Chapter 9

On the way to work, I hit a ton of traffic. Three accidents, two of them multi-car. It’s like the universe was telling me to blow off work. I rested my head against the steering wheel in sheer exhaustion.

“We haven’t got much time.”

I looked up and saw Steve sitting right next to me, in the passenger seat. He’s so much better at this teleportation thing, I thought.

“Vi said I shouldn’t trust you, and she’s got a point,” I said. “I mean, you were the one who did this to me.”

His brow wrinkled. “Did what? What did she tell you?”

“Made me into a freak!” I didn’t mean to raise my voice, it just happened. Since all this shit went down, I hardly had 15 minutes to process it. To even consider the ramifications of such a “gift.”

“What can you do?” he asked, his eyes looking straight into mine. It was hard to stay mad at him. I wanted so much to tell him everything, but more so to just hear him say that everything would be all right. That he would take care of me, however ridiculous and stupid that sounds. I blame it on all the old timey romances I watched, from the twentieth century. Back when women had an option of staying at home and tending the house. Not that I would ever be okay with that situation, it just somehow seemed romantic in a twisted, fucked up kinda way.

He touched my hand, and it was cold and electric, like a static shock but with less intensity, more of a comforting, cooling sensation. His gorgeous blue eyes stared into mine, and more than anything I wanted to bury my fingers in his long blond hair. For a moment, it was as if time stopped all together. He leaned in close to me, his eyes focusing on my lips. His thoughts were in sync with his actions – he really was just thinking about kissing me.

Of course the shithead behind me laid on the horn, because I neglected to move the 10 feet ahead fast enough. I lowered my window, gave him the finger, and yelled “ASSCLOWN!” but still pulled up anyway.

“Where were we?” I asked.

Steve wore this charming kind of smile, as if he were amused by me. “You are quite something.”

Even the most mundane phrases sounded so fucking sexy with that accent. From that mouth. I sighed, figuring that was the end of it. But then he leaned over and kissed me anyway.

It was an epic kiss, the kind of kiss you see in those romance movies I was thinking about, where it starts slow, but then erupts in glorious tonguing, outpouring raw emotion and passion. I was breathless when it ended.

“Better keep moving,” he said, motioning to the gap that had formed between my car and the one in front of me. “Assclown may disapprove again.”

“Fuck him,” I said, as I inched forward.

“Tell me what you can do,” he said in an intoxicating purr of a voice. It was hard to deny him when I wanted to fuck him so very much.

“You first,” I said.

He looked away. “It’s not important.”

“You know what? You’re right. Why don’t we forget about all this superpower bullshit and just go back to my place?” I smiled. The flirtatious phase of a relationship was always the most fun. “On second thought, maybe we should go to your place, Vi could pop in on us.”

He took my right hand in his and massaged it gently. There was an unnatural coolness to his hands, so much so that it radiated down my arm.

“Do you feel that?” he whispered.

I nodded, wondering if he seduced all his victims. If I were just another notch in his belt. Honestly, it had been so long, I didn’t really care.

“That’s my power,” he said. “Cold.”

“Wow, like Iceman? That’s pretty cool,” I said, and laughed at the unintentional pun.

“It is,” he said, a somber smile on his face. “But it comes at a price.”

“Recruiting others?”

His smile faded. “I told you mine, tell me yours.”

I wasn’t about to show my hand, not when I didn’t trust him. But what better way to get at the truth than to look inside his mind? A lot of images I didn’t understand—some rich dude that looked vaguely familiar, an indoor waterfall, a little girl crying—until I came upon that night, when he kidnapped me. I watched the scene unfold, his power rendering me unconscious, the lab, the injection, then him returning me to my car. It was so simple I almost laughed. Like an outpatient procedure that alters your entire life afterwards. When his nose began to bleed, I backed off.

“Are you okay?” I asked, handing him a tissue from my purse.

He seemed like he was caught off guard at first, confused. And then he rubbed his forehead.

“Just got a really bad headache,” he said, with a twinge of embarrassment in his voice. “I don’t usually get nosebleeds.”

“But you’re okay?” I hoped he didn’t hear the nervousness in my voice.

He nodded. “I’m fine.”

I was disappointed with the number of answers I’d uncovered, but at least I found out what happened to me that night. I didn’t want to push too far, knowing what happened to Chad. I had to be careful, I didn’t want to poof his brain. Seeing him massage his temples made me feel a little guilty, but at the same time I figured he had it coming.

I felt his hand squeeze mine as I lurched the car forward. And then his hand was gone. I turned my head and realized so was he.

Not even a goodbye kiss. That was weird. I wonder if he’s on to me?

The traffic finally cleared. As I drove, I knew I had to think about my story for the police, at work. They would likely visit me today, and I had to tell them something plausible.

And then I remembered my underwear. The ones from last night, that Chad had ripped off. They were still at the office. The police must have discovered them by now.

Shitballs.