Burn Read online

  “He was with Kindred for a bit. What if he put some sort of trap within Brennan’s mind? Is that something he could do?” Tray asked. He was anxiously spinning his red rubber ball around the room.

  Lena nodded. “Unfortunately, I think he could. But I’m not sure that’s all this is. “Brennan, I know it hurts, but you need to put the wall down. Please. Push at the flames. Put them out and let us in.”

  As if the red glowing eyes weren’t bad enough, now the flame tattoos on his hands seemed to be coming to life as well. “He’s losing all semblance of whatever control he may have had,” Rae whispered. “We may need to get out of here pretty soon.”

  “We can’t leave him,” I argued. “We came to help him. What help would it be to leave him to burn in his own house?”

  Rae glanced anxiously toward the man on the floor. “What help would we be if he accidentally burns us all?” she countered.

  “No,” Brennan muttered. “Not again. I won’t hurt my family.”

  He was out of it. Nothing we said seemed to be getting through. Instead, he seemed lost in his world of burning pain.

  “I warned you all to stay away from what’s mine.” Tray’s voice, but not his words.

  “Cousin,” Lena said coldly. “What did you do?”

  Tray’s body shrugged indifferently as he nudged at Brennan with his toe. “Only what I said. Your little fire starter is going to find himself the murderer of all of you. If it’s any consolation, he won’t remember that he killed you. It’s something my predecessor set up in case the kid ever had any notion of taking back control of his powers.”

  “The Mastermind did this?” Lena growled. I tried to get a read on Kindred through Tray’s mind, and only felt a tiny hint of sympathy.

  “Of course. I want to play with his power, not kill the guy. Oh well. C’est la vie. Nothing I can do about it while his mind is blocked off from mine. Good luck fixing him. Hope to see you all later. By the way, this guy’s power,”—he pointed at Tray’s chest—“Very fun. Did you know he could be just as destructive as either the Earthshaker or Inferno? So tempting to take him right now. He has no one protecting him.”

  Cole came up behind him and dropped a hand on his shoulder firmly. “Yes, he does. We just needed to know what you knew. Now, GET OUT!”

  Tray’s legs gave out, but Cole was able to guide him down onto the sofa. “You’re all right, buddy,” he assured his friend. “Just relax.”

  Brennan had stopped muttering, but the tattoos still writhed with flame. “Push it out,” I said suddenly. “Brennan, push out the extra fire. Put it back into the fireplace. You have to.”

  Laurie gave me a sideways look before nodding. “I think she’s right, Brennan. Just… I don’t know. Try to reverse what you do to absorb it. But you have to do it now.”

  His head moved, but whether it was a muscle twitch or a nod of acknowledgment I couldn’t tell. I wanted to touch him, to give him some comfort, but with all the heat coming off him, I couldn’t.

  “You can do it, Bren,” I encouraged.

  Brennan was curled on the floor, and as he shifted, he moved to aim his face toward the fireplace. I felt my eyes widen as the flickering flames over his arms began to shift to his fingertips. He sat up and moved his arms as if shaking the flames off. I took a step forward to see better and watched as the fire seemed to recede from his eyes, and escape through his fingers.

  Only a few seconds later there was a gently flickering flame in the fireplace, and Brennan sagged wearily on the floor.

  A shaky hand raised to wipe his sweaty brow, and he looked at us as if he were surprised to not be alone.

  “Cole, take a look. Try to get a good picture of what’s going on in his head,” Laurie said. “Emotionally, all I can say is that he’s worried and scared.”

  “Not without his permission,” I warned, noting a moment of panic flitting through Brennan’s dark eyes. “Somehow, I don’t think he would appreciate it.”

  Cole nodded and approached Brennan as if he were coming toward a scared child. “What do you say, Brennan? Can I take a look to see why that just happened?”

  Brennan raised his eyes to meet Cole’s, and he gave a reluctant nod.

  Sinking to his knees, Cole put his hand on the side of Brennan’s head. Brennan leaned into the touch and closed his eyes.

