gifted

by Charmaine Ross

  Our car flipped forward. I was thrown against the seatbelt, looking right at the dizzying ground below, the breath punched from my lungs. The roar of the engine bit through the car as Julius tried to level it out. I could almost feel the chassis straining as it did things it was never designed to do.

  There was a flash of Seth’s car below us. Julius accelerated and we spun toward the streets below. The ground hurtled toward us, way too fast. Tension rode through my body, muscles clenched, breath hissed between my teeth.

  “This is going to be tight,” Julius said.

  We dodged around the last line of cars before street level. Julius slammed on the brake. The car shuddered as the nose tipped back. The engine screamed, protesting against gravity. Julius grunted, putting all his weight on the pedal. The car skated downward, the street coming up way too fast.

  “Hold on,” Julius yelled.

  The car smashed into the street. The explosion of the car hitting the road thundered, metal screeched, glass burst and shattered over me. A massive jolt reverberated through my body, crunching my bones. I was flung back, then forward, my head snapping against the console. Pain exploded through my forehead. Blackness overpowered me.

  Julius shook me, unclipping my seat belt. “Katia. Get out. Run!” His voice was thick, slurred.

  I forced my limbs to move, willed my mind to clear. I shook my head, trying to beat away the fog. I watched Julius as though in slow motion. His face was cut to shreds. Blood ran in a rivulet down his cheek. Red stains on his shirt, his legs.

  He shook my shoulders. “Katia!” His sharp voice enabled me to focus. “Get out! Now!”

  He opened his door while I fumbled with mine. He disappeared, appearing at my side, heaving me out of the seat. My legs wobbled, but my head cleared as I breathed in fresh air. Julius planted his palms on my cheeks. “Run! Don’t look back. Do you understand me?”

  I nodded. Behind him, Seth’s black car dropped to the ground, just meters away. It had barely stopped when Seth emerged. He grinned, pacing toward us. Julius pushed me back and turned, hiding me from Seth with his body.

  This wasn’t right. Julius couldn’t protect me. Not against man-mountain Seth.

  But I could.

  I stepped from behind Julius. He whipped around, horror on his face. “I told you to go.”

  “And you know what I can do. I can use it on him.”

  “You shouldn’t.”

  “I’m going to. And then we’re going to run together. Understand?”

  Julius’s face was thunder, but I ignored him. I concentrated, willing the thought-energy to grow like a ball of molten electricity inside of me. Then I willed it out toward Seth.

  The energy blast hit him right in the center of his chest. There was a solid thud as it smacked into his body, and he was pitched off his feet, through the air to land on his back. I seized Julius’s elbow. “We’re going.”

  Before we had gone anywhere, a surge of electricity struck my foot like a whip. I pitched forward. My ankle was snagged, bound by energy, burning my skin and sending red-hot darts into my bone. Fuck, it hurt!

  Hands grabbed my ankles, twisted and flipped me onto my back. Seth looked down on me as though he’d won the lottery. Holy shit—he’d used energy just as I did!

  There was no time to process it, though. I answered with an upper right to his thick jaw, powered with thought-energy to give it extra kick. He didn’t expect that. His fingers released momentarily. I yanked my legs from his grasp and kicked him right in the middle of his chest. It was enough to send him staggering back. I flipped to my feet, facing him, braced to fight.

  Julius was at my side. “Stand back, Julius. I can handle him.”

  “No Katia. You can’t,” Julius murmured under his breath, too faint for Seth to hear.

  “How the hell do you know what I’m capable of, Julius?”

  “Things have changed while you were asleep.” There was a poignant sadness in his voice that caused me to falter.

  My jaw ached as I watched Seth. I didn’t want to run from him. Unbidden fury welled up inside me. The animal inside opened its claws. Seth, I actually wanted to fight. I wanted to tear him apart so badly it made my limbs tremble.

  A slow smile spread on Seth’s ugly face. “Katia. What a lovely ... surprise to see you.”

  “Who are you? How do you know my name?”

  “I’ve known your name for a long, long time. The great Katia. But I never thought I’d get the chance to defeat you. I’m going to enjoy this little game.”

  The sound of his voice was enough to send a chill up my spine. I brushed aside his comment. “You can use thought-energy.”

