The Complete Lost Children Series

by Krista Street

Heath lifted his weapon, aiming at Susannah.

  “No!” I yelled. I ran toward him, lunging for his gun.

  Heath’s gun went off. The loud boom echoed. Jacinda screamed. Another shot fired.

  All at once, chaos ensued.

  I launched a huge energy ball at the men. Heath was knocked off his feet.

  A laugh caught my attention just as Marcus threw something on the gravel drive. During the chaos, Flint’s grip on him must have loosened.

  Whatever Marcus threw hit the ground. A puff of vapor shot up from it. The cloud grew until it encircled all of us.

  Coughing, I waved my hand, trying to get away from it, but I couldn’t. It was everywhere.

  The guards coughed too, and then I felt it. The oily, awful drug swimming through my circulation. It started differently this time. Instead of the drug coating my veins, it started in my lungs.

  My lungs burned. My chest ached.

  With widening eyes, panic flooded my heart. I mentally reached for the area in my brain to flick the dormant switch that activated my ability.

  Please, no, please don’t let it be the same drug!

  I flicked the switch.

  Nothing happened.

  NO!

  The word ripped through my conscience. We were human. Like anybody else. Our extrasensory abilities were gone. It was just like when I’d been captive. It was starting all over again.

  I waited for unconsciousness to come. The dark, creeping blackness to close in on me.

  It didn’t. I stayed upright, fully alert.

  It’s different yet the same. In the vaporized version, perhaps it doesn’t cause unconsciousness.

  As soon as the vaporized drug cleared, one of the guards lifted his gun. The loud boom as it went off cracked the sky.

  Jacinda screamed before she fell. A tranquilizing dart stuck out of her arm. Her eyes widened before they turned glassy. Unseeing.

  My heart exploded.

  My brain refused to comprehend what just happened. My sister lay on the ground. Unmoving. Possibly not breathing.

  Luke’s roar filled the air. He flew at the man who shot her. His fist connected with the man’s jaw before the guard knew what hit him.

  The guard went down cold, his head hitting the ground.

  Marcus laughed. His gleeful wrath filled the sky. The rest of my family moved blindly, flailing—confused expressions on their faces as the rest of the guards raised their weapons.

  No one knows. No one knows but me what Marcus has done.

  “We’ve lost our powers!” I screamed. I ran to my sister.

  Another guard raised his gun, aiming at Luke.

  Edgar whipped into action. He jumped as the gun went off. A tranquilizing dart hit Edgar square in the chest. Edgar was unconscious before he hit the ground.

  I briefly saw Flint wrench Marcus’ arm back again, except this time, a scream didn’t follow. Flint stopped, looking bewildered. He tried again.

  Marcus fought.

  Flint grunted when Marcus nailed him in the shin with the back of his heel.

  Shock again coated Flint’s face.

  I barely registered it as Marcus broke free. I need to get to my sister.

  The rest of the guards kicked into action as if sensing the tides had turned.

  They know. They know we’re now twelve defenseless humans. We have no power. We have no extrasensory or animalistic abilities. We’re like everyone else. Normal.

  Human.

  Chaos again broke out. The guards ran for Luke and Flint. They targeted the men first. The physically stronger ones.

  I reached Jacinda’s side and dove for her, skidding to a halt on my knees. Gravel cut through my jeans. Pain coursed up my legs. I grabbed her head. Thick blond hair threaded through my fingers.

  “Sister!” I shook her.

  Her eyes were glassy, unseeing.

  “Jacinda! Wake up!” She lay limp in my arms. A sob choked me. I couldn’t breathe.

  Commotion and fighting sounded everywhere. It was like a fog. Thick. Oppressive. Heavy. It became like background noise. There, but I didn’t hear it. My vision focused on my sister. I couldn’t lose her yet I had no idea what they drugged her with. It was possibly a sedative or it could be worse.

  It could be poison.

  Tears streamed down my cheeks as rage boiled in my veins.

  Another body fell to my side. Father.

  He lay on the ground, not moving. Blood pooled by his head.

  No!

