“We need to go now!” Lucas’ words were almost lost over the wind that howled along the cliff’s edge. “Hold on tight to the railing.”
Large droplets of rain hit the timber decking. One splashed on her face and its coldness made her gasp as they slowly descended the timber stairs. The hawk was long gone, but seagulls and terns now called out to each other in warning of the impending storm. By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, the intermittent splattering of raindrops became a chorus that pelted down around them. They ran toward the tiny cottage and scrambled to open the back door. Quickly, they rushed in and slammed the door on the howling wind and rain.
Both panted with exertion but Lucas was the first to recover. “As much as I want us to leave this island, we’re not going anywhere in this. The boat would overturn within minutes of hitting the open ocean.”
“How long have we got before they realize we’re missing?” She tried to catch her breath as she looked around the darkened cottage which was filled with numerous boxes and shelving units. A single bed was pushed up against one wall and a fireplace lay empty with the gray ashes of a previous fire.
“It’s 16:00 hours now, so maybe ten to twelve hours.” He leaned back against the door.
“How long do these storms usually take to blow over?”
“It’s coming through from the Arctic, so a few hours.”
As if on cue, the cottage’s two small windows rattled violently with the wind. She shivered. “So we still have a chance?”
“Yes.” He reached out and pulled her against him and she shivered for a whole different reason. His green eyes were dark and stormy like the sky above. “We will get away, but for now…we wait.” His voice was deep and husky, sending her breathless.
Her mind raced with the benefits of being trapped in a cottage with her gentleman assassin. Her lover. Her future.
Wet from the storm, he was every woman’s fantasy. His dark hair was jet black with the dampness of the rain. Reaching up she touched it tentatively, running her fingertips lightly through its softness and delighting in the sensual shiver that ran through his body. Feminine power surged through her, making her daring. Slowly she unzipped his heavy jacket and slipped her hands inside. Pushing it off his shoulders, it fell to the floor with a sodden thud. His black T-shirt was wet as well, and boldly she ran her eyes and then her hands over his muscular chest. Even through the wet material his skin was blistering hot. When she tugged at his shirt and then pulled it over his head, he growled his appreciation. The insanity of the past few hours disappeared and she could only think of Lucas. Leaning forward, she used her mouth to caress his bare chest. At first, she kissed him softly but then her desire made her wilder. Licking and nipping at his skin, he tasted of sea and sex. She pushed him lightly back against the door and then stood back to slowly undress.
Her own heavy jacket fell to the floor. “I was worried I’d never see you again,” she said huskily, lifting her shirt up over her head.
His sharp intake of breath made her smile. His eyes were bright like emeralds as they roamed her face and down over her black bra. Her breasts swelled at the intense heat in his eyes. Anticipation roared through her body. If they were stuck here and at risk of capture, then she’d make their time count. She kicked off her boots, and then slowly unzipped her regulation black cargo pants.
When Lucas reached to touch her, she used the palm of her hand to push him back against the door. “No, let me.”
“Whatever my lady commands.” He smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners.
He looked younger and lighter than she’d ever seen him. Her heart skipped a beat. He was gorgeous. Perfect, even.
She slid the cargoes off her hips and then kicked them toward her discarded boots. The room lit up with a flash of lightning and she caught her lip between her teeth at the look of raw desire etched across his face. She felt exquisitely exposed and sensual anticipation made her demanding.
“Take it all off,” she ordered.
Her heart beat double time at his answering smile.
His eyes never leaving hers, he undressed; his clothes and the attached weapons falling to the floor. Her gaze drifted downward and his obvious arousal inflamed her passion more. Lightning flashed again and the little cottage shook as the wind and rain battered the tin roof. To Willow though, it was nothing compared to the way her body quivered and shook with need. Her breasts rose and fell in anticipation of his touch. They stared at each other for a long moment. Even in the darkened cottage, his body was magnificent. Stepping forward she reached out to run her palms across his chest. His heart beat wildly and she delighted in his response to her touch. He closed his eyes as she slowly slid her hands across his chest and traced the contours of his muscles. A low growl left his lips when her hands traced a path downward to his throbbing erection. She explored the silky hardness with her fingertips and then more firmly with her hand. His answering moan and harsh breathing sending her own body into overdrive. He leaned in and tasted her lips with a deliberate slowness that made her light-headed. His large hands claiming her body as they roamed over her shoulders and down her back. The feel of his mouth against her throat and collarbone made her whimper.
“My turn,” he said, slipping his hand under a bra strap and tugging it playfully.
Closing her eyes, she gave herself over to his caresses. She felt tiny kisses follow her bra strap as he pulled it down off her shoulder.
“So beautiful...” He breathed across her skin as he slid the other strap off her shoulder.
And then her breasts were free and she shivered to her core when his hot, wet mouth explored her soft curves and then her aching nipples. She moaned with pleasure and frustration at wanting more. As if he knew what she wanted and needed, he lifted her up against his body and turned to push her back against the door. Leaning in, he kissed her hard. Ground his mouth and his body into hers until she was panting and desperate for their bodies to join completely.
