Resistance (The Variant Series #2) by Jena Leigh Read Free Book Online Page B

out back in her studio, so it couldn’t have been her.
    It had become obvious that Cil only used her jumping ability when the occasion absolutely called for it and, because of that, her draw on the currents was barely noticeable.
    But it was still there, provided you knew to look for it.
    She and her niece had that much in common, at least. Neither of them seemed inclined to embrace the Variant side of their nature unless they absolutely had to.
    Now that Alex had allowed her jumping ability to fade out, she was impossible to sense.
    He wondered what bothered him more—that Alex was refusing to use an ability that could save her life down the road, or that, because of her decision, the unusual connection between them had been severed.
    Jumpers, as a general rule, were rarely powerful enough to sense a fellow teleporter nearby.
    Declan had always considered himself unique in that regard.
    Then he met Alex.
    Her jumping ability had immediately rivaled, and then very quickly surpassed , his own. The link between them was unlike anything he’d ever experienced.
    They didn’t just sense each other’s presence,they were conscious of each other’s emotions as well. While she possessed his ability, Alex’s draw on the electrical field was so clear that he could immediately detect when she was nervous, when she was angry… And then there was that funny way the currents around Alex danced any time she laughed.
    Declan told himself the loss of their bond only frustrated him on account of his new job as Alex’s bodyguard. Easier to watch over someone when you were linked in such a way that you would instantly know if there was trouble, right? Right.
    Most days, he could convince himself that thatwas the only reason he missed it.
    Other days…
    Declan pushed that thought from his mind. He was here for the job.
    That was it.
    The muffled sounds of Simon and Garfunkel carried through the evening air as he walked toward the shed. Since Alex was refusing to answer the door, he’d just have to relay his news to her aunt instead.
    Kenzie had warned him that Alex was ignoring the texts she and Cassie had sent tonight. Declan had just assumed he’d be an exception. After all, it was Red that had gone digging through Alex’s head earlier, not him.
    A light breeze picked up, rustling the leaves and clumps of moss hanging from the gnarled oak tree in Alex’s backyard.
    Night had settled quietly over Bay View, bringing with it a short break from the rain and a welcome relief from the heat. The forecast called for more rain after midnight, but for now, the darkened sky was holding back.
    Halfway across the yard, another sound reached him. Someone was singing.
    Badly.
    Oh, man. Really badly.
    “Alex!” he called toward the open second floor window. “Hey, Lex!”
    The singing continued.
    From this angle, all Declan could see was the spinning of a ceiling fan and a rope of soft white lights strung up around the dimly lit room.
    Declan stood beneath the oak tree, glancing between the shed and the open window, weighing his options.
    He’d never actually seen the inside of Alex’s home, so jumping to the hall outside her bedroom and knocking on the door was out of the question.
    But there was a second option.
    Turning his back on the shed, he returned to the base of the sprawling, ancient oak. The massive branches radiated up and outward from a point only a few feet above the ground. It was the sort of tree that had been tailor-made by Mother Nature for the purpose he now had in mind—it was, quite possibly, the most perfect climbing tree he’d ever seen.
    One of the branches had grown close enough to the second story of the home that it had been shorn off, just two feet below the open window.
    Practically an invitation.
    Declan carefully made his way up and into the twisted limbs of the tree, jostling smaller branches as he went. Accumulated water from the afternoon rains dripped onto his coat, down his collar, and soaked through the