Chapter 24:
– Contessa –
Contessa had been looking forward to this interaction for quite some time.
Though—truthfully, she would have preferred to delay it just a little longer. But circumstances had shifted. The most important young man in the world had, somehow, developed a power that disrupted hers.
That was unacceptable.
Worse than that, it was dangerous.
Dangerous to her. Dangerous to the world. And, whether he understood it or not, it was dangerous to Silas Thorn as well. If she couldn't keep an eye on him, then who could?
She adjusted the brim of her wide hat, tilting it just enough to obscure most of her face.
"Door please."
…On the other side stood a modest PRT bedroom, its walls a soft gray. The bed was unmade. The air faintly steamed. Silas Thorn stood at the far end of the room, facing a mirror. He had just stepped out of the shower, water still glistening on his chest and shoulders. A towel was wrapped around his waist, and only that. And a very nice toned ass under that towel as well.
He noticed her reflection first.
His shoulders tensed, and he titled his head slowly, meeting her gaze in the mirror. "...Can I help you?" he asked, voice uncertain but not weak. Of course not, a guy like him couldn't afford to be weak.
"Don't worry," she said lightly. "I'm only here to talk. I'm Contessa," she said simply.
He turned fully now, towel still in place, arms no longer hiding his lean, muscular frame. His skin glistened under the soft lighting, and she couldn't help but briefly note how very sculpted he was.
Rebecca, she thought with the faintest trace of amusement, would absolutely be very happy with Contessa at some point in the future for putting her and Silas on the same path. A path that was currently clouded to her though...
Silas's eyes darted up to her hat, then down again. "Nice hat," he said dryly. "But, uh... why are you in my room?"
Contessa's smile turned fond behind the brim of her hat. "You like my hat? I love my hat," she replied, almost cheerfully. "I think we're going to get along just fine."
Silas, understandably, had questions. His brows furrowed as he looked at her from across the room, towel still firmly wrapped around his waist. "Alright," he said cautiously, "so who exactly are you and why are you in my room?"
Contessa tilted her head slightly. "It would be better if you didn't know too many details just yet," she said, her voice smooth but firm. "Just know that I'm someone who wants to keep you safe. That's… complicated right now. Because my powers—my thinker abilities—they've stopped working on you. Completely."
She saw his eyes widen at that, realization dawning across his face. That reaction made her pause. He knew the reason for that, and could even control it, she figured.
Interesting.
Her paths—her power—twitched back into motion. Her breath caught in her throat.
Her eyes widened behind her hat's brim. The threads shifted, realigned. The future flickered back into visibility, and suddenly, Silas's path to total victory—whatever that might look like—was climbing. It had risen above fifty percent.
And she knew it would only go higher.
Whatever he was becoming, it was accelerating.
Contessa adjusted her hat, tapping the brim gently in a wordless gesture of thanks. "That fixed it," she said, voice soft. "Thank you." Then, a bit louder: "Door, please."
The portal opened behind her. She turned without another word and stepped through, leaving Silas behind in the quiet of his PRT room.
His confused expression was absolutely adorable.
– Silas –
"Holy fucking shit," I muttered as the towel slipped off my waist and hit the floor. My eyes were still fixed on the space in the middle of my room where a portal had just vanished—along with the woman who'd stepped out of it like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Contessa.
The goddamn boogeywoman of the Worm universe. The secret mover behind the scenes. The queen of the long game.
And apparently, she'd decided I was important enough to visit in person.
She hadn't made a threat, hadn't delivered any cryptic warnings. No, she'd just politely asked if she could "path" me again. Like it was some casual favor she was hoping I'd grant.
When I got my "Wound-in-the-Force" ability, it hadn't really sunk in that it would block all Thinkers—including her.
That could have been much worse.
Honestly? I'd expected her to be colder. Harsher. What I got was... surprisingly chill. She almost came off as whimsical actually.
