“Monster!” Melt took aim a third time, but a shadow tendril seized his arm before he could fire. He let out a scream of pain as the tendril twisted, breaking his arm before he could dissolve.
Rose seized him with more bonds of darkness and cracked him hard against the floor. Melt lay there, unmoving, either unconscious or dead. Malcolm slowly pulled himself to his feet, aware that the shadow spryte’s attention was now fully on him.
She’s having an episode. She isn’t herself…
“Rose…” he said. “Enough…”
If she recognized him in her current state, she gave no sign of it. Rose surged toward him, bringing her tendrils down in an overhead attack, like the stinger of a scorpion. Malcolm threw himself to the side with the wind, and then leapt into the air, pushing himself into a brief burst of flight.
He landed behind Rose, but she was already moving, grabbing him with her shadows and preparing to tear him limb from limb. Malcolm did something that he doubted she’d been expecting. Using he wind, he pushed himself closer to her, until their bodies were in direct contact. Rose’s eyes went wide, but she didn’t pull back.
“It’s okay,” he said, cupping her cheek. “It’s me.”
He leaned in and kissed her. Rose let out a surprisingly squeal, her entire body humming with the power of her shadows. She kissed him back, and Malcolm felt her regaining control, slowly reeling the darkness in.
And then, pain exploded through Malcolm’s entire body. He looked down, and saw a hole in his stomach.
CHAPTER 31
“Traitor!” screamed Melt. “You’ll both die!”
Malcolm looked at him as he fell to the ground. Melt held his favorite knife in his hand, with both the long blade and the brass knuckle hilt dripping with Malcolm’s blood. He’d stabbed Malcolm through the back, punching all the way through his abdomen on the other side. It was more painful than anything Malcolm had ever experienced.
He hit the ground hard, his vision wavering from the intensity of the wound. He was glad Tapestry had given him her power, but if past experiences were anything to go on, it would take him at least a few moments to begin healing.
Rose was back in the throes of darkness. She let out a demonic screech and hurled herself at Melt, who swung his knife in a desperate attempt to ward her off. Shadows moved on all sides of him, slapping and punching like a ring of aggressors around a single opponent.
“You betrayed us!” screamed Melt. “You’ve killed us both!”
Melt used his powers liberally, his body dissolving and reforming so rapidly that he seemed to have no clear shape at all. He was shouting and growling, as much animal as man. He was angry, but it was more than just that.
He’s got to be feeling the body load, at this point. Damn it… why did he have to stab me?
“This is how destruction and death goes unchecked in the world!” screamed Melt. “Wind Runner, I’m going to torture you once I’m done with this cunt! I’m going to make you fucking suffer you fucking bastard.”
Malcolm coughed, tasting blood in his mouth.
“Hope you don’t… kiss your mother with that…”
He coughed again, unable to get the last word out.
Rose had forced Melt into the corner. Her tendrils were attacking like whips now, striking out at him and ripping through clothing and flesh. Melt dodged using his power, but Rose used walls of shadow to keep him from escaping.
“You’re worse than the monsters, you fucking traitor,” said Melt, raving deliriously. “At least I know where I stand with them! Wind Runner, you fucking piece of shit, snake motherfucker!”
Rose lashed out again, and Melt let out a high-pitched scream.
“No!” shouted Melt, desperation entering his tone. “I… won’t… die!”
He charged forward, completely giving himself over to his powers. Melt shifted, still keeping the shape of a man, as his body slowly took on a red, gelatinous color. His flesh vibrated with each movement, like a disturbed plate of gelatin.
“Stop…” coughed Malcolm. “Rose… Melt! This… no!”
He sensed what was about to happen, and could do nothing to stop it. Rose stabbed her shadow tendrils forward into Melt. He expanded outward, his body shifting and creating holes to let them pass through harmlessly. Malcolm could see his eyes flicker and then begin to glow bright white.
