Page 146 of Hyperspeed
I stepped over him, planting my feet on either side of his thighs so I faced the vehicle. The flames surged, spreading along the vehicle, so we had to move fast.
“Rev, I’m gonna try to lift it. Crawl out as much as you can, alright?”
“Are you crazy?!” he squawked, twisting to glare at me.
“Crazy about you, rookie.” I grinned and winked, but Rev just shot me a hard look. “No time to waste. When I say go, start shimmying.”
“This is idiotic, Kai,” he huffed.
But he knew we had no choice. With a resigned breath, he flopped back onto his stomach, arms reaching forward, bracing to drag himself free.
“On three.” I crouched low, sliding my hands beneath the vehicle’s edge. The metal seared through my gloves, jagged shards scraping raw against my skin. Pain flared, but it was nothing compared to what was at stake.
“One . . .” I bent my knees. “Two . . .three!”
I heaved with all my strength, pushing the side of the vehicle just an inch off the ground. Rev seized the moment, wriggling free and dragging himself clear of the wreck.
I let the metal drop and rushed to his side, helping him to his feet. He flinched as soon as he put weight on one leg, a sharp hiss escaping through his teeth.
That was when I noticed the tear in the fabric along his thigh, just above the knee, blood smeared beneath it. The cut was long but shallow. Painful, but not life-threatening.
Still, it made my chest clench.
“Shit, you okay?”
“Yeah,” he gritted out, limping forward on his bad leg. “Just stings a bit.”
“Fuck that. This was supposed to be heroic.”
I slid one arm behind his back, the other under his knees, and he let out a startled squeak as I lifted him off the ground. His arms curled around my shoulders, eyes narrowing as if I’d lost my mind.
But as I carried Rev away from the burning wreck, through the choking smoke and into fresh air, his frown softened. He eased my helmet off, letting it fall to the ground as we walked. His fingers tangled in the damp hair at the nape of my neck, pulling me closer.
Our lips met, slow and tender, like time had stretched just for us.
He pulled back to whisper, “Thanks for saving me,solvenari.”
I held him close, soaking in the way he looked at me as though I was his whole damn universe. The lines along his jaw shimmered with a perfect amethyst glow, and I leaned in to kiss him again, not giving a single shit about the drones hovering nearby.
We stayed like that until the medical shuttle pulled up beside us. Only then did I let him down, helping him steady himself as the medics moved in. They checked him over, cleaned his cuts, and bandaged his leg.
When they were done, he turned to me with a grin that made my chest feel too full. “A race winner and a hero. Not a bad look, hotshot.”
He looked so damn pleased, like the idea of me taking the championship meant everything if he couldn’t. But I already had everything I needed right here, in one marginally banged-up piece.
I slid an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head.
“I didn’t win, baby. I pulled out to come and get you,” I explained. “Pretty sure Zylo took it in the end.”
His head snapped up, galaxies swirling fast in his eyes. He didn’t speak right away, and I figured he’d be glad his teammate had clinched both the race and the title.
Instead, he exploded.
“What the hell, Kai?!” He smacked me hard in the chest, and I stumbled back with a grunt.
“Wha—”
“Why would you give up the damn race? Why would you throw away the championship for me?!” He shoved me again, eyes blazing. His skin lit up with a deep crimson I recognised too well. “You could’ve won, and now you’re going to resent me for it, and—”
