Revival (The Variant Series, Book 1) (16 page)

“Put out the flames around Alex,” Declan ordered.

The fiery circle dissipated and a cool rush of evening air settled over her. She sighed in relief.

“Alex?” Declan called over his shoulder. “You okay?”

Alex, still on her hands and knees, cast a sidelong glance at the pile of smoldering ashes and scorched bones that had once been a teenage girl. She could taste the bile rising in her throat and turned away.

No one deserved a death like that.

“
Lex?
” Declan asked again, this time taking his eyes off Brandt long enough to shoot her a worried glance.

“Fine,” Alex forced out. “I’m fine.”

“Guess we’ll have to resume your lesson later, pet.” Brandt gave an impish smile.

The smile made her nervous. He had a gun to his head—so why was Brandt talking like he had a way out?

A familiar charge began building in the air. She looked quickly to Declan and found her own confusion mirrored back in his puzzled expression.

...And then Brandt teleported.

Alex stared dumbly at the place where Brandt had once stood.

“What the…” said Nate.

“Huh,” said Declan, lowering the gun. “I can honestly say, I didn’t see that one coming.”

Connor was clinging to the side of the dock. When he caught sight of what remained of Veronica, he started to gag.

“Are you alright?” Alex hurried to Cassie’s side, pulling her friend into a fierce hug. “Did he hurt you? Cass, I am so sorry. This is all my fault. I should have—”

“It’s okay,” said Cassie as she pushed Alex back to arms length. She smiled weakly. “I’m okay. I’m confused and I want some answers… but I’m okay.”

Alex chewed her bottom lip. Sure Cassie
looked
okay, but who knew what Brandt had put her through?

Connor pulled himself back onto the dock and sat down heavily beside Cassie. He couldn’t seem to tear his gaze from Veronica’s remains.

Already on her feet, Jessica looked back and forth between them, then made a break for it, sprinting toward the shore.

“Jess, wait!” Connor called. “Where are you going?”

 Jessica bumped into Declan in her rush to get away. He made no move to stop her.

“Let her go,” said Nate. “She’ll be alright.”

Alex watched the girl vanish into the brush that lined the shore. She hoped Nate was right. So long as Brandt was on the loose, she wasn’t sure that
anyone
would be safe.

Declan and Nathaniel came to stand beside Alex, two looming shadows in the fading light of the sunset.

“She’s dead,” Connor mumbled to himself, his attention having returned to Vee’s remains. He raked a hand through his hair. “She’s really dead. Christ.”

Alex knew she ought to be feeling something right now.

Shock. Anger. Remorse. Pity.

Instead she just felt numb.

“We should go,” said Nate. “In case he comes back.”

“Go where?” Alex heard herself ask. She fought to regain her focus.

“The cabin,” answered Declan.

Connor and Cassie observed the exchange silently. Alex took Cassie’s hand in hers. “They’re coming with us.”

Declan and Nate exchanged a look. Alex couldn’t read their expressions in the dim light, but it was obvious they weren’t keen on the idea.

“I don’t care where we go,” said Alex. “It doesn’t have to be the cabin. I’m not leaving them here.”

“Alex—” Nate began.

“I’m.
Not
. Leaving. Them. Here.”

Declan sighed. “Fine, we’ll bring them to the cabin. But only for tonight. After that they’re on their own.”

With his face in shadow Alex couldn’t be certain, but Declan appeared to be glowering at Connor as he spoke. She tightened her grip on Cassie and reached across her friend to take Connor’s hand.

“Cabin?” asked Cassie. “What—”

Alex jumped, transporting the three of them from the dock to the cabin’s living room.

“—cabin?” Cassie finished. She blinked and looked around. “Ohmigod.”

“Where are we?” Connor stood up. “How the heck did we get
here
?”

“Alex! You’re okay!”

Alex, who had been kneeling next to Cassie when they reappeared on the living room rug, was knocked sideways by a mousy-haired blur.

“Whoa!” The blur had his arms wrapped around her in a vice-like grip. “Easy there, Brian.”

Brian grinned happily down at her. She forced a smile for his benefit.