Melt let out a roar. The glow of his eyes intensified, and suddenly his entire body compacted into a sphere of red goo the size of a basketball. He gave off bright, white light and quivered with power for a moment, and then exploded outward into a spray of red ooze.
Rose fell backward, making a surprised noise as she landed on her butt. Malcolm pulled himself up to a sitting position, trying to keep his hands over the still bleeding wound in his stomach and back.
Melt was slowly reforming in the aisle that cut through the center of the pews. Except, he was no longer the Melt that Malcolm had known. Melt’s face and head appeared first, and it only took a single look at the shape of Melt’s skull, and the color of his eyes, to see the difference.
He just turned. Melt… has become a demon.
“Rose,” said Malcolm, his voice weak.
Rose was barely in control, and she staggered over to Malcolm with odd motions, like she was fighting to keep from doing something else. She bent down on one knee next to him. Malcolm quickly leaned in and kissed her again, hoping the blood on his lips wasn’t too much of a turnoff.
She breathed a sigh of relief, and the spider web of shadows on her face rescinded.
“Thanks,” she said. “Your friend… I think he’s changed.”
Melt was still in the process of rebuilding his body, going slower than he usually took to reform. Malcolm had no desire to wait around and see what happened when he finished.
“We have to go,” he said. “Rose… will you come with me?”
She frowned.
“Malcolm…”
“Back to my apartment, not to the other champions,” He coughed again. “We don’t have time. Rose, come on!”
Malcolm groaned as he staggered to his feet. Rose was there with an arm underneath him in an instant. The two of them hurried out of the church. Behind them, Melt began to let out a wet, sucking laugh.
“That’s his truck,” Malcolm said, nodding to their ride. “He left the keys… under the seat.”
The two of them got inside. Rose found the keys, started it up, and took off speeding down the street away from the church. It was a tense, silent drive back to Malcolm’s apartment. He was worried that if he said anything, he’d scare Rose away, like a bird perched next to him on a park bench.
They parked Melt’s truck on the street and Rose helped into his apartment. Malcolm collapsed on the couch and breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled his shirt open, examining the rapidly forming scab closing the hole in his stomach.
“I see you borrowed the blonde champion’s power again,” said Rose.
Malcolm smiled at her.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to get weird about Tapestry just because we’re mortal enemies now?”
Rose laughed.
“No, I’m still not the jealous type,” said Rose. “Even under duress. Your champion friend might be, though.”
“Jealousy… wouldn’t be the half of it,” said Malcolm. “You saw how Melt reacted to the idea of me betraying the Champion Authority…”
Melt is a demon now. I don’t even know how to react to that.
“She’s going to find out eventually,” said Rose.
“I know,” he said. “…I’ve been trying to push Tapestry away. Keep her at a distance so that it doesn’t completely destroy her ability to trust other people. But it’s like, the more I try, the better she gets at sneaking through my emotional defenses.”
“She is a woman,” says Rose, taking a seat next to him. “It makes sense.”
Malcolm smiled at her. He reached over and set a hand on her shoulder.
“What happens now?
” he asked.
Rose frowned, shaking her head slightly.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“You’ve taken an injured champion captive,” said Malcolm.
“An injured champion that I let escape in the first place,” said Rose. “I might have chosen to align myself with Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden, but I’m not a surrogate for them.”
“You were waiting at the church,” said Malcolm. “What would have happened if I hadn’t been there? If it had just been Melt, and another champion?”
Rose looked away from him. Her face was flushed slightly, a darker purple than its usual tone.
“There is a very good chance that I would have killed them,” said Rose. “That’s what I was there to do, Malcolm. I’m not going to lie to you… even if it would make things easier.”
“I guess you didn’t plan on Melt having a, well, you know… meltdown.”
“You are such a dork,” said Rose. She sighed, and leaned so that her shoulder was against his.
