Little Spark

35 - Two Reigns

Ruby screams, snapping me back to attention: Mauro has her fixed in his death stare. Cole advances on me, but then gets hit over the head from behind; he drops like a stone, breaking Mauro's concentration. Ruby collapses as Mauro looks away, and I watch in a mixture of horror and relief as Mystery Man snaps Mauro's neck, and he drops to the floor.

As I kneel to attend to Ruby, our hero comes over and squats beside us. "Thank you," I say, looking up at him.

As the multi-faceted green eyes and faint facial scar come into focus in front of me, I fall backwards. He slips an arm around my waist to catch me. "Careful, New Girl," he says.

Panicked and confused, I turn to where I know I saw Reign drop to the ground when this Reign caused the light flash that obliterated the Shadow minions... and there he is, still unconscious.

Hero Reign looks down at Betrayer Reign and shakes his head, then turns back to me and smiles. He places a half-gloved hand on my cheek and leans in close, brushing the tip of my nose with his own. The light flickering in his eyes is so intense, I can hardly stand to look at him. "I told you I'd save you again," he says.

The second gunshot rings through the air, jolting me awake.

********************

In light of Ruby's warning, the meeting with my friends, the Common Grounds sign, and that crazy dream, the decision to actually go to the house the following afternoon isn't one I make very easily. In the end, what carries me through the woods is the memory of that fight I overheard Reign having with his parents on the phone.

When I get there, the front door is partially open. I take a deep breath and decide to go in, figuring that if it was a trap, I was doomed the moment I set foot on the porch. I could run, but with their shifty shadow-hopping abilities, I'd be surrounded within seconds.

Sliding through the gap, I tiptoe down the hallway, careful to avoid the creaking floorboard—I've been in here enough times now to know exactly where it is. I don't turn on the lights, but instead feel my way along the wall to the open doorway of the study.

A peek inside reveals Reign slouched in the desk chair, nibbling at his cuticles. He looks so vibrant against the backdrop of the dead, dust-laden room. My eyes fill with tears, and I get slammed with so many emotions at once—fury, relief, elation, resentment, affection, sadness, rejection, longing—all the lights buzz on, and I hear a bulb explode at the top of the stairs.

He looks up right as I step into the doorway, and before I can register his movements, the space between us is gone: his right arm is wrapped tightly around my waist, his face is tucked beneath my chin, and my toes are barely grazing the ground. "You came," he mumbles against my clavicle.

I think of glaciers, igloos, ice dancing, cold showers—anything to keep the fire now burning in my center from slipping out into my limbs.

He releases me and goes back to the desk to grab a black plastic bag that's sitting on top. "I brought you a present," he says, bringing it over to me.

As I look over his face—which is plastered with a goofy grin—the rage-rejection-confusion blend that has plagued me for the past six days bubbles up in me like a science fair volcano. I clench my teeth, because I have no idea what kind of venom will spew out if I open my mouth.

There's no stopping the heat this time, and I'm obviously glowing red or something, because his expression changes and he takes a few steps away from me.

"You alright, B?"

The camel's back is officially broken.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" I roar, losing control. The bulbs in the desk lamp and ceiling fixture all explode, throwing little bits of glass in every direction.