Page 83 of Secret Spark

“That’s normal for me.” Joan kissed her. “I run a little hot.”

“Are you absorbing my energy?”

“I told you I don’t do that.”

A thread of worry cut through her desire. Joan could control herself, but this was unexpected and slightly awkward. Wouldn’t sex with a Superhero be fantastic, especially one with Joan’s abilities?

Maybe she was overreacting. Sleeping with Joan wasn’t going to be like sleeping with an average person. Good, bad, or somewhere in between, it was going to be a whole new experience.

“Then it must be these pesky clothes,” Sadie said. She reached for the top button on Joan’s shirt. “We should get them out of the way.”

“Definitely.”

She undid two buttons, glancing up to smile at Joan before undoing the one covering her athletic bra.

Then she noticed Joan’s eyes.

Her irises glowed a ferocious shade of crimson. Flickering with…

Fire.

Full-blown fear shot through her body. She stepped back on shaky legs. “Joan.” The word came out on a breath. “What’s happening with your eyes?”

Joan blinked and shook her head. “Nothing,” she muttered. “Shit.Nothing.”

She ran a hand through her hair. Flashes of light sparked off her fingers.

Why was she shooting off energy? She only did that if she absorbed something. If she wasn’t taking it in, she had to be generating it.

Generating…fire?

“Joan.” This time, it came out as a frightened cry. “What is going on?”

Joan opened her mouth, hesitated, then closed it. She dropped her arms to her sides.

Everything became terribly, shockingly clear.

Joan was not Catch.

Sadie held her palms out. “Ohhhh my god.”

“Sadie, I…”

“What’s going on? Who are you?”

“Sadie…” Joan reached out a hand.

“No.” Sadie moved away from her. “Who are you? You’re not Catch. I don’t know who you are. Is your name even Joan?”

“Yes.” Her forehead wrinkled. “I need you to hear this, okay? Please. This isn’t how I wanted you to find out.”

Joan took a small step toward her, which made Sadie take three in the other direction.

“Almost everything I’ve told you is true. My name really is Joan Malone. I really did grow up in a small town and get kicked out by my parents.”

“Who are you?” Sadie demanded.

Joan shoved her hands in her pockets, then pulled them out when her pants began to smoke. What the hell? “I’ve been trying to tell you. I didn’t know how. I like you so much and didn’t want things to change. You…”