Wind Runner: The Complete Collection Page 8

  “I was so worried!” cried Melanie. “Just let the police handle it next time! It’s their job! It’s what they do! They have body armor, and guns, and negotiators, and riot shields, and, and…”

  “And I can regenerate from any injury,” said Tapestry. “I think I have them beat.”

  Melanie laughed and gave her another squeeze. Malcolm raised an eyebrow, glancing back and forth between them. He remembered what Tapestry had said about how someone she cared about went to the school.

  “Are you two sisters, or something?” he asked.

  Both girls looked at each other, hesitant and awkward.

  “Something like that,” said Tapestry. “Malcolm, this is Melanie. Melanie, this is Malcolm, or as he’s known in the press, Wind Runner.”

  “I met him already upstairs.” Melanie smiled, which made her face seem even more freckled. “It’s so nice to meet you officially, Malcolm. I guess you’ll be Aubrey’s partner from now on, huh? You better keep her safe. She takes way too many risks. I’ve told her so many times before to be more careful!”

  “Aubrey?” Malcolm glanced at Tapestry. “That’s your… real name?”

  Tapestry gave a small nod. He’d never asked her before what her real name was and she’d never offered him it. Malcolm wondered if it was because of how overwhelmed he’d been with his own changes, or perhaps to a bit of secrecy on Tapestry’s part.

  “Keep calling me Tapestry,” she said. “I like to keep my work separate from my home life, when I can.”

  Malcolm shrugged. Tapestry was looking at his face, and after a second, she reached out and touched the scratch from the bullet.

  “You’re wounded,” she said. “You should get someone to take a look at that.”

  “It’s fine,” he said.

  It’s more than just fine. It’s just a scab, now. Injuries aren’t supposed to heal that fast normally.

  “Well, at least wash it when you get a chance,” said Tapestry. “Even a small cut can lead to a bad infection, and you wouldn’t want something like that scarring badly.”

  Malcolm nodded. Melanie was still at Tapestry’s side, practically clinging to her sister.

  “So, is that a wrap for today?” he asked. “It might be hard for us to focus back on training after this.”

  Tapestry started to answer, but Melanie spoke before she could.

  “I really don’t want to be home alone, Aubrey,” she said. “Please… Can you stay with me? I’m still so overwhelmed. I feel like I might have a panic attack if I don’t have somebody around to talk to. Please? Just for today? And then you can-”

  “Fine,” said Tapestry, with a sigh. “You’re kind of needy sometimes, you know that?”

  The two girls smiled at each other. Malcolm walked with them back to the car, taking the front seat at Melanie’s insistence. Ten minutes later, he was back outside his apartment.

  “Same time tomorrow morning,” said Tapestry. “I’m going to have to speak to Multi about how we handle the aftermath of what happened today. You might have to make a media appearance or two.”

  Malcolm frowned and furrowed his brow.

  “Why me?” he said. “We both saved the day.”

  “The attention you already brought onto yourself yesterday is only going to snowball after this,” said Tapestry. “And besides, Multi has already explained to the local press that I don’t like to be in the public eye like that.”

  Malcolm felt a little annoyed, and a little like he was being thrown under the bus.

  “Come on,” he said. “That’s not exactly fair. I just became a champion yesterday.”

  “We’ll talk more about it tomorrow morning,” said Tapestry. “Just be ready. And wear something nice.”

  “Bye, Malcolm!” called Melanie.

  Tapestry drove off before he could get another word in. Malcolm rolled his eyes and headed up the stairs into his apartment.

  He wasn’t sure what to expect once he got inside. It looked just as it had when he’d left, except for a few pieces of food missing from the fridge.

  So, she does need to eat. Well, that’s good to know.

  Malcolm opened the door to his room slowly. Rose was sleeping naked in his bed. The curtains were drawn, and her breathing was steady and rhythmic. She looked beautiful, and strangely vulnerable, so unlike the dark, seductive spryte who’d he’d fought and fooled around with the night before.