  I didn’t realize Marcus had broken free and was running until I saw his retreating form. Marcus sprinted to the back of the house, toward the woods. His broken arm dangled at his side.

  Everyone else was fighting.

  Three men surrounded Flint. One on each arm while the third punched him in the face.

  Raven stood only feet away. Horror had rendered him immobile.

  “Raven!” I screamed the words as tears poured down my cheeks. “Raven, stop them!”

  I staggered to my feet, going to Flint. A flower pot stood by the front door. A heavy, ceramic pot. Adrenaline infused strength into me. I lifted it as if it weighed nothing. The guard pulled back his fist. Flint fainted his head to the left just in time.

  The guard howled in fury at his missed target.

  And in that moment, I knew. I knew Flint was right. I wasn’t a bad person. I wasn’t evil. If my cloud wasn’t colorful, it wouldn’t be gray or black. It would be white.

  I loved my family. I loved them enough to protect them. Even if meant hurting others to do that.

  Lifting the flower pot, I ran at the guard as he pulled his fist back.

  The two men holding Flint tried to shout a warning. They didn’t do it in time.

  With a guttural cry, I slammed the pot down on the guard’s head.

  He staggered and fell. Blood poured from a huge gash beside his ear. It trickled into the gravel, but I didn’t stop.

  With wild movements, I flung the pot at another guard holding Flint. He let go of Flint just as the pot connected with his stomach. He doubled over, gasping.

  More fighting sounded behind me. We were falling. One by one, but we weren’t giving up.

  We wouldn’t go quietly.

  Our entire lives we’d been pawns. Pawns in the game of O’Brien. Nobody more so than the three we rescued only weeks ago. They’d been subjected to more cruelty and inhumane treatment than any of us.

  And I’d be damned if we died quietly.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Flint punched the remaining guard as another tranquilizing dart flew past. It landed just to the left of Raven and wedged into the brick wall.

  I turned to assess the situation. Hair flew in front of my face. Father, Edgar, Jacinda and Amber all lay motionless on the ground.

  Luke was fighting like a champion. He didn’t seem as affected by Marcus’ vaporized drug as the rest of us. It must not be as strong. It would explain why none of us were unconscious, but Luke didn’t move as fast and he made no attempts to transform. He probably can’t.

  I whirled back around and raced to Flint. He caught me and pulled me to the ground as another dart flew past. It lodged into a bush only inches from my face.

  “We need to get out of here!” Flint yelled.

  “How?” I clung to his forearms.

  Blood gushed down the side of Flint’s face. One of his eyes was swollen shut. I’d never seen him hurt. Not like this. He’d always been so strong. So invincible.

  “I . . . I can help . . .”

  Raven’s words carried to us in a breeze. For a moment, I hadn’t known who’d said them.

  Raven appeared at our side, hunkering down as we crouched in the gravel. He put a hand on my arm. His fingers shook.

  “I can stop them.”

  I grabbed hold of his hand, my fingers turned white I gripped him so hard. “If you can stop them, Raven, then do it. Please, Raven! Please! They’re going to kill us. They’re going to kill my entire family!”

&nb
sp; Sobs shook my chest. Dizziness made my vision swim. I knew I was going into shock. I took several deep breaths, holding Raven in a death grip.

  Raven’s eyes swirled, an orange, crimson red. An emotion so deep it seemed to sink to his toes swam in them. He glanced at Flint. Something in his eyes flickered brighter. An awareness. A knowing.

  The brothers stared at one another. Flint’s hand tightened on my thigh.

  “Stop them,” Flint said. “Please.”

  Raven stood just as a mocking chuckle reached my ears. “Looks like you didn’t win after all, Red.”

  Heath stood only feet way. He held a gun. He didn’t bother to raise it. The rest of my family was surrounded. My eyes widened when I saw the twins, Mica and Di all huddled together, the remaining guards surrounding them with their guns raised and pointed.

  Heath laughed again. Trevor joined in. He stood near Mica, grinning.

  “No.” Raven stood straighter. “They do win.”

  Heath’s head cocked in confusion just as a fire erupted at his feet. Heath staggered back.

