The Zeuorian Awakening (24 page)

“What?” Lexi gave him are-you-kidding-me look. “You think I wanted to sleep with him.”

“No I don’t.” Everett kissed her forehead. “I think you may be an empath like Angie, but a supercharged version. Sometimes empaths aren’t able to differentiate their emotions from others their sensing. You probably were acting out Tyler’s feelings since he isn’t a half-breed and can’t control your mind.”

“Are you sure he’s not a half-breed?” Lexi asked.

“He’s a human.” Angie said. “I asked my father if Tyler could be a half-breed when you suspected him as being your Watcher. He can detect our kind. He swore to me Tyler and his father were human.”

Could it be possible she acted on Tyler’s feelings and no one had been controlling her? Maybe? She did recall thinking she had been mimicking Tyler’s feeling. Now that she thought about it. She had mimicked Everett’s feelings too when they kissed to an extent, but she didn’t have a problem copying his desires compared to Tyler’s.

So she was an empath and it appeared she also could develop multiple abilities at once. No wonder why she caused a typhoon. She can’t imagine what else she would do the next time multiple abilities develop at once.

“Don’t beat yourself up.” Everett lifted her chin. “You wouldn’t have done anything that night if I had told you Tyler wasn’t your Watcher. I’m sorry. I should’ve realized I was putting you in more danger keeping my identity a secret than telling you right away.”

“Actually, it’s Tyler’s fault.” Lexi squeezed Everett’s hand, showing him she understood his reluctance to tell her the truth immediately. “The weather wouldn’t have gotten so bad if he hadn’t forced a kiss on me . . . oh, no.“ Her mouth went dry and she croaked out, “Tyler’s here.”

Tyler rushed toward them, shoving boys and girls out of his way. His face was tensed. His bruised jaw clenched. His eyes locked on to Everett. From the look of it, he wanted to pick up where they’d left off the night before.

Lexi turned to Everett. “We don’t have a lot of time for you to erase his thoughts about me. It’s now or never.”

“And it’s time for payback.” Everett cracked his knuckles. “’Cause no guy should ever force himself on you.” He backed up and prepared to run. “I’m going to hide by the cafeteria entrance. Bring that jerk to me and I’ll take care of him.”

After Everett ran toward the cafeteria, Lexi slid her arm through Angie’s and whispered, “I need your help to convince Tyler I had been waiting for him when Everett just showed up.”

Angie opened her mouth, but Lexi cut her off. “I’ll explain later,” she said. “So will you help me?”

“Sure, I got this,” Angie said with a wink.

Tyler stopped in front of them, out of breath. He stared at Lexi with piercing eyes. “Why were you talking to Everett? I thought you were going to meet me alone?”

“I’m so sorry, Tyler.” Angie batted her eyelashes. “It’s my fault. Everett wanted me to take him to Lexi. I didn’t realize she was waiting to see you.”

Lexi wanted to high five Angie, but she wasn’t out of hot water yet. She moved closer to Tyler and pushed out her lower lip, pretending to pout. Tyler’s expression softened. She said in her sweetest voice, “We’ll talk after class, I promise.” She slid her hand in his and rested her head on his shoulder.

Tyler stared at her hand in his for a second before he laughed. “Okay, but we’ll talk now.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her ear. “I’m taking you to my house so Everett can’t bother us.”

Oh no. She can’t let him take her toward the parking lot. Everett was waiting for him by the cafeteria side door. “Wait.” She planted her feet on the ground and stopped Tyler from moving. “I need to get a book from my locker. Then we can go to your house.”

Tyler let out his breath in a gust. “Fine. Come on then. I don’t want to get stuck inside after the bell rings.”

Before Lexi could say a word, Tyler pulled her toward the side door of the cafeteria. When he grabbed the door handle, Everett shoved him into the brick wall and pinned him with an elbow to his throat.

Everett stared into Tyler’s eyes. “You’re going to forget everything about Lexi and stay far away from her. She doesn’t want anything to do with a jerk like you.”

Tyler grabbed Everett’s T-shirt. “You’re going to be the one leaving her alone. I’ll make sure of it. If it’s the last thing I ever do.”

