She smiled, knowing he must be dying of curiosity. “I told you, he’s just a friend.”
“Uh-huh,” he said, his tone conveying patent disbelief.
“He’s like sixteen years younger than me, Ben. He’s even younger than you.”
“So what? You look sixteen years younger.”
“Flattery won’t make you less annoying, you know.”
He laughed.
A sleek black vehicle turned onto the street. Slowing, it parked at the curb behind her gray subcompact car. The driver’s door opened. Seth emerged, wearing jeans, a black T-shirt, and dark sunglasses.
Smiling, she waved.
His lips stretched in a grin as he waved back.
Her heart gave a little flutter. The man was just too damned attractive. “He’s here. I gotta go.”
“I still think I should—”
Ending the call, she tucked the phone in her pack and watched Seth close his door.
Her eyes widened as both back doors opened into falcon wings, revealing two toddlers strapped into car seats. Wow. That was a cool-ass car. And so quiet. Was that the Tesla Model X her brother had been drooling over?
Adira chattered as Seth removed his sunglasses and ducked inside to unlatch Michael. Seth smiled as he spoke to her, then pointed at Leah and Aaron.
Adira looked around. As soon as she saw Leah, her face lit up with a grin and she began to bounce in her seat and kick her feet.
Laughing, Leah waved again.
Seth chuckled as Adira bounced and kicked her feet in excitement, eager to get out onto the playground. As he helped Michael out of the car, he caught Adira’s eye. “Just a minute, sweetheart. Let me come around to the other side. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He closed the door, took Michael’s hand, and walked him around the back of the car to the other side. Michael hovered close as Seth leaned in to free Adira.
The little girl scrambled clumsily out of the car and waited impatiently as he pressed the button on his key fob to close the door. “Baba,” she urged, tugging on his pants.
“All right. Let’s go see Miss Leah and her nephew.” Tucking the key fob in the pocket of his jeans, he took each child’s hand and strolled onto the playground. Adira hurried along in front of him, pulling on his fingers and trying to make him go faster. Michael hovered close, squeezing his hand tight.
Seth didn’t know if Michael had been shy before he’d lost his mother or if it was a result of the abrupt change in his circumstances. His mother had been one of the gifted ones Gershom had killed. She had also been a descendant of Roland, who—along with his wife Sarah—had been more than happy to adopt Michael. But the boy tended to be quiet around strangers.
“It’s all right, Michael. You’re going to have a lot of fun today.”
Leah rose, smiling as she watched them approach.
A little boy about Michael’s age and size played in the large sandbox. Turning, he eyed them curiously, his hands falling still as they approached. His skin was browner than Leah’s, and he bore a short, neat black Afro.
As they neared the sandbox, Adira released Seth’s hand and ran forward, holding her arms up.
Laughing, Leah bent and picked her up. “Hi there, sweetie. Don’t you look pretty today?”
Adira hugged her, then pointed at the sandbox.
Leah set her down.
“Hello,” Seth greeted her. “I think we’re a little late. My apologies. I have a new respect for parents who manage to get their little ones to places on time. I had no idea taking two toddlers to the park required so much gear or that it was so difficult to get them to sit still long enough to fasten them into their car seats.”
She laughed. “Yeah. The first time I volunteered to babysit my nephew, I’m pretty sure my jaw dropped at all the stuff my brother and sister-in-law brought over with him.” She motioned to Aaron, who had abandoned his sand hill and stared at the other two children curiously. “Speaking of whom, this is Aaron, my nephew. Aaron, this is Mr. Seth.”
Seth smiled at the boy and motioned to his two. “Nice to meet you Aaron. This is Adira and Michael.”
Adira climbed over the thick plastic edge of the sandbox. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Aaron said.
Michael leaned into Seth’s side.
Seth smiled at Leah. “He’s a little shy.”
Leah didn’t seem to mind. She smiled. “Hi, Michael. It’s nice to see you again. We brought lots of toys with us. You’re welcome to play with them.”
