Father frowned. “I know all of you have attributes other people don’t, which could give you the ability to find this man, but this isn’t related to Project Renatus or O’Brien. I’m not sure it’s wise to become involved in something like this. It’s imperative you all hide your gifts from the public.”
I sighed. Father was always worried about us, especially when it came to others finding out about our powers. Who knew what would happen to us if our gifts became general knowledge. Possibly, Father would be locked up since he’d essentially kidnapped us when we were babies. Or maybe we’d be studied against our will.
We didn’t know.
But since those unknowns held so many implications, we’d spent our entire existence hiding. When we were little, Father had hidden us deep in the Forbidden Hills, but that was to keep us safe from his former colleagues at O’Brien Pharmaceuticals. Father, Albert Darlington, and Raven’s former adoptive father, Marcus Christenson, had given all of us our unique powers.
What they’d done was illegal and nefarious, but that was in the past. It couldn’t be changed. Regardless, I wasn’t sure I would have had it any other way, even if we could go back in time. The people in this room were my family. If Father hadn’t brought us up together, who knew what condition we would be in now, if we would have survived our nightmare childhoods at all.
I eyed Flint. My heart beat faster despite our recurrent arguments. If not for Father, I’d have never met Flint.
But . . . up until now, our past had seemed to be just that—our past. We’d never discussed using our extrasensory powers in a coordinated manner again. The last time we’d done that, we’d stormed Marcus’s estate, killed him and his guards, freed Raven, and essentially guaranteed a peaceful existence for ourselves.
But that eventful day had been over eighteen months ago. Whenever I thought about that time, it seemed like a distant dream—almost surreal. And for the first time in my life, I was living like everyone else. My family and I all blended into the public even though none of us were normal humans.
I certainly didn’t want to jeopardize our safety and new way of life, but at the same time, I couldn’t let a man who regularly assaulted women walk free if we had the power to stop him.
I bit my lip. If he is that man, we still don’t have proof he’s anything other than an evil guy.
That thought had been plaguing me all week. Possibly, I was blowing all of this out of proportion. “But his cloud was pulsing. He was up to something,” I muttered the words to myself, getting a raised eyebrow out of Flint.
“We can’t turn a blind eye,” I said more loudly, addressing everyone. “I know you worry about us, Father, but I can’t pretend I didn’t see what I did. If he hurts somebody again, and we had the chance to stop him, how could we live with that?”
Father leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowing. His sharp hazel eyes, deep wrinkles, and gray wispy hair were all so comfortingly familiar. However, since Father had taken the first-generation drugs that had given us our powers, he had slightly enhanced abilities too, as well as permanent injuries.
My words still hung in the air. Everyone shifted in their seats, eyeing each other.
The sound of the front door opening drifted in from the entryway.
“Is that Susannah?” Edgar cocked his head.
I smiled. Each day, Edgar’s strange Cockney accent grew less and less. Since Edgar was safe and free, his behavior had become more normal, his peculiar accent disappearing more each year.
“Hi. Sorry I’m late.” Susannah slipped into the living room and set her bag down. Waist-length black hair hung down her back. That, along with bright-blue eyes, porcelain skin, and a slim build made her an incredibly beautiful young woman. She also looked extremely fragile, like a twig that could be snapped.
But looks could be deceiving.
With a deft flick of her mind, talon-like claws could emerge from Susannah’s fingertips. With one swipe of her hand, Susannah could easily slice open someone’s jugular. In her eagle form, she’d single-handedly killed Marcus.
Luckily, she’d never done anything like that again. After killing Marcus, she’d become calmer and more grounded. Each day she grew less skittish and surer. And similar to Luke and Edgar, she seemed more “normal” every day.
“What did I miss?” she asked, slipping off her flip-flops. Bright-pink nail polish shone on her toes. No doubt, Jacinda had taken her for pedicures again.
Jet leaned back and stretched his arms on the couch back. “We’re currently deciding if we should track some potential psychotic, serial-attacker, black-clouded guy Lena saw on our campus the other day. Either that or leave it be. But you know, since we’re apparently superheroes now, it may be our destiny to track him.” He snickered.
