Reality Hero Read Online Free

Dina didn’t either. He wondered if she’d forgotten his feelings, or if she just didn’t care.
    Her body stiffened. She whirled around, gasping. Dina dropped the glass. In an instant he caught it, and without spilling a drop, he handed the glass back to her. She scowled. He was unable to miss her disapproval. Her eyes seemed to shine with challenge as she took a long drink. Her eyes never left his. They stepped inside and she set the glass down on a small end table next to the couch.
    “I hate it when you poof. Not only is it creepy as hell, it can’t be good for your internal organs. I wish you had just let the glass fall. I don’t like to see you exert yourself unnecessarily. There’s no telling what those abilities do to your body or life expectancy.” Dina put her hands on her hips, tilting her head to the side. He loved how expressive her face was. She couldn’t bluff. He grinned, remembering a long ago game of strip poker she’d lost to him. “Don’t get me wrong. Thanks for protecting my security deposit. This white carpet wouldn’t look good with a big red spot, but I don’t want to see you die over a glass of wine,” she scolded.
    He’d missed her giving a damn. She was the only person on Earth who didn’t want to see him use his abilities. He crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his eyebrow as he looked at her glass on the table. She glared at him, picked it up, and took another long drink, draining the wine.
    “I told you to get some bars on those windows. This isn’t the best neighborhood. I don’t like you standing out on that balcony. Those glass doors are just begging for trouble,” he said as he scowled at the offending architecture.
    “My doors aren’t begging for anything, Zane. I like my place just the way it is. I don’t want to live in any more cages.” Her voice was pinched.
    The words made him flinch. He dropped the subject of her security. They appraised one another silently. He always came by, every single night, just to be sure she was safe. She didn’t know, but he couldn’t sleep if he hadn’t checked on her. She’d probably be angry if she knew, but he didn’t care. Her life mattered to him, more than anything else ever would. Even if she wanted nothing to do with him, he’d never stop loving her.
    “How are you, Di?”
    “Desperate. I’m sorry I had to ask you to come. I know the hours you and the others keep.”
    Her words hurt. Knowing she wanted nothing to do with him and hearing it were two different things. He wished she was glad she’d had an excuse to see him; he was happy to see her. She’d told him she was sick of freaks years ago, but he’d hoped she’d seen all the good his affliction had done. He’d wanted her to see him as something other than damaged.
    Grunting, Zane shrugged. Dina scowled, but dropped the subject.
    “Speaking of bad habits…what the fuck is with the wine, Di?”
    “I’m not your mother. Don’t try to be mine. Not everyone who drinks a glass of wine is going to turn out to be a child-abusing alcoholic.”
    He flinched again.
    “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
    He didn’t reply. Things were bad between them, and he didn’t know exactly when that’d happened.
    She cleared her throat and opened her mouth as if to speak, then she closed it again. She turned away. “I wouldn’t normally ask you to do this, but my job is on the line. It’s been a tough year. I have a project I want you to be involved with.”
    He didn’t like where she was going with the conversation.
    She continued. “I’d like you to star in a reality television program.”
    Zane felt his mouth actually drop open. If she’d asked him to do anything else, he would have willingly complied. Reality TV was the last thing he’d suspected she needed him to help her do. She had to be joking. Maybe he already was on TV, a remake of The Twilight Zone , or possibly a hidden camera show? He scanned the room using one of his newer abilities, no