"Keeping it at bay this much is like holding pee: it just increases the chances of you peeing yourself as time passes, the pressure building until it becomes unbearable. Telling me to release some of the power is telling me to pee a little when my bladder is about to burst, a risky gamble that could backfire catastrophically. I might let it all out, lose control entirely, and it'd be bye-bye Thaad, the city and everyone in it."
Heka watched the beautiful man beside her, her vibrant brown eyes tracing the lines of his face in the soft moonlight.
Benjamin's breathing came hard and labored, each inhale catching slightly in his chest, his lungs working overtime to draw in the cool night air.
He twisted one arm across his body in a slow, tired motion, trying to ease the residual strain that had settled deep into his muscles, his fingers pressing into his own shoulder with ineffective pressure.
His eyes were heavy-lidded and drooping with exhaustion.
