Shadow Rising

“We’d better split,” Nik announced.

“Doesn’t Lucas want to introduce us to his family first?” Gus asked with a hopeful tone. “The available gay ones, preferably.”

I tugged on Gus’s hand. “Now’s not the time, horndog.”

Adrenaline pumped through me as we hurried back out the park, heading for the manhole cover—one of the many secret entrances to the remaining relic of Underground New York. It would take us through the sewers first, and, from there, through the secret tunnels toward the old, moon-class controlled, underground part of the city. Then it was a case of finding Mayor Storm’s house on the Upper East Side, where she’d hopefully be able to wrangle us some kind of political asylum for the time being.

I couldn’t quite believe I’d gone through with it. That I’d faced off against my nemesis and succeeded. I felt untouchable, like I’d grown balls of steel.

We made it back onto the streets—to find everything was in chaos. No one had any idea what the heck was going on, or why their “party” had been interrupted. Debris littered the whole place from all the Geiser for mayor flags and posters people had dropped. I stomped on his big smug face and crumpled it satisfyingly under my boot.

Nik pointed ahead. “There it is!”

The manhole cover looked totally ordinary. Presumably that was the point. It was meant to be a secret route into a hidden city, after all.

Nik ushered us to the manhole in the road and Lucas heaved the metal cover up off the hole like it weighed nothing at all. I should never have underestimated him. When we’d needed him, he’d really come through. That big, muscly bonehead.

“Ladies first,” Nik said, ushering Cora through the hole.

Retta drew up next. “Cut the chivalry crap. Didn’t you just see a lady save this city? Aren’t we on our way to seek asylum with another powerful lady, so a third, awesome lady can launch a proper election campaign?”

“Just get in the hole,” Nik replied dryly.

Retta disappeared down with a humph, then Aaron and Gus followed.

When it was Lucas’s turn, I couldn’t stop myself. I flung my arms around him. “I really hope they sell hippy tat in Underground New York, because I want to buy you a whole bunch of shit to say thanks.”

He patted my back with his big, strong hand. “I told you it would be fine. You just had to chill.”

“I’ll never doubt you again.”

He let go and disappeared into the hole.

It was just me and Nik left.

I grinned at him. “We did it. Sort of.”

“You did it,” he replied, grinning back.

I was elated. After everything we’d been through, somehow we’d made it out the other side.

“Nik…” I said.

My gaze fell to his lips.

Maybe I was caught up in the moment. Or maybe I actually liked Nik and that’s why he had the ability to send me spiraling into fury so easily. Whatever it was, right now this second, I wanted a taste of him.

Clearly realizing what I was about to do, Nik raised his thick eyebrows with surprise. “Now? You want to do this… now?”

I moved on instinct and pressed my lips to his.

The whole world stopped. I could no longer hear the screaming crowds or the humming helicopter blades. All that existed were me and Nik. The sensations pulsing through my body were stronger than any Mage magic I’d ever felt. Stronger than any chemistry I’d ever felt with a boy before. Nik was the real deal. I never wanted this moment to end.

Until I heard the clicking of guns. Actually, especially then.

I jerked back from Nik and glanced around me. My heart leaped into my throat. We were surrounded by security guards. Geiser’s security guards.

*

“Hands in the air!” a Marchosias guard cried. “I said hands in the air!”

Well, shitsticks. That was so not how I’d expected Nik’s and my first kiss to go.

We exchanged a quick glance then held our hands up in truce position.

“Theia Foxglove and Nikolas Storm, I’m arresting you!” he screamed. He was standing right in front of the manhole cover, our escape route to freedom.

“Can you even do that?” I asked, scathingly. “I mean, you’re not a cop, are you? You’re hardly a big fish in the security-guard world, either. Protecting a wannabe mayor.”

“Theia…” Nik warned out the corner of his mouth.

“I can do a citizen’s arrest,” the Marchosias shouted, looking riled by my sass.

I rolled my eyes. “Or you could put the gun away and I’ll come willingly.”

Nik’s voice ratcheted up with panic. “Theia! What the hell?”

“It’s me Geiser really wants,” I told him. “You’re nothing to do with this.”

It was true. I was the one Geiser wanted to punish, not him. It had always been about me. About the inconvenience I was to him. About the dirty Elkie blemish I was on his otherwise pristine reputation. And I wasn’t about to let Nik get nailed for this.

“But we’re in this together,” Nik replied. “If you go down, I go down, too.”

“Cute,” I said. “But there’s nothing romantic about us both being in prison.”

I knew I had to save Nik. But I had to act fast, because the second I did, it would all be over. The guards would pounce.

My bow was with Aaron and he’d taken it underground with him, which meant I had nothing but my Mage powers to fight with. So I reached inside myself and searched for that spark of magic hiding deep within me.

Drawing on what little strength I had, I summoned the magic, pulling and tugging it, up and up through my insides. White light began to coat my hands.

Nik noticed what I was doing. His eyes widened, reflections of the magic light dancing in his pupils. “No!”

But I wasn’t stopping now. Two huge white orbs of glowing light blasted from my wrists and hit their target. Not the Marchosias advancing on me, but Nik.

He went flying backward and in the split second it took for him to disappear down the manhole, we locked gazes. The pain in his eyes sent a knife of grief through me. Then he plunged through the hole and disappeared.

It was time to meet my fate alone.

The slam came from behind, like being hit by a truck, or tackled by a quarterback on the football field. I lost my balance and fell, hitting the hard asphalt with a thud. The wind was forced out of my body as the weight of several guards piled on top of me, and I heard something crack. A rib. Maybe two.

But I didn’t resist. I just lay there as the guards pressed my face against the cold earth and screamed obscenities at me. They pinned my arms behind my back and cuffed me. The whole time I lay there, I looked at the manhole. I hadn’t saved myself, but I’d saved my friends, and that was more important.

The guards hauled me to my feet, my arms now bound behind my back, and marched me to a prison truck. They shoved me roughly inside.

I stumbled onto one of the cold metal benches, and slunk down, exhaustion overcoming me.

Through the open doors, I stole a look at the sky and the bright, full moon. Its light illuminated the black flame of the Statue of Liberty. I smiled.

Then the doors slammed shut and I was plunged into darkness.

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