Josie snapped back to her senses. Unable to break free, she finally remembered she could use her ability.
Her body shrank rapidly, falling to the ground with a PLOP.
The scorching breath was gone, but the sensation of his touch seemed to linger on her skin.
A faint blush crept up Josie's cheeks, but since she was now in the form of a rock, no one could tell.
Felix Fields felt his arms suddenly go empty, and the taut string in his mind snapped.
The lust in his eyes receded like the tide, and his mind swiftly cleared.
Staring at his now-empty arms, his brow furrowed instinctively.
'Soft lips, delicate skin beneath his palm... it all felt so real.'
He shot to his feet and immediately saw Joanna Cross lying on the floor.
'Was it her?'
A murderous glint instantly filled Felix Fields's eyes.
'No!'
'It wasn't her. Her clothes are intact. I thought I'd torn them.'
'But the figure was a blur. I can't be sure if it was a real person or just an illusion.'
"Joanna Cross!"
His voice was ice-cold. Joanna Cross, who had just woken up, shivered the moment her eyes met his.
"You... how are you awake?"
Joanna Cross's eyes darted about nervously, but she forced herself to appear calm.
A cold smirk touched Felix Fields's lips. "Where's Jack Jennings?"
Joanna Cross was genuinely terrified. "He... I don't know where he is."
Without another word, Felix Fields walked to the door and opened it.
He waited a moment until someone passed by, then stopped them. "Go get Jack Jennings. Tell him Joanna Cross is looking for him."
"Right."
Less than five minutes later, Jack Jennings strode in.
He looked rushed. "Joanna, is Wilder..."
Before he could finish, Jack Jennings saw Felix Fields standing in the room, his eyes sharp and clear, showing no signs of the hazy look of hypnotic control.
The color drained from his already pale face.
'He knew his power was no match for Felix Fields's, but he never expected him to wake up so quickly.'
"Jack Jennings, do you know why I called you over?"
"I don't know." He shot a wary glance at Joanna Cross on the floor.
But Joanna Cross was cowering with her head down, refusing to look at him.
He was weak, suffering from the backlash of his own ability.
'If Felix Fields were to attack him now, he'd be completely defenseless.'
"You don't know?"
After Felix Fields spoke, his eyes turned utterly glacial.
The next instant, a bolt of lightning struck Jack Jennings on the head. His whole body convulsed, hair standing on end, as he shuddered with the whites of his eyes showing.
When the "wonderful" experience was over, his mouth was twisted, drool dribbled from the corner, and he had pissed his pants.
Felix Fields's expression was utterly frigid. "Now do you know?"
Tears and snot streamed down Jack Jennings's face as he begged for mercy. "I was just following orders! I was wrong, Wilder, I'll never do it again!"
"This was just a warning. The next time you try anything on me, I'll kill you."
"Yes, yes, I'll remember."
Jack Jennings nodded and bowed, backing away. "In that case, Wilder, I'll be going."
"Jack Jennings, stop!"
Not wanting to face Felix Fields alone, Joanna Cross immediately shouted for him to stop.
Jack Jennings was frozen, unsure whether to stay or go.
"Joanna Cross."
Joanna Cross trembled at the sound of Felix Fields's voice.
"Don't ever try something like this again. Otherwise, I'm leaving the shelter."
Joanna Cross was furious. She had thrown herself at him, and not only had he refused to touch her, but he was treating her like garbage.
But she knew she had botched it. If Felix Fields really did leave the shelter, her brother would surely hold her accountable.
******
The city was teeming with zombies. Lucas Lockwood had been searching for three days, but he still hadn't found Josie Quinn.
He refused to consider the worst-case scenario, so he pressed on.
Just then, he saw some survivors passing ahead.
He quickly ducked behind a stone pillar.
The sound of shuffling footsteps and a man's rough voice grew closer.
"Who the hell does Felix Fields think he is?" the man spat. "He's just showing off for the boss because he's got a few powers."
The speaker was a burly, bearded man with a belligerent look on his face.
The lanky man beside him quickly grabbed his arm. "Keep your damn voice down!"
He glanced around nervously, and only when he was sure they were alone did he continue, "Last week, Six only touched Jane Alden once, and for the past few days, he's been taking him out as a human shield..."
The bearded man spat disdainfully, a thick glob of phlegm landing just three inches from Lucas Lockwood's shoe.
"That girl he brought back," the bearded man suddenly whispered, his voice slick and nauseating, "she's way hotter than the little canaries the boss keeps in Sector B. That waist, those legs... Man, if I could sleep with her just once, I'd let the zombies eat me after and it'd be worth it."
"Keep it down! Felix Fields treasures her like the apple of his eye. Even the boss wouldn't dare lay a finger on her."
The voices faded into the distance. Lucas Lockwood stepped out from the shadows, his handsome face clouded over.
******
Josie Quinn sat on a lounge chair, her legs propped up on a man's back.
"Stay down. Did I say you could move?"
She twirled a sharp dagger in her hand, occasionally brushing the blade against the man's earlobe. "You look again, and I'll help you close your eyes forever. How does that sound?"
Her voice was as sweet as melted honey, but her eyes were cold as a tomb.
Cold sweat beaded on the man's forehead, and his Adam's apple bobbed. "Please... don't. I didn't mean it. I just... I just brushed against you by accident."
'She knew Felix Fields held a special status here; even Marco Cross was wary of him.'
'Besides, she wasn't planning on staying long. There was no reason to put up with any crap. When it was time to act, she acted.'
Sensing the man was about to get up, Josie kicked him again. "Stay down. You can stand up when you've learned to control your hands and your eyes, understand?"
Large beads of sweat dripped from the man's forehead.
But he didn't dare fight back. A single word from Felix Fields would be enough for Marco Cross to have him killed.
Seeing the man had finally learned his lesson, Josie leaned back.
But when she glanced up, her gaze froze.
Five meters away, standing in the shadows like a statue, was Lucas Lockwood.
He was still wearing the same black jacket. His handsome, solemn face, reminiscent of a snow-dusted cedar, flickered in the dim light. His eyes churned with an emotion Josie couldn't decipher.
Josie shot to her feet and walked toward him.
A note of pleasant surprise in her voice, she asked, "What are you doing here? Were you looking for me?"
Lucas Lockwood's lips thinned. "As long as you're okay."
Josie keenly sensed the shift in his mood.
"Are you angry?"
'I've been missing for days,' Josie thought. 'It must have taken him just as long to find me. That couldn't have been easy.'
So she softened her tone, trying to placate him. "I didn't mean to not come back. My powers were almost depleted when a zombie kicked me in here."
"It's not that you want to stay here?" Lucas Lockwood asked, staring into her eyes.
Josie laughed. "Didn't I tell you I'm heading for the Safe Zone? Why would I want to stay here?"
Lucas Lockwood's gaze swept over the people in the shelter. "Then come with me. I'll get you out of here now."
Just as Josie was about to reply, footsteps approached, and she could faintly hear Felix Fields's voice.
She immediately pushed Lucas Lockwood forward, shoving them both into a dead-end corner of the corridor.