Mica and Jasper laughed.
Susannah sat on the floor, her slim legs crisscrossing beneath her. “Is this about the assaults taking place on Boulder’s campus?”
“That’s the one,” Jet replied.
Susannah wrapped her hands loosely around her ankles. “Do you want me to fly over there and keep an eye on things? I’m off for a few days.”
Susannah had a job at the local movie theater. She’d worked out a deal with the manager so that she only did the cleaning. It was a good job to ease her into the workforce since it wasn’t socially overwhelming. Most of her days were spent sweeping up spilled popcorn and wiping drops of sticky soda off the seats.
“You’re too big in your eagle form,” Flint replied. “Someone may spot you.”
Susannah shrugged. “If I stay high enough, it would be hard to judge my size from the ground.”
“But how could you find him if we don’t know what he looks like?” Di asked after crossing her arms. Her shrewd dark eyes narrowed in Susannah’s direction.
Susannah cocked her head, the speed unnaturally fast. “I could at least keep an eye on things. I could spot any attacks from above.”
“That’s only if he attacks in the open.” Mica popped another chip into her mouth. “If he drags her somewhere or lures her into his house, we’d never know.”
“Haven’t most of the attacks happened in the woman’s dorm room or apartment?” Jasper raised an eyebrow. “All of the news stories have said he broke in before attacking them.”
My eyebrows knit together as I remembered my initial impression, that the dark-clouded man was following a woman. Maybe that’s what he does. Follows them initially, learns their routines, and then attacks. It would explain why his cloud was pulsing. He was imagining what’s to come.
“In which case, his attack is imminent.” My words filled the room as my thoughts solidified. I quickly told everyone what I’d been thinking. “I think he’s planning to attack soon, if the man I spotted was the attacker.”
Di’s pragmatic words followed. “That’s a big assumption. You saw a man with a black cloud walking behind a young woman. That doesn’t mean he’s going to attack her.”
“But his cloud was pulsing and growing, Di. Trust me. He’s planning on doing something bad soon, even if he’s not our attacker. And if this guy is the serial-attacker, he’s thinking of attacking again soon, and that woman I thought he might have been following could be his next victim. Even if I’m wrong and I’m blowing this all out of proportion, we still can’t sit back and hope that’s not the case. If we can prevent an assault from happening, we should.”
“So what do we do?” Flint’s energy pulsed toward me. It had steadily grown as I explained my thoughts. “Station you on campus, constantly searching for this guy until we find him? And then what? Follow him? Wait for him to attack and hope to catch him before he actually does?”
His large palm settled on my thigh. From his low tone, he seemed to be feeling similar to Luke. “I won’t let you put yourself in danger, Lena. If this guy catches wind that you’re after him, who’s to say you won’t be his next victim?”
I covered Flint’s hand with my own. “I’m the strongest one here. You all kn
ow that. If anyone’s going to initially track him down, it should be me.”
“That’s only if he doesn’t get his hands on you,” Flint replied. “I know you’re mentally strong, but physically you’re still weaker than most males. If he knocked you out, your ability wouldn’t protect you.”
“Flint’s right.” Jacinda flashed her worried eyes my way. “I don’t like this at all.”
Jasper nodded. “Flint has a point. We know you’re strong, Lena, but a good blow to the head would render you useless.”
“But if we worked together, that wouldn’t happen.” My voice rose. “Susannah could be our eye in the sky. Mica could see if anyone approaches me. Amber could catch this guy’s scent if we get close enough. With that, we could track him to where he lives. Meanwhile, Di could warn us if she sees anything in our future. Flint and Luke could be on standby to take him down if necessary.” I stopped since I was breathless from talking so fast. After inhaling deeply, I added, “Should I go on?”
Everyone either frowned or looked contemplative.
