Reality Hero

by Ashlynn Monroe

  He nodded and Dina climbed down and shut the door.

  It was the wee hours of the morning. Almost no traffic was on the road, even at the important intersection. She rushed toward Zane’s white sedan.

  “Are you going my way, hot stuff?” Zane asked as he leaned against the driver’s side door.

  “I’m so glad to see you, I might even laugh at that.”

  He opened the passenger door and she slid inside. He was back in the driver’s seat before she had her seatbelt on. Zane grabbed her into a fierce embrace. His lips found hers and the only sound in the car was their ragged breathing as his mouth claimed hers. Dina’s lips parted to let his tongue inside. He deepened the kiss and she moaned, pressing against his body. Zane pulled back and took her face in his hands. He frantically searched her face.

  “He didn’t hurt you?” The way that Zane asked the question, she knew he meant sexually.

  “No, somehow he kept his hands to himself. He has dead men he uses as muscle. Dead men, Zane! How could he do such a terrible thing? He gave Ella to the same people who tortured us as children. How could he do it?”

  “I know, honey. I promise you the bastard is going to pay. But right now we need to get you home.”

  “No, I want to see my sister, and honestly, I’m afraid to be alone. But let’s stop by my place so I can get some of my own clothes. I don’t want to wear these for a second longer than I have to.”

  Chapter 20

  They stopped at her apartment, and Dina got her suitcase, took a shower, and got dressed. She packed some clothes and planned to stay with Ella until her sister felt better. Dina knew her career was over, but her sister and Zane were alive. Her life could have been worse. If one or both of them had died, she wouldn’t want to go on.

  She left her bedroom and found Zane waiting anxiously on her couch. He made it look small. Her superman dwarfed her small, feminine furnishings. She set the suitcase by the door and went to sit next to him. He looked at her with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

  “There’s so damn much we need to say to each other, but not tonight,” Dina said. “We’ve had too much hell for one day. When I tell you what’s in my heart, I want it to be right. I’ve gotten it wrong for so long that I just want to get this right.”

  Zane put his large hand against the back of her head, letting her damp hair slide through his fingers. He pressed his lips to hers softly, and when she leaned into him and made a soft feminine noise in the back of her throat, the kiss went from sweet to desperate.

  His teeth nipped her bottom lip. Zane slid his tongue into her mouth. Groaning, Dina followed suit. She wanted him.

  He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “I want this to be…feel right. Are you up to making love with me?” he asked quietly.

  “Damn right I am,” she replied, and Zane pulled her back against his body. His lips found hers again. She heard his sharp intake of breath. Lust burned hotly between them. They began stripping each other, never breaking the kiss.

  He pulled back long enough to lift her t-shirt over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Then he removed his shirt and carelessly tossed it on the floor to join hers. She didn’t want slow, sweet passion. Dina needed raw, animalistic sex. Zane seemed to be thinking the same thing because he pulled her up and began fumbling with the fly of her jeans. She followed his lead. Their lips reconnected. In moments, they both stood naked in her living room, pants and underwear lay at their feet. His big hands touched her, roaming all over her skin. Her hands splayed across his back. It felt so right to be in his arms. After everything she’d been through, being with him made her feel right again.

  His head dipped and his mouth found her nipple. He nipped it, giving her the slightest sensation of pain but bringing every nerve to life. Her back ached and she cried out. Zane picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, kicking the door open wider. She gazed up at his beautiful face as he deposited her on the bed. He stared down at her for a moment and she felt as if she were in the presence of a god. He was the most amazing man ever born and right now he was hers. The realization was incredible, and she reached for him. He went into her arms, dragging her up higher on the mattress. She lay with him kissing and stroking. Every sensation felt right. She’d been existing, but right now she was living. Zane made her feel invincible.

  His fingers found her pussy. He stroked her in that supernatural way that left her panting and clawing at his back as she clung to him. Her stomach muscles clenched as her pussy tightened. She screamed as she came.

