Invisible Read online

  Table of Contents

  INVISIBLE

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Tainted Elements Series

  Book Two

  INVISIBLE

  Alycia Linwood

  Copyright © 2014 Alycia Linwood

  Cover Stock Images Copyright: ©Bigstock.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior permission in writing from the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  alycialinwood.weebly.com

  1st edition

  Dedication

  As always, this book is dedicated to my readers. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Special thanks to my beta readers and editors! This book wouldn’t be the same without you. Thank you for your support!

  Chapter 1

  I cracked my bleary eyes open, my head throbbing. My whole body felt heavy, and when I wanted to move my arm, something cold bit into my skin. Taking a deep breath, I tried to push away the nauseous feeling in my stomach. What had happened to me? I’d been in the woods, looking for Noah but found Jaiden instead. Sharp pain cut through my mind, my ears ringing, as I remembered Jaiden stabbing me with a needle of some kind.

  My vision finally cleared and I squinted at the painfully bright light above me. I was lying in a bed, my wrists and ankles cuffed to it. A gasp escaped my lips when I saw a blonde woman sitting in a chair to my left, her blue eyes narrowed at me, her hands clasped in her lap. She was wearing a red ruffle shirt and black pants.

  “Hello, Moira. How are you feeling?” A pleasant smile appeared on the woman’s face.

  I tried to focus on my elements, but whatever drug had been in that needle was probably still in my system because I could feel neither my air nor fire. Actually, I couldn’t feel much at all. “Who are you? What do you want from me?” I asked when I could finally form words, my voice distant and raspy, but it didn’t waver.

  “My name is Sheridan,” she said cheerfully. “And you’ve been chosen to become a part of the organization called Elemontera. We keep track of special elementals like you and make sure no one misuses their elements or harms people.”

  I pressed my lips together, fighting to keep my face expressionless. Elemontera killed any elemental like me that wasn’t useful to them, along with anyone who got in their way. Nothing they said would convince me they were the good guys. Besides, I doubted anyone would happily agree to stay and work for someone who had kidnapped them and shackled them to a bed, even if the offer actually sounded enticing. I rattled my cuffs. “Let me go and then we’ll talk!”

  Sheridan gave me a long look and sighed. “Our agent said you’d be difficult... that you have a few misconceptions about us.” She got to her feet and ran a finger over one of my cuffs. “These are just a precaution. As soon as you and I reach an agreement, they come off. Okay?” Her voice was sweet and soothing. “You’ll understand everything once we show you the full extent of your abilities.”

  Great. It seemed Jaiden had told his superiors everything about me, so there was no point in trying to pretend that I was clueless. “You slaughtered entire families and innocent people just to get to elementals like me. How could I ever understand that?”

  Sheridan’s smile faded and the lines around her mouth became more prominent. “Collateral damage,” she said, leaning forward. “Sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the greater good. Your abilities...”

  “My abilities suck. I can’t even turn into air.” I didn’t know what Jaiden might have told this woman about my elements, but I didn’t want my family or Noah to get hurt because she thought I was holding back.

  “Our agent sees potential in you and I trust his judgement. We’ll help you to develop your abilities.” Her gaze held mine, her lips curving a little. “Of course, if you give us any trouble or refuse to cooperate, you might not see your parents or your dear friend Noah again.”

  My heart skipped a beat, and it took all of my strength to stay calm. “You’re threatening me. That’s nice. I’m sure everyone just loves to work for you.” I narrowed my eyes at her.

  She shrugged. “You have a choice. Either you’ll accept to work for us or you’ll deal with the consequences.”

  I glared at her, and then swallowed hard. Elemontera would find a way to force me to do their bidding anyway, so I needed a plan to get Noah and myself out of here, but first I had to see him. He knew Elemontera better than I did and maybe he could tell me something that could help us. Of course, Jaiden seemed to know Elemontera the best, but I sure as hell couldn’t trust him. “If I agree to this, I don’t want you anywhere near my parents.”

  “Don’t worry, my dear.” Sheridan grinned, her eyes gleaming. “Your parents won’t know a thing. You’ll even get a phone to send them messages and assure them you’re fine so they won’t even look for you or try to reveal anything about your kind. All the messages will be carefully examined before they are sent, so don’t even think about using a secret code or anything like that because we’ll know. Your father... Ryan, is it?” Her eyebrows shot up as if she were waiting for my answer. “Looks so handsome on his I.D. photo. I’d hate to have to put a bullet through his skull.”

  I gritted my teeth, focusing on the pain in my wrists to stop myself from saying something that would convince Sheridan to keep me shackled or drugged. She was crazy if she thought my parents wouldn’t be searching for me just because I sent them a couple of messages. My parents and I might have agreed to keep our distance for a while but not to limit our contact to texting.

