Revival (The Variant Series, #1)

  * * *

  “Twizzler for your thoughts?”

  Alex smiled. Nate appeared next to her, leaning against the wooden railing that lined the patio.

  “And here I thought they’d only fetch a penny,” she said.

  He held up a cord of the candy.

  “My favorite. How’d you know?”

  “Lucky guess.” He set the bag on the railing. Alex could just make out his grin in the darkness. “How you holding up?”

  Her expression was wry. “I’m holding up?”

  “Yeah,” he said slowly and turned to look out over the lake. “Guess today’s been a little rough.”

  Now that might just be the understatement of the century, she thought to herself.

  She followed his gaze. The placid waters of the lake below glistened in the dazzling glow of the full moon. Tendrils of low-lying fog stretched out from the lake-shore like misty fingers reaching out from the darkened edges of the forest.

  Up above them, the murky haze that had swallowed the cabin earlier in the day had given way to a perfectly empty expanse of sky, covered only by a blanket of twinkling stars.

  Where Alex lived, so close to the city, only a few dim constellations were visible on any given night. Here at the cabin, there were more stars shining brightly in the sky above her than she could count in ten lifetimes. She recognized the Milky Way, stretching out just to the right of the moon—a shining, cloudy belt marked by pinpricks of light, and lined on either side by bright strips of swirling white indigo, and a haze of red ocher close to the horizon.

  Alex smiled. This view was fantastic. The company wasn’t so bad either.

  Maybe this day wouldn’t be a total loss.

  After everything that had just happened, she couldn’t believe her ears, at first, when Connor had told her that it was their relationship he was hoping to discuss.

  But that was Connor, for you.

  He wasn’t all bad. He could be a little self-centered at times, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care.

  Alex had said as much to Cassie the day before. Her friend had merely sighed and said, “I swear, Alex, if you tried hard enough, you could find the bright side of a black hole. Just promise me you won’t spend so much time looking for the good in people that you ignore all the bad, okay? I’m sick of watching people walk all over you. And that little toad has done nothing but take advantage of your kindness since the first day you met.”

  Only Alex was finding it difficult to take Cassie’s advice this time.

  Every lick of common sense she possessed was telling her to send Connor packing… but her heart was having none of it.

  She was torn. It was written all over her face.

  Which was probably why Connor had cornered her after she’d finished her slice of pizza, once again eager to discuss where they stood.

  She couldn’t figure out how to answer him.

  Instead, she’d snagged the only coat hanging on the coat rack—Declan’s—and jumped… all the way to the patio. Let Connor think she was in Bora Bora somewhere. Just so long as she didn’t have to look into those big brown eyes again tonight.

  Just so long as she didn’t have to be strong enough to say “no” for a little while longer.

  Alex climbed up to sit on the railing. “Never did get that tour.”

  “First thing in the morning,” Nate smiled. “I promise.”

  Something in the pocket of her borrowed jacket began to vibrate. Alex reached inside and pulled out Declan’s cell phone.

  “It’s ringing,” she said.

  Nate took the phone from her, checked the caller ID, and answered it.

  “Monty,” he said. “It’s Nate.”

  Monty’s Brooklyn accent reached her loud and clear through the stillness of the night.

  “Hey, kid,” he sounded angry. “You know I don’t mind flying the old girl back solo, but the next time you decide to have Declan pick up Grayson, you’ve got to give me a heads up. I’ve been waiting on the tarmac for almost an hour.”

  “Whoa, Monty.” Nate pushed away from the railing and offered Alex a hand. She took it and hopped down. “What are you talking about?”

  Still holding her hand, Nate led Alex around the left side of the house. They came to a stop at the end of the flagstone path and Nate fixed his attention on one of the darkened upstairs windows

  “This afternoon Grayson called and told me to prep the jet and we’d leave for New York at ten,” he said. “Then he never showed. I just figured you’d come and got him.”

  The window they’d been staring at shuddered open. It took Alex a second to realize that Nate had been the one to raise it.

  “Yo, Decks!” Nate shouted.

  “Ack!” Alex could hear Monty grumbling on the other end of the line. “Christ, kid, cover the mouthpiece when you do that. My hearing’s bad enough as it is.”

  Nate pulled the phone away from his ear. “Decks!” he shouted again.

  “What is it?” asked Alex. Nate seemed to have forgotten that he was still holding her hand.

  “Something’s wrong,” he replied, and then shouted again. “Dammit, Declan, get your ass out of bed!”

  A light flicked on and Declan stumbled into view through the open window. He looked to be only half awake and was missing his shirt.

  Alex, on the other hand, was not missing that shirt in the slightest.

  “What?” Declan snapped. His voice held that same low, rumbling quality that it had carried that morning. He squinted down at them, first zeroing in on their joined hands, and then on Alex. “Hey. Is that my jacket?”

  “Did you pick up Grayson?” Nate asked before Alex could attempt an answer.

  “What?” he said. “No. Why?”

  “Monty, when did you last hear from Grayson?” Nate asked into the phone.

  “Around four,” he said. “I’ve been trying his cell since he didn’t show at ten. Tried his hotel, too. They said he checked out a couple hours ago. If he ain’t at the cabin, where’d he go?”

  “I don’t know,” said Nate. “Listen, stay in DC another night, just in case.”

  “Alright, kid,” he said.

  “And Monty?”

  “Yeah, kid?”

