I reasoned that his strong energy again indicated an imminent attack. Although, right now, it was the strongest it had ever been. He’s definitely planning something!
The oily feeling repeatedly coated my skin. I paused and closed my eyes. I let the power from the dark-clouded man’s aura flow over me. After a few minutes, I frowned.
The strange thing was that something about the energy felt . . . familiar—almost as if it was a cloud I’d encountered before. But that doesn’t make sense. Nobody I know here has a black cloud.
Twenty minutes later, students poured out of the doors from all the campus buildings. Class had ended.
I stood from my bench when Mica and Jasper appeared at the top of the stairs from the building they’d been in. A dark-haired girl hopped down the steps in front of them. Abigail chatted with a friend who walked at her side. They innocently stepped onto the sidewalk and began walking toward their next class.
I eyed Mica and Jasper but stayed put since I still felt the dark-clouded man in this area. After pulling out my phone, I typed in a quick text to Jasper.
Follow Abigail. I’m going to stay here. It’s best if we split up more so he doesn’t see us all together.
Jasper pulled his phone from his pocket and showed it to Mica. The two of them took off down the sidewalk hand in hand. They never glanced my way.
After sending text messages to the rest of my family, I concentrated more on the evil energy still flowing through the springtime air.
How weird. He doesn’t seem to be following her.
I’d felt certain that once Abigail left the building, I would feel the energy shift and grow fainter as he took off after her, but that didn’t happen.
It stayed the same.
When foot traffic on the campus began to die down, I knew the next class had probably started.
I stood from the bench and began walking in the direction Abigail had gone. At first, the evil energy stayed behind me, but then it moved with me.
Whipping around, I scanned the grounds for him again. Still no sign of him. Is he on the freakin’ roof? What the hell?
With my heart pounding in my chest, I once again set out in the direction of Abigail’s next class. And with each step I took, a dawning realization filled me that something very unusual was happening.
The dark-clouded man was now following me.
~ ~ ~
We kept up our surveillance for the rest of the day. Every time Abigail left a class, went to grab a bite to eat, or met up with friends, we trailed in her wake. But as each hour passed, the fact that my initial suspicion was correct became more apparent. For whatever reason, the dark-clouded man’s energy no longer seemed focused on Abigail. Wherever I went, I felt him follow. The most frustrating aspect, however, was that I never saw him.
I knew that meant he had a thorough working knowledge of the campus grounds. Either he was moving from building to building and knew which doors to use, or he knew which outdoor objects were big enough to hide behind. And every time I moved casually in his direction, I always felt his energy retreat. Whatever he was doing to remain elusive only made my skin crawl more. The creep was a grade-A professional stalker. I shuddered at the thought.
Toward the end of the day, I debated how I wanted to approach the subject with my family. It was possible the dark-clouded man realized I was looking for him. It would explain why his attention had moved from Abigail to me.
I already dreaded that conversation with Flint. It wouldn’t be pretty, and I was fairly certain he’d throw me over his shoulder and haul me away to lock me inside our bedroom. He’d then probably stand watch outside, caveman-style.
The air had cooled when I found a spot on the lawn to sit and wait. The last class of the day had begun, so Abigail would most likely be heading home soon.
My muscles tensed, jarring my sore shoulders, as the energy in the air shifted again. His cloud grew stronger. I opened my eyes and whipped my head around.
I caught sight of a black cloud just as it disappeared behind a building. My breath stopped.
Go! This may be your only chance!
I pushed up and sprinted in his direction.
A part of me knew I should stop and pull out my phone. Luke or Di might have been on this side of the campus. They might have been able to see him before I could, and Flint would kill me for doing this again, but if he disappeared. . .
I wasn’t willing to take that chance.
Cool springtime air washed over my cheeks as I bolted. I reached the building in seconds and careened around the corner.
The black cloud disappeared around the building’s back corner thirty yards away.
No!
