My skill exploration started the very next day at the crack of dawn. Literally.

Footsteps sounded outside my door, and I jumped out of bed. Since being here in Diamond Towers, I’d become the lightest sleeper known to man. The door opened. It was Raze.

I sighed, relieved it wasn’t Trist. The idea of being alone with that particular guard gave me the willies. “Hey Razor, what’s going on?”

The corner of his lip curved, but he let the intentional butcher of his name go. “I’m instructed to take you to the training rooms.”

I spun from my position on the bed and hung my feet over the edge. “Wow, you guys don’t screw around.”

“Beats a locked room, don’t you agree?”

“Razor, you just said the magic words.” I popped out of bed the second he stepped into the hall, expecting me to move my butt. Throwing on my grimy clothes, I followed him into the hall and picked up my speed to keep up with his long strides. “So what’s your superpower?”

He didn’t answer my question, which I found very irritating, and instead he turned the spotlight on me—exactly what I didn’t want. “Everyone is very interested in you.”

I eyed him warily. “They’re going to be disappointed.”

A slow smirk stretched his lips. “Somehow I doubt it.”

By the time we reached the first floor, my stomach churned. Raze punched in the code, and the doors slid open.

“So when do I get the code?” I asked nonchalantly.

“When you can be trusted,” he replied in a firmer voice.

“What have I done to make anyone think that I can’t be?”

Raze turned and looked down at me. There was something different in his expression: a lack of light in his eyes. “You’ve been in the hands of those who want to undo everything the Institute has worked hard to create.”

“A spy?” I snorted. “People actually think I might be a spy? That’s laughable.” And insulting.

A man in the standard blue uniform approached. I noticed that he had some extra stars on the right breast of his shirt and wore a funny beret, probably to cover his receding hairline. He had a stiff upper lip and the unfriendliest eyes. He wasn’t the biggest or tallest of men, but his stature indicated he could be cruel. I didn’t want to find out.

Instantly, I didn’t like him.

“Welcome home, Charlotte. We’re glad to have you here in the Institute. I hope you’ve had time to rest up, because now the real work begins.

Uh, that didn’t sound promising.

“I’m Jaxson, the commander of the Night’s Guard.” His voice was deep and clear, filled with authority.

“I know who you are. Dash told me all about you.”

Jaxson’s gaze sharpened, and we glared at each other for several heartbeats. “You would be wise to refrain from speaking his name here. There are a lot of people who would love to slit the Slayer’s throat.”

Raze gave me a sympathetic look.

With the pleasantries out of the way, the commander got straight down to business. “You’ll be expected to train hard—not just the use of your abilities, but in combat fighting as well.”

I wasn’t the type of girl who shied away from physical work. Cheerleading had taught me to push myself if I wanted to be the best, but I had a feeling the Institute had a different definition of hard work. “Can’t wait. So where do I start?”

“First, you need to change. There is a locker room to my right where you will find a storage container marked with your room number.”

I tried to recall what the number had been, only to realize I’d never paid attention. I’d been too preoccupied with constantly being locked in.

“It’s 710.” Raze saved me from having to ask, and I was oh so grateful.

Thank you, I mouthed and scampered behind the door to search for the locker. The area was sectioned off into rows lined with shelves that looked like cubbies. Finding my assigned locker wasn’t rocket science, but the required Institute uniform made me cringe. It portrayed a fashion statement I wouldn’t have chosen. Frowning, I stared at the plain T-shirt and cotton pants that reminded me of army gear.

At least they are clean.

Changing quickly into the training uniform, I secured my hair into a ponytail with a strap of material I kept around my wrist for such occasions. I had no reason to delay, and yet I found I wanted a few more minutes to collect myself, get my head in the game. Undoubtedly, this would be a life-changing experience, and I couldn’t help but think that Jaxson and I were going to constantly butt heads. Yesterday I’d seen how the others had trained: last-man-standing style. It had been fierce, merciless. Dash had told me only the strong survived. I understood what he meant.

After a deep breath, I pushed open the door.

