The Complete Lost Children Series

by Krista Street

  “Speaking of that, how’s Raven?” Albert’s lofty indifference and unflappable demeanor made ice flow through my chest. “I hear that he is living with all of you. I’m not sure how Marcus would have felt about that. I—”

  “Can we purchase the drug from you?” I asked. My heart pounded in my chest. “How much do you want?” I’d give him every penny in my trust fund even if that meant a new life devoid of designer clothes and spa days.

  Albert cocked his head. “I have no need for money. I told you, I will provide as many doses as required as long as you let me study your babies.”

  “It will never happen!” Luke shouted. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.”

  Albert laughed. The sound made my skin crawl. It reminded me of hyenas about to go in for the kill. “That’s easy. If you kill me, your child will die.”

  Silence followed that statement.

  Luke’s chest heaved while my heart felt ready to explode.

  “What is it that you want to study?” I asked.

  “You can’t be serious!” Luke whirled in my direction.

  I held up my hand.

  Albert smiled. “I knew sooner or later, you’d come around. Now, shall we discuss business?”

  As much as it sickened me, I knew we had no choice.

  CHAPTER TEN

  We flew back to Colorado the next day. The dawn sun peeked over the horizon as our private jet climbed into the sky. The beautiful scenery didn’t stop the bile from rising in my throat at the thought of what the future held.

  Albert’s terms required us to return to Chicago in one month. The malicious scientist wanted to spend three days with my children to document their development and growth. In return, he’d given us thirty doses of the medication—enough to keep Emma alive for another month.

  And while I knew Albert’s observations wouldn’t harm them, I also knew as time passed, Albert would demand more than just observing. Thinking about the possibilities, I shuddered.

  The only comfort I took was in the possibility of Di and Father manufacturing the identical drug in Father’s home lab, but even I knew drug creation took time. It could be months or years before they figured out the chemical formula and production requirements. And until they recreated the drug, we were at Albert’s mercy. Literally. My child’s life was in his hands.

  I nibbled my fingernail as we settled into a cruising altitude. It was the first time I’d paid attention to my nails in days. The paint was chipped, and I was in sore need of a manicure. A week ago, that would have sent me running to the salon.

  The plane dipped intermittently as we flew. Beside me, anger rolled off Luke in steady waves. I didn’t imagine his rage would lessen anytime soon.

  Both Emma and little Conroy dozed in their car seats. We’d buckled their seats to the jet’s recliners to counter the turbulence.

  My lips curved into a smile at the pink tinge in Emma’s cheeks. She’d eaten around the clock since she awoke after the first dose of the drug. She was finally safe.

  For now.

  My shoulders sank, and my smile disappeared. “What are we going to do? We can’t rely on Albert forever.” Just the thought of his cold, baleful stare made my stomach tighten.

  “We could use force.” Luke’s chest rumbled with a low growl. He placed a large hand on my thigh and added, “If only you’d all let me do that, I could have made him talk.”

  I shuddered at the thought of violence, and I was pretty sure Father would have done the same if he heard Luke’s request, but since Father sat with Greg in the cockpit, he was none the wiser to Luke’s wishes.

  Di raised an eyebrow from where she sat across the aisle. “We’ll figure a way out of this—without force.” She tapped a finger to her chin. “And remember, with enough time, Father and I can figure out the drug’s chemical composition. It’s just a matter of Albert continuing to help us until then.”

  “Or until Emma learns how to control her transformations.” Lena turned around in her seat from the row ahead of us.

  I bit back a nervous smile. Apparently, everyone was listening to our conversation.

  Flint stood from his seat and also turned around. His chestnut hair was mussed, but his gaze was alert. I never would have guessed he’d spent the night awake, watching over us. “How long did it take you to control your transformations, Luke?”

  Luke cocked his head. “I must have been around ten or eleven before I gained full control. But I wasn’t given the drug that altered my DNA to be part lupine until I was six or seven. I wasn’t like Emma. I wasn’t born with this ability, and I never transformed so young.” He scratched his chin. “For a long time, I couldn’t control my transformations. I think it took years before I could stop them.”