...And she had a seriously cool hat. Like, annoyingly cool. It suited her in a way that felt intentional, like she knew it was the first thing anyone would notice.
I ran a hand through my short blond hair and exhaled, still standing there completely naked.
With a sigh, I padded over to the dresser and started pulling on clothes. Jeans. T-shirt. My black leather jacket. I needed something normal to ground me, even if normal had basically stopped existing in my life.
It was the morning after Vista—Missy—and I had gotten back from the Star Wars universe. And, unsurprisingly, we'd returned straight into the arms of a waiting firing squad of concerned authority figures.
First was Armsmaster, who was annoyed he never got to properly inspect my motorcycle, apparently. Then Director Piggot, who somehow managed to be less annoying and grouchy than I expected. In fact, she kinda just looked done and had just asked for a full proper written report the moment I told her I was serious when I used the word "Star Wars..."
"I don't get paid enough for this crazy fucking town…" Piggot grumbled. I didn't accidently break her with that one, did I? Her health already wasn't that great to begin with…
And finally, Miss Militia—who I'd long since started calling Mom Militia in my head–and not just because of the way she acted.
She was fussing over the two of us like we were her actual kids. I was fine. Tired, a little sore, but fine. Missy, though... she'd taken a few hits. Literal burns and cuts, from that evil Sith asshole...
Miss Militia had gone full mom-mode the second she saw them. Next thing I knew, Missy was being bundled into the back of a PRT van with instructions to take her straight to Panacea. I'd offered to fly her there myself on my ghost bike, but I didn't even get the sentence out before Miss Militia shut it down.
"Absolutely not," she'd said, her voice making it clear there would be no argument. "I'll ride with her myself!" She might've had a mask on, but I could feel the look she was giving me.
The rest of the night had passed in a blur. The other Wards had either left or gone to bed. I didn't even get to talk to any of them, though my phone buzzed a few times.
Vicky sent an excited string of welcome-back emojis. Amy sent a quiet, almost awkward message just saying she was glad I was okay. Sophia's message was blunt as hell: "Don't go to school tomorrow without me!"
…So there I was, hanging out in the hangar of the Rig, leaning against my bike and waiting for Sophia to show up. A low hum from the tinkertech power grid filled the air, and the echo of footsteps from some random agents or techs came and went in the distance.
I felt a tingle crawl across the edge of my senses—just barely there, like static brushing against skin. That was new. I'd started to notice it more lately, that if I really focused, I could pick up on the electrical patterns people gave off.
Bioelectricity, I guessed. Whatever it was, it gave me a subtle early warning.
Sophia stepped out of the wall like it was the most normal thing in the world. She wasn't wearing her costume, and she wasn't trying to hide the fact that she'd just phased through solid concrete. Kind of pointless now, considering she'd been outed as a cape anyway.
No more secret identity to worry about.
She spotted me and grinned, giving me that cocky look she always did. "Your powers gave you that?" she asked, jerking her chin toward the bike.
"Yep," I replied.
She stepped closer, eyeing the matte black frame and sleek curves like it was a piece of art. "Metal as fuck," she said seriously.
"It can make the rider invincible, it flies, and it goes through walls… just like a certain someone I know," I said with a grin. "How's it feel knowing a motorcycle has cooler powers than you do?" I finished with a teasing wink.
Sophia punched me in the arm for that last comment and I just laughed.
"Does it have weapons?" she asked.
I shook my head. "Nah."
She smirked. "Then obviously not as cool as me. Now let's get to fucking school before the principal calls Piggy again and they start whining–oinking–at me!"
I swung a leg over the bike and settled in. I patted the seat behind me. "Why wouldn't they oink at me, too?"
Sophia snorted. "Because you're the PRT's new golden boy. You get up to all kinds of crazy shit and never catch heat for it. They love you."
