Allied: A Superhero Reverse Harem Romance (The PTB Alliance Book 3) Page 2

My fault. It was all my fault.

  I stared at the food in front of me but couldn't eat it.

  "Creedie, sweetie," Iz cooed at me. "You gotta get something down. You're gonna get sick."

  Isabella, my sister, nudged my plate closer to me. Slowly, I looked up at her and sighed. She didn't understand; how could she? I'd lost her and, to get her back, lost everything else. My heart was in pieces, freefalling down some dark hallway I didn't recognize. "I'm not hungry."

  "You haven't eaten all day."

  I sighed once more and rocked back from the food, pushing my chair out. "I'm going for a walk. Scribe didn't ban us from that, did he?"

  "No, Adam, but you don't look good and you aren't talking to me," Iz whispered, trying to keep others in the cafeteria from watching us. It was a moot point. There were only a handful of other superheroes and attachees getting food that late at night, most of which were just hanging out near the cafeteria lines waiting for their take-out order. No one wanted to be too close to anyone else.

  Not when there was a traitor in the room.

  It didn't matter to them that my sister had been under the control of a Psychic super-turned-villain when she'd gone berserk and partially leveled the room in which we currently occupied. The only thing they cared about was seeing someone punished; that justice be served. Typical, I guessed, of superheroes.

  But it didn't fit me anymore. I was like a butterfly, trapped in a chrysalis and trying to break free. Yet, when I'd shattered my enclosure, I'd become a slug. Filthy, disgusting, I'd fallen and kept falling. When you ride a roller coaster or any ride with a drop, you experience some form of weightlessness. It's in the feeling in your gut, that weird shivery adrenaline that pumps through you to let you know that something is wrong.

  That sensation hadn't gone away since I'd pulled my hands off her neck and it damned sure didn't as I left the cafeteria.

  Allison Clark, my girlfriend's cousin, had been a menace to society. She'd caused my sister to go nuts, she'd put Cassie in prison, and she'd controlled most of the women in my life like puppets over the past few weeks. She still hadn't deserved to die by my hand, defenseless, smiling up at me and knowing what would happen when she did go.

  In killing her, I hadn't gotten rid of her. Instead, I'd released her from her body and allowed her to continue doing horrific things. I'd been trapped in the Dream the same as the others, but when I had gotten out I'd seen the destruction my idiotic mistake had allowed.

  There were hundreds dead all over the city. The Dream had seeped out of the Alliance and spread throughout Yarborough, wreaking havoc on those who were driving or busy taking a shower. Sometimes people were vulnerable and when they were snapped out of their reality, the worst happened.

  It wasn't just Allison's death that I'd caused; it was the little girl in a family of six whose family had been driving home from a school event. I'd killed the grandmother who had been walking down a flight of stairs, carrying her garbage to the dumpster outside her home. My hands had smashed the dreams and hopes of a person walking their dog, and that of the dog, too, when they'd been run over by a man who had been driving and was taken by the Dream.

  The guy who had been driving was fine. Cassie's parents had already pulled him out of the Dream and taken care of his memories. He didn't know what had happened, only that the situation was very sad and that his vehicle had suffered a collision several days prior.

  That was all a lie, of course, but it didn't matter. Nothing did.

  I just wanted to land on something soft, like when I'd started flying as a kid. My gravity manipulation powers had come in early, leading to me floating through the house and irritating my parents. They had tried to weigh me down, but it hadn't worked particularly well. Instead, it'd ended with them putting mattresses and couch cushions everywhere to catch me if I were to fall out of the sky. ...Which I had, frequently.

  "Creed."

  Scribe stood on a corner as if he were waiting for me. I stiffened, looked around the abandoned hallway, and wanted to run away. I didn't, but everything in me screamed to run away from him. Since Cassie had gotten back from prison, every time I'd been anywhere near Scribe pain had followed shortly thereafter.

  "Come with me?"

  He opened the door to his office and I realized where I was. Had I walked so damned far in such a short amount of time? I shook my head, trying to clear it, and followed him inside.

  Within, he motioned for me to have a seat. I had it, caught up in my own confusion. I'd been with Iz a second ago, and why had I headed up?

  Scribe tented his hands upon his desk and sighed at me. "I saw what you did with her."

  The world ended in that moment. The voice that'd been telling me to run let out a shriek that would have woken the dead. I got right back up and moved toward the doors, my heart in my throat.

  "I'm not angry with you, son. Sit back down or I will be."

  I stopped in my tracks and shivered. "I didn't mean for it to go so far. I was just trying to stop her. You have to understand what she did; what she threatened to do. What she kept doing, sir. I just didn't want to see her hurt anyone ever again. I couldn't-"

  "I know what you couldn't. I understand. And if I'd been a little smarter, I'd have done it when she got pregnant with Emma."

  "Pardon?" I choked.

  He nodded. "There. Now you know a secret of mine. I know a secret of yours. Makes us even, doesn't it? You could ruin me with that. Wasn't illegal or anything, but there'd be plenty of questions about my suitability to run this heap. I'd be out on the street quicker than you could believe."