Adira plunked herself down next to Aaron and began to bury her fingers in the sand.
Leah sat down on the sandbox edge. “Is it okay if Aaron calls you Mr. Seth? I didn’t ask how you’d like him to address you.”
“That’s fine.” Rounding the sandbox, he seated himself on the edge kitty-corner to Leah.
Adira twisted around, looking for her cousin. “Micuh.” She held her hand out to him.
Michael climbed into the sandbox and quietly settled next to her. When Aaron offered him a plastic shovel, Michael took it and began to dig.
Aaron grabbed another shovel and handed it to Adira.
“Say thank you,” Seth reminded them softly.
“Thank you,” Adira and Michael chorused.
Leah’s smile widened. “They’re so cute.”
He chuckled. “So is your nephew.”
She pushed some plastic animal figures closer to the children. “He looks exactly like my brother did at that age, except Ben was lighter.” She turned her attention to Seth. “My stepdad is black.”
He nodded. “I thought so when I saw Aaron. Either him or your sister-in-law.”
“My sister-in-law is black, too. I didn’t think it would bother you since you and David are so close.”
“It doesn’t.”
Her face brightening, Leah oohed over a shovelful of sand Aaron held up for her inspection. “I’ve also met Darnell and know he’s a friend of yours. He comes to the store with Ami sometimes. He’s nice.” She sent him a teasing glance. “And handsome. I’m beginning to think everyone in your surrogate family is stunningly attractive.”
Seth straightened his back, puffed out his chest, and arched a brow in feigned jealousy. “Darnell may be handsome, but I’m taller.”
She winked. “And have bigger hands and feet.”
He laughed, relaxing once more.
“Careful, Aaron.” She rested a hand atop his when he flung sand into the air to watch it drift on the wind. “You don’t want to get sand in Adira’s and Michael’s eyes.”
He looked at the other children.
Adira and Michael both squinted and blinked rapidly, but both seemed fine.
Aaron abandoned the shovel and started sorting through the animals Leah had brought. He handed a tiger to Michael. Adira examined Michael’s new treasure while Aaron went back to digging through his pile of toys. His brow furrowed, then cleared as he spotted a lioness near Leah’s foot. He reached a hand toward it. The toy began to slide across the sand to him.
Leah hastily grabbed it and handed it to him. “Here you go, sweetie.”
Chris’s words came back to Seth. I think you’ll find Leah is good with different.
Of course she was, because her nephew was a gifted one. Seth acquainted himself with all gifted ones, beginning at their births. But babies changed so quickly that he hadn’t recognized little Aaron.
“Are you kidding me?” Leah muttered, her tone rife with aggravation.
Seth glanced at her, noted her frown, and followed her gaze to a man who was crossing the street toward them.
He was tall, approximately six foot two, with light brown skin and a muscular build. His black hair was short and cut into a fade at the temples. Seth had little difficulty recognizing him, having checked up on him periodically during his lifetime. Like Aaron, Ben was a gifted one. Seth just hadn’t realized he was Leah’s half brother.
Seth looked at Leah. That must be why she had seemed so familiar when he�
�d had that first dream. He must have seen her one of the times he had looked in on Ben to ensure he was well.
“I’m really sorry about this,” she murmured. “That’s my brother.”
“The one whose clothing I borrowed?”
“Yes, but I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention that. It’ll just make him wonder what you were doing at my apartment and why you had no clothes.”
Seth grinned. “A bit protective of you, is he?”
She rolled her eyes. “Very. You’d think he was the older sibling instead of the other way around.”
“Is he here to ensure you are safe or his son?” he asked curiously.
“I’m guessing both. Again, I’m really sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. It’s all right. I don’t blame him for wanting to protect you. We live in a dangerous world.” Seth knew that better than anyone. He rose as the man drew closer.
Leah did, too.
Nodding a greeting, Seth offered his hand. “You must be Leah’s brother. I’m Seth. Good to meet you.”
