She frowned, but he sensed her emotions quickly swirl and then vanish. The guard announced their arrival and Lucas led Willow inside. All six Elders turned to watch them enter.
“Willow Trilby. Please step closer,” said Isaiah. The dark-skinned Sola Starborn sat to Wren’s left, his graying dreadlocks contrasting with his ebony skin. Lucas hoped Isaiah would offer reason and logic to the Council’s judgment.
Willow stepped forward and lifted her chin in defiance. Lucas braced himself for possible mayhem.
Wren rose from her seat. “How was your cube, my dear?”
“Perfectly satisfactory, thank you,” replied Willow. “In fact, the company the cube offered was far superior to anything I’ve experienced since arriving on this island.”
“Is that a fact?” Wren smiled, choosing to join in the game, much to Lucas’ chagrin. “You must be referring to the visit by your champion.”
Fuck. He’d felt Wren invade his mind as soon they had entered the room but thought he’d pushed her out before she had extracted anything from his mind. He stood motionless under Wren’s smiling scrutiny and reeled in his emotions. To his surprise, Willow also remained silent.
“Doctor Trilby, you show great promise,” said Wren. “We’re astounded by your level of ability. But we’re also concerned. Concerned you care only for those close to you, and not for the good of the Starborn community. Your selfish choices will harm those who are more vulnerable.”
Willow jerked back as though she had been physically struck and he knew it hit a raw nerve.
Wren sat back down in her seat. “Despite your actions today, these past few days, we wish to give you a chance to become one of us. You’ve been granted approval to join The Order of Orion. You’ll have one year on probation before you may rejoin the ordinary community as a sleeper or perhaps choose to stay on at the Sanctuary if you find something or someone to keep you here.” She glanced down at some paperwork in front of her. “You’re dismissed.”
As he and Willow turned to leave, Wren called out one final comment. “You’re now free to choose your own quarters. I’m sure Isobel would welcome sharing a dorm or perhaps even poor Paige, should she wake.”
White, hot anger from Willow flashed through his body. She took a deep breath and put her hands on her hips as she faced Wren.
“Thank you, Madame Wren. But I’ve been very happy with my stay up until recently. I choose to continue to reside with Lucas.”
Lucas froze mid-movement. So great was the shock of her words. And then his blood pounded. It raced through his body and headed straight to one particular piece of his anatomy. Images of his body entwined in Willow’s naked body flashed before his eyes. He struggled to look neutral in front of the Council. He was pretty sure he was being used as fodder in a cat fight and Willow wasn’t serious. But his body didn’t seem to care.
33
Willow
Willow’s heart raced as she followed Lucas to his quarters. She had wanted to shock Wren, but instead she had surprised herself and Lucas. And now they were seconds away from his quarters and she was fantasizing about his hard, muscular body and his soft, gentle kisses. She’d had a day to think about their kiss in the cube. A day to relive each passionate moment and a day to imagine what might have happened if Lucas hadn’t stopped their embrace. She glanced under her lashes to look at his profile as they walked side by side. His face was a careful mask of neutrality. His chiseled jaw, usually clean shaven, was darkened with heavy stubble. It made him even sexier, if that was possible.
They halted outside his door. “You don’t have to stick with what you said to Wren, you know…” He said in a husky voice. “You can stay anywhere in the Sanctuary. You’re no longer a neophyte. You’re Starborn now.”
Her heart plummeted. “If you’d rather I stay somewhere else?”
“No. I just want to make sure you don’t feel pressured.”
She brightened. “What’s there to worry about? It’s just a place to sleep and eat, right?”
“Of course,” he said formally.
His quarters were as she remembered—sparse and functional. Familiar. Comforting.
He walked into the kitchen and called out in a casual voice, “I can fix you something to eat while you have a shower and change, if you like?”
She called out her thanks as she walked into the bathroom. Stripping off the red neophyte dress she flung it to the ground, glad she’d never have to wear it ever again. Desperate to wash away the past few days of isolation and confusion, she stepped into the shower. Hot water sprayed across her tired body, soothing the aches of her joints and muscles from the cramped conditions of the cube. However, her mind wasn’t so easily settled. Images of Paige’s burnt body at the Celestial Chamber and of her lying in the hospital bed intruded into her mind. As she turned the shower off, she took a few deep breaths and tried to focus on the here and now.
