Hellcat leaned in, whispering. “They came for you, Xander.”
“Wait? She knows?” Aiden asked.
“Sorry, kid. It’s a superhero thing. I told him not to tell you, so…” She gestured toward Smoke. “You wouldn’t get kidnapped.”
“Epic fail.”
I ignored their banter. “They came for me?”
“We protect our own,” she said.
One of Machinist’s suits landed next to Aiden. Its hands reached out, hooking Aiden from under the armpits. He shook his head. “No, I’m staying here.”
I leaned in to kiss him when I realized there were at least a hundred pairs of eyes watching. Screw it. I pressed against him, wrapping a hand behind his head, pressing my lips against his. He resisted for a moment before relaxing and returning it with vigor.
“At least you’ll be alive to be mad.” With a smack on the arm, the suit launched into the air, taking Aiden with him.
“He’s going to be so pissed,” Hellcat said.
Ignoring her, I turned around to see Smoke hovering in the middle of his circle. The specters around the outside lifted into the air, seeping into the darkness around the villain.
“You should have stopped me,” he shouted. “It’s done.”
“This can’t be good,” Hellcat added.
“It’s just one guy…”
The circle glowed, arms reaching up from inside. A second later, hundreds of shadows shot up into the air. I could have stopped him from completing the spell, but it’d have cost Aiden his life. I had made the right decision. My heart knew it.
“You’re too late, Blaze,” he cackled, raising his arms in the air as he basked in his sorcery. “He’s here.”
“We’ve got your back,” Hellcat said, glancing over her shoulder at the agitated group of heroes.
The flames poured out of my body with a growl. The flesh of my hands disappeared under the fire. I inspected the other three hands. It took a second to realize that there was no flesh left. I was a living torch.
“The name’s Lionheart.”
24
Madness ensued.The circle grew, allowing more demons to escape their Hell dimension. Smoke remained perched in the center, basking in the chaos. But try as he might, the legion of evil wasn’t making much headway.
Two demons swept Cobalt into the air. With palms pointed outward, I launched a stream of fire, vaporizing the gargoyle-like creatures. As he plummeted toward the bridge, a man wearing a jetpack caught him. They might not all belong to the same team, but the heroes of Vanguard stood united against the threat.
Hellcat waved her arms, trying to get my attention. With a quick spin, she batted a nearby demon with her staff. Another thrust and the end electrified, shocking the creature into submission. I dropped onto it, turning it to embers.
“We can’t keep this up.”
“The good guys are holding their own,” I argued.
“We’re human—” The Machinist’s suits flew over. “Mostly human. We’ll fight until we can’t, but people are going to tire.”
I had tried to approach Smoke half a dozen times. No matter how much fire I threw, his demons protected him. He was the key to winning this battle. If only I could get to him.
“I can’t reach him.”
“Not alone.” With a spin of her wrists, the staff separated into two batons. As she let the tips touch, sparks flew out in all directions. “We need backup.”
“You’ve got it.” The gruff voice stepped around an overturned taxi. I knew the Centurions had joined the fight, but to see Sentinel up close, I couldn’t help but stare. It didn’t hurt that the burly bearded man had ‘daddy bear’ written all over him.
