20 Holding On

All that can now be heard in the room is the dripping coming from the two guys but when I suddenly hear gunshots, I slowly close my eyes in gratefulness. That has to be them... I open my eyes and prepare myself in case someone tries to come in here and move the women.

But if I had to be honest, I didn't know if I had another round in me. Killing those two nearly drained me dry but to me, it was worth it. More gunshots and yelling can be heard causing me to clench my fists.

After several more gunshots and yelling, things begin to calm down. The women in the corner behind me start to whimper. Whether it was from fear or hope, I wasn't sure. Maybe a mixture of the two.

Several more minutes pass before the lock on the door slides open. The women flinch behind me as the door swings open. Titus and Thane's faces hold fear, hope, and other things but when our eyes lock, relief can be seen before Thane runs into the room and kneels before me.

He reaches up and wipes at the blood under my nose and asks "Are you okay? What happened? Did they do anything to you?" Titus walks in behind him but he does a double-take on the walls and comes to a halt.

I give him a half-smirk as I say "Did they do something to me? No, but I did something to them. The women behind me need medical attention." Thane quickly glances at the women behind me before looking back to me and pushing my hair back out of my face.

Others file into the room but just like Titus, they come to a stop to look at my wall art. When the leading Officer walks in he takes a look at the walls and says "Holy..." He looks back to me with slight fear before looking to the women and yelling out "Get a medic in here! NOW!"

I try to push Thane's hand back but he ignores my pitiful attempt as I try to stand. When my world spins, I stumble to the side but Thane quickly reaches out and grabs me around the waist. He freezes for a second before saying "Easy, I've got you."

Titus walks over and pats me on the shoulder saying "You did good, son. Thane, take our boy back to the Academy for some rest. He looks tapped out." Thane nods his head and helps walk me out of the room.

Titus turns back to the two bodies on the wall and silently makes a mental note. That boy may be small and lacking in physical strength but he has some serious power. He's exactly what the Elite team needs. He kept a cool head and made this whole thing possible... He may just be the secret weapon they all be looking for.

Thane helps me into a black unmarked car and quickly walks to the other side. He slides in and asks "Do you need to go to the hospital?" I lean my head back against the headrest as I wave him off and say "I just need sleep. I'll feel better after getting enough rest... I've just never used that much power before."

Thane nods his head and quickly drives the car back in silence. We don't even make it back to the interstate before I'm drifting off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~

Thane quickly glances over to the sleeping kid before merging onto the interstate and slowing down. He puts the autopilot on before lifting his hand and looking back to Valen. Looking at him dressed like that while sleeping... he really does look like a chick.

And his waist... why was his waist so small and soft? Was it because he was just so small? Thane clenches his fist tightly while reaching over with his other hand and gently pushing Valen's bangs to the side. For such a small kid... he sure is powerful.

When he lost contact with him... fear, unlike anything he's ever felt gripped his heart. His thoughts quickly went back to the guy at the bar... the one who put his hands on Valen, and it caused a whole new wave of fear to grip him.

They wouldn't care that he's a guy... he's small and pretty! Just thinking about them touching him and hurting him has his eyes flashing blue. The car's temperature suddenly drops, causing Valen to stir. Thane quickly pulls his powers back and focuses on the road.

He feels protective over the little guy and he doesn't understand why. Is it because his last two roommates died out in the Void? He looks back over to the little guy and feels something uncomfortable settle in the pit of his stomach.

~~~~~~~

When I feel someone trying to pull me out of the car, I jerk awake and look up to see Thane leaning over me. We stare at each other for a moment before he leans back and says "You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you."

I awkwardly clear my throat and say "Thanks but I'm good." When I get out of the car, I suddenly remember I'm still in the dress. When Thane sees the look on my face, he smirks and says "It's like four in the morning. No one's awake to see you dressed like that."

I nod and start walking back to the room but halfway there, I suddenly remember Conner! I reach out and grab Thane's arm as I ask "What happened to Conner? I didn't see him." Thane gives me a dry look before saying "He was helping the other officers escort the arrested guys back to the police station. He's completely fine."

I sigh in relief and start walking again. I'm just glad he's okay... When we finally make it back to the room, I quickly walk over to my bed, pull back the covers and crawl in before pulling the blanket up to my chin.

My head is still slightly spinning so it kinda feels like I'm rocking in a boat on a lazy river. It's peaceful...