Page 141 of Stormbreaker

“At least I don’t have to do this alone anymore,” I say.

He stops flipping the compass. “Yeah.”

“You’ve really never found any other Keepers in the Wastes?”

He hesitates for a moment and then blinks. “No, I haven’t.”

I get the strangest sense he isn’t being truthful. I don’t blame him for this, either—he’s probably protecting someone he loves. Maybe one of his siblings is also a Keeper.

“And you really don’t know what happened last time? When we touched?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t think that was even possible.”

This time, I do believe him.

“Is there anyone who might know?” I consider Dr. Eze and her research. I’m still sure she knows more than she let on.

Rook shrugs. “Possibly. I think The Shield knows more about Keepers than they claim.”

Slowly, I nod. That makes sense.

As the storm draws closer, we sit side by side in comfortable silence. I like that I never feel the need to fill the pauses between our words. Rook likes the quiet as much as I do.

I inhale, taking in the scent of the storm. That crisp, electric taste fizzes on my tongue.

“What’s your favorite part?” he asks.

“That feeling of being totally alive,” I answer without hesitating. “Like I could crush a boulder or kick over a building or tear down the sky.”

He smiles, the corner of his mouth lifting. “I like how it almost feels like I’m touching the universe,” he says. “Or even something beyond it. I know they once believed in gods, and I swear when that energy courses through my veins, it feels like some higher power is out there working its magic.”

I nod. “Yeah, I get what you mean.”

He looks over, and our eyes meet. The moment becomes a spark. The ignition of fire that might burn us to dust.

“Do you have other family?” he asks, and I nod.

“My grandparents,” I say. “On my mother’s side. They aren’t talking to me, either.”

“Are you close?”

“Not really. We have dinner every few months, and they ask some polite questions about school and my friends, and that’s about it. They send something nice for my birthday.”

I shrug like it doesn’t matter, but it does.

I think about Trinity and the Robinses and how she had two sets of grandparents, aunts, and uncles who were all extensions of her immediate family. But in the end, she’s lost them all, too.

“My mom has a sister, and my cousin Anan is in the third year,” I say. “We see them sometimes. My dad had a sister, but she died before I was born. She fell in love with a Solitude.”

I whisper the words as Rook shoots me a look, his brows climbing.

“Really?”

I nod. “It almost ruined their family. She got pregnant and then . . . he killed her. My parents took the baby in. Raine. So technically, he was my cousin, but he was my brother in every way that mattered.”

“I’m so sorry,” Rook says. “That must have been hard for everyone.” He exhales a wry laugh. “I can see why you hate me, I guess.”

“That isn’t true. I don’t hate you.”