by Aleah Raynes
There was clearly more going on here than me attending school. But I’d play along for now.
I liked the summoning power. It was the only thing I felt I had a little control of in my life. “I call it summoning and conjuring because it’s two different things. Like I can summon things from across the room, but it’s not like telekinesis where the object floats in the air. I’ll show you.”
Scanning the room, I spotted a plaque hanging on the wall beside the doors. “See the plaque?”
They nodded, and I visualized it on the table in front of me. Instantly, it disappeared from the wall and materialized on the table.
Ms. Daniels smiled. “Good. Then you have control over it?”
“The summoning, yes. I have to be more careful with the conjuring, because I can simply say I want something and it will appear whether I actually want it to or not. It’s not as bad as it used to be.” I glanced at the guys, who all stared at me with what seemed like approval.
Cal gave me another one his heart stopping smiles. “Conjure something. Anything.”
I held out my hand, palm up. “Apple.”
A medium size red apple materialized in my hand. Cal jumped up and took it, examining it. “It’s real.”
Reed laughed and bopped him on the back of the head. “Of course, it is, dork.” Then Reed turned to Ms. Daniels. “We have enough to get started. Are we done?”
She nodded. “She’s all yours.” Meeting my gaze as she stood, she held out her hand. “It was nice meeting you.”
I shook her hand. “Nice meeting you too.”
She gave a nod to everyone, then walked out of the room.
My heart pounded in my throat. She told them I was all theirs. Without a word, I gathered my backpack and moved toward the door. Reed’s voice stopped me. “Where are you going?”
I didn’t turn to look at them. “To meet Tyler and my dad.” To escape you guys.
“I texted Tyler to tell him I’ll drive you home later.”
Narrowing my gaze, I faced him. “Why?”
The bald guy rolled his eyes and brushed past me. “I’m out.”
A part of me was hurt that he dismissed me like he didn’t want me there. Whatever. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be there. Cal broke into my thoughts by saying, “That rude-ass is Sawyer, my brother. Ignore him.”
The guy with black hair tied into a ponytail stepped up and held out his hand. “I’m Dalton. I can’t hang out tonight because I have to work. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I nodded and shook his hand. A dark energy rippled through my gloves, and initially, I thought he would be the first person to break through the thin leather and activate my cursed gift. His eyes darkened as if sensing my fear. I wanted to explain my reaction, but he left.
Reed glanced at the last guy hanging back, watching. “You coming or leaving?”
“I’ll hang. Got nothing better to do.” He winked at me with a crooked grin. “I’m Kent.”
Reed stepped beside me and placed a hand to my back. “You ready?”
Tingles of magic skittered from the spot he touched. I nodded. I really didn’t have a choice. “What are we doing and where are we going?”
“We’re going to my house where we will teach you to create mental shields. It will help you control your powers.” He gently nudged me to the door, then led us to his car in the parking lot.
Now? His tone said not to argue. I dug my phone out of my bag and sent a text to Tyler. Going to Reed’s? What’s really going on?
Tyler: You must trust your kidetos.
He knew! Frowning at my phone, I couldn’t shake that there was much more going on than any of them were telling me. My brother expected me to trust five total strangers. Why the hell did I need guardians anyway?
Rylee: Do you trust them?
Tyler: We’ll see.
I almost snorted out loud. Right. Tyler trusted no one but his own team, and of course, me and Dad. Was that where I got it from?
Did I trust them? Yeah, we’d see.
Moments later, I sat shotgun in a white Mercedes as we pulled onto a narrow two-lane road that wound around the school and farther up the mountain. I pulled my sleeves down so no skin was exposed. The thing about my powers was it wasn’t limited to my hands and feet.
“So Ry, where has your brother been hiding you?”
“Kent,” Reed warned through what sounded like a growl.
I glanced from Reed to Kent and Cal. “I went to public school in Asheville.”
“Even after your gifts appeared?”