She climbed on behind me and pressed in close, her chest flush against my back. Her arms slid around my torso, and her hands didn't just settle—they lingered. Her fingers dragged slowly across my abs, making damn sure I felt every teasing touch as they slid under the edge of my shirt to brush skin. She raked her nails lightly down over my stomach, then back up over my chest like she was deliberately mapping out muscle. It wasn't subtle. Not even close.
"Very nice," she whispered, her tone low and teasing. I didn't need to turn around to know she was smirking. "At least," she added, her voice now smug as hell, "being your 'friend' has gotten me a lot more preferential treatment lately."
I rolled my eyes, not that she could see it, but I couldn't help the grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. This was going to be an interesting ride.
We shot out of the Rig on the ghost bike like a bullet, the engines thrumming under us as we soared into the open sky. Sophia clung tightly to my back, her legs hugging my hips and her arms wrapped firm around my torso. Her voice cut through the wind with a breathless laugh. "Now this is how a hero goes to school in style!"
I actually chuckled at that. It wasn't often Sophia sounded giddy, let alone excited. Usually, she kept everything buried under her hard, tough girl exterior.
The wind whipped past us, sending her hair into a frenzy behind her. I felt her shift slightly, pressing in closer, and I didn't miss the way her hands crept just a little lower than necessary—like she was seeing how far she could get away with.
"Don't make me pull over," I called back, only half-joking. Not really anywhere to pull over in the air anyway.
"You wouldn't dare," she shouted in my ear.
I grinned, eyes scanning the skyline ahead. We weren't actually going to be late—there was time to kill. So instead of gunning it straight to Winslow, I dipped the bike lower, taking us out over the ocean. The sky was open and wide, the water glittering below in the morning sun.
"Taking the scenic route, huh?" Sophia asked, her voice softer now, teasing.
"Thought you deserved something pretty to look at," I said.
She gave my chest a little squeeze. "I already am."
I had to admit—it was a damn good line. Her hands were still roaming like she had something to prove, and yeah, I shivered a little. No shame in that. But I knew Sophia. Or I thought I did.
This? This was new.
"Alright," I called back over the wind, "what's going on with you today? You're never usually this... hands-on."
I felt her hesitate behind me, just a split second, then she leaned in and said, loud enough for me to hear over the wind, "I read the mission report. The one you filed after you got back with the twerp—Vista."
There was a bitter edge to her voice when she said Missy's name, and I had a feeling I knew where this was going.
"You're jealous we went off and had a kickass adventure without you?" I asked.
"Damn right I am," she snapped. "You two got lightsabers, hyperspace, epic battles against evil aliens and robots, the whole fucking deal! Meanwhile, I was stuck here playing nice with Hebert because she joined the Wards… Haven't even gotten to see any of my friends yet either."
Taylor did what!? No one told me that last night!
Sophia continued. "And then I got to the part of the report where you mentioned your... increased libido."
I choked. Fuck. "Yeah... maybe I should've edited that part out. They told me to include every detail though..."
"I'm glad you didn't," she whispered in my ear, low and deliberate. Her fingers slipped just a little further under my shirt. "Because I fully intend to use this to get a leg up on all the other thirsty bitches sniffing around you."
I swallowed.
She kept going. "Glory Holy and her clingy-ass sister. That new bitch at school Rebecca Brown ...And then there's Emma. Don't even get me started on Emma. I don't care if she's my friend—I met you first!" Sophia said with an actual whine to her tone.
Sophia was definitely getting worked up now—jealousy, possessiveness, whatever it was, it had her pressed tight against me. And yeah, I'm not gonna lie, having her toned body wrapped around mine wasn't exactly helping my focus. I needed a damn distraction or there was no way either of us were making it to school. Instead I'd be searching for a hotel pretty damn soon, which is what I think she wanted.
But this was still Brockton Bay.
Shouting and smashing cut through the morning air. My more enhanced senses picked it up instantly, even through the rush of wind all the way up in the air. My hands gripped the handlebars tighter.
"Hang on," I growled.
