by H. D. Gordon
“See?” I said, the word muffled with the delicious food now in my mouth. “Why you gotta make me act like a rabid raccoon?”
The gold flashing through his aura, which I knew signaled lighthearted amusement, made my chest swell with pride. Thomas Reid had not been an easy nut to crack, but I was starting to get to the center of him. Or at least I liked to think so.
“We still training tonight?” he asked, staring out at the city skyline, his handsome profile tough to look away from.
I almost said yes, and then I remembered that I had committed myself to something else this afternoon. My shoulders sank as it came back to me. After everything that had happened with Dyson Gracie and the Scarecrow, Thomas had insisted that he assist with my physical training, and though I had suspended my vigilante activities for the time being, I had to agree it was good to keep in top shape. Thomas’s training as Special Forces with the military had ensured he was up to the task. Though I wouldn’t tell him, I’d learned a few things from him. And not all of them had to do with combat.
“Actually, I’ve got lacrosse tryouts after school today,” I said. “Do you think we could do it after? Or do you have to go to work?” Truth was, I knew he didn’t have work, that this was his day off, but my familiarity with his schedule was not something I was just going to go admitting.
Thomas quirked an eyebrow. “I’m off today, so I can meet you after… I didn’t know you liked lacrosse. Kind of a rough sport, no?”
I shrugged, shoving more sandwich into my face and sighing around it as I stared out at the awakening city. “I don’t, really. I’m only doing it because Evil Succubus is doing it and I need to keep an eye on her.”
Thomas looked confused. “You mean Andrea Ramos?”
I shook my head. “No, though she’s totally an evil Succubus in her own right.” I filled him in on Raven showing up at the school, about how she’d been sent to spy on me and try to bring me to the Dark Side.
Though I tossed in a couple jokes in the telling, Thomas did not find any of it funny. “How does that make any sense? Why would she tell you to leave town, threaten to out you, and then just decide to attend the same school? Why not just kill you?”
I considered this. “She’s obviously not the one pulling the strings, and whoever is must see some kind of use for me. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense.”
Silence fell for a moment, comfortable as it always was with him. “With the Masked Maiden lying low, maybe they’ll let it go.”
“I don’t know who’s behind it all, but they don’t seem to me like the kind of person who let’s things go.”
Thomas stared out at the city. “Things have been quiet lately,” he commented.
I nodded. “I know, but that’s good, right?”
I watched as his handsome jaw clenched, could practically see the wheels turning in his head. “Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe this is just the calm before the storm.”
I bit my lip, wanting to reach out and touch him but not allowing myself. Things had been strange between us since I’d decided to stay in Grant City, since we’d shared a single kiss that night. It was almost as if we’d become both closer and more separate at the same time. I didn’t know what I wanted from the man, and I had a feeling he felt the same about me.
As if his words had been a summoning, dark clouds rolled in over the city skyline, bruising the world above Grant City and spitting out the first drops of warm spring rain, like tears from the heavens.
Maybe Thomas was right; maybe a storm was coming… or maybe it was already here.
CHAPTER 5
“You scared, fairy?”
I struggled not to roll my eyes and ignored Raven’s jab. We were lined up on the lacrosse field, and the ground was wet enough to be muddy and slippery, the rain having not let up all day.
“Listen up, ladies,” Coach Sanders called, bringing the gathered to attention. “This is the tryout for the lacrosse team. Depending on your performances today, you will either be selected for the junior varsity or varsity team, or cut altogether. Not everyone is going to make it. Not everyone is cut out for this sport. If you are a delicate little lady, and the thought getting bruised up and dirty doesn’t suit you, I suggest you hightail it now, and save us all some trouble.”
When no one took off running, Coach Sanders nodded. “Okay, then, ladies. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
The coach walked down the line of girls, giving us numbers and dividing us into teams. Of course, because Raven was standing right beside me, she was put on the opposite team as mine, and as she trotted over to join her group, she stuck her tongue out at me like a friggin’ five-year-old.
“I don’t think she likes you,” said a voice beside me. “I can’t imagine why.”
I was going to have to glue my eyes in place if I wanted to keep from rolling them today. Without looking at her, I said, “I’m not in the best mood today, Andrea.”
“I’m going to be your team captain, if you even make it,” she snapped, “so if I were you, I’d show a little respect.”
“Why are you so sure you’ll be captain?”
She pointed to a patch on her letterman jacket before shrugging it off her shoulders and laying it across the bench on the side of the field. When she returned, she said, “Because I have been since freshman year, and that’s not going to change now.”
I didn’t respond to this. I didn’t care who the dang captain was. I didn’t even particularly want to be here, but there were three reasons that I was. For one, I really didn’t think Raven could go unchecked, and for two, I’d considered what the guidance counselor had told me, and I’d decided a sports scholarship would make things a lot easier for me.
The third reason I would worry about after I actually made the team.
Though I am admittedly a total badass, trained in the art of combat and as strong as an ox, I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t nervous. I’d never taken part in a team sport, or any sport, for that matter, and everything I knew about the game of lacrosse had been learned last night while searching Google.
