Roman hit the end of the chute and smashed into Ava, steam billowing off their bodies as they cracked into the ceiling.
It was a bold move, one Ava hadn’t been ready for.
The two tumbled towards the empty pool below, steam smoking all around them, Ava trying to right herself and Roman, a wild look on his face, trying to drive her down.
She pressed away just in time, her fist connecting with Roman’s cheek. Thrown off his trajectory, he slammed into the side of the pool, getting the wind knocked out of him even as his armor protected his body.
“Are you crazy!?” Ava shouted at him.
“Maybe?” Roman blasted off again, a column of water spraying out of his feet.
He felt the air around him begin to change. The water surrounding his body started to boil and soon, he was free-falling to the ground, no longer able to control the boiling-hot water heating up his skin.
A gust of balmy air stopped him from the fatal fall. It lightly set him down, Ava now hovering directly over him.
“Let’s be clear,” she said, a grin whipping across her fiery face. “I’m still the teacher here.”
“Yep, that’s right.” Roman pushed himself to his feet. “I got ballsy. I just wanted to know the limitations. Speaking of which…”
He focused on some of the fire flickering off her feet. The fire began to twist in the air toward him, curling as it stopped just before his finger.
Ava lowered to the ground and approached Roman, hardly able to contain the look of surprise on her face. “I mean, it makes sense,” she finally said.
“Yes, it does.” The fire twisted into the air over his palm.
“But you aren’t an absorber, nor a mimic.”
“It must be molecular,” he said, honestly. “It seems like if I have the ability to see it, I have the ability to modify it, and by ‘it’ I mean anything.”
“There are other things we should try later,” Ava suggested.
“Is this before or after we have dinner together?” he asked as what was left of his water armor dripped to the floor.
“You are really pushing your luck with me, you know that?”
“Sorry, just trying to make a joke.”
She rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t a bad joke, but it wasn’t good either.”
“I’ll take mediocre.”
“As I was saying, we should try other substances later.”
“Like what?”
“Anything and everything we can think of. So far, I’ve seen you modify love dolls, wood, metal, water, fire, ink—and I’m sure there are some things I’m missing.”
“They’re not love dolls, they’re sex dolls.”
“Ha! Okay, if you’d prefer I call them that.”
“Just joking,” Roman said, a yawn coming to him. He was starting to feel tired. He’d gotten little sleep the previous night, and was planning on a nap when he got home. Roman knew it’d be foolish not to recharge before meeting Paris.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to actually enjoy my day off. What do you say? Let’s call it quits for today, and reconvene two days from now.”
“I have a meeting then,” he said, referring to his Heroes Anonymous class.
“After that. And we can order food if it gets late. How’s that for a date?”
Roman smiled at the flaming woman, enjoying the tension between them.
“Sounds like a plan.”
Roman wasn’t expecting to see Harper waiting for him when he got back to his apartment. The young waitress with her long neck, short brown hair and her eyes spaced far apart seemed genuinely happy to see him, and he felt bad that he’d been blowing her off.
“Harper,” she said, looking to Celia, who stood next to Roman in her superhero regalia.
The teleporter that had transported them cleared his throat and disappeared in a fizzle of energy.
“Celia,” said the doll.
“Hey Harper,” said Coma, who looked at the woman with a mischievous grin. If Harper was thrown off guard by the women with Roman, she didn’t show it.
“We should talk.”
Coma and Celia naturally stepped away. The two moved to a newsstand on the street corner and checked out the magazine rack.
“Yeah, sorry if I’ve seemed a bit out of the loop.” Roman placed his hand on the back of his head.
“It’s fine,” she said, reaching her hand out for his.
“I’ve gone through some serious stuff over the last few days,” he blurted out. “And right now might not be the best time to be around me.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that there are big changes coming in my life, and at the moment, I’m trying to sort out the pieces.”
“What kind of serious stuff have you been going through?” she asked, concern in her eyes.
It was on the tip of his tongue, and Roman knew that he was trying to force himself to turn a new leaf, but try as he might, he wasn’t able to get his confession out. Thinking of telling Harper that his wife had just passed, and that they’d been seeing each other while she was in the hospital only reminded Roman of just how depraved he’d become.
No, he wouldn’t be able to come clean about this to Harper—not yet, anyway. He liked her, and she had a dominating sexual energy that he enjoyed, but Roman also didn’t want to be with someone he’d have to lie to constantly. And that wasn’t considering his newfound power, yet another secret.
“I can’t really tell you what I’ve been going through,” he finally said.
“Is it something I did?”
“No, absolutely not. You’re incredible. Really. I just need some time to process all this right now, and figure out how I should go about my life moving forward. Sounds crazy, I know.”
“So you’re breaking up with me?”
“I never said that.”
“Sorry, that assumes we were together.” Harper ran her hands down the front of her pants and then crossed her arms over her chest. “What I’m trying to ask is: do you still want to see me?”
“I think the bigger question is if you still want to see me.” Roman sensed Celia and Coma behind him, their presences always known. It was odd that Harper hadn’t mentioned them, but then again, Harper really seemed like a cool person, one who wouldn’t immediately pass judgement.
