Page 71 of Reluctant Rebel

He shrugged, saying truthfully, “You told me. Why wouldn’t I believe it?”

“Mikhail …” His name sounded like a sigh.

They stared at each other for a moment before he cleared his throat and stepped back. He’d not noticed how close they’d gravitated toward each other. Hushed whispers drew his attention, and he glared to the left. Jinx followed his gaze to the others, who were all standing together and watching them like specimens under a microscope. “Arseholes,” he muttered.

Jinx frowned. “You think they’re aiming for me on purpose, huh?”

“It crossed my mind,” he admitted wryly.

“Why would they do …” Jinx trailed off, narrowing her gaze on Eric, whose eyes widened comically before he darted behind Brax. “This is another stitch-up.”

“It appears that way,” Mikhail replied, scowling at his brother. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault that we hang out with a bunch of imbeciles,” Jinx told him kindly.

He chuckled, appreciating her wit as much as her lithe form clad in tight spandex accentuating every subtle curve. Her hair, a cascade of stripes, was pulled back in a messy braid, and his fingers itched to run through those silken strands—to pull her close and claim her lips again. But he pushed the urge down, burying it beneath layers of patience, duty, and stubbornness. No way was he giving his friends the show they desperately wanted.

“Are we playing, or are you two dating?” Lucifer asked idly where he leant against a concrete pillar.

Mikhail exchanged a look with Jinx. “What do you think?”

“Let’s destroy them,” Jinx replied darkly.

“Deal. Better run!” Mikhail bellowed, hurling the hard pearl into the air with all his demonic strength.

Chaos erupted as players dove and dodged. Sabre's wings erupted from her back and became a blur of motion as she darted out of the way. Lucifer caught the pearl as if it were nothing but a ping-pong ball, sending it hurtling back with a lightning-quick throw. Mikhail dodged easily, watching Jinx safely leap aside half a second later.

As the game intensified, the frustrating pattern of Jinx being a prime target solidified. Brax, Gage, and even Draven were aiming at her. And when they weren’t targeting her, they were targetinghim.Even though a handful of soldiers were on their team, plus Mercy and Phaedra, the projectile always came startlingly close to Jinx. His irritation grew with each near miss. And when Sabre flew overhead, lining up the pearl with Jinx’s head, Mikhail was done.

“Enough!” he shouted with a roar. But the pearl was already falling. He leapt, landing over the top of Jinx and raised his hands to ward off a blow that never came. Instead, a shimmeringwall of energy erupted from his outstretched palms, enveloping both him and Jinx in a translucent dome. The pearl struck the barrier with a resounding crack, then ricocheted away, not leaving so much as a scratch on the surface.

Mikhail gaped in astonishment, his hands still raised as if frozen in place. The forcefield pulsed with an otherworldly light, its surface rippling like the surface of a pond disturbed by a gentle breeze. Tiny motes of golden energy danced within the translucent walls, swirling in intricate patterns that seemed to follow the rapid beating of his heart.

Jinx, still sprawled beneath him, let out a low whistle of amazement. “Whoa,” she murmured, her eyes wide with wonder as she took in the shimmering dome surrounding them. She reached up tentatively as if to touch the barrier, then thought better of it and let her hand fall back.

“Well, this is different,” Mikhail mumbled, reaching out to poke the barrier in front of him. It yielded easily, his hand passing harmlessly through.

“What the fuck?” Brax exclaimed, running over. He knocked on the dome, showing it was hard and unmoving from the other side.

“I second that,” Mikhail said, stupefied. He pushed himself off Jinx, helping her into a sitting position.

Brax and the others walked slowly around the structure, inspecting it curiously. Brax gave it a kick, immediately cursing. “Ouch. Do you maybe want to stop doing that, Mikhail?”

“How?” Mikhail demanded. “I have no idea what Iamdoing. Seriously, what the hell is this?”

“It’s a forcefield,” Draven stated calmly, running his hand over it.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Sabre snarked. She looked worried.

“I’m okay,” Mikhail soothed his guardian. “We’re both okay.”

Sabre nodded, her furrowed brow smoothing out. “Looks like you just got your spidey powers. Congrats.”

“This is thanks to Z killing our family?” Mikhail growled, pissed that he hadn’t thought of it immediately. He looked at Brax. “How do I make it stop?”

Brax’s mouth fell open. “Why are you asking me?”

“Because you’re the only one here who has experienced something similar,” Mikhail explained impatiently through gritted teeth. “Or would you like me to call Z? Maybe he can tell me how to turn it off.”

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