My footsteps pounded into the lawn as I ran full-speed to the back of the building. I came around the corner so quickly that I didn’t register the rising energy until it was too late. The evil power swelled outward from its occupant to wrap all around me.
I ran right into him.
Large meaty hands reached up to grip my shoulders. I shrieked just as a sly grin spread across the man’s face.
My eyes widened as I took in the stocky build, dark hair, and familiar leer.
I couldn’t believe who I was looking at. It was someone I had hoped to never see again.
Aaron, the psychopathic cowboy who had attacked me on Pete and Val’s ranch two years ago, stared down at me as he held onto my upper body.
“Lena. We meet again.”
CHAPTER TEN
I had to be dreaming. This couldn’t be happening. Aaron? Aaron is the dark-clouded man? But what are the chances?
His grip on me tightened, which forced me to snap back to the present.
“No!” I struggled against his grasp. “Let me go!”
Another energy pulsed into my back, a familiar one that always brought me comfort and that irresistible feeling of safety.
“You heard her. Let her go.” Flint’s voice was cold. It chilled me to my core.
“Why am I not surprised to see you here?” Aaron finally released me, and his arms fell to his sides.
I hastily stepped back. I was panting so heavily that I felt light-headed. Everything in me told me to blast Aaron with an energy ball, but I couldn’t do that in public. It was too risky.
“I could tell you always had a thing for her even if you were too much of a pussy to show it.” Aaron laughed.
Flint advanced, but I held out a hand to stop him. As of right then, we had nothing on Aaron. All that I had was the memory of him from over two years ago when he’d attacked me in the mountains on Pete and Val’s ranch. After that attack, he had disappeared. We had never seen him again . . . until now.
“What are you doing here?” I somehow managed the words despite the rage and fear rolling in my belly like a volcano that wanted to explode. This man had terrified me so much when I’d met him, but I hadn’t known then what I could do. I was stronger now—most definitely stronger than him. The thought of bringing him to his knees with a huge energy ball brought a satisfying feeling into the pit of my stomach.
“What do you mean, what am I doing here? I live here.”
At my side, Flint was still seething, but at least he had stopped advancing. If Flint attacked Aaron out here in broad daylight, Flint would be charged, not Aaron. Luckily, Flint seemed to realize that too.
“So you’re a student?” I asked.
He cocked his head. That arrogant gleam in his eyes hadn’t faded. “Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not.”
More energy filled the air, and I knew another one of my family members had arrived. The anger in Di’s cloud grew the closer she got.
“Aaron.” Di said his name as a statement, not a question. “It’s you.”
Aaron snickered. “So it seems.”
Inwardly, the conflicting emotions of fear and anger still warred for dominance. One part of me wanted to wipe that smirk off Aaron’s face, but the other part of me wanted to run and hide. I’d encountered only a few clouds like his in my lifetime,
and now, the fact that it had always been him following Abigail seemed quite obvious.
So does that mean Aaron is the serial attacker? Is he the one behind all of the assaults on campus?
I knew without a doubt the man could be him. Considering he had tried to attack me, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had continued doing that after he escaped the ranch.
“Well, as nice as this little reunion is, I’m afraid I need to get going.” Aaron took a step back before leveling me with a meaningful gaze. “It was a pleasure to see you again, Lena.”
Flint took an abrupt step forward.
My hand shot out to grip his forearm.
“Not here,” I said.
Already, a few students were glancing our way.
Aaron laughed. “Still the little puppy who does whatever he’s told.” His taunt only made the energy around Flint grow, but I guessed that was what Aaron wanted. He knew that out here in broad daylight, we wouldn’t do anything, so he was having some fun with us in the process.
“We’ll be seeing you around,” I said and pulled Flint back as Aaron gave me a leering smile.
“I look forward to it.” He sauntered away. From his casual movements and the cocky sway in his hips, I knew he didn’t think anything would ever come of this, but he was wrong.
Now that I’d found him, there was no way I was letting him get away.
~ ~ ~
“You’re kidding me! Aaron was here? The same cowboy who attacked you on Pete and Val’s ranch?” Mica’s questions came out in a screech.