“You guys, please.” I squeezed Flint’s hand, which had warmed considerably on my thigh. “Let’s at least try. And if things become too risky or if it appears our abilities could be revealed, we’ll stop. But let’s at least see if we can find him.”
The room was so quiet, I could hear the clock ticking in the hallway.
“Is anyone with me?” I stared at the sea of faces.
My entire family eyed each other. Slowly, everyone raised a hand one by one.
Di finally exhaled audibly and nodded. “Okay, we’re with you, but that doesn’t mean I like it.”
I grinned.
CHAPTER FOUR
We drove back to Boulder after our family meeting. Since everyone was off today and tomorrow from their part-time jobs, we were all free for the rest of the weekend.
We all agreed to have Father and Jacinda stay behind. Despite having slightly enhanced senses, Father didn’t have the capabilities we all had. He was also older and extremely busy with a new pharmaceutical company he’d started. And since Jacinda was pregnant, well, that was a no-brainer.
None of us were willing to risk her safety or the baby’s safety in any capacity.
It was agreed Jacinda would stay with Father in his mansion until Luke returned. Even though Jacinda was safe in Denver, Luke still didn’t want Jacinda staying alone at their downtown condo, given all that was happening with her pregnancy.
Jacinda hugged me tightly as we stood in Di and Raven’s driveway. Sprinkles of rain coated my skin, as if Mother Nature were kissing me.
“Stay safe, Sister.” Her tone was tight.
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. You just take care of the little bun or wolf pup—or whatever he or she is—in your oven.”
She forced a laugh as anxiety flashed across her face.
My stomach dropped. I had meant that as a silly joke to lighten the mood, but as each day passed, Jacinda was becoming increasingly worried about the baby, even though she tried to hide it.
Since Luke and she weren’t one-hundred-percent human, none of us knew what their baby would be. So far, Father and Di were in charge of her obstetric care since hospitals were out of the question.
She cradled her belly. “The last ultrasound Di did was normal, but my blood work continues to be different from most humans.” Her hand moved faster over her small bump.
“Even if he or she is born with fur, we’ll still love your little one.” I pulled her quickening hand from her stomach and squeezed it.
Her honey-brown eyes, filled with worry, met mine. “I know we will. It’s just . . .” She shrugged. “I just want him or her to be healthy and fine.”
“I’m sure your baby will be. Just remember that Di and Father know what they’re doing, and so far all of the ultrasounds have showed a normally developing fetus. You just concentrate on staying healthy so you don’t have any problems with a home birth.”
She nodded tightly and nibbled her full bottom lip. “Thank goodness for Luke. He’s convinced everything will work out and helps keep me calm.”
“I’m sorry you’re feeling so stressed about this.” I pulled her into another hug, and her long hair brushed against my face, tickling my nose. “Now, you better get inside Father’s car before this rain ruins your hair.”
Her eyes flashed wide as she reached up to touch her long locks. She’d had a blowout yesterday, as she did every Friday. I was pretty sure Friday was her favorite day of the week.
When she saw my smile, she pinched me lightly on the arm. “Trouble-maker.”
I laughed as Jacinda’s full lips lifted in the first true smile I’d seen on her all day.
“Lena, yo!” Jet called from his new Mustang. He stood at the open driver’s door. Outlines of Mica and Jasper indicated they were already inside the car. “Let’s get a move on before this storm lets loose!”
I squeezed Jacinda’s hand again. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Call me later tonight.”
After everyone called goodbye to my sister and Father, we all climbed into our vehicles. My thoughts turned again to the baby. The last round of blood work had detected abnormalities in Jacinda’s blood. Father and Di couldn’t explain it. Before becoming pregnant, Jacinda’s bloodwork—similar to all of ours—had showed abnormalities. That was thanks to our enhanced abilities, which resulted from altered DNA. Yet now, those changes were even greater. We all knew the increase came from the fetus. Unlike with most humans, Jacinda’s blood apparently mixed with her baby’s.
Pushing that disturbing fact aside, I clicked my seat belt into place.
