Fire & Ice | Soulmate AU 1 |

chapter twelve

I come to on a park bench. My head is throbbing and my arms are burning intensely. It takes me a second or so to sit up and get my bearings through the delirious haze of pain. I'm at a small park only a block or so from the apartment I've been staying in for the mission.

It takes me a couple more minutes to drag myself to my feet and begin the walk to the apartment. The journey takes me a good ten minutes longer than it should because of the pounding in my head that's making me dizzy. The cool night air feels better than the stuffiness of the Rivera house, but my arms are still burning as if they're still on fire.

The door is obviously locked when I finally get there. I struggle with getting my keys out of my pocket with the way my hands are shaking, but I eventually make it inside. There's a surprisingly well stocked first aid kit under the bathroom sink that I grab before moving to the kitchen for more room. I set in on treating the burns immediately.

I run each arm under cold water from the kitchen sink for far longer than strictly necessary. There is plenty of gauze in the kit so I wrap both arms securely before I bandage them. None of the burns look like third degree and they all generally hurt so I should be fine for now. They'll take a week at the most to heal with my advanced healing. If they're still giving me a problem after this operation is officially over, I'll have them all checked out. Probably.

My face starts to feel wet as I'm covering the gauze wrapping in bandages. It takes me a moment to realize that there are tears slipping down my cheeks. I wipe them away multiple times while I finish wrapping the wounds.

A knock on my door startles me so hard that I drop the first aid kit on my way back to the bathroom. I stare at where it landed on the hardwood flooring and breathe harshly through my nose as I struggle to maintain control. My eyes dart to my wrapped arms. They'll definitely be difficult to explain to most of the people I know.

I pad across the floor to my front door and check through the peephole to see who I'm dealing with.

Rowan.

My breath catches in my throat so suddenly that I nearly choke. I shut my eyes and breathe long and hard through my nose, resting my palm against the closed door. Of course.

I open my eyes and force myself to stand up straight before opening the door. If this was anyone else who had hurt me, I'd greet them with a gun to the head. This isn't just Rowan. This is my counterpart. I'll at least give my counterpart a chance.

His eyes are shining wetly when I open the door. I don't say anything and just hold open the door so he can come in. I don't think I'd say anything even if I could think of words. He rounds on me once I shut and lock the front door.

"Lake, I am so sorry—" he begins, stepping forward with a hand out.

I slap the hand away.

"I have no right to be angry, babe," I say lowly before pulling in a long breath. I might as well come clean at this point. He'll either forgive me or not. If he doesn't, it won't matter. His entire gang will be in jail within the next day. "I've been lying to you since the moment I met you."

Rowan's sincerely apologetic face screws up into confusion. I open my palm and generate a small amount of snow before blowing it gently into his face. A bit of understanding crosses his face, but it's obvious he's still lost.

"I have powers, too," I begin. "It's why I'm a League agent. I've been undercover with you guys to find out information and aid in your eventual dismantlement. There won't be much of a Rivera gang empire in a couple days max."