by Nora Ash
To the chief’s credit, it only took him a few moments. Then his gaze darkened as realization set in. “This is for real. Bright is really Mayor Wilkins, and he’s planning on… on what, exactly? Tell me everything you’ve uncovered, to the smallest detail.” He reached for his phone and leveled a hard stare at Eliath. “And then you will tell me everything there is to know about fighting superhumans. One wrong move on your part, and this time, I will know how to catch you.”
“I never knew how much of being a supe was about hanging out on random rooftops.” I looked out across the city stretching out below us with. The multitude of lights looked almost pretty from up here, where the noise of the many people it shone for was only a faint buzz on the wind.
Eliath hugged me closer with a somewhat teasing grin, shielding me from the howling wind. “I know. Everyone expects glamour and champagne, but really, it’s all about the stake-outs. At least it’s not raining, eh?”
“Oh, yes, that would be what ruined this night. Rain.” I squinted out into the dark. “Can you see anything noteworthy?”
“No.” He rubbed a hand across his scalp and groaned with frustration. “We’ve been to every goddamn hot-spot for supes this town’s got. Where the fuck are they hiding?”
“I dunno, where do crazy supes plotting to overthrow the human government tend to hang out? I’m guessing you have more experience with this sort of thing than—” I paused as Bright’s gloating when he unmasked Lightning echoed for my inner ear. “He’s at a news studio!”
Eliath frowned. “A news studio?”
“Yes! Remember how Bright said he’d use Lightning’s—Nick’s—face to tell the city about their new masters? Where else would he do that than from a news studio? Now we just have to figure out which one… how many are there in total in the city?” My excitement died somewhat. St. Anthony was a big city, with a very active media.
“Son of a bitch!” Eliath growled. “I know which one that little prick is at.”
I raised my eyebrows at him, not quite following.
“He was banging your friend from the DNSA Network, and has infiltrated it deeply enough to cipher money from it too. The fucker is at my network.”
“Of course!” I ignored the twinge at the mention of Trish. What I thought we’d had had been mostly a lie, at least for the past several years, and right now, I had to focus on the mission at hand.
Eliath tightened his grip around me, and once again I was pulled through what felt like a rip in the fabric of reality l. When the world re-focused, Eliath clamped a hand tightly over my mouth before I could even begin my usual dry-heaving. When it finally stopped, I realized we were standing on a narrow balcony on what looked to be sixth floor of one of the old and grand buildings at the town center.
When Eliath was sure I wouldn’t retch, he removed his hand and pressed his lips to my ear. “They’re down on third floor. I can hear Bright—and Lightning. I’m going to teleport us up to the roof so I can call the chief without anyone overhearing us. Hang tight.”
This time, after we popped into view a few floors up, Eliath let me gag as he snatched his cell phone out of a hidden pocket and pressed a few buttons. Soon, he was speaking quickly and quietly into the device.
My stomach finished the most violent of its protests just as he wrapped up his conversation with the chief.
“They’re on their way.” Eliath crouched down next to where I was still standing, bent over, hands on my knees. My stomach was not happy with the amount of times I’d been teleported across town within the past twenty-four hours. “Kathryn… if this goes wrong…”
I shot him a dirty glare. “I’m not staying here while you go risk your life. We’ve talked about this.”
“I know,” he said, his unusually soft tone mirrored in his eyes. He reached out and stroked a hand through my tangled hair, wrapping his fingers around the back of my neck gently enough that it felt good. Safe. “And I remember the promise I made you about not sidelining you again. But, Kitten, if something happens to you down there… I wouldn’t be able to survive it. Please, reconsider. For me.”
It was hard to resist a plea like that from one of the two people I loved most in this world, but I knew I couldn’t sit this one out. Even if every part of me dreaded what we were about to attempt.