Enveloping herself in one of Lucas’ towels, she stood and looked at herself in the foggy mirror. Stared hard at her own image. Tried to make sense of the roller coaster of her life over the past few days. Hundreds of Starborn had been affected by her power, but she didn’t feel powerful. She felt confused, and torn. Hatred for this society should be her primary emotion, but instead she couldn’t ignore that its sick practices had helped her find Eve. And she couldn’t ignore her gentleman assassin who had taken grave risks for her—who continued to take risks for her. Taking another shaky breath she reached for her clothes and realized she had none but her discarded red ones. No way was she was wearing red. Ever again.
She tiptoed out of the bathroom and opened the cupboard next to Lucas’ bed. Rows and rows of his black clothes sat there in orderly fashion, and in a tiny pile next to them, her old neophyte clothes and underwear. She quickly slipped on her underwear and then one of his plain black T-shirts. With guilty pleasure, she luxuriated in the feel of his clothes against her skin and remembered the pleasure of his touch in the cube. Her telepathy had made her love life a train wreck of false starts and disasters. She’d never been able to fully relax and trust in a connection, or any pleasure. Always wondering if she was influencing her partner by creating false emotions and arousal. But with Lucas yesterday, those anxieties had fallen away. Another world had opened to her. She’d clearly sensed his emotions as separate from hers, and had been able to discern his intense desire for her—and it had been exhilarating. Whether it was a result of her achieving ascendency or his Mercurian ability, she wasn’t sure. All she knew with certainty was that when he’d pulled back from their intimacy, it had been an emotional blow as much as it had been physical. She had been left wanting and aching in her heart as much as her body.
Guilt suddenly swamped her. It wasn’t fair that Paige lay in a hospital bed, while Willow’s life now tilted toward possibility. A cube had brought Paige misery, while for Willow it had brought her closer to her sister, her powers and to Lucas. She had so much to live for, while Paige had nothing. She stilled at that thought, turning it over and over in her mind. Adrenalin pounded through her body and she reached out to steady herself against the cupboard. On wobbly legs, Willow walked to the doorway of the kitchen to see Lucas at the stove in an almost comical domestic scene.
“I need to go and see Paige. Right now,” she said.
He turned around at her voice and his eyes darkened as his gaze ran over her bare legs.
His look gave her butterflies but she needed to see Paige. Right now. “Lucas, please?” she asked.
“You need to rest.” His voice sounded reasonable as though soothing a distraught child. He wiped his hands with a dishcloth.
“No, you don’t understand. She needs me. Now.”
Suddenly she gave herself a mental slap to the forehead. She didn’t need his permission. She raced back to the clothes cupboard and rifled again through his clothes to find something that would fit. Something not red. She pulled on a pair of his gym shorts. “Jackpot.”
Lucas came to stand beside her as she put on socks and the
n her boots. “If you really need to go now,” he said quietly. “I’ll come with you.”
Relief flooded her. “Thank you.”
She almost ran down the corridor as they made their way back to the infirmary. Most Starborn were in their quarters for the evening and the quiet corridors reminded her of Queensgate at night. Trembling with expectation, she quickly entered Paige’s room. Around her bedside, monitors beeped steady rhythms. Pale and tiny, Paige was childlike in her unconscious state. Willow cast out her aura to Paige and was met with no discernible emotion—only a gray murkiness.
“Paige?” Willow took her friend’s hand and gently rubbed her cold skin. Lucas moved to stand behind her and she took comfort in his presence. “Paige, it’s Willow,” she said softly. “Please, come back to us.”
Willow focused on her own breathing. Each breath she savored, allowing the air to slowly enter and then leave her body. She listened to the sounds surrounding them. The steady beeps of the monitors. The hum of the air-conditioning unit. The faint sound of Paige’s breathing. Matching her breathing to Paige’s, she focused on the sensation of her fingertips touching Paige’s skin. When an image of Eve came to her mind’s eye, she meditated on the exhilaration she had felt when she had made contact. Allowed that exhilaration and sense of hope to build and spread throughout her body until it left her fingertips and entered Paige. Like a waterfall, a rush of emotion poured into Paige. Instinctively, Willow wanted to draw back but fought against it. She thought of the man standing behind her. His steadfast support. His gentle, sweet kiss. The risks he’d taken for her.
