The waterfall hung in the air.
What had once been a roaring cascade now curved upward like a frozen river of silver suspended between earth and sky.
Shattered droplets floated around Lucas Kane, circling slowly in the air.
They drifted around him like obedient stars orbiting a sun.
Even the waterfall seemed quiet now.
As if it had decided that making too much noise around Lucas might provoke another impossible command.
The forest was completely silent.
Except for one voice.
"Lucas!"
The sound came from behind him.
Lucas froze.
Bare-chested, his breathing still heavy from training, he slowly turned.
Emerging from the forest path was Gwen Stacy.
Her white outdoor jacket was smeared with dirt. Her blonde hair was disheveled, and sweat dampened her forehead.
But her blue eyes were bright.
Bright with relief.
"Gwen?"
Lucas stared at her in disbelief.
Of all the possibilities he had considered—
The military from Quantico.
Federal agents.
Maybe even someone from S.H.I.E.L.D..
But Gwen?
That had never crossed his mind.
How had she found him?
Lucas stood there, momentarily stunned.
Then time resumed.
The suspended waterfall collapsed back into motion with a thunderous crash.
Water surged downward again, though the torrent now seemed strangely quieter—almost cautious.
As if the waterfall itself remembered what Lucas could do.
Meanwhile Gwen had already started running.
She didn't know why she was running.
She had already found him.
Still, her feet carried her forward instinctively.
Moments later she splashed into the pool beneath the waterfall and waded toward him.
Then she threw her arms around him.
Lucas instinctively caught her.
He shifted his body slightly, shielding her from the impact of the falling water.
A second later—
They vanished.
Lucas moved in a blur.
When he reappeared, he was standing on the riverbank beside the pool, Gwen still in his arms.
Steam rose from their bodies like smoke.
The waterfall had soaked them both, but Lucas's body radiated intense heat.
Within seconds the moisture evaporated completely.
Their clothes—and Lucas's skin—were dry again.
Lucas looked down at the girl clinging to him.
He opened his mouth.
He had been about to ask how she had managed to find him when even the U.S. military couldn't.
But Gwen had already fallen asleep.
Her breathing was slow and steady.
A faint, exhausted snore escaped her lips.
Lucas paused.
Then he quietly sat down on the grass, letting Gwen rest comfortably in his arms.
For several minutes he simply watched her.
Her blonde hair was tangled from the hike.
Lucas raised a hand to brush it aside.
His fingers hesitated briefly in midair.
Then he gently smoothed the strands away from her face.
About half an hour later, Gwen stirred.
She opened her eyes slowly.
Still half-asleep, she stretched lazily—like she was waking up in her own bed.
Then she noticed Lucas looking down at her.
Their eyes met.
Gwen blinked.
Lucas smiled faintly.
"Hi."
"Holy—!"
Gwen shot upright instantly.
Her face turned pink almost immediately.
Lucas stood as well, stretching slightly.
His limbs made quiet cracking sounds after staying completely still for half an hour so he wouldn't wake her.
Gwen glanced around the forest, trying to regain her composure.
Then her gaze returned to Lucas.
He was still wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.
His physique looked like something carved from marble—broad shoulders, defined muscles, balanced and powerful.
His blue eyes were calm, framed by sharp brows that gave him a quiet intensity.
Before, Lucas had always seemed restrained.
Like a sword sheathed and hidden.
Now that sword had been drawn.
Gwen found herself staring.
For a second longer than she intended.
Then she snapped out of it.
A mischievous smile appeared.
"Library, huh?" she said.
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
He caught the hint of accusation beneath the teasing tone.
After a moment, he nodded.
"…Sorry."
Gwen's smile widened.
Lucas had apologized to her before.
But those apologies had always sounded distant—automatic.
This one felt different.
She could hear it.
Gwen held out her hand.
Lucas blinked.
"My phone," she said. "Why didn't you answer any of my calls?"
Lucas walked over to a nearby rock where his folded shirt lay and picked up the phone resting on top.
He handed it to her.
"I've been out here for more than twenty days," he said. "The battery died a long time ago."
Gwen paused.
She pressed the power button.
Nothing.
The phone was completely dead.
Then a thought crossed her mind.
Holding Lucas's phone in one hand, she pulled out her own.
She opened the message link she had used earlier.
The page was gone.
The location signal had vanished.
Gwen stared at the screen in confusion.
Lucas finally asked the question he'd been wondering about since she arrived.
"How did you find me?"
Gwen snapped out of her thoughts.
Without showing anything on her face, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and returned his.
Then she smiled calmly.
"My dad's a police captain," she said.
"So if I want to…"
Her smile widened slightly.
"I can always find you."
Lucas blinked.
There was no way that explanation was true.
He would have to be insane to believe it.
But Gwen's cheeks were slightly flushed after saying it.
Lucas studied her for a moment.
Then he nodded slowly.
"Got it."
If he had been curious earlier about how she found him—
That curiosity had disappeared somewhere during the half hour she slept in his arms.
Maybe Gwen was right.
Maybe, if she really wanted to…
She could always find him.
Lucas decided to accept that explanation.