Infinity Unleashed Read Free

door marked with Collective Laboratory and No unauthorized personnel beyond this point written below in big, black, bold letters.
    “You’re wasting time. You must enter.” The woman’s voice hissed.
    Biting my bottom lip nervously, my head snapped around, looking for the disembodied voice that echoed around me, but the mystery woman had shrouded herself in the shadows. This was not a good sign. 

    “There is no way in hell I’m stepping one foot there,” I snapped.
    “You will enter,” the woman demanded.
    I jammed my hands on my hips. “Uh, nope, that’s most definitely not going to happen.” I tried not to fidget anxiously, but the utter silence was unnerving. “Who are you? And why are you hiding from me?”
    My gaze panned around, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever was hiding. I tried to picture what she would look like. Old? Young? Menacing? Deceivingly sweet? The ominous spirits that haunted my dreams for as long as I could remember took whatever form they thought would either intimidate or cajole me, showing me that the human shell was an optical illusion like a Halloween costume.
    “Do you think you are worthy of seeing my true form?” the woman asked sharply.
    Arrogant much?
    “Worthy?” My eyes narrowed. “ You summoned me here.”
    A menacing growl pierced the air. Shit! This was definitely not good. Locking my knees, I ignored the urge to release the contents of my bladder from fear. Swallowing hard, I continued. “If you think I’m going to cower, you have another thing coming. If you don’t have the balls to come out of hiding, then leave me alone.”
    God, what was wrong with me? Goading an invisible entity wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but somehow, I knew running away with my tail between my legs would be a thousand times worse.
    Surprisingly, the female laughed, a loud husky warm sound that lessened my fear… a little.
    “I can say one thing about you. You’re very brave… but not very smart though. Didn’t Kara teach you to never challenge an enemy that you can’t see?”
    Automatically, I assumed a warrior stance. “Is that what you are? My enemy?”
    The woman clucked her tongue. “Infinity, haven’t you learned by now that everyone is your enemy? Even those you consider friends?”
    Tilting my head, I tried to detect the origin of her accent, but it sounded like a mixture of multiple dialects merged into one. “I’ve never misjudged a person in my life.”
    “Never?” She laughed mockingly. “What about Mason?”
    My jaw tightened. “I stopped trusting him months ago, when I realized he was scum.”
    Suddenly, a soft wisp of air brushed my ear before the mysterious woman’s voice whispered into it. “Months ago? It should’ve been evident from the moment he opened his mouth.” She paused. “This proves there are major flaws in your judgement. Friends are enemies. Enemies are friends.” Her laughter buzzed my ear like an annoying fly. “But one thing will remain true for as long as I live. I am your ally, not your enemy.”
    “You want me to trust you?” I scoffed. “I can’t trust someone that refuses to reveal herself.”
    “And I can’t trust someone who’s too weak to take a leap of faith.”
    Huffing angrily, I threw my hands up. “We’re getting nowhere with this.” I jabbed my finger toward the door. “And I’m not opening that damn door.”
    She laughed mockingly. “Why don’t you pull up your big girl panties and take a little peak behind door number one.”
    I gritted my teeth, not liking her condescending tone. “Like I asked, who are you? What the hell do you want?”
    “You may call me Azura,” she responded with a regal air. “And as far as what I want.” The pause was pregnant. “I want you to get the hell in that room so that we can see what you need to survive, Valkyrie seer.”
    I arched a brow. “Valkyrie seer?” Great, another useless title.
    Azura clucked her tongue. “I see Kara chose to keep you ignorant.”