I couldn't detach my stare from his. "No one's ever tried to catch you?"

"Apart from the fact that we have to keep this to ourselves, we're doing fine." He had a vague grin that leaned more toward a wince.

I ran a hand through my damp hair, placing a curly strand away from my face. Their story was bananas, too incredible to be invented. It wasn't hard to believe the government would try to experiment on unsuspecting people. There were a million conspiracy theories on the internet.

I just never thought one of them would be true or that I'd find out.

"Earth to Sunshine? You're not running to a corner to bawl your eyes out, are you?"

I gave him a bland look, and then the air in my chest swelled and brushed overworked nerves. "So you're going to release me tomorrow? First thing in the morning?"

The room shifted somehow, and that grudging resignation on his face was swept away. His body coiled until he sat upright, elbows spread out over his knees. "I intend to if you behave."

Whiteness flashed inside the pupils, and it required all of my self-control to not run behind a door.

He spied the coffee table like he was debating to move past it. To my relief, he kept on the couch, but that unearthly stare was roving over my chair. "I hate unnecessary trouble, so you ought to understand that what follows banks on your reactions. If you're cool, I'm cool. That's all I'm saying."

I pressed a hand over my lips to stop an inappropriate laugh. If I started, I didn't know if I'd ever stop, and I'd probably start crying midway.

"So no Mothman?"

I could feel his eyes trailing my expression, and he let out a low chuckle. My cheeks tingled and I knew they were blazing.

"Fuck, I hope there is. He's my absolute favorite."

"You didn't find him?"

"Not yet. I didn't meet the sheepsquatch and bigfoot either. It's depressing that these hairless goblins are the only thing that go bump in the night," he said.

"And you, clearly."

I should shut up before I inevitably say something unsalvageable.

Real amusement, derived from no one's humiliation, transformed Luc's features. Something I'd never caught before.

"You don't seem scarred for life. That's a good sign."

I rolled the sleeve of my shirt. "I'll never get rid of this."

He focused on the bite, and his face darkened. "You could always say a dog did that."

But every time I'd see it, it would be a brutal reminder of how inconceivably thick I'd been. "I must have had it coming. Hell, if I would have been someone else, I'd think I should have died."

"I did want to shake the crap out of you for getting your butt out there, but you were already in danger."

"What?"

Luc exhaled, his forehead creasing. In a matter of seconds, he'd gained three years. "It's the Wanderers. Since you met one, you've been marked to chase. I've never seen it this bad."

"Those things are called Wanderers?" Who the hell came up with that? "What are they?"

"Early experiments gone wrong. They're bigger in numbers than us, as failure was more common than success. They multiply just fine, like cockroaches."

Oh, my God...

"They have abilities, too?"

He nodded. "Their cognitive capacities vary, and it impacts the way they use their powers. Some are very slow. Others are smarter than every kid at school. It depends how they mutated."

That explained the strange phenomenon when my car doors locked, or when my knife had been taken from me.

"The ones in the woods... Why are they after me that bad?"

"Wanderers like to stalk and play with their prey before going in for the kill," he explained. "But they always do it alone. Two at the most. This time around, the game has changed completely. They're working as a collective."

I needed to keep the questions running to stall the hysterics. I willed my voice to even off. "Tonight, I saw you kill one of theirs. Do you think they'll go after you, too?"

"I wish. They'd prefer a mutant over a normal human anytime. However, they don't usually stand a chance and they know it, so I waste my time tracking."

The way he said that so unbothered... My head fell on the armchair, and I closed my eyes for a second, lids heavy.

"How is it your job to chase them down? It's not your fault some mad scientist created a bunch of monsters."

"Guns don't usually cut it. If we let them be discovered, then it'll soon be our turn, Sunshine, and none of us are on board with that. Besides... they're free punching bags."

I could believe he needed something like that. That sort of explained how Luc was so provocative. Loads of energy to dish out.

"Can you show me something with your abilities? I'm... curious."

He tilted his head strangely, and I was scared I might have upset him. But soon, the fire fizzled out, rendering the living room in complete darkness, and blazed again right after. The lights in the room and kitchen flickered.

My next breath came out easier, saddled with less pressure.

"I can also do this," he said, and then every strand of my hair went upright as if there was a charged balloon above my head. I grinned. The strands moved over my upper lip, tickling my nose.