“That’s why I’m here,” she finally said.
“Even with what you already know about me, and the fact I can’t be honest with you?”
“Yes,” she said, hesitation in her voice.
Roman nodded, offering her his best smile. “Give me some time, a week or so, and let me see how things are shaking out. I’m totally attracted to you, you know this; and aside from that, I think you’re a great person. I know this isn’t the answer you wanted, either, just to be clear. But I have a lot going on. I need some time to sort it out, and I don’t want any of my issues backfiring on to you.”
“Okay.”
Harper stepped toward Roman and he lifted his arms, bringing her into a hug. “I’m sorry for all this.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“No, it really is my fault. All of it.”
And for a moment, Roman thought of inviting her up for a nap—nothing fancy, just a nap. But he knew better, or at least, he was trying to know better. And he was by no means looking to curb his sexual drive; he just knew now wasn’t the time.
Chapter Forty-Nine: Kevin’s Future Power Play
“Let me see her,” Kevin heard Paris say to Ian.
He was lying on the floor mattress with Obsidian, who was back in her costume. He had part of his costume on as well, his black pants, mostly because it was a little warm in the bed and the fabric of the shirt had been making him sweat.
“We have to hear what they’re saying,” he whispered to Turquoise, who sat in the corner of the room performing some religious ritual he’d seen her do a few times now. Now that he was around them all the time, he’d noticed both of them performing
these rituals, chanting in a strange tongue he’d never heard before.
Turquoise finished her mantra and stood, her tail perking up. She nodded Kevin over, and the heavy man got off the bed as quietly as he could. He snuck over to the door and placed his back against the wall, trying his best to careen his head around without bringing attention to himself.
He was breathing a bit too heavily to hear Ian and Paris’s discussion, so he held his breath for a moment, listening as she spoke.
“…I haven’t decided if we keep him as an asset or not, to be honest,” she told Ian. “He helped you get your paperwork done, but there’s just something off about it all. I don’t know how reliable he is, or if he will jeopardize what we’re trying to do here.”
“And Kevin?”
Paris paused for a moment. “He clearly has a terrible relationship with his brother, which could prove to our advantage. But he is expendable, as are the girls if it comes down to it.”
Kevin’s fists tightened; he was about to prove to her just how expendable he was. No longer able to hold his breath, he let out a short squeak of air, which caused Paris and Ian to stop speaking.
A bead of sweat appeared on his temple.
He felt Turquoise wrap her hand around his, her nails protruding ever so slightly as she pressed them into his knuckles, releasing her neurotoxin.
He was growing more and more familiar with the way it felt when the high came over him. It felt good, calming him almost instantly. He let his heart settle as Paris and Ian continued speaking in the hallway.
“We can deal with them later. Nadine as well. We’re supposed to be meeting him soon, and I want things to be set up.”
“So you want me visible or not?”
“Not. Which is why I’ve asked him to meet me in another warehouse, not far from here. Plenty of places for you to hang in the dark, just in case I need some muscle. Then again, maybe our conversation will go well, and I won’t be needing your services.”
“Fine by me,” said Ian. “Are we going now?”
“Yes. Meet me downstairs; I need to speak to Turquoise and let her know we’re leaving.”
Kevin wasn’t a fast man, but the time it took him to get back to his bed was impressive to say the least, especially when considering his girth and how far away the mattress was from the door. He had just bounced onto it, waking Obsidian (who screeched loudly and clawed him), when Paris entered the room.
“I see you two are keeping Kevin entertained,” she told Turquoise, who still stood by the door.
“Yes, Obsidian is very entertaining,” she purred.
Picking up on what was going on, Obsidian began to lightly claw at Kevin and giggle. “Kev, Kev, Kev…”
“We’re leaving now,” Paris said, cringing. “And you’re in charge of our hostage—both our hostages. It won’t be long before we return.”
With that, the slender woman turned away, disgust evident on her face at seeing Kevin shirtless.
“If we’re going to do this, we need to do it now,” Kevin said. They’d heard Paris and Ian Turlock leave about five minutes ago. It was now or never.
“Where will we take her?” asked Obsidian.
“To a hotel or something. I don’t know.” Kevin drummed his fingers on his chin. “She’s not staying with us, that’s for sure. We’ve got to get just about as far away from here as we can if we do this.”
Turquoise’s head bobbed left and right as she considered this. “Okay, you can carry her.”
“Definitely.”
“Good, then I know a teleporter who will help us.” She grinned up at Kevin, her tail lightly flitting against his arm.
Kevin put his shirt on, stretching it over his fat body and adjusting his pants.
They checked the hallway once more, and after they confirmed it was clear, the three moved into the room where Paris was keeping Nadine.
Kevin was nervous, his palms sweating, but he was also feeling bold. And besides, Paris and Ian were gone, so he was able to combat his nervousness using logic.
“Nadine!” Kevin rushed over to the woman and lightly slapped her cheek. “Remember me? It’s Kevin, from the office. Remember?”