“I still don’t get it,” said Malcolm. “You don’t believe in the religious nonsense. You’re not totally onboard with their methods. And you claim that you don’t care about your sister…”
“I do care about her,” said Rose. “Just not in the way you care about your family. And she’s safe now. I convinced Rain Dancer to move all of the Awakened Children outside of Vanderbrook and Halter City, for a time.”
“Why, though?” asked Malcolm.
Rose let her hand slide through his hair affectionately.
“Because I didn’t get to pick the side that I’m on,” said Rose.
Malcolm frowned and shook his head.
“The Champion Authority is going to crush Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden eventually, Rose,” he said. “You know it as well as I do. They aren’t strong enough to stand on their own.”
“Rain Dancer is stronger than he looks, Malcolm,” said Rose. “So much stronger. You would have to see it, to believe it.”
“I’m going to beat him the next time I see him,” said Malcolm. “Maybe even kill him.”
Rose didn’t say anything. She kept sliding her hand, letting it massage and caress his shoulders.
“Leah told me more about who I used to be,” said Rose. “Bits and pieces from my past.”
“Seriously?” asked Malcolm. “That’s awesome.”
“It hasn’t really triggered much,” said Rose. “It’s not like… someone else can explain to you who you are, when it comes down to it.”
“I’m still interested,” said Malcolm.
Rose smiled, suddenly looking a bit sheepish.
“My name was Rosalina,” she said. “I was, I guess, kind of nerdy? I liked to read a lot, and worked as a biologist.”
“Huh,” said Malcolm.
“What?” Rose raised an eyebrow at him. “What would you have guessed my previous career to be?”
Malcolm grinned.
“Stripper,” he said. “Or maybe a lingerie model.”
Rose punched him on the arm, rolling her eyes.
“I don’t know whether to be insulted, or flattered,” she said.
“Why not both?” asked Malcolm. “What else did she tell you?”
Rose’s expression took on a pensive quality.
“She talked about our parents a little,” said Rose. “They’ve both passed on. I tried to get her to tell me more about my personal life, friends, relationships, that kind of thing, but didn’t get much from her.”
“She wouldn’t tell you?” Malcolm raised an eyebrow.
“She was evasive about it,” said Rose. “She wouldn’t even tell me my last name. It was strange. But beggars can’t exactly be choosers. I feel as though I’ve learned enough, at least for…”
She tensed up suddenly, and Malcolm saw her lose control for an instant, darkness clouding her face.
“Hey,” he said. “Are you okay? How long has it been since you, well, you know…”
Sex. Her focus activity.
“Since the last time between me and you,” whispered Rose. “I can’t just go to anybody… past a certain point.”
“Past what point?”
Malcolm stared into her eyes, seeing a sudden mixture of vulnerability and longing. He reached his hand out, letting it caress her cheek. Rose drew in closer to him, her gaze darting down to his lips. Malcolm kissed her, and felt her wrapping him in a familiar embrace, both with her arms and her powers.
CHAPTER 32
Malcolm let his kisses travel along Rose’s neck. She was wearing a loose grey t-shirt and black leggings, the same clothes that most of the members of the Awakened Children wore. He peeled them away from her legs roughly, along with her panties underneath, and planted a kiss on her inner thigh.
“Malcolm…” breathed Rose.
He rubbed her thigh with his hand and grinned up on her.
“Consider this your reward for letting me go last night.”
He brought his tongue in and gave her a slow lick, followed by a soft, gentle kiss. Rose squirmed. He pinned her thighs to keep her in place and kissed again, and again, each one building with intensity until high pitched moans of pleasure began to escape her lips.
“Oh god,” she whispered. “Malcolm!”
He let his tongue dart out, unsure of whether he was pleasuring her or punishing her. Rose shook, but he stopped just before she reached her bursting point. He stripped off his own pants and slid his hardness into her.
His onslaught had gotten her hot and ready, and almost immediately, Malcolm began thrusting at a fast pace. He forced himself to slow down, letting his eyes drink in the sight of her. She was watching him, and there was so much emotion in her expression, so much said with a simple look.