"One of the perks of being a mutant is being able to give mustaches to girls."

I wiped them away, rolling my eyes. "Ha. Ha. Real mature of you."

He smiled back but it faded quickly. Dark circles stretched underneath his eyes, and exhaustion poured out of him.

"Hey, are you all right?" I asked. "You seem really tired."

He let my hair down. "I just fought a motherfreaking pack of Wanderers. My tank is low."

"Are you going to be okay?"

He carelessly reclined once more over the sofa. "Took an ungodly amount of sugar. I'll be as good as new in the morning." He noted my shock and huffed. "Our bodies need way more fuel and simple sugars act faster."

"You guys are unbelievable."

"And you're handling all this better than I'd anticipated."

Well, now that reality sunk in, it seemed like the world wouldn't cave in anymore. Things made sense. It was enough for the immediate moment. I just couldn't shake the awareness of being a target—that I was in danger. But if I talked about that, I'd lose it.

"Honestly... it's pretty amazing—the things you can do. Apart from the abilities, you're no different, right? You eat and sleep like everyone else. If you were an alien, then I'd lose my mind."

Luc winked, and I thought maybe he wasn't so insufferable until he reopened his mouth. "What mind? You just did one of the stupidest thing I've ever seen in my life, and I've witnessed bottom-of-the-barrel stupid."

There it was.

"For once, we had a good conversation going and you just ruin it. You're kind of a dick for ruining that tiny, tiny moment where we weren't drawing daggers on each other, you know?"

"Where I come from, putting yourself in harm's way and ruining my night is the bigger dick move."

I folded into the seat with a mild humpf. Immature, I know, but he just rubbed it in where it hurt. Of course, I screwed up big time. Hearing it that way added insult to injury.

After a while, I wanted to get to bed, but my body refused to move. My limbs were as heavy as lead. Luc wasn't sleeping. His eyes were on the ceiling, traveling down to the black window every so often like I wasn't there.

He was a total jerk, still. But he saved my life.

"Thank you for tonight."

I knew he heard me.

▲▲▲

I woke up cursing. Sunlight hit my face and I couldn't find sleep again. I twisted into different positions. Nothing did it for me.

I got up with a frustrated sigh and closed the curtains, tried again, but this time something else stopped me.

The memories of yesterday flooded my mind. I pulled my arm out from under the covers and checked the scar. It didn't improve much, except the swelling had diminished and the skin was more pink than red.

I thought about Dad, and if he was okay. He had to be. Luc wouldn't have let me sleep through the night if he'd received bad news. He'd let me know, right?

I stared at the guest room. I'd fallen asleep in the living room and not here.

I doubted mutants could teleport objects.

I headed downstairs, and he was exactly in the same spot as before. Sprawled over the sofa, chest rising and falling as he breathed, he reminded me of a jungle cat dozing off.

I didn't mean to, but my gaze hooked on the seizing amount of muscle, from the broad shoulders all the way down to the abs peeking through the fabric.

Apart from that rainy night hinting at it, he wore nothing in school to show it off. His friends tried every chance they got but I grew up around half-naked people. I was hard to impress.

But oh my.

I didn't want to be a creep, so I yanked my attention elsewhere. It looked like a beautiful autumn morning outside. Morning dew dripped onto the porch from the parapet.

My eyes trailed the living room curiously, moving from the coffee table with leftover candy. I searched for something to read, but the room seemed vacant of such an object.

My gaze slid to a framed picture resting in front of a DVD collection. I tiptoed my way to it until I was close enough to detail the two people beaming inside.

I recognized Luc on the left. He had a hand in his pocket and an arm wrapped around a girl's shoulders. I'd give the picture a year, maybe two.

The girl... for some reason, she looked familiar. She was stunning. Straight, dark brown hair cascaded over her beaming face. Emerald eyes as equally striking as Luc's peered into the camera.

The both of them stood on a freakishly tall cliff, right near the edge, but it didn't seem to spook them.

A throat cleared.

I jumped and turned around. Luc had risen from the sofa, brows shooting up. Color had returned to his cheeks and eyes, making him look less washed up than yesterday.

"Jesus, you scared me..."

