Emergence (The Primogenitor Chronicles Book 1) Read Free Page A

to address the Gamma leader. “You want to join us, Jeff? This should be your retrieval.”
    The grounded snorted and shook his head. “No. It’s your job. We’ll wait out here.”
    Glad that Jeff and Rick didn’t seem to be harboring any resentment, Nickolas turned to look at the old rambler across the street.
    Blue paint, fading but not yet peeling, washed the walls. The yard had an overgrown quality to it that invited you to explore the paths and see what they hid. The effect appeared purposeful not neglectful.
    Darkness shrouded the house. No lights shown from the windows or the shadow-filled porch. As Nickolas studied the house, the hair on the back of his neck rose. A feeling he couldn’t describe lightly brushed across his mind, like a breeze ruffling his hair. Narrowing his eyes, he cocked his head.
    “The van’s ready, Nickolas.”
    His absorption shattered, he pulled his gaze away from the house. Flynn’s greying red head popped out of the van.
    Only a moment had passed, Jeff and Rick weren’t even back in their car yet, but to him it felt like everything had slowed down. He glanced at his team then made an attempt to shake off the disconcerting feeling. “Let’s get this over with.”
    He followed in the wake of the other three.
    The closer he got to the house, the more he felt like he was walking through molasses. Something inside him felt like it stretched. Not like a rubber band, more like he pushed through a balloon. Then, to compound it, that strange feeling crawled across his mind once more. This time stronger. It wasn’t repellant; in fact, it was the opposite.
    He stumbled on the pavement. The desire for it twisted through him, quickly chased by fear. He repressed both ruthlessly.
    Christoff’s wings flipped nervously up ahead and drew Nickolas’s attention to the porch. Vines wrapped around the pillar on the left, fading blossoms still clinging to the turning foliage.
    Stepping over the curb, Nickolas crossed the sidewalk and passed down the plant-lined walkway. Get a grip. Stop jumping at shadows.
    Shaking his wings out, Nickolas followed the others up the steps. The moment his foot touched the wood, he went blind. Power swept through him, burning channels in his mind, clearing a fog he hadn’t realized existed. He opened his mouth to scream, but the fire seized his lungs and was gone. Instantly. Almost like it had never been. Shaking, Nickolas found himself clutching the pillar of the railing with one hand. A quick glance up showed the others still had their backs to him and were just gathering by the door. None of them seemed affected.
    What the hell was that! Pulling himself together by sheer willpower, he finished climbing the steps, glad for the darkness. He didn’t need the others noticing anything strange.
    Christoff shot a quick glance at him when he joined them at the door, but then his brother went back to watching Jules pick the lock.
    It didn’t take long. Jules could get through pretty much any lock out there, so a house was simple. The door released and Jules pushed it open. The two unfledged and his brother stepped back away from the opening, giving Nickolas the space to enter first.
    That was a routine he wished wasn’t the case at the moment. Still uncertain about being fully in control, Nickolas swept past and entered the house.
     

     
    Disoriented, Jessica clawed her way up out of the tangled images of her nightmare. A potent combination of adrenaline and panic made her heart race. Shoving a hand through her hair, her fingers tangled in the curls as she tried to push the mass out of her face. Tears stained her cheeks, and she wiped haphazardly at them. Her chest tightened with sorrow as the memories of the last night she saw her parents alive continued to circle through her head.
    Angry, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to push them away. She gained some distance, but that allowed her to realize the panic and adrenaline weren’t fading. They were growing.