Page 96 of Enchanted Hero
“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 andlove. “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?”