“Good,” the commander said, seeing me emerge. “Now we can continue.”

I swept my arms down over my uniform in a grand gesture. “It’s all in the presentation.”

He ignored my snappy comment. “I’ve looked over the results from your tests yesterday and they were inconclusive at pinpointing a specific category, but not to worry. You aren’t the first Gifted where the tests failed to narrow down the type of abilities you might have.”

Raze’s expression went blank, his eyes staring straight ahead.

“So, what do you do in situations like this?” I asked.

Jaxson put down the clipboard. “We need to see the extent of your abilities, and the best way to do that is to put yourself in a life-threatening situation.”

“I’m sorry, what?” I choked.

He folded his hands in front of him, aggravation growing in his eyes. “In our research, we have found that an ability will make itself known swiftly when under stress. Fear and adrenaline kick in, activating the mutated cells in response.”

As his words sunk in, I contemplated running. My gaze went to the double doors we had entered from. My guess: they were locked. “You want to have someone kick the crap out of me to see if my altered DNA will react? This is insane. I’m not suicidal, you know.”

Raze’s lips twitched.

No way would my father go for this. “Does Dr. Winston know about this?” I demanded.

There wasn’t a morsel of warmth in commander jackass’s body. “All trainee’s go through the same drill. Your father designed the intake process.”

I struggled to keep my gaze steady. “And I guess being his daughter isn’t going to earn me any special treatment.”

“I knew you were smart. If anything, you’re going to have to prove yourself twice as much. Like Ember did.”

There was a good chance I would throw up all over the commander’s shoes.

I wanted to argue, tell him I refused. It was even on the tip of my tongue to inform the commander I already knew what my abilities were, but then I heard Dash’s voice inside my head, warning me of what they could do with me. And he was right. I couldn’t let the Institute know the extent of my powers. Or at least what I knew of them. There was no point in denying I had one or even two, but that was where it ended. If by some freak chance I had any others, they would stay hidden within me until I figured out who I could trust, because at the moment, the lines between good and evil were blurred.

I hated that I was doubting Dash, doubting my parents, and doubting myself.

My heart rate tripled at the thought, but I had little choice here. Dash wasn’t going to save me. This was all me. “Let the rodeo begin.”

The commander frowned, and Raze stepped back to the wall, leaving me out in the open. With my heart jumping out of my chest, my eyes darted around the room, wondering who was going to attack me first. This was the stupidest plan ever.

I spun around, my skin beginning to tingle, the rush of power tiny at first. All around me were other trainees, like myself, exercising their abilities in pairs. The air hummed and trembled with a variety of elements, from wind to fire, to water, to solar waves.

It was captivating.

The hit came out of nowhere, knocking me flat on my ass. I jerked my head up, my eyes glaring once I gathered my bearings. Holy godsmack! They don’t mess around here.

Across from me stood a pair of black boots. My gaze inched up, and I let out a hiss. I should have known. Standing over me was my very own sister. Gah. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a ponytail much neater than mine, revealing the smug smirk on her pretty face.

“Ember,” I growled, shoving myself to my feet.

She tapped her boot. “Come on, sis. Show us what you’ve got.”

“Ember has volunteered to assist in the first round of tests,” Jaxson announced.

First round?

Just how many were there?

I held my tongue, afraid to ask, but I couldn’t keep the sharpness from my tone. “How kind of her.”

Ember flung out her hand, and I knew what would happen next. Flames crackled over her knuckles, sending an orange glow over her arm. “Welcome home, big sis.” Then she sent that sphere of fire right at me.

I darted to the side in the nick of time, the whizzing flames flashing past my face, close enough that I swore it singed my eyebrows off. I evaded one attack, but not the second. A new ball of fire smacked into my right shoulder. Pain erupted across my skin, rushing down my arm.

“What the hell, Ember!” I glanced at the spot where she had shot me, not surprised to see a hole in my shirt.

She angled her head to the side, sending me a fierce sneer that would have sent chills through anyone who didn’t know her. “Fight back. I know you can.”

