Burn Read online

  Jade smirked at me and picked up her pace to the desk. She and Cole stood next to each other, ready to use whatever parts of their abilities that they needed to in order to obtain the information.

  “We’re looking for Brennan Peterson and Bobby Hanson,” Jade started. She put on a wide-eyed scared look. “They were brought by ambulance from a house fire. I just need to know they’re okay.”

  Cole and Jade had this part under control, so I pushed my way to the doors leading into the treatment areas and peeked through. I wouldn’t be able to go in, but I hoped to catch a glimpse of either Brennan or Bobby.

  At the check-in desk through the inner set of doors, I saw the paramedics from Brennan’s ambulance. As if he could sense my gaze, one looked directly at me. His mouth quirked into a smirk and he sauntered toward the treatment area.

  Kindred. It had to be. I looked around to make sure no one watched, then concentrated on the button inside the door and pushed. The door swung open and I went in.

  “Jade, he’s here. I’m in the treatment area to find Brennan and Bobby,” I whispered the words as I thought them. She would get the message and make her way back. Cole’s power would definitely help them to sneak through.

  I went the direction I’d seen the medic walk and noticed a lot of activity around one of the curtained off areas. A quick peek told me it was Bobby. I gave a sigh of relief when I saw the boy was still alive. The medic was nowhere to be seen.

  “I found Bobby. He’s still alive,” I informed Jade. “I’m still trying to find Brennan.”

  There was a strong smoke smell further ahead, so I followed. “Gotcha,” I muttered. Brennan had an oxygen mask covering his face, and his eyes were closed. A nurse stood near the exam table doing something on the computer. He took some notes and walked away, which left Brennan by himself.

  “Brennan,” I hissed. He shifted, and his eyes flashed for a moment before he pushed the fire wall back again.

  He pulled the oxygen mask from his face and asked. “What are you doing back here?”

  I cringed at the painful raspy sound of his voice. “Put the mask back on,” I ordered.

  He glared, but I didn’t say anything more until he replaced the mask. “Thank you. I’m here because Kindred is here.”

  His eyes flashed again, this time the glow remained.

  “You should probably pull that back a bit.”

  “I will when I see someone,” he promised. A hacking cough forced him to pull the mask away briefly. His tattooed arms seemed to glow for a moment in his fit, but he closed his eyes once he caught his breath and concentrated. The glow stopped, but he looked even more exhausted than before. Even the brightly glowing eyes couldn’t hide his weariness.

  Before he spoke again he put the mask back. “I can’t give him even a small opening, Tray.”

  His voice was a low whisper now, and he didn’t say anything about his near loss of control. To avoid further stress, I chose to follow his lead. “I understand that,” I said with a nod. “But even if he sees the very surface of your mind, he can’t take control again. You’re running the risk of exposing your abilities to random people.”

  “Where is he?” Brennan asked.

  My concern was obviously going to be ignored. For now, anyway. His voice was raw and painful, so I could understand him not wanting to talk too much. “I thought I saw him come back this way. It’s why I broke into the treatment area.” I added the last part in an exaggerated whisper.

  My attempt at levity was successful. Brennan chuckled, then coughed harshly for several seconds. I cringed at the painful sound. “Do they have water for you?”

  He nodded toward the tray near the exam table. There was a paper cup of water sitting there. I handed it to him, and he drained it gratefully. I watched critically as he lay back onto the table and closed his eyes once again. “You’re not looking too good, Brennan. Are they letting you out of here tonight?”

  He gave a weary shrug, but no vocal answer.

  “My guess would be no.”

  I jumped and spun to face Jade, who had just reached us. “Jeez, a little warning next time, Jade.”

  Brennan chuckled, his eyes still closed. This time he was lucky, and the laugh didn’t trigger another cough.

  “Sorry,” she said. She didn’t sound sorry in the least. Her eyes furrowed with concern as she caught her first glimpse of Brennan since they’d arrived. “Anyway, from what I could read from the nurse who was just here, they plan to admit you. You’ll be moved to a room soon.”

