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He carries me into the elevator and up to the seventh floor. I manage to wrap my arms around his neck for support. The juice must be doing stuff to my mind as well, because the tendons in his neck are starting to look sexy. Something in the back of my mind tells me tendons aren’t usually sex appeal.

“Where do you want me to put you down?” Evan asks. “The bed or the couch?”

“That depends, are you going to stay with me?” His eyes bug at my forward statement, despite the goofy, totally joking tone I used.

“Come on now, Maci. You can’t flirt with me during a lockdown. That’s unethical.”

I sigh. “Shot down by my own words.”

He chooses the couch, and although my butt sits in the seat next to him, I turn sideways and heft my legs in his lap. Why? Because we’re in lockdown and he’s freaking super hot. Some things just need to be done. If only Crimson could see me now. This more than makes up for the Aloki tragedy.

Evan snaps his fingers and the curtains swing open, revealing the vast expanse of ocean that separates us from the rest of the world. “I didn’t shoot you down.”

“I practically told you to take me to the bed and you declined. That’s a huge rejection.” A flicker of embarrassment flows through me. “Does the juice also lower your inhibitions? Because I swear I would never normally say that.”

Evan laughs and tightens his arms around me. “No, it doesn’t. But I’m liking these results. Good thing I didn’t test them on Felix.”

I squeeze my hands into fists until the feeling comes back. Then I do something that I’d never imagine myself doing in a million years. I pull him to me and press my lips to his.

He kisses me back without hesitation and all my insecurities disappear. The worry and anxiety and fear of the unknown—all gone beneath the magic that is Evan’s mouth on mine. When he pulls away a few moments later, some of the insecurity comes back. Why did he pull away? Am I a terrible kisser?

I say something lighthearted and dumb because my brain sucks. “Are you supposed to make out with someone for the first time while they’re half paralyzed because you slammed them into a wall?”

His hand slides down my leg, hooking under my knee. “I’m the nerd, remember? I don’t know the rules of making out. But I’m pretty sure that if a hot girl kisses you, you’re supposed to kiss her back.”

“Whatever,” I breathe, hoping the dim lights hide my cheeks. “This is only happening because of, like—Stockholm Syndrome or something.” I pull at a loose string on the collar of his shirt, unable to meet his eyes.

Evan snorts. “Stockholm Syndrome is a little harsh. If anything, you kidnapped me.”

“You know what I mean. The only reason we’re,” I motion to the space between us, “doing this, is because we’re stuck on an island together. It would have happened with anyone.”

“Not true.” His fingers flow through my hair behind my back.

“It so is. You wouldn’t have thought twice about me if this was any other situation. Or if t

here were more girls here.”

He shakes his head. “There were a ton of girls at your birthday party. But I went home with you on my mind. Not anyone else.”

I twist the loose string around my finger. “Really?”

“Really.” He leans in and gives me another kiss on the lips, pulling away when my fingers dig into his shoulder.

“You’re getting your strength back already. You are one powerful Super.”

I make this dorky wink. Oh God, he’s wearing off on me. “I’m a total badass, Evan. Why must you question it?”

He smiles and that one dimple shows. I resist the urge to poke it and tell him how cute it is. I look at my hands, trying unsuccessfully to bend my fingers into a fist. “You have to market the juice to Heroes. I can’t wait to use it on a villain.”

Evan takes my hand in his and squeezes it shut. “It’s good to hear you talking about being a Hero again. All that ‘blah blah I suck and I should work as an assistant’ talk was a total downer.”

I shrug. My voice is somber, no longer in a joking mood. “I say a lot of things, but Heroism is in my heart. If I’m not a Hero than … well I’m nothing.”

He pulls me closer and kisses my forehead. “You’ll be a Hero. You are the most Heroic person I’ve ever known.”

An unexpected ear-piercing wail fills the room so suddenly I’m startled out of Evan’s lap and into a standing position in less than a second. A moment later, Evan is up, his hand on my shoulders to steady me. He pushes the button that makes his MOD screen descend from the ceiling. It’s the lockdown alarm, a loud, hauntingly eerie sound that repeats over and over again, twisting my stomach into knots as the memory of this sound sends a rush of pain, sorrow, and fear flowing through me. The worst day of my life was the last time I heard this alarm.

Please don’t bring more bad news.