by K Swanson
Sam had noticed that when they were all together, Lex seemed jumpy. Every little sound spooked him, and he seemed to have more trouble than usual controlling his emotions. To make matters worse, Sam had seen the scars and burn marks covering Lex’s thighs. He’d been getting better about burning himself, but after the shooting, it was worse than Sam had ever seen.
Sam moved on. Jayden sat on his bed, dressed in a dark shirt and pajama pants. His eyelids drooped as he tried to keep himself awake. Although he refused to tell anyone about his nightmares, Sam knew they were a nightly occurrence and that was why Jayden tried to keep himself awake all night. But the more sleep he missed, the worse his attitude got, until he snapped at everyone.
Their two weeks without Haylie ended tomorrow. Lex’s birthday was next weekend, and Sam only hoped they could relax and do something calm, like watch a movie. Hopefully, Jayden would fall asleep then, because he couldn’t keep going like this. If they were lucky, their parents would agree to a couple study parties, and perhaps someone could convince Jayden to sleep then.
Sam watched Jayden a little longer than he had the others. Paper sentinels filled Jayden’s room. Some marched back and forth across his window sill, while more hung from the ceiling.
Knowing that Jayden would stay awake all night, Sam shot him a quick text, just to make sure he didn’t need anything. Jayden looked at his phone then tapped his own message. Quit watching me and go to sleep.
Sam wanted to ask how he’d known he was being watched, but Jayden was incredibly perceptive. It had probably just been an educated guess.
With a sigh, Sam moved on to the last member of their group.
Her bedroom light shone brightly, as it had every night since the shooting. Even with her light on, she tossed and turned. Pushing his covers away, Sam stood and made his way to his desk, where he sank into his chair and put his feet on his window seat. Any second, she’d wake up, eyes wild, as she searched for the source of her nightmare. As creepy as it seemed, she had an easier time getting back to sleep knowing someone kept tabs on her.
Haylie and Jayden were the missing puzzle pieces to their group. To their family. They belonged to his family now, and he wouldn’t let anyone screw with them.
They were all broken right now, but he planned to fix that. None of them were powerless, and together, they would become a force to be reckoned with.
* * *
Adrian
He tapped his fingers on his desk, glaring at the hair tie in front of him. It had belonged to her at one point, but now it was his… just as she would be. His power to trace her through the elastic band seemed to lessen over time though, and now it wasn’t easy to tap into her essence. To look in on her. And thanks to those idiots at the institute, he couldn’t get close to her. She was his, dammit! His!
He glanced at the picture he’d taken of her on his phone. Those fucking boys were all over her. He’d have to fix that.
Steepling his fingers together, he brushed them over the hair tie, tapping into that waning power. She was in the shower. With a grin, he palmed the hardening length between his thighs.
He might not be able to get to her, but those boys… yeah. He’d take care of them. If he took his time with them, he could kill them off and, on her eighteenth birthday, be her shoulder to cry on. He had all the time in the world. And he’d keep the institute’s hound dogs off her as well. She was his, and they weren’t going to hunt her down like prey. He’d keep her safe until he could have her for himself.
Grinning, he sat up. He had plans to make, and he intended to keep his girl safe. Especially from those boys who thought they could hang all over her. She was better than that. She wouldn’t allow it. And if she did… well… he had ways of dealing with that, too.
About the Author
K. Swanson spends her days with her two young minions and her nights dreaming up ideas for a multitude of stories. She loves super heroes, DND, video games, and all things Disney. She lives in a small town with her husband and children, along with 2 dogs, one of which thinks she’s a kangaroo.
Also by K Swanson
Draken United
Draken Destiny
Draken Genesis
The Chimera Project
Discoveries
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