He looked around the beach and for a second, his gaze caught on a figure in a dark suit standing at the top of the beach, watching them. People were scattering in every direction in a frenzied panic. The sight of him sent a sickening chill through Cort as he watched them unblinking.
“Behind me,” Grey said, still tugging his arm. They retreated a step as one and then Grey sucked in a deep breath before bellowing, “Clay!”
A second later, “Got it!” drifted down the beach from Clay. Cort couldn’t guess what he got, but it didn’t matter. His brain was consumed with the vision of the sand opening up under the would-be attacker’s feet. It shifted and swirled. The guy tried to lift a foot out of it, to walk toward them, but he sank lower with each movement. The man let out a choked and frustrated scream, but it was almost instantly muffled as he sank under the sand.
“Holy shit!” a surprised and winded voice behind them cried out. Cort jumped and twisted around to see the Asian man Grey had pointed out staring over his shoulder at where the other man had been. “That was amazing.”
“What happened?” Grey snapped.
“I-I’m not sure. He got sucked into the beach.”
“Sort of a quicksand sinkhole,” Clay replied as he jogged closer. “Now let’s get out of here.”
Cort hesitated but followed behind Clay and the other man after watching them walk right over the spot where the man disappeared. Nothing made sense. Not one damn thing. Spontaneous fire. Creeping vines grabbing people. Disappearing quicksand.
The new guy climbed into the passenger seat of the SUV while Cort helped Grey into the back seat.
“Lucien?” Grey demanded.
“Jumping in his car now. I think we got them all.”
“Even that man in the suit on the beach?” Cort demanded as he got into his seat and slammed the door shut.
“Who?”
“The man watching Grey on the beach. He was wearing a dark suit. Dark hair. I couldn’t see much else.”
“Fuck. No. We’ll talk at the house.” Clay started the engine and slammed on the gas, sending them racing out of the parking lot.
As the SUV whipped wildly down the street, the new guy leaned around to look at them. “Hi! I’m Calder Saito. Are you like him?”
“I was,” Grey murmured.
“You are,” Clay snapped. “Today proved it. You’ve still got your powers. We’ll figure this out.”
Grey sighed and Cort found Calder staring at him. “I’m Cort Newton, his VRT.” Calder’s brow furrowed in confusion. “His vision rehab therapist.”
“Oh. Okay.” Calder turned around in his seat, seeming completely at ease with the chaos that had just erupted on the beach. But then, maybe this was a normal day for the guy.
It was not normal for Cort.
“Grey?”
The man beside him sighed again, and it sounded as if it came from the very depths of his soul. “When we get home, I promise I’ll tell you everything.”
Damn straight. He wasn’t leaving that wacky estate until he got some answers. Though he had to wonder if he was ready for them.Chapter 8Worry clouded Grey’s mind. Cort’s silence spoke volumes. What was he thinking? What had he seen? He’d mentioned fire, and Calder had talked about sucking sand—how was Cort explaining these things to himself? And how was he going to take all this? Wiley had accepted it, while Dane had freaked. Clay had almost lost Dane.
Would he lose Cort just when he was really starting to care about the man?
And wouldn’t it be better if Cort did leave? Grey was putting him into danger by having him near. It wasn’t even fair to him.
All these questions backed up inside him, making him want to scream. They’d been seconds away from dying, and Cort had to know that. He was a smart man. And Grey couldn’t have saved him. He could only stand there, unable to see anything.
The guilt threatened to swamp him.
“That was wild,” Calder said from the front seat. “Those smelly guys have been after me for a year, and you guys got rid of them like that.” He snapped his fingers as if to emphasize his point. “How did you do those things?”
“We’ll explain at the estate.” Clay brought the SUV to a stop before he hit the gas.
“Estate?” Calder asked.
“Yeah, the big house where we all live. You’ll see. What were you doing at the beach?”
“Enjoying the water. I have a thing for it.”
Grey swallowed a snort. This guy was obviously their Water Weaver. He still couldn’t believe he’d gotten an image of him in his mind. He’d done that with Lucien but never expected to be able to do it without his sight. Everyone else around had been nothing but blurs, but Calder had popped right into his head. He wondered if it was due to him being one of them, because he sure as hell couldn’t get a picture of Cort in his head, and he was dying to see what he looked like.