Defrost my Heart Part Sixteen: Bound by Evil

Lady Nitro:

Staring at the shivering sixteen year old in the center of the very jewelry store I got arrested in, a chill ran up my spine. His shaggy hair floated up in his intense white hot flames, the officers moving in too aggressively. A light burned bright in his vibrant blue eyes, my throat clearing shutting them down. Bubbles dotted his skin, the burns getting worse by the second. Shoving my way to the front, a bit of ice cracking up my arms. Marching right up to him, fear rounded his eyes. 

“Who ditched you here?” I asked calmly, silent tears evaporating in the intense heat. “If you tell me, then you can avoid jail time. . All you have to do is let me cool you down.” Snatching my hand, ice brought the heat down to a reasonable level. Spinning on my heels, the officers shrank back at my death glare. Dialing my construction team, the glass and fire damage would be repaired in a few minutes once they got here. 

“Let him be. They pulled the same shit with me.” I hissed venomously, the gruff grunts joined looks of pure disbelief. Collapsing into my arms, the boy needed a hospital. Sensing something off about him, the powers were a carbon copy of my brother’s. Tossing him over my shoulder, my father skated up to me. Holding out his arms, his eyes shifted towards the teenager dangling off of my shoulders.

“I will take him to the hospital. Follow the clues to clear his name.” He begged sternly, the body feeling heavy as I lowered him into his arms. “You may not be able to fix your past but you can polish his future.” Taking off with him, the officers tracked me digging at the fire damage with the tip of my boots. Speckles of gold glinted in the light, my query of if Goldenheart was still in her cell came with an assuring yes. Grimacing to myself, a spike caught my eyes. Plucking it off the ground, the construction team peeled in. Excusing myself, a disc of ice formed underneath my boots. Skating through the hole, a trail of gold led me to tire tracks. Skating along them, my breath hitched at the sight of the male version of Goldenheart. Hiding behind a wall, his incredibly muscular form bulged in his golden Victorian style suit. Cold ocean blue eyes met mine, his hand lowering a golden lion mask. 

“I knew using someone your age in a similar situation would draw you out.” He gloated with sick glee, solid brass knuckles made of golden steel lowered onto his meaty hands. "I, Lord Goldenheart, won't let you live!" Furrowing my brows, the bastard had switched to the third person. A strained what flooded from my lips, ice building around my clenching fists. His wild bright blond waves floated up with every step towards me, shards of ice floated in the air with every violent block. A solid punch shattered my hand, the next one striking my stomach. Frozen blood clattered into my mask, a couple of organs breaking. Sinking to my knees, a thick ice dome prevented me from breaking anymore of me. Untying my mask, blood crystals shattered at my knees. Refusing to stop, his strength was triple his sister’s. 

“Did you know that boy is infused with your brother’s blood? That shit happened yesterday.” He sang with a sadistic grin, a fresh wave of panic crashed through me. Cupping my stomach, three spikes prevented me from bleeding out. 

“Judging from your reaction, those spikes are soaked in concentrated salt water.” He laughed maniacally, my blood boiling within me. Coughing up actual blood, everything blurring. Hot flames seared the trees around me, Demonico scooping me up. Brimstone arrows floated behind him, his eyes darting around the blackened park. Ripping out the spikes would be deadly while leaving them in would be as well. Silent tears stained my cheeks as Demonico laid me against a rock. Too weak to move, my protests fell on deaf ears. Charging at Lord Goldenheart, Brimstone blocked him from getting stuck. Miscalculating in front of me,  his fist smashed through his chest. Holding him by his heart, a wet pop had him growing limp. Screaming out in desperation, a toss had him rolling to my feet. No light shown in his eyes, my trembling hands clutching him close to my chest. Smashing his fist into the back of my skull, the crack sickened me. Gritting my teeth, his next words sent chills up my spine. 

“An eye for an eye. I took something from you.” He whispered darkly in my ear, the ringing beginning. Snatching his wrist, the crack sent his brass knuckles rolling to my feet. Fighting the urge to murder him, compassion kept me at bay. Hurt drove him to such an action. 

“You could join her! She’s not dead! That is something I would never do!” I wheezed between wrenching sobs, blood pouring from the corner of my mouth. "Do you really want to be like her?” Flashing lights had him running off, a rough blackness swallowing me whole. 

Groaning awake, Demonico peered down at me. His tears splashed onto my face, a metallic clicking mixing with whirs in his chest. Yanking him into a big hug, our sobs became one. Refusing to let him go, the thought of losing someone else paralyzed me. Steam swirled around us, his being alive had me sobbing harder.  Squirming out of my arms, he unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a nasty scar over his heart. 

“They used one of my own hearts that I donated to the hospital.” He wept joyfully, his gloved fingers wiping away his tears. Grinning ear to ear, my fingers met a medical metal mask over my mouth. Attempting to sit up failed, his hands waving around. 

