by Aella Black
I eyed him warily. Decked out in full protective gear and loaded down with weapons, they could have pulled this guy straight from a SWAT team. He looked over a piece of paper. “I’m escorting you to your first sparring session.”
My throat constricted. “Yeah? Who’s my opponent?”
The guard tucked the piece of paper away. “I’m not authorized to reveal that information at this time.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “Could you at least give me a hint? Do you think we’re evenly matched?”
“Follow me.” Apparently not. “You have fifteen minutes until you’re scheduled to fight.”
So soon? I wasn’t sure what to expect today, but I hadn’t considered sparring immediately after a medical exam. Then again, maybe that was why they did the check-up.
My stomach dropped. Phoebe was here to see the doctor too.
Was I about to face off against Phoebe?
They could all go jump off a cliff if they thought I would harm one hair on her head. And really, I didn’t have the desire to hurt anyone. What would they do if we refused to fight?
As I followed the guard, I hoped with everything in me that Phoebe wasn’t sparring today. I’d told her she’d been fine just moments ago, but I should know by now it was stupid to promise something I couldn’t deliver. None of us knew what each day would bring.
Well, except fear and stress. Those were both guaranteed.
We moved deeper into the medical ward until we reached a thick steel door. Another guard stood beside it, smoke rolling out from between his lips. Odd, since I didn’t see a cigarette.
Another supernatural guard.
How many of those did they have here?
There was Warrick, the walking, talking torture device. Heath, the only decent guy I’ve encountered here so far. That included the inmates.
Now we had smoke guy. Glancing at his nametag, I saw “Saul” stamped across it.
There was at least one more. Venom told me about him. Nash. The guy could temporarily freeze a superpower, which was why he was often with the warden. He protected her.
My guess was they had others but used them only when necessary to keep us all on our toes. Or possibly even saving them for a special occasion. Like an escape attempt.
An ace in the hole, if you will.
Saul grinned at me, smoke billowing into the air. “Third fight of the day. Your opponent is already waiting.”
My heart thundered in my ears. Who was behind that door?
I found out seconds later as Saul hefted the steel door open.
Tall, broad shoulders. Flashy smile made for cameras.
Dane.
“Chief Xander!” he said when he saw me.
Dane extended a hand as the door behind me slammed shut. The bright, sterile room was like an echo chamber. My ears rang from the sound of the door slamming. As it subsided, I could hear my own heavy breathing.
I didn’t take Dane’s offered hand. He wiggled his fingers. “The spar hasn’t started yet.” He nodded his head toward a black window… a one-way glass, I realized. “They’ll announce when we can begin.”
I still didn’t take his hand. Trusting Dane would be a mistake.
He finally dropped it with a shrug. “Suit yourself.”
“Who’s watching us?” I asked.
“A handful of scientists. The warden. Some guards. Heath or Nash is nearby to diffuse the situation if need be.”
“You mean, in case you try to kill me.”
His grin spread wide. “Or vice-versa. Super strength, huh? That’s a nifty power.”
I wasn’t given any hints as to what I would face, but somehow Dane already knew. Had Phoebe mentioned it to him?
Then I recalled his crushing grip when we shook hands. “What’s yours? Same as mine?”
Dane laughed. Even his laugh was irritating.
“Nah. And if it is, it’s an improved version.” My eyebrow lifted at his boast. “I can control my body density. If I want to be a bulldozer, I can be. If I want to be light as mist….” He shrugged. “You’re not going to get a lowdown on your other opponent’s abilities in the future, you know. But seeing as how this is your first time, I thought I’d be gentlemanly.”
Yeah. A real gentleman. Within moments, he’d be trying to pulverize me.
Still, he didn’t have to give me the heads-up. Begrudgingly, I offered him my thanks.
An intercom crackled overhead. Then a voice called out—a voice I recognized as Phoebe’s mother.