A teacher walked out of the cafeteria and Everett backed away from Tyler. He turned toward Lexi and shook his head—his memory push didn’t work. Damn, now what? Beg Tyler not to think about her.

Angie tugged at her hand. “Now can you tell me what’s going on?”

“Tyler’s obsessed with me,” Lexi said. “He’s been stalking me and came over to my house last night. He got into a fist fight with Everett when he refused to leave.” She paused before dropping the bomb on Angie. “He also knows I have, you know, and Everett couldn’t hold him long enough to make him forget it.”

Lexi nervously glanced around the crowd of students, most of who were staring at Tyler and Everett, but a few were staring at her with a look that sent a shiver down her spine.

“I’ve never seen that color of your feelings. What else is going on?” Angie demanded.

“Well,” Lexi fiddled with her backpack strap, “a half-breed followed Everett to town hoping to find me and after I caused the storm he suspects I’m here. Now that Tyler and Everett have fought in front of a bunch of people, he might investigate Tyler to determine why.”

“Oh, God, Lexi,” Angie grabbed her hand, “we’d better go to class and take you far away from both of them before he does read his thoughts.”

“I know.”

Lexi rushed into the school without glancing back at Tyler or Everett. All the while her premonition kept warning her,
Stephan had seen the show
.

Lexi peeked out her English classroom window at Everett and Tyler. They stood in front of a teacher. Both of them had their arms crossed over their chests as the teacher spoke and pointed at them.

“I can’t believe Tyler is stalking you.” Angie placed her Gucci bag on top of a desk. “You’re hot, but not that hot. No offense.”

“I know,” Lexi said. “I don’t think he’s stalking me either.”

The more she thought about Tyler and Dillon’s warning about him becoming obsessed when he wants something he can’t get, the more she doubted Tyler had been stalking her like a psycho. Rather he had been watching her like a crooked gambler attempting to control the game by any means possible: threatening boys to stay away from her, spying on her, eavesdropping on her and even breaking into her house. All so he could figure out the best thing to say or do to corner her into going out with him.

Dillon was right. Tyler could be a sneaky, manipulative bastard. She was glad to have figured it out before he tricked her into doing more than making out with him.

Angie pointed toward a young man with black hair and blue-tinted ends standing away from everyone and motioning for Everett to come over to him. “Who’s he,” she said.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”

Lexi quietly opened the window so she could listen to their conversation as Everett walked over to the young man with an annoyed look on his face. By Everett’s posture and clenched fists, Lexi could tell he was ready to pounce at any minute.

“What do you want from me now, Stephan?” Everett asked the young man.

“That’s the guy following Everett,” Lexi whispered to Angie. “I thought he would look older than a teenager and more scarier like someone in a horror movie, not a teenage musical.”

“Don’t let his looks fool you.” Angie leaned back to keep them from hearing her. “He’s a trained killer and a lot older than he appears. Half-breeds age slower after their awakening. No one in The Community looks older than thirty, even though most of them are in their seventies. If I had to guess, I would say he’s one of the older third gen half-breeds, which makes him about fifty.”

“Really, he’s that old?”

Lexi moved closer to the window and scrutinized over Stephan. His facial skin taught, muscles firm and posture perfectly straight. No sign he had been alive for fifties years like a human would show. The only sign he was older than Everett, his mannerism and the way he spoke.

Angie pulled Lexi away from the window when Stephan took a step closer to Everett with a threatening expression on his face. “You can drop the act,” Stephan said. “I know the full-breed is here. I saw her blow up the light pole and set off several car alarms the other day. I also saw her blow up the transformer by your place.”

Lexi gripped her stomach. Stephan had been close by when she caused both incidents. Did he already know she was the full-breed?

She probed Stephan’s thoughts, searching for a single sign he knew the truth about her. As far as she could tell Stephan had seen both incidents from a distance, but he hadn’t seen her when either of them happened. Nor had he seen her with Everett outside her house.

Oh, what a relief. She slumped and leaned against the window pane. “He doesn’t know I’m the one,” she said to Angie.”

Angie lifted her finger to her lips and pointed to Everett.

“And you’re telling me this why?“ Everett said, encouraging Stephan to get to the point of their confrontation.

Stephan’s eyes narrowed to two tiny slits as his hand balled into a fist. “So you would tell me who she is?”