  Di frowned. “So unless Father and I figure it out, Albert will be in our lives for the next decade, and that’s only if he chooses to continue helping us.”

  My mouth parted. Ten years? The blood drained from my face.

  ~ ~ ~

  We landed an hour later. Di helped me arrange the babies in the car. I leaned down and kissed the top of Emma’s fluffy head. Like her brother, she had wispy strands of blond hair.

  “Are we all set?” Flint sat in the driver’s seat of the large SUV.

  Lena sat in the front passenger side while Father, Di, Luke, the babies, and I occupied the back.

  “Yeah. Let’s go.” I ran a shaky hand through my hair. “I’ve never wanted so desperately to be home.”

  Luke grabbed my hand and squeezed.

  When we finally reached Father’s massive mansion in the mountains, my eyes widened at the vehicles lining the driveway.

  “Everyone’s still here?” I perked up in my seat just as little Conroy stirred. I gently placed the tip of my finger in his mouth to suck. He readily clamped down on it and tried to nurse. I knew it wouldn’t hold him off for long, but I hoped I would be able to greet my brothers and sisters before I had to nurse the babies again.

  Jet’s Mustang was still parked in the drive along with Raven’s sleek Mercedes. When Flint pulled up beside them, my eyes alighted on a car I didn’t recognize.

  “Whose vehicle is that?” I leaned closer to the window and turned up my hearing. In the house, I could make out the varying tones and pitches of our family, but there was a female voice that didn’t belong to any of our family members.

  Lena ducked her head from the front seat. “It’s Grace’s car. I hope it’s okay that my best friend is here. I know I should’ve asked you, but I completely forgot before we boarded the jet. And I told her the other day the babies were born, and she wanted to meet them. Is that okay?”

  I pinched Lena’s shoulder playfully. “Of course it is, you silly goose. You know I love Grace as much as you do.” I cocked my head. “But she sounds different than she normally does. Is she okay?”

  A confused look sprouted on Lena’s face. “She does? I wonder why that is. I mean, I think she’s okay. If she isn’t, she never told me.”

  I tuned in to Grace’s voice again. Her pitch sounded a little higher than I remembered, and she kept giggling. A smile grew on my lips when I heard the next voice. Raven’s. From his frequent throat clearing and nervous chuckles, I had a fairly good idea what was going on.

  I nudged Luke. “I have a feeling a few interesting things are happening inside right now.”

  He narrowed his gaze and tilted his head. When he wore that expression, I knew he’d also turned up his hearing. While his hearing wasn’t as astute as mine, it came pretty close.

  “Is Raven laughing?” His eyes glowed in amusement.

  “It seems so.”

  “But he hardly ever laughs.” Luke grabbed the car seats while I opened the door. With one swift movement, he was out of the van with both of our babies dangling from his massive forearm.

  “What are you two talking about?” Di placed her hands on her hips as Lena, Father, and Flint unpacked the bags from the back.

  “Just Lena�
��s friend Grace. Remember her?” I arched an eyebrow.

  Di nodded. “Of course. She’s the only normal human who knows about us.”

  “That’s the one.” I sidled closer to Di. “And just so you know, I think your other brother is smitten with her.”

  Di’s eyes grew wide. “Raven? Smitten with someone?”

  Her surprised expression mirrored mine. Raven hadn’t dated anybody since he’d joined our family following Lena’s imprisonment in Marcus’s mansion. We all knew that he felt self-conscious about his unique eyes and ability. It didn’t help that he had grown up isolated and had never dated anyone, but from the conversation I was hearing inside Father’s home, it seemed someone had finally piqued his interest.

  “Come on!” Lena called over her shoulder as she jogged to the front of the house with a diaper bag in hand. “Let’s tell everyone the good news!”

  We found everybody, including Raven and Grace, in the living room. When we appeared in the large arched doorway, Susannah and Mica jumped to their feet.