The coach blew his whistle again, and I followed my team—which included Andrea—to one end of the field. Here, we were handed lacrosse sticks, which were basically just long sticks with mesh netting at the end where one would catch the ball, as well as helmets and gloves. As I gripped the stick, I was relieved to see that Sam was sitting on the bleachers, an umbrella perched on her shoulder and bright yellow rain boots on her feet. When she saw me looking, she gave me a little smile and a thumbs up.
I was placed in the position of the attacker, and with a smile that was malicious, Andrea tossed the little rubber ball in my direction. If I hadn’t been quite as quick or agile, the darn thing would likely have hit me in the face.
With a renewed sense of determination, I spun around quick and caught the ball, amazed that I had done so. I jumped up into the air with the victory, looking to see if Sam had seen this…
And was knocked off my feet so hard and so fast that my head spun.
The wind whooshed out of me and I released an involuntary grunt as I flipped into the air and came crashing down hard on my back. This seemed to happen in the space between heartbeats; one moment, I’d been on my feet with the ball in my net, and the next, I was lying flat on my back on the muddy grass, staring up at the steel sky as it rained down on me indifferently.
Dark hair and eyes appeared over me, red lips turning up in a smile visible even beneath the helmet. “Gotcha,” Raven said, before scooping up the ball and jetting past me down the field.
Teeth gritted, I flipped up from the ground like Bruce Lee, landing on my feet and trying to keep a handle on the rage that had flooded through me. With a sting that felt personal as hell, I watched as Raven shot the little rubber ball into the net. Her teammates hooted and hollered, slapping her on the back with their praise.
“Nice work!” Coach Sanders called out.
Raven tossed me a grin that made my blood boil, and I gritte
d my teeth and clutched my stick, my knuckles surely white beneath my thick gloves.
The ball was brought to the center, and Raven and another girl on my team crossed their sticks, preparing to scoop it up into their possession at the sound of the whistle.
Of course, Raven got the ball and tossed it downfield to one of her teammates. I found myself moving faster than was probably wise, but unable to stop the display. I was pissed, and I wanted that damn ball.
Like the stealthy ninja that I was, I jumped in between Raven and the player she’d been passing to, scooping the ball out of the air with my net like a pro. Once I had it, I wasted no time in taking off toward the goal, weaving in and around the other players, moving like a force of nature.
As the others blurred by, ending up somewhere behind me, I saw Raven approaching from the side, moving fast. I anticipated her next move perfectly, knowing that she would try to block my way. Sure enough, she swung into my path. I dropped my shoulder and slammed into her hard, knocking her off her feet the same way she had done me, the sound of our sticks clacking together along with that of the air rushing out of her.
Spinning in a half circle, I launched the ball into the net with enough force that it was a wonder the ball didn’t burn right through it. Adrenaline rushing through my body and blood pumping hot through my veins, my teammates erupted into cheers and gave me high fives. All but Andrea, in fact, who was staring at me with narrowed brown eyes beneath her helmet.
If this were a movie, this would be the scene where a montage of kickass moves and fast paced music came on. Raven, Andrea and I scored a few more times before the coach called the game to an end, and even though I decided I performed the best, it would be a lie to say that I wouldn’t be sore as all heck in the morning.
Raven had taken some cheap shots, and they were sure to leave some bruises, but as I watched her limp off the field, her eyes burning with hatred, I thought that it had been worth it.
As we took off the ten pounds of equipment, Coach Sanders let the other girls who wanted to tryout play their game, and told us afterward that the list of those who made it, and what team they would be put on if they did, would be posted outside his office the following day.
Muddy and aching, I checked my watch to see that I was supposed to meet Thomas at the lair in thirty minutes. Some of the other girls who had tried out came over and complimented me on my awesomeness, and I accepted their praise modestly. Andrea Ramos stalked off as if I’d killed her kitty cat, but I ignored this as Sam sloshed through the mud to get to me.
“That looked painful,” Sam said as she followed me toward the locker room. She plucked a chuck of grass from my hair and raised an eyebrow. “I’m guessing you’re gonna want to shower before we head out.”
“You guess right, my friend.”
After I’d cleaned up and dressed myself, accepting more commendation from the girls in the locker room, I met Sam outside and we huddled close together under her umbrella as we walked toward our destination.
“How’d I do?” I asked, watching the rain flick off the tips of my shoes.
“You were the best on the field, for sure,” Sam replied. “But are you sure it’s wise to be on the team? You don’t think it draws too much attention? I mean, you’ve never played lacrosse before, have you?”
I shook my head. “No, the Brokers weren’t really big on leisurely activities.”
Sam nodded. “I figured, but if the coach or anyone else asks you, you probably should lie and say you’ve been playing since you were little. Other than not being human, that’s the only way you’d be as good as you were.”
I considered this and decided she was right. “But I can’t let Raven be on the team alone. Who knows what she’d do, and the counselor told me playing well on a team could get me a scholarship, and if I want to go to college, I’m gonna need one.”
We hadn’t talked much about this subject. I was a senior, and Sam was a sophomore, so she knew she’d be going it alone next year without me, and I knew her well enough to know that was not something she was looking forward to.
