"Wait up, sweethearts. There’s a nice little bar just down here. How about a quick drink with us?" one of them drawls, practically blocking Lake’s way.
My eyes sweep the walls until I spot another security camera over the elevator doors.
Perfect.
It costs me no effort. In less than a second, the camera crumbles to dust, black grit sprinkling to the floor. No one notices.
"Thanks, but we really have to go," Lake says, starting to turn.
That’s when one alpha grabs his arm. The other reaches for his braid.
A surge of rage hits me like wildfire.
Before anything else can happen, before Lake can even react, I explode.
The first alpha goes flying, and glides nearly fifty feet before crashing into a trash bin.
Silence falls on us.
Lake spins, staring at me, eyes wide. So does the second alpha.
"What the fuck," the man rasps. "You little bitch, what did you—"
I only smile darkly. In half a heartbeat I send him flying too. He slams into the far wall and lands hard on top of his buddy, both sprawled out and motionless.
Lake looks from them to me, then again to the alphas, his mouth twitching into a slightly uneasy smile. He swallows with some difficulty, before saying,
"Umm. Well, that surely settles the matter. I think we’d better get out of here. Mall security’s gonna have some questions if they catch wind of this."
He gestures lightly toward a side passage, steering me away.
Of course I follow him, having no desire to talk to anyone, and there are a few people lingering in the main hall. I’m afraid they might glance our way and take an interest in the two unconscious alphas lying there.
So much for my attempts to stay invisible in public places. I’m sure that once those alphas recover and report the incident to security, they’ll easily spot us on footage from other cameras. I sigh heavily, angry at myself.
Looking around, Lake and I slip quickly out of a side corridor, heading toward a big clothing store.
He gives me a look that is part embarrassment, part amusement, and maybe even a trace of… respect.
"Sun mentioned briefly you had power, but I didn’t know it was on that level. I always thought it was rose omegas who carried gifts like that. But you’re not one of them, are you?"
It takes everything I have to force my lips into a reply, but I really want to. The effort of pushing through that strange fog filling my body costs me more than I want to admit.
Wincing in pain, I push out, "No. My brother Moon is the rose omega, he’s the clairvoyant. I… I’m something else."
I’m proud of myself for getting the words out, despite the pain. I really want to be able to communicate with Lake, at least a little.
"Well, I know a bit about people like you. Snow is like this too. The urban legends call your kind ‘sorcerers’, don’t they? There are only a handful of you in the world."
I stay silent. Everyone in ABO society has heard that some people carry a very high concentration of alien DNA in their blood. The terminology varies, but I’ve always felt I’m one of them, though I have no proof and have never met another like me to compare myself with. Or I don’t remember? The amnesia thing is still on.
Lake continues, "Snow’s gifts are unusual. He never explained them in detail, but regarding his clairvoyance, he can do even more; he can actually slightly shift events that are about to happen. But that’s only part of it. He also has other… skills. His power is layered, complicated. He almost never talks about it, he’s too… modest. I know he’s spent years trying to master it, and it wasn’t easy for him. It’s delicate, subtle, and hard to control."
I listen with genuine fascination, hungry for more, but clearly Lake doesn’t know the finer details either.
He studies me for a moment as we stop outside the store.
"Anyway, thanks for, you know…" He spreads his arms. "Kind of saving me. It’s a relief to know that when I’m with you, I don’t need to carry a weapon." And he grins.