“Alexander Aldrich and Dane Hanover, thank you for your participation in today’s sparring match. As a reminder, the aim is only to immobilize your opponent, not to kill. Thank you. You may begin.”
She really was a witch. Acting like we chose to be here. That this was some kind of friendly competition, when it was anything but.
It wasn’t for me anyway. Dane acted as if he were at an amusement park, and this was just one of the rides.
Well, regardless of who was pulling the strings or how irritating Dane was, I had no intention of making the first move. This whole thing was ridiculous anyway.
“I’ll let you throw the first punch,” he drawled.
“Thanks, but no thanks.”
He shrugged, carefree as a summer’s day. This could work in my favor. Overconfident fighters got cocky.
Assuming my stance, I stared him down. The intercom began to crackle, and he attacked.
I maneuvered out of his way easily. Years of football training came in handy for something, at least. And years of hanging out with testosterone-laden guys had taught me that even if I didn’t start a fight, I had every right to finish it.
Whipping back around, I swung my fist and hit Dane as hard as I could in the jaw. My hand exploded in pain. I stumbled away from him, clutching my hand to my chest.
Rookie move.
He’d just told me he could manipulate his body density, and he knew I had super strength. Of course he’d turn himself into a cement block.
I shook out my hand. It was already bruising. I might have even broken some bones.
Dane laughed. “Ouch, I bet that hurt.”
Jerk.
He swung an arm at me, and I ducked before tackling his legs. But the guy was built like a tree. One that had been rooted in the ground for hundreds of years. He didn’t budge.
A fist landed on my jaw and pain flashed bright white across my vision. I tasted blood.
“You’re playing in the big leagues now,” Dane said. “Gotta do better than that.”
He tackled me to the ground, but I kicked as hard as I could. Not even someone with the density of a diamond could resist the strength I expelled when I was pissed off.
Dane flew through the air and landed with a loud thud against the wall. It cracked.
“Nice move,” he said, that insufferable grin still plastered on his face.
“Do you always sweet talk your opponents?” I jumped to my feet. Pain reverberated through my hand and jaw, but I pushed it back. I’d worry about my injuries later.
“Only the ones I like. And those I really, really don’t.” He took a deep breath, and I prepared for another attack. “You’ll never know which category you fit into.” Then he charged.
I lifted my hands, bracing myself to stop him and throw him to the side. He was strong, but that wasn’t his superpower. His shoulders collided against my palms, and my hands screamed in pain.
I pushed him off me, then lunged, aiming for his ribs. Dane staggered away, but I doubted he was hurt badly. His bones were like steel.
“I’m gonna guess you have a serious man crush on me,” I said, ducking just as he swung another fist.
I pushed him as hard as I could, and he fell backward. That was the secret. No punching, because that only hurt me. Pushing and kicking were the way to go. I had to think of him as a block of impenetrable steel. It could still be pushed around, but my skin and bones wouldn’t survive beating it up.
The tricky part was how to immobi
lize him…
“You’re a handsome guy, Chief,” Dane said, pulling himself back up to his feet. “But I’ve got my eyes on somebody else.” My whole body tensed. “You might know her. Blue-eyed blonde that can come back from the dead?”
Heat rushed through me. I wanted to tackle this guy before, but now I wanted to hurt him. “Stay away from her,” I growled.
“Relax, we’re just friends. For now,” he said with a wink.
Although I knew good and well Dane was taunting me, I fell for it anyway.
I lunged at him, but he was ready for me. With a sweep of his arms, he grabbed my shoulders and slammed me against the wall. My teeth rattled in my head. Then he threw a punch into my stomach. It really did feel like I’d been bulldozed.
I gasped, trying to fill my lungs with air, but he threw me to the ground. I rolled out of the way just as his foot came down to crush my chest.
My head spinning, I tried to leap to my feet, but I barely stumbled to a standing position. Blinking away the blurriness in my vision, I spotted Dane advancing on me.
