Taking Flight (Teen Paranormal Romance Series) (The Caged Series Book 3)

by Kellie McAllen

  “Not much. I know he’s in prison for voluntary manslaughter. He tried to rob a convenience store, and the clerk ended up getting shot with his own gun.”

  Anders nodded, not bothering to correct me, even though he knew my father had been paroled a few years ago. “Do you think there were powers involved?”

  I hesitated, trying to figure out what Anders already knew. Did he know I was there that night? I’m sure that piece of information was part of the news report, so it would surprise me if he didn’t know about it.

  I shrugged, trying to look clueless. “Maybe. I don’t really remember. What do you think?”

  Anders didn’t take the bait, just smiled sympathetically. “The use of powers for personal gain can be very alluring. Whether or not we should resist the temptation is a great bone of contention in our community.”

  I didn’t need to ask him which side of the argument he was on. I was almost positive I knew the answer.

  Suddenly, a loud, blaring sound rang from Anders’ pocket, and he whipped out his cell phone. His face contorted with angst, and he shoved the phone in his pocket.

  “I have to go, Lexus. I’ll talk to you later,” he growled and took off down the hallway.

  I quickly followed him, careful to keep my steps quiet, although my heart was pounding so loudly I worried he could hear it. Had the boys set off some kind of alarm, or was it completely unrelated? Either way, Anders was headed towards his office, and that meant trouble. I sent out a text and a prayer for their safety.

  Jaxson popped out from around the corner where he was hiding, scaring me, but I managed to keep my mouth shut.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, his eyes frantic.

  “I don’t know, but his phone went off and he took off running. This is bad, Jaxson. What’s going to happen to them?”

  He nodded gravely. “I don’t know, Lexus, but we’re strong enough to stop him from hurting them.”

  Jaxson grabbed my hand and took off after Anders, dragging me along with him. The sensation felt odd, but it helped to soothe the ragged edges of my frayed nerves, so I didn’t pull away.

  Anders had locked his office door behind him, but we didn’t hesitate, just opened it with our powers and barreled right through it. He wasn’t in there, but the access panel in the floor was wide open, and we could hear voices coming from the basement.

  “Be quiet, Lexus. Stay behind me, and try to hide if you can. It’s better if he doesn’t know you’re down there.”

  I nodded and waited for him to get halfway down the stairs before following him. My heart thumped erratically in my chest as I descended, expecting someone to grab me, but I got to the bottom without harm, and Jaxson and I glanced around the crowded storage area.

  The door labeled “Boiler Room” was open, and Jaxson peeked around the door frame before heading in. A few seconds later, I tiptoed in after him.

  Another door lay behind the mammoth, old furnace, and Jaxson and I stood beside it, just out of view. We could hear Anders yelling. “All of you, back in your cells! Now!”

  The prisoners were all loose and blatantly ignoring Anders’ commands. I smiled, so proud of Griffin and Phoenix, then froze when I saw the woman I knew was my mother.

  “You can’t control us anymore, Anders!” a male voice shouted. “John and Stacy freed us from your mind control, and Renee gave us back our memories. We know everything. You can’t keep us here!” The others hollered in agreement and started marching towards the exit.

  “I’ll shoot you before I let you go!” Anders yelled, waving a gun. I gasped as he grabbed the twins’ father and shoved the gun to his head.

  Anders’ head swiveled towards the twins’ mother. “Stacy, command these people to obey me and get back in their cells, or your husband dies.”

  My fingers dug into Jaxson’s arm at the threat. “Jaxson, get the gun!”

  Power jolted between us, and the gun flew from Anders’ hand and soared across the room, landing in Jaxson’s.

  Anders’ head whipped around, and his face contorted when he saw us. “Jaxson! Put the gun to your head!”

  The unexpected command startled everyone, and so did Jaxson’s immediate compliance. Anders must have used mind control on Jaxson!

  “Mark, Lucinda, if you want your son to live, I suggest you figure out a way to get everyone back in their cells. You’re level fours, I’m sure you’re capable.”