“Yeah. It was him.” My arms were crossed over my chest as the wind whipped my long dark-red hair around my shoulders. “I should have known. It was only this morning that I realized something about his cloud felt familiar. Now I know why. I’ve encountered it before.”
The six of us stood outside the building where Abigail had her last class.
Aaron had left only twenty minutes ago. Luke set out after him so that, at the very least, we could learn where Aaron lived. Since Aaron had no idea who Luke was, he wouldn’t recognize him, and the werewolf could be very subtle. If Luke made up his mind to stalk someone, they’d have no idea he was there.
A steady stream of anxiety strummed along my nerves. The more I thought about it, the more I was sure Aaron was the serial attacker. If we didn’t stop him now, he would continue attacking women for years to come.
“I should have taken him down when I had the chance.” Flint’s energy still poured out of him like radiation from the sun. None of us were happy that Aaron had walked away, but Di had agreed with me that now wasn’t the time to do anything about it.
The only good thing was that we’d accomplished what we had set out to do this morning. We now knew who the attacker was, but none of us had ever suspected that he would be someone from our past.
“That sick bastard.” A scowl filled Jasper’s face. “He needs to be stopped.”
“He will be. Now, it’s just a matter of deciding how. How’s Abigail doing?” I asked Jasper and Mica.
Jasper shrugged. “She’s fine. She has had absolutely no idea that all of us have been following her today. The girl is truly oblivious.”
“I overheard her and her friends talking about going to the library,” Mica added. “Sounds like she’ll be hanging out with friends all evening. I don’t think we need to worry about Aaron attacking her anytime in the next few hours. So should we go home and regroup?”
Hearing that reminded me that I still hadn’t heard from Grace. She’s definitely mad at me. That was one more stress to add to my plate.
We returned to our apartment after sending Raven and Jet a text telling them to meet us there. We still had no word from Luke, but considering his immense strength, tracking abilities, expedited healing, and other subtle gifts that I still didn’t fully understand, none of us were worried about him. He was truly the best choice to keep on Aaron’s tail.
Susannah showed up soon after we arrived at our apartment, as if she knew we needed her to return.
With all of us crammed in our living room, creating so many tense emotions and so much rage-filled energy, a headache was forming in the back of my mind. Everyone in our original family of eight remembered Aaron, and considering what permeated the air right now, I wasn’t the only one feeling restless and charged. The pure power radiating off of Flint was enough to cause me a significant migraine.
I welled up my energy, pulled my cloud from around my shoulders, and formed a protective bubble. Right now, I needed to think clearly.
“So what do we do?” Amber sat on the couch, wrapped in a thick fleece blanket. Her nose was red and puffy, and pink skin rimmed her eyes. Balling a tissue to her nose, she sneezed before blowing her nose again.
Jet gave her a look. “No offense, but you should probably go back to bed. I certainly don’t want to catch whatever you have.”
Amber shrugged miserably. “This is horrible timing. I wish I was well enough to help you out.”
Di shook her head. “There are more than enough of us to deal with Aaron. You just take care of yourself until you’re feeling better.”
“I’ll make you some soup, love.” Edgar pushed away from the wall. “Go on to bed, and I’ll bring it to you.” From the relieved expression on Edgar’s face, he clearly relished the excuse to leave our current conversation. Once again, he wanted nothing to do with anything that involved using powers.
Amber gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you. Chicken noodle would be great.” She stood and toddled off to the back bedroom.
“I wondered if something strange was going on.” Susannah’s soft voice filled the room.
“What do you mean?” Mica asked. She held a huge bowl of ice cream that she’d just helped herself to in the kitchen. She spooned another bite into her mouth.
Susannah’s head cocked at unnatural speed, a trait that she didn’t seem aware of most of the time. “When I was circling above, I saw that man who must be Aaron. He was in the area the entire time, but he was on rooftops and going from building to building. He seemed to be following Lena. It was almost like he was stalking . . . her.”
