Page 142 of Supernova

The kiss was more tender than the passionate kisses they’d shared before, full of hunger and urgency. This was more patient. More knowing.

Utterly devoid of secrets.

He started to pull away, but Nova stopped him, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling his lips down to hers again. She melted against him. A kiss full of far more words than they had the time to say.

She couldn’t keep the overwhelming emotion from her voicewhen they separated, the disbelief and hope that coursed through her. “I was sure you would hate me when you found out the truth.”

Adrian grimaced. “I tried to, at first. But it’s like you said. Everyone has a nightmare.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “Maybe I want you to be mine.”

Her heart swelled, but she still couldn’t help a teasing smile as she leaned back. “You’ve been holding on to that one for a while, haven’t you?”

“Just a few hours.” He beamed. “But I sure am glad I got a chance to use it.”

Nova was tempted to kiss him again when footsteps thundered beneath them. The noise pounded up the wooden staircase. The trapdoor crashed open and Leroy emerged, panting. “What in the name of—” He froze. His attention skipped from Adrian to Nova to Honey and the blood-soaked boards. The right side of his face twisted with rage as he hurled himself up onto the floor of the belfry. “Get away from her!” he shouted, reaching for one of the vials attached to a bandolier across his chest.

“Leroy—” Nova started, stepping toward him. “Wait!”

Adrian lifted a placating hand.

Leroy uncorked the vial and hurled it over Nova’s shoulder.

Nova spun around in time to see a shimmering wall spread out from Adrian’s palm, just like the one that had protected him and his father at the arena. Leroy’s vial smashed into the invisible bricks, painting them with a splotch of yellow liquid that hissed and sizzled.

Nova cringed at the rank odor of tormicene acid, one of Leroy’s favorite concoctions. It was known for the instant boils that formed on human flesh, that would begin to decay and rot within an hour.

“Leroy, please listen. Please stop—”

“He’s manipulating you, Nova,” he said. “Brainwashing you to think they’re the good guys. Trust me. All he cares about now is saving his own skin.” He shoved Nova away—away from him, away from Adrian.

The wall shimmered, the golden mortar dispersing into the air, and Adrian took a hesitant step forward. “I’m not manipulating anyone. I care for Nova, and I think you do, too. If we could just—”

“Talk?” suggested Leroy with a high-pitched laugh. “Like you talked to Honey, who loved Nova like she was her own daughter?”

Nova shook her head. “Honey tried to kill—”

She didn’t finish. In a blink, Leroy had thrown a second vial—not at Adrian this time, but at the floor near his feet, where a puddle of oil had spilled from the broken lantern.

The moment the two chemicals mixed, they exploded with the force of a stick of dynamite. The ancient wooden floor crumbled like tissue paper. Adrian shouted and fell through.

Nova screamed and tried to lunge for him, but Leroy stopped her, both arms wrapping around her waist to hold her back. She stared, gasping, as Honey’s body slipped into the void, as timbers and stonework caved in around them and clouds of dust filled the air, invading her lungs.

“He’s our enemy, Nova. You need to understand. I hope you will someday.”

A heavy thump sounded below, a series of crashes—then a figure emerged from the void. Adrian, practically flying. He landed hard on one knee, just outside the chasm. The floorboards creaked and groaned from his weight.

“No, Leroy,” said Nova, her voice raw with emotion. “I hope you’ll understand someday.”

She brushed her fingers against his leathery hand.

“Nov—”

She didn’t see whether his face held anger or betrayal. She let him crumple to the floor, his arms slipping from her waist, and then dove for Adrian.

“Wait!” Adrian yelled, too late, the word muffled by the noise of splintering wood and groaning framework. He caught Nova in his arms. This corner of the floor, compromised from the hissing chemicals, began to cave. “Hold on!”

Then they were falling. The blast had pierced the top level of wooden stairs, leaving a mess of sharp edges and teetering beams beneath them. Wood chips and stone dust rained around Nova’s head as she wrapped her arms around Adrian’s neck, bracing for the fall to end. She spotted Honey’s body on the next wooden platform.

She looked up, to where she could hear bells jostling overhead, and saw Leroy’s body slipping over the edge.

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