POSSESSION, Book 1 in the Possession Trilogy

Chapter 24

24.

Things have a way of working themselves out. Ty always said so. Nothing has ever worked itself out for me—at least not in the way I wanted. A month ago, I would’ve died to get a kiss and a ring from Zenn. Now I probably would die—literally.

Jag dropped my hand like it was on fire. “Well?”

“It doesn’t mean anything. I just forgot, that’s all.” I wanted to rip the ring off and throw it out the down the drain, but I didn’t trust the towel to stay up.

Jag folded his arms and glared. “Take it off.”

After adjusting the towel so it was tucked tightly under my arms, I twisted and pulled on the ring. It seemed welded to my skin.

“Jag, I can’t get it. Help me.”

He stepped out of my reach. “No way. If it’s a sticker, I don’t want it to touch me.”

“It already has,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Damn you,” he said, his voice laced with danger.

“That’s nice, Jag. It’s not like I knew this thing was a sticker.”

“Well, it will follow us wherever we go. It records things, Vi. Records them. You can’t just throw a sticker away.”

Like I needed him to school me about stickers. My dad invented them. They’re put on undercover agents as well as criminals. They record conversations, feelings, temperatures, everything. The data is beamed back to headquarters, or wherever, for analysis. I did not need a lesson on stickers.

“We can break it,” I said, desperate to make things right. “I can break it.”

“They’ll know everything anyway. I said I loved you. You practically said it back. We—They’ll know everything!” He started pacing, throwing me a murderous look on every turn.

“This isn’t my fault,” I shot back. “You’re being a jerk—again.” I turned to get my clothes from the bathroom. I would not cry in front of him.

“Yeah, you should go, Vi. Go get that damn thing off. Don’t come back until you do.” For a moment, I didn’t even consider disobeying him. Until I remembered his promise.

“You said you wouldn’t control me.” I spun to face him, my fists clenched. He wouldn’t look so perfect with his nose broken.

“I lied. If you can do it, why can’t I?”

The heat rose to my face. He stood there, glaring, daring me to hit him. Which meant I totally wouldn’t. Calmly, I strode into the bathroom and closed the door. Somehow I got dressed through the flood of tears pouring down my face. The ring still wouldn’t come off, even in hot water, even when I wished it would.

When I went back into Jag’s room, he was gone. I grabbed the book from his side table as I left. I locked my bedroom door and made the lights as bright as the sun at noon.

The book didn’t outline how to remove stickers. I knew they were advanced, specifically made for use in the Special Forces. Agents wore them on their covert missions—there had to be a way to get them off.

I closed my eyes. My thoughts wandered to Zenn. My eyes flew open.

Zenn was a Special Forces agent.

He’d given me the sticker. He’d also given me the way to get it off.

Zenn knew how to do just enough without crossing the line. He’d saved me countless times. He’d done something this time too, I knew it.