Damsel[ed]: Some Rescue Required (#2 of the Damsel[ed] series)

Chapter Six: Loyalty

Angelos.

Jaylin wraps her arms around my neck, her brown eyes wide and her quiet smile growing. I feel like prey, but I ignore it and set her on the counter. Her face is swelling, bruised black in places.

Heaven took this one too far. Doesn't she know Jaylin saved her? I'm not the only one who owes this girl my life. "How bad does it hurt?" I ask. She shrugs and places her hands in her lap, freeing me to rummage through the cabinets for a Ziploc bag.

"Could be worse."

"Hmm." I find the Ziplocs in easy reach of the first-aid kit. The hairs of my neck stand on end, a crawly feeling on my skin. I turn around, and there Jaylin is, staring at me with her head on her hands. Heaven was right about feeling when someone's watching. I give Jaylin my best smile. She gives me hers. I hit the freezer, scoop the ice, turn back and hand her the bag. "For your face," I say, ripping open an alcohol pad.

"I know how ice works, Fibbs," she says with a huff.

"Right." I roll up her sleeve. My jaw tightens. Her skin's splotched purple and she laughs at my reaction. "Um..."

"She went berserk. It's not hard to provoke a superhero."

I shrug. "She, uh, just forgot how strong she is. I bet she feels really feels bad about it now."

Jaylin just gives me an are-you-serious look. "I really doubt that. A few too many strategically poignant lines, and she goes crazy." I find an open gash on her arm and clean it with the pad. I've never heard anyone say anything like "strategically poignant," let alone Jaylin, and I draw blank.

"Uh...what?"

"I was just trying to see what I could say to set her off. You know, in case we're ever in a combat situation or whatever. A lot of us villains do it."

"Psychological warfare, huh?"

"You bet. Superheroes are all the same."

I shake my head and almost pull back. "No. They're pretty different, I think. I mean, supervillains are all different and stuff. Right?"

She places a hand on my shoulder. " Oh, come on, Angel, you can't deny it. Superheroes are all fundamentally the same."

"Yeah?"

"They're stupid," she says. I glare, ready to launch into a speech about all the sacrifice and hard work and bravery I'm sure it takes Heaven to step into danger to save strangers, but Jaylin continues. "They're brutes. They rely on strength instead of intelligence and flaming ideals instead of hard facts. They think they can fix the world in one fell swoop. But they can't, and if ever they did, they would create a world where they aren't needed."

I blink, at a loss for what to say. The words don't sound like they belong to Jaylin, they sound like they came off a script. "Okay?"

"Us villains, we look at the big picture. We steal from the rich, Angel. So what?"

"Whatever you steal isn't yours. That's what," I say. She waves me off, leaning both her elbows on my shoulders.

"I've been thinking," she says.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you want to be a good guy, Angelos?"

I blink again. I should have an answer prepared for a question like, 'Yo, Angel,why are you rebelling against your heritage and dark side and destiny and stuff?' But no. I don't. "Uh. I don't want to--"

"Hurt people?" Jaylin asks with a sigh. I nod and she rolls her eyes in response. "Of course you don't. The one guy who can manipulate freaking objects with his freaking mind 'doesn't want to hurt people!'" She even makes the air quotes.