Page 6

Chapter six

Aiden

The blink of an eye.

That’s how fast she’s gone.

Dane’s gone.

The diamond blades of my whip sword burrow into the floor following my last attack.

An attack that began with Charles in front of me and ended with him, her, and Dane vanished.

“Take me there,” Jackson murmurs in a soft, deadly command.

I didn’t even see him move from my side.

He grips Reid’s arm and plucks a knife from his hoodie.

Reid’s jaw ticks, his teeth clenched together when he answers.

“Why would you think I know where he went?”

Jack angles his head, regarding him with the slow creep of a smile.

“Because you’re his son.”

“Ex-son, if you were listening.”

“So?”

“So, I don’t know where he took them. They open and close locations too fast to keep track.”

“Guess. If you had to pick one place, where would it be?” Jackson pushes, his usually solid patience starting to crack.

Reid looks away, considering.

He has a lot to answer for, but other than using this new information about his bloodline to get to Raegan and Dane, I’ll put it aside until this absolute shit show of a night is back under some semblance of control.

While they’re busy working that out, I move to Kellan and kneel beside him to assess his condition.

He’s riddled with bullets.

Three in the chest, one in each knee, one in the arm, and one in his hand.

“I don’t know. He has too many offices to pick one, or he could have taken them to a testing facility,” Reid finally answers.

I pull out my phone and open the tracking app I had installed not long ago.

It takes a couple of taps to zero in on Raegan’s location before I toss the phone at Jack.

He catches it mid-air with his gift, then grabs and looks at it.

He turns the screen to Reid, holding it in front of him.

“Take us here.” Jackson zooms out for Reid to gather where that location is.

“Do you know it?”

Reid sighs.

“I know it.”

“Good. Let’s go.” Jack tosses my phone back, and I catch it with my free hand.

“Not yet,” I warn. “Let me finish fixing up Kellan first.”

Jackson’s lips thin in what amounts to his version of visible frustration, but he doesn’t argue.

“We can’t follow him,” Reid rasps, still not understanding that we’re going no matter what he says.

We aren’t letting Raegan be taken again.

And we won’t let them have Dane.

We could be walking into almost certain death, and we would still take that chance in order to rescue them.

“And why is that?” I ask, digging my finger into the last hole in Kell's chest. As soon as my skin touches the metal, it wraps around my finger so I can pull it clear.

“You can’t beat him. He would destroy us all if we tried to fight him.”

“Mm…you say it like that would stop us from trying to get them back,” Jack remarks.

Reid makes a frustrated sound. “It should.”

After extracting the third bullet from Kellan’s chest, I move on to his knees. “What makes you say that? Tell me what we’re up against since this man is the endgame for Gifted Enterprise.”

“His gift is copying other gifts. I don’t know how many he has at this point.”

“Which ones do you know about?” I press, seeking out the next bullet.

“His original gift, which requires him to consume the blood of the gifted person whose gift he’s copying. He has my gift—”

“—teleportation,” I fill in.

“…spatial tethering,” he corrects, and I put a pin in asking that question of him later as well. “Sleep inducement. Frequency manipulation. Telekinetic fields and bursts are his favorite. And he used Kellan’s regeneration, which is the worst news we could have.”

Well.

That makes at least six.

“Is that all?” I free the last bullet from Kellan’s hand.

“We can’t go,” Reid repeats .

“Hurry up,” Jack says to me, his gaze flipping from Kellan to me, back to Reid.

“I’m telling you—”

Jackson hauls Reid up by his hair, his knife pointed at Reid’s neck. His voice is a deadly calm when he says, “I’m telling you that we’re going. We should already be there.”

Kellan groans as he comes to.

I turn to face Reid. “If your father is as dangerous as you say, then even more reason we can’t leave Raegan and Dane alone with him this long. Are you okay leaving your sister with him?”

“Half-sister,” Reid replies automatically, then hesitates. His eyes close, and he sighs heavily. “No. We’ll get her.” He opens his eyes and shoots a pointed look at Jack. “But we’re only going to grab the two of them and then leave. We can’t fight. I’m not even sure if I’ll last for the second jump, so it has to be quick.”

“Son of a—” Kellan pushes himself up and rubs at his chest. He sees me, then Jackson and Reid’s standoff. He scans more of the room, and his expression darkens. “Where are they?”

“Gone. With Charles. But we’re getting them back,” I tell him, and he nods, standing.

“Let’s fucking go, then,” Kellan growls.

We join Jackson and hold Reid’s other arm. He mutters something under his breath, and we’re gone.

We land in a hallway before two large doors.

“Where the hell is she?” Kellan demands, fisting Reid’s shirt.

Reid glares at him, tugging fruitlessly. “Just because the tracker showed her in this building doesn’t mean I know which room she’s in. Behind here is his office. But maybe we should check the rest of the building first—”

Jackson and I smash the doors open in unison.

We aren’t wasting anymore time.

