CHAPTER 368: CHAPTER 368 LIAM’S SHOCK

The street was dead quiet. An abandoned stretch of cracked asphalt, hollow houses staring back with broken windows, weeds creeping out of the gutters. Perfect training ground—no one to peek, no one to scream when things got strange.

Liam stood about a hundred metres away from Vanessa, his hands tucked into his pockets. His voice came through the comms, calm but direct.

"How far can you teleport now?"

Vanessa raised her wrist to her mouth. Her voice carried a hint of pride. "Before it was fifty. Now? Somewhere between one-fifty, maybe two hundred."

Liam gave a slow nod. Not bad. Not bad at all.

The night air felt heavy, still. He bent his knees slightly, wings snapping out from his back. They spread wide, each beat stirring dust off the cracked road. With a single push, he launched himself backwards, slicing through the air until he landed about two hundred metres farther down.

Now the distance between them stretched to three hundred metres.

He tapped his comm. "Alright. Try it. Come to me."

Across the street, Vanessa closed her eyes. Her chest rose once, then fell. When she opened them again, they were sharper, focused. Dark light wrapped her, crackling veins of energy racing along her arms. Then—she vanished.

Liam’s eyes flicked forward, scanning. She didn’t appear right in front of him, but a shimmer popped into existence about fifty metres short—two-fifty. She stumbled a step forward but steadied quick, her eyes wide.

"Not bad," Liam muttered into the comm.

Vanessa smirked, then without hesitation, blinked again. The last fifty vanished in an instant, and suddenly she was right in front of him.

Her lips curled upward. "You were right. The sex... it actually made me stronger."

Her voice was bold, but her cheeks carried the faintest flush. She straightened her shoulders. "And not just the distance. It’s easier. Cleaner. Like I’m not fighting it anymore."

Liam crossed his arms. For once, he didn’t feel a knot of dread in his chest—this was good news. Proof. "So it works. Means Ann, Kelly, Lilith... even Lana. They’ll all benefit."

He didn’t get to finish his thought.

Vanessa moved faster than he expected—not teleporting this time, just... moving. Her arms slid around his torso, hugging him tight, her head pressing against his chest. "Thank you."

Liam froze a moment. He hadn’t seen her like this before. Just raw gratitude.

Then she tilted her face up. Without hesitation, she kissed him. Bold. Firm.

Her lips were warm against his, and when she finally pulled back, her arms still locked around him, she searched his eyes. "Shocked?"

Liam raised one eyebrow. A grin tugged at his mouth.

Instead of answering, his hand slid down, cupping her ass.

It filled his palm instantly—firm, round, with just the right give when he squeezed. Jeans stretched tight around her curves, the fabric barely holding back the soft yet powerful muscle beneath. His fingers dug in, kneading, testing, and he felt her whole body jolt against him.

Vanessa gasped. Her breath hitched, lips parting as her face turned bright red.

Liam leaned in close, his lips brushing her hair, his voice a low whisper. "Shocked?"

She had no words. None. Her breath came shallow, her fingers clutching tighter at his shirt.

For a second, the air between them burned hotter.

Then Liam’s wings snapped open again, tearing through the silence. With a single powerful beat, he lifted off the cracked ground, the wind blasting against Vanessa’s hair and clothes.

She blinked, looking up at him as he rose higher into the night sky, already a shadow against the moonlight.

His voice crackled through the comms, steady but distant. "[I gotta go get Lana.]"

Static. Then nothing.

The line went dead.

Vanessa stood frozen in the middle of the empty road, arms dropping slowly to her sides. She touched her own lips for a second, then her hand drifted down to her butt where he’d squeezed her.

She bit her lip, her chest tightening, and then a smile spread across her face.

——-

The forest at night wasn’t quiet, not with Lana in it. Flames flickered through the trees, weaving a ring around her training ground. She had set them deliberately, each fire small but steady, like sentinels keeping animals and intruders away. The flames threw long shadows across the dirt, their glow licking the bark of nearby trunks.

Inside the circle, Lana moved like she was fighting an unseen enemy. Her hands cut through the air, sparks trailing her fingers. Each motion carried weight, her power answering her commands instantly.