  Seth’s eyes glinted. “We have more in common than you think.”

  “We are nothing alike.”

  Seth chuckled, stepping closer toward me. His eyes flicked from Julius to me. “I’m sure your father wouldn’t agree.”

  My heart stammered. Heat rose up my spine. “My father? How? Why?”

  “Ask your boyfriend. I’m sure he can answer your questions.”

  “You know him?”

  I spun to face Julius, but all he did was watch me with silent truth in his eyes. He knew Seth? But how? He’d tried to tell me something, and I’d stopped him because I didn’t want to hear. Still didn’t want to hear, but nothing in my life had ever been fair. Just knew I should have given him a chance to tell me what the hell was going on. Julius moved to stand in front of me, using his body as a barrier. I struggled to breathe, grappled to understand why he’d do that. If he knew Seth, why would he try to protect me? He didn’t stand a chance. Nothing made any sense.

  Julius’s mouth firmed into a tight line. “Leave her alone, Seth. Now and forever. She’s an innocent in all of this.”

  “You and I both know that’s not going to happen.”

  “Damn it, Seth.” Julius’s fists turned bloodless.

  “Victor is a very intelligent man. He knows what he’s doing.”

  Is? My heart gave one huge hammering lurch. “Victor’s dead.” He had to be dead. Over a century had passed. He couldn’t have lived this long.

  Seth’s eyes glinted, the way a snake might look at its prey. “He’s very much here in this fair city. I’d like to take you to meet him.”

  The ground seemed to buckle beneath my legs. Surely he wasn’t alive. Couldn’t be. But ... I’d lived. Against all odds, I was alive. If my father could put me into a suspended animation, there’d be no telling what he could do to himself.

  I closed my eyes, swallowing that sick feeling that crushed my chest. Victor. Somehow, someway, he was living. That little grain of hope that I thought I might have been wrong, that little nugget of hope was obliterated in a second. My lungs shrunk to a quarter their size. Every attempt I made, my lungs squeezed more out than in. “He ... he can’t be alive.”

  “As I said, your father is a clever man. Look what he did for you. You should be grateful he worked as extensively on you as he did. You’re privileged.”

  “Not privileged. Cursed.”

  “I gave my life to Victor. Many men have died for the honor.”

  “Anyone who works with my father deserves to rot in hell.”

  “You shouldn’t say that.” His face grew stern. He tensed his fists. He was going to come at me soon.

  I centered my balance, knees braced. When he charged at me, I’d be ready. I’d been a fool. To think I’d be free of Victor, to think I might have a chance at a normal life. It all clicked together. “You always knew where I was. In the alley. The hospital. You knew when Julius pulled me out of that coma.”

  “Of course! Do you think Victor wouldn’t be aware? Do you think he didn’t have a plan for you all those years ago? That he would spend so much time and effort on you just to let you die? Silly girl. Your doctor saved us a lot of work to get you up to scratch again, although you still do look like a scarecrow.”

  My mind buzzed. “But why didn’t Victor wake me up before now? Why wait so long? Why
go to so much effort?”

  “I admit, I wondered, too.”

  “I just want to be left alone.”

  “It’s too late for that, don’t you think? I just might get my wish and see how you tick after Victor does what he will to you.”

  “Victor is never getting me again.” My fingernails dug into my palms as my hands fisted at my thighs.

  “So adamant. Victor once told me about a friend of yours, a woman. He told me she held out valiantly, telling you not to give in. It must have been so hard watching her die before your eyes. I was told she was virtually dismembered before she drew her last breath. So, I believe you’ve made ... quite an impression with Julius these last few days.”

  An indefinable rage built inside me. My hands shook as burning anger became a living, writhing creature. Julius. It wasn’t going to happen. Not again. He was involved somehow in all of this crazy mess, but that didn’t mean he deserved what became of Heather. I wasn’t going to let that happen. I’d naively refused to listen to Julius, but this was a battle that Victor had engaged, and I was damned if he was going to strip everything from me again. I refused to let my father be able to do anything to me ever again.

  “You’re not getting anywhere near him.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Rage exploded, hitting me so hard the bitter taste spilled onto my tongue. Conscious thought fled as my crazed mind clicked into automatic. I screamed and ran to Seth, smacking the side of my hand into his neck with such force it knocked him to his knees. I jabbed my knee under his chin. His head snapped backward. Heat ripped into my hand as I rammed the foot of my palm into his chest. Power surged.

