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    The Hand of the Gods Book Two: The Hand of the Gods, #2
    The Hand of the Gods Book Two: The Hand of the Gods, #2
    The Hand of the Gods Book Two: The Hand of the Gods, #2
    Ebook195 pages2 hours

    The Hand of the Gods Book Two: The Hand of the Gods, #2

    By Odette C. Bell

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    About this ebook

    The attack for the Academy has begun.

    Aaron doesn't have the luxury of thinking he's a screwup anymore. He must fight. If he doesn't, he'll lose the one thing he doesn't know he even needs – Isabel.

    Isabel's world crumbles one memory at a time as Bridges uses her as a glorified gun. He taught her to fight so he could use her as a devastating weapon to cut down his foes. But it's time for this weapon to fight back.

    …

    Tune in for the thrilling second installment of the Hand of the Gods Series. An action-packed space opera with self-proclaimed gods and royalty, galactic threats and superhumans, it's sure to please fans of Odette C. Bell's War Begins.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOdette C. Bell
    Release dateAug 31, 2019
    ISBN9781393810858
    The Hand of the Gods Book Two: The Hand of the Gods, #2

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      The Hand of the Gods Book Two - Odette C. Bell

      BOXSETS

      If you like binging a whole series at once, check out Odette C. Bell’s boxsets. With over 60 to choose from, you’ll find something new to read today.

      THE HAND OF THE GODS BOOK TWO

      The attack for the Academy has begun.

      Aaron doesn’t have the luxury of thinking he’s a screwup anymore. He has to fight. If he doesn’t, he’ll lose the one thing he doesn’t know he even needs – Isabel.

      Isabel’s world crumbles one memory at a time as Bridges uses her as a glorified gun. He taught her to fight so he could use her as a devastating weapon to cut down his foes. But it’s time for this weapon to fight back.

      1

      Isabel Carter

      There was nothing she could do. She was trapped in Bridges’ spell.

      He was still dragging Aaron by his collar. The sound of Aaron’s comatose body being pulled across the smooth, clean floor would stay with her for life. If she had much of a life to live after this, that was.

      She still had control of her face, for some reason. Either Bridges wasn’t bothering to take hold of it yet, or he didn’t see the point.

      Tears freely streamed down her cheeks, caking her chin and trailing onto the stiff collar of her uniform.

      Buck up, Asset, Bridges said in a cold tone. The fight is about to begin. I don’t want my Hand crying during our victory.

      That word… Hand. It did things to her. It reached deep down her throat, grabbed hold of her gut, and twisted.

      She swore she started to see flashes of distant imagery. It was almost as if someone had snatched memories from long ago in her life and hidden them right at the edges of her psyche. She thought she could see faces – aliens she’d never glimpsed before in the Milky Way. There was a ship, too – unlike anything she’d ever seen. Then there was a path made of stars.

      Her eyes suddenly closed, feeling like embattled cruisers that were crashing into her cheeks.

      Her lips wobbled open, and without vocalizing a word, she mouthed, Light path.

      It didn’t matter that she hadn’t said anything – Bridges was obviously so attuned to her that, despite the fact he wasn’t facing her, he still knew what she’d just tried to say.

      He turned to her with a vicious look glinting in his now perpetually red eyes. Yes, light bridge. Are you starting to remember now, Asset?

      Her eyes snapped open, more tears trailing down her lashes. Don’t call me that.

      He chuckled. What else would you have me call you? A sleeper agent? The greatest in the Coalition’s history? He reached over with his free hand and chucked her under the chin.

      If she’d had full control of her body, she would have headbutted him. She settled for letting her lips split over her teeth as she snarled.

      This just made his eyes glow all the brighter, a look of satisfaction sparking deep within his impossibly luminescent pupils. That’s it. That’s really what’s at the center of your soul, Hand. You were bred to fight. Nothing more, nothing less. You are a tool, he reached his hand out and grasped the air as if he’d just shoved those same fingers through her chest and grabbed hold of her heart, for the Gods to wield.

      Her chest became frozen as pain bolted through her torso.

      He looked at her with satisfaction for several more seconds until he released his fingers.

      She spluttered. She would’ve grabbed her sternum if she could. Instead, she just stared at him, a cold sense of inevitable dread descending on her shoulders.

      This was it. She would not be able to get away from him. She was… she was a Hand of the Gods.

