Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(102)

"Do you know how easy it is to forge documents and make others disappear?" No, but I was learning.

"It was his way of protecting me from outside forces, just like his running away was. But I don't want to be protected anymore. I want him back. And you're going to help me." Uh, what? "I understand missing a parent, but - "

She laughed cruelly. "I don't miss him, you stupid bitch. Like you, he made me what I am, experimenting on me my entire life as if I was an animal. And just when I finally began to like the results, he vanished.

He didn't like that I had started working for Vincent, same as him, was afraid that our secrets would be discovered, that I would be used and hurt in an effort to control him. But now Vincent is dead, I'm in charge and my father is going to return. For you. And he's going to make me stronger." Rome had once warned me about this. People often became drunk on their power, craving more. But more was never enough. The thirst was never quenched. "I hate to break it to you, but he won't come back for me." I worked my hands behind my back, as though I was trying to lift myself on my elbows.

Meanwhile, I mentally pushed the fire to my fingertips. "I'm nothing to him. An experiment. Just like you said."

From the corner of my eye, I could see Rome sneaking up on her.

But she must have sensed it, too, because she threw out her other arm, water spraying from her fingers and propelling him backward. She laughed, though her attention never left me. "Wait your turn, Agent Masters. You're next."

Agent Masters. Not exactly former lover-speak.

She released Jean-Luc, who was turning blue, unable to breathe, and reached for me once more. I rolled, avoiding impact. She stalked closer, trying again, and again, but I kept rolling. And when she finally reached me, I kicked her arm away. She swung to the side, freeing Rome from her watery fury.

He remained crouched, coughing up water.

"He'll come back for you," she said as if our conversation had never stopped. She was panting. Using her power must exhaust her. "He won't be able to help himself. You're his greatest success. He won't want me to kill you."

Yeah, she was probably right. He had apologized several times for what he'd done to me. I didn't think he'd want me to die, either. But how could he have experimented on his own daughter? "I'm not staying here with you. I'm taking my friends and going. And oh, yeah. I'm locking your ass up for good." She'd had a crappy life, sure, and I pitied her for it. But Elaine had had a crappy life, too, and Elaine had not turned to the dark side. Desert Gal, I feared, was beyond redemption.

Slowly I rose. "We done talking?"

Another laugh. Cold, heartless. "You can't beat me, Wonder Girl."

"Wanna bet, Candace? " I launched another fireball at her. This one hit her, and she yelped.

The yelp became a screech as she frantically patted herself with her hands. Water poured from them and did douse the fire, leaving her in tattered clothes, soot smearing her skin. The scent of burned hair filled the room. Her poor, pretty golden hair.

Both Jean-Luc and Rome had regained their bearings and approached her, running toward her, but she hadn't lost her reservoir of water and extended her arms, keeping them both at bay. But that left her vulnerable to me.

I, too, approached, trying to work up a good jealousy, planning to bury her in a mound of dirt. Sure, she could turn the dirt to mud, but that would take some time. Time I could use to grab one of Rome's night-night syringes and inject her. Time Jean-Luc could use to jump inside her.

Desert Gall had other plans.

Just as I reached her, she dropped her arms from Jean-Luc and Rome, who once again started gagging up the water they'd swallowed, and latched onto me in a choke hold. I gasped, instantly feeling her drawing the water from my cells and into her. It was painful, some of my vessels popping from the strain of her suction.

"It didn't have to be this way," she said through gritted teeth. "We could have worked together. My father could have given us both more power."

Think, Belle, think.

The men tackled us, throwing us to the ground and trying to separate us. But that only increased my pain. Her hands were practically glued to me. I couldn't even scream. Thankfully, Rome and Jean-Luc realized they weren't doing any good, only harming me further, and backed away. I could hear them muttering frantically in the background, Jean-Luc saying there was some sort of shield around her, that he couldn't get inside her. Their voices seemed to fall farther and farther away.

Was this it for me? The end? My last day on earth? I wasn't afraid as I would have assumed. I was disappointed. I hadn't gotten to say goodbye. Hadn't gotten to make love to Rome one last time. Hadn't gotten to experience my dream wedding, Sherridan my maid of honor, my dad walking me down the aisle.

You can stop her. There's still time.I could...what? Ice myself? Why not? Maybe it would strengthen her as I'd feared earlier, or maybe it would immobilize her. Either way, it was worth a shot. But even as I played fearful thoughts through my head, the emotion remained out of my grasp, my disappointment too keen.

Ice, damn it. I just need a little ice. Come on, come on, come on.Oh, the irony. I had to work for it the one time I wanted to summon it. Ice, ice, ice.

Finally, my blood thickened and my veins hardened. My lungs crystallized. Ice! Yes! Except, I wasn't afraid. I was simply picturing it and it was forming.