  Brennan shrugged again, but opened his eyes. Jade took in a sharp breath at the sight of his flame-filled eyes.

  “Bobby?” he asked hoarsely.

  “Cole is watching out for him,” she answered. “He seems to have stabilized since you both got here. He’ll be admitted, of course, but from what I can tell, he’s in stable condition. Only minor burns and smoke inhalation.”

  He closed his eyes again and seemed to almost melt onto the table as the tension released. “I didn’t kill him?”

  “None of it was you, Brennan. Kindred… he’s gone off the deep end with this—more so than he already had,” I assured him. He’d heard the same multiple times from Jade already. I hoped it would have more of an impact if more than one person reinforced the sentiment.

  “The doctor is coming. We’re going to be kicked out of here in a minute.”

  “Not if you’re here on behalf of the police to take my statement,” Brennan said.

  He blinked his eyes open. The orange glow was gone, but I grimaced at how red and irritated they appeared. His surface thoughts would be open for Jade and Kindred to read.

  “That would be a lie, Brennan,” I informed him with a grin.

  Jade cocked her head to the side. “We won’t leave you alone here. Especially not with Kindred hiding himself somewhere in the hospital.”

  “Thanks,” he rasped.

  A woman in a white coat approached. “Brennan, I need to check you over. Your friends shouldn’t be back here. You two need to return to the waiting area. Once we get Brennan settled into a room you can visit.”

  Jade and I exchanged a look, then she shook her head. “Sorry, doctor. We need to keep an eye on him. An arsonist just attacked him and his family. We’re here to make sure no one comes to finish the job.”

  The woman frowned, but didn’t push the issue. Instead, she went ahead and did her exam.

  She had him remove the mask and take as deep a breath as she could while she listened with her stethoscope. After she repeated the order several times, she frowned. “Sorry, Brennan. Seems you’re going to need the oxygen overnight too. There’s a bit more of a rasp to your lungs than I’d like right now. I’m ordering an x-ray. Depending on how your lungs appear, we may need to repeat. I want to make sure there isn’t any significant damage to your lungs or airways.”

  She glanced back toward us before she aimed her next comment at Brennan. “Your friends won’t be able to accompany you back to x-ray. They can wait either in the main waiting area or up in your room.”

  “We’ll go to the room,” Jade answered.

  “Your blood tests should be completed by the time you get settled into your room,” the doctor continued.

  Brennan pushed himself up, his bloodshot eyes wide with panic. “And work?” he rasped. “Will I… when will I go back?”

  My heart sank. Smoke inhalation. I hadn’t even considered the damage it could cause to Brennan’s lungs. He worked as a firefighter. If his lungs were compromised enough, he might not be able to go back to work.

  The doctor gave a soft smile. “Don’t worry. I’m being cautious because of what could happen. From what I’ve been able to tell, there’s a high likelihood you’ll be able to go back. How soon depends on how quickly your airway improves.”

  We all let out a collective sigh of relief at her statement.

  “Of course, we’ll know more once all your test results come back, and once we’re able to check your x-ray. An ord
erly will be along to escort you shortly. Your friends can follow until the radiology wing, then they can go to room 203 to wait.”

  “Thank you, doctor,” I said as she turned to leave.

  Before she could walk away, Brennan called out. “Wait. What about my little brother? Bobby Hanson. Is he okay?”

  “I’m not the one handling his case, but I’ll see if I can get any information for you, okay?”

  “Thanks,” he rasped.

  Once Brennan leaned back again, I met Jade’s eyes and shrugged. “I don’t know where Kindred is, or what he’s planning. I thought I saw him, but he can make us see things. For all I know, the doctor could have been him.”

  She shook her head. “I could read her easily. She may have been a bit abrupt, but she seems to genuinely care for her patients. By the way, Brennan… how many times have you ended up in the ER for her to be so familiar with you?”