  I snapped my head towards Griffin, and he nodded, knowing what I wanted without a word. I sent a bolt of power his way, and Griffin yelled out, “Jaxson, you’re free! You don’t have to obey Anders!”

  Jaxson jolted to awareness and yanked the gun down from his temple. “What the hell?” he bellowed, and his arm swung towards Anders.

  “You sick bastard! You kept me from my family for years. You kidnapped all these people, brainwashed them, for what? To feed your own greed for power?”

  Anders held up shaking hands and begged for mercy. “Jaxson, you don’t understand. There’s more going on here than you know. These people are dissidents, criminals.”

  Jaxson stalked closer, waving the gun erratically. “The only criminal here is you!”

  Anders lunged for Jaxson, and Jaxson pulled the trigger, the sound of the gunshot echoing so loudly it felt like someone had detonated a bomb. Screams added to the cacophony as the bullet tore through Anders’ arm and struck my mother in the chest. She dropped to the ground, and blood instantly poured from her wound, staining her blouse and pooling on the floor around her.

  “No!” I shrieked. I’d just found her; I couldn’t lose her! I had to fix this! What could I do? Could I heal her? I wasn’t sure I was powerful enough, and her life was dwindling with every beat of her heart. I wanted to turn back time, make it like it never happened, but the twins and I had never been able to do it, and Jaxson was too busy fighting with Anders.

  Suddenly, Anders words from earlier came back to me. I wasn’t strong enough to turn back time with just one of the twins, but what if we combined our powers?

  I raced towards Griffin and Phoenix, letting my body crash into theirs. I wanted to bury my face in their chests and let the world disappear, but instead, I wrapped my arms around them and begged them to help me.

  Power surged between us so fierce, I felt like we were on fire, the electricity igniting every inch of us, creating an inferno that blazed away the last few minutes. Time flew backward, and suddenly, I was back in the boiler room with Jaxson, and the gun had just landed in his hand.

  The rest of the crowd was paralyzed with shock, even me and the twins, but Anders reacted immediately, grabbing my mother and yanking her in front of him like a shield.

  “Don’t shoot!” I screamed at Jaxson. Jaxson turned to look at me, and Anders raced through the back room and dashed out a back exit, hauling my mother with him.

  “No! Don’t let him take her!” I yelled.

  “Let her go, Anders! It’s over!” Phoenix bellowed.

  The twins and Jaxson took off after him, and I followed behind, adrenaline surging through my body, empowering me. The passageway was pitch black, but Anders must have been familiar with the route, because he quickly disappeared into the darkness. We shined our phones in front of us like flashlights as we ran, but the beams didn’t spread far enough for us to see him. We ran on anyway, hoping to catch up with him.

  When the narrow passage opened up into another large space crowded with castoffs, Jaxson yelled, “Let’s split up!” and the boys each went in a different direction. I started to take off on my own, but Jaxson grabbed my hand and pulled me with him.

  We found a path through rows of boxes, and I could see the light from the twins’ phones bobbing around obstacles on the other side of the storage area. After several minutes, all our lights converged in one spot as we reached a stairwell on the back wall. A door at the top hung open a crack, a long beam of light illuminating the top few steps.

  We raced up the steps and slammed open the door, the bright light of day
blinding us. When our eyes refocused, we saw an SUV speeding out of the parking lot, tires squealing.

  My chest rose and fell dramatically as I sucked in deep breaths of the cool, autumn air, and my heart pounded out a staccato rhythm that reverberated in my head, drowning out every other sound.

  “He’s gone, and I doubt he’ll ever be back here. Too many witnesses,” Jaxson said.

  “But he has my mother!” I cried.

  25

  Jaxson took one look at my distraught face and grabbed me. “Come on, I have an idea where he might be headed.”

  The twins followed as he dragged me around the side of the building towards the door nearest Anders’ office. Jaxson cracked open the door and peeked inside the school, and when the halls were clear, we all rushed into Anders’ office. Inside, Jaxson rummaged through the desk till he pulled out the spare key to the Camaro.

