Page 184 of Inside the Sun

"Have you ever seen what happens when a TM loses his partner? When the soul tears itself open again? When that energy thread between them shreds into pieces? It’s not a pretty sight."

For obvious reason, a cold shiver runs down my spine. Now my fate is tied to Sun's. In the next few hours, or even sooner, we may see the case of a torn soul…

"But I wasn’t the only one watching. Someone else saw it too. And he never forgot."

Anzo smirks faintly to himself.

"That’s why one of my nephews had to be broken too. Using a similar drug to what Summer’s getting now. Everyone reacts differently, of course. We’ll see how Summer handles it."

Sun groans softly, then mutters, "So if you’ve got it all figured out, like the fucking genius you are, if you’ve solved the puzzle, what the hell do you need me for? Why make me find out anything about Summer at all?"

Anzo’s smile turns vicious.

"Why? For a little fun, I guess. Normally, a cheap whore like you, fucking my own gardener right under my nose, wouldn’t be useful to me in any way."

Sun clenches his jaw. Anzo slowly walks back to his cage and pins him with a cold, cutting stare.

"But that’s not the case. Because there is one thing I do want from you, Sun. Tell me… what’s your power?"

SUN

After Anzo throws out his question, he straightens up, crosses his arms over his chest, and says,

"I’ve got important things to do today, but don’t keep me waiting too long, Sun. Your time’s running out."

Then he turns and walks out of the room.

I tilt my head toward Ragnar, who’s staring straight at me. Since Anzo left the lights on, I can finally see. His eyes indeed are two-colored, just as unusual as Summer’s. They change his whole face. I’d gotten used to those dark blue contacts, but without them, he looks like a different person. Almost magical. They suit his purple alpha nature perfectly.

In a barely audible voice, he asks, "What’s your power, Sun?"

I burst out laughing, but it sounds nervous and silly.

"What? I don’t have any power, Ragnar. Anzo’s completely lost it. I’m just a regular alpha!"

Ragnar’s voice is quiet. "You’re not regular."

I don’t answer, biting my lip. The truth is, if I really am a True Mate to a purple alpha, then I’m not just a normal specimen. A rose alpha? That might not be the precise term, either. Still, the fact that all rose omegas seem to have somekind of special ability, however faint, suggests I might have something too. But I have no idea what it could be!

Ragnar watches me like he’s trying to read my mind.

"I know he might be listening right now," he whispers, "but Anzo might not take no for an answer, Sun. This could escalate quickly."

I let out another stupid, slightly panicked laugh, because seriously, what else can I do?

"I told you the truth, Ragnar. I don’t have any power. I’ve never noticed anything unusual about myself."

"Sun, from what I know, powers don’t always show up right away. When Moon and Summer were kids, the incidents in which they could use theirs were rare. Things really started picking up when they hit their teens. Moon had his first real visions at sixteen, seventeen. And Summer’s only just gotten better at using and controlling his, and that’s been in the last couple of years. He’s twenty now. You’re eighteen. You might just be at the beginning."

I press my lips together. "I’m not lying to you, Ragnar. I have no clue what it could be. I know powers take work to master, that it’s a process. Snow once told Storm it could take him years to even get a grip on his, but he had glimpses when he was little. I’ve had nothing. Not a single spark, hint, or sign. Nothing. Zero. Zip." I sigh in frustration, squeeze my eyes shut, and a wave of desperation rolls through me.

Silence falls. I turn onto my side and glance at Summer. The sight of the IV in his arm sends a cold shiver through me, but there’s nothing I can do. Whatever Anzo’s giving him is keeping him unconscious. I don’t know what kind of damage the drug might be causing, but the powerlessness of it all is suffocating. I want to cry, to press my palms to my eyes and block it all out, but I just don’t have the strength.

God, I’m so done with it all!

Sleep takes over.

In my dream, I’m on a motorcycle. The road stretches endlessly ahead. The sun’s high in the sky, and the wind whips across my face. I just want to go farther. Far away. Past the horizon where a new world begins, where there’s still hope, where things are simpler, where everything starts to heal.

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