No one said having superpowers would be easy, but this is ridiculous. Fallout is hunting Angelos within an inch of the kid's life, a new villain is rearing their ugly head, and Heaven is awfully tempted by the dark side. Gats? Not happy. Jaylin? Try...
Rain drums on the roof of the super museum. Soft footsteps echo from the room over and the night watchman"s flashlight hits the ground with a "thump."
She rolls her eyes and nudges her partner. He grunts, leaning against a pillar with a half-eaten turkey sandwich hanging out of his mouth. "Teens again," she says, pointing to Tauras" and Nebula"s Room of Love.
"I hate teens." Joe Grayson finishes his sandwich in one gulp, flicking crumbs off his starched collar onto the polished floor. A boom of thunder sends him ducking.
The Starlight City Commemorative Superhero Museum is eight floors high, the top one all windows, like a big, glass cage. From here, the two watchmen have a clear view of where the capital building burned. It"s a gap in the skyline, like a missing tooth in a silver smile. Joe Grayson frowns out at the view. "But it"s only teens, right?"
The power is out. Could be the storm, could be worse. A super. Melissa Sanchez picks up the flashlight, breaking in a cold sweat. The silence is heavy.
"Maybe not."
Grayson runs his hand over his bald head as if to smooth back hair. His cheeks puff up and he lets out a noisy breath. "Hey!" he shouts, pushing past his partner. "Hey, kid! Get out of here!"
There comes a wheezy laugh, as booming and deep as the thunder outside. Sanchez is right behind her partner, the flashlight shoved hastily in a holster, her handgun out and pointed at the door.
This is the way it is in Starlight. Civilians hear a loud noise, they assume a supervillian is standing over them with a raised fist and a syringe. You become a thief, and you"re equal parts likely to be pummeled to criminal soup by a superhero or shot some dozen and a half times by a terrified civilian.
The watchmen rush into the room, army of two. Rain pelts the windows. Light dapples the floor, the plastic memorial candles flickering on the fountain.
The figure whirls around, silhouetted in a long, slinky shadow. Nebula and Tauras look down at the scene, captured forever in a lover"s embrace. It"s a beautiful piece, based off a photo. Nebula, her helmet torn off, crying happy tears, her supersuit streaked with grit and dust. Taurus, unable to stand, collapsed against her, his civilian suit tattered and bloodied.
The statue is so lifelike, from the folds of Tauras"s torn clothing to the tangles in Nebula"s hair to even the unsteady one-leg pin-up girl pose the playful Taurus struck when he saw the camera, that even in bronze, Sanchez can imagine them perfectly. Breathing, in the flesh, though Sanchez only caught in eyeful of them back in "84 during the room dedication.
Now, in an ironic turn of events, their museum is being robbed.
The figure is small and lithe, dressed all in black with a bag slung over their shoulder. The shadow of their hood hides even the color of their eyes. All the guards can make out if the burglar"s smile. "Freeze or I"ll shoot!" Sanchez shouts.
The figure dips a graceful bow and whirls out the open window, falling some eight stories into the night. By the time Sanchez empties the barrel of her .22, the burglar is gone.
And so is Nebula"s supersuit.
***
Angelos.
"Gotcha!" the man shouts, cupping his hand over my face. My eyes fly open and my mouth parts in a silent scream before I realize it"s a sham and wriggle free. I roll over and hit the carpet.
"Ow, ow, ow, OW!"
Storm smirks down me.
Jaylin and Keplar are still asleep. Fed with all the meat I could find in the fridge, washed with my own shampoo, and given three bowls of mineral water, Kep was out, living the good life. I fell asleep on the couch. Jaylin did the same, her forehead pressed against my thumping heart, her fingers skimming my feathers. Turns out wings make good blankets in a pinch.
"Hey-"
Storm picks me up by the collar of my tee shirt. Kepler blinks an eye open and growls at him, then goes back to sleep. Jaylin is still. Doesn"t so much as twitch. Storm"s eyes flare behind his broken glasses. Gray like Gats." "You"re dead, kiddo. I just broke into your house, knocked you out, and brought you to your dad."
I rub my eyes, my shirt cutting under my arms from Storm"s grip. "I know, I know. I"ll do better next time." I yawn. "I"m just tired, da"."
He harumphs. A small smile plays out on his features. ""Da," huh? Is that who I am now?"