I couldn’t stop the laugh that burst from my lips. “I might consider the summoning a gift, maybe. But the psychometry is a curse. Forged from the depths of Hell.”
The two in the back seat chuckled. Reed’s lips twisted slightly. “It’s not a curse. Once you learn to build shields, you can block it out completely.”
God, I hoped so. But at what expense would it cost me to learn to shield?
Chapter 2
Reed pulled into the driveway of a circular high-rise apartment complex built into the side of a mountain. He clicked a remote clipped to the visor. A garage door rolled up several feet ahead of us. Inside was a black Range Rover I knew belonged to Drew, Reed’s brother.
“You live with Drew?”
He gave a short nod as he turned off the engine. I didn’t comment further. If Drew was here, then Tyler was. Figures. Always had a shadow.
Before I could open my door, Cal did it for me. His brown gaze met mine and the gold flecks within his irises lit up as he smiled. He held out his hand. Amused and curious, I placed my gloved hand in his and allowed him to tug me to a stand.
Reed came around to the front of the car, glanced at our linked hands, and then met Cal’s stare. They held each other’s stare for several moments before Cal tugged me with him as he moved around Reed and through a door that led into the kitchen of Reed’s apartment.
Cal dropped my hand a moment before Tyler entered the kitchen. My brother scanned the faces of the three guys with me before settling on me with a small smile. Rolling my eyes, I went to him and hugged him. I knew he wanted reassurance that I was okay.
Reed pulled open the refrigerator. “We canceled the psychometry test. Sawyer’s call.” He handed me a soda. “I have water if you prefer.”
I took the soda. “This is fine. Thank you.”
“Where is Sawyer?” Tyler asked.
Reed shrugged and motioned for me to follow him. He paused and glanced at me. “Work.”
Tyler nodded, which meant he understood the single word meant something else. Whatever. They could keep their secrets as long as they didn’t involve me.
Cal leaned into me as we walked to the living room. “Sawyer isn’t a people person. It’ll take him some time to get used to you joining the group.”
“Sawyer needs to get over himself. Besides, he had a job to do for the Order,” Kent said behind me. The others turned to glare at him. I glanced over my shoulder and caught his eye roll. “What? Are we keeping secrets? If so, I’m out. She’s part of our team and we need to treat her like it. Plus, I’m not going to lie to her while protecting her. She needs to know.”
Secrets? I guessed by their circular conversation, I was the one who they were keeping things from. Fixing my gaze on Tyler, I sent him a thought. “If you need to tell me something, you better spill.”
Out loud I said, “I know what the Order is.”
Four sets of eyes stared at me. I crossed my arms and glared back, waiting. Their turn.
Drew was the one who spoke from the sofa as he played a video game. “The whole race knows what the Capissian Order is. But what your team isn’t saying is that in recent years, there have been more and more rogues showing up. Both human and Capissian. We think they are working with the Crain family and their plot to take over the world.”
Drew ended the game and stood. Once he filled the entrance of the kitchen, he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Kent is right. You c
an’t keep things from her and expect her to trust you.”
I focused on Tyler, hardening my gaze on him. My temper rose to the surface. “And all of you go after the rogues?”
One by one, they nodded. Reed stepped forward, shrugging off Tyler when he moved to stop him. Taking my hand that didn’t hold the cola, he flattened my palm to his chest, over his heart. I was thankful for my gloves and his T-shirt to serve as a barrier blocking my gift. While skin-to-skin didn’t always set off my gift, I didn’t like to take chances around new people.
Reed frowned and his baby blues turned sad. “I’d hoped to explain things with the whole team here. However, I will answer all of your questions in time. Our people are in the middle of a civil war and it’s spilling into the human world, drawing too much attention. I’m sure your father and brother believed they were protecting you by keeping it from you. Now that your powers are awakened with the possibility of developing more later on, your life is in danger.”
