Evolution // An MCU Story (Book Two)

xxii

I furrowed my eyebrows in anger, the purple energy flowing through my wrists and ready to use.

I split my focus, using my left hand to hold up a shield in front of both my father and I, and my right hand to launch a glowing ball of energy directly into Killian's face at the same time.

I flinched back as he yelled out in pain, my mind racing after the split second of chaos.

My shaking gaze fell to the ground in front of me, seeing the bullet hit the ground, still in tact.

It worked. My shield worked.

Killian turned his head away, hunched over in pain as the orange glow spread around his face to begin healing him.

I looked up at Tony, who was watching me with horrified shock, his chest heaving as he processed what had happened. At the same time, I watched the sickening reality of how easily I could get killed fully settle in.

His jaw was clenched tight but his eyes seemed to speak louder than words.

My heart was racing, beating loudly in my ears as I felt the purple energy flow back into my hands and wrists, but feeling the lingering glow. I clenched my jaw and held my head high as I glared up at Killian, my breathing shaky as he straightened and turned to face me.

He twitched his head as the last of the orange glow pulsed and faded beneath his skin, a smile spreading across his freshly healed face.

"Which is precisely why I could use your assistance, Ms. Stark." He continued, moving on as if nothing had happened. 

He grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me to my feet, smiling at the pain in my eyes. I kept my jaw clenched and my expression as still as I could manage, but I couldn't stop my eyes from watering at the burning in my scalp.

My nose twitched in anger at him touching my hair as I silently made a vow to live long enough to watch him die first. He wouldn't get the satisfaction of taking my life.

"Who knows how powerful EXTREMIS could become when paired with something of this nature."

I felt sick to my stomach, each terrifying possibility running through my head ending in bloodshed.

I didn't break my glare as he reached over and removed my handcuffs from the chain tethering me to the wall, my eyebrows furrowing in anger as I jerked my arms up to hit him across the head.

He dodged back out of the way just in time, glaring over at me before smacking me right across my face with the back of his hand. The metal on his rings cut into my skin and my vision blurred as my body was nearly knocked over by the force.

My mouth filled with blood and I heard my father begin to desperately pull on his restraints.

I turned my head to look up at him again only to have my body once again yanked up and pushed back, my head colliding with the wall behind me with Killian's hand wrapped tightly around my throat.

I struggled to clear my head enough to think straight as I tried to gasp for air, frantically trying to free myself while he began to squeeze the life from me.

My lungs screamed for air as I desperately looked over at Tony for help, his face drained of color as he yelled something I couldn't decipher.

Colors flashed behind my eyelids as I choked and gasped for air, overwhelming me until the only one left was black.

"It's enough!" My father's voice boomed from somewhere nearby, causing Killian's grip on my throat to loosen slightly. "It's enough, I get it. Let her go."

I opened my eyes, my vision hazy and blurred while I continued to struggle.

I looked up at Killian, wheezing as I tried to get him to let go. But everything was getting fainter. My hands dropped down, unable to continue pushing him away.