“Rein.”
He groaned.
“Are you all right?”
His head poked out from the debris. A piece of paper stuck in his dark hair. “Compared to what?”
She released a sigh of relief as she struggled against the debris and went to him. “Can you move?”
“I think so.”
Those were the only words she needed to hear. Ellyssa grabbed him by the shirt. “Come on,” she said, her words labored. Staggering through the trash, they clambered over the boxes to the side of the trash bin.
Rein flipped over the edge onto the grounds behind The Center and she followed. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Ellyssa grasped Rein’s hand and they were on the run.
A deafening explosion rocked the ground, followed by another. Warm air rushed past them and lifted Ellyssa off her feet. Rein’s hand was ripped from her grip.
Landing in the dumpster had been like falling into cotton balls compared to the hard ground Ellyssa found herself tumbling across an instant later. Flashes of greens and browns whirled by at dizzying speed. After one last spin, Ellyssa stopped on her back.
The breath was knocked out of her, and for a few agonizing seconds her lungs refused to expand. Every inch of her skin burned. Gasping, she lay still until the last of the explosions died away. Dust billowed above her and little pieces of debris had started to land around her. Gingerly, she assessed the damage, moving toes and fingers, then legs and arms. Every muscle shrieked protests, but nothing seemed broken.
She turned her head, looking for Rein. He lay a meter beyond her. He was also on his back, and he was moving and groaning. She felt elated.
He turned his head toward her, his eyes searching for her too. He smiled when his gaze met hers.
She rolled to her stomach and crawled over to him.
“Can you get up?”
“If I lived through that, surely I can stand.”
She brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. He winced, and she pulled back.
“Don’t,” he said, capturing her hand. “Never stop touching me.” He kissed the tips of her fingers.
At the touch of his lips, a pleasant current traveled through her. Grinning—it even hurt to grin—she closed her eyes. “I promise.”
Rein gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “Good.” He exhaled and made a face. “Do I look as bad as I feel?”
Ellyssa chewed on her bottom lip and nodded.
“My hair hurts. I never knew someone’s hair could hurt.”
She laughed. It felt good. Painful, but good. To think, in her previous life, something like that would’ve been locked away inside her, never to be fully experienced.
The corners of Rein’s mouth curled upward. His lips looked delicious. Ellyssa leaned over and kissed him. His mouth opened to hers, and she tasted him as electricity found home in her veins. She wanted to stay with her lips locked on his, but she pulled away.
“We have to go,” she said turning toward the building.
Woody had done an awesome job placing the explosives as directed. The Center had collapsed inward. There was nothing left but a pile of twisted metal and charred bricks. Her father’s work had been destroyed.
“I know,” he said, stroking her cheek.
Reluctant to find what lay ahead for them, Ellyssa pulled herself onto her feet. Without her aid, Rein stood up; the aftereffects of Aalexis’ torture must’ve diminished under the flood of adrenaline.
“Let’s go home,” Rein said.
Ellyssa inwardly cringed at the mention of home. At the time, Rein must not have comprehended what her father had said about their home in Missouri. She didn’t have the heart to tell him yet. He’d been through so much.
Without saying anything, she took his hand, and together, they limped farther away from the burning building toward the chain-link fence that surrounded the property. From there, they sidled along the fence until they reached the front. Rows and rows of workers stared straight ahead at the blaze. Flashing lights from the emergency vehicles doused them in red and blue.
Staying close to the fence, away from the lights and people, they made their way to the sign at the entrance. Ellyssa turned around and watched the reddish-orange glow. Hungry flames flicked through the debris, trying to consume all that was left.
“Do you think this is why Jeremy reached out to me?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not over,” she said.
“I know. But together, we can make it though whatever awaits us.”
With Rein’s hand in hers, she turned and walked away from the burning remnants of her old life, in search of Woody.
EPILOGUE
Aalexis walked around piles of bricks and plaster and twisted metal with Xaver at her side. She held his hand, which was strange. Contact with each other had always been forbidden, but his touch was… comforting.
The elevator shaft lay ahead of them, their only escape route. She hoped the cables would support their weight so they could climb to safety.
Extraordinary. The unfolding of events that had brought them into the hallway with loosely hanging lights and crumpled walls.
Before, when she had first opened her eyes after Ellyssa had knocked her out, she’d had no idea where she was. Bright red light reflected off a white ceiling, and an ache throbbed in the back of her skull. She’d turned her head and seen someone else stir. It’d taken her a moment to recognize her brother.
“Xaver,” she’d called. “I need you.”
He had responded right away and was at her side.
Then, the first explosion shattered from above. The sound had been deafening. The room had quaked and pieces of ceiling had rained down on them.
Xaver’s eyes had widened, an unfamiliar expression to the both of them, then he’d covered Aalexis with his body. Even after their father’s death, he had obeyed his orders to protect her at all costs.
After all, she was the superior one.
She was the most powerful.
Safe inside Xaver’s shield, she had watched as everything her father had worked for crashed down around them as explosion after explosion rocked the building. Then, Ahron had burst through the debris and into the room, flickering in and out of existence. Unfortunately, Ahron couldn’t maintain the strength of his gift. The last explosion had ripped his body apart as shrapnel tore through him.
Aalexis and Xaver had remained protected inside his impenetrable shield.
When the last explosion had faded away, she’d tried to leave, but he’d held her in place.
“Wait,” he’d warned.
Even after things had quieted down, bits of plaster and ceiling fell randomly and without warning. The building had to settle before they could safely venture out.
Her brother had saved her life again.
They finally reached the mangled shaft. The elevator lay crumpled below, in a pile of junk. Chunks of wood and metal dangled dangerously from above, but so did the cables. She could hear the crackle of fire.
Xaver grabbed one and yanked hard. The cable held fast.
She looked at the thick bundle, and then at her brother. “Will we survive?”
“I will protect you.” He handed her the cable. “You ready?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
With vengeance on her mind, she crawled out from the tomb her sister had tried to bury them in.
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
There are so many people who I would like to thank for helping me as I plucked away on Perfection. If I could only express my appreciation to each of you for all you have done to see me through.