A flash of light from the kitchen signaled Declan and Nate’s return, just as heavy footsteps came thundering down the staircase. Kenzie paused mid-way down the steps to take in the scene. “You’re alive! Thank God. Now please tell me Declan didn’t shoot anyone.”

Brian helped Alex to sit up.

“Declan didn’t shoot anyone,” said Declan as he walked into the living room. “Brandt jumped before he gave me a reason to pull the trigger.”

Kenzie rounded the kitchen table. “I’m sorry, I must have heard that wrong. Did you say he
jumped
? As in,
jumped
-jumped?”

“Yep.” Nate joined them from the kitchen, a bag of frozen peas pressed against the burn on his forearm. “He jumped.”

“That’s impossible,” said Kenzie. “Brandt controls fire… That’s it.”

“Not anymore, apparently,” said Declan. He pulled the gun from his waistband, set it on the coffee table and then collapsed onto the couch. Alex eyed the gun curiously, reminding herself to ask him about it later.

Cassie took hold of Alex’s arm. “Who are all these people, where are we, how did you bring us here and what in God’s name did that psychopath want with you?”

“I…” Alex trailed off, struck by how similar the string of questions were to the ones she’d posed to Declan after their splashdown in the lake the day before.

Had it really only been a day since all this started?

Cassie was staring at her expectantly.

Alex had no idea where to begin. She wondered if Declan hadn’t answered her yesterday for the same reason.

“But he’s
ancient
,” Kenzie continued before Alex could reply. “You don’t just live forty-five years of your life and then wake up one day with a second ability. That’s not how it works.”

“You can stand there and argue with me all you like, but that won’t change what happened, Kenzie. The man jumped,” said Declan.

At that point, Connor and Cassie both turned to Alex wearing identical masks of confusion.

“Explanation,” said Cassie. “Now.”

— 14 —

“A
nybody ever tell you your bedside manner sucks, Kenzie?”

“Anybody ever tell you that you need to grow a pair, Nate?” she countered. “Seriously, son. Suck it up. I’m trying to help you here.”

Kenzie applied another butterfly bandage to the gash on Nathaniel’s forehead. He hissed in pain and gripped the edge of the dining room table.

“Baby,” Kenzie mumbled.

Declan’s gaze slid past them and out the bay window.

Alex and her friends were still seated in the adirondack chairs on the patio, awash in the orange glow of the exterior lights, talking. They’d been out there for nearly half an hour.

He’d been waiting for them to come back inside so that he could get Alex alone long enough to tell her what a colossally stupid idea it had been for her to try and meet with Brandt alone. If he and Nate hadn’t found them, she and her friends might
all
be dead right now.

Declan felt Alex’s emotions surge again.

It seemed to be happening every time the meathead seated to her right opened his mouth. He should do them all a favor and just keep it shut.

Honestly, though. What could Alex possibly have seen in that guy? He gave new life to the dumb-jock stereotype.

The day before, Declan had been forced to suffer through Alex and Cassie’s hour-long discussion about Connor while he’d watched over them sunbathing at the beach.

The view had been excellent. The girl talk had been torture.

Declan now knew more than he ever wanted to know about the relationship between Alex and Connor.

Cassie was right. Connor was a dick.

So why was Alex getting so worked up over having him here?

Up until tonight, she’d been doing a much better job at controlling the extra energy being generated by her fluctuating emotions. Now, for whatever reason, Declan had once again found himself having to be the one to handle the excess current.

Outside, Connor’s mouth was moving again.

He really ought to look to that.

Declan sighed and siphoned off a bit more energy. Alex noticed that time. She turned to look at him through the window, the lines of her face painted in a frown. Whatever they were discussing, it had her upset.

He nodded toward the front door in an attempt to get her to come inside. She held up a finger.

Hold on
, she mouthed, and then turned to say something to Connor.

Declan was trying hard not to take that personally.

It wasn’t going so well.

“Pizza’s ready,” Brian said from the other side of the pass-through window. “You guys want a slice?”

“You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar,” said Kenzie as she closed the first-aid kit with a snap. “I would love one.”

