Hero's Revenge (Keepers of Justice, Book 2) (15 page)

I turn over onto my side. Something is beside me. Moving my hand around, I feel arms, legs, and long hair. I open my eyes. Stealth is lying next to me. She takes my hand and rests her cheek on mine. “There’s nothing we could have done,” she whispers. “He’s gone.”

My
gaze shoots to the hospital, but can’t find Kale, only Samson and Cindy huddled around a bed. A blanket covers it. Piercing that, I see Kale. His chest isn’t rising and falling. His skin is a shade of light blue.

He’s dead.

“No,” I choke as tears enter my eyes. Stealth pulls me into her arms, but I shove her off. “No!”

He can’t be dead. I won’t accept it.
Won’t
.

Stealth envelopes me in a hug. “It’s okay,” she murmurs, pressing her mouth to the side of my head. To my cheek. My mouth.

I pull her close, pressing our bodies and lips together. My hands roam all over her as I push Kale’s death out of my head. Bury myself into this kiss, into Stealth. I lie down on the bed and lower her on top of me. Our lips don’t part, not even to breathe.

As my hands weave through her hair, something creeps up from behind her. Squinting through the darkness, I see a head. As it bends closer, Stealth disappears, and hands reach to haul me off the bed. I can’t move my arms or legs. Feels like the bed has transformed to quicksand, sucking me in.

The head is closer now. Red mask, wicked grin. Vlayne.

I yell, thrashing against the quicksand as I try to regain control of my muscles. I’m paralyzed.

She’s in my head now, attacking each brain cell. I yell as scorching pain burns through me.

Mustering all my strength, I force my body to flee. It’s as though I’m pushing a steel door
, trying to escape. All I manage is to collapse to the floor.

My eyes shoot open. I’m surrounded in darkness.
I look around, until I remember where I am. In the sewers. Then I remember what Stealth has done. As much as my brain orders my heart to be mad at her, it won’t listen. I can’t hate someone I still love.

Kale.

It was only a dream, which means there’s a chance he’s still alive. My body heaves a sigh of relief.

I throw my blanket off and head to the living room. I turn on the TV and settle on the couch. The news is on. A reporter is talking about the many
people who have been returned to their homes. Samson is shown at a press conference, informing the world that they tracked down the Black Nightmares and have freed the hostages. Images and videos of their capture are displayed.

The crowd cheers.

I wonder if Stealth’s thinking of me. If she misses me. Clenching my teeth, I want to punch myself. Of course she doesn’t miss me. She’s a Blade. I need to keep reminding myself of that crucial detail.

She fooled us.
Nothing more. Every touch, every kiss, was just a joke.

I grab one of the beer bottles and hurl it across the room. It smashes against the wall, the liquid spilling into the rug. Why did I fall in love with her, dammit? I shouldn’t have lowered my guard and let her conquer my heart.

I grab more bottles and do the same, biting my forearm to prevent the yells from escaping my mouth.

A few of my sewer mates shift
in their beds. I didn’t mean to wake anyone up. Getting to my feet, I exit the sewer house and make my way outside. I feel like going for a run. Maybe it will clear my head.

The streets are mainly deserted at this hour. A few homeless people wander around, some lying on the ground or on
the park benches. I rush past them all, quickening my pace. Sweat drips down my forehead. Down my chest and underarms.

Ray
, Scar’s voice says in my head.
Return. You are not safe
.

I don’t give a damn. Don’t care if Vlayne finds me. I lift my fisted hands. I’m ready.

Ray
. His voice is sharp and clipped. He’s not asking me to return. He’s demanding.

Gasping, I stop and bend over to catch my breath. I can’t let Stealth do
this to me. Can’t let her win.

I won’t let her screw around with my emotions.

I turn around and head for the sewers.

“Ray?”

Phase walks through my bedroom door. I’m on the floor with my back pressed against the bed. It’s late evening the next day. I spent most of my time sleeping.

She sits down beside me and crosses her legs. “Some of us are going scavenging. Come. It’ll be like old times.”

Scavenging, also known as thieving.
They’re going to roam the streets for anything and everything. Use their powers to gather food, clothing, whatever they need. Unlike those bastards I lived with on the streets who got a kick of out harming innocent people, my sewer mates don’t harm anyone unless needed.

“Will you come?” Phase asks.

“Thieving is part of my past.”

Phase is quiet. Then she says, “I just thought—”

“It’ll never be like old times.” My gaze is on the floor. I don’t want to hurt her, but she needs to understand that although I’m back with my old family, I’ve changed. “I’m sorry.”

She doesn’t say a word.
Disappointment is written on her face.

“Phase—”

She stands up. “It’s fine.”

I watch her phase through my room and meet Blaze and the others outside.
I feel terrible for hurting her, but I’ve made so much progress and don’t want to undo it all.

