Page 115 of My Wild Horse King

But we’ve done enough talking. The one who has to do this is me, and I’d rather sleep as long as it takes in one fell swoop than slowly trying to integrate everything one after the other. “The hardest part was learning to use the powers together. I may as well work on all five at once.”

Before she can argue further, I look at the cozy little house up ahead. The people who live here have done way more than they should have to help. We owe it to them to get out of here before things worsen.

“I’ve made up my mind,” I say.

“Alright.” Just like that, she stops arguing. She nods. “Tell me what I can do to help.”

“I adore you,” I say. “In case something goes wrong, I want to say that.”

“I love you,” she says. “I know it sounds stupid, because you don’t know me that well yet, but?—”

I kiss her.

It is dumb, for both of us.

I’ve known her for all of two weeks, and I disliked her quite a bit at first. But we’ve been through a lot, and I refuse to believe that bonds formed under stress are less real than those that are formed over bowls of ice cream and games of Uno. I think what I feel for her is honest, true, and valuable. “Thank you,” I say. “For believing in me. For supporting me.”

“Thanks for saving me from that marauding tractor,” she says.

I kiss her again, and then I force myself to release her and climb out of the car. “Three at once.” I inhale slowly. “Usually after just one, I’m really tired. Pushing past it for a short time is already hard.”

“Maybe it’ll help to focus on the things you’re embracing,” she says. “So look at that porch light. It beckons to me, you know. I can feel it, the electricity flickering through the wires. Those electrons, banging around. I know what it is now—I’ve spent more time doing internet research on lightning than anything else since waking up. Humans have figured out a lot.”

A fly lands on my neck, and before I can slap at it, I decide to try something else. I focus on it, and I think about my forehead, and I imagine the energy balling up there, and then I try to punch through with that power as hard as I can, and Izapit.

It actually works.

The little bugger falls to the ground, dead. I’m a human bug zapper.

“I felt that.” Katerina’s voice is small and her eyes are round. “Like, a ripple in my connection. If I were asleep, I might have missed it, though.”

“Should we wait for the middle of the night, then?”

She shrugs. “No way to know when he’ll be distracted.”

“I’ll forge ahead, then.” I don’t see any fire anywhere, however.

“Hang on,” Katerina says. “I’ll grab some matches.”

She darts into the house, probably thinking she can get in and out without someone stopping her. I’m not entirely sure. I’m also not sure how matches will help me,per se, since I’m supposed to be able to make the fire. I’m pretty tired, though, maybe from my new power, or perhaps because I spent so long working with both wind and earth today. I collapse on the porch swing while I wait for her to conserve what little energy I have. When she shoots back out, she’s peering over her shoulder like a mouse darting away from a barn cat.

“What?”

She presses a finger to her lips and shakes her head.

Once she’s closer, she whispers, “They’re talking about us in there.”

“Kat, the free world’s fate is in our hands. I’ve just forced my ability to use lightning, and Leonid may now be able to find us. I hardly think?—”

“They’re placing bets on how long we’ll date.” She’s fuming.

“Did anyone bet on all the way?”

She freezes then, looking up at me. “All the way?” She arches one eyebrow. “What does that mean, exactly?”

What could it mean? “That we’d stay together forever—get married?”

She inhales sharply, her mouth still slightly open. “Oh.”

---