  “You’re so beautiful when you come for me, honey,” he whispered in her ear.

  She whimpered as he stuck two thick fingers inside her pussy and it convulsed around them. He rubbed her, hitting just the right spot.

  “You’re killing me,” Dina whispered.

  “Never,” he replied quietly.

  Dina reached between his legs and stroked him. Zane hissed. “I want to fuck you so bad right now. Di,” he growled her nickname. His body felt tense under her hands.

  She didn’t want to wait. Every second he wasn’t inside of her was a wasted moment.

  “Take me,” she begged softly.

  Zane didn’t wait for a second invitation. He rolled on top of her, sliding inside of her. She wrapped her legs around his lean hips. He began to move slowly and then increased the pace. She screamed, coming again. No other man had been able to fulfill her so quickly or fully. A superhero wrecked a girl for the average guy population.

  Zane stiffened. “Dina.” He cried out her name in a strained, albeit reverent, tone. When he rolled over on his side, he brought her with him to lie on his stomach. He looked up at her. “One of these days, I’m going to take my time with you, Di. I’m going to make love to you slow and steady all night.”

  She made a throaty noise. “I’ll take that as a promise.” Dina sighed contentedly and put her head on his chest. “We need to go check on Ella.”

  He groaned. “I know. I just wanted to hold you a second longer.”

  She felt him rubbing lazy circles on her back. It was a good thing she was going to be unemployed soon. Once they stopped Ian, she’d never want to leave Zane’s bed again. Reluctantly, she got up and hurried to the living room to retrieve their clothing. She returned and tossed him his pants, underwear, and socks. She pulled her t-shirt on, and then her panties and pants. He stood and she gave the bed one final look. The rumbled comforter would be a reminder of Zane’s body when she returned home. She flipped the light switch and hurried to grab a light jacket and her suitcase. Dina slipped her phone into her pocket. Zane began turning off the living room lamps. He opened the door for her and she flipped the last light off.

  They were just about out the door when she heard her phone ringing. Zane stopped.

  She pulled it out of her pocket. “Hello.”

  No one was on the line, only static. Zane looked worried, she shrugged, but the strangest feeling made her look over her shoulder.

  After Zane double-checked to make sure her place was locked securely, they walked quickly to his car. The early morning traffic was minimal. Rush hour wouldn’t start for at least an hour. They drove quietly, but Zane held Dina’s hand casually. It felt good just to sit with him, feeling his companionship. She’d missed the wordless serenity she only had with him.

  * * * *

  Ella lay on the couch. She’d awoken to the wonderful news that her “average” sister had pulled off an “extraordinary” escape. She’d left Zane’s place and it was good to be home, but something was bothering her. She felt the strangest sensation of someone in the room with her. Closing her eyes, she concentrated.

  “Why are you still in my head?”

  Nothing. She sighed. Maybe she’d imagined Hazel Eyes was still with her. She’d endured some serious trauma.

  “I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Hazel Eyes’ thoughts came into her head.

  “Get out of my head! You let those bastards cut off my fucking finger! You’re an asshole.�
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  There was a pause, but he was still there. “I never thought they would truly hurt you. Forgive me.”

  She wanted to lash out at him. He was asking for amnesty, but she wasn’t in a very forgiving mood.

  “No.”

  She still felt him, but he didn’t send her any thoughts. Minutes passed and she waited for him to let go of her mind. He didn’t.

  “What are you still doing in my head?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Super. What the fuck is your deal? You proclaim your self-hatred and work with the same monsters who changed you before you were born. I don’t get it.”

  “I’ve never met anyone else with abilities. I—I would like to know you. I let you go. How else can I make it up to you?”

  “Do you have an extra finger? I seem to have lost one recently.”

  There was another long pause between her thought and his. “That was unfortunate. I want a cure, but not at the expense of your life.”

  “Why do you hate your abilities? Being different doesn’t make you a monster. What those men did to me…they’re the evil ones, not us.”

  “How can you embrace what you are so easily?”

