"I was wondering what kind of girl could have botched up a rescue attempt so badly. Now that I know it was you all along, everything makes sense."
"Go away."
Rome runs his nose down the side of my face, smiling at the way I shiver. "After all thes...
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A SECOND LATER, THE DOOR SWINGS OPEN.
I look over to Spencer's, the eldest Abernathy brother, jaw drop. Rome flicks his wrist and the door slams shut again. Spencer hammers on the door. "I saw that! Open up, Rome. You've got an explanation to give."
Rome rolls his eyes to me. "Looks like we got caught."
I slip out of Rome's lap, face flushing. "Maybe you should open the door."
Rome sighs. The door falls open again. Spencer struts inside, looking very smug. Rome's expression is torn between amusement and annoyance. I have a feeling that this is a common interaction between the two of them.
The rest of the supers walk inside, drawn by the noise. Gamma Ray nods at me, which I return, and sits into his chair without any further commotion. Emergency and Crystalline come to a straight stop at the sight of me. Then, Emergency bursts into a smile.
"How'd she get in here?" Crystalline demands, hair shimmering. "And where's the kitten - oh."
"Hi," I say. "I'm Winnie."
"You're in your suit," Rome tells me, tugging on the edge of my sleeve. "Introduce yourself as your super name."
"Oh, okay. Hi," I say. "I'm... Black Heart."
"So you were the kitten all along?" Crystalline cups my face. Her eyes look like opals, shifting colors depending on where you look. "And I fed you?"
"Sorry if I deceived you," My squished cheeks make it difficult to talk.
"You're even cuter in person," Crystalline pulls me into a hug. I'm a big fan of her work so I don't mind. The two of us embrace for a long time. Meanwhile, I hear a whispered conversation between Spencer and Rome.
"Your mate really turned into a kitten and snuck in here?"
"Yes."
"And when we fed her that sushi -"
"She's a big fan of seafood."
Spencer snorts.
Crystalline finally releases me. I inhale a lungful of air.
Everybody goes back to their seats once Spencer starts the meeting again. The order is slightly different from when I first entered the room. I realize that they've left the spot next to room empty for to me fill. Feeling awkward, I sit down next to him. He reaches for my hand at once and I feel my insides jump at his touch.
"Now that everybody's comfortable," Spencer drawls. He raises his eyebrows at his brother, expression bored. But there's a familiar in which he smirks that reminds of the way Rome looks when he finally trick somebody into doing what he wants. "Can we get back to the main issue?"
