Chapter 10 · The Last Drop

"Drop it, Kaelen. Now."

The cold muzzle of Roxie’s gun pressed right against the soft skin under my jaw. She wasn't shaking, but I could feel the heat radiating off her—that speedster metabolism humming like a live wire. Between us, on the rusted metal table, sat a single, shimmering vial of iridescent blue serum. The only dose left in the sector.

I tried to shift my weight, and a sharp, jagged pain ripped through my chest. My lungs felt like they were filled with crushed glass. The body I was inhabiting—this pathetic, broken street-brawler’s shell—was finally hitting its limit. My gravity core was leaking, and without that serum, I wasn't just going to lose my powers. I was going to dissolve into a puddle of organic sludge.

"You’re not in any shape to fight, Vane," Roxie whispered. Her breath smelled like mint and adrenaline. She leaned in closer, the barrel of the gun digging deeper into my skin. "Give me the vial. I can get this to my brother. You? You’re just a dead man walking with a fancy title."

I let out a wet, rattling laugh. "Your brother... cute.