“The formula in the bag is fusing your organs back together. Master Elements is strengthening all of our suits as we speak.” He comforted me while holding my gloved hand. Steam spun into the air, his grip tightening. Holding it against his cheek, tears froze upon contact. Noticing the pile of frozen tears around me, a quick sweep had them skidding across the floor. Running his hand through his hair, the alarm blaring had him popping to his feet. Sprinting out of the room, a quiet fear descended upon me. Tearing off the medical mask, a yank of the pole holding my medicine had the bag in my mouth. Biting down, intense jolts of pain had me seizing as tissue weaved together at a rapid rate. Feeling well enough to move, my bare feet met the cold metal of the cryogenic chamber. Stumbling towards the door, ice crept up my arm. Unlocking the door, several of those monsters were running through the empty halls. Limping through the shadows, ice followed with every footfall. Collapsing into the kitchen , salt was what I needed. Grunting as I dragged it to the room holding the water for the tanks for the sprinklers. Climbing to the top, the metal became rather brittle with lingered contact. Kicking it a couple of times, a familiar voice reprimanded me. A bloody Demonico had his hands on his hips, his sharp eyes noticing the bag of salt in my arms. Dumping it into the water, a cloudiness overtook it. Opening up his arms, a push off had me smashing into him. My boots dangled in his hand, the other one sliding them one. Feeling awkward in the floor length rubber nightgown, scarlet flushed my cheeks. 

“Shall I start the sprinklers?” He inquired with a twinkle in his eyes,  an earned concern twisting my features. Forming a flaming ball of flaming brimstone, a toss into the hall had smoke reaching for the fire sensors. Leaning against the wall, a bit of hope burned bright within my heart. The fire alarm joined the chorus of the other ones, saltwater dissolving the ninety percent of the monsters. 

“Do you have any of those orange bombs?” I queried tiredly, the effect of the rapid healing taking its toll with a spinning room. Passing me a couple of bombs, his arm caught me. Placing me on his back, guilt ate at me. 

“Throw them as you see fit.” He chuckled heartily, a flick of my wrist had a tarp floating over us. “Nice. Let’s not burn my skin. Next time, take the time to recover for me.” Nodding at the same time, we were ready to rage a war. Crashing into the hall, ten gathered in front of us. Low growls rumbled in their throats, tattered scrubs hanging off of their hardened shells. Tears welled up in my eyes, peeling off the top stung. Tossing it over my head, Demonico hit the floor. Screeches tore my heart to shreds, his busted look validating my emotions. Salt water pelted the tarp over us, the silence sounding deafening. Struggling to his feet, a long sigh drew from his lips. A deeper iciness claimed my breath, every cloud growing thicker. Skidding down the railing, the sea of monsters outside the window paralyzed us. Seeing none beyond that, it took everything I had to rip off the tops of the remaining bombs. Throwing them into the center, an explosion of saltwater dissolved the rest of them. Slapping the tarp off, he leaned me against the wall. Sliding down the wall with him, ice particles glistened in my panicked breathing. Digging around his pocket, his shaking hands tied a replacement mask around my mouth. Containing the spreading ice around my nose underneath it, his head laying on my shoulder had it receding back. Slowing everything down with a few soul opening breaths, his numb expression met mine. Saying nothing, the silence felt like a lukewarm embrace. Struggling to my feet, a list would help me with my next step. 

“Be a dear and call the police to get any missing persons’ reports to my email.” I requested with a busted smile underneath my mask. Using the wall to make my way to a bustling nurse station, the doctor was flipping through the files. His worn face met mine, the words not reaching his quivering lips. 

“Do you have the list of people who showed up for work tonight? Would you like my medical team to work as nurses until you can fill the positions again?” I spouted in a quivering voice, the keyboard clicking away. Patting my shoulders while placing the paper in my palm with a look of dismay, the three living nurses brushed past me with carts of medical supplies. Chewing on my lips, the notification of my email had me leaping into the air. Landing roughly, my old man smashed into me. Burying me into a desperate hug, his frozen tears bounced off of my back. 

“Thank you for saving us.” He wept into my shoulder, his grip strengthening. Stepping back, his fingers scratched at his pants. Stumbling past the distraught nurses, the boy from the jewelry store shoved them out of the way. Tripping to a stop in front of me, the hem of his gown swayed around his knees.  Sinking to my knees, a numbness crippled my ability to move. Plopping down across from me, a deep sorrow washed over me. It was as if my brother and I switched roles, his hand hovering over mine. 

“Thank you for convincing them that I didn’t do it.” He thanked me graciously, his eyes darting all around. “My name is Infernox. May I become your sidekick?" Snapping his eyes in my direction, the intensity of his stare could burn a hole through anybody. 