  "Christ. Lamar, man, you put your dick in crazy," I whispered, horrified.

  Though I wasn't some kind of idiot, I knew how babies were made, you just don't think about your boss doing that kind of shit. You especially don't think about them doing it with an employee of the company. Sure, he was right that it wasn't technically against any kind of rules that I was aware of, but there's something to be said about discretion and that wasn't fucking it.

  That nod came again. "Never regretted it after Emma, either. Best thing that ever came out of Dreamweaver being a part of us. I scrubbed up her nails so they can't trace DNA to you, moved her body out of the room so there wouldn't be a problem. I asked the wet work guys to get in there and clean up so you don't have to deal with it."

  "But... why? I haven't done anything for you so you'd save me." I sank back down into the chair. "I mean, hiding a murder? That's fucked. I screwed up. I shouldn't have done it."

  "At most you'd face a self-defense charge. She attacked you, tried to kill you, and you put her down because you had to."

  My mind swam at the possibility. I hadn't wanted to be off the hook for the murder, I'd just wanted people to understand that I'd been pushed to it. Scribe was protecting me, but for what reason? Because he never did anything without a reason. I landed on it after a moment. "What do you want from me?"

  The smile that curled his lips disgusted me. I looked away and out the nearest window, wondering what would happen if I slung the chair through it and took flight. I'd get away from Scribe, I'd get away from Isabella. But I'd leave Cassie laying in a bed, completely alone. And that wasn't acceptable.

  "Confidence. I want you to back up what's coming. It might not make sense to you, but it will. If you trust me, you'll be rewarded."

  It took all of my self-control not to grind my teeth down to the bone. "Can I have the night to think about it?"

  "Fine. But be here bright and early. 7 am sharp, you understand? And if you decide against it, you still come and explain to me why not."

  I nodded, got up, and left.

  My car had been smashed by an alien called a Kipa, usually about human-sized and irritating to deal with. The one who'd crushed it had been the Godzilla-sized version that I'd never seen before, because that's just how my life was going at that moment. I supposed it was for the best. It didn't pay to drink and drive, and I was going to go get wasted before the bars closed for
the evening.

  The bus was good enough. I hopped on it, rode it five miles down to the seediest part of town imaginable and set to making myself horribly sick.

  Did you know that going out to drink on an empty stomach is a really bad idea? Most people learn that when they're in college. I had, too, but I wasn't aware of how stupid I was being until the third gin sour hit and the world tipped slightly to one side.

  I did what any sensible man would do in that position. I tapped the bar for another and waited for them to have time to serve the guy who was all alone. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but surly, beefy guys like me usually get a side-eye if they turn up and brood all over their drinks.

  It's because we cause trouble.

  And I wasn't any different than the rest of them.

  "You a real piece of shit, ain't you?" said the friendliest voice I'd ever heard in my life.

  Picking up my next gin sour, I closed my eyes and tried to stay calm. "I sure am."

  The punch came swift and I hadn't expected it quite so soon. It knocked me from the stool and sent me sprawling across the floor. The alcohol soaked into my shirt, guaranteeing that I'd hear it from Iz when I got home. Fuck it, she may as well have plenty of reason to yell at me. I peeled myself from the ground and looked at my new pal.

  He was a man of about my height, though much heavier than I was. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark everything. There was something familiar about him that I didn't immediately place. Then he lit me up with lightning and I knew.

  When Zaps, people who used electricity to fight their superhero battles, had been banned there had been one guy fighting back against the PTB Alliance to keep them legal. He'd been one of our own members, a well-known veteran of the Alliance that had spent years defending people all around the world. And he knew me on sight.

  The power surged through me, making my muscles dance and causing me to piss myself on the spot. There'd be time for that later. I coughed a little cloud of smoke out of my mouth as I tried to recover, took a deep breath, and spoke. "Thought you'd been thrown in an asylum, Circuit. Went nuts, blew a whole city up. Wasn't that the story?"

  "It's the bullshit the Alliance fed to the newspapers. I never did anything wrong."

  Yeah, that was turning into a fucking theme. I staggered back to my feet and tried to shake off the pins and needles assaulting every inch of my body. "Yeah, I don't think I did, either."

  Circuit, Rich Parker, sneered down at me. "Alliance scum isn't welcome here, Creed."

  It was one thing for me to reveal him to the rest of the bar when he wasn't allowed to superhero anymore. His identity didn't matter, his foes long gone to ground or picking fights with bigger, better people than him. But turning me over to the public like that? I looked around the room and saw a half dozen people staring as if they were seeing me in a new light. That wasn't good.

  Superheroes, like anyone else, make enemies. The thing is, our enemies tend to be the type with huge ray guns or enough firepower to kill millions at a time. Even if they aren't, they could still target those we love or our homes. It was why our secret identities were so important. And Rich had just blown mine for the hell of it.

  You really should kill him for that, said a voice in my head.