"Wait, why!?" Sophia let out a startled yelp as I yanked the bike into a hard nose dive, the wind howling louder around us as we dropped like a stone. I angled us toward the boardwalk.
That stretch of the city was normally locked down tight under PRT control. Most villains knew better than to cause trouble there. Which was why I was surprised—pissed, actually—when I saw some members of the Empire gathered outside one of the most popular shops. Harassing one of the only capes in this city that chose not to beat people up every night—and instead opened up a legitimate business.
I could respect that even though I'd also gone the meathead route.
It was Parian's store.
Parian stood out front in full costume. She had both hands raised—not in surrender, but in a futile attempt to calm the thugs. "Please, this is unnecessary," she begged. "You're committing a crime on public streets. Leave before this gets worse."
The Empire goons didn't listen. They just kept going, laughing as they swung bats into her display windows. Glass burst across the pavement, mannequins dressed in her handmade costumes toppling inside.
"Shut your mouth, bitch," one of them barked. "You'll fall in line or get put in the dirt."
"It's time you show the rest of your race where your loyalties lie!" one of the bastards yelled, pointing his bat at her like he was pretending it was a sword.
Sophia saw them as we rode closer. I felt her grip change. She snarled behind me. Before I could say a word, she vaulted off the bike—thirty feet up—and phased into shadow mid-air. Her body dissolved into smoke, whipping through the air like a vengeful specter before reforming right in the middle of the group.
"Oh fuck! It's Shadow Stalker!"
"She's the one who took out Cricket!"
"Revenge for the Empire! For the true master race!"
I hovered above on my bike, watching as she tore into the group of Empire thugs with a level of brutality that was equal parts terrifying and impressive. Her fists were a blur, striking fast and vicious—throats, stomachs, ribs. One of the guys swung a pipe at her, shouting, "You're dead, bitch!"
She vanished into shadow mid-swing, his weapon cutting through nothing but smoke. "Not even close," she sneered as she reappeared behind him and drove a sharp elbow into his kidney. He crumpled with a grunt, gasping and trying to crawl away.
"Come on! There's only one of her!" another thug yelled, rallying the others.
"Yeah, one of me is all it fucking takes!" Sophia shouted back, her voice sharp and laced with fury. "You think you scare me? You think you're gonna march into my city and start smashing up people like Parian and no one's gonna make you pay for it?"
They didn't answer—one tried to shoot, but Sophia ducked under the gun barrel and punched him square in the face before phasing through the guy beside him and tripping him up mid-turn.
"Try again, Nazi fucks!" she snarled. "See what happens."
Cries of pain echoed down the street, mingled with furious, racist curses as they scrambled to land even a single hit. "Get her legs! Take her down!" one shouted, sounding more panicked than commanding.
Another roared, "You Empire or you die!"—only to get a boot to the teeth mid-sentence.
But they couldn't touch her. Every time they tried, she flickered away like a wraith, her body twisting into smoke just ahead of each swing, reappearing behind them like death on a timer.
"Thought this was your turf?" Sophia barked, smashing a guy's knee sideways with a sickening crack. "Think fucking again, cowards!"
Another thug tried to charge her with a tire iron. She let him get close—close enough to think he had a chance—then spun into shadow and reformed behind him, grabbing his head and slamming it into the side of a parked van. "Too slow, dumbass."
Then she grabbed one of their own bats—a heavy metal one that still had flakes of paint from Parian's storefront—and went to town. No finesse. No mercy. Just raw, ugly violence.
She bashed one guy across the face so hard he collapsed like a sack of meat, then turned and nailed another straight in the crotch. He screamed and folded in half, wheezing.
"Get the fuck out of my town!" she shouted, voice echoing as she cracked another thug over the back with a wet thunk. "You racist Nazi shitstains want to play soldier? Try it somewhere else!"