Once they’re gone, I return to staring at the walls,
the ceiling, the floor, forcing my mind to shut out any thoughts of Stealth. Of the Blades, the League, Kale.

The door
opens and Scar walks in. He has no mouth and uses his telepathy to communicate with others.

Your behavior is not due to Stretch or Kale
, he says, pulling a chair toward me and sitting down.

He
frequently accompanies the others on the hunt, but I’m guessing he stayed behind tonight because of me. I know I acted like a madman last night. I know I could have hurt someone, and I hate myself for that.

But why the hell did she have to do that to me? Why did I fall for it?

If she’s on her mother’s side, why would she free me?

It’s a girl
, Scar says.
The daughter of Vlayne Amador
.

I clench my jaw. He’s reading me. Everything. Exposing my deepest thoughts and feelings. I wish he’d get out, but Scar always does as he pleases.

There is a lot I need to tell you
.

My gaze snaps to him. His brown eyes are on me, intense and dark.
“What are you talking about?”
I ask.
“You knew Vlayne had a daughter?”

I did not.

It doesn’t make me feel like less of an idiot for trusting her and falling for her, as I thought it would. “Do you know what she wants from me?”

I
do
.
His eyebrows are creased as though he’s pondering how to tell me. After a few seconds, he says,
Fifteen years ago, a child was born with an ability to infect humans—those without abilities—with a virus.

I’m familiar with him. Four months ago, when Kale, Stretch, and I suspected Lightning of being a spy for the Blades, we thought their plan was to release Virus Boy to the public and wipe out the normies. We were wrong. Their plan was to assassinate Samson. Fortunately, that didn’t happen, but I did lose Stretch.

Vladimir Amador,
leader of the ShadowBlades back then, got his hands on this boy—who was only a baby. He planned to infect the humans with the virus and wipe off the human race. At that time, Vladimir’s daughter, Vlayne, was in love with a human man. Her father had no knowledge of this. When Vlayne learned of her father’s plan to infect all the humans, she feared for her love’s life. Vladimir hated humans who had no abilities, and she knew he wouldn’t spare his life. Thus she convinced her father not to release the virus. She claimed the boy wasn’t strong enough as an infant. It would be wiser to wait a few years so the virus could strengthen.

He pauses, his eyes on me
, asking if I’m following. I nod for him to continue.

Killing her father wasn’t an option, but she hoped she could buy some time to figure a solution. One day, Vlayne caught her boyfriend with another woman. She was hurt, crushed, but most if all, furious. She had
prevented her love’s death. She had protected him. Yet he hurt her.
Vlayne wanted to use the Virus Boy on him. She did not wish to kill him, but to make him suffer.

He looks at me again.
Your mother was the best scientist working for the ShadowBlades. Vlayne ordered her to alter the strain of the virus to gradually kill her boyfriend over a period of years.

“My mother wasn’t a scientist,” I say. “She worked in real estate.”

His gaze on me is so intense I feel it burning
in my head.
Your mother’s lab was located at your house—

“What are you talking about?”

You were adopted, Ray
.

“What?”

Allow me to finish.

I shut my mouth. Even though I have a million questions
spinning in my head, I need to hear him out.

Your mother
refused. She wanted no part in causing another person to suffer. Vlayne threatened to harm her loved ones, and your mother realized she had no choice but to create the virus for Vlayne. However, in addition to the virus she had been secretly working on an antidote. She was aware of Vladimir’s plans and she did not want the virus to kill off the human race. With the antidote, the humans could be cured. It was important for Vlayne not to discover this antidote. She would destroy it, kill your mother and everyone she cared about. Your mother requested I conceal the knowledge of this antidote in her mind, in the event Vlayne would scan her thoughts and discover its existence.

I look at him. “You?
You knew my mom?”

She was a child genius who specialized in the genetics of
those with abilities. At a young age, prior to her working for the ShadowBlades, she was working with the government on experimentation on such individuals.
What the government did not know was that she was secretly working against them, to try to put an end to these experiments. I met her as child and we formed a close friendship. At age sixteen, she helped me flee, and fled as well. A few years after that, she was taken to work for Vladimir.

“
Did the Keepers know about Virus Boy?”

Not at the time, no. I did not
tell Samson because I did not trust him. For he had ties to the government.

“But—”

Allow me to continue. Vlayne administered the drug to her boyfriend, and his body began to deteriorate. A short while after that, she learned that she had been mistaken. The man did not cheat on her. Vlayne regretted her actions and took her anger out on your mother, since she was responsible for creating that strain of the virus. Vlayne destroyed the lab, unknowingly destroying the antidote as well—the antidote that could have saved her love’s life. Vlayne then killed your father before your mother’s eyes and killed your mother next. Had your mother not requested I hide her thoughts on the antidote, Vlayne would have scanned her mind and learned of its existence and request your mother recreate it.

