Page 57 of Infamous Heart

The black peeled away from her face, neck and chest. She was no longer Wraith, a creature born from the shadows. Rebecca snarled, almost as vile as her alter-ego. I shouldn’t be surprised to see the full face of make-up, carefully applied with a practiced hand. Being beautiful didn’t make her any less evil.

“Who,” I dropped the broom stick, holding her wrist to give myself the ability to breathe. “Who gave you the black eye?”

Into the air and with more force than should be possible, she slammed me onto the ground. The world shook, blackened, and for a second I couldn’t tell which way was up. I kicked, trying to put distance between me and the villain.

“Killing you will be so gratifying.” The black oozed along her skin until Rebecca vanished, swallowed by Wraith.

I was about to die.

* * *

I imagined death as falling down a hole, the light growing distant until it snuffed out. I expected it to hurt for at least a second. After that would come the ever after. Peace? Hell? I hadn’t given it much thought up to this point.

I didn’t expect death to envelope me in a searing light.

My hand brushed against the broomstick, anchoring me. I remained on the roof. This wasn’t death, it was…

“Sebastian,” I gasped.

Narrowing my eyes, I could see Wraith’s black form blotting out the blaze. Behind her, an angelic being made of pure light hovered in the air. I couldn’t make out his features, but those broad shoulders were impossible to disguise.

“Haven’t had enough?” Wraith’s confidence didn’t falter. Her body count continued to climb. She had defeated him once before, and now it was tying up loose ends. At this rate, she’d be promoted to a top tier villain and the Centurions might finally intercede.

Wraith’s feet hovered above the roof, defying gravity as she waited for Sebastian to make his move. He moved around her, gliding effortlessly until he stood between me and the villain. I commended him on protecting me, but I feared just as much forhissafety.

“He’s not part of this, Rebecca.”

Villain psychology 101, trying to connect to the part of them that might still be good. For any other villain it might have worked, but I suspected that the only good bone in her belonged to unlucky bedfellow.

“They’re all part of it. This infernal magazine will perish one way or another.”

“You don’t have to—“

By the time she swung her hand toward his neck, it had extended into her signature blade. He stepped back, far enough out of reach that she hadn’t left a scratch. Wraith’s other hand extended and now she swung in an intricate pattern, moving closer, pressing him back until Sebastian nearly tripped over my legs.

“I hope he was worth dying for.”

The words came out in a low hiss, as if she were part snake. I realized that Sebastian hadn’t made a move to attack Wraith. He ducked out of the way, stepped to the side, and maneuvered as if he had become an expert on missing the edges of her mystic blades. Sebastian hadn’t been entirely honest. I suspected that, if I started digging, there might be a paper trail of luminary superhero sightings.

His fingers tightened while ducking under a swipe that would have left him headless. Shooting upright, he hooked his knuckles under her chin. Wraith did a backward somersault in the air, spinning twice before she smashed onto the roof. I nearly cheered for my burly protector.

He turned to me. “Are you alright?”

Something about his voice was different, almost breathy. While his voice might have grown increasingly calm, it was the only thing I noticed that had changed. His upper body dimmed to the point where I could make out his larger features. Right now, I wanted to rush to the man and shower him in kisses. Not only had he stood up for the right thing, he had done it without compromising his ethics.

“You saved me?”

I couldn’t make out the facial expression, but I imagined that he grinned at the question. Instead, his body slumped slightly, exhausted. The man staggered, and I held out my arms as if I might be able to slow the descent of his hulking frame. At the last moment, he caught himself.

“I’m running on empty,” he admitted.

“You saved the Ward.”

He turned down his abilities, not enough to reveal his lack of clothing, but enough that I could make out the silhouette of his face. I didn’t hesitate as I grabbed the side of his head and pressed my lips against his mouth. I was surprised at the lack of warmth coming from the light he produced. He stiffened before relaxing, putting an arm around my waist.

My hand travelled up his ribcage until he grunted and pulled away. Without seeing the black and blue along his skin, it was impossible to tell his condition.

“Areyouokay?” I asked.

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