“So you are going to college, then?” Sam asked. “Have you decided which one?”
I shrugged, wrapping my arm around her as we continued to walk beneath her umbrella. “It’ll be one around here, so not to worry, my friend. I’m not leaving you.”
“Good, because it kinda sucked when I thought you were.”
I smiled over at her, giving her a little nudge with my shoulder. “What can I say? I’ve found a home with you, Samantha Shy.”
She grinned back at me. “Well, that’s where the heart is, right?”
Read The Blue Beast now from the Kindle Store
Looking for more superhero stories while you wait for the next Aria Fae book? Read on to check out a preview of Fortune’s Favor by author Liz Long…
CHAPTER 1
NOVA
Students screamed as they raced out of the school gymnasium. Beneath my fluttering lashes, bright colors flashed. I realized I was on the floor, someone’s strong arms around me. My boyfriend, Cole; he’d caught me before my head smacked to the floor when I passed out.
“Nova, please,” Cole begged. “I need you to wake up.”
“Cole,” I mumbled.
“Fortune took Henry and Penelope,” Cole said, repeating the second worst sentence I’d ever heard.
Another scream pierced the air, my eyes popping open. I jerked upright, seeing Cole’s only slightly relieved expression. Forcing myself to snap out of it, I tried to focus on our surroundings.
I glanced around, barely taking it in. Homecoming dance decor was strewn all over the place, the string of tiny white lights slung across tables and floor, many of the bulbs broken into a thousand pieces.
Kinda like my heart right now. Oh god, Henry.
Fortune, the city’s psychotic bank robber, and consequently my little sister’s killer, had attacked the school dance and taken my best friend.
Because I got in his way.
That was perhaps the most terrible part, knowing that Henry’s capture was partly my fault. I’d taken two of Fortune’s money-filled duffel bags and prevented him from heisting another bank. I’d irritated Fortune, sure, but he’d attacked my school for another reason. Turned out Henry witnessed us block Fortune’s robbery attempt; he hadn’t recognized us, but somehow Fortune caught wind of the nosey high school reporter. Fortune had actually laughed when he told me he was “doing us both a favor” by taking Henry Wheeler.
And Penelope. God, it got worse the more I remembered the details. Penelope, Cole’s powerful little sister, had betrayed us. I knew she’d had a wild streak; her gift of Telekinesis had serious mojo and she’d made no secret of her interest in violence. But to team up with Fortune and fling her former friends (not to mention her own brother) into a wall was just plain cruel.
“We have to go,” Cole said, yanking me to my feet. “The cops will be here soon.”
“We’ll have to talk to them eventually,” I said, unsure if we should leave.
“We need to talk to our parents first,” he advised. “They’re the only ones who know the truth.”
I grimaced, knowing he was right. My dad, Arcania’s top defense attorney, knew my plan for vengeance against Fortune for the murder of my sister. More importantly, he knew about our gifts. I had to tell him the whole story before he heard any other version on the news or from his coworkers.
I allowed Cole to drag me out of the high school and to his car. We lived in the adjoining neighborhood, only a few blocks away. We were at my house within two minutes; I filled him in on my side of the story on the short ride.
Cole and I stumbled back into my house, locking the door behind us. I excused myself to go to the bathroom, taking refuge in the empty room. I stood against the door for a long moment. I struggled to breathe evenly, the panic attack about to hit. Tremors shook my body and I whimpered with each racking sob. My hands refused to stop shaking.
Deep breaths, Nova.
There’s too much at stake to fall apart now.
Before I could slide down to the floor to curl up and weep, I dropped my bag and went to the sink. My hands slapped on the counter and I stared at the girl in the mirror. A girl I barely recognized.
“The girl who wanted to be a superhero,” I mumbled. “There’s a laugh.”
My blue eyes were wild and bloodshot, tear-streaked mascara running down my face. The perfect prom hair had been unceremoniously tossed into a messy strawberry-blond ponytail, a few curled pieces sticking out. To my great displeasure, a few ends were singed, presumably from Fortune’s electroshock therapy.
And my dress. My poor, beautiful, blue princess gown had a gash in the side from where Fortune had zapped me with his gift. The hem was torn, probably from getting trampled in the mix of panicked students. Several beads had fallen off the gorgeous cap sleeves, the threads coming undone.
I splashed water on my face, not caring if it ruined my makeup. With that thought, I grabbed soap and washed every bit of it away. I wished I could wash the entire night down the drain. I scrubbed my skin raw, my cheeks bright pink and clean. I wanted to look like me again. My red-rimmed eyes looked a little better.
Taking another long look in the mirror, I sucked in a few breaths. “Okay, Nova. Get it together. You have to save Henry.”
My resolve strengthened at the thought. I swung the bathroom door open and went back out to Cole. To my surprise - and Cole’s, from the look on his face - my father stood next to him.
Dad glared at me, his temper fuming. My mouth opened in surprise, having never seen him look so upset. I wasn’t sure whether he was mad at Fortune, or me. Fear shone in his blue eyes, bright behind his thin-rimmed glasses. He crossed over to me and gave me a fierce hug, smushing me against him. After a relieved sigh, he pulled back to look at me.