Duh. But this was my sister—the person I’d always protected. And the idea of intentionally causing her harm placed me in as much of a quandary as it had the first time she attacked me with Dash. “I don’t want to hurt you. Isn’t there someone else?”

“I’m sure there is a line of people here that would love to take a shot at you, the girl fraternizing with the enemy, but they’ll have to wait their turn. I’m not in the mood to be polite.”

“I’ll say, geez.” The Institute’s opinion of one guy was a little extreme, especially since he had once been a part of them. What had Dash done that deserved such exile?

I was about to make another smartass comment, but a sizzling blast came at me. Dropping to my knees, it whizzed over my head, hitting the wall between where Jaxson and Raze stood.

Scowling, I went to stand up and give Ember a tongue-lashing, but somehow she had moved. Reaching down, the little brat grabbed a handful of my ponytail, tugging me to my feet. The movement thrust my head back, causing bursts of pain at my roots.

Son of a—

That was it. Something inside me snapped, exactly what they’d been hoping for. Maybe they knew what they were doing, but their methods were deplorable.

The surge hit me, a low buzz of energy emanating from my core. The ceiling above crackled with lightning, regardless of the fact that we fought inside.

Ember’s eyes shifted upward. “About damn time.”

I thought producing the lightning would put an end to this stupid test, but I was wrong. Ember took a cheap shot as I watched a bolt of light shoot down toward me. I only had to reach my hand out and something magical would happen. My entire body tingled, and I slowly began to lift my arm when Ember made her move.

Her fist caught me in the jawline, snapping my head to the side as starbursts floated behind my eyes, the impact causing my ears to ring. It also made me lose control of the electric current crackling in the room.

I should have been glad her hand hadn’t been engulfed in flames, but I was pissed off and hurt, physically and emotionally.

Ember was going to kick my ass. She was faster than me and had a heck of a lot more experience.

Screw this.

Screw the Institute.

I didn’t want to be a part of this shit.

Loose hair curtained my face as I touched the tender spot on my lower cheek. It would leave an ugly bruise, the kind that turned a nasty yellow. In that moment, I decided I wouldn’t fight back. If my sister wanted to beat the ever-loving crap out of me, so be it.

I braced myself for the next hit.

“Enough!” boomed a voice I didn’t recognize, and I couldn’t have been more grateful for the intrusion. “She’s done for the day,” the same voice ordered.

I waited for the commander to tell the newcomer to jump off a bridge or to take on some other suicidal mission, because in my mind that was the Institute’s motto.

“Who died and made you king, Ryker?” Ember spat. The unhappiness at being interrupted showed on her face.

Ryker. The man had a name, and he wasn’t at all what I expected when my eyes finally peeked through my shield of hair. He was extremely good looking with a devilish grin that made me think he wasn’t above breaking the rules. Black hair as dark as obsidian fell to one side of his face; the other side was shaved. Gold eyes, like a lion’s, held Ember’s, taunting her to contest him. The guy looked like he was up for a challenge. “Come on, Em, you’ve made your point.”

“I spent months looking for her. And do you know where she was when I found her? With Dash Darhk,” Ember chastised him.

“Yeah, I get it. The Slayer rejected you and you’re pissed off about it, but do you really think she had anything to do with that? She’s your sister—the one you spent months looking for. You have a funny way of showing how much you care.”

She poked Ryker in the chest. “Tough love. You could probably use some, softy.”

Those tawny eyes licked Ember up from head to toe. “If you want to go a round with me, just say the word.” The implication in his voice was sensual. He wasn’t talking about fighting.

But he somehow managed to diffuse Ember’s vendetta against me. Her cheeks grew a slight shade of pink that softened the hard lines at the corners of her eyes. “Don’t hold your breath. I don’t date losers.” The sound of her boots clopped on the floor as she walked away.

I exhaled.

“You okay?” Ryker asked. The texture of his tone had softened.

“Why are you being nice to me?”—not usually the first question out of my mouth when I met someone, but all etiquette flew out the window in the Institute.