Feverishly she clung to him. They kissed while the storm raged outside. The wind and rain wild, like the frantic beating of her heart.
His arousal pressed against her underwear and she thrust her hips against him. Sensation flooded her and she felt breathless as desire overtook her ability to think. She couldn’t grasp a cohesive thought other than the word more. She wanted more, more, more. His hands slid down over the curve of her bottom and he lifted her up against him. She moaned at the exquisite contact. Delighted in the feel of her nipples against his bare chest. Slowly, he let her slide back down and the friction between their bodies made her moan again. His hands slid to the edge of her underwear and then with a delicious tug he pulled them down and off.
When Lucas pushed her up against the door, her heart pounded at the sensual intent in his green eyes. Clear and piercing they stared deep into hers. She moistened her lips and watched his gaze follow the tip of her tongue. The wooden door was hard against her naked back and when Lucas nudged her legs apart, her breath hitched. He knelt down and rained kisses upon her body, making her skin tighten with urgent need. He kissed her abdomen. Kissed her mound. Parted her folds and kissed and sucked her clit. Her body tingled and she twisted and turned under his scorching mouth and thrusting tongue. His sensual onslaught intoxicating.
“Please, Lucas...I can’t bear it.” She barely registered her own cry, knowing only she needed more.
He stood and kissed her on the mouth hard and fast. Gripping her bottom, he slowly slid himself into her. She moaned against his mouth. Wrapping her legs tightly around him, she took him in deep. Slowly, he withdrew and then thrust into her again, but this time with more power. She tore her mouth away from his and kissed his throat. Kissed his straining shoulder muscles as he thrust into her again. She lifted herself up to meet the next thrust, urging him to go faster. To go harder. And he responded to her body’s plea. He let go of his control and pounded into her with primal urgency. His breath hot against her neck as he slid himself into her slick heat again
and again. The sound of her naked backside rammed against the door making her desperate for more. She cried out as the climax tore through her body and wave after wave of white heat crashed over her. Lucas moaned as he felt her tighten around him, and he thrust into her wildly one more time until he too cried out in release. After a few moments of trying to catch his breath, he leaned forward to kiss her gently on the lips.
It was a sweet kiss, perhaps the sweetest she had ever tasted.
He then lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed. When he threw her softly down, she laughed and then allowed him to pull the coarse cotton sheets up over her.
“It’s cold in here,” he said, kissing her on the tip of her nose.
Her heart skipped a beat. “I’m still feeling pretty hot,” she teased.
Gently, he brushed her hair back from her face. “Still, I’m going to start a fire, we might be in here for another hour or two.”
He walked across the room in all his naked glory. She took a deep breath. He was the most tender and wild lover she’d ever had. The only one she’d ever loved. It had been liberating not to worry about her emotions affecting him. Not having to worry about sensing his. Both had kept their shields up, content to seek white-hot physical release. Lucas searched through the darkened cottage until he found a kerosene lamp and a box of matches.
“This place is off the grid,” he said apologetically, lighting the wick and placing the lamp on the fireplace mantle.
Using timber from a woodpile neatly arranged against the wall, he methodically built a fire. The flickering light from the lamp played across the contours of his back, making his scars vivid. Her chest constricted until she felt physical pain. So great were her feelings for this man. After the fire caught alight, he lay out their wet clothes and then walked over to the sodden backpack dropped near the door.
He pulled out The Order’s communication tablet and the screen bathed his profile in light blue. “No alert has been issued. We’re safe for the moment.”
Relief swept through her. “What about the squall, how much longer?”
Lucas swiped his palm over the screen a few times and then frowned. “Another hour and the worst will be gone. It’ll still be rough going but we can’t chance waiting any longer.”
He walked over to her and she reached out to pull him down toward her. He put the tablet down on the floor and climbed into the tiny bed, both laughing as they tried to find a comfortable position without falling out. Eventually they settled with Lucas holding her from behind, his arms around her and her backside pressed up against him. She deliberately squirmed and giggled at his growl.
“As much as your delightful bottom is tempting,” he said. “I think you should rest before our voyage.”
“Spoil sport,” she teased. “But okay.” She gave another little wiggle for good measure before closing her eyes.
And despite being on the run from the lobotomy-loving Council, she felt safe and secure in Lucas’ arms and fell asleep within minutes.
38
Lucas
Lucas cradled a sleeping Willow in his arms and stared into the glowing fire. Wondered where they could go once they reached the mainland. Thought of their future. Hoped for things he’d long resisted—a wife, a child. Precious things that could be taken away, that could have the power to destroy him. Being with Willow broke every rule he’d ever made to keep him safe from the pain of loving someone—he’d never wanted to love another again and risk seeing them suffer like his family, but there was no turning back.
She was his. To protect. To keep safe. To love.
The shrill sound of the Sanctuary emergency alarm rang out at the same time as his Mercurian shield was attacked telepathically. He struggled against a wave of dizziness as he tried to rise.