Parian stood off to the side, clearly stunned. Her hands were still raised, caught mid-gesture like she hadn't quite figured out whether she should intervene or just let Sophia handle it. Her eyes were wide behind her mask, flicking between the downed bodies and the one-girl storm still tearing through the gang.
I didn't blame her. I'd seen Sophia fight plenty of times—but even I had to admit, this was a whole different level of pissed off.
She did not like Nazis...
…I brought the bike down onto the boardwalk and killed the silent engine. I could hear the moans of a few conscious but thoroughly broken Empire thugs still groaning on the pavement.
I didn't even spare them a glance as I hopped off and made my way toward Sophia and Parian.
Sophia was mid-rant. "You're still a cape! I don't care if you don't like fighting—those guys were storming your place with bats. You could've wiped the floor with them!"
Parian stammered, clearly flustered. "I-I just didn't want to escalate—"
"Yeah, well, they escalated it the second they started smashing your windows!" Sophia shot back, rolling her eyes. "You've got powers. Use them."
Before Parian could get another word out, Sophia spun on her heel and locked eyes with me. Her entire demeanor shifted from aggressive to something else entirely—heated. She grinned like a predator spotting something she wanted.
And then she ran at me.
I barely had time to react before she jumped. I caught her by the waist as she threw her arms around my neck and wrapped her legs around my torso. Her lips crashed against mine—hot, needy. Her tongue pushed in without hesitation, demanding, shameless. It was less of a kiss and more of a full-on claim, like she'd been waiting for an excuse to do this.
I felt her grind against me as she clung tighter, nails digging slightly into the back of my neck, and I could barely think past the rush of heat shooting straight through me.
It only took me a second before I kissed her back, instinct taking over. Her tongue slid against mine, breath hot as hell, her body pressed tight like she didn't care who was watching.
From behind us, I heard Parian let out a nervous, startled little "eep."
Sophia finally pulled away with a gasp and dropped to the ground like nothing had happened. She looked up at me with a cocky grin. "What? Crippling Nazis gets me all hot and bothered."
I blinked. "Yeah, no kidding."
There was definitely going to be a conversation later about that kiss—because holy shit. Not to mention the fact I had a thing with Amy. And then there was Vicky. And… a few others who'd made their interest in me a little too obvious lately.
My inner dragon was practically preening from the attention, loving every second of it. But my human side? It knew harems weren't just messy—they took ridiculous amounts of patience, emotional balancing, and probably divine intervention. But hey… dragons were supposed to be lucky, right?
I shook the thoughts out of my head and turned to Parian. "You okay?"
She glanced at her store, still trembling a little. "A lot of my stuff's wrecked," she said, voice muffled behind the mask. "I can fix most of it with my power, but it'll be pricey. And I'm just… worried this might happen again."
Sophia snorted. "What the fuck did those Empire guys even want with you?"
Parian shifted uncomfortably, fingers tightening at her sides. "They… wanted to recruit me," she admitted. "Since they lost three of their capes, they needed replacements. And um… you both took three of them out. And then that new Ward also took down another one of their members too…"
Sophia and I turned to each other and immediately snorted in sync.
"Fucking Empire," Sophia muttered, shaking her head before giving Parian another once-over. Her tone softened just slightly. "Good job not joining those racist losers. You're not as wimpy as I thought…"
"Thanks, I guess," Parian mumbled. "And about the Empire… we wouldn't have worked out anyway," she mumbled.
I chuckled under my breath. Parian wasn't even white under that mask. Everyone just assumed it was because of the blonde wig.
Sophia and I checked the time and realized we were definitely pushing it. We had to bail before we were officially late. Not that punching Nazis wasn't a good excuse, but I doubted the school admins would be excited to hear about anything else involving Nazis so soon again.
"I'll call this in," I told Parian as I stepped back toward the bike. "The PRT'll send a few agents, maybe a Protectorate cape if they're not busy."
Parian nodded, still clearly shaken. "Thanks again. But… Silas, just be careful."
