begin to describe how her skin crawled. There might be sweat caked into her hair.
Walking out of her room, she saw Alexa standing in the kitchen. She shifted from one foot to the other several times when Marina entered.
"Good morning," Alexa said, her expression bright and cheery.
Marina stopped moving. "Hi."
Alexa pointed at the coffee. "I made some and there are eggs. And pancakes. And lots of good things. I don't eat anymore. I mean, sort of. So I wasn't sure what you'd like."
"I don't suppose you have some clothes I can borrow and a shower I can use until I get my own stuff."
"Oh." Alexa rushed forward. "Of course. The bathroom is between our rooms and you can take whatever you need from my room. I think we're the same size. Clean off and then go into my room and help yourself. It'll be like we're sisters. I'm an orphan, you know. Never had any real family."
"Me, too." The words came out of her mouth before she knew what she said but as soon as she did she knew them true. Yes, she'd been a baby in an orphanage in Russia. Alone. Hungry. Knowing she belonged somewhere else, with someone else.
Her fingers tingled and she stared down at her hands. Something was about to happen and she didn't want it to take place in front of Alexa.
"Really?" The other woman practically squealed. "We really are the same."
"Yes." She nodded. "I think we are. We'll talk more about it in a minute."
Trying not to run she made it to the bathroom and shoved on the water in the tub before her legs buckled. Marina grabbed a towel and stuffed it in her mouth. Pain lanced through her body, setting every nerve ending on fire. The getting her powers back thing really fucking sucked. She closed her eyes and bit down on the towel.
Blood poured out of her nose. If this shit killed her she'd be so pissed off.
And…Drew would set the earth on fire.
She knew it.
* * * *
Drew stood in the center of the room, the other male Outsiders surrounding him as though they could be some kind of wall of protection over the truly stupid thing he was about to do. He eyed Leonardo. The other man had an agenda. Drew didn't know what it was but Leonardo's duplicity didn't change the fact Leonardo happened to be right.
They needed Drew to do bring in the demon and so he would, but only because doing so would get him Marina back. "Listen." The room fell quiet, all eyes on him. He needed them to understand something pivotal. "I don't know what's exactly going to happen when I let the demon loose inside of me. If it all goes to hell, truly, I am going to do my best to get Marina's location locked down before I lose it. The most important thing here is for you all to get her. Whatever happens."
Charma sighed loudly. "We are going to save both of you."
"If it's a choice…"
Jason patted him on the back. "Won't come to that."
Why were they all so clueless? There was a very large chance here everything was about to blow up in their faces and…
The sensation hit him like a building falling on his head, the weight of the universe hit his shoulders, and then as hard as the pain smacked him, the awfulness lifted. Instead he was…lighter. Marina. He could feel her soul again. She was back. As she had always been his entire adult life, until six months earlier.
"Marina." He spoke the name aloud. "I can feel her." And if he could sense her then she had her Outsider powers back, which meant he could get to her.
Drew took a deep breath before he said, "Never mind. The demon stays where he is."
He called the image of the woman he loved, but could never have, to his mind. She stared back at him, her smart eyes calling him on his bullshit. He no sooner pictured her than the universe opened up and sucked him into it. Drew had a hard time describing the sensation, except when he travelled, his body seemed to lose form and then reform when he landed at his destination. Seconds later, he popped into existence in front of Marina.
In a bathroom.
"I…"
"Ssshh." She
Walking out of her room, she saw Alexa standing in the kitchen. She shifted from one foot to the other several times when Marina entered.
"Good morning," Alexa said, her expression bright and cheery.
Marina stopped moving. "Hi."
Alexa pointed at the coffee. "I made some and there are eggs. And pancakes. And lots of good things. I don't eat anymore. I mean, sort of. So I wasn't sure what you'd like."
"I don't suppose you have some clothes I can borrow and a shower I can use until I get my own stuff."
"Oh." Alexa rushed forward. "Of course. The bathroom is between our rooms and you can take whatever you need from my room. I think we're the same size. Clean off and then go into my room and help yourself. It'll be like we're sisters. I'm an orphan, you know. Never had any real family."
"Me, too." The words came out of her mouth before she knew what she said but as soon as she did she knew them true. Yes, she'd been a baby in an orphanage in Russia. Alone. Hungry. Knowing she belonged somewhere else, with someone else.
Her fingers tingled and she stared down at her hands. Something was about to happen and she didn't want it to take place in front of Alexa.
"Really?" The other woman practically squealed. "We really are the same."
"Yes." She nodded. "I think we are. We'll talk more about it in a minute."
Trying not to run she made it to the bathroom and shoved on the water in the tub before her legs buckled. Marina grabbed a towel and stuffed it in her mouth. Pain lanced through her body, setting every nerve ending on fire. The getting her powers back thing really fucking sucked. She closed her eyes and bit down on the towel.
Blood poured out of her nose. If this shit killed her she'd be so pissed off.
And…Drew would set the earth on fire.
She knew it.
* * * *
Drew stood in the center of the room, the other male Outsiders surrounding him as though they could be some kind of wall of protection over the truly stupid thing he was about to do. He eyed Leonardo. The other man had an agenda. Drew didn't know what it was but Leonardo's duplicity didn't change the fact Leonardo happened to be right.
They needed Drew to do bring in the demon and so he would, but only because doing so would get him Marina back. "Listen." The room fell quiet, all eyes on him. He needed them to understand something pivotal. "I don't know what's exactly going to happen when I let the demon loose inside of me. If it all goes to hell, truly, I am going to do my best to get Marina's location locked down before I lose it. The most important thing here is for you all to get her. Whatever happens."
Charma sighed loudly. "We are going to save both of you."
"If it's a choice…"
Jason patted him on the back. "Won't come to that."
Why were they all so clueless? There was a very large chance here everything was about to blow up in their faces and…
The sensation hit him like a building falling on his head, the weight of the universe hit his shoulders, and then as hard as the pain smacked him, the awfulness lifted. Instead he was…lighter. Marina. He could feel her soul again. She was back. As she had always been his entire adult life, until six months earlier.
"Marina." He spoke the name aloud. "I can feel her." And if he could sense her then she had her Outsider powers back, which meant he could get to her.
Drew took a deep breath before he said, "Never mind. The demon stays where he is."
He called the image of the woman he loved, but could never have, to his mind. She stared back at him, her smart eyes calling him on his bullshit. He no sooner pictured her than the universe opened up and sucked him into it. Drew had a hard time describing the sensation, except when he travelled, his body seemed to lose form and then reform when he landed at his destination. Seconds later, he popped into existence in front of Marina.
In a bathroom.
"I…"
"Ssshh." She
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