  I shivered. Was she going to haunt me for the rest of my life? Fuck off, Allison.

  You should kill him and drag his guts all over the floor. Let him scream, show these worms what it's like to meet the bird. Teach them to fear the people that they use and throw away at their convenience.

  "You gonna get out, or do I have to throw your ass out on the pavement?"

  Do it, or I will.

  I fought to maintain control of my own body, shaking my head. Slowly, my hands came up on either side of it and gripped my hair. The pain broke through Allison's encroaching attempt at seizing me, but it didn't do a damned thing to stop the second blast of electricity through my poor, battered self.

  Down I went again, teeth chattering with the force of the blast. My vision went, my hands fell to my sides, and Allison tore my physical form away from me in that horrible moment. Gravity slid into my grasp, tightened, and Circuit's head popped like a watermelon hit by a sledgehammer.

  The few patrons who hadn't been watching us damned sure were now. They shrieked, a stampede of them running past as Rich collapsed bonelessly.

  It took you long enough, Allison said.

  I shuddered and turned away from the crowd, running towards the exit. I didn't do anything. You did that. You did. I felt you steal control away from me!

  Hearing voices in your head, killing people in bars, running into the night like you did something terrible. Goodness, Creed. It sounds like you're losing your mind.

  My breath hitched in my chest and I stopped in the alleyway I was in. I didn't remember exiting the building, couldn't remember which way I'd turned or even where I was running to. I didn't recognize anything around me and I whimpered as I went to ground against a wall that'd been pissed on one too many times.

  The reek of ammonia helped me get my head together. I'd just killed a man, as far as anyone else knew. Allison Clark was in my head, playing puppeteer with my powers. And instead of standing around and explaining the murder I'd just committed, live on closed-circuit security camera, she was right. I'd run off into the darkness like some kind of villain.

  Oh, God, that wasn't good. The Alliance couldn't save people who did shit like that, no matter what the lawyers said. I searched my pockets for my phone and called the first person I thought of, the only one who would understand what being innocent in the face of guilt felt like.

  "Hey, Adam. They got me out of the Dream. They've been grilling me for half an hour about what it's like to have you guys. I think Mom's jealous. What's up?"

  Cassie's voice was like the sharp, vibrant clang of a bell in my mind. It drove away the shadows threatening to eat me alive and brought me to my feet. "You're at the Alliance building, right?"

  "Yeah, they won't let me out of the room quite yet. They want to be sure I don't get dragged back in."

  I shivered. "When they let you out, can you meet me at... at, um..."

  "Are you okay?"

  It took everything I had to swallow the sob in my chest. "I'm not. I don't know what's happening. Allison's still in my head, Cassie. She's there and she did something terrible. It'll be all over the news in a little bit. But she says it's me. She says I'm the bad one and that I did it. Cassie, I didn't. God, I swear I didn't-"

  "Shh," she said, lowering her voice. "You tell me where you need me. I don't care if I have to kick their asses. I'll be there. I'll bring everyone."

  "Harcourt. Back behind the theater."

  She sighed. "Fucking Harcourt. I'll be there in half an hour. Can you make it for that long?"

  "I have to," I told her and hung up.

  In the distance police sirens rang out, threatening my life and my livelihood. I closed my eyes, held my breath, and counted to ten as slowly as I could. That let me settle my nerves long enough to make a plan. Harcourt was too damned far to walk, especially if I was a wanted man. I couldn't steal a police car, though there were days when I had in the line of duty; the cops always understood in the end and we usually gave the car back.

  No, I only had one option if I wanted to meet Cassie at the mall. But it meant blood, sweat, and tears from my end of it. Steeling myself, I looked up. Then I took off into the night sky and didn't look back.

  Chapter 3

  "Really, Cassandra, we raised you better than this."

  My father finished his tirade and I looked at the ceiling, trying to keep from rolling my eyes. "I'm in my 30s, Dad. I really don't need your approval to do whatever the hell I want to do anymore."

  "First it was that girl and you said you were some kind of homosexual. Now it’s all these boys and just, darling, what will people think of you? You're the only Clark left at the Yarborough unit and we just want you to look out for the family name."

  He sat dow
n across from my bed, blocking my way to the door. I'd been practicing all the mental shielding techniques I knew, but I was sure that I was missing out on something. He knew that I wanted to leave; he had to, and he was trying to prevent it.

  That wasn't so much of the issue. I was going to get to Adam even if it meant knocking my dad on his ass. Wouldn't that be great? It was the first time I'd spoken to them in years and one of the things I was about to do was chuck Dad on the ground and go running out over him. It showed all that family team spirit that I was just bursting with. "Dad, I'm bi. We went over this when I was 14. I don't care if you like it. I don't care if you like this. And I don't care about the family name. I'm a Blitzer. I don't represent the family anyway."

  Mom threw her hand to her chest like she was in an soap opera, absolutely horrified at my revelations. Which, of course, weren't revelations at all. I'd been the same person since I was a teenager and it wasn't my fault if my parents were just discovering that I was serious.