"Yup. You"re my dad. The stork just got mixed up is all."
Storm sets me down on the floor. His smile is small and sad. "I don"t think Fallout agrees and I don"t think Gatsby will ever call me that."
"He really is your son?" I hesitate. "Your biological one, I mean."
Storm nods, adjusting the rims of his cracked glasses. Some people have huge family resemblance. Me and my "parents," for instance. But Gats is different. If you look hard enough at June"s small, wiry build, at Storm"s hard gray eyes and the distinct structure of his face, you can make it out. You can connect the dots.
Since this is the third book written after "Life of a Teenage Eugenics Experiment" and "Life of a Teenage Fugitive Kidnapped by Literally Every Member of His Family," I"ll recap.
My mother is dead. She seized the Starlight City capital before Gats plunged a sword through her chest and ended it. Luce is sentient and functions independently from me, but I can knock him out with obsidian. The downside? I knock out my powers, too. Poison kidnapped me, Fallout kidnapped me for about thirty minutes, then Owl kidnapped me. I only wish we could"ve had a family dinner or something. Aside from being a hero, Gats is also a traitor. He betrayed Heaven and played Owl"s minion, threatening to stab me a good three or four times.
He"s also, you know, Juniper and Storm"s son. And not in the way I am, either. He carries their genes.
I"m also dating Jaylin. So there"s that.
"Well, then. You and Ju-Mom going to go out and talk to him about it?"
Another nod. "Dinner at The Ritz. We"re leaving you home tonight. Lock every door and window and make sure to keep Heaven nearby. Call us at the first sign of trouble." Storm takes off his glasses and rubs the cracks with his forefinger. He offers Kepler a meager pat on the head. She kicks her legs out and sighs, tail thumping. "You stole yourself a designer pet. These things are worth a fortune. Wolves, tigers, bears, you name it. Models of new taming methods through genetic modification. Gentle as lambs."
I swallow the growing knot in my throat. "Are there any designer kids, too?"
Storm adjusts his jacket and checks his watch. "You," he says, "and Feli-Gatsby, and your brother."
"Anymore I should know of?"
Storm turns toward the door, fluffing the bean bag chair and flipping the cushions. "Stay safe." By the time I"ve wobbled to my feet and cleared my throat to remind him that that isn"t an answer, the door is open and his glasses have been pitched into the wastebasket.
He turns, half-outside, and grunts, eyes flicking from me to Jay. "If you"re going to have sex, use protection and don"t do it on my sofa." The door clicks locked. Just like that, Storm has waltzed in and out of my life. Just like that, I"m shriveled against the couch with a face so hot I could fry pancakes on it.
Me. Jaylin. Sex. Hah. I just decided I don"t hate her a day ago.
"That"s the fastest "talk" I"ve ever heard in my life." Jaylin rolls off the couch and hits the floor beside me, her head in her hands.
"You"ve been awake this whole time, haven"t you?"
She pulls Kepler off the couch by the fluffy scruff of her neck. Kepler doesn"t seem to notice, limp as a ragdoll in her arms. "Who"s a good wolf? Who"s a good wolf!" Kepler rolls her golden eyes and sighs, her snout pressed up against Jay"s knee as she falls back to sleep.
Heaven is patrolling. Gats is asleep in the back of the family Prius, I think. That or taking a walk to clear his head. The coast is clear. I head to the kitchen, each step a stumble. My wings drag on the floor like coattails.
"What are you doing?"
"Making us some coffee." I slam the grounds on the granite and fumble with the detachable cap on the percolator. The stove clock reads "8:46." P.M. The attack happened noon yesterday. Jaylin and I have been asleep for a little over a day and everything feels like it"s happening inside a fog. "We"ve got investigating to do and I"ve got the keys to Gats" BMW."
***
Updates Saturdays!
No one said having superpowers would be easy, but this is ridiculous. Fallout is hunting Angelos within an inch of the kid's life, a new villain is rearing their ugly head, and Heaven is awfully tempted by the dark side. Gats? Not happy. Jaylin? Trying to remember how dating works. Poison? Up to his old tricks. Drama. School. A new kid. A battle was won, but the war is far from over.
