Page 76 of Enchanted Hero
The firemen were directly behind him, secure in their harnesses. Next to Andrews and Garrison, the room was rapidly filling with people, some with guns and others with something just as dangerous – tranquilizers. He would recover from both, but not rapidly enough to avoid capture. They were boxing him into the window.
Now his life really was in danger.
He was surrounded. On both sides, from the top. But not from the bottom. There was another ledge, another window. No one appeared to be in the room, but that didn’t mean it was empty. It didn’t matter – it was his only chance.
Just as Andrews reached for him, Alexander swung down. Hands clawed at him, grasping his clothing as he slid past. He reached the ledge below, miscalculated and accidentally put weight on it. It was more than it could take. With a loud cracking, the ground beneath him disappeared.
Survival instincts took over. Alexander called his enchantment, and diamond mist swirled around him. For a second, he was suspended in air, held only by the mist of his power. In the next second, he flung himself into the room.
Alexander spun, poised for the audience that could doom him, yet the room was empty. Relief flooded him, vanishing as footsteps pounded in the halls. “He’s in there!”
Only moments remained! He needed to get somewhere safe, somewhere in the building where no one would be – hopefully. Once more, he called his power. As the room melted away, the door opened. The people looked all around, then froze, looking straight at him.
Had they seen him teleport?
** * *
Everleigh sank into a plush velvet chair, engulfed by cushions as thick as the uncertainty in the air. Everything was lavish in the private office, from the oversized damask couches to the rich carpeting to the cherry wood furnishings. Expensive paintings lined the walls, and silvery sculptures stood on marble pedestals. She’d never seen such an extraordinary office, but Alexander Stone was an extraordinary man.
She’d hoped to find him here after he disappeared into the crowd, yet the office had been empty. Security hadn’t questioned her, merely exchanged a strangely satisfied glance as they granted her entrance to the locked room. Yet he wasn’t here, and neither were answers.
She’d never seen a man run like that, and she’d been a track fan her entire life. Of course, no one was timing him, but his speed seemed impossible. Agent Andrews and Dr. Garrison had been furious as they raced after him, sputtering and swearing as he ignored their calls to stop. She’d tried to follow, but had gotten caught in the crowd as they entered the building. Without them, she couldn’t access to the stairwell.
That was when she’d gone searching for Alexander on her own. She’d been about to leave the office when her phone buzzed with a special report of the scene unfolding outside.
It was him.
The man from the tornado and the boat. She’d gasped as he nearly plummeted to the ground, exhaled in relief when he grabbed a lifeline. Although he appeared to have other ways to travel than an ordinary person, her heart thundered for his safety. She’d breathed a little easier as he grasped the pipe, but then the ledge broke. Her heart pounded.
Did he just fly?
It certainly appeared that way, but that was impossible. Humans couldn’t fly.
A loud crash shattered the air. She jumped, then again as another bang emerged from the direction of the storage room. She’d checked it when she arrived. It had been empty.
Yet it wasn’t empty now, as rustling sounded, then heavy footsteps. She jumped up in an instant, lunging to the exit, as fear overtook curiosity. Yet just before she reached it, the door slammed shut, as if by an invisible hand. Then the deadboltlocked.
She grasped the cool metal, pushed, pulled and twisted, but it wouldn’t budge. She pivoted back to the storage room. Slowly the knob turned, turned, turned. Then… it opened.
Oh. My. Goodness.
Covered from head to toe in black, her hero was unmistakable. Bound by muscle, surrounded by pure power, the towering man stood like a warrior from a fantasy novel. He’d hovered in the air mere moments ago. How could he possibly be here now?
His eyes widened in surprise, yet a blink later, he was completely in control. As he took a step toward her, she backed up, but there was nowhere to go. She pressed flush against the cold door as he traversed the room in wide strides. Then he was towering above her, enveloping her with his power, capturing her without a single touch.
“You’re him.” She pointed a shaking finger. “The man who saved me.”
He didn’t deny it, shifting closer. Under the taut fabric, muscles rippled with strength. “That’s right, Miss Lacey,” a deep voice whispered.
Her heart stumbled. “You know my name?”
“Among other things.”
How could he possibly know her? Her heart thundered in her chest. “You sound like–” She halted, choking back the words. She’d been so shocked at finding him, she’d forgotten her suspicions about who he could be. And now here he was – in Alexander’s office. And Alexander wasn’t.
Or was he?
“Who do I sound like?”
