Flashback ( PDFDrive )

“I guess I’m not the only predictable one,” she said, taking a
steadying breath as she stared down the cloaked figure that had to be
Ruy. “How many times have you played the force field card now?”
“Why stop if you keep falling for it?” Ruy countered, his voice every
bit as familiar as it was nauseating.
She shrugged, trying to channel Keefe’s snark—which was easier
than she’d expected. All she had to do was look at the crooked line of
Gethen’s nose and remember how good it had felt to deck him with
the full strength of her Sucker Punch.
“I like it in here,” she told him. “It means I don’t have to smell you
guys while you give your boring speech. That’s what you’re here for,
right? If you didn’t want to talk, you would’ve drugged me by now. So
let’s get on with it, okay?”
Gethen’s piercing blue eyes twinkled. “This is why I enjoy our little
chats. It’s always so adorable watching you play tough while you try to
trick information out of me. You’re attempting to break into my head
right now, aren’t you? Slamming that strange telepathy of yours
against the force field, hoping you’ll be able to sneak into my mind
and dig out all of our secrets? But even if I took my hat off, you’re not
strong enough without the Vacker boy, are you?” He nudged his chin
toward Fitz—who, thankfully, looked less pained than he had a few
seconds earlier. “And you’d both need your little Shade to help. Pity
he’s not here.”
Unfortunately, he was right.
Tam’s shadows were the only thing that had ever broken through
Ruy’s force fields.
Well . . . unless Sophie wanted to use the trick that Biana had
discovered when they’d first clashed with Ruy in the Neutral