  “You’re back!” Mica rushed to my side and squeezed me in a hug before eagerly rushing to Luke’s side to hover over the twins. “Are they really okay?” Her short brown hair swung around her shoulders before she tucked it behind an ear.

  “We thought it was too good to be true.” Susannah’s bright-blue eyes shone with happiness.

  I dropped my purse at my feet. “How did you all know?” Neither Luke nor I had called or texted anyone. Our attention had been solely on the babies, but I was glad someone had.

  “That would be me.” Flint shoved his hands in his pockets. His lips lifted in a smile. “Everybody wanted to know what was going on, and I figured you’d like to see the fam. Of course, these two”—he nodded toward the infant twins—“are hard to resist, so I probably couldn’t have kept them away with a ten-foot pole.”

  Jet snorted. “Please. Like a pole would stop us.”

  Jasper laughed, and Lena joined in.

  Only Raven and Grace hung back. I bit my lip to stop the cheeky smile that wanted to come. Raven kept eyeing Grace, and when Raven wasn’t looking, she eyed him.

  At least we didn’t have to worry about hiding anything with Grace since Lena had told her best friend about our abilities. When Lena had first revealed to us that she’d told Grace about our powers, Di and Father had been irate. But as the weeks had gone by, we’d come to learn that Lena’s judgment had been sound. Grace had been over a few times since learning of our powers, and she’d never judged us or said a peep to anyone. Of course, she’d been around a few times before that, but during those times, we’d always been careful to keep our abilities in check. We didn’t bother anymore. Our secret was safe with her.

  Hence, Raven’s eyes were missing their contacts. His amber irises swirled and glowed brighter than normal, which meant only one thing. He was feeling a heightened emotion. I nudged Jet’s side. “Looks like somebody’s got it bad.”

  Jet snickered. “I was thinking the same thing. It’s good to have you back, by the way.” He put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “I’ve missed my partner in crime when it comes to teasing these people.”

  I laughed softly. Growing up, Jet and I had loved teasing Lena. But it was all in good fun. Anytime Jet took it too far, I gently reined him in. And now, it seemed that Jet had found his latest family member to torment. Poor Raven. I wonder if he knew what he had coming.

  “So what happened?” Amber asked. “Flint told us that Albert gave Emma the drug and she hasn’t transformed since, so does that mean everything’s fine now?”

  Amber stood by the babies with Edgar. Both admired the tiny twins. Mica had settled by Emma’s car seat. I knew she was itching to hold her.

  “Well . . .” My heart pounded as the memory of what our future held returned. Kneeling, I unbuckled their seatbelts and lifted Emma from her car seat. I gently placed her in Mica’s arms.

  Mica grinned and fingered Emma’s little cheek.

  “We have enough of Albert’s drug for a month.” The light mood that had been filling my chest grew heavier. “So for now, we’re safe, but once a month is up, all bets are off.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Everybody stayed for lunch. Since it was summertime, all of us were on break from school, but we still had our jobs. Luckily, my daycare position had willingly given me twelve weeks off. However, now that I had the twins, I didn’t plan to return. I couldn’t. Given how unique Emma and Conroy were, I couldn’t enroll them in the daycare where I worked—or anywhere else for that matter. It was too risky. None of us knew what abilities little Conroy and Emma would develop as they grew, and if a new emerging ability appeared abruptly while they were in public, it could be a disaster. There were still so many unknowns in our future.

  “Can you pass the salt?” Amber asked.

  Hearing that question snapped me back to the present. The clinking and clanging of silverware on plates and dishes being passed around followed. Delicious scents from the lunch Jet, Jasper, and Mica had cooked floated through the air. All fourteen seats around the large dining table were occupied.

  “This is bloody good!” Edgar dug into the Mediterranean meal. He spooned another large bite into his mouth.

  Across from where I sat were Lena and Flint. Grace sat by Lena. However, her attention was not on my sister.

  I knew I wasn’t the only one noticing the sparks flying between Raven and Grace. Jet kept winking at me and nodding in their direction.

