was over. Cornered and still weak from having been electrocuted,
Creon cloaked himself inside an eerie shadow and ran at top speed
out of the house as soon as he could put even one inch in between
himself and Lucas, who chased him halfway across Helen?s lawn
before turning around and coming back inside.
?Are you okay?? Lucas practically shouted.
?Yeah, I just can?t . . .? Helen said as she tried to stand and then
fell back down on the ground with a woozy thump.
?What did he do to you?? Lucas asked, his voice high-pitched
with worry. He picked Helen up and tried to balance her so she
could stand on her own. ?Are your legs broken?? He suddenly reclaimed
her weight as he frantically assessed the damage.
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?No, I just . . . Hector said to use my bolts to fight, and I did, but
they went the wrong way, I think,? she mumbled. She was confused
and seeing spots.
?Why can?t you stand?? Lucas asked as he tried to get her to take
her feet again. Her heart hurt from seeing Lucas?s beautiful face
and smelling his body and feeling his hands on her. She had a
vague sense where the ground was, but the whole world was falling
over, and she was too tired for this crap. She just couldn?t do this
anymore. She needed a nap.
The next thing she knew, Helen could taste something sweet on
her tongue. Honey. She opened her eyes all the way and saw that
she was sitting on the counter in her kitchen with Lucas standing
between her knees, holding her head up and tilted back as he
drizzled honey from a plastic bear.
?There you are,? he breathed through a small smile when she
looked at him. He looked back at her with so much tenderness
Helen had to remind herself that Lucas wasn?t really interested.