  “How can you reject it?”

  “What I am is why my mother died. Whatever sickness they created in me is why she had to battle cancer for so many years.”

  “You can’t be sure of that. What’s your name? If we’re going to be having this chat, I want to know what to call you.” After she thought the question there was a short pause, as if he was deciding if he should tell her. It irritated her.

  “I can be sure. My mother gave me the names of five other women, friends she’d cared about, who’d been in the program with her. I traced their history from the college campus and into their adult lives. Unfortunately, none of them lived very long. My mother had a strong will, she lasted the longest. They all had babies within five months of my birth. None of those children lived. They were all boys, and all deformed. I am the only survivor.”

  He paused. She could feel him taking a mental beat, as if the thoughts and images he sent her weighed on his soul.

  “My name is Caspian. I never learned your name. You were just called ‘subject’ whenever they talked about you.”

  “Comforting. I’m Ella. I spent a lot of years being their subject. If you change your mind and come after me again, kill me. I don’t want to live if they have me.”

  “I won’t hand you over again. I’m not sure if I’m going to work with them anymore.”

  “How can you even consider staying with those animals? What they did to me wouldn’t even be legal to do to a lab rat. How can you… You’re pissing me off. I’d like you out of my head now.”

  “They’re my only hope of living a normal life. I don’t want to be a freak anymore.”

  “So I’m a freak? Fuck off, Caspian, and get the hell out of my head.”

  “You can say you’re happy with having abilities, but I don’t believe it. Tell me the truth. If they offered you a way to be normal, you’d take it, right?”

  “No. I would’ve at first, but I’ve discovered that being me doesn’t suck any worse than being a regular person. I don’t hate myself. Learn to accept who the hell you are and stop fucking with those of us who can handle what fate gave us. I’m alive. That’s what matters to me right now.”

  “I don’t hate myself. I hate what makes me not human.”

  “You’re human with a dash of plus. Don’t give me that inhuman crap. Caring about people makes someone human. Those ‘things’ you work for are the inhuman ones. I’m tired and pissed off. Leave me alone.”

  “I’m glad you escaped, Ella.” Then he was gone. She felt his absence with startling clarity. For a second, she missed the connection, but then she reminded herself he thought she was some sort of experiment gone wrong. Asshole.

  “Why are the hot ones gay, taken, or fucking nuts?” she muttered.

  She heard a car. The new ability she’d developed gave her a sixth sense. She opened her eyes. Dina. Zane. They were there. Ella stood and left her apartment. She couldn’t wait to see, with her own eyes, that her sister was in one piece.

  * * * *

  Zane checked his messages.

  At home. No worries. Not dead.

  E

  Instead of going to his apartment, they went to hers. When they arrived at Ella’s place, Dina jumped out of the car before it came to a complete stop and began to run toward the stairs. Ella opened the door to her building as Dina reached the top. Dina grabbed her sister into a fierce hug and whispered, “I thought I’d lost you.”

  Zane arrived just before they went inside. He had grabbed Dina’s bags for her, and she gave him an appreciative smile.

  Dina grabbed Ella’s bandaged hand and kissed it. “I can’t believe those bastards did this. I want to make them regret it.”

  “We all want vengeance, but right now Ian is a much more serious concern. Did he do anything to hurt you?”

  Dina knew that her sister meant rape, but didn’t want to come right out and say the awful words. “No, thankfully all he did was creep me the fuck out. I think he genuinely thought if he kept me long enough, I’d fall madly in love with him and never want to leave. I’m so glad I was able to get out of there, but I know someone on the inside helped me. I pretty damn sure it wasn’t Ian.”

  Ella lay down on her couch. Dina could see how tired and pained her sister appeared.

  “Are you okay? They did more to you than cut off your finger, didn’t they?”

  Ella pulled up her sleeve, displaying rough and violent stitches and confirming her sister’s suspicions. Dina gasped at the sight. She was so angry with those men and with Ian. I want them to suffer the pain they put my sister through and then some.

