Page 44 of Enchanted Hero (The Secret Enchanters #1)

I t was like being on a theme park thrill ride, the one where you ascend to the very top, slowly, slowly, slowly, until suddenly, the floor drops out underneath you.

Only this was no ride with redundant safety features and convincing illusions of danger.

This was real life, and the floor of the balcony, the ground that stood oh-so-solidly seconds before, lurched down.

Everleigh screamed.

Instinctively, she clutched the only source of strength and safety. But she didn’t need to, because Alexander had already grabbed her in an iron grip with one hand. With the other he gripped the side of the balcony.

He stepped back toward the building, but the balcony immediately swayed. He edged a different way, yet it dipped again, revealing danger’s irony. If he tried to walk to safety, the balcony would plunge to the streets below. If he stood still, the ledge would likely plummet before help arrived.

Her heart beat wildly in her chest, as oxygen came in short pants.

The ledge that kept them attached to the building was all but destroyed, and the balcony hung by a few twisted pieces of metal that shook like a swaying drawbridge at a carnival.

She sucked in a breath as the mangled and melted pieces dipped in the wind. “Is he trying to kill us?”

“No.”

Everleigh started at the voice from the other end of the balcony. “Dr. Garrison!” she called to the man gripping the metal remnants of the balustrade. His face was pale, but despite a few scratches, he was unharmed. Her heart stuttered. “Where is Agent Andrews?”

“He made it inside,” Alexander replied, bringing stark relief. Of course, he was all right. Alexander would have saved him otherwise, even if it meant revealing his powers.

“Mr. Evans isn’t trying to kill us.” Alexander tightened his grip. “He’s trying to prove something.”

“Prove wh–” She stopped, lowered her voice. “He’s trying to force you to use your powers.”

The balcony lurched downward. She gasped and clutched Alexander, yet it stopped short of tragedy. Cries sounded from down below, tangling with emergency vehicle sirens. Agent Andrews waved his hands frantically. “Fly them to safety, Stone! You don’t have to hide anymore. We know the truth.”

Alexander didn’t respond, instead leaning down. “Don’t be afraid, Everleigh. I won’t let anything happen to you or Dr. Garrison. If we can’t get out the human way, I’ll fly you out. You’re in no danger.”

“But you are!” she cried. “If they see you fly, there’s no taking it back. Your entire life will be spent under a microscope. I won’t let you sacrifice yourself.”

Even in the midst of catastrophe, he smiled softly. “Thank you for trying to protect me, but nothing will ever take you away from me. Even if I have to show the entire world who Alexander Stone really is.”

“Stone!” The balcony jerked again, and Agent Andrews shouted, “I know you won’t let them fall!”

He was right. Her hero wouldn’t let them fall, not even if it cost him his freedom. But if there was any chance they could make it through non-magical means, they had to take it.

With a yell of frustration, Andrews disappeared from sight. Undoubtedly, he’d soon return, with more people to witness Alexander’s heroics. The sirens grew louder as Everleigh squeezed Alexander. “Emergency crews should be here in a couple of minutes. We just have to hold on until then.”

Scraping and screeching screamed around them, sharp metal against sharp metal. As the twisted metal lengthened, the balcony pitched down, down, down. Just as it seemed poised to plunge, it stopped.

“We don’t have minutes.” Alexander gripped her closer. “Maybe not even a minute. I have no choice.”

“No!” she cried.

“I need to get you out of here.”

“Stone, wait!” Across the balcony, Dr. Garrison called to them. “I know the truth. I know who you are and what you can do.”

“Don’t say anything,” Everleigh hissed.

“It won’t matter. He’s going to know soon enough.” He glanced at the crowds down below, eagerly watching their every move. “They all will.” He turned to the scientist, raised his voice. “Everything is going to be all right, Dr. Garrison.”

“Not for you it won’t, not if you show the world what you can do. I’m a scientist, and I know what will happen. You’ll never know freedom or privacy. Believe me, I want to learn everything about you, but I’ve realized the cost, and it’s not worth it.”

He seemed sincere, but it could still be a trick. “I appreciate that, but I’m not going to let people die to protect my secret.”

The balcony shook, signaling time’s waning mercy. Dr. Garrison barely hung on. “You may have to use your powers, but you could do so secretly.”

“It’s going to be pretty difficult hiding flying.”

