Don’t let me burn you again.
Her eyes shone, and it wasn’t with hatred or distaste. It was…concern. The horns on her head started to spark, and my eyes went wide before she turned my world on end.
TWELVE
ALEX
Leo was burning.
All at once, our discussions in Dahlia’s office turned into chaos as he became a living flame. Reed’s shield didn’t help this time. He’d gone up before, more times than I could count. But it was always out of rage, or even simple irritation, and he could always be put out. Joon loved teasing him with fire extinguishers.
This was new.
When I watched the fire surround him, his face contorted with hopelessness. It was the same look I had whenever I let my thoughts take over, whenever reality became too much. Leowasbroken, and I needed to pull him into somewhere safe. Though my body ached and my mind had been a mess since the interrogations, I chanced it. There was a limit to what I could do, how much of my ability I could use. Once I hit it, there was no telling how long I’d sleep .
In the academy, my record was three days.
The interrogation still weighed on me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept, but Leo wason fucking fire. I whisked us into the only place I could think of at the moment; my bedroom.It was comfortable, somewhere I could remember in detail, instantly. Leo sprawled out on my white carpet, slapping at his arms as if he was still on fire. His red-brown eyes were wide with fear as he lashed out a hand toward me.
“Alex, get back, don’t come?—”
“You’re not burning,” I said, and my throat swelled. “You’re okay. I’m okay. Look around, look where you are. Nothing is on fire here. Nothing can touch us.”
His head still turned wildly, glancing down at himself before casting his gaze around the room. Calloused hands shook, and something broke inside of me. It had to be Joon—I’d been feeling it, too. The weight of what we’d discovered, the task of finding his killers, only to realize he likely wasn’t the only Hero that had been taken out.
But Leo had been there; they were partners. I didn’t consider it before, the fact that he’d likely seen Joon die. I never acknowledged what he must have been feeling. Leo had always been at the top—he was unbeatable, unbreakable, unshaken. I’d forgotten that he was still human. He could grieve, too.
“Where are we?” he breathed finally.
I sank down from my bed and sat on the floor beside him as I dug my bare toes into the rug beneath us. “My room.”
He nodded, but his body still trembled; his eyes remained wide.
“Does it hurt?” my voice was quieter than I’d intended.
Leo scrunched his brows before running a hand through his messy blond hair. He cleared his throat as red started to creep onto his cheeks.
“No, I can’t feel it at all. It… doesn’t work like that. The damage always happens on the inside.”
It was hard to imagine. His flames burned hotter than anything I’d experienced; the ends of my hair were singed from the heat, while his remained untouched. But I still made surethat my room was cool, made sure that he could sense the air pulsing through, touched with ice.
“But it still scares you, right?” I asked.
He radiated self loathing whenever he lost control. In the academy, it was the only thing that kept me from hating him entirely. It reminded me that he was a victim of his abilities, as all Variants were. Heroes were revered, they were weapons for the VIA, but power didn’t mean life was easy.
Heroes were something to watch on TV, not people to interact with. I wondered what his childhood was like; a Variant that couldn’t control his temper, that threatened to burn anything within the vicinity when he imploded. It made my heart ache.
Leo leaned forward and placed his head in his hands, those light blond lashes fluttering as his jaw feathered. “Do you remember what they used to say about me?”
I tilted my head, trying to remember. It was a blur; ever since Joon died, all the memories became a jumbled mess. I remembered training with them. I remembered the constant conflict between Leo and me. But the details, the in-between chats and gossip among trainees, was lost.
“I was a Hero that should’ve been a Villain,” he sighed. “They weren’t wrong. The only thing I’m good at is destruction—not much of a savior, am I?”
My body went rigid, and my eyes glistened. Leo was always the strong one, but the more I thought about it, the more I started to realize. Joon was popular; he got along with everyone and stayed in the top rankings of every class. But Leo was always alone; if Joon wasn’t beside him, if I wasn’t arguing with him, he was surrounded by silence.
Oh God, am I the asshole?
It sure felt like it. We pushed each other constantly, but even now I rejected him, couldn’t even fathom becoming friends. Did Leohaveany friends? Did he have anyone at all?
