by Shana Vernon
“I’m so sorry,” I said, my chest aching for her. Everything I did was for Papa; I couldn't have imagined how awful that must have been.
A knock sounded on the door before it opened to reveal a man who could only have been Axel’s father. They were almost identical, though he looked marginally older.
“I apologize for the intrusion ladies. Son, Remington wishes to know if you will be needing any weapons for this task you are undertaking,” he said with a slight accent.
“No, thank you, Father. No kills have been sanctioned for this operation.”
“Alright, I’ll let him know. And Son, do try to come back more often. Your mother is sad during your absence.”
His father left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
“I’m in! The loop is starting now, so depending on how intelligent they are, we probably have less than thirty minutes before they figure it out,” Axel said.
Remington drove us to the corner of the street where the bank was situated and waved us off. “Good luck with your heist.”
“We aren’t going to rob the bank, but thank you, Remington,” said Axel.
I fitted my earpiece into place.
“Give me five minutes before you enter.” I accepted the surveillance equipment from Axel and walked toward the building, a slight chill slithering down my spine.
If this was the kind of work Papa had done, it was no wonder he hadn’t wanted me involved in the Guild.
Other than the fact my existence was illegal, of course.
I walked through the sliding entranceway and headed to the back room toward the vaults, where I had been instructed to plant the devices. My fingers tingled and I had to struggle to maintain composure. A single swirl of light seeped from my fingertips before I got it under control.
I checked to see if anyone had noticed and followed me, then exhaled a breath when I was met with silence. I pushed the cooling sensation down my body and felt myself disappear from view.
That’s much better.
I hurried over to the vault and set up the monitoring accoutrements, then activated them. I was almost back to the exit of the vault room when a guard walked in.
I fidgeted, glancing around the room for an easy escape route. I couldn’t kill him – they would figure out it was me in an instant. I tiptoed across the room, holding my breath, and slipped out of the tiny space he had left open. My knees felt weak when I dropped my invisibility and left the building, subtly gesturing to Brielle.
That was a close call.
She caught up with me halfway down the block, the sunset long gone on the horizon. “All set?”
I inclined my head. “Axel should have the live feed now.”
I pulled off my wig as Axel came into view, sitting on a park bench.
He peeked up at us over his computer with a smile. “I have the live feed! Excellent work!”
“Alright, that’s enough for today, let’s go back. I’m starving,” Brielle said, kicking off her heels.
As I turned to hail a cab, a searing pain laced my shoulder and I stumbled backward, my hand flying to my arm. Another sharp pain hit my leg and Brielle screamed, yanking me to the ground.
Axel leapt in front of us, hands out, his blue shield up and ready.
I gasped, my eyes momentarily going black before my sight restored and I peered down at my body, then shuddered. Blood was pouring out of my shoulder and my pants were stained red.
“What’s happening?” Brielle cried.
I glanced around, searching for my assailant and found Pak’s face staring back.
There were two men with him armed to the teeth and he aimed his gun right at my face.
“This is for the other night, you insolent whore!” he yelled.
I gasped, using my ability to push out the bullets from my body while swirls of light spiraled around me.
He pulled the trigger and I shrieked a warning, but Axel’s shield protected us, the bullet ricocheting off into the darkness.
Tires squealed around the corner and I saw Cade and Quinn jump out of a black SUV, Cade yelling something at Quinn before running in our direction.
Quinn yanked out a gun and began firing at Pak and his people, while Cade reached my side.
“Fuck, Lenna! I’m so sorry, I was tailing him all day trying to get him to an isolated location. I didn’t know he was looking for you.”
I tried to speak, but my mouth had gone dry, dizziness overtaking me.
Not again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Lenna, please wake up,” a rough voice urged.
I felt a hand slap my face and my eyes flew open. Cade’s grey orbs swam into view.
Ouch.
“Did you just slap me?” I asked, raising a brow.
Brielle appeared over his shoulder, while Axel paced back and forth in the distance. “No, that was me. Sorry, but you’re bleeding out. We removed the bullets, but you hadn’t finished healing yourself when you fainted.” She gestured to my blood-drenched clothes. “You should probably get on that before you, you know, die.”
“Brielle!” Cade admonished.
“Just telling it like it is.”
I sluggishly lifted a hand and put it over my body, releasing warm, rose light, filtering it through my body to my injuries. I felt my tendons knit back together and my skin close over.
“How do you feel?” Axel said as he stopped pacing and approached me.
“Eh,” I grunted. “Glad I’m not dead.”
“Yes, that would have been quite unfortunate,” he replied.
Cade leaned forward, reaching out to take my arm. “Do you want to get up?”
I nodded and accepted his help, which I apparently needed since I couldn’t stand on my own. I leaned heavily on him and we walked over to the SUV, where Quinn was finishing up a phone call.
He hung up and marched right over to us, gently pulling me into his embrace.
“I’m so grateful you’re alright, love. You scared us for a minute, but I should have known you’d be too tenacious to die on us like that.”