Cal placed his hands on my shoulders from behind. “We are your protectors, your team. You will train with us, learn from us, and grow stronger than you thought possible.”
I glanced to Kent, who nodded and flashed a brilliant smile. My frown deepened. “I don’t understand. Why am I in danger?”
Drew shut off the game and stood. “Come, Tyler, let’s go get dinner.”
I’d never been so relieved to see my brother being dragged out the door. After Drew and Tyler were out of the apartment, Reed tugged me to the sofa. I sat, still waiting for an answer to my question.
Finally, he spoke without fully looking at me. “You are the heir to the Thornehart Estate. And you are a chosen, like us.”
I held a hand up, silencing him. “What?”
Reed worked his jaw and glanced to Cal. “Your mother was Zoey Thornehart, daughter to Faye Thornehart, the first descendant of Archangel Michael. It is rumored that you are one of the chosen. The fourth girl born in your family.”
An ill feeling started in my belly. If this was true, my parents and brother lied to me. All my life! I had another family and not just any family. The Thorneharts. “I don’t understand why this would put me in danger. What have I been chosen for? Why didn’t my parents ever tell me?”
Reed reached out to me but lower his hand before making contact. “Archangel Michael prophesied the fourth female born in his bloodline would be our savior. She would lead us and end the war against Lucifer’s descendants, the Crane family. When you were born, your parents were given orders to hide you among humans until your powers formed. They were to never tell you of your destiny until then. When they did, you were to be brought to the school to meet your kidetos, who are also chosen, and train.”
The Thorneharts were descended from Archangel Michael?
Kent dropped on the couch beside me, nudging my leg with his. “Your mother’s family built the school as a means to train us from as early as preschool about our history, and our powers. They also formed the Order to protect our people from outside threats as well as from the families who want nothing but to destroy the peace we’ve worked so hard to gain with the humans.”
I knew the Thornehart family did a lot of good for our people. Many spoke of them as royalty. Now, I knew why. Archangel Michael was the leader of the angels. “Why am I the heir and not Tyler?”
Cal came over and sat on the other side of me while Reed sat on the coffee table in front of me. Cal answered, “It was set long before you were born. Before any of us were born. I think it has something to do with Lucia starting the war. Because she is female? None of us are sure. With your father being a second-generation angel, that means you have the purest blood of any of the Capissian, except Lucia and your uncles and aunt.”
I’d heard humans whisper about the Capissian being fallen angels, because they believed that any angel on Earth was there as result of being cast out of the heavens. But we weren’t. Yes, the Archangels created the race, but that didn’t make us angels at all. Did it?
However, I didn’t feel powerful enough to be a Thornehart. “I only have two gifts.”
“For now. Your other abilities will show up over the next few months. It’s hard to tell when or what they will be.” Reed paused briefly before continuing. “Each of us has three or more gifts. We come from one of the original families—the purest of Capissian bloodlines.”
Cal picked up the game control and restarted the game Drew played earlier. “With your powers awakening, it’s easier for others to track you. Especially the Crane family. They can follow your magical signature. That’s why the first thing you will learn is to shield your gifts.”
The newsflash cut me deeply. A sudden fear spread through my body. Had my dad known this? What about Tyler?
My thoughts whirled at the new information. A civil war. The Cranes wanted to rule the world? “So, the Cranes are descended from Lucifer?”
The guys glanced at each other, sharing looks before Reed spoke. “After his fall from Heaven, he came to earth and created the first Capissian family, the Cranes. That was when the Archangels decided to add to the race with descendants of their own, hoping to balance good versus evil.”
Movement from Reed brought my attention back to him. He held my gaze and took the soda from my hand. He set it on the coffee table beside him, then took one of my hands and started to pull my gloves off. Panicked, I curled my fingers to stop him.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
After a long hesitation, I let him uncurl my fingers and remove my gloves. He let go and I hovered my hand in the air while he removed my other glove. I swallowed and focused on his face.
