Page 36 of Hansen

Rikar pushed away from the stairs to grab Evan’s shoulder.“It’s fine.You don’t have to worry about me kicking you out just because you disagree with me.”

Evan sucked in a breath, then another.He glanced at Orion, who was sitting on the porch steps and bouncing his knee.He stared straight ahead as if Davey were about to appear in the middle of the yard.

Maybe he was.Thatwaswhat they were waiting for, even though so far, nothing had happened.

Evan turned to Matthew, who was still on his phone.“Any news?”

“No.I haven’t heard anything else from Olga.At this point, I don’t think they’re picking me up.”

“Which means they don’t need you.”

Matthew slowly nodded.“In theory.”

“What do you mean, in theory?”

“Well, they might have managed to win the fight without my help, which is what I hope happened, but maybe all of them are incapacitated and can’t come.”

Evan heard Orion mutter, “Was that really necessary?”

That was it.It was all Evan could take.

Something in him snapped.For a moment, he didn’t understand what it was.He was angry and terrified, and he needed Hansen.Someone made a strangled noise, and Evan saw that roots had shot out of the earth and grabbed Rikar’s legs.

Rikar didn’t seem to be worried.He poked at one of the roots that was inching toward his upper body as if it were the most interesting thing he’d ever seen.The root wiggled, almost like a happy dog.

“You’re the one doing this?”Rikar asked, looking at Evan.

“He is, and he needs to stop,” Matthew said.“Breathe, Evan.”

“I don’t know what’s happening,” Evan complained.“I’m not doing it on purpose.It’s never happened before, and I don’t know how to stop it.”

“It’s the same thing that you did at the bakery.Your ability is coming out.”

Evan understood that, but between everything, he wasn’t sure he could get it under control.The problem was that hehadto find a way because the roots were crawling up Rikar’s body.Several had twined around his arms, and if Evan wasn’t mistaken, they were trying to immobilize him.When one touched Rikar’s throat, Evan squeezed his eyes shut.“No,” he told himself.“I’m not going to hurt anyone with this ability.I don’t care what it is or how it works.”

He tried to keep himself under control, but it felt like going down a slippery road.It was like water in his hands.No matter how hard he tried to keep it—whatever it was—there, he couldn’t.It was necessary, but he was unable to stop.

Orion grabbed Evan’s shoulders, causing him to open his eyes.“Breathe,” he ordered.

Evan nodded and tried to do just that.He sucked in a breath, then another.It became easier to breathe, but as soon as he turned toward Rikar, he started panicking again.The roots were extending.Rikar still didn’t look alarmed, which Evan didn’t understand, but it was good that at least one person wasn’t panicking.

“This is why we told you it would be a bad idea for you to go find Hansen,” Matthew said.“You don’t have control over yourself or your ability.”

“You’re not helping,” Orion told him.

“I don’t think anything is going to help.This is something that Evan has to do by himself.”

“And he’s not going to be able to do it if you berate him.”

“I’m not berating him.I’m just pointing out the obvious.”

Evan was going to yell at them as soon as this mess was over.Was now really the time to bicker?

“You’re doing a good job, Evan,” Rikar said in a calm voice.“I don’t know what it’s like to have your ability, but if it’s anything like Hayes’s ability to fly, freaking out is the last thing you want to do.”

“Hayes can fly?”

“It’s how we met.He crashed through my roof.”

---