Page 281 of The Reluctant Hero

I pull Shade along behind me as he tries to resist. When we enter the room, his feet stop moving. I pause to let him get his bearings.

Finding out that I can make someone invisiblewithme has been a highlight in a momentous year.

I take in Shade’s disbelieving stare as he looks around. Not a single person turns our way.

His eyes dart to mine as I grin.

I tug his hand, and he begins to follow again.

We pass through a few empty rooms on a meandering path to take in the sights. The opulence here is rather dull. So much waste along with zero taste in decor. I head for the carpeted stairs and trail my hand over the banister.

A figure passes by us stealthily, heading in the opposite direction.

The man has long black hair and black eyes, his mouth covered by a mask. He’s dressed in an outfit similar to Shade’s but with several more weapons. He stalks by us without a glance, a gun ready in each hand.

Shade watches him disappear into the empty room behind us with a frown.

“Get ready, monster,” I let him go, dropping his hand to pull my razor.

“What’s the plan?” His wide grin gives me goosebumps.

“Bottleneck,” I smirk and position myself at one side of the stairwell.

He shakes his head, holstering his gun to pull out a hatchet.

“Much better,” I sigh with an adoring look.

His eyes trail down my body, and he licks his lips. I’m just leaning forward to kiss him when the first gunshot goes off.

I suppose I can wait.

The shots continue, interspersed with the sound of running feet. Heading this way through the rooms we haven’t inspected yet.

The door next to me jerks open. A gun waves near my temple, and a man in a hurry, ready to shoot, tries to pass.

I grab his wrist and spin him toward me, the razor arcing up his neck in a slice that severs the artery. I let him drop at my feet to bleed out and glance at Shade.

While I was busy, he grabbed his own enemy. His arm descends with vigor, the hatchet finding a home in the man’s face.

I gape as blood gushes, splattering over Shade with abandon. He’s mindless with some emotion I can only hope to feel. Pure power and control with dark pleasure combined. Shade raises his foot, kicking the man to pull his hatchet out.

Our eyes meet, his with fierce concentration and mine giddy with pleasure.

“Play with me, monster,” I mutter in a daze.

The spine-shaking smile I get in return makes me sigh.

We each take a side of the hallway, hacking our way through until our prey arrives.

Heretic

“Damn it!” Blue shouts in my ear.

My aim stays steady. No matter who passes into my sight, I keep firing. While I’m facing death, he’s facing the loss of his computer.

Gunfire, shouts, and an enraged hacker are all I can hear. They eliminate the constant need to hear a click around me. My reminder that my heart might be dead, but it’s still beating.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck. My hard drive overheated!”

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