Restless (Element Preservers, #4) by Alycia Linwood Read Free Book Online Page A

bother denying Ethan's your boyfriend because he admitted it already. Anyway, your relationship will be all over the news and that's exactly the distraction we need so we can pass a certain law without too many people noticing. Thank you for your cooperation. Now enjoy the show and make us proud."
    The link went dead in my ear and I took it out. What the fuck was Ethan thinking? Just because we went on a coffee didn't mean he was my boyfriend. And what law did the president plan to pass? I started to get up, but the brunette returned and took the earpiece from me, reattaching the microphone to my dress.
    "Sit down, please. We're going live in 35 seconds," she said and scurried off the stage. I briefly closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. I could do this.
    The host faced the camera with a big grin. "Hello, my name is Adam Corbin. Welcome to our newest reality show, The Best Elemental!"
    I groaned inwardly at the name of the show. Could they have chosen a more idiotic name? Probably not, because more idiotic ones were taken. Adam went on to introduce the show to the viewers. Apparently, the TV house planned to bring new contestants every week and choose those who could complete the tasks with their element in the best way. The winners of each week would then participate in a big event where the most skillful person with the strongest element would win and get a million dollar check.
    Ten minutes and one block of commercials later, Adam turned to me. "We have Ria Milanez, the president of the Element Preservers, as our first guest!"
    I waved to the camera, licking my dry lips. Thank God my red lipstick wasn't so easy to remove.
    "Ria will help us demonstrate what the participants on our show will be doing. But let's not forget Ria brought someone special with her to help her. Please welcome on the stage, Ethan Marlau!"
    It was torture to keep the smile on my face. That law better be something good. The audience applauded as Ethan came on the stage, his lips spread into a charming smile. He looked incredibly handsome in his black tuxedo. I fought the urge to scoot over as he took a seat next to me and reached for my hand. His dark brown eyes met mine and I had a feeling he was trying to tell me I should go with whatever he planned. Hell, I wasn't even sure if he planned something or the government did. Maybe I shouldn't blame Ethan for being the government's puppet, especially when I was in nearly the same position.
    "Hi, Ethan. Let's chat a bit first. I heard your element is fire," Adam said and narrowed his eyes at me. "President, does this mean the genetic manipulation doesn't work as well as you promote it?"
    "Love cannot be ruled by elements or politics," Ethan said before I could open my mouth. "Everyone should be able to have a family with the person they love, regardless of their element. Genetic manipulation can help us achieve that, isn't that right, sweetie?"
    "Yeah." My fingers twitched because I was seriously considering to strangle Ethan with my own hands. Sweetie? Really? He was enjoying himself way too much in his role. "Genetic manipulation has been perfected recently so the child can have an element only from one parent. If the parent has a pure element, the child will have a pure element too. However, if the parent has a weaker element, the child's element will be stronger because our scientists discovered a way to eliminate some of the bad genes that make an element weaker."
    "Wow, impressive." Adam turned to the audience and raised his hand, which caused a wave of applause to break out. "Do you want to win a million dollars? You can do it, but you need to sway the jury with your elemental skills! If your element is strong enough, I'm sure you can get far in our competition. If not, you might want to increase your child's chances and choose his element because I’m sure this show will be on air for years to come. Now let me show you what exactly we're going to do here!"
    I wasn't sure the show would promote