  He left her like that, deciding that she probably needed the sleep. Malcolm made himself some food and sat down on his couch. He booted up his Playstation and spent the next few hours playing video games, relishing the opportunity to relax and get his mind off his life.

  CHAPTER 16

  It was late afternoon when the door to his room finally opened. Malcolm glanced up and saw Rose in the doorway, wearing one of his shirts. It was baggy on her, and hung down just past her butt, revealing her long, flawless, purple hued thighs. Her hair was loose across her shoulders, and seemed imbued with the shadows that her powers let her manipulate.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Hey,” said Malcolm.

  The smile on her face was mischievous, and she walked toward him slowly, her hips swaying with each step. Malcolm was still playing his game, in the middle of a soccer match against an online opponent.

  “Oh, don’t mind me,” said Rose. “I’m just the girl who’s been sleeping naked in your bed all day. Who is now wearing your t-shirt, and nothing else.”

  Malcolm grinned at her.

  “You’re welcome,” he said. “If it wasn’t for me, you’d have the Champion Authority after you right now. Tapestry came within a glance of seeing you this morning.”

  “Maybe you deserve a reward for that?” said Rose.

  She slid her hand up Malcolm’s thigh. He resisted the urge to quit the match and focus his attention on her, instead waiting to see what would happen if he just let the tension build.

  Rose let her palm play across his jeans, drawing closer and closer to his crotch. Malcolm was hard after only a couple of seconds of it, and when her fingers finally began to trace the outline of his erection, he almost gasped with pleasure.

  Rose brought her mouth in close to his neck, letting her hot breath tickle the sensitive skin there. She let her lips graze his earlobe, and a shiver of pleasure went through Malcolm’s body.

  ‘I think you definitely deserve a reward,” said Rose. “And I think I might just know how to give you one.”

  Malcolm didn’t react, though it was a struggle to keep himself from grinning. Rose’s fingers carefully unzipped and unbuttoned his jeans. He lifted his hips up so that she could slide them down, still trying to keep his attention on the game.

  If I seem like I’m enjoying it too much, she’ll probably start trying to use sex to control me.

  “You can’t ignore me forever, Malcolm,” whispered Rose. He still had his boxers on, and she leaned her face into the bulge poking against the fabric. She let her cheeks and mouth rub against his hardness, and even with a layer of cloth in the way, he could feel the heat and softness of her beautiful face.

  “Maybe…” she whispered. “If I take it a little further?”

  She carefully pulled his boxers down, and his erection popped out, ready and eager even as Malcolm continued to act nonchalant. Rose tapped the tip of it with a finger, shifting onto her knees in front of where he was sitting on the couch.

  Malcolm tried to stay focused on the game, less because he really wanted to, and more just to make a stubborn point. Rose let her fingers play across his shaft, taking it in both hands and holding it gingerly, like a gun that could go off at any second.

  “Do you want to know what my mouth feels like, Malcolm?” whispered Rose.

  He nodded his head before he could stop himself. Rose gave the length of his shaft an exploratory lick, and then slid it into her mouth.

  She let out a soft, pleased moan at the exact same time that Malcolm did. She slowly bobbed her head up and down, sucking him off
with gentle movements. Malcolm set the controller aside, unable to focus on the game for a second longer. He ran a hand through Rose’s dark hair and watched her lewd mouth work its magic.

  It felt incredible. The pleasure was a little scary in the way it pushed all other thoughts out of his mind. It was just him and Rose, and her luscious lips, hot mouth, and wet tongue. She looked up and made eye contact with him on and off, her expression flickering with delight at the effect she was having on him.

  God, it feels so fucking good.

  She brought his erection in deeper and deeper, until Malcolm could feel himself probing into even tighter territory. Her eyes closed, and her lips tightened, her tongue pushing up against the base of his shaft. It felt incredible, and all Malcolm could do was lean his head back, gently rubbing her head in encouragement.