  The fire grew.

  My eyes widened as flames erupted at all of the guards’ feet. Howls of pain and fear followed.

  My breathing increased as comprehension sank in. Raven’s immune to the drug. He didn’t lose his powers. He’s not like us. He’s different. Stronger.

  Di, Mica and the twins jumped away from the burning men. Marcus’ men flailed. Raven’s flames only grew. All of them were burning alive. Raven watched everything happening, his body frozen, his expression resolute.

  I didn’t have time to assess anything else. Mica ran to me and yanked me in the direction Marcus had run. The twins had already begun chasing him. Flint still stood by Raven, watching his brother, his face unreadable.

  “Go!” Di screamed. “Get Marcus. I’ll help everyone else!” Already Di was leaning over Father, rapidly assessing the damage done. She next moved to Jacinda.

  “We can’t let him get away!” Mica yelled. “Come on, you guys!”

  I finally kicked into action. Mica and I sprinted after Marcus. Flint followed a second later.

  Marcus was almost to the woods by the time we rounded the corner. He wasn’t moving fast across the acres of lawn. His broken arm dangled at his side. His other arm cradled it.

  The twins were in hot pursuit, already halfway to him.

  Marcus turned and raised his good arm to fight just as the twins reached him.

  Jasper or Jet, I couldn’t be sure which one, ducked when Marcus swung. The other twin locked both arms around Marcus’ waist, tackling him to the ground.

  A scream ripped from Marcus’ mouth when his shoulder hit the hard earth.

  We all reached him seconds later. The five of us circled him, panting from the long sprint. Screams from the burning men still filled the air, but the sounds were dying one by one.

  In the distance, the security team was falling to the ground. With a gagging realization, I realized they were dying. Trevor and Heath were among them.

  When I turned back around, I expected to see fear in Marcus’ eyes, or at the very least, acceptance that this was over. Instead, he grinned and laughed. The sound was demented. My skin crawled.

  “Do you really think this is the end of everything?” he yelled. He looked around our circle, eyeing all of us. “This isn’t the end! You don’t have the guts to end this!”

  None of us responded.

  Marcus laughed again, the sick sound filling the sky. “Do you know what I’m going to do to all of you?” he cried. “I’m going—”

  Marcus’ eyes widened, his words seemed to catch in his throat. Another scream filled the air, deafening me since it was so loud.

  An eagle scream.

  Susannah appeared directly above us, her giant wings cupped as she descended. She screamed again. The sound was so loud it practically burst my ear drums.

  The loud whoosh of Susannah’s wings breezed across my face as she landed on top of Marcus.

  We all stepped back.

  Marcus tried to fight. He raised his good arm and punched her in the chest.

  It was no use.

  Susannah had him where she wanted him, where she’d wanted him all along.

  The last thing I saw was Marcus’ eyes widening in fear as Susannah’s enormous beak opened. She leaned down and with one giant rip—she tore his throat out.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  We all stood speechless as Susannah gave a giant flap of her wings. She ascended into the sky, her scream piercing the air as she climbed higher and higher.

  What was left of Marcus lay in a bloody pile on the ground. His throat was torn open to the spinal column. She hadn’t stopped there.

  Both of Marcus’ eyes were missing, and his face was clawed beyond recognition. Susannah had ripped his broken arm off after she’d finished with his neck and face. Following that, she’d torn open his belly until his still warm intestines spilled on the ground. Perforated bowel and its contents mixed with the tang of blood. Bile rose in my throat as I stared at the horrific display.

  I knew the way Susannah had savagely ripped Marcus to pieces would stay with me until I died. All of Susannah’s hate and rage at the man who’d controlled and abused her, throughout her entire life, lay in evidence on the ground. The blood, gore and smell that came with it were not something I’d easily forget. I could only hope this memory would fade.

  The twins finally said something, after we all stared at Marcus’ remains for a full minute or two.

  “How the hell do we clean this up?” Jet’s chest rose and fell heavily.

  “I think I’m gonna be sick.” Jasper turned and vomited in the grass.

