"Oh, you are awake?" Sunny immediately asked.
She stood near the white counter of her bunker’s medical room, casually wiping down a pair of surgical scissors. The quiet hum of the underground air filtration system was the only sound in the room.
Before she could even put the metal tool down, Donovan moved faster than Sunny could even blink.
A violent blur of motion crossed the space between the cot and the counter. The next second, her back slammed hard against the cold wall. The impact knocked the breath right out of her lungs.
His large, calloused hand wrapped around her throat. He pinned her in place, lifting her just an inch off the floor.
A soft, breathy moan slipped past her lips.
Holy shit. He smells like blood and pure danger.
Her heart hammered a chaotic beat against her ribs. She stared up into his furious, stormy grey eyes. The suffocating pressure of his new powers filled the small room, making the air thick and hard to breathe.
He was an Awakened now, a literal powerhouse, and he looked ready to snap her neck.
And yet, Sunny was losing her mind over his sharp jawline.
Look at that angry face. He is so hot when he wants to kill me.
She tilted her chin up just a fraction, offering a brazen smirk. She didn’t struggle. She didn’t claw at his grip.
"I really like that, you know?" Sunny whispered.
Donovan frowned. The carved muscles in his bare chest tensed. His grip didn’t loosen, but the utter lack of fear in her violet eyes threw him off balance.
"Who are you?!" he demanded. His voice was a dark, rough growl that vibrated right through her skin.
Sunny bit her bottom lip. She fluttered her eyelashes, looking at him with pure mischief.
"Are you pretending you haven’t connected the dots, hubby?" she teased.
Oops. Did I just call him hubby out loud? Oh well. Own it.
He narrowed his eyes. He looked at her from head to toe. He took in the faded denim bum shorts hugging her hips, the tight black halter neck, and the sleek combat boots.
His brain fired through the thick fog of exhaustion. He pieced the chaotic fragments of the alleyway together. The falling sky. The roaring monster. Elias screaming in agony. The deafening blast of a weapon, and the red rezvani.
His grip loosened.
He immediately dropped her. Sunny caught her balance on her boots, rubbing her neck with a small, satisfied smile.
Donovan staggered back a step. He looked down at his own hands.
"What the hell happened?" Donovan asked.
He flexed his fingers. A strange, terrifying surge of energy pulsed through his veins. It felt like raw electricity was buzzing right under his skin. He reached up, touching his bare left shoulder.
The expensive fabric of his suit jacket was gone. But more importantly, the vicious, gaping wound the beast gave him was gone too.
Was this some kind of dream?
He dragged his fingertips across the smooth, unbroken skin. There was no pain. His heart beat with a slow, powerful, thumping rhythm. He felt stronger than he had ever felt in his entire life.
He gripped the edge of the metal counter, and the thick steel groaned under his casual touch.
"You levelled up," Sunny chirped.
She hopped up to sit on the edge of the medical cot, swinging her legs casually.
"The sky decided to rip open like a cheap trash bag," Sunny explained. "Ugly monsters dropped out. You tried to head on one. Which was very brave, but also very stupid. So, I ran the ugly thing over with my car."
Donovan stared at her, his mind reeling. "Elias. My employees. Where are they?"
"Safe," Sunny replied, waving a hand through the air. "I laid down some cover fire. Blew a few heads off. I got your buddy and your workers onto that company bus. Then I told the old guy driving to follow my truck. We dropped them off at your secret corporate underground hideout. I left them with some first aid kits and enough food to stop crying. Then I brought you here."
She kept her tone light. She played the perfect role of a lucky, chaotic passerby. She left out the part where she waited for him to get hurt just to trigger his Awakening.
She left out the part where she knew about the hideout before the world even ended.
Donovan stood frozen. The world ended. Monsters were roaming the streets of Koria, tearing society apart. Yet this strange girl was sitting on a medical bed, swinging her legs like they were discussing a boring movie.
"Why are you so chill about it?" Donovan asked. His voice was low, laced with deep suspicion. "The world is ending. People are dying out there. And you are just... smiling."
Sunny hopped off the cot. She took a slow, deliberate step toward him.
Because I have read this book a dozen times, Donnie. And because I have you right where I want you.
She didn’t say that out loud. Instead, she took another step, closing the physical distance between them. Donovan stood his ground, towering over her, his broad chest rising and falling. But Sunny refused to back down.
She cornered him this time.
She stepped right into his personal space, pressing him back until his hips hit the edge of the counter. She looked up at him through her thick eyelashes, a playful glint shining in her violet eyes.
"Hehe," Sunny giggled softly.
She rested a single, daring finger against his bare, warm chest. She traced a small circle over his heart.
"It’s because it’s not all that," Sunny whispered.
She leaned in closer, the tip of her nose almost brushing his collarbone.
Donovan froze. The proximity was sudden and jarring. His senses were dialled up to a terrifying degree thanks to his new powers. He could hear her heartbeat. He could feel the ambient heat radiating off her skin.
As she leaned in, a very distinct scent hit his nose.
Vanilla. Crushed roses.
It cut right through the sterile smell of the medical room. It masked the lingering metallic tang of blood on his skin. It was a fragrance that had haunted him for days.
His grey eyes darted down to the messy, fiery red hair falling over her bare shoulders.
The exact same scent.
The pieces clicked together. He recognised the scent of Vanilla and the red hair; his grey eyes widened.
"You.... you are that thief!"