Scar lowers his eyes to the floor. I’m about to open my mouth, but he
continues.
As she was near death, your mother begged me to take the formula for the antidote. She had memorized it and asked me to reach into her mind and take it. To keep it in my head so it would not be lost forever. She knew how important it was. She expected Vladimir to eventually release the virus once the child matured. Without the antidote, all those without abilities would be annihilated.

I
wanted no part in this. I did not care about humans. They had caused me much pain and harm. But your mother begged me. Her dying wish was for me to safeguard the formula.

An image enters my head. I’m sitting on the floor, holding a black-haired woman in my arms. She looks frail.
“If you won’t take it, lock it in Jericho’s mind,”
she says, her weak, brown eyes on mine.
“Please, Sebastian. You know how important this antidote is to the world. They’re going to kill innocent people. Please protect it.”

It takes me a second to realize I’m in Scar’s memory. The woman is my mother.

Scar nods.
You were a baby. Vlayne had spared your life. Your mother asked me to hide the formula in your mind
.

“Why didn’t
Vlayne kill me?”

I do not know.

I don’t know what to think of all this. Learning I was adopted, that the man and woman I grew up with weren’t my real parents. That Vlayne killed my mother and father. That Scar and I have a deeper connection than I thought.

This is too overwhelming.

I had fulfilled your mother’s last wish
, Scar continues.
I hid the formula well inside your mind. I then took you to an orphanage because I couldn’t care for you. A month later, a couple adopted you. I checked on you regularly to ascertain you were being taken care of. I knew you were not happy living with your adoptive parents, but they cared for you, something I couldn’t do. I watched you run away from home and live on the streets. I still did not have the means to take care of you. After a year, I founded a home in the sewers for myself and others like us, and I invited you to live with me.

I stare at the floor as I absorb all this information. I was never alone. He was with me. Watching me. Looking out for my safety. I owe him my life.

Ray, the formula is in your head. That is what Vlayne seeks.

That must mean her
boyfriend is still alive. “How did she find out about it?” I ask.

He’s quiet for a
bit.
When I invaded Vlayne’s mind four months ago for information, it consumed a lot of energy and power. I did not realize it at the time, but the telepathic walls I built around my mind grew weak. As I invaded Vlayne’s mind, she invaded mine. I am still not certain what information she took, but I am almost positive she learned about the antidote and that it is placed in your mind.

“I don’t understand why she needed to send
her daughter after me. Why didn’t Vlayne kidnap me months ago?”

Scar’s quiet again as his eyes wander around
the barren, gray walls.
The formula cannot be removed from your mind without your permission. You must willingly hand it over, lest it be damaged. Vlayne knew you would never give it to her. I assume her daughter’s role was to convince you to relinquish the formula.

Because I loved her. Vlayne knew I wouldn’t think twice before handing it over.

“But she did try to remove it,” I say. “When I was captured, I couldn’t give it.”

She
must have realized you had no knowledge of how to relinquish it, thus she resorted to prying it from your mind, even though it would damage you. And the formula as well, though I suspect it was a risk she was willing to take.

She would have killed me.
Stealth freed me before she had the chance.

I jump to my feet. “I don’t want this in my head.”

Scar doesn’t respond.

“Get rid of it, Scar.”

I’m afraid only you have the ability to do so. If I were to pry it from your mind, it will damage the formula and your brain.

“Okay, I’ll get rid of it myself.”

Such a task requires patience and practice. You may injure your brain otherwise.

“Then help me.”

I want no involvement.

“You’re already involved. You’re risking everyone’s safety by letting me stay here.”

Yes, because I can protect you. But I do not wish to be further involved in this.

“Scar—”

Ray.
His eyes grow intense.
Aside from keeping you safe,
I want no involvement. This formula does not concern my family, and I don’t wish to be bothered with it.

I stare at him. Open my mouth, but stop.
He only cares about his family. Since the formula doesn’t affect people with powers, he has no interest in it.

If he won’t help me and I
can’t remove the formula on my own, it’s going to stay in my mind. I slide down to the floor. “She’ll never stop hunting me. I won’t give it to her.”

I don’t care if she’s got some humanity in her by still being in love with that guy. She’s caused too much pain in this world. To Stretch, Glen, Kale. To me
. She’ll only cause more. Why should she get what she wants?

Scar
stands. I look up at him. “If you knew Vlayne years ago, then you must have known she was Vladimir’s successor. The League killed him four years ago. Why didn’t you and Samson expect her to come for revenge?”

Vlayne had been my sworn enemy for years, and yes I knew she would lead the ShadowBlades after her father. But she
had faked her death. The League and I assumed the ShadowBlades were defeated.