Everleigh closed her eyes as Alexander admitted the truth to the scientist. But it didn’t matter now – in seconds he’d show the entire world.

“Then don’t fly. Make the balcony fly instead.”

Next to her, Alexander stiffened. “What?”

“Not fly away, just enough to not fall. Enough for us to walk across it.”

“What about the mist?” Everleigh licked dry lips. “When you use your powers, I usually see mist.”

“It doesn’t always show up if I’m close enough and the enchantment is not large.” Alexander flexed his muscles. “Yet someone could still realize.”

“Or it could work.” Everleigh gripped Alexander tightly. “If there’s any chance we can get out of this, you have to try.”

For a moment Alexander hesitated, then he nodded. His brow furrowed in concentration, and suddenly the balcony beneath them stopped shaking. Though still slanted, it felt solid.

“Andrews has returned to the hallway with reinforcements.” His voice was low with effort. “I’ve sealed the door to keep them out of the office, but it won’t work for long. Up close they might realize the balcony isn’t acting naturally.”

He hoisted Everleigh up, then took a step, and then another and another, ever-so-slowly edging to Dr Garrison.

They moved excruciatingly slow, yet it couldn’t be helped – if they walked too fast, it would undoubtedly raise suspicions.

Finally, they reached Dr. Garrison, and somehow Alexander gripped them both with a single hand.

This was it. With deep breaths, the three of them crossed the decimated balcony. Painstaking step by painstaking step, each a test of fate. “I’m going to make it sway, just a little,” Alexander warned them, “to make it look authentic.”

Despite the words, Everleigh gasped as the balcony trembled under her feet.

“I’ll release the enchantment the second we step off.

They’ve cleared the ground under it, so no one should get hurt.

” Suddenly, they were moving faster, as Alexander lunged inside the building.

A loud scraping splintered the air, as the balcony shook violently. Then… it was gone.

With nothing more than a slight breaking sound, the balcony detached completely.

The crowd screamed as the slab of concrete and metal hurled to the ground, toward a large empty expanse, just as Alexander predicted.

The earth-shattering explosion more than made up for its silent departure, rocking the ground and streaming billows of smoke into the air.

“You did it!” Everleigh wrapped her arms around Alexander, burrowing into the source of strength, warmth and love . “You saved us! And you didn’t reveal your powers.”

Frantic knocking pounded at the door. “We don’t know that yet.” His words were quiet, solemn. “I may have just delayed the inevitable.”

Fear paralyzed her, to a depth and breadth far greater than on the balcony. Hiding his abilities didn’t prove he wasn’t the hero. Dr. Garrison now knew the truth.

The door buckled with renewed banging, amidst the ear-splitting buzzing of power tools.

They had only moments before Andrews – and the army he wielded – arrived.

“We don’t have a lot of time, but before anything happens, I need to tell you something.

You asked how I knew you were mine. Each enchanter has a destiny, a mate meant for only them. ”

Hope whispered through her. “Soulmates?”

He nodded the beautiful truth. “The difference between a soulmate and an ordinary relationship is striking. It is powerful and all-encompassing, and nothing can stop it.” His eyes darkened, forged with the power of his people.

“The Incantare are a lot like humans, but everything is magnified – our strengths, our senses, our abilities, our emotions. This isn’t about wanting something I can’t have.

This is about…” He stood up taller. “This is about love.”

“Love?” Her heart shivered, yet what elation seized, doubts tempered. “But you can’t possibly love me. You date supermodels, princesses, heiresses. You’re king of a superior species, for goodness sakes!”

He softly caressed her cheek. “We’re not a superior species, and I’m not a king.”

“Semantics.”

“Why would I want a supermodel when I’m with the most beautiful woman on Earth?

A princess when you’re the kindest woman ever?

An heiress when you have everything a man could ever desire?

You’re vibrant, intelligent, considerate and loving.

You’re a million other things I don’t have time to say.

Wanting you has nothing to do with what I can’t have.

You are my everything. How could I not fall in love with you? ”

She fought tears of liquid happiness. “You really love me?”

“So very much.”

And suddenly secrets no longer mattered. She surrendered to the only man she’d ever truly loved, as he captured her in his powerful hold. He held her as if he’d never let go. “I love you, too. No matter what happens, I will stand by you. Now and forever.”

His expression lit with newfound hope. “Then we will face the future together.”

She closed her eyes and leaned toward him.

An explosion roared.