“Lucas? What’s that noise?” asked Willow, her voice groggy. “What’s happening?”
His heart pounded. “It’s The Order’s communication device.”
“Have they discovered we’re gone?” Her voice full of worry.
He reached out and touched her shoulder. “No, it’s the alarm for the Sanctuary being under attack.”
“What?” Willow sat up, holding a hand to her head. “Ugh, I don’t feel right...”
“It’s telepathic.” Lucas forced himself to stand and pulled on his gear.
“Someone’s attacking the Sanctuary? Has that ever happened before?”
“No.”
Never. Never here. Never at the other three sanctuaries. For years The Order had prepared for a potential attack. He should know—he’d written the emergency protocol. Had facilitated the emergency drills here each year. He searched through the Sanctuary’s schematics on the tablet. Red icons flashed for all levels. It was in lockdown—the highest level of security alert. The Sanctuary had been breached. And by other Starborn.
“Lucas? What do we do?” she asked, hurriedly dressing.
He stared at the flashing emergency icons. His heart pounded as the cottage closed in around him. “We go to the mainland as planned. This could be a trap,” he warned.
“Lucas?” Willow walked over and stilled his trembling hands. “We should go back...”
“No,” he said hoarsely. “We don’t know what’s happening.”
“It doesn’t feel like a false alarm…”
“No.” The telepathic push he’d sensed earlier had lessened but it was still in his periphery.
Someone with enormous power was on the island.
Dread filled him. “It could be a trap,” he warned her again.
The light of the kerosene lamp cast shadows across her face, but he saw her lift her chin. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take for my patients…for Serena and Granger…for the other Starborn. Think of the children. I can’t put myself before them.”
His heart ached at her selflessness. And her courage. Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned in and kissed her gently. Tried to show how much he cared.
The rain had eased but the ride back to the Sanctuary was perilous in the dark. Now at early evening, the winter sun had long disappeared. Even with the bike’s headlight on high beam, visibility was poor. He concentrated on guiding the bike along the slippery track. Willow clung to him and even their shared body heat couldn’t stave off the freezing temperature. The headlight finally illuminated the concealed entry to the Sanctuary. As they rode through the tunnel, Mercurian power battered his shield. Under its influence, Willow’s grip on him loosened.
He quickly parked and helped Willow off the bike. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, but I feel so tired,” she said, unsteady on her feet.
“Come and sit.” He guided her to sit on a boulder near the elevator. “Concentrate on your shield, Willow. Imagine an impenetrable wall around you.”
He pulled out his Beretta and disengaged the safety. He grabbed another handgun out of the backpack and pressed it into her hands. “Have you ever fired a gun?”
Her eyes were wide as she shook her head. “No,” she said and tried to give it back. “I don’t want it.”
His gut tightened. “I want you to be able to protect yourself.”
“Remember I was the one who made an arena full of Starborn lose their minds?” she challenged.
“I don’t doubt your ability, Willow. Just the actions of others.” He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. “Please take it.”
“Okay,” she said.
“Thank you,” he replied and walked over to press the elevator button.
The elevator door slid open. Emergency lighting flickered. Cautiously, he stepped into the elevator, with Willow following behind him with her gun pointed downward. The ride to level four was quick and when the doors opened, their ears were assaulted by the screech of the alarm. Red lights flashed down the empty corridor. Telepathic power hit them with immense force, telling him that they were getting closer to the source. Carefully, he checked both directions before motioning Willow to follow him out of the elevator. Where the hell wa
s everyone? It was only early evening. The effect of the telepathic assault made their progress sluggish as they moved down the corridor.
When they turned right at the next corner, Lucas stopped dead.
Willow gasped.
A dozen Starborn lay lifeless on the floor.
He scanned the area for potential threats and when he saw none, motioned Willow forward. The first body he encountered, a young woman, showed no obvious injuries.
“Lucas, this one’s alive. He’s breathing!” Willow crouched over an older Starborn.
He looked back down at the young woman and relief surged through him when he saw her chest rise and fall as well. Scanning the rest of the bodies, he saw that they too showed signs of life. “They’re all unconscious but alive,” he said. “We need to leave them and keep moving.”
They walked cautiously down the corridor. Turned left and found more bodies, all unconscious. They discovered more and more. Corridors full of bodies awash with the red haze of flashing lights. He struggled to comprehend the full horror before them. Protocol required Starborn to return to their rooms at the sound of the alarm, but the bodies around him suggested they had all dropped to the floor with no chance to hide or take cover.
The push against their Mercurian shields intensified until Willow dropped to her knees. “Lucas?” she cried out confused.
He knelt and put his arm around her trembling body. “You’re okay, Willow. Take some deep breaths with me.”
“No…it’s not me. I’m okay. It’s her. It’s Eve.” Her blue eyes were wide with emotion. “I thought I was mistaken when I first felt her….but I’m sure of it now.”
Starborn (The Order of Orion Book 1) Page 24