  A cheerful little ringtone radiated out of her purse, making her jump. It was the ringtone she’d set to her studio contacts. She went over to where Zane had left her things by the door. She answered it on the last ring. “Hello.”

  Vinny was on the other line. Dina couldn’t understand him at first. She heard a lot of noise in the background and assumed they had a bad connection. “Vinny, I can’t understand you.” Dina shouted the words into the phone.

  “Dina… Attack… Help us... He wants… Dina…please help me.” Vinny’s call ended with the sound of his scream.

  “Vinny! Are you there?” Dina cried into the disconnected line. Fuck. She looked at her sister and Zane helplessly. Zane took the phone from her hand. She was shaking badly.

  “I think I know where Ian is. I’m sorry, Dina, but I think Ian did what the paparazzi couldn’t. He found your production site.”

  “Zane, take me there. We have to help,” Dina pleaded.

  Ella didn’t move off the couch. “If I go I’ll be more of a hindrance than a help. I’m still weak. I’ve developed a new power too, and it’s not controlled yet.”

  Dina was terrified. Her only power was being powerfully sarcastic. She knew Ian was brutal. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill Zane.

  * * * *

  Zane looked down at the woman he loved. She loved him. The thought of losing her before they had a chance to be happy made him crazy. He took her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him. Ella was right to sit this one out, but he wanted Dina to stay with her. He held her there for a moment, just looking at her beloved face. “I don’t want to lose you. I’m going alone.”

  “No. Those are my people. I might have abandoned the production, but I won’t abandon my friends and those girls. It’s my fault they’re in danger.”

  “I’ll only take you if you tell me you’ll listen to every direction I give you. You’ll leave the stubborn Dina here. Do you understand me? No heroics or I will pop you back here before you can tell me no. Promise me you’ll let me keep you safe.”

  “I will, but we need to hurry.”

  Zane left the room for a moment, returning in his Mind Man costume. He glanced at Ella. She gave him a firm nod.

>   “Take care of her,” Ella said.

  “Hold on tight,” he whispered in Dina’s ear, wrapping his arms around her. She clung to him tightly.

  They arrived in what was left of her RV. It looked like a tornado had ripped it in half. With the roof crumpled backward and the right side just gone, it took him a moment to recognize where they were. Dina jumped down from the twisted metal that had been her RV to the ground. Zane watched her looking over the destruction. Her lip trembled. Ian had thrown a serious temper tantrum.

  * * * *

  Ella lay on her couch, worried about the two people who mattered most to her in the world. She knew of only one person who might be able to stop Ian. She didn’t know if she could trust him, but right now she didn’t have a choice. Closing her eyes, she focused her thoughts on Caspian’s hazel eyes. She knew he could hear her. “Please go to Love Lake Campgrounds up by the mountains. The monster who sold me to your employers is there killing many innocent people. Only you can stop him. My sister will die if you don’t help her.”

  Ella waited for his response. It was slow in coming, and she wondered if she only imagined he’d heard her.

  “Why should I help anyone? I don’t know your sister. That guy is twisted. I don’t want to get on his bad side unless I’m sure I can stop him.”

  “You owe me. You know you do. You owe her too. She could’ve died because I wasn’t able to help her. Show me you’re worth forgiving. I need you. Meet me in front of Fast Fry Diner.”

  “Why would you trust me? Aren’t you worried I’ll just bring you back to the men who took your finger?”

  “You need people who understand you. We can help each other. I love my sister more than my own life. Please help me save her.”

  There was a long pause. Wasted minutes ticked by slowly. Ella’s impatience grew, but she didn’t want to piss him off and lose her chance to save Dina.

  “Give me twenty minutes.”

  “You have fifteen.”

  He didn’t reply in her head again, but she felt the connection. He hadn’t let go of her this time. Getting up, she put on her costume. She didn’t want Dina’s friends to realize her twin sister was Rain. Closing her eyes, she knew she had a few minutes to rest before she had to leave to meet Caspian.