enemy, dumbass,” she muttered to herself as the hot water soothed her achy, never-been-used muscles. But even as her mind relived what she’d done with Garrett, her body betrayed her and flushed with heat again. “Shit.” She turned the water to frigid and punished her body for a full minute before hopping out.
Hurriedly dressing in the bathroom, she opted to hold her boots for the time being. No need to wake Garrett. On tiptoe, she made her way across the room, allowing herself one last glance at his prone form and wondering what would happen to him now. It wasn’t like they could keep him at the Lair like a pet. Cassie wouldn’t let Jansen kill him, but she’d sure as shit wipe Garrett’s memory and send him packing. Symone would never see him again. And he wouldn’t remember her. “Probably for the best,” she mumbled.
Just as she tried to slip from the cabin, she heard him whisper her name.
***
The burn started in Garrett’s chest. At first, he thought he was having a heart attack, then her recognized it for what it was. He was burning. Just like he had two years ago when he’d first gotten his powers. The pain was worse than any nisulin bullet. Like his DNA was being torn apart and reformed on the cellular level. What the hell was happening? Had Reaper implanted him with some internal self-destruct button?
When he reached for Symone, looking for comfort, she wasn’t next to him. He tried to speak, but his mouth was too dry and his tongue too thick. Again, through a raspy throat, he forced her name off his tongue. “Symone.”
She halted in the act of slipping out the door. Her voice was soft. “Garrett. What’s wrong? Are you—” She paused then started again. “Do you need—”
She halted mid-sentence, and he reached for her again. The pain ricocheted though his body. The room spun, and he wondered for a minute if his earlier dinner would be making a reappearance. His paper-dry tongue tried to distribute moisture on his parched lips. “Symone. Please. I need—”
Still she stared at him, and still the room spun. He felt like he was floating but not in that euphoric way he did when her power coursed through him. More like he was hovering above the bed. Why wouldn’t she help him? Why was she standing there staring at him?
“H-help me,” he stuttered.
At last she sprang into action, running to the intercom. Her next words confused him.
“Send Lisa down. Hurry. Garrett’s burning. And he has a new power, bring everyone.”
The fire spread through his chest and flowed through his arms. New power? He couldn’t have heard her correctly. Though that would explain why he felt like the room was moving.
It didn’t take long before the whole team showed up. Maybe less than five minutes, but given his haze of pain, it felt like an eternity. As he burned, time stood still. The brunette doctor was the first one in. Five others poured in, some with weapons, others without. Had they come armed for him? He wanted to smirk, but it made his teeth hurt.
The blond, soldier-looking guy immediately placed himself in front of Symone, blocking her from Garrett’s view. The possessive act made Garrett clench his fists. The moment he completed the action, he instantly wished he hadn’t. Fire bolted up his arms, and he swore his head would catch fire.
The blond guy gaped at him. “I thought you said he was some kind of empath. Not fucking Superman.” He scowled. “You want to tell me why the fuck he’s naked?”
Symone stuttered “I-I—he is. I don’t understand.” She didn’t answer Jansen’s question.
The dark-haired one stepped forward. Her eyes flashed, and Garrett shuddered as pain wracked his spine. Her eyes—they were just like Reaper’s.
When she spoke, her voice was firm and strong. She was the undisputed leader of this ragtag bunch. “When Symone brought you in, you were in and out of consciousness. Can you come down?”
He tried to shake his head, but stopped the moment he realized the top of his skull might pop off. “N-no.” He gritted his teeth against the pain. “I don’t know how I got up here. I woke up in pain—”
Fire ripped through his thighs done to his marrow, and he wanted to curl into a fetal position, but his body refused to cooperate. Somewhere a tiny voice prayed for death.
Cassie spoke again, her voice quieter. “Symone. Do you remember anything unusual before he started to burn? I