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 know 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 hear 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 surrounding 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.”
Luke chuckled as his eyes gleamed a caramel color. His inner wolf was always just below the surface. “You’ll give our eye in the sky a completely new meaning.”
“Eagle-eye Susannah. I like the ring it has.” Jasper clapped Jet’s back. “Don’t you agree?”
Jet and Mica laughed as Amber rolled her eyes.
Similar to me, Amber had a small build. She and Susannah were the only people in the group I could look at from eye level. When she caught me watching her, she shook her head and mouthed, Some things never change.
Amber had moved on from the brief relationship she and Jasper had experienced when our memories had been erased, and she’d also moved on from her short stint with Edgar.
Despite the romantic fling Amber and Edgar had shared when Edgar first joined our group—a fling that hadn’t worked out—neither held a grudge against the other. If anything, they were fast friends.
Di and Flint shared a weighted look.
“Fine,” Di finally replied. “We’ll go down there without a plan.”
“Do you want to change into your eagle form in the apartment?” Edgar asked Susannah. “We could hide you under a blanket and bring you back to the car. Maybe one of us could drive you to the country so you can start flying.”
Susannah twirled a long lock of dark hair around her finger and cocked her head. “Maybe I could borrow someone’s bike instead? I’ll ride to the edge of town and stash my clothes and the bike in the ditch before I transform.”
“Sure, that works.” I was about to retrieve my bicycle from our apartment when Jet handed Susannah his car keys. “How about you practice your driving skills? It’s not too long of a drive, and we’re all here if you go in the ditch or hit a light pole. We can pick you up in another car.” His lips lifted in a teasing smile.
Susannah’s eyes brightened in excitement as she snatched the keys from his hand. “Your new Mustang? Even better!”
Luke chuckled and tousled Susannah’s hair. His large hand practically swallowed her small head. “Our little girl is growing up.”
Edgar and Raven both laughed.
Susannah ducked out from under his hand, but I still caught her amused smile.
Luke crossed his arms, his massive forearms settling against his chest. He was the largest among us by far.
“Just stay safe, okay, Susannah?” Raven stuffed his hands into his jean pockets and gave her a worried look. I figured Raven, Di, and Flint had inherited their worrying natures from their parents. They were the only full-blooded siblings among us.
“He’s right, love.” Edgar nudged her playfully. “Try not to hit anybody.” With a shaved head and chocolate-colored skin, Edgar still looked exactly as he had when we’d first met him, unlike Susannah, who had changed drastically. She was now a healthy, vibrant young woman, no longer the silent, emaciated waif she’d been when we first met. But similar to me, she was new to driving. We were both still learning.
We all waited for Susannah to drive away. She did pretty well backing out, although Jet’s breath hissed when she came within six inches of rubbing another car’s bumper. The horrified look on Jet’s face was priceless. Both Mica and I laughed as he muttered under his breath that this might have been a mistake.
However, Susannah quickly put the car into drive and drove off. She only hit the curb once on her way out of the parking lot.
“Please tell me this was a good idea,” Jet muttered.
Jasper slung an arm around his brother’s shoulders. Since they were identical twins, telling them apart was hard for most people. “Don’t worry, bro. Your insurance won’t rise too much if you have a claim on your vehicle. And better your car than mine.”
Jet slugged him off as Susannah disappeared from view.
I threaded my fingers through Flint’s and tugged him toward campus. “Let’s all get going while the weather’s cooperating. It will give a few of us a chance to work off some steam.”
Jet snickered as Flint’s cloud grew around him. Flint’s scowl hadn’t lessened since we’d emerged from our vehicles.
Once again, I deftly flicked my cloud around me. Because of Flint’s unique ability, his cloud
was stronger than most, so it affected me more than other people’s clouds. He and Luke were similar in that aspect since their strength and speed were so immense. Even though the increased energy could be annoying at times, Flint and Luke were definitely handy to have around when I needed to form large, powerful energy balls at a second’s notice.
Shaking my head, I brushed closer to Flint as his unique scent flooded my senses: spice, wood, and tangerines. I’d know his scent anywhere.
Our feet tapped on the sidewalk as the nine of us headed toward campus.
Twenty minutes later, the environmental buildings came into view. I paused as my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see a text from Grace.
Want to meet for dinner tonight and then go to the library to study?
I chewed my lip. At times like this, I hated that Grace didn’t know about my family’s history or our powers.
Flint flashed me a questioning look. I showed him the text from Grace.
He shrugged. “You can meet her if you want. It’s not like you’ll miss much with this crew once we’re done for the day.”
He nodded toward Mica and the twins.
They were currently in a staring match since we had paused on the sidewalk. Jet’s eyes were watering, while Mica was grinning. Given that her ability was enhanced eyesight, I didn’t know why he tried. Her eyes naturally coated themselves with moisture even if she didn’t blink.
“Dammit!” Jet muttered and blinked furiously. “Someday, I’ll beat you.”
Mica laughed. “Not likely.”
Flint cocked an eyebrow. “See what I mean?”
I bit my cheek to keep from laughing and replied to Grace. Sure. Do you want to try that new Thai restaurant?
Isn’t that place expensive?
Don’t be silly. It’s on me.
She replied with an eye-rolling emoji. I’m going to owe you thousands of dollars by the time we get jobs.
I replied with several kissy-face emojis.
“Lena?” Di crossed her arms. “Are you ready to have a look around for this guy that you were insistent we try to find?”
Retribution: The Lost Children World Book 1 Page 3