James Knight: Teenage Superhuman - B2

Thirty-Three

NOAH

"Oi, Claire," I said, leaning against the lockers like I owned the joint. "You pregnant or what?"

She froze mid-motion, stuffing the last of her books into her locker. Her whole vibe screamed something's off—and yeah, to supers like me, pregnancy has a weirdly sweet scent. Not gross. Just... weirdly pleasant. Still, the fact that James hadn't figured it out yet? Scary as hell.

"Noah..." she started, hesitating as she turned to face me, eyes already guilty.

"Don't forget—I can read minds, remember?" I tapped my temple and gave her a lopsided grin.

She scowled, avoiding my eyes. "I—I don't know for sure. But James can't know. Not yet."

"Claire..." I sighed, trying not to sound like her therapist. "He's not gonna hurt you. You know that, right?"

She didn't answer. Just shut her locker with a little more force than necessary and turned to walk away. I stepped before her, hand pressed against the locker beside her head.

"Oi—Claire." My voice dropped low. "Come on. You know I'm not lettin' this go."

She sighed like I was the world's biggest headache. James is a superhero. He can protect me, I know that. It's not about that."

I followed her gaze—off in the distance, Max and Mia were holding court with their usual crowd of jocks. No Sebastian in sight. Something didn't feel right.

I slid in front of her again, gently guiding her back against the lockers.

"Noah! What the hell are you doing?" she snapped, trying to sidestep me. I blocked her again.

"You've gotta tell him the truth," I said, firm. "He's been through too much already to be lied to now."

Suddenly, she panicked. "JAMES!" she shouted down the hallway. "JAMES!!"

And like some superhero cliché, James bolted around the corner, dodging students, locking eyes with me before barreling in. In a flash, I was pinned against the lockers, his arm pressed against my chest.

"The hell is wrong with you?!" he barked, his voice full of betrayal. He yanked away from me, and Claire collapsed into his arms like her knees gave out. James glared at me, fury radiating off him.

"It's not what it looked like, mate," I said, throwing my hands up. "Relax."

Of course, that's when Mia strutted by with her squad of cheer-clones and had to open her mouth.

"What a baby," she sneered, smirking at Claire like she was trash.

"Shut up, ya bloody cow," I snapped.

But Mia was already leaning in, brushing her fingers along James's shoulder like a snake ready to strike. "Can I have a piece of you, too, James?" she purred. Her breath was right against his ear like she was trying to lick him. Disgusting.

Claire had had enough.

With one brutal shove, she sent Mia flying into the lockers hard enough to dent the metal.

My eyes went wide. James's jaw dropped. I blinked. What the hell is in James's sperm, and can we bottle it?

Mia wiped blood off her lip, trying to look smug. "Ooh, she's strong."

"Touch him again and I'll snap your wrist," Claire warned, her voice like steel.

Mia laughed, rolling her eyes. "So dramatic." She spat out more blood and backed off.

"Come on, Mia," one of the other cheerleaders—Kasey, I think—called out.

Mia shot us a middle finger before flouncing down the hallway.

Just as I was about to breathe again, arms wrapped around my chest from behind.

"Hey, Hercules," Sarah whispered in my ear.

Crikey. Forgot she was even here.

I turned, met her freckled face, and couldn't help but grin. I scooped her up easily.

"Hey, Sarah," I said, spinning her around as she giggled like a maniac.

We'd been close since middle school—emotionally, physically, and a bit of both. Plus, her dad was always away on business trips. Win-win.

"Still the same cocky guy I hooked up with in eighth grade," she teased.

"And you're still the hot nerd," I said, eyeing her. She'd filled out since then, not that I was complaining.

"Not that nerdy anymore, am I?" she said with a wink, pressing a finger to my lips.

"Shhh, Noah. You talk too much," she whispered, then dragged her fingers down my chest before kissing me, pinning me right up against the lockers.

"Whoa," James muttered from behind me. "Did I miss something?"

I pulled back long enough to snap at him, "She knows, genius."

Claire looked at Sarah with a knowing look. "About the powers?" she asked.

"Yeah," Sarah said coolly. "I've known since eighth grade. We, uh... bonded."

"You slept with her?" James choked, clearly trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, mate," I said with a shrug. "At least I didn't—" I paused, eyes darting to Claire. Shit. Almost spilled her secret.

Sarah pulled me into another kiss, shutting me up before I blew the whole thing.

Girls, man. Way scarier than supers.