He winked. “Let’s just say I have a feeling about you, Red.”

“Well, so far you’re the only person I’ve met that doesn’t want to cause me bodily harm.”

“Not all of us are Neanderthals. Give it time. They’ll come around once they realize you can be trusted.”

Could I, though? Be trusted? I wasn’t so sure. I didn’t have any loyalty to the Institute, at least not yet, and from what I’d learned they did to Dash, I wasn’t positive I ever could.

* * *

I never thought I would be happy to see this room.

Stripping out of my stiff training clothes, a dark spot on the shirt caught my eye as I tossed it to the ground. Blood. My blood.

My hand went to my swollen lip, and as I ran my finger over the sensitive area, I felt the cut.

I hissed as pain reverberated through my face.

This sucked.

How could she treat her own sister that way? And enjoy it?

There were many things I still didn’t understand about this new world, but how much of the mist had my sister inhaled? I swear it had altered more than just her DNA. It had messed with her brain as well. Ember had some wires crossed. I didn’t know how else to explain the drastic change in my sister’s personality. Monroe had never been a violent or physical person.

I’d been through some crazy crap—not for as long as she had, but maybe that was the key: the longer you lived in this crude world, the more it corrupted you.

Shoving my messy hair out of my face, I padded into the bathroom. I was too tired to eat. The plate of food Star had brought remained untouched on the little wooden table. What I needed was a quick shower and bed… in that order. And I did exactly that.

Exhausted, I gave in, curling up in the center of the bed, and I let the dreams take me. A vision came upon me the second my head hit the pillow. It was like being slapped with icy wind in the face.

Dash sat alone in front of a fire, looking somber, the soft amber light glowing over his cheekbones. I wanted to brush the midnight curl off his forehead, tell him I was okay, that he didn’t need to worry. Seeing Dash’s face took my breath away.

I could see the uneasiness in his eyes, but he was alive and that was all that mattered.

It gave me hope.

The light of hope didn’t last long. A shift in the air hurled lightning from the sky like a flaming arrow from a bow. The wind kicked up, raging in dark anger, extinguishing the flame from his fire. A dense fog rolled over the ground, sweeping in.

Dash shot to his feet, listening, watching the night as goose bumps crawled like critters over my skin. Still asleep, my head thrashed on the pillow. That same force, cold and fierce, grabbed ahold of me until all that consumed me was fear.

The Institute. They were coming… for him.

I had to warn Dash, but how?

I screamed his name. He didn’t hear me, and I hadn’t expected him to, for this was a vision after all. I had no way of knowing when it would happen or if it already had.

And that was all it took to snap me out of the apparition and back into the pretty pink prison. This room was the last thing I wanted to see, but I had little choice. Running my hands over my face, I swiped at the beads of sweat dotting my forehead. My heart jumped in my chest, and I felt hopeless, knowing there was nothing I could do to warn Dash.

No email. No text message. No owl carrier.

The only thing I could do was believe in Dash’s instincts. They had kept him alive this long. He had to know they would come for him. Run, Dash. Get as far from the Institute as you can.

Sleep was no longer possible. Nothing I did quieted my mind or my distress, so I gave up trying. My thoughts stayed on Dash. Seeing his face so vividly in my head had brought forth a wave of loneliness. It seemed Dash and I both found ourselves in unfortunate situations.

Just don’t let them change you, he had said before we had parted. He had to have known that even as their daughter they would still train me, still use my abilities. For what purpose remained unanswered. We’d both been naive. Ember should have been our first clue. Look at her. I had barely recognized my sister, and if I ever saw Dash again, would he know me? Would I recognize myself in a month? A year?

The idea scared me. I didn’t want to change, not completely. I’d already become someone different, but I would get stronger. I would learn how to use my gifts—not for the purpose of the Institute, but for my own purpose to get the hell out of here, because it was starting to feel as if I didn’t belong here, that my family didn’t really care about me, only what I could offer them, and that was not the kind of relationship I was looking for.

I didn’t know what I was looking for anymore.