  I looked back in the sky. Susannah had vanished.

  Flint took a deep breath as Jasper straightened. “Let’s make sure everyone else is okay and then we’ll figure out what to do.”

  We all turned silently, leaving the carnage behind. The air felt heavy as if ozone had descended from above.

  It was surprisingly quiet as we walked back to the group, given what just transpired. Marcus obviously didn’t have close neighbors. If anybody had heard the screams, they’d probably be wondering what was happening on the Christenson property. Perhaps those neighbors would call the police, but no sirens sounded. If anything, it was ironically peaceful. Wind blew through the trees. Crunching frozen grass sounded under our feet. That was it. The screams and chaos were gone.

  The smell of burnt flesh filled the air back at the house. Marcus’ men all lay dead on the ground. Father sat upright beside Di, rubbing his head. Dried blood matted his face and hair. Jacinda, Amber and Edgar still lay unmoving.

  A sob squeezed my chest. “Are they . . .”

  “They’re alive.” Di stood from where she crouched beside Father. “Unconscious but alive.”

  The breath rushed out of me. I nearly fell but Flint caught me.

  Father rubbed his head. A goose egg had formed on it. It appeared he’d been knocked out, not tranquilized. “They’ll be fine.” His calm words helped slow my breathing even more.

  I clung to Flint with a desperation I’d never felt before. I thought I’d lost my sister. I thought she’d died. Tears poured down my cheeks when I realized she hadn’t.

  Father shakily stood. “It will probably be a few hours before they wake, but they’ll be okay.”

  Luke hunkered by Jacinda, his golden eyes rimmed with an emotion I’d never seen in them before. He picked her up, Jacinda’s limp form lying in his arms. “Let’s take them inside.”

  Raven stood silently, hovering away from the group. He stared at the men’s remains on the ground.

  Di approached him before I could kick myself into action. “Did you know any of them?”

  Raven didn’t respond. His face was expressionless, his eyes glazed.

  She stepped closer and had to ask the question again before he looked up.

  “Oh, um yeah, a few of them.”

  Di and Raven almost stood at eye
level, although Raven was an inch or two taller.

  “You did the right thing.” She placed her hand on his arm.

  Raven’s irises blazed. “I killed them, all of them.” His words came out choked.

  “And if you hadn’t, we could all be dead.” Di clasped Raven’s hand. She squeezed it tightly.

  The twins and Flint picked up Edgar and Amber. A cold winter breeze whipped around us. All of us followed Raven inside, Di leading him.

  “What happened to Marcus?” Luke asked when the door closed behind us. His light-brown hair looked windblown while his eyes flickered that golden color. He still held my sister. It didn’t seem he had any intention of letting her go.

  “Susannah killed him.” I didn’t go into the gory details.

  Father took a deep, unsteady breath and glanced around the impressive foyer. “How many people are in the house right now, Raven?”

  Di nudged him when he didn’t respond. “How many people are on the property, Raven?”

  Raven finally seemed to hear them. “Um, one, our housekeeper, Cecile.” He shook his head. “No, wait. She went grocery shopping. She needed a few more things for our Christmas Eve dinner tonight.”

  Father nodded. “So she’s not in the house? And nobody else is either?”

  “No, nobody else is here. The rest of the people who work on our estate are all . . .” He took a deep unsteady breath, his eyes flicking to the window, showing the scene on the pebbled driveway.

  “You’re sure?” Father grimaced in pain. He rubbed his head.

  Raven nodded. Shock still coated his face but at least he seemed more coherent. “Yes, the cleaners come on Mondays only. During the rest of the week, it’s just Cecile. She works morning till evening from Monday through Friday and leaves after she prepares the supper meal each night.”

  “Do you know how to reach her?” Father asked.

  “I could call her cell phone.”

  “You need to call her and tell her to not come back today.” Father stepped closer to him. “Do whatever you need to do to stop her. We need to clean this up and wipe any trace of our being here before she returns.”

  The blood drained from Raven’s face. The dazed look returned.

  “Come on.” Di tugged him. “I’ll help you.”