Origin: A Superhero Adventure Novel (Axel Adams 1.5)

by Dee Benson

  He laughed. "It was a joke, okay? I guess you've been her best friend for years so you would know her physique."

  Brett was quiet.

  "Right?" Michael asked.

  "Right," Brett mumbled.

  Michael frowned. "Wait a minute. You have a crush on her, too?"

  "No."

  Michael stared at him. "You do!"

  Brett said nothing.

  "Why in the world did you set us up on a date if you like her too?

  Brett shrugged. "She's never going to see me as anything more than a friend. And I was getting sick of her gushing about you to me. And of you going on about her too, for that matter."

  "No way. You shouldn't have done that. How do you know she wouldn't warm up to you if you told her how you feel?"

  Brett snorted. "Are you saying that sincerely?

  Michael decided to be honest. "No." The thought of Brett with Katie made him jealous as hell. "Sorry man." He cursed under his breath. "What should we do?"

  "Nothing," Brett replied. "She loves you, and that's all there is to it."

  Michael sat up from his sprawled out position on Brett's couch. "But doesn't that make you want to beat the life out of me?"

  "No," Brett said. "I know that Katie and I are not meant to be. We're better as friends. I'll find the right girl for me, someday."

  Michael couldn't help feeling impressed. He wouldn't be so chilled out about it if it were the other way around.

  Now, the news was showing people who were angry at what Black Thunder had done today. Michael was bewildered by what had happened, too. It must have been a mistake. Katie would never have done something like that on purpose. He hoped she wasn't being too hard on herself.

  The news returned to showing Katie being dragged away by The Firemaster's men.

  Michael wasn't worried about her being captured. She could easily free herself. Maybe she was waiting until she was locked up, or something, to slip away.

  Then, he would go to her and comfort her.

  A PRISON GUARD TOSSED a dry slice of bread onto the floor in front of her. Katie made no move to take it. The prison guard left, the door clanging behind him.

  Katie wondered what they were going to do to her. She'd been here for three days. She'd used her powers to watch the TV in the prison guard's office, so she knew that The Firemaster was still searching for the king, wanting to kill her and the king together.

  She hoped the king had gotten himself well away. Maybe even gone to Netherium. He, being the king, must know how to get there.

  Katie looked at the slice of bread on the floor. She hadn't eaten since she'd been here. Her grief wouldn't let her.

  I killed thousands of people. Watching the news had been so heart breaking that she'd had to stop. Beyond what the men who'd captured her had told her, she'd also caused lightning to strike hundreds of people, and electrocuted hundreds more.

  She knew how it felt to lose a loved one in a senseless attack. She'd lost her brother. The loss had hurt her so badly that she'd risen to the challenge of fighting The Firemaster.

  But she'd done exactly what The Firemaster had done. In fact, she'd done worse.

  I can't do this anymore.

  That was why she hadn't freed herself. That was why she'd refused to grant Regina access each time she'd tried to speak into her mind since her capture. That was why she was shutting out thoughts from Aeric.

  The whole nation now hated the masked Super, Black Thunder. They were speculating as to why Black Thunder had killed so many people. Many thought it had been a kind of suicide since Black Thunder hadn't been seen since. The Firemaster had crowned himself, and killed anybody who didn't pledge their allegiance to him, and nobody had arisen to challenge him. They speculated that Black Thunder was gone for good.

  Light shone in the cell.

  Katie closed her eyes. She'd been expecting him.

  "Katie?"

  "Aeric." She opened her eyes. The blinding light was gone now, and Aeric stood before her, glowing with light.

  "I am not angry with you."

  For some reason, those words completely broke her. Tears stung her eyes. "You're not? I've let you down? I killed so many people."

  "You made a mistake."

  "You told me not to go. You warned me. But I was confused. I didn't know if it was you, or if it was…"

  "Michael?" Aeric asked.

  "Yes," Katie whispered.