“Touch me,” she whispered to Lucas as she continued to look down at Paige.
His hands immediately settled on her shoulders. She soaked in his warmth and encouragement. Used his touch to spur her on. Willow had always been a fighter, and she tried to share that will with Paige. The will to fight. The will to live.
She watched Paige, desperate for some sign she responded to Willow’s emotional outpouring. Paige’s hand was still cold, her face still slack of expression.
Nothing.
Willow pushed and shoved her emotional aura against Paige.
Fight, Paige, fight!
The movement was so slight, Willow almost missed it. The barest stirring against her hand.
“Paige!” She sensed a shift in Paige’s emotional aura at the same time as she physically felt Paige grasp her hand. “Lucas, it’s Paige. I can feel her!”
With her other hand she stroked Paige’s hair and whispered, “Paige, it’s okay. I’m here. You’re okay.”
Willow heard Lucas leave the room but kept her focus on Paige, channeling hope and the will to live to her friend. She was focused on lifting up Paige’s aura with every ounce of strength she had.
“Paige, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?”
“Willow?” Paige murmured. Her eyes flickered open briefly before closing again.
Willow’s throat tightened with emotion. “Yes, I’m here, Paige. I’m here.”
She rested her head next to Paige’s frail figure for a moment, and then sat down on the chair beside the bed. She still held Paige’s hand, fearful of what might happen if she was to let go. As though he’d known what she had wanted and needed, Lucas returned within minutes with Gabriel and a tearful Isobel. They were followed in by the doctor. Emotion charged the small room as each of them processed Paige’s return. Gabriel helped Paige to sit up and Isobel held up a glass of water to Paige’s lips. The doctor tried to move between Willow and Paige and she pushed him back, scared he would break her hold on Paige’s hand. Fearful of what might happen.
“Willow, it’s okay. She’ll be okay,” said Lucas, but it sounded as if he spoke a long distance away.
The room spun and she realized she was crying. Her body shook uncontrollably as she desperately held onto Paige and her aura. Gently, Lucas pried her fingers open to release her.
Willow found it difficult to walk back to his apartment. With his arm about her waist, she found herself leaning more and more against him, until they arrived at his door and her legs buckled.
He caught her against his chest and after kicking the door open, lifted her up into his arms. Resting her cheek against him, she closed her eyes. Inhaling his familiar scent she instantly felt more centered. Safe. Protected. Gently, he lay her down on the futon, removed her boots and then pulled the sheet up over her.
When he moved away she cried out in protest. “Stay with me. Please?” She reached out to grab his hand and pulled him down to her.
Almost lost to sleep, she sighed softly when the futon depressed with his weight. And when his arms wrapped around her and his body pressed up against hers, she sighed again. A sigh of deep contentment—a feeling that was so unnatural to her, but felt so right in his embrace. Exhausted, she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
34
Lucas
Lucas woke to a delightful tangle of legs and soft breasts pressed up against him. Willow clung to his chest, her long, red hair brushing against his shoulders and neck. He inhaled her scent and his already hard cock strained forward. When he shifted slightly, her hand on his waist tightened and then slowly moved upward, trailing fire across his skin. His breathing quickened and his heart pounded. Pounded so loud he could hear nothing else. Her fingers traced a path over his chest and then stopped to rest above his heart. Surely she felt it racing? Warm, soft lips replaced her fingertips and he groaned at the exquisite sensation. Her legs shifted so one slipped in-between his and her mouth continued its exploration, licking and tasting his skin.
He gathered her long hair back off her face, wanting to see her expression. “Willow?”
She tilted her head and looked up at him briefly before offering another sensual kiss against his skin.
Closing his eyes, his head fell back as intense pleasure shot through him. He tried to slow his breathing. Tried to slow his hammering heart. “Willow? Are you sure?”