Dane’s hovering over Raegan’s still body on the floor. Charles looks up sharply at our entrance, and Dane falls on top of her.

“Now!” I yell, breaking into a run toward them before Charles can act. Kellan lifts and carries Reid with him while Jackson sends a burst of wind at Charles to knock him back. We all reach Dane and Raegan in seconds, grabbing them and then Reid.

“How unfortunate,” Charles comments mildly, his voice echoing in my ears even after Reid teleports us away and we escape.

“…six fractured ribs, which have led to a chest infection. We’ve put him on antibiotics and pain medicine,” the doctor reports. His eyes trail to Kellan, who’s leaning back in the stiff chair beside Dane’s bed, his legs thrown out for comfort while his tattooed muscular arms are tense where they cross his chest. He’s glaring at the doctor, his jaw working in frustration to keep his mouth shut.

Obviously, none of this is the doctor’s fault. He’s merely the messenger delivering the news of what Dane went through with Charles. It’s the worst news of the group, all of whom we’d been forced to bring to the hospital once we discovered Cassandra and her injury .

Raegan suffers similar injuries to Dane, although not as many broken ribs and without the infection or bullet graze. Reid and Cassandra are also here, getting the emergency treatment they need.

There is a long list of reasons why I actively avoid medical facilities: being in the public eye, cameras, potentially dangerous medical tests and gifted reactions, having a gifted person’s blood in others’ hands, law enforcement and investigations, stacks of medical bills we’ll have to pay out of pocket for. And so on. But this time, we had no choice.

“How long until he’s recovered?” I ask, standing at the foot of Dane’s bed in what should be a comforting wall between Kellan and the doctor.

The doctor clears his throat, uneasiness still radiating from the man since he saw Jack in Raegan's room and only getting worse.

He’d been better when we’d visited the others to review their statuses, but not completely free from it.

I’m sure it has something to do with the group of people we brought in with such injuries.

It won’t be long before the police arrive after someone reports it.

“Once his chest infection is clear, he should be able to return home. He’ll need to be on bedrest or very limited activity for six weeks while it heals. Broken ribs are a painful and slow thing to heal, but there’s nothing more we can do for them other than trying to keep the patient comfortable.”

My knuckles turn white on the footboard of the hospital bed.

Six weeks.

I’m certain that GE will act sooner than that.

They’ve exposed us. Our one place of safety is gone, and now that they know where we are, it’s too dangerous to stay in the bunker.

We’d be worse off there, where Vera could trap us underground in a steel coffin.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Cibrina chimes in from the doorway, and I realize I’d been silently fuming.

One more stressor to add to the poor man.

I release the footboard and turn to face him, plastering on a stiff but polite smile.

“Yes, thank you. Please contact me if there are any further developments.”

He nods.

“Of course. They’re in good hands.”

No, they’re in danger here.

Once he leaves the room, Kellan shifts forward, holding his hands together as he watches Dane.

“How is she? And the others?”

“Not so bad as Dane, although all have slow recovery prognoses,” I answer honestly, and he nods.

“This never should have happened,” he growls.

Sighing, I further loosen my tie.

I’d love to wrap it around Charles’s throat and squeeze the life out of him.

For pretending to be her father.

For what he did to Kellan.

Raegan and Dane. For being the president of GE and the man behind all of our pain and struggle.

“No, it shouldn’t have. We’ll get to the bottom of this once we get everyone here home.”

Kellan gives a caustic laugh.

“And where is that, exactly? What’s home?”

“We’re going back to the Tower.” His gaze shifts to mine.

“No more hiding.” We’ll have to put safeguards in place and train the members in preparation for an attack, but if we’re too busy running and hiding, then we’ll never win.

It’s time to stand our ground and fight back.

“Ah, speaking of the Tower, Aiden…” Cibrina politely interjects.

“Yes, I know.” I need to get back to the others to announce our next steps and put them at ease.

I can’t say for certain if I’ll be able to achieve that last piece after the disaster that happened at the bunker.

The one place that should have been most secure, and I failed in upholding that promise.

Not only had GE gotten in, but I’d been complicit in its occurrence.

I’d brought that smiling, psychotic man directly to us.

“Keep them safe, Kellan. I don’t plan to be long, but I need to make sure the Guild is settled.”

“With my life,” he says, his tone serious.

I cast a final look at Dane, promising him silently that we’ll get him home soon, then walk out of his room.

Cibrina follows a few steps back, giving me the space I need without me having to say a word.

For me, business comes first. There are steps that must be taken for everyone’s safety and peace of mind, and I will always prioritize the others under my protection first.

But once that’s done…

When I don’t have to stand tall as a leader or be an example of calm for the others…

When I’m finally alone…

That’s when I’ll let go.

When I’ll release this pent-up anger that’s burning me from the inside.

And I’ll plan the death of Charles Whitmore to the very last detail.

It’s unplanned, but I pivot and open the door to Raegan’s room without warning Cibrina.