Rain splattered the windshield as Flint reversed. Jacinda and Father waved goodbye from Father’s sleek Maserati just as the clouds opened up and the rain began falling in earnest.
Jet, Jasper, and Mica followed us in Jet’s vehicle. Behind them were Di, Raven, Susannah, Amber, Luke, and Edgar. Getting back to Boulder would take about an hour, plenty of time to return to campus this afternoon.
“I still don’t like this,” Flint muttered as a crack of lightning illuminated the sky.
I pushed a long lock of wavy dark-red hair behind my ear. “I know you don’t, but I’ll be safe. You know that.”
Flint’s gaze flashed my way. The tightening of his mouth was his only reply.
I switched my vision. Flint’s orange, blue, and green aura pulsed in an opaque cloud around him. It practically filled the vehicle, it was so big.
My heart went out to him while annoyance simultaneously flared within me. Despite eighteen months having passed in which we’d lived safely in the real world, Flint’s overprotectiveness hadn’t lessened. A year and a half ago, I’d almost ended up as another lab rat for Marcus Christenson. That close call had stayed with Flint. Granted, he’d always been protective, but now . . .
I sighed. At times, his protectiveness could be suffocating.
I snapped my sight back to normal as my head spun from the energy rolling off him. Between his growing worry and the fierce storm outside, the atmosphere felt charged enough to crack the earth open.
With a deft click in my mind, I pulled my own cloud from around my shoulders and created a protective sphere that encircled me like bubble wrap. I sank back into my seat as my shoulders relaxed. The pulsing energy that had been pummeling me vanished. However, I knew if I lifted my cloud’s protection I’d feel it again.
Flint merged our vehicle onto the interstate as rain washed the roadway. The family members traveling with us back to Boulder would stay at our apartment for the next few days. Raven and Susannah didn’t work until midweek, and everyone else had decided to cut classes on Monday and Tuesday.
I wasn’t sure how much we could accomplish in that time, but all of us planned to return to campus that afternoon to see if we could find the mystery man again.
~ ~ ~
The rain lessened as Boulder grew closer. A smile grew on my face while I looked at the beautiful Rockies surroun
ding our college town.
After Flint pulled into our apartment’s parking lot, we stepped out of the vehicle. Humid air swirled around, but at least the rain had fully stopped. The others parked next to us, and the sound of slamming car doors resonated through the lot.
“So what’s the plan, man?” Jet ran a large hand through his curly dark hair. His tattoo flashed on his inner wrist, the tattoo Father had given him over two years ago. We all still had the planetary-symbol tattoos on our inner wrists.
I’d grown quite fond of mine—the perfect circle divided into four quarters. It was another piece of my history that made me me.
Jet’s blue eyes twinkled. “Are we heading down to campus now so we can stir up trouble right away?” He winked.
I smothered a laugh while Flint glowered at him.
“A plan would be more appropriate,” Di responded tartly. She crossed her arms and assessed the sky. Her black hair, cut in a bob, brushed her chin. “Looks like the rain is done.”
Blue sky peeked through the clouds as the sun’s rays filtered down.
“Do you really think a plan is necessary?” I cocked my head at Di. “Don’t you think we should just check things out right now and let everybody get used to the campus layout?”
“That sounds like a good idea.” Mica pulled out a piece of gum. “Let’s just go down there and take a stroll through campus so everyone can familiarize themselves with the buildings. And if Lena happens to spot the guy again, great. If not, we’ll do a more thorough search tomorrow.”
Jasper agreed. “We’re not saving the day today, Di. We don’t really need a plan. That will happen after we find the guy.” He rubbed his palms together. The glee in his expression made it pretty obvious he was up for any adventure.
“I’m going to transform into my eagle form.” Susannah slipped her light coat off and tossed it back into Di’s car. Her long black hair tumbled down her back as her thin, pale arms dangled at her sides. “I’ll be able to watch you all from above. And then if Lena does see the guy, you can give me a signal, and I’ll follow him. With any luck, I’ll find out where he lives.”
The Complete Lost Children Series Page 80
