VOLITION (Perception Trilogy, book 2) Read Free Page A

chronic headaches were a parting
gift from my ex-boyfriend, who apparently didn’t have any ethical objections to
feeding me drugs that erased my memories and poisoned me with nanobots to track
my position. I was off those now, but the headaches remained.
    Noah opened a canvas bag, obviously a recent purchase, and removed
a new bottle tossing it to me. I popped two and washed them back with water.
    “I bought some food, if you’re hungry,” Noah said, placing chicken
salad sandwiches and juice boxes on the platter-sized table.
    We ate in uncomfortable silence. Mostly I watched as he ate. I
hadn’t been truly hungry in days, my stomach constantly coiled up like an
anxious snake.
    When Noah finished eating, he retrieved more objects from the
bag. “I also bought these.” He had a pair of scissors in one hand and a box of
hair dye in the other.
    I moved my chair to the center of the room, sat, and let my
hair fall over the back. “Go for it.” I closed my eyes and waited.
    Eventually, I heard Noah sigh and push his chair back. He ran
his hands through my hair and I couldn’t stop the shudder that shot through my
whole being.
    “How short?” His voice was low and husky. I could hear the pain
laced through it, and my heart stuttered.
    “You choose,” I said.
    The snipping of the scissors drowned out the TV noise. Clumps
of blond fell to the floor, like pieces of me, and I bit my lip to keep from
sobbing.
    My world was a spinning top and I hung to the knob with dear
life, helplessly slipping, fearing I would fly off into a zero-gravity black
hole. I crossed my arms and dug my nails into my flesh, needing the pain to
ground me to this earth.
    The snipping stopped and I felt Noah’s breath in my ear.
    “I’m finished,” he whispered.
    Somehow I managed to dye my hair without looking too closely in
the mirror. I showered and dressed again then blow-dried my hair. I presented
myself to Noah.
    His eyes bugged when he saw me. “Chloe Morgan,” he said.
    My alias. Another lifetime ago I’d disguised myself as a shoulder-length
brunette and pretended to be someone I wasn’t.
    I chuckled humorlessly. Back at square one, but more lost than
ever.
    I crawled into bed with my clothes on. Noah turned off the TV
and the light and slipped in beside me. He pulled me toward him until my back
rested against his chest.
    “I’m sorry,” I said, my lips tight and quivering.
    “Shh. You’ve been through a lot. Let’s just give it some time,
okay?”
     
     
    Chapter 3
     
     
    It stormed overnight. Rain lashed against the window and
lightning flashed intermittently in our dark room through the six-inch gap
between the curtains.
    Somehow Noah slept through it. I pressed in as close to him as
I could without waking him, and pushed back at my growing irrational fear of
storms. My head felt thick with fatigue, and I punched my pillow trying to get
comfortable. I hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in days and now, when I
actually had a bed, I still wasn’t sleeping.
    I threw back my covers in frustration and headed to the
bathroom. My eyes revolted against the bright light when I switched it on. I
reached for the Tylenol, took two and quickly switched the light out.
    I stood in front of the window and gripped a curtain panel in
each hand. The sky lit up like a neon sheet covering the earth. I whipped the
curtains closed and made sure I didn’t leave a gap.
    Noah’s steady breathing comforted me and I focused on matching
my breaths with his until I slipped away. And for once I didn’t dream.
    Noah was showered and dressed by the time I woke up.
    When he saw that I was awake he opened the curtains. The rain
continued to fall in sheets.
    His eyes, dark with sadness and confusion, met mine. The
adhesive that had held us so tightly together once upon a time now stretched
thin, like gum pulling from the street to a shoe. I desperately wanted to stop
the force of inertia tearing us apart, searching for some way to wind us