That made me pause. I raised an eyebrow. "Why? It was just Empire assholes, right? Are you worried they'll come after us next?"
Sophia scoffed. "Obviously. We already figured they'd pull some dumb revenge stunt eventually. We're ready for those pussies. All that's left are the bottom-feeders and Kaiser himself—who never crawls out of whatever hole he hides in."
Parian hesitated, then dropped the bomb. "That's just it. Word on the street is Kaiser's not in charge anymore."
I blinked. "What?"
"He got overthrown," she said. "His sister—Iron Rain—she's running the Empire now."
My eyes widened at that. Wasn't she the actual racist sister that he supposedly killed off back in canon? Oh shit—she was alive here?
Parian said Iron Rain was on a full-blown recruitment warpath, trying to drag the Empire back from irrelevance. She wanted to recover every bit of clout they lost after they went after Winslow. And according to her, me, Sophia, and the "bug girl" were at the top of their shit list.
Public enemy number one to a bunch of fascists.
Sophia actually looked thrilled. She cracked her neck and grinned, all feral confidence. "Nice when the prey comes to the hunter once in a while," she said, almost purring. "If Iron Rain comes after us, then fuck it—we'll make it rain Nazi blood."
Parian gulped again, clearly rattled but trying to stay composed. "Just… stay safe, alright? Both of you."
She gave us a final wave. I fired up the ghost bike, and Sophia slid back on behind me, arms wrapping tight around my waist as we took off. We lifted into the sky, the wind catching beneath us, and turned toward Winslow.
Maybe next time the Nazi's attacked they'd burn the damn place to the ground so we didn't have to waste our time here anymore...
– Taylor –
Taylor stood outside Winslow, nerves fluttering under her skin like the wings of the insects she always carried around now. She shifted her weight, trying to seem casual, but her fingers twitched at her sides. At least she had someone beside her—Rebecca Brown. Beautiful, confident, calm.
...And secretly Alexandria.
That part still made Taylor's head spin. Having the strongest cape in the country as "her friend" was beyond surreal, but of course she couldn't tell anyone. Not even if she wanted to.
The courtyard was full. Half the school had found some excuse to loiter just outside the front entrance. Phones were already out, cameras ready. Every eye was waiting for the same thing—Silas Thorn and Sophia Hess. Silas hadn't been seen at school since the Empire tore through the cafeteria, and apparently, that made this a spectacle worth filming.
Taylor didn't care about the spectacle. She just wanted to talk to him. Really talk. Now that she was outed as a cape, now that she was a Ward too, it felt like everything had changed overnight.
It still felt weird, calling herself a hero. Fame wasn't something she'd ever imagined for herself.
Still, at least her power had perks. The bugs gave her space. Fanboys and fangirls didn't get too close when they saw insects around her.
She hadn't exactly behaved herself lately either. Let it be known that Taylor finally understood the joys of being a petty bitch these past few days.
A few beetles in Emma's overpriced coffee. Some mosquito bites at exactly the wrong time for Madison. Nothing that could be traced to her, but Emma's loudmouth tendencies made sure everyone knew what was happening.
Not that it mattered for Emma anymore though. Now that Taylor was a WARD, the teachers took HER side.
...How the tables had turned. And just because Sophia was a ward too, didn't mean Taylor would be putting up with any shit from her for now on either!
Emma glared at her from across the quad. No insults. No snide comments. Just a hateful stare that Taylor met without flinching. Taylor flipped her the bird and smirked when Emma's face went red.
"He's here," Rebecca said calmly.
Taylor looked up and felt her stomach flutter.
A fucking flying motorcycle was descending from the sky like it belonged in a blockbuster movie. The only thing that ruined it was seeing HER on the back of his bike.
That bitch!
Sophia still had her claws in Silas, but she'd find a way to break them up soon enough. She turned to Rebecca and grinned. After all, her new best friend had promised to HELP her!
XXX