Ben gave his hand a firm shake. “Nice to meet you. I’m Ben.”
Leah gave her brother a comically exasperated look. “What are you doing here?”
His expression all innocence, Ben looked around. “It’s a beautiful day. I finished work early.” He shrugged. “A nice, quiet afternoon at the park sounded too good to resist.”
Leah quirked a brow. “Does your boss know you finished work early?”
He grinned. “No. But I’m indispensable, so he isn’t going to complain.”
Seth smiled. The company for which Ben worked was actually one of many owned by the network. Though he didn’t know it, Ben was one of Chris’s tech geniuses.
Ben looked at the children. Adira and Michael had placed their animals on top of the sand hill next to Aaron’s lion. All three children were now pouring sand on them. Seth couldn’t tell if they were trying to bury the animals or make the hill bigger, but they all seemed to have the same intent and were enjoying themselves.
He motioned to Adira, then Michael. “This is my granddaughter Adira and her cousin Michael.”
Ben’s eyebrows flew up. “Granddaughter?”
Seth shrugged. “I’m older than I look.”
Leah snorted. “You can say that as much as you want, Seth. I’m never going to believe it.”
He looked down at her and arched a brow. “I don’t know why. You’re older than you look.”
Laughing, she gave his shoulder a playful shove. “Don’t say that!”
“Why?” he asked with a smile. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Yes, but when you say it like that, it makes me feel old.”
That certainly had not been his intention. “How was I supposed to say it?”
“Instead of saying I’m older than I look”—she narrowed her eyes in mock anger, then assumed a sweet, innocent expression and lightened her voice—“you’re supposed to say I look as young and fresh as a daisy.”
Schooling his features into a somber mask, Seth bowed. “Forgive me, Leah. I misspoke. I meant to say you look as young and fresh as a daisy, though no daisy could compare to your immense beauty.”
“Much better.” Winking, she nudged him with her shoulder. “Flatterer.”
He grinned. “I’m a fast learner.”
They turned back to Ben, who stared at them.
Leah frowned. “What?”
He blinked. “Nothing.” Stepping into the sandbox, he sat on the edge near his son.
Seth waited for Leah to retake her seat, then sat kitty-corner to her once more. “Adira’s mother isn’t actually my daughter,” he told Ben. “I just think of her as such. When she lost her own family, I welcomed her into mine and love her as if she truly were my daughter.”
“Are you married then?” Ben asked casually.
Leah glowered at him.
“No,” Seth responded, unperturbed. “Over the years I’ve formed close ties with men and women I consider family. Adira’s mother is one of them.”
Ben nodded, then smiled at his son. “Whatcha working on there, sport?”
Aaron smiled at his father, then reached toward the pile of toys again. A black bear began to skid toward him.
Ben swiftly clasped the toy and guided it through the pile toward Aaron. “What about this one? You think he’d like to join the fun?” He cast Seth a quick look.
Seth smiled and nodded at the growing pyramid of sand. “I can’t decide if the children are trying to bury the toys or build them a castle.”
Ben relaxed. A quick peek into his thoughts revealed relief as he assumed Seth hadn’t caught his son’s slip. Like many other gifted ones, he knew how dangerous it would be for others to realize his son bore special abilities.
Michael gradually relaxed, too, Seth was happy to see. The three children diligently dug holes and increased the mass of their pyramid while the adults casually conversed and offered aid to the little builders.
Seth and Leah engaged in their usual banter while Ben observed them and tried not to be too obvious about it. He was a good guy, easy to talk to.
Every time Aaron compelled a toy to come to him, Ben was quick to grab it and did an admirable job of making it appear as though he had moved the toy himself. He even rested one of his feet amid the pile of toys so he could make it look as if his foot had instigated the movement. But the quick glances he sent Seth each time gave him away. Aaron’s telekinetic abilities were remarkably strong for a new generation gifted one. Some gifted ones born in the current century bore bloodlines that had been so diluted by human DNA over the millennia that they didn’t even realize they had special abilities.
