Marked By Power (Marked, #1)

“She’s Ryan’s sister,” Easton answers.

“Really?” they both ask at once.

“She looks nothing like him,” the one on the left says.

“A good thing at that, she doesn’t,” the other on the right adds.

“Are you calling my big brother ugly?” I snap, and glare at them both. They both look taken aback and start to apologise.

I lose my stern face and smile. “Good, he is an ugly fucker,” I tease.

They’re both stunned into silence for a moment, before both relaxing and laughing. East smiles at me. “You have to lower your humour to the basics around these two, Kenzie. Sarcasm is above their level of understanding.”

“Shut up,” leftie snaps.

“We’re much funnier than you, pretty boy,” the one on the right adds. East just twirls his hand in a circle by his head. Cuckoo. His sentiments on the matter are clear.

“I’m Mackenzie, that’s Kelly,” I say, properly introducing us.

“I’m Locke,” leftie introduces himself, the one with the five o’clock shadow.

“And, I’m Logan,” righty adds.

“And, if you didn’t already guess,” leftie begins.

“We’re twins,” righty finishes.

“Nice to meet you both. I’m guessing you’re in the year above then?” I ask, hedging a guess.

“Yup, second years now,” Locke says.

“East is in his final year, though,” Logan adds.

“I knew that. He’s a year younger than my brother,” I reply and eat some more of my food, I look at the twins trying to work out an easier way to tell them apart. Locke’s hair is slightly longer, and a little messier than his twin’s.

“Did you hear about that chick with twelve marks?” Locke asks, and I freeze with a piece of bacon in my mouth.

“Yeah, I mean, that’s a shit-load of powers, but no one thinks she will last a week without killing herself accidently,” Logan says.

“Shut it, Logan,” East snaps, whacking his arm, and I slide my chair out as I stand up.

“Kenzie,” East starts, and I wave a hand.

“It was me that got all twelve, and I have a class to get to,” I say, and both the twins lean back in their chairs in shock. I can’t stop my eyes tracing over their blue shirts and the muscles that I can see on their arms.

“Let’s go, the library is next door to your class by the looks of it, and I have to pick my electives,” Kelly says, standing up with me.

“Wait, I’m your guide, and I’m meant to show you to your classes for the first week,” East says.

“I don’t need your help,” I reply and turn around before he can say anything. We both walk out, and I look back to see East staring at me. His face is a mixture of concern and something else.

Like he is seeing me for the first time.





Chapter 4





Easton





“Ryan’s sister has twelve marks? The fucker must be jealous with his seven,” Locke says, and I narrow my eyes at him.

“Ry asked me to watch her for him. I can’t do that if you fucking scare her away, man,” I say, and he shrugs with a grin. I look back at the doors where Kenzie is leaving, and she looks back, her bright-blue eyes staring straight through me. I run my eyes down her sexy as fuck body. Has Kenzie always been this hot?

I can’t remember her looking like this. I remember her two years ago, with her short, black hair and baggy clothes. This Kenzie has a thin waist that shapes up to an impressive chest shown off in her tight clothes. When Kenzie turns, her long, black hair moves around her, and I know I have an issue. I’m not looking at her like I should be: like she is a friend. No, I can’t stop looking at her ass just before the door shuts behind her.

When I agreed to watch over my best friend’s little sister, I remembered the teenage girl that followed us around. Not this Kenzie, she is something else entirely.

“Fuck,” I mutter, pushing my plate away and leaning back in my seat. I place my hands on the back of my neck and look up at the ceiling.

“You’re thinking about how sexy of an ass Kenzie has, too?” Logan says, and I have to resist the urge to punch him as I look at him. These fuckers are annoying, but I like them. We fight well together, and when I had a lot of shit with my parents going on, they helped.

“She is Ryan’s sister,” I say, forcing myself to remember us growing up together and not how her ass looked in those jeans. Kenzie was always around when I hung out with Ry.

“And? He isn’t here,” he says and knocks my shoulder. My phone starts ringing, stopping me from replying to the cheeky fucker. He damn well knows Ryan would kick all our asses if we touched Kenzie. I pull my phone out and accept the unknown number’s call.

“Hey, shitface, how’s my sister?” Ryan says as a hello. I rub my hand over my face. It’s like he finally can use his divination power or some shit.

“Kenzie got twelve marks, but otherwise is fine,” I say, and there is silence on the other side of the phone for a long time.

“Fucking hell. Kennie got twelve?” Ry shouts down the phone, eventually. I think we are as fucking shocked as he is. The twins didn’t know because they bailed on the ceremony yesterday, but I’m certain most of the school knows by now.

“Yeah, I know, man,” I say.

“You still keeping your promise?” he asks.

“Yeah, man. I’ll keep an eye on Kenzie. I’m her student guide, anyway,” I say, ignoring the fact she walked off without me already. She used to follow me around back home, and now, she comes here and just walks away. Shaking her perfect ass as she goes.

“Yeah, he wants a guide into her fucking knickers,” Locke says and laughs with Logan. I glare at them both as Ry tells me about his new job. So glad he didn’t overhear that. Such fuckers.

“So, the job is good?” I ask.

“Yeah, man, it’s what I was meant to be doing, you know?” he says. Ry got the perfect job straight out of the academy. He works for our council by finding rogue marked and bringing them to justice. There is a group who regularly use their powers against humans, breaking one of the most important laws we have.

“Caught any yet?” I ask, and he laughs.

“Nah, but we have a big mission next week. I can’t tell you more, man, but it’s only a year until you join me,” he says. I’m a seven like Ry, and my main power is transfiguration, so I would be good for hunting. Ry is good at air.

“I’ve got to go,” I say, when I hear the bell sound. We have five minutes until the second bell goes, marking the start of class.

“I owe you, and tell Kenz to answer her damn phone,” he says, and I laugh.

“She is always losing that thing or at least, she used to,” I reply. We both say later before I put my phone away and stand up.

“You off to water class?” Locke asks, and I nod.

“Coming?” I ask Logan. The twins may look alike, but they are opposite in their powers. Locke is good with water and healing. Logan is good with fire and pain. They both have seven marks, but they are strong. The fuckers are amazing when they team up, their powers complementing each other.

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