I guessed he was around twenty or twenty-one. His blond hair swiped across his forehead. It fell into his eyes and I wanted to brush it away. I didn’t dare.
Beside me, Cal set down the control. His anxiety washed over me. “Reed, she needs to learn to shield.”
Reed rolled his eyes. “Does the gift work on skin-to-skin?”
I shrugged. “With my dad and Tyler it doesn’t. They can touch my skin, kiss my forehead or cheek and I’ve never had a reaction. I can go without my gloves at our home. Well, our old house. I’ll have to desensitize myself of the new house.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain. I’ve learned that not all things hold the past like others. The visions I’ve gotten from the psychometry are all violent and painful. Tyler has a theory that my gift shows me things I need to see.” I shivered and tucked my hands between my knees.
Cal nodded beside me. “That makes sense. I have three gifts. You know of the mindbending. I can freeze things and create ice. I also have clairaudience. I can go into a place and hear the voices of the past, presence, and future. Not like everything spoken, but things I need to hear. It’s like the universe telling me either to help someone I’m close to or stop something from happening.” His smile widened. “If yours works the same way, you can control it easier. I can show you how to find the switch.”
Reed stood and nudged Cal. “Trade places with me then.”
They did and Cal waggled his brows at me. Then he lifted his hands, wiggling his fingers. “Let me into your mind.”
I giggled at his attempt to speak in a creepy voice. I was also nervous because I knew he had to touch me to gain full access. Holding up a hand, palm facing him, I said, “Let’s do a test touch first.”
He gave a short nod and held his hand up like mine. “Press your palm into mine when you are ready.”
My stomach flipped as I inched my hand to his. I was being chicken. Come on, Ry, just rip the bandage off. They were doing this to help me. I pressed my palm to his while closing my eyes. A tingle went through my hand at the connection. That was it. No pain. No visions.
Cal placed his other hand on my cheek. The same low current of energy passed between us, but no visions. I sighed and leaned into his touch. His voice was soft and husky. “Are you ready? I need you to clear your mind and don’t try to force me out. It’l
l be uncomfortable at first and you’ll want to push me out. Don’t.”
I nodded, keeping my eyes closed.
A moment later, a slight nudge on my psyche told me he was using his mindbending gift. My first reaction was to jerk away or mentally push him out, like he said I would. But I didn’t.
Suddenly I found myself standing with him in a dark space. It wasn’t a room, just space. “Where are we?”
“We’re in your subconscious.”
I frowned. “It’s empty.”
He chuckled. “No, it’s not. There’s just too much stuff to see all at once.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me to the right. After a few steps, he stopped. “We’re going to focus on your psychometry gift. You should be able to call on it, bring it forward. Have you ever tried doing that?”
“No. I usually try to push it away.”
His hand squeezed mine gently. “I know, trust me. I thought my clairaudience gift was going to kill me. I didn’t know how to control it or stop it.” He shuttered. “Since you have recognized it and try to push it away, you should know what you are looking for. Search for it and pull it forward.”
I knew he would say that. As much as I didn’t want to, I needed to.
Reaching deep into my mind, I searched. The only thing I knew to look for was the visions. Once I found them, I found the line to the gift. I grabbed ahold of that thread and pulled it through the blackness. Unfortunately, the visions came with it.
Cal stumbled backward. “Fuck. That is crazy. Okay, you need to wrap a shield around that thread.”
“How do I do that?”
“Wrap it in a bubble, but imagine the bubble made from the strongest clear substance you can think of. Bulletproof glass that is ten times thicker than it needs to be. Or something like that.” He let go of my hand and moved closer to the thread.
I stared at the white line of light and focused on surrounding it in a thick wall of hard glass. But the glass was made from crushed diamonds, unbreakable. When it formed around the thread, it wavered and became unstable. Cal moved closer to me and I felt his mindbending power guide me. Layer after layer, he helped me build the shield around the gift I feared.
