AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He reached behind his head, trying to grab at my face. When he couldn’t reach me, he found my wrist. I prepared for another ascent across the room. But this time he pulled me off, sneering as he held me off the ground, dangling like a rag doll.
“Better luck next time,” he coughed. I managed a cough. Not the victory I—
Eclipse spun, hurling me across the room and out the window of the 99thfloor. I’d have a few seconds to ponder my existence as I plummeted a thousand feet to my demise. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, my thoughts trying to focus on anything but the pavement rushing toward my face.
“No!” Not far behind me, Julian barreled out of the window, Eclipse captured in a bear hug. The bruiser kicked Eclipse away, narrowing his body until he was gaining speed and closing the gap between us. Even if he reached me, even if he could wrap himself around me, we’d hit the ground like a bomb.
“Got you.” Even shouting, the words were barely audible over the gushing wind. Julian pulled at my leg, positioning my back against his chest. He spun around, so he’d act as a cushion between me and the street below. He might be strong, but there was no way he’d survive the impact. Could he?
At least I had the perfect view of Eclipse flailing as he fell. The puffs of smoke appeared, but he seemed unable to zip away like before. Good, if I was going to wind up a smear on the street, I wanted his matching stain nearby. Was he convinced he had won now? I almost laughed, a wave of pain pulsing through my chest.
“Thanks for trying, Julian.” He couldn’t hear me, but I couldn’t die without acknowledging the hero attempting to save me.
I watched the sign on the front of the building fly past. That meant only a few more floors until we—
Suddenly we changed directions, flying upward above the city. Our momentum carried us far above the 99thfloor. From here, I could see the entire skyline of Vanguard City. It was beautiful, but I couldn’t admire it as I tried to figure out how we went from falling to soaring. Could Julian fly?
Then I saw the portal. It wasn’t one hero saving me. I nearly forgot that I was in league with a dynamic duo.
Our ascent slowed, the momentum fading. Why had Theo teleported us higher than before? Was he testing my constitution? First, I’d kiss him, then I’d hit him. No, switch the order.
As we started our descent, a portal opened beneath us. Six feet below, Julian landed with a thud, arms wrapped around me. Theo gasped as he held his hands out to his side, glowing with purple energy.
“Next time, give me a chance to catch my breath.”
He collapsed to his knees and the portal closed. Julian let go, and I rushed to Theo as fast as my tired body allowed. I wrapped my arms around him before Julian’s arms covered us both. I ignored the pain, focusing on the warmth of his suit pressed against my face. His breathing was quick and shallow, but he was okay.
“Got your text,” he said between gasps.
“Are you okay?”
“Five-by-five. Just need to catch my breath.” He patted me on the cheek, putting his forehead against mine. “Thanks for the assist.”
“I told him his suit was dumb. He should have listened.”
It was Julian’s turn to laugh. “Do you think he got away?” The big man got up, heading to the window.
“They always get away,” I said. “I’m not taking that bet.”
“Well,” Julian said, looking out the window. “I take no pride in this, but you owe me money.”
“Really?” asked Theo.
“That’s going to be a lot of paperwork.”
The solemn tone of Julian’s quip surprised me. I don’t know why I thought they’d be high-fiving over the victory. Heroes wanted to save more than the victim. My respect for their job continued to grow.
“His powers,” Theo said, “are hellish. How’d you break free?”
“I was already living my worst fear.” He pulled away, an eyebrow raised. Just say it Alejandro, don’t be an idiot. If this was going to work, I needed to be honest with him, Julian, and myself.
“The thought of losing you, both of you. It doesn’t get much worse than that.”
Theo pulled me closer, forcing a groan smothered by his lips. He didn’t taste like cinnamon this time. It was saltier from the sweat. “And here I thought your biggest fear was spiders.”
I broke free. “You find a spider in my apartment, burn it to the ground.”
“Sorry, we didn’t fill you in about the club. Theo didn’t want to get your hopes up and find out it was a pipe dream.” Julian offered us each a hand, pulling us to our feet as if we weighed nothing.
