Accidentally in Love with…a God?(Accidentally Yours #1)(56)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

How about finding out that my great-grandfather was one of them?

“I’m going to go with facing the Maaskab in Barolo. That was pretty awful.”

“And how did you feel right before the attack?” he asked calmly.

“Pretty pumped, actually. I’d just pummeled Cimil and she flew across the room. I felt powerful.”

He interrupted. “Did you say you hit Cimil?”

“Square in the jaw. She was strangling one of your guards,” I added.

“Have you discovered any other abilities?” Xavier asked.

“I’ve been wearing the necklace, and I haven’t really tried. So, no. I guess I haven’t.”

“And how do you feel since you broke your bond with Mr. Santiago?” Dr. Lugas asked.

Ugh. Did the whole world know now? Of course they did. With a communication network like the Uchben’s, there were no secrets. “I can take care of myself.”

Xavier mumbled a few sentences in Italian to Dr. Lugas, and then said, “That’s an excellent idea.”

Dr. Lugas stood up and left.

“Sorry?” I asked. “Did I miss something?”

“Let’s see if we can teach you to take care of yourself.”

I spent the next few hours hooked to an odd-looking box that monitored my brainwaves while they made me do everything from meditate to watch gruesome war movies. Nothing happened. Then they put on a slideshow. Every time an image flashed that made me mad, like some a-hole kicking a dog, Lugas and Xavier’s eyes lit up.

“Dr. Lugas, change the slides,” Xavier instructed.

Lugas nodded enthusiastically and opened up his laptop, which was running the images into the projector. With a few quick keystrokes, the pictures changed from photos of babies, flowers, war demonstrations, and other random acts of violence, to what felt like the evening news. A photo of a crowd beating a helpless shrouded woman in some Middle East country. Soldiers in some crazy African country firing on a group of helpless women and children. The images broke my heart and with every image, I felt angrier.

“Enough!” I blurted out. “Why are you making me watch this awful garbage?”

Smiling, Xavier turned the laptop screen towards me. It showed a real-time line graph that looked like it had just registered a ten-point earthquake.

“Yeah? So?” I stared blankly at the two gloating men.

“Emma. Don’t you understand what this means?” Xavier said.

Hello. Look at my face. “Not really.”

Lugas said, “Miss Keane, every time we show you an act of cruelty against someone innocent, your energy surges. Off the charts.”

“Okay?” I leaned back in the blue plastic-molded chair, my hands cupped in my lap.

“Emma, this is big. Huge!” Xavier was almost salivating. “You’ve got their strength.”

“Sorry?” I said, turning to Dr. Lugas. Maybe he could speak Emma-ese?

“You are a very, very strong human,” Lugas explained. “And now we know how to make more.”

“Super soldiers, Emma,” Xavier said. “Think of what that means. For us—for humanity.”

What?! Were they insane? “Oh no, boys. I don’t think so. You’re not going to use me to make Uchi-super-soldiers. Forget it. I’m not a baby factory.” Heck, I hadn’t even cut the ribbon on the factory yet.

“It doesn’t have to be you. It could be any woman. She only has to wear the necklace,” Dr. Lugas said, nodding at Xavier.

“No guys. What you’re talking about is wrong. And who says the children will grow up to fight on your side?” I argued.

“Emma, your energy only spikes when you see an injustice. It’s identical to the gods. They’re hardwired to protect. They’re incapable of hurting innocent humans.”

Right. Famous last words. But I could see arguing with the two was futile. “Fine. Whatever,” I said. “But so far, I’ve done nothing other than light up a screen. Pretty damned useless if you ask me.”

“With proper training, you could control it―fight like you did with Cimil,” said Xavier.

“Good luck with that. If I could ass-kick on demand, I would have done it by now.”

They exchanged glances and something told me they weren’t aligned with my point of view.

“Why don’t you give it a try?” asked Xavier.

“No.”

“You might be able to use it to kick Mr. Santiago’s ass, as you put it.”

Xavier was very convincing. “Fine, but this doesn’t mean I agree with your lame super-soldier idea.” I shut my eyes and tried to coax the energy out.

I focused, relaxing every muscle from my toes to the tips of my fingers, but after ten minutes, nothing happened.

“Sorry gentlemen.” I shrugged then yawned. Boy, being angry took a lot out of me.

“Not to worry, my dear girl, you simply require practice. Right now you’re tired. Let me take you back,” said Xavier.

I said my goodbyes to Dr. Lugas and left the clinic with Xavier. It was a beautiful day, late afternoon. I hadn’t realized how sorely I craved a moment of quiet, alone. Alone. The thought made me giddy. No voices, no bees, no one asking anything of me. “I think I’ll stay here for a while,” I said, pointing to a small bench in the garden courtyard with a cherub topped fountain. Xavier was about to speak when someone grabbed me from behind.

“Where the hell have you been?” piped Guy.

Xavier reached out his arm trying to pry Guy from my shoulders. “She was with me at the clinic doing tests. Remember?”

Guy growled, “The guards were to stay with her at all times. I gave specific instructions.”

“Let me go!” I tried to pull away from his claws, but he didn’t budge. “What the hell is your problem, you damned Neanderthal? I’m not your property.” I twisted and elbowed him in the gut, launching him back a few yards.

“Ow. That hurt,” he whined, rubbing his stomach.

Xavier couldn’t have looked more pleased.

“I guess I needed the right catalyst?” I shrugged and looked at Xavier.

“Nice. You’ve been teaching her this?” Guy asked Xavier.

“All in the name of science, my friend,” Xavier lifted his palms, face up.

“Well, take your…” Guy coolly stopped himself from whatever cruel thing he was about to say. “You’re needed back in the main hall. We’re leaving and you are on point to debrief the men about the jars.”