I roared, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back. He yelped, mostly from surprise but it felt good to hear. I pulled until I heard a pop, and Dane screamed. I’d dislocated his shoulder.
Shoving him away, I backed up, hoping that maybe that was enough to end this stupid—and yes, extremely painful—fight.
When he faced me again, holding his injured arm in his hand, Dane’s oh-so-casual demeanor had shifted. Now when he smiled, it was laced with malice.
“Maybe I would have liked you, Chief,” he said. “But you’ve got a few too many weaknesses, and there’s no place for that here in Lansing. Guess I know now why they sent you to Leavenworth.”
He darted for me and we locked shoulders, yelling and pushing back at one another. I had the strength; he had the density to resist. We would have been almost perfectly matched, except it was difficult to hurt him.
For the first time in a long time, I found myself at a disadvantage.
And his goading me about Phoebe wasn’t helping matters. He was trying to get me riled up, and it was working. I couldn’t seem to calm myself. Red marred my vision. I couldn’t think straight.
With a scream, I pushed him as hard as I could, and he went flying against the wall. Grunting, he righted himself just as I slammed my arm against his throat. If I couldn’t hurt him with punches, maybe I could choke him out. But his windpipe was as solid as the rest of him, and even with my strength, it wasn’t enough.
He turned my trick around on me. Wrapping his arms around my chest and locking them, he squeezed.
Hard.
And it hurt.
Bad.
I was strong enough to bend metal, but if I was trapped in a piece of machinery designed to crush garbage, it would be a struggle to get out. And that’s what Dane’s grip felt like.
Despite my super strength, I was still human. Still made of flesh and blood and bones that broke. My lungs could still be crushed. And currently, that’s exactly what Dane was trying to do.
I struggled to breathe as he tightened his arms further. It was getting more difficult with every second.
But I had one last trick up my sleeve. Using all the strength I had left—which, granted, wasn’t much at this point—I kicked backward in the direction of his kneecap.
Dane swore and released me. As dense as he was, joints were still weak spots.
Stumbling away from him, I gasped for breath. The guy had barely broken a sweat. But I noticed he winced when he attempted to put weight on the leg I just kicked.
He tossed his hair away from his forehead. “No more games, Chief. Let’s finish this.”
Agreed.
I figured I’d take him down while he was weak. Hurtling for him, I barreled my body into his, but an iron fist landed in my side. Ribs cracked. I punched his wounded shoulder, and he tore me away. The violent movement made him stumble and fall on his hurt leg, but he took me down with him.
For a few minutes, we both struggled to get the upper hand. Then a swift punch to my head scrambled my brains and stars blossomed in my vision.
Dane hunched over me, blocking out the room’s overly-bright light. His hand was now wrapped around my neck. “Told ya you were weak.”
The voice sounded over the intercom. “Congratulations, Dane. You have won today’s match. Alexander will now be escorted to the medical ward.”
I groaned, spitting blood out of my mouth. Dane stood, albeit slowly. “Better luck next time, Chief.”
I didn’t like the guy before. Now I absolutely loathed him.
8
Phoebe
Dane didn’t show up to rec time.
Not that I cared much, but Cathy had tied herself in knots with worry. “Do you think something happened to him? Did the warden send him away? He’s not eighteen yet, is he? Please tell me he’s not eighteen.” She looked imploringly at Lucy for answers.
Lucy shrugged. “I think he’s seventeen. He’s probably just sparring.” Though I noted she didn’t look completely confident.
The mention of sparring made me think about my unexpected meeting with Xander earlier. He’d been right. They’d only needed me for a routine medical exam. And, as usual, he was able to calm me when before I’d been freaking out. Even if he hadn’t sounded certain there were no tests today, him holding my hand made me feel like everything would be okay.
It had only been a few hours, and I already wanted to see him again.
Back at Leavenworth, Xander had always been there to talk with and share my fears. I only had Cathy now, and we’d never been close. I wasn’t ready to open up to Lucy yet. Dane seemed like a decent enough guy, and though he’d gained my respect when he defended the Leavenworth inmates, I still didn’t really know him.