“Nate?” asked Brian.

“When have I ever said no to pizza?”

“What about you, Declan? … Declan?”

“What?” He looked around. Brian was handing Kenzie a plate through the window. “Oh. I’ll grab a slice later, kid, thanks.”

It was obvious Alex wouldn’t be making her way back inside so that they could have that conversation any time soon. Declan got to his feet and made for the front door.

Guess he’d just have to bring the conversation to her, then.

Declan stepped out onto the patio and approached the trio. “We need to talk,” he said.

“I’ll be inside in a minute, Declan,” said Alex, sounding tired.

“
Now
would work better.” He came to a stop beside her chair.

She shifted in her seat to look up at him. “You have less patience than a three-year-old, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told.” Declan bent down, snagged her by the elbow and teleported them to his bedroom.

Alex—who had been in a seated position when they jumped—landed hard on her backside.

“Would you please stop doing that?” she snapped.

“Doing what?”

“Teleporting me someplace without warning me first.” She put her hands on her hips and fixed him with a cold stare. “Once in a while, a little heads up would be nice.”

What had
her
knickers in such a twist?

He
was the one who ought to be angry right now.

“And in case you hadn’t noticed, I was in the middle of a conversation,” she added.

He raised an eyebrow at that. She hadn’t looked to be enjoying that conversation very much. Really, she ought to have been thanking him for providing her with an exit.

“What was that pinhead saying that had you so riled up, anyway?” He crossed his arms. “I was getting tired of having to control the excess currents you were calling up every two seconds.”

Alex opened her mouth to say something and then snapped it closed again. “It was nothing,” she said finally.

“Riiiight. You realize you were summoning more energy talking to Connor tonight than you did in the
bookshop
? Apparently, for you, talking to that guy is more stressful than the threat of being burned alive.”

And yet she’d been the one to insist on bringing him here.

Women
.

“He’s been wanting to talk for a couple of days now, so I decided to hear him out,” she said, looking everywhere but at Declan. “Apparently he broke up with Jessica last week. He was trying to give me some half-assed apology for cheating on me with her back in January.”

Declan felt the currents surge again, but this time Alex took care of it.

“He wants to get back together,” she finished.

“And you said…?” he tried to keep his tone disinterested.

Surely she wasn’t stupid enough to get back with him. Not that he cared, he reminded himself.

“I haven’t said
anything
,” she said. “You interrupted me before I could answer him.”

He congratulated himself on his excellent timing.

“And after everything that’s happened today,” she said. “Well, it hardly seems like the time to be discussing failed relationships.”

“See? You
are
grateful I hijacked your conversation.”

Alex sighed and looked around, finally realizing where they were. “What are we doing in your bedroom?”

He shrugged. “Wanted someplace private to talk. It’s cold by the lake right now, so it was either this or one of the bathrooms.”

Alex sent him a look that walked the line between amusement and exasperation. She appeared to be struggling to keep her lips from curving into a smile. “What did you want to talk about, Declan?”

The hint of her smile had drained away the last of his anger.

Suddenly, Declan was at a loss. Lecturing her for being so reckless seemed kind of pointless in light of what had happened. Her classmate was dead. What more was there to say?

“You scared the hell out of me, you know. If Brian hadn’t had that vision…” Declan swallowed and stared at the hardwood floor beneath Alex’s feet. He wasn’t sure what he’d planned on saying, but that definitely hadn’t been it.

He glanced up. She met his gaze.

“Declan, I—”

A knock sounded at Declan’s door.

Declan couldn’t decide whether to be annoyed, or grateful for the interruption.

“
What
?” he called.

The door opened and Cassie walked in.

“I’ve come to reclaim my friend. You have this nasty habit of stealing her away from me when I least expect it.” Cassie’s voice was light, but Declan didn’t miss the hint of accusation hiding in her words. “C’mon, Alex. That wonderful smell coming from downstairs is pizza. Trust me. You want some.”

Whatever Alex had been about to say before Cassie knocked died unspoken on her lips as she followed the blue-eyed blonde out into the hallway.