  He smirked. “Jealous?” he joked. “Honestly, I stop in sometimes to check on the people I’ve pulled from car wrecks or fires. Once in a while, I’ve been pulled in as an extra hand in an ambulance. First responders and ER doctors often become familiar with each other.”

  Even with such a logical explanation, Jade seemed perturbed. I raised an eyebrow at her and tilted my head slightly. She just shook her head.

  I smirked a bit. Brennan’s accusation of jealousy might not be far off. We could all tell how much she cared about Brennan. Another woman who showed him attention, while simultaneously ignoring us, may have been enough to bother her.

  She glared at me for a moment, then turned away, her face a bright red.

  Footsteps approached. When I looked up, I fully expected to see the orderly who was meant to escort Brennan to radiology.

  Instead, I saw the medic I suspected was Kindred.

  FORTY-FIVE

  Brennan

  My attempt to pretend I didn’t feel, well… absolutely terrible, took a lot of energy. The effort I needed to put into each breath exhausted me. Even the thought that Jade might like me enough to be bothered by another woman who gave me some attention couldn’t draw more than a small smile from me.

  I stayed reclined on the exam table and enjoyed the oxygen as it hissed from my mask. Jade and Tray kept up their conversation, but I ignored them in order to relax.

  Thoughts of Kindred at the hospital kept me from true relaxation. More so, thoughts of Bobby and my family. They’d been put into mortal danger because of me. They hadn’t even known about my power until it had been used against them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they never let me near them again.

  Unable to settle, I opened my eyes to see Tray and Jade look in horror at a paramedic who came into my treatment area. They didn’t move as the man pulled the curtains shut around us.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “We won’t be disturbed any time soon.”

  Even with slow motions, my world spun when I sat up. I tried to hide my weakness, but the fact that I needed the oxygen mask guaranteed I couldn’t.

  “You… you were the medic in the ambulance with me,” I whispered. “Kindred?”

  He grinned. “That’s right, Inferno. And you’ve only made this more interesting. A drawn out torment to break you. In one day, you nearly killed your little brother, along with your whole family. Then you thought he was past the danger you put them in. And now? Now your whole family is in the same place once again.”

  I felt a sudden rush of heat. “Uh, Bren, you may want to push that back a bit, bud,” Tray warned. My eyes widened at the flickering flames on my arms. I pushed my focus on putting out that fire while pushing my fire wall forward once again.

  Kindred’s false face faded back to his own scarred one. “Now, that is cool.” He grinned and practically danced with glee. “Don’t get me wrong; I hate when you use that fire wall against me. But the sheer power visible through your eyes is truly impressive.”

  He didn’t seem aware that his illusion had faded. Or it could have been that he simply didn’t care if we saw his true face at this point. Right now, I was protected from his influence. Jade and Tray, however, were not. What I needed to do was try to expand my shield to protect one or both of them. I’d been close to success at the fire station, after all. If I could protect them from Kindred’s influence, they should be free to move again.

  “The amount of crazy visible in your eyes is impressive too. In a kinda scary, completely nuts sort of way,” I sneered. A harsh cough escaped once again, and I winced at the burn in my chest.

  The cough distracted Kindred. I’d almost gotten through to protect Tray earlier, so I pushed toward him first. My mind seemed to recognize the route I’d followed before, and I quickly pushed at my power to get Kindred out of his head.

  Tray blinked, and Kindred cried out at the same moment. “No! How?”

  I couldn’t sit up and protect both of us, so I nearly collapsed backwards onto the table. Tray took advantage of his ability to move and pushed his power at Kindred. “You will let us go, you scarred freak!” he yelled. “Withdraw your power, now!”

  I looked up to see Kindred struggle to take a breath while he clawed at his throat. “Darth Vader move, Tray? Really?” I muttered.

  He grinned. “Do you know anyone more deserving of a force choke?”

  I snorted and shook my head. “Honestly? Not really. Do what you gotta do, man.”