Nadine’s eyes were glazed over, her expression indicating she was pretty much dead to the world. A glint on her finger caught Kevin’s attention, and as he stared down at the woman, he began admiring her ring.
“Get her,” said Turquoise, approaching from his left.
“Sure. I’m taking her ring, too, as a souvenir,” he said as he lifted Nadine’s hand.
“Your first rescue,” Obsidian hissed. “A good day to remember.”
Kevin slipped the ring off her finger and shoved it onto his pinky.
It was a tight fit, and there was a strange notch on the bottom part of the ring, which he started to explore almost immediately. Kevin’s thumb naturally pressed into the notch on the bottom of the stolen ring—just as Turquoise’s teleporter appeared.
The female teleporter stumbled forward, nearly colliding with a wall.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her hand now on her stomach.
Kevin turned to see both cat girls also bending over, their eyes bulging. His thumb found the bottom of his ring and he pressed it again.
The three exemplars returned to normal.
Kevin’s bushy eyebrows lifted as he put two and two together. Before the cat girls and the teleporter could respond, Kevin pressed the ring again, noticing the three of them start to react.
He turned the ring off, realizing he now had some leverage.
“What’s going on?” Turquoise asked.
“I felt it, too,” Kevin lied, his thumb still fingering the bottom of the ring. “Maybe Paris put a trap in here or something. We should go, now.”
“A trap? How is that possible?”
The teleporter, a gray-haired woman in an orange leotard, looked to Turquoise and Obsidian. “Are we safe to leave? This place is giving me the creeps.”
“We are now,” Kevin said as he hoisted Nadine over his shoulder. “First, take us somewhere far from here, then take her somewhere equally far.”
“After this, we’re even,” the teleporter reminded Turquoise.
One of her ears folded forward a bit. “Definitely,” she finally said.
Kevin joined the three, Nadine slung over one shoulder. As he got into position, his thumb flitted against the bottom of the ring again. He had an idea of how he would make this work, but for now, he just needed to get to safety.
He could execute his power play later.
Chapter Fifty: Goodbye, Roman Martin
Roman’s dreams were muddled, filled with images of what had transpired over the last twenty-four hours, a bird’s-eye view in some of them as he watched himself sob by Celia’s bedside, as Celia’s spirit lifted from her body, as she placed her hand on his head.
These images moved to himself battling Ava, the sheer power he’d felt as he learned more about his ability, and the moment in which he realized he was dreaming and tried to animate the dreamscape, it came tumbling down like a house of cards, turning into lava as it reached his feet and was absorbed by his skin.
Roman awoke from his nap in a sweat, Coma curled at his side, Celia at the edge of the bed, staring at the wall.
“Were you sleeping?” he asked Coma out of instinct.
“I don’t sleep,” the red-eyed doll told him, her mask still on her face. “You were dreaming, though.”
“Scary dreams?” asked Celia.
While Coma was still in her ruffled outfit, Celia had stripped down to her bra and panties, and as she stood, Roman’s eyes fell to her ass. Both dolls were perfect in every way, flawless beauties.
“Get dressed, Celia.”
He knew he wasn’t going to go along with Paris’s plans, and he’d have to move quickly if he wanted to put an end to all this.
But can you kill someone? he thought as he dressed, going for black clothing and an overcoat that gave him plenty of room for mov
ement.
It wasn’t something Roman had ever contemplated before, but he’d been in enough fights to know it was something he was capable of. Back when he used to brawl, there were times when he or his opponent had been beaten within an inch of their life.
All Roman had to do with Paris was step over this line—finish it.
And then what? he thought as he looked at himself in the mirror. Then you’re going to all of a sudden become a hero, after you’ve murdered someone in cold blood?
Roman knew then that if he pulled this off, there’d be one more skeleton he would need to stuff into his closet, literally.
Only then could he move forward.
And there was little he could do by this point anyway. It had come to this, a good part of it his fault, and getting rid of this future obstacle would make things much easier for him in the long run.
He’d have to see about getting his mind wiped after that, but he figured Nadine would know someone.
She’ll understand.
Roman bent his head forward and brought water up to his face, animating it as soon as it touched his skin and forcing it to scrub him until he felt clean.
He was ready. Whatever the hell that meant.
Roman used an unlicensed teleporter, a woman Nadine had put him in touch with in case he ever needed it. She was short, her hair braided, and she looked skeptically at Roman as he approached her with Coma and Celia at his sides.
A series of blinking lights swirled around them like fireflies. Roman and the dolls took shape in a dark warehouse. Paris stood a few feet away from him under a grimy skylight, clearly annoyed to see he’d brought guests. She was in different clothing now, no pencil skirt; what she wore looked more like an exemplar outfit.
“I told you to come alone,” she said as the unlicensed teleporter disappeared.
“They go where I go.”
Paris considered this for a moment. “That’s absolutely unacceptable. You can’t just show up with some…”
“Friends,” said Roman. “I want to make sure you understand where I’m coming from.”
House of Dolls Page 26