A twist of her wrist — a burst of fire shot from her palm, arching like a whip. She spun her body, sliding across the dirt as though she were dodging a strike, then answered with a fireball that cracked into a tree trunk, leaving blackened bark behind.

She didn’t stop there. Her breathing was rough, sweat dripping down her temples, but she forced herself to continue. Her flames were sharper tonight. More precise. They didn’t scatter uselessly into the air anymore. They flared exactly where she wanted them to. Each strike, each swing, her power obeyed like a sharpened blade instead of a wild spark.

She planted her feet, raised both arms, and with a sharp pull, fire gathered in front of her chest like it had been waiting all along. She shoved it forward, and the fire surged into a wave that roared across the dirt. The air itself trembled. The wave hit the circle of flames she’d created earlier, boosting them higher, hotter. The fire bent with her command, curling back inward and swallowing the training ground in a fiery dome.

From above, the scene was breathtaking.

Liam hovered silently in the air, wings spread wide. He had been there for thirty minutes, hidden by the night sky. He hadn’t said a word, just watched her. At first, he thought she was being reckless, wasting energy. But the longer he watched, the more he saw the control. The intent. She wasn’t just swinging fire wildly—she was sharpening herself, carving precision into raw power.

Still, she was running herself ragged. Her training shirt was soaked through, clinging to her curves. Sweat rolled down her neck, across her collarbone, and her breathing grew harsher with every passing second.

Finally, she stopped. Her knees bent slightly as she leaned against a tree, using the bark for support. Her chest rose and fell hard, every breath shaky, but her eyes stayed sharp.

Liam’s gaze softened. He hadn’t seen her face properly in a while. Even tired, even drenched in sweat and dirt, she was... radiant.

Then, out of nowhere, a voice carried across the firelit clearing.

"Lana, it’s already late. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?"

Liam’s eyes snapped toward the sound.

Just outside the circle of flames stood a woman—Lana’s aunt. The glow lit her faintly, shadows hiding most of her features, but Liam caught enough. She looked calm, almost too calm.

Lana turned her head, and for the first time that night, she smiled. "I’ll come in soon," she said, brushing a stray lock of hair from her sweaty forehead.

From above, Liam’s mind raced. Two things hit him instantly.

One — her aunt knew. She knew Lana had powers. She wasn’t panicked, wasn’t confused. She had seen this before.

Two — how the hell did she get here without him noticing? Liam had been watching the place the entire time. His senses were sharp, his wings silent, his vision trained to catch even the smallest movement. And yet... nothing.

Her aunt nodded, her voice calm as ever. "Don’t spend too much time out here." Then she turned and began walking away. Liam noticed something strange in her steps — lighter than they should’ve been, like she wasn’t pressing fully into the ground. He narrowed his eyes but shook the thought away. He wasn’t here for her.

His eyes went back to Lana.

She stood there, still leaning against the tree, staring forward with her chest rising and falling. For almost a full minute she didn’t move, just catching her breath.

Then—

A sudden gust of wind swept across the clearing, stronger than the soft night breeze. Her hair whipped around her face. Instinctively, she lifted her chin, looking up.

White wings.

Her eyes widened, her lips parting in disbelief. "Liam?" she whispered.

The next second, he folded his wings midair, slowing his descent. He touched the ground softly, barely disturbing the dirt. His boots crunched once against the soil, then he stood tall before her.

"Liam..." Lana murmured again, but this time it wasn’t disbelief. It was relief. She moved before she even thought, rushing at him. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, pressing her damp body against his chest.

Liam let out a quiet breath, then returned the hug. His hand pressed gently against her back. "It’s been a while," he said simply.

Her smile grew against his shoulder, but after a moment, she stiffened. Awareness hit her—she was sweaty, dirty, her shirt clinging uncomfortably to her skin. She pulled back quickly, face red. "I’m sorry—"

Liam blinked. "Sorry?"

Then it clicked. She thought she was gross, thought he wouldn’t want to touch her like this.

Before she could retreat farther, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. With one pull, he brought her back in close, so close their breaths mingled. His eyes locked on hers, unshaken.

He didn’t let her say another word.

He kissed her.

Lana froze for a heartbeat, shocked, her lashes fluttering. Then she melted into it, her lips moving against his. Her heart hammered in her chest, but she didn’t pull away this time.