  To my horror, he somersaulted backward, landing lightly on his feet. He stepped forward, too fast to be natural. There was a flashing glint, and my side erupted in a screaming burn. I pressed my hand to my side, warm blood smearing my palm. Shit. He had a knife, and I hadn’t even seen it coming. The wound wasn’t deep, but he’d been fast enough to cut me.

  “Katia, get away while you can.”

  “We’ll never get away, Julius. Don’t you understand? It won’t end unless I end it.”

  To my horror, Julius charged at Seth. Seth backhanded Julius across his cheek. He flew through the air and crashed into a brick wall. He slid to the ground, head lolling to the side, unconscious.

  “No!” I charged at Seth, smashing his chest with the ball of my hand. He took one step back. I lunged at his hand, twisting it behind and up his back. But before I could finish the move, he’d twisted out of the hold, swiping my ankles, and my balance, from beneath me.

  I crashed to the ground and rolled away before his booted foot landed where my face had been. I scrambled to my feet, pivoting on the ball of the left leg. I swung my right leg into his stomach.

  He caught my ankle. I tried to pull away, but he held on tightly. He grinned at me, then raised his palm. An electric bolt struck my face like a ball of fire. My head snapped back, at the same time he twisted my leg. I spun through the air before hurtling to the pavement. I fell onto my shoulder. Pain shot up my arm, from the bone out. For a moment, my vision turned black, then erupted in a kaleidoscope of light.

  I glanced at Seth through tearing eyes. He stood over me, chuckling. Fuck, he’d only been playing with me. I ignored the pain in my arm, balancing on the balls of my feet, knees braced, arms squaring my stance. I kept my eyes trained on Seth, watching. He stepped toward me, streaking fast. A glint of silver. Fire streaked down my arm. He stepped away, playing with the knife.

  “Showing off, Seth,” I said.

  “Just having a good time, little mouse.”

  “Didn’t anyone tell you not to pick on someone smaller than you?”

  “Just using my God-given advantage.” There was some movement as a P.A. hovered over Seth’s shoulder. Watching. Learning.

  I bared my teeth. “You’re a monster. Just like my father.”

  Seth’s grin turned into a snarl. Energy burned my skin, my thought-energy ready to blast. It wouldn’t do any good just firing it at him. He’d be able to buffer it away, and I would lose valuable strength. I had to change my tactics. Use the energy in a different way. I needed to change it, make it do other things than push objects away. I’d never done it before, but I’d never been in a situation where I’d had to.

  It was just energy. I should be able to shape it into anything I wanted. It was all in my mind. Limited only by my imagination, or that was the theory anyway. I drew it into my mind. Heat seared through me as it condensed down into a ball. I manipulated it, elongating the shape into an energy blade. I sent it down my arm to my palm, concentrating on making it as solid as energy could possibly be packed. The energy-blade emerged from my skin, growing, extending, invisible. My fingers closed around the hilt. I gritted my teeth and held on, waiting for Seth to make his move.

  “If this doesn’t end now, I swear to God Victor will wish he never put me in that damned capsule in the first place. He’ll wish he never even saw me as a baby. Privileged? I’ll show him just how privileged I am if he ever has the guts to speak to me in person.”

  I was sure Victor was watching on the safe end of that P.A. As Seth stepped closer to me, I rushed toward him, swiping to the side as I would if I’d held a sword. His shirt tore open with the thrust of the invisible blade. Blood stained the material. He put his hand to his side and pulled it away, staring blindly at his blood. “What the fuck ...”

  “Hurts, doesn’t it?’

  Seth collapsed to one knee as he cupped the wound at his side. A hand seized my elbow. I whirled around. Julius. Blood coated his temple, and the side of his face was already starting to bruise. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Julius tugged me toward the street. I jogged beside him. His features were strained as he glanced everywhere. We rounded a corner, away from Seth, the smashed up vehicle, and the blood on the sidewalk. He raised his arm, and a taxi pulled smoothly to the curb. He had the door open and was manhandling me inside. Julius rattled off an address, his hand still wrapped around my upper arm, then, “I want you out of here. Now. Remember what I told you. Now go.”

