Victor grabbed a chunk of rubble the size of a football and slammed it down where Jared’s face had been only an instant earlier, but Jared had seen it coming and shifted out of the way. He struck Victor in the head again with his forearm, and this time the night-vision goggles flew into the darkness with a clatter.
Victor exploded to his feet with a roar and managed to land a kick to Jared’s ribs. Jared rolled away, but I heard the snap of bone.
They fought in silence, Victor using chunks of rubble, his augmented strength such that he shattered the stones to powder with each strike. I watched in horror through the dim glow of moonlight as he inflicted abuse upon Jared, whose speed was clearly impaired from his injury, and when Victor nearly crushed Jared’s skull again, I leapt into action.
I staggered to where the crossbow had landed at the far end of the hall. I spotted it by a debris pile and retrieved it. It was still cocked, but the quarrel wasn’t loaded. I glanced around, spied the shaft a few feet away, and scooped it up with a wince, my ribs protesting every move.
Once I’d fitted the bolt into the firing slot and seated it, I turned to where Jared and Victor were trading blows that would have killed anyone normal. I raised the weapon to fire, my finger hovering over the trigger, but then the moon disappeared and the area fell into darkness again.
I swore and took cautious steps toward the sound of the struggle. I had crossed half the area when Victor cried out like a wounded animal. The final part of his howl cut off abruptly, and I heard something heavy strike the floor, followed by silence.
I froze, crossbow in hand, waiting for enough light to shoot if a target presented itself, but the moon had finished cooperating and there was a lull in the lightning. A cold gust blew icy rain into my face, and I shivered as I held my breath, the crossbow trembling as the strength to hold it seeped from my arms. I wanted to call out to Jared but didn’t dare.
“Lacey?” Jared said from only a few feet away. “You can put down the bow.”
“Jared!” I looked around. “You’re…where are you?”
Lightning flared in the clouds and I saw him to my right, holding his stomach, slightly hunched over. “Oh my God, Jared,” I cried, and dropped the bow and moved to him. “How bad are you hurt?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be healed by the time we’re back to shore. What about you?”
“I…I don’t think anything’s broken, but I should probably get an X-ray.” I took his face in my hands, barely able to make it out in the gloom. “I thought he was going to…to kill you,” I said, and then looked past him to where Victor was a dark lump on the floor. “Is he…?”
“Yes. I used the arrow he shot me with to finish him.” He paused. “But his strength…it was extraordinary. And…I…lost my night vision when I stepped into the ruins.”
“He told me he’d cast a spell that drained your power, and took a potion that gave him strength to match yours.”
Jared’s eyes widened. “What? How…?”
“He said a sorcerer. New Orleans. That’s all I know.”
“How did you break the spell?”
I could barely speak from cold and terror and relief all roiling inside me, but I forced the words to come. “He used bracelets in four of the building corners.” I told him about throwing one of them outside, and he grunted. I felt his arms around me, and then his lips crushed against mine and he was kissing me ravenously, our mutual hunger intense enough to power a city. I shuddered as we kissed, the sensation of our mouths locked together so exquisite I never wanted it to end. I growled deep in my throat when he pulled away, and tried to pull him back. Then I remembered his injuries. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?” I asked.
“I should be asking you that,” he said. “You’re the one who needs X-rays.”
The ache in my side intensified when he mentioned it, and the heat that had built in me faded, replaced by the chill of reality.
“What about you?” I asked.
“Give me a minute or two. I should be strong enough to deal with his body. We can’t leave it here to be found.” He glanced over at Victor’s corpse. “Did you know him?”
I nodded in the dark, figuring he could see me. “Yes. He’s the brother of one of the graduate teacher assistants at Ridley.” I explained how I’d run into Victor before, and told Jared about how he’d managed to kidnap me. I finished with an apology that took every ounce of fortitude I had. “I’m so sorry, Jared. You were right all along, and I almost got you killed. I…I don’t know what I was thinking. I really don’t.”
One of his fingers caressed my lips. “Shhh,” he whispered. “It’s over. What’s important is you’re safe.”
“No,” I corrected him. “What’s important is I’ve decided I want to be with you. Whatever happens, I want us to stay together. I’ll deal with the girls and the fame and–”
“What girls?” he asked, and then I could sense his grin even in the dark. “You mean from the shows? They’re nothing, Lacey. I love you. Only you. I’ve waited forever to be able to say that again. Do you really believe anything could come between us?”
He kissed me again, long and languorous, the passion as intense as before, but his touch gentler. He sighed and stroked my wet mop of hair. “You’re everything to me, Lacey. I would move heaven and earth to be with you. Don’t ever doubt it, not even for a moment. It’s the one thing you can count on forever.”
I laughed as tears rolled down my face. “I love you too, Jared. I do. More than anything. More than my life. It’s