  “It’s gonna be a tight squeeze, but you all are coming, right?”

  “Of course.” Phoenix scowled, and Griffin nodded, and we headed back around the outside of the building, avoiding any teachers who might be wandering the hallways. For a moment, I wondered what the newly-freed prisoners were doing and what would happen when they ventured out into the school halls, but I couldn’t worry about them right now. They were safe and free; my mother wasn’t.

  Bright sun shone on Anders’ shiny, black Camaro, emphasizing the sparkling clean exterior, and my heart revved like I knew the engine would. The last time I’d been in this car, Jaxson had forced me there at knife point. I still wasn’t sure I could trust him. But I felt like we’d turned a corner the day he rescued me in the bathroom, and I needed his help again, so I pushed down the anxiety tightening my throat and climbed in the back seat next to Griffin. Jaxson frowned at that.

  “Where are we going?” Phoenix asked, taking the front passenger seat next to Jaxson.

  “When I demanded Anders let me see my parents, he took me to this empty house not far from here. I think it’s a safe house or something. I bet he’ll go there to hide out and come up with a plan.” Jaxson shoved the key in the ignition, and the engine roared to life. He peeled out of the parking lot and took off in the same direction Anders had.

  “So, what will you do if he is there?” I asked, my voice a tiny mouse whisper.

  The boys were silent for a moment while they stared at each other, and suddenly I realized what they were thinking. As much as I knew they wanted to protect me, I was the only Catalyst, and I would have to lead this squadron.

  “I still have Anders’ gun, but he could easily get it away from me—”

  “That, and you don’t know how to aim it,” Phoenix groused.

  Jaxson sneered at him and pressed down on the accelerator, jolting the car forward. “And you think you could’ve done any better?”

  “I would’ve been smarter about it, that’s for sure.”

  “Yeah, like you’re the brains of this operation.” Jaxson snorted.

  Phoenix’s face flamed red, and his nostrils flared. “You fired a gun in a room full of people and killed Lexus’ mother! If we hadn’t reversed time, she’d still be dead.”

  “I can reverse time, too, remember?”

  “Yeah, but you didn’t! You just jumped on Anders and ignored the woman you shot.”

  “I was trying to—“

  “Stop fighting!” I yelled, interrupting them, and they both jolted in surprise and turned to look at me.

  “We’re in this together, remember? We can’t waste time fighting with each other. We need to come up with a plan of attack.”

  I turned to look at Griffin, who had been silently brooding. “Griffin, what are you thinking?”

  “I think we need more information before we do anything,” he said, and Jaxson and Phoenix both frowned at him.

  “If we go in there, guns blazing, someone is likely to get hurt, even killed.” He looked pointedly at Jaxson. “We need to do some reconnaissance, first. Scope out the house and see what Anders is doing. Then I think we should try to sneak in and detain him.”

  Jaxson and Phoenix grumbled a little bit at the passive approach, but we all saw the wisdom of Griffin’s suggestion.

  None of it mattered, though. When Jaxson pulled in front of the safe house, the driveway was empty, and the house looked lifeless.

  We parked a few houses down and snuck through the trees to the house, approaching from the side. Branches snagged my sweater, and I startled each time I felt the resistance.

  We peeked into a few windows, but didn’t see anyone. The garage was empty, too, and no cars were hidden behind the house. My spirits sank as we rounded the other side of the house and saw no evidence of life there, either.

  “Damn, I really thought he’d be here,” Jaxson said, snarling and kicking at a rock.

  “Where else could he have taken her, Jaxson?” I laid a hand on his arm and looked up into his eyes, hoping he had another idea.

  He looked down at me and gave me a sad frown. “I don’t know, Lexus. I’m sorry.”

  We trudged back to the Camaro and climbed in, all sense of urgency erased. I had no idea where he might have gone or what to do next, but once again, Griffin was two steps ahead of us.