  “There’s something… some odd blockage here,” Cole told us. His eyes began to turn white as he went in deeper. “Brennan, help me toward the center of your power. You said you’d found it, lead me, and I can help to free it.”

  Lena stepped forward. “Cole, if you need help, just let me know. Brennan, I won’t do anything to harm you. If you let me in, I’ll do everything I can to set things right.”

  I put a hand on her arm and smiled. “Thank you.”

  She gave a wry half-smile. “I haven’t done anything yet, but you’re welcome.”

  Cole and Brennan were quiet for now, so I turned toward Tray, who appeared a bit shaken by his experience. Without much thought, I placed a hand on his shoulder. It seemed to prompt him to finally speak.

  “He threatened to use me the way he’s done to Jason and Brennan. That he would take all my control and shred it,” he told us. The thoughts running through his mind were chaotic. Panic and fear ran rampant. Worry that if his hard-won control was destroyed, he would harm those he cared about.

  “We won’t let that happen, Tray,” Cade assured him. “You’re guarded now, too. We’re just figuring out how to protect Brennan, but we can protect you as well.”

  “How? The two of you can’t protect both of us indefinitely.”

  Cade stood and grasped Tray’s shoulder firmly. “We will do what we have to do. He won’t take you too.”

  Lena seconded the sentiment. “You won’t be unprotected. Kindred knows I’m here now. He likes to push his limits, but I believe he’ll be cautious from now on. With so many people here with mental abilities, he knows he has to tread more cautiously.”

  Tray raised an eyebrow, and I felt a matching incredulous look on my own face. “Him kidnapping Brennan, and taking over Tray’s mind is treading carefully?”

  Lena gave a dark chuckle. “For him? Yeah. Sort of, anyway. Until now, I’ve only seen him wary of one other person. That person isn’t here. Yet he is hesitant to come. Even given Cole’s abilities, he left easily. Perhaps you were allowing him an opening to find out what he knows. But even with that, he left too easily.”

  I could read the truth of her feelings in her mind. She believed the combination of all the powers in this house made Kindred uneasy. Not scared enough to stop what he was doing, unfortunately. But maybe nervous enough that he might start making mistakes.

  “Any hint of who he’s masquerading as?” Tray asked. The question seemed to be aimed toward Lena, but the younger girl shook her head. “He wasn’t thinking about that. And I doubt he will. Hiding his identity is practically second nature to him.”

  Lena’s eyes lost their focus, and she started to move toward Brennan again. “They found something.” She spoke in a steady tone. “The trap laid by my cousin’s predecessor. The Mastermind wanted to make sure Brennan couldn’t access his full power.”

  Couldn’t access… Which meant even if Brennan had acknowledged the part of his ability he could use to start fires, he wouldn’t have been able to do it. “Can we remove it?” I asked.

  A moment passed before I got a response. “It will take some time, but it should be possible,” Cole said. His eyes were still white as he remained focused on Brennan.

  My spirit began to lift, until Lena broke in. “But if we do, in all likelihood, he will have zero control. He could destroy everything.”

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Lena

  There had to be some way to keep Brennan’s powers under some semblance of control. Everything I could glean about the mental block the Mastermind had placed warned me that removing it ran a high risk of triggering an… well, an explosion. A much larger hazard than what h
appened when Brennan attempted to take control of his abilities.

  What happened when he tried to do more than he’d ever done before, had been a warning for him not to try at all. A fiery attack on his own body. Not one that was much of a threat to anyone around him. Just enough to make him afraid to learn more about his power.

  Jade watched everything in an attempt to get a read that might help the situation. “Can’t one of you make a block for the trap? Lock it up in a mental box or something, so you can get rid of it?”

  There was a knock on the door before I could answer, and we all looked at each other. Brennan waved a hand toward the door. “Someone find out who it is.”

  Tray unfroze and went to answer. “Who are you?” a male voice asked. “Where’s Brennan?”

  “Tray, let him in. He must be here to give me a ride to work,” Brennan called.