“And you think I could survive if you died? You and Lightning? You say I’m your soulmate… does it not seem plausible that that’s a two-way street? I—I don’t know exactly how all this works and what it means, but I know that I love you… and that I wouldn’t be able to make it without the both of you. I can’t let you go down there on your own, don’t you understand? They are so many, and they are so powerful… I may just be a human, but I am going to be there for you, Eliath. And for Lightning. They aren’t expecting you to bring me there again. I’ll sneak in without getting noticed. The only reason they got me before is because they ambushed us. Well, this time, it’s the other way around.”
Eliath held my gaze for a few seconds, as if it took him a little while to digest what I’d said. Then he pulled me closer by the back of my neck and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Be safe. Always. Don’t take any chances, no matter what, or who, is at stake. Do not feel pity, or remorse, or guilt—it will make you hesitate, and if you hesitate, you die. And if you die, so do I, and so does Lightning.”
“No pressure,” I muttered, trying to keep my voice from trembling.
Eliath reached behind his back and pulled a long, thin knife from one of the scabbards that holstered his swords. With a flick of his wrist he turned the handle toward me, holding it out in offering. “I wish we would have had time to teach you how to shoot, but since we haven’t, this will be safer. Go for the eyes, throat, or up underneath the bottom rib. Don’t go between—you risk the blade getting stuck on one. Strike to kill, not to wound. Remember, they are not human—an injury won’t stop them, even if it looks severe. And Kathryn… your only advantage is to stay hidden until the very last second. If you get drawn out into the open, you don’t stand a chance. Stay hidden. Got it?”
I nodded and took the blade. “I got it.”
“I love you.”
His grave tone sent chills up my spine, but I pushed all the horrible thoughts of what could go wrong away. It was too late for fear, and too late for regrets. “I love you too. So much.”
Eliath nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.” He turned his back to me and crouched down. “I’ll climb down to make sure no one hears the teleport, so you’ll have to get on my back. Hang on tight, and make sure you climb off without a sound when we reach the balcony on the third floor. We’ll wait for the police to arrive and then I’m going in, hopefully taking them by surprise enough that I can get to Bright. You will stay hidden on the balcony until you are absolutely sure you can sneak in unnoticed. See if you can get to Lightning. He’s undoubtedly restrained. Get him free as soon as possible. We’ll need as much power as we can get. Ready?”
I swallowed thickly, secured the knife in my coat pocket, and climbed onto Eliath’s broad back. The feel of his strong muscles flexing underneath my grip was oddly reassuring. We might be outnumbered, but if anyone could pull this off, I knew it was this man—this dragon. “Ready.”
It took less than five seconds for Eliath to scale the building and land soundlessly on the third floor balcony, far enough to the side of the French doors that we were safely out of sight. I slid off his back and ensured my legs were done wobbling before I released my choke hold on the superhuman. Falling over and announcing our presence with a loud thud would not have been ideal.
I could hear a murmur of voices through the closed doors, but couldn’t make out who was speaking or what was being said.
Eliath pressed himself up against the side of the building so he could peek in. After a few moments, he pulled back and pressed his mouth to my ear. “Lightning’s sitting in a chair across the room. You’ll have to sneak in along the panels once I’ve got their attention and cut his ropes. Also—oh,
fuck. Shut up, you imbecile!”
I jumped at the explicative he suddenly hissed into my ear. “What?” I mouthed.
Eliath pressed up against the wall again and looked in through the glass in the door before turning back to me. “He’s provoking Bright, and it’s working. I’ve got to get in there, now. You, stay put until reinforcements show up,” he whispered before swinging back around to the doors. Only this time, he didn’t sneak. He raised a boot-clad foot and kicked in both doors with enough force to rip them both off their hinges with a resounding crash.
The battle had begun.
Eight
Lightning
“Why don’t you do everyone a favor and drop the toy?”
Lightning shook his head dazedly at the sound of the all-too-familiar sneer, momentarily certain the last blow to his head had given him a concussion.
“You have got to be kidding me!”
Bright’s jarring voice made Lightning look up through the blood-matted tendrils of hair clinging to his forehead. A large, black-clad figure stood on top of the two broken balcony doors, one sword pointed at Bright’s neck, the other held out against the cluster of supes closest to him. The Shade.
