Free Super Villain Academy 2: Polar Opposites by Kai Strand

square, given enough time.”
    Jeff rubbed his face while Set crossed the room and settled into an armchair with all the arrogance his over-inflated ego could support. “What? You didn’t take her?”
    “No. Why do you think I did?” Even sitting, Set managed to look down his nose at Jeff.
    Jeff studied Set. It had only been a few months since he had last seen him. Set attended Super Villain Academy and had once organized his little posse of followers to beat Jeff up pretty thoroughly. Set had stellar villain skills; he was able to create and control weather inside or out, was getting ready to graduate and go out into the world, and was Oceanus’ ex-boyfriend.
    “Are you in-line with Mystic now?” Jeff asked.
    With a dramatic sigh, Set crossed one leg over the other. He made a big production of being in control, even though thunder rumbled and a mysterious wind tossed Jeff’s long hair around. “Would you please explain what you are talking about before I’m forced to zap you with a lightning bolt?”
    “You can’t throw your villain skills around for no good reason. We’re all supposed to be balanced now,” Jeff said.
    “Who says I don’t have a good reason? You’re trespassing,” Set’s bored expression didn’t change.
    “No I’m not!” Jeff squinted at Set. With an unexpected feeling of kinship for Set, he asked, “Didn’t the balancing work on you?”
    “Of course it did. I’d have Savannah get help after I torched you,” Set said with his lip curled with antipathy again. “It was a balancing, Polar. I got an equal amount of good for my bad. I had a lot of bad! I’m just not very good at the good.”
    “Okay, I don’t get it. Why are you here with Savannah? Obviously you’re using her to get to me, but why?” Jeff growled. All feelings of kinship evaporated, and he fought the urge to wipe Set’s look of revulsion off his face with a fist. He squinted at Savannah, who crouched in the corner of the room like a servant awaiting instruction. She stared at Set with a simpering, swooning expression on her face that made Jeff’s stomach lurch.
    “That isn’t important.” Set waved his hand dismissively. “What is important is finding Oceanus.”
    Jeff narrowed his eyes and glared at Set. “Why would you want to find her?”
    Set rolled his eyes and shook his head. “We just went over this. Are you always so slow? I got an equal amount of good. Now it seems, I…” Set’s lips twisted and contorted as he tried to continue, “…care.”
    The realization hit Jeff so hard he rocked backward. He and Set had a common goal, which meant he and Set were suddenly in league. What was that phrase? Frenemies? No. “No! No chance in hell am I gonna work with you!”
    Jeff spun toward the front door, and a gust of wind blasted through the house, slamming all of the doors closed at once. Jeff jumped at the noise and immediately cursed himself for showing any weakness in front of Set.
    “Before you stomp out of here, tell me something,” Set said.
    Jeff stood with his back to Set, clenching his fists, refusing to turn and face him.
    “What’s your plan? I’m sure with all of your contacts in the super world, you know where they’re holding her. How are you going to extract her? I hear you have a habit of collecting ‘friends,’ which I’m sure will come in handy when it comes time to form an extraction team.”
    Jeff was glad he wasn’t facing Set, otherwise his flushed cheeks would give him away. How did Set know Jeff had no plan, or knowledge, or contacts? Yet they both knew that Set, having grown up knowing he was a villain, had access to all sorts of knowledge, contacts and intelligence. Didn’t matter.
    “Oh, go play in a hurricane!” Jeff said, and stomped out the front door.

Chapter 13
    “What’s the point of being super royalty if I can’t get action!” Jeff mumbled to himself. A fraction late, he registered that the traffic light was red and slammed on the brakes,