They're out to get you. You, yes, you, skimming this summary in your MoboReader App. They want your flesh. And they want your soul. (Let's just call it Teen Vampire Slayer intuition.) Now, that might sound crazy. And I get it. Vampire stuff is pretty crazy stuff to begin with. But maybe you've noticed something off. The lady sizing you up at the coffee shop, the librarian scowling at you in the corner, that one guy at the DMV who turned into a bat and attacked you by the decorative license plate display. Or maybe you're just a kid like me, wanting to get into a college like me, never asking to get dragged into this mess in the first place like me. You don't care about the dumb vampires. Or the eternal darkness. Or the missing kids. Well, okay. That's cool. I'll write and you try to keep up. I'm your guide, Shiro. Grayson Shiro, or Star Shirozaki if you want to get all into the awful birth name business. I turn fifteen in two weeks. That may sound neat to you. In some cultures, when a boy turns fifteen he gets a party or superpowers or some sort of "Yeah, manhood!" ceremony. Me? I get to die. And maybe you will, too. I have two weeks to steal back my soul from blood-sucking vampires before I crumble into dust. My partner, very dead and very stubborn, has maybe three. It's a deadly game, but one we have to play for our fates and the fate of a city about to be swallowed up in a pit of eternal darkness. So buckle up. Welcome to the team, vampire slayer. - Shiro
Luciel Cheng is a freak, cursed to take the body of a wind-up automaton from the stroke of midnight to the stroke of noon. After spending five years as a circus attraction, Luciel finally returns to the step family that sold him away, only to find his kingdom in shambles from an empire's attack. All he wants is to create a new life for himself, away from his abusive family, but then Luciel meets and saves his prince, a charming man named Jasper. Jasper has a plan to take back his kingdom, and Luciel finds himself falling in love. But can they save each other's home? And can the prince ever love a man whose half human and half clockwork?
The gang is back, and they're in more danger than ever. After all they've been through, Angel, Gats, Heaven, and Jay just want to kick back and relax, but that may not be possible. The world of supers around them is about to plunge into chaos...
"Who are you?" the supervillain asks. His breathless voice is surprisingly soft. I slam my hands on either side of him, leaning in so close my nose touches his mask. I'm the taller one. "It's 'Please Don't Kick My...
My name is Katia, and I am just trying to survive until my fated mate arrives. Which may be easier said than done. Rejectection is the last straw. Whispering my acceptance of his rejection. I run through the pack house, out across the manicured lawn into the forest. "I'm sorry, my sweet girl," I say to my wolf. I'm sorry you have been stuck with me and have had to suffer everything I have. She whispers," it's not your fault, Katia. We came to a cliff with a waterfall. The hurt keeps pounding at me. I need it to stop. My sweet girl, and I just want peace, I keep running and leap off the cliff. Spreading my arms wide, with tears streaming down my face, I fall, not making a sound, waiting for sweet oblivion where we feel nothing ever again. "I love you, my sweet girl! Until we meet again, "My wolf replied just before we hit the water, "I love you too, Katia. I have never regretted a moment with you." The Snow Moon pack is having their last barbecue of the summer next to the waterfall on their land. The adults are laughing and joking while watching the pups play. The alpha, beta, and gamma are swimming with some of the older children and playing a game of Marco Polo. Someone yells, "Oh my goddess, someone just jumped over the waterfall!" Everyone is frozen as they watch what looks to be a child falling arms spread wide, no one makes a sound. The small body hits the water like a plane crashing into the side of a mountain. The alpha, beta, and gamma, spring into action, swimming towards the area the person went under. The alpha is screaming his wolf is going crazy repeating, "Find her. Find her...find her!" They dive and the beta surfaces with a small person in his arms. Alpha takes the girl from his beta, laying her on the ground. The men are shocked by what they see. She is covered in scars and injuries. Her body is twisted and broken. The Beta asks, "Who could have done this to someone so defenseless?" Alpha drops to his knees, repeating, "MATE...MATE...MATE!"
The Billionaire Betrayed Wife follows Rachael Morgan, an orphan whose search for love leads her into the ruthless world of the Blackwood family. Betrayed by her husband and tormented by her adoptive sister, Rachael's life spirals into chaos when she's cast out and left to survive on the streets, pregnant and alone. Just when all hope seems lost, a mysterious savior from her past rescues her, giving her the chance to heal and rebuild. Years later, she returns stronger, armed with a fierce desire for revenge. With her son by her side, Rachael will stop at nothing to destroy those who shattered her trust-even if it means risking everything to reclaim her life and her power.
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"