“Even if I knew who she is,” Everett yawned, making a big show of being bored, “which I’m not saying I do, I’d never tell you.”

“Then I’ll have to make you tell me.”

Stephan gripped Everett’s forearm and yanked him close to him. He proceeded to twist Everett’s arm while staring into his eyes. Everett pursed his lips to keep from laughing.

Lexi turned to Angie, “What’s Stephan doing to Everett?”

Angie stood on the tip of her toes and tried to get a better look at Stephan. “I think he’s trying to read his past memories. They can only get a reading through their touch.”

If Stephan was a third generation half-breed, he would only have two powers. If he could read past memories and block Everett’s power with his mind control, then he couldn’t have telepathy too? That would explain why he used jumbled thoughts to keep Everett and her from listening to what he had planned in the woods. He couldn’t block his thoughts from them. But he could read their thoughts from their touch.

She turned to Angie. “Are you able to block a half-breed from reading your past?”

Angie shook her head. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he doesn’t touch me.”

Lexi and Angie turned back toward the window when Everett ripped Stephan’s hand from his arm. “You’re wasting your time trying to view my past,” he said. “My father taught me how to block that pathetic power a long time ago. I do it without even thinking about it.”

“Fine, I’ll do it the old fashion way.” Stephan moved closer to Everett and got into his face. “Why were you fighting with that boy again? He is the same boy you fought on the beach after pulling ashore that girl from drowning. Were you fighting over her again? Is she the full-breed?”

Lexi knew Everett saved her from drowning after he admitted to helping her and Tyler supposedly saved her from Everett carrying her away, but she never realized Tyler and Everett fought as Stephan watched. Luckily it seemed Stephan hadn’t been close to them or he would’ve known she had been the girl on the beach.

When Everett shoved Stephan away from him, she turned her attention back to them. “I never saved a girl from drowning,” Everett said, acting innocent. “And this is the first time I ever fought that jerk. It wasn’t over a girl. I bumped his precious car.”

“Don’t lie to me.” Stephan gripped Everett’s T-shirt and balled it up in his fist. “I saw you saving the girl and fighting with the boy on the beach.”

“Oh, you did,” Everett said, in a mocking tone. “Are you sure you’re not mistaking me with someone else?”

“I know you were on the beach. I followed you there,” Stephan said through clenched teeth. “You better start talking or I’m going force it out of you.”

Lexi watched as Stephan reached for something under his black jacket. It glistened when the sunlight shined on it. Oh, no, he had a knife. She lifted her hand and used her telekinesis to push a boy passing them into Stephan, making both of them fall to the ground.

“What the hell.” the boy shoved Stephan when he stood. “Don’t you look before—“ The boys eyes caught sight of the knife Stephan had in his hand and he let out a choking noise before running toward a teacher close by.

“You lucked out this time.” Stephan slowly backed away from Everett as the teacher headed in their direction. “But if I find you lied to me after I read that boy’s memory, I’m going kill you and the full-breed. I don’t care who your father is. You’re a traitor.”

“Go ahead read his thoughts.” Everett attempted to act nonchalant. “Then I won’t have to listen to you accuse me of something I didn’t do.”

“Oh, I will.”

Stephan shot Everett a dirty look before walking away. Everett let out his breath and glanced at Lexi with a concerned look on his face.
“We have a problem. I’m sure you figured out Stephan doesn’t have the power of telepathy, but he can view Tyler’s past memories with his touch,”
he said telepathically.
“I’m going to try and make sure he doesn’t get near Tyler. But you have to stay away from Tyler. Stephan may not be able to determine you’re the full-breed talking to him, but he will if Tyler makes you lose control.”

“
I don’t know if it’s even possible to avoid Tyler,”
Lexi said telepathically when Tyler entered the classroom and strolled toward her.

Lexi nudged Angie and motioned toward Tyler. “Go to the hall and warn me if Stephan comes anywhere near the class. I’m going to get rid of Tyler.”

Once Angie rushed to the door, Lexi focused on controlling her atomkinesis. When she felt confident of her hold on the weather, she moved toward the far corner of the class where no one would be able to see her from the window or from the hall. Tyler quickly followed after her and grabbed her hand before she reached the last desk in the aisle.