“Yes. I want to finish what we started in the cube.” Her husky voice sent shivers straight to his throbbing cock.
And when her teeth grazed his shoulder, he forgot about being a gentleman. About taking things slow. Forgot that starting something with a Mercurian Starborn was trouble. That he’d sworn off emotional attachments.
His mind could only process one thing.
Willow.
Having sex with Willow.
Right now.
He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her backward onto the bed. His eyes connected with hers as he captured her wrists and moved them above her head. Her blue eyes danced with excitement and he smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. Ever so slowly, he touched his lips to her, kissing her with a tenderness he’d long ago locked away. Their lips explored each other in slow, sensual deliberation. Without breaking their kiss, and still holding her wrists with one hand, he used his other hand to discover her body. He traced his fingertips down her inner arm to the curve of her breast. Through the fabric of her T-shirt, her nipple hardened, and he bucked against her in response. Moaning, she thrust her hips up to him. Primal desire surged through his veins, and he gave himself over to it. He let go of her wrists and ran his hands wildly over her body, unable to reach his fill and desperate for more.
Grasping the edges of her T-shirt he pulled it over her head to reveal her pink tipped breasts. He captured a tight nipple in his mouth and rejoiced when she cried out in pleasure. With his tongue and lips he paid homage to her beauty, her fire. She clung to him, urging him on, and when her hands ran across his shoulders, stroking and kneading his skin he thought he might die from the pleasure of it. Her hands drifted down his back and then stopped abruptly. His scars. Dammit.
“Don’t stop,” he urged, not wanting the moment broken by questions and awful truths. He kissed her throat, teasing her, distracting her from his scarred skin.
She didn’t ask anything of him, but her touch gentled, softened. Became infinitely sweet. And exquisitely sexy.
Closing his
eyes, he rested his face against hers and took a few steadying breaths. She thrust her hips against him, destroying the little control he had. Even through his boxers the sensation was sublime. He ground himself against her and she moaned at the contact, wrapping her legs around his waist. Their lips met for an earth shattering kiss. Her tongue stroked his and couldn’t slow down, couldn’t pace himself. Instead, he kissed her harder, pushing her back into the bed. Cradling her face, he kissed her jaw and then trailed his lips down her throat and beyond, feasting on her skin. She tasted of life, of hope.
When he reached her breasts he took a nipple in his mouth, catching it between his teeth, delighting in her mewling cries of pleasure. He traced his tongue down her stomach, kissing and licking her smooth skin until he reached the barrier of her black underwear. Gently he stroked her through the thin fabric before kissing her inner thighs, her stomach and then breasts again. Her hands gripped his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin, giving him more pleasure. He rose back over her to plant another hungry kiss on her mouth. As his tongue explored her mouth, his fingers explored between her thighs. She bucked against his hand, urging him on and when his fingers slipped beneath her underwear, she let out an exquisite moan. Her body was ready for him and it drove him wild with need. Lightly, he caressed her folds and then slipped his finger inside, the sensation threatening to wipe his mind of all rational thought. He delved into her silky center, thrusting his fingers slowly and then more urgently. His heart hammered. His blood pounded. Urged him to thrust his aching cock into her core.
“Lucas? Please…” Her desperate cry set him further afire.
With his lips against her ear he whispered, “I want you, Willow. I want to bury myself in you.”
“I want it too,” she moaned. “Now.” She tugged at his boxers, pulling them down and then throwing them onto the floor.
Hungrily, he kissed her with all the pent-up desire that had ravaged his body over the past few days. Kissed her with the only thought of becoming one. He caressed each and every luscious curve. Memorized her glorious figure as though he would never touch her again, as though this was his last feast before death. Her body trembled as he slowly pushed her underwear down over her hips. Trembled as his fingers brushed against her skin as he parted her thighs. She reached out and grasped his cock, slowly pumping her tightened fist up and down his length. Pleasure flooded every inch of his body, making him light-headed. She guided him into her velvety softness, and when she thrust her hips up to meet him, he moaned at the feeling of sliding in deep. Slowly, he withdrew and then plunged back in with a powerful thrust.
Starborn (The Order of Orion Book 1) Page 21