  If Grace wasn’t blushing, she was giggling, and if Raven wasn’t running his hands through his hair, he was giving Lena’s best friend side-eyes. The possibilities for teasing them were endless.

  But my attention still stayed focused on my newborns—the teasing would have to wait. I kept my hearing at a medium volume so I would hear anything that came from the nursery.

  Lifting a forkful of salad to my mouth, I cocked my head when a strange sound reached my ears. I turned up my hearing and did my best to tune out the voices around the table.

  The sound came again. It sounded like scratching. It’s probably nothing. Maybe a tree branch against the window. Sounds bombarded me so frequently that, at times, it was hard to decipher what was what.

  I resumed eating and joined in the conversation, but ten minutes later, I heard another strange sound. It sounded like a helicopter taking off from nearby. But none of the neighbors have helicopters. I set my utensils down and cocked my head. “Do you hear that, Luke?”

  He raised his eyebrows and swallowed half of his gyros in one bite. “Hear what?”

  I turned my hearing on full power. The blood whooshed through my ears. Around me, everyone’s heartbeats increased a thousand-fold. I concentrated on fine-tuning the sounds. That helicopter sound grew louder, but something else did too . . . a faint baby’s cry.

  My heart stopped as I bolted to a stand. “My babies!”

  The chair toppled over behind me as I pushed away from the table. I was already running down the hall before everyone else scrambled to follow.

  My heart pounded, and it felt like my lungs would explode from the adrenaline rush, then a blur of movement passed me. From the scent, I knew it was Luke.

  A second later, I heard his roar.

  “What is it?” I yelled. I careened around the corner to the nursery. Inside the baby’s room, it was dark. We’d pulled the blackout curtains to limit the summertime sun.

  Luke stood over the baby’s crib. My stomach plummeted when I saw his hands gripping the crib so tightly that the sound of splintering wood followed.

  “Where are they?” I raced to his side and nearly collapsed when I saw the crib was empty.

  It was only then I felt it. The feel of air caressing my cheeks. The window to the room was open. The curtains billowed in the early-afternoon breeze, a hint of sun coming through the heaving blackout curtains when they rose.

  The window was open. It hadn’t been open when we’d put them to bed. My jaw dropped.

  That was the
scratching sound I heard earlier! Someone was prying the window open before they climbed in through it and took my babies!

  “No!” I turned my hearing up more and concentrated on the helicopter. Already, it was growing faint.

  A crushing vise constricted my chest. I gasped for air. My entire family surrounded me. I heard all of their pounding heartbeats and ragged breaths. Shouts and words flowed through the air, assaulting me in their intensity. But only one thought pummeled my mind.

  Someone took my babies, and now, they’re gone.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “It has to be Albert!” Mica fumed from where she stood by the door.

  Lena nodded. “He’s the only one that knows about them, and he’s the only one that would want to take them. You heard what he said in Chicago. He wants to study them!”

  “Study them?” Jet cocked his head as a disgusted expression formed on his face. “Human experiments again?”

  “Experiment on babies?” Grace made an appalled face and raked a hand through her long blond hair.

  “But why now?” Jasper eyebrows drew together. “Why take them now when he could have taken them in Chicago when you were in his house?”

  “Because we guarded them too closely,” Flint replied darkly. “We were expecting him to do something, so we stayed on high alert. The bastard was just biding his time, waiting until our guard dropped, and what better place to do that than in our own home right after we got home? We thought we had a month of safety.”

  Amber brought a hand to her mouth as a horrified squeak escaped her.

  “Luke, I need you to scent the window.” Di stood by the window pane. Sunlight poured into the room since she’d opened the curtains. I was vaguely aware of her assessing the situation with Raven and Flint at her side, but I couldn’t join her. Everything inside me had stopped. It felt like my chest would explode from the bone-crushing panic that tightened around my lungs.

  Susannah appeared at my side and laid a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll find them. We’ll find both of them!”