  “What are you talking about? You don’t give a shit about me. How the hell do you know Seth!”

  “Christ, Katia. If there was any other way ...”

  He stared down at me. Myriad emotions shadowed the tense line of his mouth and the strain around his eyes. His eyes glittered with something much more than mere words could explain.

  “Go, Katia. Run. Don’t look back. Just keep on running. Make a life for yourself. You did that once. You can do it again.”

  “Not without knowing the truth. Tell me now! Was all of this just a sick joke to you? You made me feel something for you, you absolute bastard!” My eyes filled, and hot tears ran down my cheeks. I swiped them away with an angry flick of my hand, but they refused to stop falling.

  “Damn it to hell!” He bent toward me in the taxi. His mouth was hot on mine, all pressure and desperation. His tongue delved into my mouth. Slick. Demanding. He devoured me, demolished my senses, consumed my wits.

  Then he pulled back, and I couldn’t do anything but stare up at him helplessly from the back seat of the car. Gasping, battling to regain my control. His eyes smoldered as he slammed the door closed with a finality that bolted me into action. “Wait!” I called.

  I tried to open the door, but it was locked. The taxi slid away from the curb. I sat up on my knees on the seat, watching through the back window. I screamed his name, but the car gathered speed. It drove up a ramp, and we climbed into the sky.

  “Stop the car!” I whirled to the front, but no one was driving. Twin seats faced each other. It was an unmanned taxi. There was no way of stopping it until it came to its destination.

  I spun around, hitting the window to open the door. Looking down, I saw Seth stride toward Julius. He held his shoulder as one might do to a friend and, in one fluid motion, embedded his knife into Julius’s stomach. Julius’s knees buckled. He clutched his stom
ach and collapsed to the ground.

  I could do nothing but scream his name. I fought off the numbness that struck my limbs. I gasped. Once. Twice. Then my throat closed over. I doubled over, hollowness hacking my insides to ribbons. My face was pressed to the seat as I fought the pounding nausea that ripped through me.

  Seth stabbed Julius. Julius had given me a chance to get away. He’d sacrificed himself so that I could run. But I didn’t want to run. I’d run enough. All I had done was run. Now was the time to fight.

  My stomach lit up with thought-energy, tendrils of heat lighting down to the tips of my fingers and toes. I blasted it out of my body. There was the sound of a thunderclap and the door exploded outward.

  Wind whipped through the open cab. I dropped my feet out of the cab, hung on to the base of the chassis, and let go. I rushed downward and slammed to the ground. Pain jolted up my legs as I collapsed to the ground, rolling with the impact.

  I rode out the wave of agony that gripped my legs, found my breath, and pushed up from the street. I ignored screaming bones and tortured muscles. I scrambled onto the legs that wanted to fold beneath me. I made them move.

  I staggered around the corner of the building back to where Seth had stabbed Julius, lurching over to the drops of red that stained the concrete. I spun in a circle. Nothing. No car. No Seth. No Julius.

  I wobbled to the curb, looking upward at the lines of traffic overhead. Nothing but neat lines of cars. I fell to my knees, covering the top of my head with my hands. I bent forward until I was curved in on myself. There was the sound of sobbing, and it took me a moment to realize it was me. I was making that sound.

  My mind roared. Julius was gone, and I didn’t have a clue where he was. Of all the stupid, stupid things. He couldn’t protect himself. He wouldn’t be able to fight someone like Seth. He was wounded. His chances of survival were almost nonexistent. He didn’t have a chance.

  But I did. I had a choice. I could do as I always had done and run. Live as a shadow. Now I was stronger than I’d ever been. Much stronger. But I was still a target. And so was Julius. Always looking over my shoulder. I would never be able to have the life I wanted if my father was still alive. I’d glimpsed something better than I’d ever had, and there was no way in hell I was going to let that go. Nothing was perfect, but then again, when had anything been perfect in my life? I had a friend once. I had Heather, and I hadn’t fought hard enough for her. Now, against all odds, I’d found that again. More. I’d found hope. I had another chance to be happy, and that was a powerful thing. Julius had the power to be many things to me, but he’d sacrificed himself, just like Heather, and the past was not going to repeat itself.