  Rose licked and sucked with such skill that it was pointless for him to try to hold out for very long. The pleasure was like a flood building against an old dam. Malcolm’s breathing accelerated. His hands tightened through locks of her hair. He forgot to warn her as he passed over his limit. She didn’t seem to care.

  “Oh, Rose,” he moaned. His seed blasted out into her mouth, hot and sticky. Rose gracefully sucked it down, rubbing his thigh as though encouraging him to give her everything he had to offer.

  He practically melted into the couch, overwhelmed by the pleasure. Rose stopped sucking midway through his orgasm and cleared her throat.

  “I think you lost that round,” she said.

  “What?”

  She smiled wickedly at him and nodded to TV, which was showing the postgame stats. He’d gotten absolutely creamed.

  The two of them shared the couch for a couple of minutes, enjoying each other’s company without needing to say anything. Rose was looking closely at his face, and she reached out to gently touch the cut on his cheek.

  “What happened there?” she asked, keeping her hand against his face.

  “Bullet scratch,” said Malcolm. “Tapestry and I had to stop a shooting at a high school earlier today. We managed to keep anyone from getting killed, but-”

  “That’s not what I mean,” said Rose. “It looks like it’s healed already. That doesn’t make sense if it happened earlier today.”

  Malcolm shrugged, not really knowing what to say. Rose’s dark eyes were considering him carefully.

  “Do you think it’s related to my powers?” he asked.

  Rose gave a small shrug.

  “It might be,” she said. “Champions sometimes develop multiple powers. It’s rare, but not uncommon. Though, if you were a regenerator, I think you would have noticed signs of it earlier.”

  “Tapestry is a regenerator,” said Malcolm.

  “Hmm…” Rose licked her lips, frowning slightly. “Did you touch her while she was using her powers?”

  A chill ran up the hairs on the back of Malcolm’s neck.

  “I think so,” he said. “Yeah, right after I knocked out the shooter.”

  It tingled, almost like a static shock, but… weirder. And that was when I first noticed my cheek healing up.

  “Here.” Rose stood up from the couch and walked back into Malcolm’s room, where the curtains kept it mostly dark. “Let’s try something.”

  She held out her hand to him. She was still only wearing his t-shirt, and there was something strangely intimate about setting his palm on top of hers. Rose wiggled the fingers of her other hand, summoning several shadow tendrils around her. Malcolm felt a tingling sensation a bit like touching a live electrical current. At the same time, his cheek started hurting again.

  “Huh,” he said. “Did you just… give me your power?”

  “It’s called power mimicry,” said Rose. “Apparently, you have it as a secondary ability. You can copy the power of someone else and use it for yourself. Probably not at the full strength of the original user, but it’s still an incredibly useful ability to have.”

  “Cool,” said Malcolm.

  “You should try to keep that secret from the Champion Authority,” said Rose. “Power mimicry is what they call an uncontrolled power.”

  “Uncontrolled power?” asked Malcolm. “What does that mean?”

  “It’s kind of an arbitrary label,” said Rose. “What it really means is that if they find out you have it, they’ll… take action. Possibly imprison you in one of their quarantine zones. You should probably start wearing gloves.”

  Malcolm stared at her in surprise. He was about to ask her for details when another question came to mind that he was even more curious about.

  “How do you know all this stuff, while not being able to remember who you were and how you became a spryte?”

  It was the wrong question to ask. Rose blinked a couple of times. She opened her mouth, and then shut it. A sad smile spread across her lips.

  “I think it’s just part of being a spryte,” she said, quietly.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” said Malcolm.

  “No, it’s okay,” said Rose. “It’s a good question. It really is.”

  Malcolm walked over to her. He wanted to pull her into a hug, but something about it seemed to presumptive. They could fool around, have sex, and enjoy each other’s company, but there was another level of intimacy that still seemed off limits. He took her hands instead, holding them in his and squeezing.

