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Lennox
It was not easy just sitting there, while Tristan sent images of what they were doing out in the parking garage. I didn’t know if he meant to open the link, but things were supposed to be somber here, and I couldn't stop thinking about those two and how badly I now wanted to join them.
By the smug grin on Tristan's face, and the hot mess his white hair was in when they came into the room, I'd say it was on purpose. The distraction was short lived though, as Calev's brother barged in with Lilah behind him. Both of them looked just as angry as the guys, which surprised me. They don't even know me.
'They don't have to, you're one of us,' Tristan countered, his unexpected reply making me jump.
'We didn't jump into this lightly, and they know that. You're now like their sister,' Calev added, the others grumbling their agreements.
"Is this her?" Lilah squealed, her anger momentarily melting as she came over and scooped me up into a huge hug. It was in that moment, that I realized I didn't fucking know how to properly hug. I stood there awkwardly, showing them just how much of a freak show I was. My arms hung limply at my sides while I shot Evander, the only one in my line of sight, a plea for help with my eyes. He just laughed, not bothering to come to my aid. Lilah didn't seem bothered in the least, her melodic laugh bubbling out as she pulled back and held me out at arms length. "You boys didn't tell me she was this gorgeous! What lucky men." Her kind words had me blushing, and I stammered for a second.
"Thank you," I mumbled, the simple words of gratitude all I could manage to get out.
"And humble," she complimented. "We have to drag these guys out shopping one of the
se days. Lord knows they won't let us go alone."
"That would be fun," I agreed, actually meaning it. I hadn’t been shopping in so long, and her bubbly cheerfulness was making it hard to stay quietly awkward. When she finally moved on, I collapsed onto the couch, missing the cushion and landing in Lachlan's lap instead to further my awkwardness.
"Don't worry, I like you right here," he whispered, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me closer, making it look like the entire thing was intentional. "Don't think I missed you getting all hot and bothered over there. What did Tristan send to you?" His words sparked an idea in my mind. If Tristan can send images, can I do it too? Focusing on Lachlan the best I could, I sent him what Tristan had teased me with. He coughed in surprise, trying to cover his shocked laughter. My eyes darted around the room, panic striking me for a second as I worried that I’d sent that to all of them. Nobody else seemed affected, so I snuggled in further, letting Calev catch his family up on what had been going on. Not to mention, I wasn't really up for reliving those memories just yet.
"Well, shit. That was surprising. Did you do that?" Lachlan whispered, his lips brushing across my forehead. I nodded against his shoulder, not wanting to say anything to draw attention to us.
'Do we trust them enough yet?' Calev asked in our heads. They did it so often now that it was never a surprise when I was pulled into the group link. I studied Lilah as they spoke, her worried expression and everything about her just screaming that she was genuine.
'Yes.' My answer was met with silence for a moment before they all agreed.
'If she's okay with it, then I'm okay with it,' Lachlan conceded, the last to give his affirmative. He was also the only one who almost fought Calev over it. My shoulders sagged as relief washed through me; apparently, I had been holding on to a bunch of tension that I hadn't even realized was there.
"We have something to discuss with you," Calev said out loud, his tone serious. Both Lilah and Lorcan froze, their bodies tensing under his change in demeanor. Calev had that intense and brooding vibe about him, and it drew attention to him even more when he was commanding.
"Okay..." Lorcan trailed off, but Calev seemed to be fighting with his words. Not wanting to put him on the spot, I uncurled from my safe spot on my bear and stood.
"It's my powers. I'm a siren...but, I'm also something else. I can call Calev's shadows, I can use Tristan's mind speak, and I can use Evander's speed," I admitted in a confident voice. When in doubt, fake it ‘til you make it. Their mouths fell open in shock, neither one speaking for a moment as I shuffled my feet.
Finally finding her words, Lilah looked up, now studying me like I was a puzzle. "Have you been able to do this with others' powers as well, or only your boyfriends'?"
"They're all I've really known since finding out I'm a supernatural. So, I don't know," I admitted, blushing as I let them know how big of an outsider I was. Not only am I some kind of supernatural freak who might be stealing people’s powers, but I’m also the one weirdo who doesn’t know any other supes.
"Well, let's test it!" she squealed excitedly, clapping her hands. "See if you can use mine." She stepped apart from the others at that, holding out her hands as lightning arced from one palm to the other. I jumped back in surprise, not expecting such a show. She gave me an encouraging smile, so I took a deep breath and put my hands out, picturing her magic and trying to make it happen. I watched it arc from one hand to the other before fizzling out, probably because of the gasp that I let out at the sight. I really didn’t expect it to actually happen.
"Holy shit!" Lorcan and Evander shouted, but it was Lilah who caught my eye. I could see a hint of fear in her eyes mixed with shock and awe.
"What do you know?" Calev questioned immediately, moving toward her before I could blink. He stopped inches from her, studying her intensely, until Lorcan cleared his throat and gave him a warning look. I guess I’m not the only one who saw that she looked afraid for a second there. She shook her head for a moment in disbelief, like she couldn't wrap her mind around it all. But it was something more than that, and the fear and awe in her eyes was replaced with tired resignation, like part of her knew what was coming and didn’t much like it.
"Well, it just seems impossible," she argued, starting to pace, which only made me even more nervous. "There was talk of a ridiculously rare species of shifter, called a mimic. But really, they’re talked about as this urban legend- an extraordinarily powerful supe who most geneticists might whisper about, but would never actually find. Essentially, they could mimic any power, sometimes even several at a time as they grew into their powers. They can also mimic mental abilities if they've come into physical contact with the person they're mimicking."
Lorcan stood up at that, holding her steady to pause her pacing as he turned to us. "I remember reading about this before. Like Lilah said, it’s something that people gossip about, but no one thinks they really exist anymore. They were hunted and used in the sixties, The Regency at the time corralling them and running experiments. The fact that someone survived is mind blowing."
"So I'm still a freak," I tried to joke, but the guys all looked worried now. This is it, this is the point I become too much to handle.
"No, you're not. I'm more worried about what this means for your future. You have to go back to school, and you need it now more than ever. The Dean can be trusted, and he'll likely set up some kind of special training program for you," Lilah said, her eyes full of pity... which I hated. Why did everyone trust this Dean so much? This isn’t the first time they’ve relied on him. Why is he the go to guy?
“The Academy is where we all hone our skills, the Dean was part of The Regency but stepped down to look over the school. They’re kind of like your congress and president combined. They control the councils. It’s kind of a tradition of Regency members. It doesn’t mean he was out of their council completely, now he’s an extension of it. So, his knowledge and reach are honestly our best bet,” Tristan explained, scratching the back of his neck as he explained. A chorus of agreement followed his explanation, but I held back my opinion on it until I could meet him. I’m too cynical to trust implicitly, they were the exception.
"The current Regency would protect me, right? Like, if I said no to experiments in the name of science, they would honor that?" I asked, praying that I’d find reassurance in their faces, but of course, it’s never that easy.
"Not The Regency, they'd encourage it. Tradition is key here, and anything outside the norm is seen as a challenge to that, deviant even. Sure they pretend it’s fine, and they’d make sure you were safe, but I don’t know if I’d trust them with this," Tristan mumbled angrily. "My parents even threatened to send me to them when they found out I was with Aeson."