Susannah’s words confirmed what I’d suspected all day. My stomach dropped.
The energy off Flint exploded. “If that bastard tries to come near her again, I’ll—”
“Flint.” Di’s sharp voice cut him off. “We’ll keep Lena safe. If anything, we need to figure out a way to catch him in the act so the police can arrest him. Until then, our hands are tied. Even if we go to the police and tell them our concerns, it would simply be our word against his.”
“Even though he attacked Lena a couple of years ago?” Raven frowned heavily. He still wore his brown contacts. The fiery orange that normally swirled in his irises was hidden. “Surely, that counts for something.”
Di shrugged. “It may. But even if the police arrest him based off of that accusation, it’s still her word against his.”
“We should find where he lives.” Jasper crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “We can watch him more closely, then we can report him to the police when he goes in to attack.”
“Good idea.” Di eyed all of us. “Does anyone know his last name?”
Mica grumbled. “No. Since we only introduced ourselves with first names on the ranch, I don’t think we ever knew his last name.”
Jasper shut the laptop. “So much for finding where he lives. Without a last name, that’s nearly impossible.”
Flint began pacing. His movements quickly turned into a blur. I knew he was really struggling. He’d been incredibly angry after Aaron attacked me. If the cowboy had turned up after that attack, I had no doubt Flint would have ripped him to shreds. And now that Aaron had resurfaced, it was taking every ounce of Flint’s control to not finish what should have ended long ago.
The door to our apartment opened, and a rush of air flowed in from the hallway. Luke stepped inside.
My eyes widened. “Luke! What are you doing here? I thought
you were following Aaron!”
Luke kicked off his shoes and raked a hand through his hair. “I was, but he went back home. Or at least I’m assuming it’s his home since he had a key to it. I stayed outside for a while and watched him through his back window, but he wasn’t doing anything other than packing.”
“Packing?” My initial excitement that Luke knew where Aaron lived dimmed.
After sauntering over to the couch, Luke dropped onto it, which bounced Mica in her seat, causing her spoon to rattle in the bowl. She glowered at him.
“Yeah. He seemed kind of in a hurry, like he plans to go somewhere.”
My insides stilled. “Is he planning to run again?”
Luke cocked his head. “Run again?”
I groaned. Of course, Luke had no idea that Aaron had run the first time after he attacked me. Is that what he’s always done? Does he stay in an area, attacking women until there’s a chance of him getting caught? And then he flees?
That would explain why he’d left so suddenly from the ranch all those years ago. None of us had known he would show up in a different city and continue assaulting women. Anger burned in my gut, making my hands clench into fists. He needs to be stopped!
Jasper sat his laptop down. “So you know his address, Luke?”
Luke nodded and rattled it off.
Jasper jotted it down.
“Nice job, Luke. So we need to consider following him from now on.” Di’s brow drew together in concentration. “Considering Abigail is spending the evening with friends, she should be safe for at least a few more hours. Should we go back to her apartment tonight to keep watch?”
“But Aaron is packing right now!” I exclaimed. “Who’s to say he’s not already leaving town?”
Di crossed her arms and tapped a finger against her biceps. “There is that possibility, but then we know Abigail is safe and he won’t be attacking anybody else here.”
“Until he attacks somebody else at a different location,” I countered.
Di nodded shrewdly. “That’s true. There’s a possibility he’ll just go somewhere else and assault a different woman, but what do you suggest we do? Track him throughout the country and hope that we eventually catch him in the act? It doesn’t seem very feasible, Lena. I know you want to see Aaron behind bars, especially after what he did to you, but we also need to stay levelheaded. The way you’ve been acting today has already shown him that you have an uncanny ability to sense when he’s near. You don’t think he recognized all those times you whirled around to face him? Remember what father said: we must keep our abilities a secret. As much as I want Aaron behind bars, I’m not willing to risk our powers being exposed.”
The Complete Lost Children Series Page 86
