Blue Violet - By Abigail Owen Page 0,10

like to share what she saw about developing or future relationships. She tended to get a little apprehensive that she would influence the people involved and affect what could have been.

The others all nodded. Alex quietly blew out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and squashed that small kernel of hope that had irrationally popped up. He thought, Dang. If she had powers then maybe… But Lucy was right. If she was of their kind, she’d have come forward.

Hugh leaned forward, absently tapping his glass. “I think our only option at this point is to stick together and keep our eyes open. Alex, we’ll need you to stay home for a while.”

Alex nodded his agreement and saw Ramsey do the same across the room. In truth, he often felt a little homesick while he was away at college. He’d become used to having a family around him, despite the years he’d spent alone. After his grandfather had passed away in 1917, leaving Alex without any remaining living relatives, he’d wandered for years. So now secretly, he was pleased with this chance to be home.

Alex and the rest of the family failed to see the large, oddly colored golden falcon perched high in the trees just outside the house.

Chapter 7

Ellie took a break from her homework and went downstairs, only to find the house empty. Griffin had apparently gone out. She’d been so distracted with thoughts of Alex Jenner, a Vyusher could have walked directly in front of her, in full wolf form, and she wouldn’t have noticed.

Huh. Now that I think about it, Griffin’s tapping into my morphing ability. That’s a little strange, she thought. Ellie was a metamorph, with the ability to shift into specific animal forms. One being a falcon, inherited from her father. Griffin hated to fly, but the only one of her morphs he’d been able to master was her strongest form—the falcon.

He must be out doing some scouting of the area, Ellie decided, not bothering to tap into his mind reading ability to find out what was going on. He’d come home eventually and probably tell her about it. She went to make some homemade hot chocolate to pass the time while she waited. She didn’t know if Griffin would be home any time soon, but decided to make enough for him, too. She was just mixing in the milk when the phone rang.

“Hello?” She picked it up without bothering to check the ID. Very few people had the number.

“Hi, Ellie, it’s Adelaide.”

“Oh, hi!” Ellie grimaced. I wonder what this is about.

“I’m so sorry to do this, but we need to cancel our study session this week,” Adelaide said, her voice ripe with contrition.

Ellie frowned. “Oh! Why?” She was proud of how she pulled off the right mix of surprise and casual interest despite her thumping heart.

“With Alex home from college, we’ll be doing family stuff most of the week…sorry we have to flake.”

“Oh, no prob. We’ll do it some other time.” Ellie hoped the relief she felt wasn’t obvious as she spoke.

“Thanks, Ellie! Gotta go.”

“Okay, bye!” Ellie put the phone back on the receiver.

Phew! There’s one complication avoided… at least for now.

She fleetingly wondered why Alex had suddenly come home, but assumed nothing serious had motivated the decision. He’d looked perfectly relaxed at the school that afternoon. Ellie’s mind drifted to that moment. The first moment she’d seen him… and then when their gazes had locked. She’d never experienced anything like it.

I wonder if he’d felt anything too, or if I just looked like any other high school girl to him? Other than her eyes, she knew she really wasn’t a stand-out beauty. Alex, on the other hand, was gorgeous. Dark, brooding, yummy. Why would someone like him be remotely interested in someone like her?

Ellie gave herself a mental shake. Not gonna happen, Ellie... Let it go. With that, she deliberately put all thoughts of Alex from her mind and finished making her hot chocolate. She then settled down on the couch in the living room to work on her math homework. She’d finished several problems when she heard Griffin making his way into the house.

“Hey, Griff,” she called.

She didn’t look up when he walked into the room, until she realized that he stood directly in front of her, patiently waiting for her attention. Slowly, she raised her head and then her eyebrows.

“Do you want something?”

“I just spent the last few hours listening to the Jenners… You were right about Adelaide’s ability,”