      Her eyes snapped closed again, and a new wave of distant imagery struck her. She saw more of those alien faces. She discerned a rat-like race with glowing spines, then massive robotic creatures whose bodies were built out of a silver-gray metal the likes of which the Milky Way had never seen.

      Then… a race of Gods – beings who looked a lot like humans save for their glowing flesh.

      Isabel screamed.

      They’d just reached a thick blast door that separated this new corridor from the rest of the combat wing.

      Bridges stopped just a step in front of it before he could activate its remote sensor. He turned and looked at her. It’s time to wake up, Hand.

      He shifted his fingers forward and opened them wide. In the center of his palm, a strange symbol appeared. Four concentric circles with an unknown alien language tracing around the inner circumference – though she had never seen that image in all her life, her body recognized it. A rush of energy released from some long-buried part of her, rushed up her chest, and blasted into her mouth. God, she whispered.

      Bridges chuckled. Correct. I am a member of the Gods. I, he balled up a hand and struck his chest twice, am Prince Felesta. 30 years ago, I was unfortunate enough to become trapped in this galaxy. Banished, he said, his lips barely moving around that word, for crimes I did not commit. I never thought I would gather the power to return home again and capture the things that had been stolen from me, but then I came across you.

      He reached a hand out to her, but rather than settle it on the side of her face, he let it stop several centimeters from the middle of her chest. He twisted his fingers to the side.

      He grabbed hold of her heart. That wasn’t mere metaphoric imagery. She literally felt as her heart stiffened and an invisible grip wrapped around it.

      Her eyes bulged in total fear.

      There are very few Hands of the Gods that still exist. Most of them were destroyed or spirited to the capital planet, hidden by the Emperor to back up his right to rule. But you… ah, you will change everything.

      Leave her alone, someone said in a strangled voice.

      Isabel wasn’t so far gone that she couldn’t auditorily track the direction of the voice. Yet it still took her several seconds to appreciate who’d spoken. Somehow Aaron had woken up.

      Bridges had stopped in front of the door, his hand still on the back of Aaron’s collar. Aaron’s body was a broken mess. His arms were limply flopped to the side, and his head lolled at such an angle that it looked as if he would strain his neck permanently.

      Still, he somehow managed to rouse enough to turn and blink his determined gaze at Bridges. Leave her alone, he repeated.

      Bridges’ jaw stiffened. Slowly, his lips parted into a smile that was all teeth. You’ve woken. If I needed any more evidence to conclude that the crystal is in your blood, that is sufficient. I punched you with more than my fist, human. You should have been knocked out for hours.

      It was Aaron’s turn to bare his teeth. Sorry to disappoint you, sir.

      I assure you, you’re no disappointment. With a Hand of the Gods and a Hendari crystal, my ascendancy is assured.

      Isabel had no idea how much of the conversation Aaron had overheard.

      If she hadn’t been so all consumed by what Bridges had been saying, she would have detected the fact that Aaron had woken. Now she was starting to understand what she was, she no longer doubted her strange ability to track people’s physiological conditions remotely.

      Her capacity to recognize the beat of someone’s heart or the change in air pressure as they breathed was all down to the fact she wasn’t human, after all.

      Perhaps she should have taken some comfort in the knowledge she now had an explanation for why she’d always been so different. The only comfort she could take was in the fact Aaron managed to blink his bleary, bloodshot gaze at her and control his lips long enough to smile.

      I have no interest in hearing anything you have to say, human. This time, you will not wake again, Bridges promised as he brought his hand all the way back. It was clear that he was going to punch Aaron with the majority of his force.

      Isabel had no idea what was going on. She’d heard Bridges mention the Hendari crystal in Aaron’s blood earlier, but she didn’t know what that was. She could however safely conclude that if Bridges hit Aaron with all his force, Aaron would die. His nose would shatter and fragments would shunt up into his brain.

      No, she screamed.

      Desperation blasted through her. It felt as if she’d swallowed a sheet grenade. It was so strong that, momentarily, it shook Bridges’ control. Isabel jolted forward and wrapped a hand around Bridges’ fist just before it could sail down and crack Aaron’s face.

      Bridges jerked his head around, a wild, violent look blasting through his gaze. What? How are you fighting my control?

      Isabel couldn’t answer. She just planted her feet into the ground, called on every gram of strength she had, and held Bridges back.