“I don’t see why not.” I choked out awkwardly, my father cupping his shoulders. Guiding him back to his room, a heaviness hung over me. What were those monsters thinking? How could you use a dead man’s blood on a kid! Banging my fist on a forming disc of ice, shards shot into the air. Fear haunted my features, the bastards deserving any hell coming their way. Opening up my email, rows and rows of missing names had the phone breaking in half. Pressing my forehead to the freshly cleaned floor, a scream exploded from my lips. Every tip led me nowhere, the bodies piling up. All my hard work with finding a cure proved to be disastrous, the wear and tear dragging me down. 

“I printed out the list.” Demonico’s voice assured me calmly, his hands tossing me over his shoulder. “Let’s get you back to bed to work through the hard shit together.” Nodding with every step towards my hospital room, the door hissing open. Tucking me in with my boots and mask on, a pile of papers landing on my lap the second the bed clicked into the sitting position. Flipping through the papers, the missing employees had to be somewhere on both lists. The names I needed popped out, Demonico highlighting them for me. Crossing out half the names, the color drained from my cheeks. Checking all of their professions, another arrow struck my heart. Rolling onto my side, he knew better than to ask about where I was mentally. Wishing I would sleep away this nightmare, nothing took the bite off of it all. 

“May I come in?” A familiar voice requested politely, Demonico letting him in. “Please teach me how to use my new powers.” Rolling back over, a tuckered out Infernox pressed his palms back together. Pulling up a chair next to me, white hot flames crackled to life on his palm. Cupping his hand weakly, the flames puttered out. 

“I can take you on the less dangerous ones.” I promised him sincerely, his features brightening visibly. “Can you tell me more about Lord Goldenheart?” Sighing dejectedly, his fingers gripped the blanket in response. Swallowing the lump in his throat several times, his eyes darted to the floor next to him. 

“He was my boss. I refused to do the crimes with him until he ditched me at that damn store. I am sorry he punched you. Sorry he basically killed you.” He blurted out in a flurry of mouth vomit, his body beginning to quiver. “They killed my fucking family and kidnapped me. Hot, everything felt so damn hot!" Yanking him into a bear hug, steam curled into the air. Sobbing uncontrollably into my chest, something about his personality reminded me of the good times with my brother. 

“That bastard won’t ever get to you again." I comforted him while rubbing his back. The door hissing open had him flopping back into his chair, my old man requesting that they could get a couple cups of tea.  Scrambling out of the room without protest, he crashed into the chair next to me. Untying his mask, it hit the bed. Leaning down to undo mine, the mask rolled to my quaking hand. 

“Why would you ever take him on yourself!” He chastised me fairly, a quick dig around his pocket revealed one of his spikes from his brass knuckles. “Revenge makes people blind. You are lucky that I kept Emberox at fucking bay! From now on, Emberox and I will be guarding you. Do you know how powerful he freaking is!” The chastisement had gone too far, my temper flaring. 

“I think I found that out first freaking hand! You sent me after him. Don’t forget that!” I snapped back hotly, his brow cocking. “I will go against him again if it means a citizen not getting hurt. Guard me all you freaking want.” The desire to leave burned deep within me, my muscles not letting me. 

“Sorry for yelling at you.” He apologized in a softened tone, his hands clasping mine. “I only have one kid left and I can’t stand the thought of losing you. That list of people you have highlighted deserve a memorial for people to go see them. Would you like to help me make one with our ice?” Mumbling out a tearful yeah, our little argument ended. Sometimes our tempers flared hotter than hell itself, his palms slapping his lap whipped me out of my mental downward spiral. 

“How am I so lucky to have you in my life? You are a clever and mature woman that any father would be proud of.” He gushed in a fatherly tone, the twinkle in his eyes returning. “About Inferno, we can take under our wing together." Wiggling my fingers, the ability to move showed itself. Sitting up on my own, protest haunted me with every movement. 

“How do you run the company and not feel the weight of the lost souls?” I queried honestly, a crestfallen smile dimming the light in his eyes. “Darkness is threatening to drown me.” Leaning back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest. 

“Maybe age? Next time you feel like that, remember everyone you're helping.” He answered gently, the sound of our family approaching the room nearly cutting him short. “You can’t win them all, kiddo.” Recognizing the truth in his last sentence, my family rushing in silenced the conversation. Opening up my arms, a loving family hug grounded me. A nurse cleared her throat, everyone giving me space as she checked me over. Leaving with a polite smile, our medical team met her at the door. Demonico let himself in with Infernox, the kids bouncing over to them. Passing hot teas over to us, they offered to go get them a treat. Permitting them with a genuine smile, cheers erupted in the room. Dragging them out of the room, Emberox crawled onto the bed with our twins. Smothering them in kisses, fighting crime was what I was doing all of this for. Please grant me the luck I needed to bring the president down.