  “I’m fine,” she said. “And you’ve helped me, Malcolm. I don’t know if you realize how much. The more time I spend on my focus activity, the more I can remember, and the more control I have.”

  Malcolm raised an eyebrow.

  “What’s your focus activity?” he asked.

  Rose blushed, which looked ridiculously cute, given her skin tone.

  “Sex,” she said. “I thought you’d figured that out?”

  Oh. Right. That makes sense.

  Again, he found himself not knowing quite what to say.

  “What’s yours?” asked Rose.

  Malcolm grinned at her.

  “Listening to 90s rock music,” he said.

  Rose made a valiant attempt at holding her laughter in before it became too much for her. She pulled away from him, almost doubling over in laughter.

  “Hey!” said Malcolm. “There are plenty of great hits from that era! Some of the best music ever made!”

  CHAPTER 17

  Rose was still laughing when the knock came at the door. It was a heavy, deliberate knock, and it reminded Malcolm of some of the high school parties he’d been to that had been raided by the police. He frowned, noticing how it immediately put Rose on edge.

  Malcolm slowly moved over to the door, staying totally silent as he looked through the peephole. Two men stood outside, both carrying themselves with deliberate, confident posture. They waited for a couple of seconds, and then one of them knocked again, calling out as he did.

  “Malcolm Caldwell. Wind Runner. We’re field agents with the Champion Authority. We need to speak with you.”

  Malcolm resisted the urge to swear under his breath. He glanced over his shoulder at Rose. She was slowly shaking her head, her eyes wide with fear. It was infectious, and Malcolm felt his palms go clammy.

  “Please…” mouthed Rose. “No…”

  The sun hadn’t yet fully set over the horizon. Malcolm doubted that Rose could hide from them in his bedroom for very long, especially if one or both had flashlights to search with. Her powers couldn’t save her.

  “What can I do?” whispered Malcolm.

  “Just stall them, if you can. If we can make it until dark, I can escape.”

  Malcolm nodded slowly. He turned to look back out the peephole, wondering if he could just hide behind the locked door and take the most obvious approach forward. He blinked, surprised to see that there was only one man on the other side of it now.

  Something wet slid over Malcolm’s socked foot. He jumped back. The sensation almost reminded him of one of Rose’s shadow tendrils, but she was already through the door and in his bedroom.


  He stared down, watching in disbelief as a pool of gelatinous, red goop entered his apartment through the doorway. Malcolm acted, rather than thinking. He pulled the door open, hopped back a few feet, and then let loose with the full brunt of his wind manipulation.

  The goop seemed to try to hold where it was for a moment before pulling loose from the floor and splattering across the chest and face of the remaining agent. Malcolm waited until the last few globs were in the hallway before reaching for the door and slamming it closed.

  Or at least, that was what he had intended to do. A tree branch was blocking the way, holding it open in the same manner someone might use their foot.

  “Don’t,” said one of the champions. “He’ll just slip under your doorway again. And again. We’re just here to talk, Malcolm.”

  Damn it. I need to think of something else, and fast.

  Malcolm reluctantly shrugged his shoulders and opened the door wide enough for the champions to pass through.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I was just a little… unnerved by your friend.”

  Behind the first champion, the pool of red jello was condensing into the shape of a man, making weird sucking noises as body parts and limbs formed.

  “I told him not to,” said the first champion. “Melt’s powers are like something out of a horror movie.”

  He was carrying a potted tree under one arm, and wore green khakis and a tan sweater. He reached out his free hand to Malcolm and smiled.

  “Greenthumb,” he said.

  “Uh… Wind Runner,” said Malcolm.

  “Don’t shake his fucking hand,” said the second, still coalescing champion. “He attacked me!”

  “Relax, Melt,” said Greenthumb. “He’s been a champion for a day. You should be more aware of how others react to what you can do.”

  Melt glared at Malcolm. He looked exactly as he had before he’d transformed into goo, down to the leather jacket and scruffy beard. He was shorter than Greenthumb, but had a peevish intensity about him.