I’d already visited her room, but I can’t leave without seeing her one more time.

Jackson’s sitting on the narrow footboard of the bed, his boots rudely planted on the blankets as he sharpens one of his blades.

“You didn’t stop me from opening the door,” I croon softly, the accusation clear.

Jack smirks and continues to run his blade through the sharpener.

“I knew it was you.”

I fist his hoodie.

“How?” I demand. “We still don’t know every single gift the enemy has at their disposal. Someone could copy how I look, how I sound. No one enters this room until you’ve vetted them, understand?”

His smirk widens, and his eyes look wild while they pin mine.

I restrain the instinctual shudder that look gives me, holding fast against him.

This isn’t something I’ll back down on.

I won’t let them touch her again.

No matter what that might look like moving forward.

“Cassandra’s at the door,” is how he replies, and I release him to stalk to the closed door.

I hear Cibrina behind it.

“You should be in bed!”

“Please. I can help,” Cassandra begs.

“Yes, you can. After you’re better,” Cibrina soothes.

“I can do some now,” the healer argues.

“I know we can’t stay here long. Let me at least get them better enough that we can all leave tomorrow.”

There’s silence as if Cibrina’s thinking it over.

Cassandra leaps at that opening to push even more.

“ This is what I’m here for. It’s the only thing I can help with. If anyone can understand, it’s you. We can’t fight like they can. But this… please let me do this. I need to be useful, or else…I just…”

“I’ll ask Aiden. He’ll make the final decision.”

As soon as the first knock hits the door, I open it.

“Aiden,” Cibrina begins, and I wave them inside, stopping Cassandra mid-rush to get to Raegan.

“Wait.” I hold her back by her uninjured shoulder, only releasing her once I’m sure she’ll stay still so I can look at her.

Her shoulder is bandaged, and her arm is in a sling.

The rest of her is unharmed, thankfully, but I’m not sure what kind of drain these healings will have on her and how it will affect her own healing.

“I’m fine. I know my body better than any of you,” she says stubbornly while raising her chin with a sniff.

Shaking my head, I mutter beneath my breath about strong-willed, stubborn women and move aside.

She sidles up to Raegan’s bedside.

If not for her pallid complexion and some bruising, no one would realize how injured she is.

There’s an IV feeding her fluids and pain medication on the opposite side of the bed.

She could technically wake up at any time, which is what makes it so difficult to leave.

I want to be here when she wakes up.

Cassandra gently tugs the blankets down to expose more of the hospital gown, then places her hand on Raegan’s chest. Her eyes begin to glow just before she shuts them, concentrating on rooting out every injury.

The room is silent while she works.

Jackson even stopped sharpening after she started her healing, his focus consumed entirely by watching Raegan for any sign of improvement.

Only because we’re watching her so intently do I think we’re able to actually witness the color returning to her face.

The smoother rise and fall of her chest that’s no longer agitated.

I breathe a relieved exhale, then touch Cassandra’s shoulder to remind her this was only meant to be a brief healing.

Dane and Reid will need far more, and I don’t know how much she has left before she’s drained.

Cassandra blinks, coming to, then smiles at me.

“There. She should be okay to leave after she gets the sleep she needs.”

Frowning, I ask, “How much did you heal?”

She shrugs, and her smile curls a bit before she looks away.

“Enough. Can someone show me where the others are?”

“I’ll take you to them,” Cibrina offers, slipping me a smile and a nod.

She knows I wish to stay here with Raegan, and she’s giving me that extra time now at least until Cassandra is finished.

I owe her more than I think I’ll ever be able to repay.

She was the one who gathered most of the Guild members and locked them away where GE couldn’t find them.

GE stole the ones we’d rescued in quarantine, but outside of that?

Tinsley and five others.

It could have been much worse.

But Cibrina’s quick thinking and action kept the others safe.

The ones she didn’t reach were protected by the members who stepped up to fight back.

Members like Evie. Silas.

Fabian. Even Gabriel and Zedd.

And Cassandra. With no fighting gift, she still found weapons to defend and protect the kids who had escaped the quarantine floor .

The sound of metal scraping on metal brings me back.

I cut a look at Jackson, who smirks but keeps his gaze on his work, and then I turn my focus to Raegan.

I’m not sure how long Cassandra will be, but I drag the overstuffed chair to her bedside and sit anyway.

Leaning my elbows on the bed so I can be close, I take her nearest hand in both of mine, bringing it to my lips.

No more, I promise her silently.

Whether or not she heels to my demands to make her safe is a problem for later.

It’s easy to imagine her doing what I say when she’s asleep like this, when her expression is soft and peaceful now that she’s healed, and her pretty lips part as if asking for me to kiss them.

Her present state reminds me of Sleeping Beauty.

A princess in bed, asleep and vulnerable as she waits for her true love’s kiss from Prince Charming to wake her.

But I’m no Prince Charming.

I’d be the villain who locked her away.

To keep her safe.

To keep her for myself.