      Get out of here, Isabel, Aaron begged. Go get help.

      She couldn’t. Bridges let go of the back of Aaron’s collar. Then he twisted around, the soles of his shoes squeaking as shrilly as if he’d just stamped on a rat’s tail. He snapped in close and grabbed her other hand just as she went to punch him across the jaw.

      He pushed into her, and she pushed into him.

      This wasn’t the first time she’d ever sparred with Bridges. He’d personally challenged her on a regular basis. He’d always believed that his training was best, and that nothing the Academy had could match it. She now understood why.

      Bridges smiled – if you could call his lips cracking over his face a grin. It was far more deadly than that. I wouldn’t have assumed you had the mental control to try to break through my hold on your mind. I guess I need to tighten it, he snapped as he brought his face close and snarled right in front of her eyes.

      Isabel snarled back – for all of several seconds.

      Bridges suddenly let go of her hands, but before she could capitalize on the move and tackle him to the floor, he reached out one hand and spread his fingers wide. Dark red energy picked up in the center of his palm. It quickly played around his wrist, sliced up his elbow, and twirled around his neck. It reached his eyes and doubled in intensity.

      Isabel was frozen to the spot. She was halfway through launching herself at Bridges. She only had one foot on the ground, and her balance was in between moves. As her muscles stopped of their own accord, she collapsed forward and fell harshly onto her knees. Her arms fell limply beside her, and her head lolled to the side until her hair covered one half of her face. She stared weakly at him through her other eye. She could only just control her lips. They wobbled open. What?

      I told you – you are nothing more than a tool for me. Now stand.

      Again she felt that ghostly sensation reach down her throat and grab hold of her heart. This time Bridges squeezed with vicious ease.

      Pain blasted through her chest, shot into her shoulders, marched down her back, and pulsed into her legs. She stood like a puppet being controlled by its master.

      She found herself turning and facing off against the door. Before she could walk through, Aaron somehow managed to get to his feet. He didn’t launch himself at Bridges, despite the fact that Bridges was closer.

      Staggering, Aaron threw himself at Isabel.

      He didn’t tackle her. He didn’t try to punch or kick her, either. He did something far more powerful. Coming up from behind her, he wrapped his arms around her middle and pressed his head against the side of her face. Snap out of it, Isabel, he begged, his voice shaking from fatigue and deep emotion. Please, snap out of it.

      Tears touched her eyes again as they widened with fear.

      There was a squeak of regulation boots, and Bridges reached Aaron.

      Isabel could no longer turn – Bridges wouldn’t let her. At least the door in front of her had shiny, reflective panels, so she saw as he wrenched Aaron back.

      He locked a hand on Aaron’s throat and pulled him off the ground.

      Isabel choked. No, don’t. Please – don’t kill him.

      I have no intention of killing him yet. If this fool dies with the Hendari crystal still synthesized in his blood, then the crystal will die with him. He stays alive until we find a way to get it out of him. With that promise ringing through the corridor, Bridges brought Aaron down, and he headbutted him. A sickly bone-crunching crack blasted through the air.

      Then Bridges dropped Aaron down, grabbed him by the back of his collar, threw him up, and locked him over his broad shoulder.

      The fight will now begin, Bridges promised. He jolted a hand out and spread his fingers to the side.

      Isabel did the same. It brought her within proximity of the door’s electronic sensors, and it opened.

      This was it.

      The battle was here.

      2

      Isabel Carter

      She walked through. There was nothing she could do to stop herself. Earlier, she’d briefly managed to throw off Bridges’ control when her emotions had surged. But now, despite the fact her fear hit a crescendo at what she was about to do, it was no longer enough.

      Her face was covered in tears. Her skin would be blotchy and red, and her hair was a complete mess. But the rest of her body language spoke only of power and threat.

      She strode into the packed combat corridor as a class of first years got ready to enter one of the main training grounds.

      Phillips was with them.

      At the sight of Bridges walking through with the very much comatose Aaron sprawled over his shoulder, Phillips jolted. What the hell happened? Isabel? She uncharacteristically used Isabel’s first name, her tone softening at Isabel’s visible distress.

      Bridges’ whole body was no longer glowing red – just his eyes and the center of his palms. They were hidden as he locked one hand on Aaron’s back and curled the fingers of his other hand into a fist. Now he opened it and casually twitched his thumb to the side. "Leave no one

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