  Actually, if they didn’t get to see me soon, I was sure my parents would realize something was up. They were resourceful. They’d find a way to get to me, but still, I didn’t want them to face a whole building of special elementals. I had to escape Elemontera as soon as possible. “I’ll do whatever you want, but if something happens to my family...”

  “Then we have a deal.” Sheridan clapped her hands together and reached for something in her pants pocket.

  “Will you get these off me now?” I nodded toward the cuffs and raised an eyebrow at her.

  “In a moment,” she said, taking out a bracelet that glowed with a soft red light. “This bracelet is a tracking device. It will monitor your every move and your vitals, and allow you to open the door of your room and some other doors. If necessary, it will also block your elements.” She stepped forward, snapped the bracelet around my wrist, and proceeded to uncuff me.

  “Your training starts in half an hour. Change into something more suitable,” she said, glancing at my jeans, and headed for the door.

  Pushing myself to my elbows, I eyed the bracelet. Getting out of this place would be even harder than I’d thought. “Does this mean
I can see Noah?” I asked, just as Sheridan was about to go through the door.

  “Show that you are dedicated to your training and you might get to see him.” She looked at me over her shoulder. “But don’t think for a second that we wouldn’t consider him expendable because of his three elements. You’re far more valuable to us.”

  I chewed on the insides of my mouth. Considering all the trouble Elemontera had gone through to get Noah, I doubted they’d kill him. Had they talked to him and threatened to do something to me if he didn’t comply? As long as we trained in separate places, they could find a way to use us both without us knowing.

  I hopped off the bed and took a better look at the room. The walls were dark blue and had a strange metal look, but when I banged my fist against them, they didn’t make any noise. There were no windows, so I couldn’t even see where I was. Squinting my eyes, I inspected the corners for cameras and found one just above a metal desk. I waved at it and rolled my eyes, even though I was sure whoever was watching me didn’t care that I didn’t like supervision.

  The only chair was the one Sheridan had used, and she must have been the one who had carried it closer to the bed. A nightstand stood next to the bed, a turned off alarm clock on it. My eyes fell on the closet and I rushed to it to see if I could find something useful, but there was nothing inside but clothes; nearly identical clothes. I picked a pair of black pants and a black top, which I laid carefully on the bed. Turning to the camera, I put my hands on my hips.

  “Do you want to watch me change or what?” I yelled, wondering if someone could hear me. Praying there were no cameras in the bathroom, I picked up the clothes and strolled to the door, which swished open as soon as I came near. I glanced down at my bracelet. Huh. Who would have thought that thing would work? I found myself in a long, windowless hallway with a bunch of closed doors identical to mine. A green restroom sign was flashing at the end of it, so I headed there, my every movement followed by a bunch of cameras. Lovely. I was going to enjoy my stay here. Not.

  Chapter 2

  It turned out the only spaces not monitored by cameras were the toilet stalls and the showers. Since the showers were protected only by obscure glass, I opted for changing in one of the stalls. To my surprise, the whole bathroom was sparkling clean. By the time I was dressed and ready, the feeling of my elements had gradually returned. Focusing on my elements, I unleashed them on my bracelet, but they only swirled around it. I bit down on my lip and let blue fire surge out of me, its flames spreading until I could no longer see my flesh. But underneath all the fire, I could still feel the damn bracelet.

  If my elements couldn’t destroy the bracelet, then maybe I could slip it off. I shook my fiery hand, careful not to touch anything, but the bracelet wouldn’t come off. The red glow kept pulsing in the middle of my fire, not even budging. By now, Elemontera had probably realized I was using my elements, but either they were confident in the bracelet’s power or they thought my elements weren’t strong enough. Bracing myself for a disaster, I reached into my fire with my fingertips.

  I didn’t know what I’d expected; perhaps that the fire would burn me or that I’d feel like I was digging through my open flesh, but I only felt a slight resistance in the air until my hand collided with the bracelet. I tugged, pushed, and pulled, but nothing happened. Letting out a frustrated breath, I withdrew my fire until it disappeared. I leaned on the door, my hands curling into fists. There had to be a way to get rid of the bracelet. At least now I knew I couldn’t count on my elements to break through it.

  As I emerged from the bathroom, I nearly bumped into a dark-haired girl. “Sorry,” I said, and she gave me a wide-eyed look.

  “New recruits aren’t allowed to talk to each other,” she said quickly, clutching her arms to her chest. “Only to their mentors.”

  My eyebrows shot upward as she scurried off. I turned to face the wall, only to spot another camera. “Great. Am I supposed to talk to myself then? God, this place!” Throwing my hands up, I strode down the hall. I had passed countless doors until I found one that would open for me. “You could have at least given me a map of this place,” I said to no one in particular.

  The room was huge and it was full of torturing devices. Oh, wait, that was actually exercising equipment. One part of the room was sealed off with glass and two guys stood behind it, circling each other. Only a moment later, the glass was splattered with heavy droplets of water. Not too far from me, a girl threw a guy to the ground, his back hitting the mats with a loud thud.