Rec time ended, and we all headed toward our respective cells. I hung back in hopes I’d cross paths with Xander again. But as I scanned the faces entering the room, I couldn’t find him. I spotted Rocky though, and was on my way to talk to her when the guards began hollering for us to leave. Threats were involved, so, reluctantly, I did as I was told.
I was mindlessly counting the tiles between the rec room and my cell when I practically ran into two figures that had stopped suddenly in the middle of the hallway. Looking up, I saw that one supported the other, and even from the back, I recognized the injured one as—
“Xander!”
He began to turn but then quickly ducked his head instead. Was he ashamed to look at me?
My mind raced. It had only been a few hours since we saw each other, and he was fine! What happened between then and now?
I reached out, but the guard whipped around and pushed me away. “Back to your cell, inmate,” he said gruffly.
I trailed them anyway. Grabbing Xander’s hand, I planted my feet so he was forced to stop. “What happened?”
Xander wouldn’t look at me. “I had a sparring match,” he said, his voice thick.
“To your cell.” There was a warning in the guard’s tone. One that I ignored.
“With who? Who did this to you?”
Xander finally turned to look at me, and I gasped.
My friend from childhood, the one who I’d had a crush on for as long as I could remember, looked like he’d gone a full twelve rounds in a boxing match.
And then twelve more after that.
I wanted to make his pain go away, but as I moved closer, Xander winced and pulled away. “Your new buddy. Dane,” he bit out through swollen lips. “Guess body density beats super strength.”
Dane? He did this to Xander?
Red-hot anger flashed through me. How could he? He knew Xander was my friend.
The guard pulled out his taser. “I won’t ask you again, superfreak.”
“Go,” Xander said. “I’ll be fine.”
Swallowing back emotions that threatened to choke me, I backed away. Then I watched as Xander hobbled around a corner and disappeared from view.
Still
shocked at seeing Xander bloody and bruised, I walked zombie-like back to my cell. There, an even grumpier guard waited. “Make me wait again, and I’ll make you regret it,” he said. “Now follow me.”
Frowning, I looked toward Lucy, who sat cross-legged on her bed. Good luck, she mouthed at me.
Luck? Why did I need luck? I’d already had a medical exam today, and nothing else was on the schedule.
My stomach lurched. Oh no. Maybe now they were going to start testing.
The guard sighed and grabbed my arm. “I don’t have the patience today.”
“Where are you taking me?” My voice came out harsher and more demanding than even I thought possible.
The guy cocked his head to the side. “To your sparring match. Duh.”
No. Not today. I wasn’t ready. Not that I would ever be ready.
“Who am I fighting?” I asked the guard, who began pulling me along beside him.
“Whoever the warden decides. Now shut it.”
The warden. My mother. She arranged the schedule, selected the inmates, and probably even stood by watching while it happened. She was the reason Xander was hurting right now.
Fury coursed through my veins. “Take me to the warden.”
The guard looked at me, incredulous. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you go where I say you go. Right now, that’s to the room where I’m gonna watch you get your bony butt kicked.”
He didn’t know I was her daughter. I considered whether I should tell him. She warned me not to, but I wondered if it was because she thought her guards would think twice before mistreating me if they did. I wondered if they would.
Before I had a chance to test that theory, we arrived at a thick steel door. Saul stood there. “Last spar of the day,” he drawled. His eyes swept over me. “Can’t recall your power. Guess we’ll find out soon enough.” He grinned, revealing yellow teeth.
The guy should lay off the smoke. Saul wasn’t much older than me—maybe nineteen?—but his voice was already raspy and his teeth looked like those of a hundred-year-old man.
He opened the door, and the other guard shoved me inside.
The room was blindingly bright. I blinked rapidly, trying to get my eyes to adjust. When they did, I saw that I was alone.
