Page 1 of Captured Immune

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TREY

“Goodbye, Trey.”

She knew that word would crush me. She knew, and she used it anyway.Goodbyeis the word my mother taught me to use only when I’d never see someone again.

“Goodbyemeans forever.Byeis just for now,” my mother said to me countless times when I was a kid.

Exactly nineteen years ago, on a rainy night in September, she said goodbye to me. I never saw her again.

Arella purposely used that word to hurt me, and it worked. I’m so wrecked by it, I haven’t found the strength to move yet. My bare feet are standing where her car stood in my driveway a minute ago. Where we both stood a minute ago, shouting at each other, saying things we didn’t mean.At least,Ididn’t mean them.

Rain pelts my bare back like little bullets shooting from the sky. The hems of my workout shorts drip water down my legs. I’m not even wearing shoes, because I didn’t have time to put any on before chasing after Arella.

I tried getting her to stay. I wanted to explain and make things right, but she refused to listen.

So now I’m here...

Alone...

With a wallet-size photo of Arella and me gazing deeply into each other’s eyes.

It’s slowly curling in my hand. She shoved it at me right before taking off. I want the happiness we had when we took this photo. The happiness I have whenever I’m with her. Whenever we’re cuddling until the very last second we have to get out of bed. Whenever we’re exchanging looks from across the room that sayI admire everything about youwithout actually saying it.

I’ve got half a mind to mount my Harley and chase after her right now—after the only person who’s ever made me feel whole. I’ll come clean. I’ll tell her everything. I’ll confess that the flat tire that brought us together wasn’t an accident and tell her what Zordinaries are. I’ll show her my powers and explain how I know for a fact that the baby growing inside her isn’t mine.

Am I risking going to z-prison?Yes.

Do I care? If it’ll get me my girl back,no.

Even knowing she’s pregnant by another man, I still want to be with her. I love her too much to not forgive her. I’ll raise that baby like it’s mine, if that’s what it takes for her to forgive me too.Will she?

She was pretty upset after finding me shirtless with another woman. But she was off sleeping with another guy for who knows how long, so what’s the difference? I guess the difference is that shesawme. I suppose if I saw her half-naked with someone else, she’d be harder to forgive. But I’d forgive her—after bashing the other guy’s face in.

No one touches my girl.

No one.

Except, she’s not my girl anymore.Was she ever?

“What happened?” Jess asks when I step back into my house. She’s draped over my couch with a slight grin on her face.

I wasn’t in the mood for her when she showed up unannounced, and I’m definitely not in the mood for her now, so my tone comes out rough. “Cut the shit. I know you heard everything.”Or did she?

With her enhanced hearing, Jess can hear something as small as dust fall. Arella’s immunity probably blocks Jess’s power like it blocks mine.

“Okay, fine.” She perks up. “Was that the Ordinary you’ve been fucking around with?”

I hate the way she says that, as if my relationship with Arella was only “fucking around.” Arella means a hell of a lot more to me than that.

“How well could you hear our conversation?” My soaked workout shorts cool against my skin as I drag my feet behind the couch. I’m dripping water all over my clean carpet, and I don’t care.

Jess twists to face me. “As well as any other person can hear. I didn’t need my gift to catch what you guys were saying. You were screaming at each other so loud, I’m sure the moon people heard y’all.”

Dammit.I didn’t mean to shout at Arella. I just couldn’t control myself when she kept lying to my face, demanding that I pay child support for another man’s child.

Okay, technically, she wasn’t demanding anything.What she actually said was that she’ll be taking a DNA test to prove that I am the father and that I should bepreparedto pay child support. Because I’m an asshole and was pissed off to shit, I told her she’d be stupid to think she’s getting a dime from me, when in reality, I’d give that woman anything she wants.

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