  "I am willing to give you another chance. You can come back from this."

  Katie shook her head. She couldn't. It was too scary. Power was scary.

  "We can change you Super suit and your identity if you would prefer to have a clean slate. I will equip you with entirely different powers so that nobody will link you to Black Thunder."

  "I'm sorry." Tears rolled down Katie's cheeks. "I can't handle the power. And…Michael…"

  Aeric's eyes softened. He gave her a sad look. "Very well. But you could have learned to handle the power. And Michael would have waited. I put those words about freedom and releasing you in the king's mouth. I wanted you to be a target for The Firemaster, and being the king's chosen woman would make you a target. But I also know that you love Michael. The king would have released you after all this is over."

  So Aeric hadn't been trying to force her into marrying the king.

  "Of course not," Aeric said. "I'm a father completely unlike your human father. I didn't say marry the king. I only said make sure the king chooses you."

  "I'm sorry," Katie said, tears streaming from her eyes. "I didn't know. I was so confused."

  "Then you should have asked. Try to trust me. Don't you understand how I work? Haven't you read so much about me?"

  "I'm so sorry."

  Aeric vanished.

  "BRING KATIE FRANKEL TO me," The Firemaster ordered the courtiers in the throne room.

  Two of them scurried out to do his bidding.

  Sitting on the throne felt good. Finally, he was king.

  The Commission for Change had released a statement apologizing on behalf of Black Thunder. Apparently, what he'd done three days ago had been a mistake. That knowledge hadn't placated anybody. It had people calling for the disbandment of the organization, something The Firemaster was more than happy to do. He'd never heard of them before, but if they were associated with Black Thunder, that meant they were against his government of the Land of the Supers.

  Their statement also said that Black Thunder was still alive, but had retired. The Firemaster currently had people trying to locate the organization. Their website had disappeared from the Internet within a few minutes of the statement they'd released, but he was sure his men would be able to find them.

  "What are you going to do to Katie?" Michael asked.

  The king looked at him. He'd been pretty elusive over the past few days. Saying he was ill the night that Katie and the king were captured, and disappearing at odd times since then when he was supposed to be one of his right hand men. "I'm going to kill her."

  THE DOOR TO KATIE'S cell opened and she was dragged out and taken to the palace.

  No doubt, The Firemaster had taken over the palace now.

  She stumbled along as she was dragged through the grand hallways and corridors.

  When the door to the throne room was opened, she was unceremoniously pushed in. She fell, sliding across the floor. Her hair hung over her eyes.

  "Katie Frankel," came The Firemaster's voice.

  She didn't look up. Her heart jammed into her throat. It was game over. He was going to kill her.

  Should she use her powers to defend herself?

  "You used to be such a hottie," he said. "This is probably the worst I've ever seen you."

  Katie clenched her teeth.

  "Look at me when I'm speaking to you."

  She looked up and pushed her hair back from her face as best as she could with her shackled wrists.

  "Where is your husband?" The Firemaster asked.

  "I don't have a husband.
"

  He laughed heartily. "Oh, so now that I'm in power you suddenly don't want him anymore? You looked pretty damned happy with him when he presented you to the nation as the queen."

  "We never married."

  The Firemaster took out a gun. "You're not even worth making a ceremony out of your death."

  Someone jumped between Katie and The Firemater.

  Michael!

  The Firemaster looked amused. "What is this about, Michael? You have feelings for poor old Katie Frankel." He paused, and then his eyes began to burn. "You do. I remember how you covered her with a forcefield last week so that she could get away from me."

  Had that been only last week? Katie couldn't believe it. It felt like a century ago. How she missed the innocence and mundaneness of college.

  "I don't have feelings for her," Michael replied smoothly. "However, I know that you have desired her for years. Why kill the woman you have longed after for so long?"

  "Because she's a traitor."

