My heart pounded, the adrenaline coursing through my veins like liquid fire. The scent of wet earth filled my nostrils as the golden light engulfed us.

"Fuck!" Elijah muttered. He clapped, sending a sonic boom forward, but the sound was sucked into a void of light.

And then came the Golden Guardian's self-righteous speech. "Give up, Villains! You can't escape the law forever! You can't continue to hide in the forest."

The familiar thrill of defiance surged through me, reminding me why I'd chosen this path. There was no way I'd give up without a fight.

Apparently, neither would Elijah. He unleashed another sonic boom at Golden Guardian, rippling the air. The tall pine trees surrounding us creaked and cracked, their needles rustling ominously, but the golden light grew, quickly stopping the attack.

"You're not going to take me down that easily!" Golden shouted.

I snickered at how one-dimensional Golden Guardian was. Did I sound like that? 'Be careful, the Ladies in Leather are here!' Or Elijah, 'Watch out for SuperBoom!'

Okay, I guess we were all a little obsessed with our alter egos.

Elijah's powers were useless as long as Golden Guardian kept up his void of light. If Elijah clapped any more, the trees would fall and squash us as flat as a pancake.

"Damn. It looks like I have to save the day again." It was all up to me. I launched into the sky, pain shooting up my body from the bullet wound, and leaving Elijah below. The cool night air whipped past my face as I soared upward. "Try to catch me!" I exclaimed.

Damn. I did sound as one-dimensional as Golden Guardian. I'm sure we all had depth hiding beneath our costumes.

Just as expected, Golden flew after me, dodging the pine boughs with his flapping golden hawk wings. The metallic gleam of his feathers caught the moonlight, creating a dazzling display.

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed, catching my foot firmly in his grasp.

Elijah sent another sonic boom into the sky, knocking the Guardian out of the sky as his wings couldn't take the blast, but he also hit my heels, sending me on an out-of-control spiral through the rain.

Another sonic boom, and the earth thudded as Golden Guardian fell through the branches.

I twisted and turned in the sky, trying to make as much air resistance as I could to slow my flight. I flapped my arms, pushed my belly out, and curled into a ball until I had control again. As I returned to the forest to get Elijah, I was too late.

Golden Guardian had him in tow with his hands bound together so he couldn’t clap, stopping any further sonic booms.

Dang. All this… for nothing. The weight of disappointment settled in my chest, heavy and cold.

Golden Guardian snapped his head up, dropped Elijah's arm, and launched into the heavens right towards me. I tried to escape, but he was too fast and too strong for my weakened state. He soared through the air, catching me off guard and snatching me out of the sky.

"Gotcha again!" his fingers dug into the tender flesh on my arm. I really needed to work out. Maybe I’d finally say yes to Madison’s excessive invites to CrossFit.

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Elijah tried to run, but Golden Guardian was ready for the escape. With me in tow, kicking and screaming like nothing more than a minor annoyance, he flew towards Elijah while sending a flash of blinding golden light.

The light disappeared to reveal Elijah covering his eyes with an arm, stumbling back and tumbling to the ground. Golden Guardian’s orb or light absorbed superpowers for a fraction of a minute and Elijah wouldn’t be of any use, even if I could get his hands separated.

A smug smile fell on Golden's lips as he handcuffed us and flew us out of the forest, handing us over to the authorities parked on the road. As quick as a snake's strike, they shoved us in the back of a cop car together.

"Ouch! I'm injured." I complained as I was forced to sit down on my butt with my hands cuffed behind my back. I leaned over, using Elijah as support to keep the pressure off the bad cheek. Sure, I could have grinned and bore it, but part of me, deep down, was enjoying being pressed against my ex's bare chest. Plus, I didn't want to rip out those agonizing stitches I had survived.

Outside, the cops were receiving a report from Golden Guardian, leaving Elijah and me alone.

"Oh great, it looks like Golden Guardian is getting a medal for capturing us," I said with a sarcastic eye roll. "Well, at least he'll have something shiny to distract from his ridiculous bright red and yellow outfit." I chuckled. "So, this is what it feels to be captured, huh?" My poor attempt at humor didn't lighten the mood.

A vein pulsed on Elijah's temple. "You left me." His face was unreadable, but I could feel the tension radiating off him.

I chuckled nervously. "Technically, you left me when you went to prison." Then I realized he wasn't referring to the events nearly a year ago. "I was trying to protect you by luring Golden Guardian away so your powers would work. But then, you didn't wait long enough. You threw a sonic boom right at me and I almost crashed." I sat back and crossed my arms over my chest, but when I looked at my almost-ex, he had a smirk on his face. "Seriously? We're sitting in the back of a squad car and you're smiling?"

"First, I think you finally understand why I left you with the police a year ago. I was protecting you, too." His voice softened, and for a moment, I could see the man I fell in love with. "And second, I've always found you irresistible with that pouty lip and sultry eyes, but you don't know how turned on I am right now. You look absolutely scrumptious in black leather and a mask. I didn't want to drag you into my life of crime… but it appears you got here yourself."

Now, if my butt didn't hurt so damn much, I would have leaned away from Elijah, but he was stuck with me hanging onto him. Maybe it was for the best, so he didn't see my cheeks blush. "You corrupted me."

He laughed, the sound rumbling through his chest. "Ah, Darling, admit it. You love the thrill of being on the wrong side of the law. You've always loved it." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "And a little time in prison was a small price to pay for the love of my life."

"Love?" I snorted, ignoring the way my heart skipped at his words. "You never put me first. Your villainous schemes always took priority over our marriage. You left me vulnerable."

"Like how you left me in the forest?" He huffed, playfully. "Oh, Ems, you were never vulnerable. You've always been strong and capable; you just didn't see it back then. Look at you now. But can you blame me?" Elijah adjusted in the seat, allowing my head to fall on his still-bare pectoral. Would it be wrong to lick his nipple? "I am a supervillain, after all. It's in my nature to cause chaos. In fact, I think we both thrive in chaos."

"Like being trapped in the back of a police car together? At least now we have each other's undivided attention. Or the chaos of the fact that we're both on our way to prison?"

"We'll make the best of it." Elijah shrugged.

"Like we did when I saved your ass from blowing up while using that stupid ray gun? I mean as fun as being turned to nanoparticles sounds, it would completely ruin this perfect skin I had been working on."

He laughed, the sound filling the small space of the car. "Oh, you have no idea how much I missed your sarcasm. And to be fair, I always make sure to leave you a front-row seat to my chaotic antics."

"Oh, how thoughtful of you. Who wouldn't want to be constantly dodging danger and evading the law? It's practically a love letter."

"I did like to keep you entertained." Elijah replied with a wink. "And let's be honest, you can't deny that you found the dangerous side of me way more attractive than the boring married man."

"Oh please," I rolled my eyes. "It was that boring man I fell in love with." I waited for a smart-ass comeback, but it didn't come. Had I finally broken through his jokes and gotten to his soul? "Did I finally get to you?"

"I'm just preoccupied with what's going on outside the window."

I pried my eyes up and when I saw the wide eyes and open-mouthed smirk of the blond woman's face pressed against the glass, I jumped. "Holy crap!"