  “We need to go back to the school and interview the prisoners, see what information we can glean from them. Maybe they know something that might help us. I can search Anders’ computer files, again, too. See if I can get any leads.”

  I squeezed his arm and gave him a weak smile, grateful for his levelheadedness.

  It suddenly dawned on me that all three of them had just found the parents they’d been missing for years, and yet, here they were, helping me chase Anders and the mother I never even knew existed instead of enjoying their reunion. My heart swelled with love and appreciation, and a tear dripped from my eye and trailed down my cheek.

  Griffin frowned at it and kissed it away, pulling me closer. “Don’t worry, Lexus. You helped us find our parents. Now it’s our turn to help you find yours. We won’t stop looking until we find her.”

  * * *

  To Be Continued in…

  Book 4 of The Caged Series

  * * *

  Keep reading for a sneak peek or

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  * * *

  Liked this book? Check out these other great series by Kellie McAllen!

  The Soulmate Series

  The Celestia Divisa Collection

  It takes more than blood to make a family.

  You’d think after solving the mystery of eight missing Specials and reuniting her friends with their family Lexus could finally settle into her new life as a Catalyst. But the mother she never knew existed has been taken hostage by the one person Lexus should be able to trust, and she can’t rest until she finds her.

  * * *

  With no leads to follow, Lexus’ boyfriends think the search is a lost cause, but Lexus isn’t willing to give up yet. When the twins leave the academy to spend time with the parents they thought were dead, their frenemy Jaxson is all too happy to take their place. But when Jaxson and Lexus run away together, the twins must decide where their allegiance really lies.

  * * *

  Family is worth fighting for, but is family a choice?

  1

  “Shit’s about to get real,” Phoenix muttered as we pulled into the school parking lot and saw all the teachers’ cars still there, even though it was long past the time that most of them went home. I expected as much, seeing how we’d left seven escaped prisoners to fend for themselves.

  I bit my lip and looked nervously at Griffin in the seat next to me as Jaxson steered the stolen Camaro into a parking spot. Shutting off the engine, Jaxson opened his door and got out, then held out a hand to help me climb out of the tiny backseat.

  My sweat-slicked hand reached for his, and my fingers trembled at the electricity that sizzled between us. He squeezed tighter, and I instantly pulled away from him, even though my first instinct was to squeeze back.

 
My feelings for Jaxson were complicated, just like the rest of my life.

  Phoenix came around the front of the car just in time to see the exchange and scowled at Jaxson, then clasped my hand in his, pulling me closer. Griffin nudged in between me and Jaxson on the other side. The twins and I fell into step naturally, like we’d been a threesome forever, even though we’d only gone public a few weeks ago.

  Jaxson just rolled his eyes and headed off in front of us towards the school building. Once we got inside, the tension between us was immediately swallowed up in the chaos.

  Students and teachers crowded around a group of people in the hallway, jabbering and firing off questions. The strangers looked confused and out of place in a world that had abandoned them. My heart pained at the absence of one of them.

  A tall, lanky man with raven black hair, an older version of Jaxson, waved his hands in the air and tried to calm the riot as his wife clung to him. “Listen! We’ll tell you everything we know if you just settle down and give us some space!”

  The crowd rumbled some more, and Jaxson pushed his way through it and approached his father and mother.

  “Back off, people! They don’t need you attacking them! Everybody go to the gym and sit down, and we’ll explain everything.” His voice boomed over them, and the crowd gradually dissipated as people turned and headed for the gymnasium.

  A few minutes later, the entire population of Magna Virtus Academy, sans our leader, Anders Grant, had congregated in the gym and was anxiously awaiting an explanation for the sudden appearance of seven strangers who claimed to be escaped prisoners.

  Jaxson took the stage where Anders usually stood, directing school meetings, and waited patiently with his hands on his hips for the crowd to quiet. The ex-prisoners hovered around him. Tall and toned, with long, raven black hair and piercing blue eyes, dressed all in black as usual, his presence was commanding. When the noise settled, he finally started speaking.