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"Fuck," Tristan breathed, my inner rant clearly projecting to him. I didn’t even care that he’d heard me.
"See you guys later," I said, not able to find it in me to stay. I needed a moment of peace. Instead of heading straight for class, I walked out the front door and headed for the bridge. I needed the ocean, I needed the calm it would give me. Footsteps echoed through the halls behind me, along with the sound of my name. Resolve strengthened my flight response, knowing that I needed this time, but not trusting them to give it to me.
I started running, and when I reached the bridge, I tried to visualize myself using speed like Evander's. I need to get away, to be alone. I need to just be invisible for a little while. Shadows folded easily around me, the mere thought enough to activate it, before I took off at a sprint that felt more like flying. Wind whipped through my hair as the world flew by, laughter bubbling out of me at the intense feeling of freedom fueled by adrenaline. When I reached the sandy beach, I tried to slow my running, but I was hardly a professional when it came to vampire powers. I promptly face planted in the sand, getting a mouthful before I could stop myself.
After I stood up and brushed off as much of the sand as I could, I stepped behind some of the large rocks that rested on the bottom of the lighthouse cliffs. Once I was out of sight, I sunk to the ground, resting my back against the rocky surface. I stared out to the sea, hoping to find some peace of mind there.
Tristan
"Something about this still bothers me. We are questioning if she has more than one supernatural parent, but if two people mix species, their offspring is one or the other. She is the first person I've ever seen that has more than one species’ power. I don't think it's a parental ability," I argued as we watched Lennie cloak herself in shadows and disappear. With Citrine watching us so closely, it was too dangerous for her to get the space she seemed to desperately want. But the least we could do was let her believe she’d gotten away from us for a little bit.
"We just talked about it possibly being related to us. Aeson even said it feels like our magic," Calev countered, punching the metal of the bridge and leaving a dent behind, the steel groaning under his abuse. His jaw was tense, and his fists clenched. He was clearly feeling out of control and frustrated.
"I can’t find her with her shadow. We shouldn’t have let her run off" Evander mumbled, his fangs poking through as he turned to us. "I'm with Tristan, this is way over our heads. We need backup. We can't just figure this out and wait. We know what the other powers are."
"She asked us to keep her here for a reason, and we all decided it was for the best that she not be put through all that bullshit right now. This is rare, if not completely unheard of. She'd become a test subject, and I don't think I coul
d sit aside and let that fucking happen," Lachlan growled, the wave of magic and soft light around his form telling us his bear was so close to the surface, that they were about to shift completely.
"Stay calm, guys," Aeson encouraged, even though he looked close to panic. "She was right, we are missing something huge here."
"Like what? We've all studied supernatural genetics as part of our intro courses. She shouldn't be possible," Evander countered, throwing his hands up.
A high pitched scream tore through the area, the sound a perfect match for Lennie. Evander, Lachlan, and Calev took off running as one, while Aeson and I were too slow to follow, so we ran for the car. I grabbed my keys from my pocket and unlocked it as soon as we were close enough, diving in and starting up the SUV before peeling out of the lot.
"Follow their signature," I ordered Aeson, who was already glowing with his magic.
"By the shore," he pointed as I took the curve too fast and sped off to the beach. We parked as close as we could, flying out of the car and following his lead to the others. Once we got closer, I could hear her panic and followed on my own.
'He's crazy, what the fuck is he on about?' Her inner thoughts had me sprinting faster, hating that some unknown man was freaking her out. The fact that I couldn't hear the others had me running faster. My heart nearly stopped at the sight before me. The other three had their hands up in the air, though Lachlan's were vibrating with his restraint. A masked man had a knife to Lennie's throat. He shuffled back further as we approached, making Aeson and me throw our hands up too.
'Lennie, use your shadows, escape,' I encouraged internally, but she gave no response or recognition that she heard me. What the hell?!
"It was about time to collect her, but for some reason, she was never alone," he said pointedly, his face turning to slowly look at the rest of us. Damn right she wasn't alone.
"I'm sorry guys, I'm so sorry. Just let him take me, don't get hurt," she said softly, backing away with him as she tried to keep the knife off the sensitive flesh of her throat.
"Fuck that, Baby," Lachlan said, his bear finally breaking free as he transformed. Calev shot out his shadow at the same time Evander leapt forward, his fangs tearing into the man's throat. The man screeched and dropped Lennie, giving me the opportunity to spring forward and pull her away. Aeson was glowing as he ran a hand over the small trickle of blood on her throat and pulled her between us. Lachlan's bear was in front of us, guarding us as Evander and Calev tried to tear the man apart. But a moment later, he turned to shadows, disappearing completely. A splashing in the water caught my attention before something dark glided under the surface, away from us.
"What the fuck was he?!" Calev yelled, hurrying over and placing his hands on Lennox's face before checking her over.
"I'm so sorry. I just wanted space, and I thought I’d stayed out of sight, but he literally came out of the water. I tried to fight back, but he was too quick for me," she said, her voice shaking with her panic.
"We need to talk to someone we can trust. Did he say anything to you?" Aeson asked as he did another once over with his magic.
"He said he created me, and he would do as he pleases with me," she started, anger mixing with her terror, "Like he’s got more control over me and my abilities than I do."
"Okay, maybe it's time to move on to the other campus or something," I hedged, knowing their feelings.
"Or we go stay with my brother for a few days," Calev offered, eyeing Lennie for her approval. She gave a small nod, a hint of a smile on her lips. "I'll call him now." He stepped away, his eyes still trained on Lennox while he called.
Well, today didn't go as planned. So much for sticking it out until graduation.
May 1st
Mid-day
Lennox
