios, they involve both of them.
    “This is not working,” Phaedrus sighs next to me. Opening my eyes I turn my head, looking at him sitting next to me. His legs are crossed, like mine, and his back is ramrod straight, exhibiting a perfect meditative pose. He is staring at me with his pitch black eyes. If I didn’t know that he is a Virtue angel, I would be creeped out by his eyes because there is no color differential between his pupils, irises and sclera—they are all black—making him look wicked. But I do know him, and I know that he is the farthest thing from evil. He is sent on missions of mercy to perform miracles, and at this moment, I’m very grateful that he is choosing to spend his time with me. We have been at this for hours now and I want to tell him it’s time to take a break, but I don’t want to let him down.
    “Sorry,” I say, exhaling a breath that I have been holding.
    “You are not letting go,” Phaedrus points out. “You are also not breathing.”
    “Breathe more,” I remind myself, closing my eyes again.
    “Yes, focus on what you want to accomplish–peace, serenity– if you can maintain those things and transcend rational thought for a moment–you can explore your newest ability,” he says in a coaxing voice.
    “Everyone is always telling me I have to be more rational, Phaedrus. Now you’re saying I have to transcend rational thought. You guys are proving to be consistently inconsistent,” I