Sunlight stabs through the blinds like little daggers, yanking me from the best sleep I've had in weeks. My entire body feels loose, relaxed in a way I haven't experienced since before Jubilee died. Nothing like three rounds with a shapeshifter to help you forget about your problems for a while.
I stretch, feeling the pleasant ache in muscles I forgot I had. The sheets beside me are empty. Mystique must've already gotten up. Not surprising. She doesn't strike me as the cuddling type.
By the time I drag myself to the kitchen, most of the team is already there. Mystique sits at the table. Her skin is the same deep crimson she transformed into after our first round last night, making her look like some kind of beautiful demon. Her hair is jet black. Her leg presses against mine as I slide into the seat next to her, the casual contact sending a flicker of heat through my body.
Firestar stands by the counter, sipping coffee from a mug that says "I'm stuff" in flaming letters. Her eyes keep darting between me and Mystique, her expression caught somewhere between disapproval and morbid curiosity.
"Morning," I mumble, accepting the coffee Firestar pushes toward me. The first sip is like mainlining life back into my veins.
Magik stands at the head of the table, her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. She taps something on her phone, and suddenly a holographic image materializes in the center of our table, a sprawling concrete structure with guard towers and razor wire.
"Is that a prison?" I ask, leaning forward to get a better look.
Before Magik can answer, Kitty phases through a wall, and sits directly into her chair, completing our little circle of mutant misfits. Her hair is still wet from the shower, dripping onto the shoulders of her yellow and blue X-Women uniform.
I expect Magik to start briefing us immediately, but instead, she's staring at Mystique with narrowed eyes, her head tilted slightly in confusion.
"What?" Mystique finally asks, sounding annoyed by the scrutiny.
Magik gestures vaguely toward her. "Why are you red?"
I nearly choke on my coffee. Mystique's leg presses harder against mine under the table, and I feel her hand briefly squeeze my thigh.
"I guess I'm trying something new," she replies with a sly smile that makes my face heat up. Her yellow eyes flick to me for just a second, and I know everyone at this table is about to figure out exactly what happened last night.
Magik's eyes drift from Mystique to me, and a knowing smirk spreads across her face. "So he likes red girls, got it."
What's the point of acting embarrassed at this point when everyone knows how I feel? I just take another sip of my coffee and say nothing.
After a moment of loaded silence, Magik mercifully returns her attention to the hologram, all business again. "This morning I got some intel from Voght on a mutant being held in China," she says, zooming in on a section of the prison complex. "This mutant is being sold to an anonymous group that sounds suspiciously like the women we met at the docks."
"Who's Voght?" I ask, studying the hologram. The facility looks massive, at least the size of a small college campus.
"Amelia Voght," Mystique answers, her scarlet leg still pressed against mine under the table. "She's Magneta's right hand. Extremely influential in Genosha and overall very competent."
"Oh, Cool." I say, nodding appreciatively.
Magik continues, her finger tracing the holographic outline of what looks like a maximum-security wing. "We don't know much about the mutant other than her name is Xorna. And according to Voght's intel, she has... a star in her head."
I blink, not sure I heard correctly. "I'm sorry, what does that mean? A star in her head?"
"A blue star apparently."
"What the fuck?"
Magik waves her hand dismissively. "Don't get hung up on that part."
"Fair enough," I concede, though my mind is still racing with questions.
"They contain it with some kind of metal helmet," Magik adds, projecting an image of what looks like a specialized helmet with a glowing blue eyes and vent holes for the mouth.
Mystique leans forward, her crimson skin catching the light as she studies the hologram. "So what's our plan? Wait for them to make the buy and then grab Xorna on their way out?"
Magik shakes her head firmly. "No. We portal in, identify their transport, throw a tracker on it, and once they're where they're going, we take down their base."
"Smart," Mystique says with an approving nod. "Follow them home rather than just snatching one piece of the puzzle."
"Exactly," Magik agrees. "We need to find out who's behind this whole operation. The U-Women, these Chinese officials, they're all just middlemen. I want the head of the snake."
Her eyes sweep across our little team, landing on each of us in turn. "We're leaving in ten minutes. Suit up."
I head to my bedroom, mind racing with everything Magik just told us. A mutant with a star in her head? Chinese prison? That's a lot to take in.
As I start throwing my blue and yellow X-suit on, I hear a soft knock. I turn to see Mystique leaning against my doorframe, still wearing her deep crimson skin and her new black hair. The sight of her sends a flash of heat through me, memories of last night playing back in vivid detail.
"Hey," I say, zipping up the front of my suit.
"I had fun last night," she says, her yellow eyes tracking my movements with predatory interest.
"I did too." I grab my metal helmet from where I'd stashed it, trying to focus on the mission ahead instead of how good she looks right now.
She steps into my room, closing the distance between us with deliberate slowness. There's something hungry in her gaze that makes my pulse quicken.
"You remind me a lot of my first husband," she says casually, running a finger along the edge of my helmet.
I nearly drop it. "I didn't know you were married."
"Many times." Her lips curl into a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.
"You get divorced a lot?"
"I outlive them." She says it so matter-of-factly that it takes me a second to process.
"Oh." I swallow hard. "That's tragic."
"Yes," she agrees, her voice softening slightly. "I suppose it is."
I finish adjusting my suit, suddenly uncomfortable with how close she's standing. Not because I don't want her near me, but because I do, and we're supposed to be focusing on a mission.
"Why are you still red?" I ask, desperate to change the subject.
She steps even closer, her hand coming to rest on my chest. "This is what you like, right?"
"Hurry up!"
Before I can answer, Magik's voice echoes through the building, calling us to the main room. Mystique's fingers linger on my chest for a moment longer, then she turns and walks away, leaving me staring after her, my helmet clutched forgotten in my hands.