He motioned at the photo. "Did no one ever teach you not to snoop around?"

"It's hardly snooping around. It wasn't like it was hidden or anything."

He looked like he wanted to say something, then rubbed a hand through his chaotic tousles. Somehow, it didn't rob him of his stinking appeal.

"Is that your sister?" I risked, thinking it wasn't too big of a question.

"Yeah," he answered stiffly and stalked off to the kitchen.

I followed Luc as he began rummaging through drawers.

"You like French toast with hot chocolate?"

I momentarily forgot the question burning my tongue, taken aback by the hasty change. He already pulled out the bread, the utensils, and the butter. I imagined him to be the type to have other people get things done.

"Uh, yeah, sure..." I snapped out of it. "Did you hear anything about my dad?"

Luc stopped rummaging for a second. "I got a text saying everything was fine. My friends spotted a couple of Wanderers roaming, but they ran as soon as they were seen."

I hadn't fully gotten a hold of how worried I'd been for Dad. The tension in my lungs released like a deflating balloon. I unclasped my fingers.

"Thank you. Seriously, I mean it."

He set down two cups and turned his back to me. "You already said that yesterday."

"I didn't thank you for protecting him too," I said. "He's sort of all I have right now."

"Sort of? Never heard that one before." He activated around the kitchen, and I kept watching, oddly engrossed.

"I didn't lose a parent or anything. My mom is traveling abroad."

Shortly after, he passed across the counter a steaming cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon, and he focused back on the toast, quick and agile. Curiosity spiked again.

"Could you heat your food yourself if you had to?"

If he could generate heat like he said he could, why not? It was practical.

"I could, but it's not the best for precision. I can't really replace an oven. I could power it, though."

I sipped on the hot beverage. I'll never admit it out loud, but it might have been the best one I've ever tasted. Maybe even better than Dad's, which said a lot.

The frying of ham and cheese in the air slowly replaced the conversation. My stomach rumbled pitifully. When Luc finished cooking up both servings and slid them on a plate, he stared at me.

"What?"

"Did you just stand there the whole time?" He gestured roughly at the dining table with the spatula. "Or did you just decide sitting wasn't a thing anymore?"

I looked down at my cup, wishing I could become invisible, but I had a weird question of my own. "Did you take me upstairs last night?"

I peeked up to see his shoulders hitch as he tossed a pan into the sink. Luc's eyes flashed for a brief once-over before staring back ahead. "I was moving around the house and needed you out of the way—needed space."

I was unsure for who I was embarrassed. In his shoes, I might need space to think about what just happened, too. I wouldn't want the object of my worries within five feet of me while I tried to work things out. On the other hand, being treated like some rat he found behind the wall had me yearning to dig myself underground.

Since he offered so nicely, I chose a seat at the table, placing the cup beside me. He pushed a bountiful plate toward me, then laid out a maple syrup bottle. He used it first, burying his toast in gook.

"You have a mean sweet tooth, you know that?"

Luc ignored it. "So, we'd better get this over with before you head off. Wanderers are not going to leave you alone. They might be even more determined to have your head. And because I'd rather die than keep you with me, the next best thing is monitoring the house."

I nearly spat out my hot chocolate. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, we can have people on patrol when they're the most active," he went on so matter-of-factly. "We'll rotate. It's not always going to be me."

"What, I'm not safe in my own house?"

"Doors and walls don't always keep them out, and your place doesn't have any neighbors or traffic."

I felt the blood leave my fingers as I let go of the fork and knife. "Your plan is to guard it? Just like that?"

"Just like that." He eyed me inquisitively over the rim of his cup. "I'm not happy about this either, but no one always gets what they want... not even me."

"This is... a lot."

"I saved your life, Sunshine," he pointed out. "And I'm going to do it again. This is how it's going to play out. Once these suckers are eliminated, I'm not going to stick around. You're not the only one who can't wait to get rid of this situation."

"So, after this is done, we don't talk to each other, act like none of this ever happened?"

"Bingo."

The promise did sound encouraging, explained like that. It gave me the courage to agree with this plan.

"I need you to stay put for this. And when we're done, there is only one thing I'll always need from you in exchange."

I got the gist, saw where this was going. "For me to take this to the grave. Deal."

He leaned back in his chair, visibly pleased.

 ✩