James Knight: Teenage Superhuman - Book Three

Fifteen

NOAH

"Where are you keeping Henry, Max?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady.

Max shoved me away, his strength pinning me to the floor effortlessly.

"The only one of you that scares the bloody fuck out of me is James," he snarled through gritted teeth, his face inches from mine. "And he doesn't have his powers, so you try something like that again, and I'll hurt you, Noah." Do I tell him he got his powers back the other day?

I glared up at him, defiant. "What the bloody fuck are you going to do?"

Max smirked. "Isn't Sarah the one you fucked in middle school?"

He laughed, the sound echoing in the empty room. Silence hung between us before he released me and helped me off the ground. I brushed myself off, my mind racing.

"I heard Dad found Mom," Max said, his tone casual.

"So? I won't let you hurt them," I shot back.

"Oh, I wouldn't hurt Mom. I'm still mad at Dad, on the other hand."

"Why? Dad is not the bad guy. Alexander is."

Max scoffed. "That's what they're telling you, mate?"

"It's the truth, Max. Alexander brainwashed you. He's using you to get what he wants. He used all of us, including Mom and Dad. He's the guy you should be mad at. Not Dad."

"Sure. Like Dad even cared about us."

"Dad looked for us day and night after he left the facility. He wanted us, but Alexander ensured he couldn't have us. That's why we were living in Australia all those years. He took us away from—"

Max roared, cutting me off. "Stop! Why should I believe you? You're with them, and I'm still stuck with Alex."

"You could change that at any time—"

"Dad doesn't love me. He never will after what I did."

"Don't say that, Maximus. He does love you. It's complicated, but Dad understands no matter what. Otherwise, Grace or I wouldn't be living with him. He cares a lot, Max. It may be time you realize that and move on from Alexander." I snapped, watching a tear stream down his cheek.

"And do what? Join you, Dad, James, and everyone else?"

"I would like to have you back—"

"No, thanks, mate." He snapped.

"If you ever decide to reconsider, just know that we'll be here, ready and waiting for you," I replied.

Max paused, clicking his jaw before speaking again. "Is your girlfriend really pregnant?" How did he know that? Who is feeding him this information?

"Sarah? Yeah, mate. Why? You're not touching her, or Claire—"

"Was Dad mad?" he interrupted.

"Uh... yeah, but he didn't beat me like Alexander did when he found out I fucked her in eighth grade. Dad is not our enemy, Max. He loves us and cares about us—especially you. But you're too messed up to realize that."

"Stop it. Stop it, Noah!" An angry tear ran down Max's face again, and he almost turned away.

"Do you even know how you were conceived, Max? You're not a test tube baby like the rest of us. Dad didn't know that until Mom told him recently. Alex threatened Mom that if she told Dad the truth, he would abort you and kill her. So instead, she let him use Bryce and me to cover up the fact that you were naturally conceived."

"No—"

"The night Alexander took us away from the laboratory, he kept Mom, Dad, and us captive in...Dad and Uncle Matt were trying to break in and save us."

"No, that's not true. Dad didn't care. He was too involved in James's life to care—"

"He does care, Max."

The air was filled with an eerie silence. Max groaned in frustration and abruptly stormed off, leaving me confused about whether my words impacted him. Hopefully, it was enough to change his mind.

∆∆∆

I trudged wearily back home, my thoughts in turmoil after the intense confrontation with Max. Fumbling with my keys, I finally unlocked the door and stepped inside, feeling the heavy burden of the day's events weighing me down. As I entered the living room, I saw James in the corner, deep in concentration, as he practiced his telekinetic abilities. Mark stood nearby, providing patient and supportive guidance.

"Nice, James," Mark encouraged, "Just keep focusing."

James gave a slight nod, sweat beading on his forehead. A pencil lifted off the table and floated shakily in the air.

I slumped onto the couch, drawing their attention. "How'd it go?" Mark asked concern etched on his face.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "About as well as you'd expect. Max is still messed up. He doesn't want to believe the truth about Dad or Alexander."

James let the pencil drop and turned to face me. "Do you think he'll come around?"

"I hope so," I replied. "I laid it all out there for him. But he's so deep under Alexander's influence, it's hard to say."

Mark frowned. "It's rough. Alexander's grip on Max is strong, and he's been under that influence for a long time. But you've planted the seed, Noah. Hopefully, it'll take root and grow."

I leaned back, closing my eyes for a moment. "I hope you're right. We need him on our side. Alexander will not stop until he has all of us under his control again."

James sat beside me. "We need to stay strong and stick together. If Max sees that, he may realize he has a place with us."

"Yeah," I said softly.

Mark nodded. "And we need to keep training, getting stronger. If Alexander comes after us again, we need to be ready."

James looked determined. "I won't let him take anyone else. I won't let him hurt our family."

I put a hand on James's shoulder. "He can't hurt us."

The room fell silent, each of us lost in our thoughts. The fight against Alexander was far from over, but we had each other for now. And that was enough.