“Me? Tenacious?” I asked.
“You bet. You always work so hard in training and never give up. It’s admirable,” said Quinn while he helped me into the car.
Uneasiness churned in my stomach as it did every time I deceived my new friends.
What will they think when they find out the truth?
The truth that I was born and raised to kill. It wasn’t perseverance, it was pretense.
I sat in silence during the drive back to the compound, lost in my thoughts. I wanted to get Papa out more than anything. I would sacrifice whatever it took, but I had cultivated relationships I never expected to make and I wasn’t sure what to do about them.
I observed Cade from the corner of my eye, staring at his strong jaw and his hands that so delicately played the piano. He was a dichotomy. In one breath he would use his hands to kill someone and then play such a beautiful tune with them in the next.
I had witnessed how much more there was to the man who sat beside me than the lonely boy I had met at the beach those months ago, and I wanted to learn more. I didn’t want to say goodbye once I found Papa.
Can’t I have both?
My plan went directly against his only living family member, and when he discovered I’d been lying to him the entire time, he would want nothing to do with me. I wrapped my arms around my body and rested my head against them, falling into the ache in my chest.
A warm hand shook my shoulder and I opened my eyes, recognizing the compound. We were back. Cade helped me out of the car and the others went ahead, back to our quarters.
We slowly stepped through the doors and down the low-lit passageways, gradually approaching the initiates’ quarters.
Cade stopped in front of the door and turned me to face him.
“It kills me to see you like that… I wish…” he paused, looking uncertain.
“What?” I asked, breathless.
He
gently leaned his forehead against mine for an agonizingly short moment before pulling back and whispered, “I wish I could kiss you.”
I opened my mouth to say no, to say that it could never work between us, but that wasn’t what came out.
“Then why don’t you?” I said instead, throwing all reason and hesitation out the window, tired and done with pretending I didn’t care.
He blinked, his mouth dropping open, before it transformed into a dimpled grin and he moved forward, lowering his lips to mine.
My hands flew to his hair and I yanked him closer, crushing him against my body. I was so tired of playing a game, so tired of trying to stay away. I needed him, and my desperation leaked out as I moved my mouth against his.
He met my urgency and his hands grabbed my butt, lifting me up.
I wrapped my legs around him and he shifted, pushing me against the wall, his hips pressing into me. I writhed against him, my fingers dragging down his back.
More.
He groaned, pulling my bottom lip between his teeth, the heat in his eyes scorching. He trailed kisses down the side of my neck, rolling his hips against the apex of my thighs as he did so.
If we didn’t change locations soon, someone was bound to come by and see us getting it on in the hallway. I put my hands on his shoulders and pressed until he removed his mouth from the base of my neck.
His blazing silver eyes met mine. “Too much?” he asked.
“Not enough,” I said, detaching myself from his body. “But we can’t do this here. Where’s your room?”
The heat in his gaze burned brighter and he grabbed my hand, propelling me down the halls. He brought me to the living quarters where I had spied on him and his uncle after first arriving, and opened an apartment a few doors down.
“Perks of being a Master’s nephew,” he said, tugging me inside.
I noticed nothing about the room, because my eyes had only one focus. I jumped back into Cade’s arms and he lowered me onto his bed, continuing his trail of kisses down my body.
He stopped moving and glanced first at the zipper of my jumpsuit, then back at my eyes, as if asking for permission.
I slowly sat up and grasped my zipper, pulling it down to reveal my bra. It was then that I realized I was soaked in blood that had started to congeal.
He seemed to notice my discomfort. “Do you want to shower?”
I smiled up at him through my lashes. “Only if you’ll join me.”
Without a word, Cade hoisted me up and carried me into the bathroom, depositing me next to the shower. He peeled off the rest of my jumpsuit and stared down at my body.
“Beautiful,” he breathed, leaning around and unhooking my bra.
Heat pooled between my thighs, already slick with desire.
I went to rip off his shirt when I felt him tense slightly.
“Is everything okay?”
He looked down at the tile. “Nobody has seen my scars in years. They are a bit unsettling.”
I brought his face back up and the vulnerability in his eyes shocked my system.
“Nothing could make me feel less attracted to you. Definitely not a few scars.”
I went to lift his shirt, and this time he didn't stop me. There were purplish-red patches of skin starting at the middle of his chest, winding up to his arms, where they turned white and bumpy.
I placed a finger on one of them and traced it down to his wrist, where it faded off into his regular, tanned skin. I raised his hand to my mouth and laid delicate kisses along the ridges of his scar, feeling him tremble beneath my touch. We removed the rest of our clothes and stepped into the shower.
Cade picked up a bottle of body wash, lathering some in his hands before turning me around to rub my back, kneading my shoulders with practiced movements.
Oh yeah, I could get used to this.
I grabbed the bottle of shampoo from the side of the tub to wash my hair, but he plucked it out of my grip.
