Page 87 of All Superheroes Need Photo Ops

“Out battling villains,” I say, frowning. “Why? What happened?”

“Uh, well ... I was out battling villains too.”

My hackles rise. “What?”

“I’m good. All good. But I have to tell you, I’ve had the strangest day.”

“Where are you?”

“At home.”At home,she says. Notat my place. At home.

There’s an easing in my chest that makes my shoulders soften down my back. “You safe?”

“Yeah, the Wyvern’s here and I’ve got my weapons—Vanessa’s got hers too.”

“Your weapons?”

“Just . . . come here . . .”

“What the fuck did you do?”

“I was a good girlfriend and fixed all your shit. Where are you?”

“I’m out ... being a good boyfriend and getting revenge for you.”

“Good God. If this is going to work, we’re going to have to set some serious boundaries,Taranis,” she hisses, using the name for me I now know she only uses when she’s pissed off. Pissed off but still fighting for me.

“Whatever you want,jagiya,” I tell her, ignoring Mr. Singkham’s protests and taking to the skies.

Chapter Thirty

Monika

One hour earlier

“So you’re telling me that the weapons actually belong tous? And we’re the keys to unlocking them?” I say, flabbergasted by everything Vanessa’s told me over brunch.

The Wyvern is supposed to pick us up to take us to the COE building for some meeting Darius called, but Vanessa’s got me way too hyped, so I convinced her to show me her weapon—a weapon currently stowed in the trunk of her car because I persuaded her to let me photograph her with it when we go pick up the weapon I spied in Darius’s penthouse that Vanessa claims belongs to me.

“Exactly,” she says, nodding animatedly and ignoring the Wyvern’s next call.

“But I saw it lighting up with electricity when Taranis was pissed.”

“Were you also pissed?”

I stop to think about it as I give her my key fob to get into the penthouse garage. “I was.”

“Maybe it wasn’t responding to him, but to you.”

“Hmm.” That gives me something to think about as we pile out of her SUV and head toward the elevator. I notice Taranis’s car is gone, which is odd, because most of the time he just flies if he’s on his own.

Vanessa extracts her sword from the trunk, glancing up at the ceiling as she does.

“Don’t worry. No cameras down here,” I explain. “Taranis took them out after ...”The first time he pulled me naked out of his limo.“He’s just insanely private. He’d rather be robbed than be spied on.”

Vanessa and I ride up in silence. Her phone starts ringing again as we reach the penthouse floor. “I’ve got to take this, or he’s gonna freak.” She rolls her eyes and brushes the back of her wrist over her cheek as she lifts her phone to her ear. “Hey!”

“Are you fucking kidding?” says the voice on the other end of the line, one I can hear clearly. “Where are you?” He sounds pissed, though not quite as pissed as I’m pretty sure Darius would be if I dipped out on him in favor of a ridiculous plan with one of my girlfriends. Not that I have many of those. Well, not that Ihadmany of those. Vanessa’s starting to feel like a promising candidate. And Cynthia, while not exactly promising, is at least a candidate.