  "No. Your brother is the traitor, and he forced her, using her to get at you. She had no choice in the matter. You've wanted her as your wife for years. If you kill her, you're letting your brother deprive you of the woman you have wanted since the day you laid eyes on her."

  MICHAEL HOPED WITH ALL his heart that his fear wasn't showing. Katie couldn't die. She had the ability to free herself, but for whatever reason she hadn't. He'd heard that Black Thunder had retired. Maybe that meant she'd lost her powers.

  Please don't let him kill her, he begged the forces internally.

  The throne room was quiet, everyone waiting to see what The Firemaster would say.

  Eventually, The Firemaster rose to his feet. "Get out of my way," he told Michael.

  Michael stepped aside, hoping he'd said enough. Hoping he'd pushed the right buttons.

  The Firemaster was looking at Katie, an unreadable expression on his face. "Have you slept with my brother?" he asked.

  Katie shook her head. "No."

  In that moment, Michael wished he had mental powers. The type that would allow him to speak into Katie's mind. She should tell him that his brother hadn't wanted to marry her, and had wanted to release her.

  Obviously, she should leave out the part where she refused to be released.

  "He didn't really want me," Katie said.

  Perfect. Michael didn't need telepathic powers after all.

  "His advisers told him to choose me in order to get at you," Katie continued. "I didn't want him, and he didn't want me."

  "Wilhelm!" The Firemaster snapped.

  One of the courtiers stepped forward. Michael caught his eye. The man nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly.

  "Virginity test," The Firemaster snapped.

  Katie cast Michael a desperate look.

  Michael tried to convey with his eyes that she should relax.

  Wilhelm bowed his head, and then his eyes glazed over.

  Katie clutched her head as Wilhelm presumably broke his way into her mind. Everyone waited for his verdict.

  Michael tried to appear as relaxed as possible, so that The Firemaster wouldn't guess how much he wanted Katie to live.

  "She's a virgin," Wilhelm said.

  Katie let out a small gasping sound.

  "Has she ever kissed anybody?" The Firemaster asked.

  "No," Wilhelm said. "Although she has been kissed."

  Instant anger burned in The Firemaster's eyes. "By whom? My brother?"

  "No."

  "Show me who?" The Firemaster ordered, pointing to the wall.

  He wanted Wilhelm to project what he was seeing in Katie's mind onto the wall? That made Michael nervous. He hadn't expected such a request. Could Wilhelm handle it? Could he show only what he wanted The Firemaster to see?

  Images began to appear on the wall, fuzzy at first, but soon becoming clear. It was The Firemaster, kissing Katie. She was wearing a yellow bikini. It must be from last week at the beach.

  "Oh," The Firemaster said. He grinned sheepishly. "Take it away."

  The images faded away from the wall.

  Wilhelm looked at Michael. Michael nodded slightly. Nothing like a little bribery to persuade even the most loyal courtier to lie to the king. He owed the man a thousand cekels. Brett was going to raise half the money. Neither of them wanted to see Katie killed.

  Michael glanced at Katie. She looked astounded.

  The Firemaster walked over to where Katie lay. She shrank away, when his boots clomped by her fingers.

  He looked down at her. "Very well. She shall be my concubine."

  Katie burst into tears. Michael wasn't sure whether it was relief that she wasn't going to die, or heartbreak at the thought of being The Firemaster's concubine. He suspected it was a mixture of both.

  He was sure feeling a mixture of both. How was he going to cope with her belonging to The Firemaster?

  He was doing no more than what Brett had done in engineering a situation whereby Michael and Katie could get together. But it still caused what felt like a million needles to stab his heart.

  I did it to save her life.

  True, he would have to live with the knowledge that she was The Firemaster's to have and hold, but true love was selfless.

  Chapter 17

  KATIE LEFT THE CONCUBINE'S quarters for the first time since she moved in three months ago.