Seth glanced at Leah after the sixth or seventh time and found her watching him.
She knew he’d noticed her nephew’s special ability. He saw it in her eyes. But unlike her brother, she seemed fine with it.
The next time a toy moved, it damned near flew across the sandbox.
Ben fumbled to catch the lion cub sailing toward the pyramid and sent Leah a panicked look. “I think Aaron may be getting tired. We should probably leave soon.”
Seth shook his head. “It’s all right. That time it wasn’t Aaron. It was Michael.”
Ben froze. “What?”
“That was Michael’s doing, not Aaron’s.” Leaning down, he patted Michael on the back. “Did you want the lion cub, Michael?”
He nodded, his eyes on the toy Ben held.
Stunned, Ben handed it to him.
“Thank you.” Michael added it to the pyramid. Then he looked at a second lion cub that was over by Leah.
The toy slid across the sand and into his little hand.
Leah looked at Seth with delight. “Michael is different? He has telekinetic abilities?”
He smiled. “Yes. He knows he isn’t supposed to use his gifts outside the home, but he thought it was okay after Aaron used his several times without being cautioned.”
Ben said nothing. He just kept staring at Seth as though he wasn’t sure whether or not to believe him. The toy could’ve just as easily been moved by Aaron to help his new friend.
“It’s all right,” Seth assured Ben, knowing how deeply the man feared his son’s gifts coming to light. He looked at Leah. “I hadn’t planned on telling you this way, but I’m different, too.”
“Different how?” Ben asked before Leah could respond.
Seth glanced around, ensuring the playground—along with the sidewalks and streets that surrounded it—were deserted. He closed his eyes and touched upon the minds in all the houses within view.
No humans were peeking out their windows at them.
Turning back to face the sandbox, he whispered, “Adira, would you like me to make you a castle?”
She nodded, her face brightening with a grin.
The sand pyramid the children had formed began to shift and move as Seth exercised his own telekinetic gift. Drawing moist sand up from the bottom of the sandbox, he mixed it with the
dry, molding it into an impressively large, multitiered medieval castle with an animal perched atop each tower.
Ben and Leah gaped.
The children giggled and grinned and bounced on their bottoms, excited by the display.
“That is awesome!” Leah declared with a wide grin. Then she slapped him on the arm. “Why didn’t you tell me you could do that? I could’ve put you to work in my shop, hanging up clothes for me while I sat back with my feet propped up and ate pizza.”
He laughed, relieved that she wasn’t upset because he’d kept it from her.
Her brother didn’t seem amused. “Who are you, Seth?”
“Just someone born with gifts like you and your son were. I don’t ordinarily share that but could tell you were concerned about Aaron.” Leaning down, he spoke softly to the toddlers. “Now, children, I only did that because no one was around to see it. It’s very important that you not use your special gifts when others are around. It might frighten them.”
“Okay, Baba,” Adira chirped, well aware of the rules.
Michael nodded.
Aaron did, too.
All three went back to playing with their new sand castle.
Ben still seemed worried.
“I wish you no harm, Ben. I vow it. I protect those who are different. I don’t persecute them or seek to use them for my own gain. I’m sorry if my display made you uneasy. I was merely attempting to show you that your secret is safe with me.”
Leah nodded at her brother. “It is. Seth won’t betray you.”
Ben considered him a moment. “Did you know my son and I have special abilities before you started spending time with my sister?” The implication was clear. He worried that Seth might have nefarious plans and had used his sister to get to them.
“Ben!” Leah protested.
“No,” Seth answered honestly. “I did not. I trust you will keep my secret, too?” He could not stop a dark edge from entering his voice when he continued. “I take all threats to my family seriously and would not react well to your sharing this knowledge or endangering Adira and Michael.”
Leah began to look uneasy.
But the sharp warning seemed to put her brother’s mind at ease because he nodded. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
Death of Darkness Page 18