  A large, slightly older man came in. He quickly took in the number of people gathered in the living room, and peered curiously at Brennan, who struggled to stand in front of the fireplace.

  Cole had his dark eyes trained on the newcomer for a few seconds before turning to Brennan and telling him something too softly for me to hear.

  “Jim,” Brennan said. “What are you doing here?”

  The other man—Jim—shook off his unease and answered. “I was driving by on my way to the station and wanted to see if you needed a ride.”

  Truth. But not all of it. A fact Brennan clearly knew, if his eyebrow raise was to be believed. “And?” he prompted.

  “And… I was curious if your friends have found anything on the arsonist,” he added. “A man died in a fire not far from here. No hints as to who set it, but we know it wasn’t accidental.”

  Cole and Jade both met Brennan’s eyes and gave a slight nod. Something to do with whatever Cole had said to him, I’d bet. Despite their apparent assurances, Brennan answered with a small but definite negative shake. I stepped toward Jade and whispered, “What are you trying to convince him of?”

  She gave me a confused look before answering, “You don’t know? I thought you could read anyone.”

  “I try not to pry unless absolutely necessary,” I answered. “Is it?”

  The telepathic woman shook her head. “We want Brennan to open up to Jim. Let him know about everything that’s happening. He’s trustworthy, and only wants what’s best for Brennan. From what we can tell, he also keeps an open mind about special powers.”

  Interesting. But from what I’d read from Brennan so far, it wasn’t likely he’d open up to anyone without a very good reason.

  Maybe… maybe we could grease the wheels a bit. “We’re working every angle to find the person responsible,” I assured him. “We’ve gotten a pretty good read on the man responsible, and are working on any physical or mental ways to track him.”

  Jim nodded for a second before giving me a strange look. “Mental ways? What?”

  “Yeah. I’m psychic and can get into the suspect’s head.” As much as I wanted to help Brennan open up, I wouldn’t spill the beans on the others’ powers unless they wanted to.

  “I know it’s hard to believe, Jim,” Jade said. “But everything your mother told you is true. There are people who have powers.”

  Jim’s eyes widened. “How did you…?”

  “Telepath,” Jade said, pointing to herself. “We all have abilities, and we’re all using them to track down the person behind the arsonist.”

  Brennan’s eyes were wide, but Jim’s attention was off him. For the moment, anyway. “Person behind the arsonist? Don’t you mean the arsonist? Setting fires isn’t usually something a firebug needs to be pushed to do.”

  She shrugged. “Normally, you’d be right. In this case, however, the person starting the fires has very little say in the matter.”

  “Wait… you’re saying you know who it is?” Jim asked.

  I broke in again. “What we’re saying is we know who both are. The person truly behind it, and the person starting the fires. We’re working on a way to protect the fire starter from the manipulator.”

  The look of astonishment turned to one of anger. “Someone died! You can’t sit on this kind of information. The police need to be informed.”

  “The police can’t hold this guy,” Brennan said. “He’s… he’s too powerful. He can make people do things. They wouldn’t even realize.”

  There was a lost look in Brennan’s eyes. A look the older man didn’t miss. “Brennan?” he asked softly.

  I wasn’t sure whether this would help in any significant way or not, but I could tell Brennan was about to open up.

  “Brennan, was it you? Are you the arsonist who was forced to do it?”

  Jim flinched back as Brennan’s eyes flashed orange for a moment when he nodded. His body’s way of trying to protect himself. The fire wall was back up. “Yes. He got in my head and used my power to hurt people. To kill people.”

  “It’s okay, Bren,” Jade soothed. “You’re safe right now. No one is going to hurt you.”

  “Except my own mind if I try to take my power back,” he argued. “None of you have a solution yet, do you?”

  From the aggravated nod, he obviously read the truth of the situation on all our faces.

  “Your mind is a minefield,” I agreed. “Almost more so now that you’ve figured out your fire wall.”

  The only one who seemed confused by my comment was Paul. “Why would him protecting himself be a problem?” he asked.

  We all looked at each other, but Brennan was the one who answered. “Because. Now my mind will put up the wall at any hint of trouble. Friendly or otherwise. Or… at least, it has the potential to do so.”