What. The. Hell.
“Nope, not kidding. Put the gun down, or you’re going to be a head shorter.” A thin line of blood trickled from Bright’s neck where the very tip of The Shade’s sword pressed in.
Bright dropped his signature weapon on the floor with a clonk. “I haven’t got the faintest idea what you think you’re going to accomplish here. One wrong move and Earthstorm is going to crush your buddy’s windpipes. I do assume he’s why you’re here?”
“That would be correct.” The Shade nodded shortly in Lightning’s direction. “So you should just go right ahead and untie him for me. I might let a few of you live, if you cooperate.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake! Lightning had absolutely no idea why The Shade was here to free him, other than perhaps some misplaced kindness toward Kathryn, but he did know that it was the exact opposite of what he’d wanted. He had wished for Kathryn to be safely out of the city by now, and if The Shade was here, then she was undoubtedly still somewhere out there, way too close to what Bright was about to bring down on St. Anthony’s helpless population.
“I’m sorry, you’ll let a few of us live?” Despite the sharp weapon piercing his skin, Bright let loose a wild laugh. “What is wrong with you? Did this perverse little sex triangle you two got going completely fry your brain, or did Lightning’s ridiculous notion of heroism actually rub off on you? There are thirty of us and one of you. Even without my lovely toy, you don’t stand a chance.
“You know, I used to respect you. You were a ruthless killer who got what he wanted. And now look at you—I even gave you the chance to make off with your precious human, yet here you are… ready to die to stop what you should be as eager as anyone to obtain. Pathetic.” With a flick of his wrist, the corrupt mayor turned on the cameras that had been set up to point at Lightning's de-masked face. “But have it your way. I guess St. Anthony will get to see two of their greatest die on camera tonight. Though I daresay, they might be cheering when they see your guts spilling out, Shade. You never were particularly popular, were you?”
To Lightning’s utter surprise, The Shade actually smiled at Bright’s gloating. Perhaps he really had lost the plot.
“You know, Mayor Wilkins, I think you’re forgetting one little thing.” The Shade cocked his head, his smile widening, turning more gruesome. “Lightning and I are not the only ones in this city who finds your plan to murder and enslave every citizen in St. Anthony less than ideal.”
Bright scoffed. “Oh, no, you certainly weren’t. But every supe who opposed me are now dead or have fled the city. And do you really think I care one whit if you call me by my human title?” He reached up and pulled off his mask, twisting so his face was directly in line with the camera. The Shade’s sword followed the movement, never cutting deeper, but staying pressed against his throat. “The time for hiding is past. We are the new masters of the city, and they will learn to bow, or get slaughtered like the sheep they truly are.”
“Well, it would seem the sheep might have a thing or two to say about that,” The Shade said, offering a wink to the camera. “Remember why we had that unwavering codex of never organizing against the humans? Turns out, they never liked being our servants—and they’ve developed the means to resist in the past few thousand years.”
It was then it finally dawned on Lightning what The Shade had done. He had warned the humans. The most evil villain in the city had broken one of their founding laws to save the residents of the city he had terrorized for years.
Lightning stared in shock at the man he had fought for over a decade, allowing his preternatural senses to kick in and focus on the plaza outside of the media building Bright had dragged him to. Low rumbling, the unmistakable tha-tha-tha of metal propellers slicing through the air and—
The whole building shook as the missile Lightning had picked up on hit the building, sending chunks of rubble down from the ceiling.
The humans were fighting back.
The room exploded into a cacophony of noise and movement. It didn’t take the gathered supes more than two seconds to catch on to what was happening, and their rage was palpable.
“You traitor!” Bright hissed. “You sided with the humans over your brothers!” Quicker than even The Shade could counter, he bent for his gun and rolled out of reach of the infamous twin swords. “I am going to kill you before I slaughter every last human in this city.”