“Let me take care of you.” he implored, wrapping an arm around my waist and pressing a kiss to the side of my face.
Just this once.
I leaned back into his chest as he massaged my scalp, his fingers moving in circular motions in my hair.
I moaned.
God, that feels good.
“I love that sound,” he murmured, as he continued lathering the shampoo on my head.
Once we were clean, he wrapped me in a towel, drying off my wet skin. Though, that did nothing to dry the wetness between my thighs.
Enough of this slow business.
I threw off the towel, walked into the bedroom and laid back on his bed, using my finger to motion him forward.
He all but sprinted, climbing up my body and crushing his lips to mine.
I wrapped my legs around him, rubbing against his rock solid form, sighing at the contact.
He grabbed my thigh and positioned himself at my entrance, again looking into my eyes. “Are you on birth control?”
The corners of my lips turned up as I nodded, and that was all he needed before he plunged into me.
Heavens, yes.
I let out a gasp and yanked his lips back to mine, meeting him thrust for thrust.
He tilted his head back to peer into my eyes as he slowed his pace and brushed his fingers down my body, causing a trail of tingles to follow his movements. He slowly pumped into me while roaming his hands over my body. He moved his lips to my skin, kissing down my neck all the way to my nipples.
He sucked one into his mouth, twirling his tongue over it while he increased his thrusting. His mouth moved to my other peak, keeping up the tempo as his fingers found my clit and he moved in expert circles.
He withdrew and flipped me over, pulling my hips up against him before reentering, his hands fondling my breasts as he pounded into me. His fingers rolling over the hard peaks of my nipples.
I could feel my internal pressure building, getting more and more intense, before I couldn’t hold myself back any longer and detonated, my toes curling as I arched my back and cried out.
He thrusted a few more times before he stilled, grunting as he emptied himself into me.
After giving myself a moment to calm my breathing, I stumbled into the bathroom to clean up the mess and then, with a satisfied sigh, I fell forward into the bed, my body still tingling happily.
Cade climbed into the bed, curled up around me and pulled the blanket over us.
My thoughts drifted away as exhaustion pulled at me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I woke to an empty bed. I looked over at the clock on the side table which read five o’clock. Disappointment hit my chest.
Where is he?
At the sound of a twisting door knob, I glanced over to see Cade entering the room holding a pile of clothes.
His lips lifted as he inspected me. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said, leaning forward to press a soft kiss on my lips.
He handed me the stack of clothes. “I hoped to get back before you woke up. I thought you might want a clean jumpsuit to wear instead of traipsing around the compound in my clothes.”
My heart clenched at his thoughtfulness.
“That’s great, thanks.” I got off the bed and headed for the bathroom.
“There’s an extra toothbrush in the drawer, if you want it.”
I turned around and blew him a kiss.
His answering smile was dazzling.
I finished up in the bathroom and came back out to see Cade resting on a black, velvet chaise lounge, reading a book. He put it down when I entered the room and reached out a hand for me to take.
The moment my fingers were in his grasp, he tugged me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me.
“Last night was incredible,” he said as he nuzzled my neck, his hand tangled in my hair. “I didn’t think it was possible to feel like this again.”
The familiar knots formed in my stomach as I thought about my dilemma. I pushed them to the side. My relationship with Cade didn
’t have to connect to what I was doing at the Guild. I could think of them as two separate entities. Which would hopefully not crash and burn if the truth came out.
It was suddenly difficult to breathe and little wisps of luminescence drifted off my body. He watched as they floated into the air, vanishing before reaching the ceiling.
He examined my face. “Is something wrong?”
I shook my head. “Just wondering what happened to Pak.” Another lie falling out of my mouth.
When will it end?
The reality was that there was no happy ending for us. Once Cade found out who I really was and why I was there, he would hate me. Or, worst of all, tell his uncle about me. The only thing I could do was hope that he would let me explain myself when that time eventually arrived.
“Don’t worry about Pak, Quinn took care of him last night while you were unconscious. He can’t hurt you again.”
I smiled up at him gratefully and stood. “I should head back to my quarters.”
“Do you want me to walk you?” he asked, picking my shoes up off the floor and handing them to me.
I put them on and straightened. “I’ll be alright; see you in training?”
His brow furrowed momentarily. “Of course.” He took my hand. “Lenna, are we good?”
I got up on my tip toes and pecked his cheek. “Definitely.”
I slipped back into the initiate’s quarters and laid under my covers, my mind racing.
I can’t believe that just happened.
I couldn't stop the enormous smile that spread across my face.
No matter what happened in the future, I knew without a doubt, I would never regret being with Cade.
Luckily nobody seemed to take notice of my absence during the night. At least that’s what I thought until Ryder pulled me to the side after breakfast.
“Where were you all night?” he asked, his voice low and concerned.
“Why?” I asked, feeling a blush heat my face.
“I thought they might have figured you out. When you didn’t come back with Brielle and Axel after the mission, I went to find you.”
Oops. I didn’t think he would worry.