  “Burning anyone who might attempt to help remove the block,” Paul finished. “Got it. You know, I really hate the mental manipulators. Mastermind and Kindred have been way more trouble than they’re worth.”

  Brennan snorted. “You’re telling me? I’ve apparently been a plaything for these people for years. And I never even knew it.”

  “Who are these people?” Jim asked. His wide eyes showed a hint of fear, but mostly confusion. “And what’s with the crazy supervillain names? Mastermind? Kindred? Brennan, what are you into here?”

  Brennan’s glowing eyes now focused on his coworker. Jim flinched at the sight. “Supervillain names for supervillain personas,” he said with a wry smirk. “I don’t know these people. Jade helped me once when I was a kid, and she knew about my powers even then. The Mastermind and Kindred apparently have the ability to manipulate what you see, what you do, and pretty much everything else.” Brennan’s tone was bitter.

  “As to what I’m involved in and why? I’m involved for the simple reason that I exist, apparently.”

  Jim’s eyes softened as he watched the younger man begin to pace around the room.

  I was about to jump in, but Laurie cut in before I could. “The Mastermind was all about control. He would seek out those with special abilities and use his powers to take over theirs. We just found out that he discovered Brennan and his abilities when Brennan was just a kid.”

  “And apparently sold him out to Kindred just recently,” I snarled.

  Brennan continued. “I’ve never learned to control any part of my powers… except absorbing flames. That’s how we got out of the fire yesterday. Or was it two days ago now? I’ve lost track.”

  Jim’s eyes only grew wider at the constant stream of information. He shook himself slightly. “Okay, then. How do we keep our boy away from this… Kindred?”

  We all exchanged looks, but I answered. “That is our problem. We have no idea what Kindred wants, or just how powerful he truly is. The only thing we’ve found that has hurt him is Brennan’s fire wall. And, as you can see,”—I gestured toward Brennan’s glowing eyes—“That’s not exactly something he can use while in public.”

  “Brennan and I are supposed to be going to work in less than an hour,” Jim said with a glance at his watch. “How exactly are we making that happen?”<
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  It was potentially a simpler question, and I tapped my fingers on my leg while thinking through the options. My next comment I aimed at Brennan. “You hid your wall. That you were able to do without any ill effect. Do it again. You’ll just have to try to avoid absorbing any fire.”

  Even past the fiery eyes, I could tell he didn’t like the order. He was a protector. If he found someone in a position demanding the use of his power, he wouldn’t hesitate to do so.

  “At least drop the shield first if you do. I doubt Kindred will push in while you’re in a burning building. He doesn’t want you dead,” Jade told him.

  I eyed her shrewdly before conceding. “Yes. Drop the shield first. Under no circumstances should you do anything to risk the reaction you just had. We have a lot of work to do before you can multitask with your power.”

  He closed his eyes for a few seconds, his face clenched slightly in concentration. Once he opened them, his eyes were back to normal, and only the surface of his mind was open to me. From a quick read of Jade, I could tell it was the same for her.

  “Nice work, Bren,” Jade encouraged with a smile. “Now, get going. You don’t want to be late.”

  Jim led the way toward the front door. Brennan soon stood and followed, grabbing his duffel bag from the floor. Before Jim could open the door, Brennan turned toward us. “What are you going to do?”

  Jade and I exchanged a look. In her, I read the same determination to end this situation. To protect Brennan and everyone else from the threat that was my cousin.

  I gave a feral grin. “We’re going to hunt down Kindred.”

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Tray

  Quite honestly, I had never felt so incredibly vulnerable before. My powers always seemed to give me a one up on anyone who might mean to harm me. Not that I’d used it on normal people… Not much, anyway.

  I’ll admit, I missed most of the conversation after Cole kicked Kindred out of my mind. As much of a brave face as Cole put on, having Kindred take over one of us had not been the plan. Or at least not part of any plan I’d been aware of. I tossed the little ball between my hands as I sat on the couch—for once, not using my power.