Will I ever be able to fight against her? Is that even I question I need to ask myself?
“Rose,” he said. He kissed her, moving slow within her, savoring the moment. It was what his heart demanded, but he could tell it was torture for her. Rose bucked her hips against him, grinding and shifting, desperate for the release he’d already brought her to the precipice of.
She caressed him, both with her hands and her shadow tendrils. She nuzzled her face in the nape of his neck, kissing the sensitive skin there, and gently nibbling with her teeth. Malcolm pulled her shirt up, taking her breasts in his hands as he continued his deliberately slow pace.
“Are you… doing this on purpose?” Rose whispered, her voice clearly frustrated.
“No.” Malcolm smiled. “If I was, I’d do something more like this.”
He slid out of her and held himself above her. Rose flashed a mock glare at him and took hold of his hardness with a shadow tendril, forcing him back into her.
“It’s mine, right now,” she said.
“Maybe you are the jealous type?” said Malcolm, with a wink.
She was about to reply when he started thrusting, this time hard and fast. Rose let out a surprised squeal of pleasure, and then dug her hands back into the couch, overwhelmed by sensation.
Malcolm kept it up until she quivered and cried out, burying her face against his chest. He kept going, shifting and handling her body to get the best angle, until he found his own release. He let out a soft sigh, feeling the warmth of her body and enjoying the feel of finishing inside of her.
“I might… need to see you again,” said Rose. “In a couple of days. If that’s okay?”
It’s the only thing keeping her stable. Not that I’d say no, even if it was just sex.
“Of course,” said Malcolm. “We might have to work out a system. A secret way of leaving each other messages. Maybe meet up at a hotel instead of my apartment.”
Rose made an offended noise.
“You’re making it sound like I’m your mistress!” she said.
Malcolm chuckled, and then grew serious.
“We do have to be careful, though,” he said. “Not just for my sake. Rose, if Rain Dancer finds out that you’re still seeing me…”
; “I know,” she said. “He’s volatile. And he’s not used to having subordinates with minds of their own.”
Malcolm gave Rose a squeeze. He wished that they had more time together.
“You should probably go soon,” he said.
“Right.” Rose kissed him on the cheek. “Be careful, Malcolm.”
“You too,” he said. “Rosalina.”
She rolled her eyes.
“You aren’t going to start calling me that all the time, are you?” she asked.
“Of course not,” said Malcolm. “Only when I feel like annoying you.”
She gave him an exaggerated glare. They stared at each other for another minute, until the idea of being enemies became too painful for either of them to bear. Malcolm stood up and walked into his bedroom, and Rose disappeared into the shadows of the hallway outside the apartment.
Malcolm had three missed calls on his phone, one from Multi and two from Tapestry. He called Multi back first, not looking forward to having to explain how the assignment at the church had gone.
“Wind Runner,” said Multi, skipping hello. “Report.”
“A monster was waiting for us at the church,” said Malcolm. “Melt and I tried to take it down but… something happened.”
“What?” Multi’s voice sounded tired, with a gruffness to it common to heavy smokers.
“Melt… pushed it too far with his powers,” said Malcolm. “He turned. I saw him transform into a demon, and barely escaped before he attacked me.”
Multi released a torrent of curses into the phone. He exhaled, and then the line went silent for a good ten seconds.
“Multi?” asked Malcolm. “You still there?”
Multi sighed.
“Yeah,” he said. “Melt was a damn good field champion. This is the worst possible outcome. With his power, he can slip right out of his stabilizer.”
I hadn’t even considered that…
“How did things go at the junkyard?” asked Malcolm.
“They didn’t fall for it,” said Multi. “Never showed. We’re back at headquarters now. Stay where you are currently, Wind Runner. I’ll send Tapestry out to bring you in.”
Rain Dancer (Vanderbrook Champions Book 2) Page 15