Page 119 of Hyperspeed
Medics tried to speak to Rev, to coax him out of the shuttle. But he didn’t react, so I pushed past them, turning a deaf ear to their protests, and stopped at the open door.
“Rev.”
My voice seemed to rouse him from sleep, and that alone should’ve told me everything. It should’ve made me see how much he needed me, should’ve quieted the beast clawing inside my chest. It should’ve let the part of me that cared for him rise up and do the right thing.
But the beast was louder, and even the fresh tears spilling from his eyes couldn’t silence it.
“Kai,” he whimpered, voice cracking as a sob escaped him.
The marks on his skin bloomed amethyst, pulsing with quiet beauty. He threw himself out of the shuttle and slammed against my chest, causing me tostumble back a few steps. He wrapped his arms around my neck, clinging to my suit while he wept against my shoulder.
Beneath the rage pulsing through my veins, my heart ached.
Rev would never let anyone see him like this, not in his right mind. He’d never allow anyone to perceive him as weak. But he wasn’t thinking clearly, not now. He clung to me as if I were his only anchor in the storm, breaking apart in full view of everyone.
It didn’t change what had happened, though, so my arms hung limply at my sides, even as my fingers twitched with the need to hold him.
The heartless beast resisted, and the sounds of his pain only made me angrier.
Who was he to cry when he was the reason for this?
Why should he feel upset when it was his fault that we’d lost one of our own?
“I told you not to be reckless, Rev.” My voice shook, as I barely hung onto the part of me that didn’t want to explode at him.
The crying stopped, and his breath hitched as he tried to control himself, gazing up at me. The galaxies in his eyes were dim, like a dying star on the cusp of burning out.
“W-What?”
I scanned the crowd, catching the way their eyes clung to us. The curiosity was thick in the air.
Look at the champ and the rookie all over each other.
Are they friends?
Are they fucking?
Rev didn’t notice, and that should’ve told me everything. The man who preferred to vanish into the wallpaper wasn’t flinching under the weight of a hundred stares.
Even though fury twisted in my chest, the part of me that still cared—still ached—wanted to protect him. I wouldn’t call him out in front of nosy onlookers. This was between us.
I shoved past the medics, ignoring their protests.
Past crew, drivers, officials. Everyone inching closer to eavesdrop.
Past my best friend and Rev’s teammate, who followed anyway—close enough to intervene, but far enough back not to pry too much.
Rev stuck to me the whole way, walking backward, clutching my chest like it was the only thing keeping him upright.
If only I weren’t about to rip it out from under him.
Once we were far enough from prying eyes, I gripped his shoulders and pushed him back.
“I warned you what would happen if you were reckless.”
“K-Kai,” he stuttered with a hiccup, looking up at me with wet eyes. “It w-wasn’t my fault. I—”
“Then whose fault was it, Rev?” I hissed through my teeth.