  “I thought you’d never find your way here,” a familiar voice said behind my back, making me jump.

  I turned my head in the guy’s direction and saw amusement flashing in his green eyes. His dark brown hair was messy, his black shirt hugging his broad shoulders. My eyes widened, my hand flying to my mouth to stop a gasp.

  “I’ll be your mentor until you become an agent,” he said, his smile unwavering. “Nick Elinders.”

  My pulse raced, my palms sweaty. Nick was Kenna’s twin brother. He’d been mind-controlled to kill Kenna if he saw her. Sheridan hadn’t mentioned anyone from the hideout, just Noah, but that didn’t mean Jaiden hadn’t betrayed the hideout’s location. Had the others managed to escape or had Elemontera caught them, too, and was holding them somewhere else? I dug my nails into my palms, hoping they hadn’t been killed. Maybe Jaiden had gone back to train them until they were worthy of Elemontera’s attention. “I...”

  “I know who you are, Moira,” Nick said, his smile fading, his eyes focusing on the camera nearest to us. “I hope you like this place. It has eyes and ears everywhere.” He gave me a pointed look. A burst of air slammed into me, sending me sprawling to the ground. I rolled onto my back, trying to catch my breath.

  “What the hell?” I yelled.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Was I supposed to send you a notification that your training had started?” Nick tilted his head.

  I scrambled to my feet and focused on my air, but Nick merely sidestepped my blast. As I called to my fire, he turned himself into a cloud of shimmering air and flashed across the room. Before I could move, he materialized behind my back and put his arms around me into a tight grip.

  “Hey, not fair! I can’t do that.” I tried to elbow him, but I didn’t have enough space to do it.

  “So learn it already.” His breath tickled the back of my neck. Closing my eyes, I pictured myself turning into air. Nick yelped, letting go of me. I opened my eyes and realized my body was fully enveloped in blue fire. Great. Just what I needed.

  Nick circled my arm with his swirling water, but it was consumed by my weird fire. A slow smile spread across my lips. I advanced on him, forcing him to back away. I took a deep breath and pulled my fire enough for my hand to show beneath it.

  “Where is this building?” I asked, inching closer to him.

  “Elemontera’s headquarters. In the city.” He gave me a deadpan look, just a second before he created a ring of water around me. The ring was getting tighter every second, so I sent my fire at it.

  “Does that mean Elemontera has only one building?” I’d seen the building when I was in the city, and from what Noah had told me, it would be nearly impossible to escape.

  “Nope, but this is the one for recruiting new agents like you.” His eyes lifted in the direction of the wall behind me. I glanced above my shoulder and noticed a camera. Right. Even if Nick wanted to tell me something, he couldn’t do it without being seen or overheard. Beads of sweat appeared on my forehead as the last bits of the watery ring disappeared into nothingness. Either he was holding back or his water wasn’t as strong as his air. Without a second thought, I rushed him, hoping to catch him off guard.

  I let my air surge out, creating a blast strong enough to push him against the wall. He deflected my attack with his own air, but he didn’t have time to avoid me. My body slammed into his with full force, and we rolled to the ground. I ended up on top of him, pinning him to the cold dark blue floor.

  The las
t time I heard him talk about Kenna, he’d given me the impression that he hadn’t been completely mind-controlled to share Elemontera’s views and opinions on elementals like us. Yet I couldn’t trust him or risk exposing the others if Elemontera hadn’t found them. Hell, I couldn’t trust anyone no matter what because they could all be mind-controlled at some point, even agents. I wasn’t so sure Jaiden had been telling the truth when he said the agents were protected against him. Even if they were, Elemontera probably knew how to remove that protection when it suited them.

  I lowered my head and whispered into his ear, letting my hair fall over my face. “I think I’ve met your sister once. Is she here, too?”

  Nick’s face paled, a gasp escaping his lips. “If you know something about my sister, don’t tell me anything. Please,” he muttered, his fingers digging into my shoulders.

  “Umm, okay.” I feigned confusion, extracting myself from Nick’s grip and getting to my feet. “Did Elemontera bring in some other elementals with me, too?” If they didn’t know yet about the others from the hideout on the island, then anyone listening in would assume that I was trying to find a way to see Noah.

  “Yeah, some other guy they’d been looking for. Why?” Nick hopped to his feet, eyeing me suspiciously.

  I shrugged. “I was hoping I’d see him here. Why isn’t he here? Is there another training room?”

  “I can’t tell you that.”

  Great. Tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear, I met Nick’s eyes. “So what am I supposed to do? Just train all day long? Do I get to go out?”

  “Only if they decide you’re fit to be an agent like me.” He lifted his arm and I noticed a bracelet almost identical to mine; only his didn’t glow red. “Then you’ll be able to go on missions.”

  I nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Just keep in mind that the elementals who don’t satisfy Elemontera’s standards get canceled.” His lip curled at the last word.