  The ER—which had become eerily silent for the last few minutes—grew noisier once again, and another set of footsteps approached us.

  Not good. We knew Kindred was a bad person, but others would only see a person in trouble. Whether they would pinpoint Tray as the cause was yet to be seen. It seemed unlikely, however, since no one knew he could… use the force, so to speak.

  Jade looked around nervously as footsteps drew closer to us. “We really do need to do something about him.” She nodded toward Kindred, whose face grew more and more red the longer Tray held him.

  I frowned at the man and answered. “I’ve got some ideas.”

  My voice came out with more of a savage bite than I’d intended. I raised my arm and flames flickered from my fingers. Even Kindred’s eyes widened at my obvious desire to do him harm. I chuckled at the worry in his eyes. At this moment, I had no energy for a fight. The flames on my hand extinguished, more from exhaustion than will. Yet somehow, he still appeared afraid.

  Tray looked over at me in shock. “I heard that,” he said. His arm dropped, and Kindred took a deep breath before Tray pushed once more.

  “Heard what?” I asked wearily.

  Tray shook his head. “I think I heard what you… you were thinking that he,”—he nodded toward Kindred—“appeared afraid.”

  I closed my eyes. “Great. Another person in my head.” My eyes opened again, and I looked over at Jade. “Why can he all of a sudden read my thoughts? He doesn’t have that ability.”

  She looked between the two of us and allowed her gaze to rest on Tray. After a moment she hissed and stepped back. “You connected to him in order to protect him. I’m guessing you opened your mind to him at the same time.”

  I didn’t have to look up to know there would be a grin on the other man’s face. His excitement practically vibrated through the connection we now had. “Great,” I said again.

  “Sorry,” Tray said, not sounding sorry in the slightest. “Jade’s right. We need to figure out how to get him out of here, and keep you and your family safe.”

  For a moment the loudest sound we could hear was the hiss of the oxygen coming from my mask. “You have him, Tray. Just take him out to Cole and Cade. Together, you should be able to figure something out.”

  “How do you propose I get him out of here? People will see, and I’m guessing he won’t exactly be cooperative.”

  My eyes narrowed as I had a sudden thought. If I could push my power to connect to Tray, could I push it into Kindred’s mind as well? Only, instead of a shield to protect him, it would be to block access to his power.

  Tray nodded thought
fully. He agreed it could work, but had doubts. What if the connection he would gain to my mind allowed him to take control of my power? Then my family, and everyone in the hospital, would be in danger.

  I couldn’t say anything out loud to indicate my thoughts. If we gave Kindred any warning, he could potentially shield himself strongly enough to block any attempt I made. Why this was even possible, I had no idea.

  “You’re more powerful than even we thought, Brennan,” Tray told me. “This may be why you drew the attention of not one, but two psychos who want to use you. You have both the physical ability of controlling fire, and the mental ability to shield people. Whether that translates to using mental capabilities for anything else, I would have no idea. But it is something we can explore once we deal with Kindred.”

  “Is it worth the risk?” I asked. “Is it worth him gaining the same access to my mind that you currently have?”

  Tray looked at me and shrugged. “Sorry. I don’t know. It might be the only shot we have to get him out of here unseen, though.”

  There was nothing more to be said. It was time to try. Time to once again open my mind to a monster.

  But this time, I would be in control.

  FORTY-SIX

  Jade

  The guys had some sort of plan. Something they didn’t want Kindred to know about, or I knew they would clue me in. At the moment, I was useless. I couldn’t read Tray or Brennan, and Kindred’s mind was a veritable minefield of traps and creepy thoughts I wanted to avoid. At least, the little bits I could sense through his mental shield.

  A shield that appeared to be under attack. I texted Cole to be ready for anything. We couldn’t be sure what the killer would do now that he’d been backed into a corner.

  Brennan sat up suddenly, his fiery eyes focused on Tray’s prisoner. The orange glow gave him an intense look that made it easy to overlook the oxygen mask he clearly still needed.