The Liberator (A Dante Walker Novel) (Entangled Teen) by Victoria Scott Read Free Book Online

it. I’ve screwed up this good-bye, and now she’s going to tell me to jump out of the plane at thirty thousand feet. But instead she sucks in a breath like I’ve gut-punched her, and her eyes fall to the floor.
    “Charlie . . .”
    “You and I are going to be fine,” she says in a voice so calm it almost scares me. Her eyes flick up. “You hear me? You don’t want to leave because you’re afraid to be away from me. Of how you’ll be when I’m not around to influence your behavior.”
    My brain nearly splits open, because she’s right. I’ve been rebelling against becoming a liberator, and the only thing that’s kept me from becoming the Dante Walker I was when I was alive is her. I’m afraid I can’t be a good person.
    Charlie puts a hand on my chest. “I care about you. I’ll care about you wherever you are in this world.” She smiles. “And Denver isn’t so far away.”
    I pull her against me and hold her tight. I have an assignment to complete. And what’s more, I have to learn how to be a liberator. I’ve been putting off my transition from demon to…whatever…for too long. But I guess now is as good a time as ever.
    When I’m starting to feel a little better, I raise my head to look at Charlie. But when I do, I spot Valery on her cell. The action alone isn’t what grabbed my attention; it’s the look on her face. There’s a deep line between her eyes, and her lips are pulled tight. It seems like whoever is on the other end is telling her something huge. Dodging the huge crowd rushing by, she takes a few steps in our direction.
    I lean forward as much as I can without alarming Charlie.
    “…the twin scrolls,” Red says into the phone. “Yes, I understand she’s important. …leaving now. And once he’s there, Charlie will be safe. Right.” She nods and glances over at us.
    I look down at Charlie. “Did you hear what I said?” she asks.
    I cup her cheeks in my hands and nod. I don’t want her to think I’m ignoring her, but I need to hear what else Valery is saying. Red may have said that she trusts me, but I’m not sure the feeling is mutual.
    “Why can’t anyone read them?” Valery says, and I rejoice at having caught a full sentence. “…matter now. Yes, I’ll meet you at the Hive.” She pulls the phone away from her ear and pockets it. I try to keep a poker face when I look back at Charlie.
    She must realize I’m distracted, but she doesn’t show it. In fact, Charlie looks a bit distracted herself, like she’s lost in thought. I contemplate asking Valery what that was all about, but the knot in my chest tells me whatever she was discussing is important, and if she were going to divulge anything, she would have already, which means I need to keep the fact that I overheard her conversation a secret.
    Valery has pushed me to take this assignment, not that I really had a choice. And now I suspect that it may be for more than liberating this girl, Aspen. Maybe my going will keep Charlie safe, and not just because it separates me—who the collectors may come after—from Charlie, but because of something bigger. I’m not sure what that thing could be, but I’ll find out. In the meantime, I’m going with my gut. And my gut says to get the hell out of Alabama.
    Wrapping Charlie in my arms once more, I touch my forehead to hers. And then I press our lips together. A rush of energy and longing fires through my body as our mouths connect. My hands crawl up her back, and I pull her closer. In return, she wraps her arms around my neck and stretches up on her toes. I barely touch my tongue to hers, and a clap of thunder sounds in my chest. We’re in public, people brushing past us every few seconds. But each time I hold her like this, kiss her like this, there is nothing else. “I’ll miss you, angel,” I whisper. Then I release her and walk away while I still can.
    From over my shoulder, I hear Charlie mumble, “I’ll miss you, too.”
    But her words sound strained, like