Somewhat to his surprise, worry knotted in Lightning’s stomach as he saw Bright aim the lethal weapon at his old enemy. But there wasn’t time to reflect on such puzzling emotions, not while Bright’s supes poured out through the crumbling walls to take on the humans down below. He had to get free so he could help out, and The Shade was too busy with Bright to be of any use. Blue plasma exploded from Bright’s terrible weapon, sang through the room, and smashed another hole in the already breaking wall, narrowly missing The Shade.
Lightning tested his bonds, but they were still too strong, even for him. The fucker had secured them skillfully. Human screams echoed from the plaza and the streets beyond, and magic of all colors lit up the dark sky. There had to be a way to get fr—
His heart skipped a beat at the sight of blonde hair disappearing behind what was left of the curtains over by the balcony. No. No. He wouldn’t have. Even The Shade wouldn’t be that careless. Even as he repeated the words in his head, Lightning’s fight against the ropes became much more frantic. If she was truly here… Oh, powers that be, no, no, no!
“I’m sorry, my boy. It looks like it’s up to me to off the city’s beloved hero. I truly wish it didn’t have to be this way, but what can you do? Fate plays her hand, and we have to act to her wishes.”
The familiar voice momentarily jarred Lightning out of his panic. He snapped his head around and glared up at the man he had once called a mentor. Until now, he had avoided looking at Mirome, the betrayal being too much to deal with on top of everything else. The man was as flamboyantly dressed as always, with his feathered mask and deep purple, silken suit, but behind the motley costume lay a core of hard, calculating ice.
“You called yourself my father, once,” Lightning spat. “How pathetic that you must claim the will of Fate to justify what you have done to me, and to The Shade. The truth is that you are a greedy coward. Using orphaned young boys to create a devoted following to sing your praises and boost your ego. You follow Bright because you are too afraid to oppose him. I am disgusted that I ever looked up to you.”
Mirome smiled thinly. “You’ve got to get over your daddy issues, boy. I always wanted this—as does anyone who is worthy of our ancestry. I’m the one who brought this to Bright years ago, after I was gifted the title of Secret Keeper. I knew he was the leader we needed for this, even before he had shown the world his true potential.”
Lightning shook his
head as his old teacher’s words sank in. Mirome was behind the entire, catastrophic chain of events. The cloaked figure pulling the strings behind the scenes to ensure what would be the end of the world as they knew it. Some small part of Lightning had still held out hope that Mirome had betrayed them, even tortured Kathryn so horribly, out of fear. Somehow, it would have been easier to take if he had been a coward.
“Alas, I’m afraid this is the end of our little chat,” Mirome sighed. With a flick of his wrist he conjured the golden light of his magic, letting it shine from his left hand. “Bright’s going to finish off your friend any moment now, and it would look best if I’ve finished this unpleasant task for him by the—”
Mirome’s speech ended in a gurgle.
Lightning stared at the red line that had appeared across his throat, effectively cutting open his windpipe. The superhuman gargled again, the magic fading from his hand. Then blood began to spurt out in thick, heavy pulses, covering Lightning’s face and chest. Seconds later, Mirome fell to the floor with a thud. Dead.
Lightning blinked at the corpse. Then he looked back up to where Mirome had stood only seconds before.
Kathryn stared back at him, a long knife still clutched in her trembling hand.
“What are you doing here?” It just came out, angry tone and all. She flinched and he took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, baby—fuck. Get me loose and I’ll take you somewhere safe, okay?”
She knelt by his side without a word and brought the still-bloody knife to the magic-infused knots holding his arms and legs in place. Even with what looked to be a supremely sharp blade, it took her a little while, but the second he was free he was on his feet and clutching her in his arms.
Oh, stars above. Lightning buried his face in her hair and drew in big, greedy breaths, sucking the smell of her into his lungs. She felt so soft and good against him, and he could have held her like that for an eternity, if not for the boom of Bright’s latest shot being accompanied by a shout of agony. The Shade had finally failed at jumping out of range in time.