  “Call me if you hear anything.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Nate ended the call.

  “What’s going on?” asked Declan.

  “Put a shirt on and round up the others,” said Nate. “We’re going to DC.”

  — 15 —

  The seven of them stood crowded together in the narrow hallway of the apartment complex.

  “This is a bad idea,” said Kenzie.

  “Like we have a choice?” said Declan.

  “If you’d just let us come with you, this wouldn’t be a problem,” said Brian.

  Kenzie shook her head. “Not gonna happen, kid,” she said. “You’ll be safe here until we get back.”

  The hallway fell quiet.

  “Is someone gonna knock on that door?” asked Cassie. “Or are we just going to stand out here in the hall all night and listen to Connor’s freakishly heavy breathing?”

  “Hey!” said Connor.

  “Go ahead and knock, Decks,” said Nate.

  “How come Kenzie gets to go and I don’t?” asked Brian.

  “Because I’ll be able to pick up on your dad’s thoughts if he’s around and we’ll be able to find him more easily,” Kenzie replied.

  “You’re our fearless leader, Nate,” said Declan. “You knock on the damn door.”

  “Yeah and he’s your cousin,” Nate countered.

  Brian craned his neck to peer up at Nathaniel. “I thought you guys were friends.”

  Nate shrugged. “Oklahoma,” he said, as though the word were explanation enough.

  “Oh, right,” said Brian. “Forgot.”

  Cassie shared a look with Alex. Her friend simply shrugged in reply.

  Boys.

  Deciding that all the men prese
nt were not only idiots, but chickens as well, Cassie sighed, stepped forward, and raised a hand to knock on the door. She didn’t get the chance.

  The door swung open.

  Cassie stepped back.

  Looming over her in the doorway was a guy who appeared to be in his early twenties. Definitely not the elderly grandmother–type she’d been expecting after Declan had so infuriatingly used the word “babysitter” earlier.

  She was also quick to note that the man staring down at her was built like a god, with wavy, dirty-blond hair that came to his shoulders and eyes the color of jade.

  Cassie was starting to wonder if all the guys in this new world of Alex’s were destined to be so ridiculously attractive.

  When the powers-that-be were handing out mutant abilities, they must have decided to throw in perfect physiques and soulful eyes to go along with each of them.

  It appeared to be a package deal.

  “Down, girl,” Kenzie whispered in her ear.

  “What the hell are you four doing in Newport?” he asked. “Does Grayson know you’re here?”

  “Hello, Aiden,” said Nate.

  “Nate,” said Aiden. “You want to tell me why there’s a party going on in my hallway?”

  The ruggedly handsome blonde appraised the group. When his scrutiny fell on Alex, his eyes widened almost imperceptibly and his gaze flickered toward Nathaniel. Cassie watched as Nate subtly shook his head “no” in answer to Aiden’s silent question.

  What was all that about?

  “We need a favor,” said Declan, cutting to the point.

  “Has hell already frozen over?” Aiden asked, his voice droll. “I must have missed the memo.”

  “You know we wouldn’t be here if we had another option,” said Nate.

  “Do you remember what happened the last time I tried to help you?” He leaned heavily against the doorjamb. “There’s still bullet holes the size of dinner plates in the sides of Norma Jean.”

  Bullet holes? And what, exactly, had become of this Norma Jean person?

  “Norma Jean’s his truck,” Kenzie explained in another whisper. “He named it after Marilyn Monroe. Aiden sort of has a thing for blondes.”

  A thing for blondes, huh?

  “Grayson’s missing and Carson Brandt…” Nate trailed off.

  Cassie shivered. She’d spent the entire night trying to think about something—anything—other than that name.

  If she didn’t think about it, it hadn’t happened.

  “Well, he’s been giving us some trouble,” Nate finished. “We were hoping Brian and a couple of norms could stay here with you. Just until we find the boss.”

  “You have a supernatural hit man after you and you came to my apartment?” He didn’t look happy.

  To be honest, if a bunch of people showed up at Cassie’s door with someone like Brandt after them, she wouldn’t be too happy about it either.

  That man had more than a few screws loose.

  She wrung her hands as though the motion might somehow wipe clean the memories of that afternoon.

  Of the cold cloth drenched with chloroform that had covered her mouth and nose. Of waking up alone in the pitch-black trunk of a car. Of the sweltering heat and the dank smell of mildew which permeated the long-abandoned warehouse. Of Brandt and the fire he toyed with as he sat for hours, just watching her.

  He hadn’t touched her.

  He hadn’t needed to.

  His presence and that flame had been enough of a threat.

  When Cassie finally stepped foot on the dock and saw Alex waiting for her at the other end, she’d been both hopeful and terrified. Part of her had wanted her friend to stay away—far away—but the rest of her knew that it would have marked the end of her usefulness to Brandt.

  Now here they were, hours later, still running from him.

  All the way to Newport, apparently.

  Cassie attempted to distract herself from that line of thought by trying to remember what state Newport was in. This whole jumping-as-a-mode-of-transportation thing was going to take some getting used to.

  “Can you help us or not?” asked Declan.

  Aiden’s green eyes raked over the group in another silent assessment. Cassie didn’t miss the fact that his gaze seemed to linger on her just a bit longer than anyone else.

  “Fine,” he said, stepping back to give them room to walk inside. “But if my place gets torched over this, Grayson’s footing the bill.”