  The electronic tag around her ankle made her feel like a prisoner. As did the fact that she'd had to tell the keeper of the women that she was going out so that she wouldn't trigger any alarms. In many ways, that was what she was: A prisoner. The Firemaster's prisoner. Actually, it was worse. She was like a piece of his personal property that he could do whatever he wanted with.

  Most women wouldn't want their man to get other women, but Katie was actually looking forward to The Firemaster building his harem and getting more concubines and also a wife. Maybe then, he would focus on her less and she'd get some peace. She'd heard there were seven other women he was interested in. Apparently, three were already pregnant.

  He'd told Katie that she was never going to become his queen. He wasn't going to marry her. She would remain a lowly concubine because of all the times she'd rejected him in college.

  That was fine with Katie. She didn't want to be the queen anyway. She wouldn't be able to hide her emotional anguish. She'd make a miserable queen.

  Besides, The Firemaster was a terrible king. She didn't want to be by his side while he continued to kill anybody he suspected of not being in allegiance to him. He was king now, so he should just let it go. But he was still going around, demanding that people pledge allegiance to him and his rulership. He seemed to relish setting people and buildings on fire, murdering people, causing chaos and bring whole cities to ruin.

  She climbed over the fence that surrounded the concubine's quarters, and then began to walk towards the palace.

  She wondered if she would see Michael.

  The thought made her heart begin to beat harder. She hadn't seen him since that day in the throne room. It had been three months. Three long months.

  She owed him everything.

  And she hadn't even gotten a chance to say thank you.

  A cloud covered the sun. She was grateful for the way it took the edge off the heat of the day. She was already sweating and out of breath. But maybe that was less to do with the heat, and more to do with her condition. Instinctively, her hand went to her belly.

  A courtier flew by, heading towards the palace. Katie watched her go. She'd never had flight powers until Aeric empowered her for the mission of fighting The Firemaster. Unfortunately, she hadn't flown for fun during the time that Black Thunder was in operation. She'd flown only when necessary.

  That's my own fault.

  Aeric hadn't told her not to fly for fun. And he hadn't told her to stop flying now. She was the one who'd decided to stop using the powers he'd given her.

  That's right.

  Katie stopped walking. That was Aeric.

 
; She began to walk again.

  Aeric still spoke to her sometimes. Every so often. It was as though he was just keeping the lines of communication open in case she wanted to return.

  But she couldn't.

  She was still grieving. For her brother and for the hundreds of people she'd killed and the thousands she'd injured.

  She had well and truly hung up her mask for good.

  But sometimes she wondered. She wondered whether she would strike if an opportunity presented itself. The Firemaster was bound to be more relaxed these days, now that his brother was gone. While he was in a state of ease, she could spring an attack and get rid of him.

  Katie shook her head. I don't know.

  She was completely out of breath by the time she got to the palace. A few courtiers greeted her as she made her way through the palace. When she got to the throne room, she knocked on the door. It was opened by Serloyd, one of The Firemaster's closest friends.

  He looked at her in amusement, as he always did. Katie wondered what The Firemaster said about her to him.

  "It's your concubine," Serloyd called over his shoulder. "Should I let her in?"

  "What does she want?" came The Firemaster's voice.

  "What do you want?" Serloyd asked.

  "I want to speak to the king," Katie replied.

  "She wants to speak to you," Serloyd relayed.

  Katie stepped around him and entered the room. Dozens of army generals were inside. Michael wasn't one of them. She knew, from watching the news, that The Firemaster had expanded the army. It looked like they were in the process of giving some kind of report. Katie would bet it was about their efforts to find The Firemaster's brother.

  The Firemaster didn't look pleased as she walked towards him. "Katie, there's a time for business and a time for pleasure."

  His generals all laughed as though it were the funniest thing in the world.

  Katie would love to tell him that nothing about their relationship was pleasure, but she didn't want to die. "I thought you might be interested in knowing that I'm pregnant."

  The Firemaster's brows flew upward.

  "I don't want to keep the baby. I need your permission for an abortion."