by Sarah Carter
Claire stops walking. “Girlfriend?”
“Well, you keep calling me your boyfriend. I figured we were just going with that. We totally don’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“No, not at all. I just figured it would be a lot for you.”
“Listen,” Damien states. “I couldn’t ask for a sexier, more kickass girlfriend. Honestly, I connected to you faster than anyone. I can’t explain it. When I met Kayla, I was attracted and cared for her quickly—”
“Wonderful,” Claire mumbles.
“Let me finish,” Damien says. “I fell in love with her, but that wasn’t even close to how I feel about you. I’m not declaring my love, but you connect with me in a way no one else has. We just make so much sense. When I was sitting next to you while you were unconscious, all I could think about was you being okay. I couldn’t sleep or eat. I was so worried. I knew even then that you were extraordinary, and that was before any of this.”
“You thought I was extraordinary when I still thought I was a freak?” Claire whispers.
Damien nods. She steps forward and jumps on him. They start kissing each other slowly and then Damien pushes her up against a wall.
Claire pulls him hard against her, then Claire pushes away and breathes against his lips. “I can’t believe you liked me for me before I turned into a super hero.”
Damien bursts out laughing. “You had me at the first text message, and even before that. I think you had me the first moment we met. You were so beautiful.”
“You played it off so well, like ‘oh, there’s a naked girl in front of me.’” Claire giggles.
“I’m surprised I kept myself so composed. Every moment after that, I was a moth to a flame. You just proved to me that you were more awesome every time you did something.”
“You proved to me you were so much more than what people said. Damien, you’re a wonderful person.”
He shrugs. “Thanks.”
Claire pulls him forward and hugs him. “I’m so glad that we found each other. I don’t know if I could go through this without you.”
“I won’t leave your side until you tell me to.” Damien kisses her head.
“That’ll only happen when it’s time for me to take a shower,” Claire replies.
“Damn,” Damien murmurs before moving her head to kiss her again.
Chapter 13
Damien pops a strawberry into Claire’s mouth. She grins and chews. “I feel like you should be lying down. We could make this all sensual.”
“That would get us nowhere,” Claire murmurs back. “Anyway, I think we’re fine just the way we are.” They sit on the couch in Damien’s suite, and Claire straddles his lap. “I’m still hungry.”
“I think you may blow up soon,” Damien laughs.
“Are you afraid I’ll lose my sexy figure?” Claire giggles.
He rolls his eyes. “Yes, Claire. That’s what I’m worried about. Why don’t you let your body digest some of that first. You ate a cheeseburger, French fries, a salad, a piece of cake, and now a bowl of strawberries. Most people would be vomiting.”
“Hey—I wonder if I could enter one of those food eating contests.”
“Wow…that’s attractive.”
Pushing him back into the couch, Claire says, “Shut your face.”
“Why don’t you make me?” Damien whispers.
Claire grins at him and leans forward. Their lips meet and the kiss is slow and gentle. Damien grabs her hips and pulls her closer. Claire runs her fingers through his hair and it ignites her nerves.
A voice says, “Master Damien?”
A throaty growl comes from him. “This had better be good.”
“Well, Mr. Lennox is looking for Miss Livingston. He’s being…demanding.”
Exhaling, Damien looks at Claire. “It looks like our fun time is over. He’s awake.”
“Mmm.” Claire leans into him. “Let Alex wait.”
She kisses him again.
A minute goes by and the voice says, “Master Damien, how would you like me to handle this?”
“Throw him into a cell if he’s out of hand,” Damien replies.
“Damien,” Claire chastises, “Stop it. You’ll do no such thing. Let’s go find him.”
“Don’t you think it’s time to tell him?”
Claire grimaces. “I don’t know.”
“You said you’d be my girlfriend. We’re committed to each other. Isn’t it time you told him the truth?”
Claire sighs. “I guess so.”
“Don’t lead him on. That’s cruel, and he’s your friend,” Damien replies.
Claire frowns but nods.
“Let’s go find him.”
“I should tell him alone. I don’t need him thrown in jail because he decks you.”
Damien nods. “Okay. Come on, baby.” He taps her leg and Claire climbs off of him.
They make their way to the common area. Alex is sitting on the couch, but he quickly jumps up when they approach. “Are you okay? How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. I ate like a pig and I’m still starving, but Damien thinks my stomach will burst if I eat anymore right now,” Claire says.
Alex looks at Damien and his eyes narrow slightly. Damien returns the look and declares, “I think I’m going to go talk to my dad about some stuff. Claire, all you need to do is touch the side panel over there and tell them you’re looking for me. I’ll come and find you in a little bit.”
“Okay,” Claire murmurs.
Bending over, Damien kisses her on the cheek. Claire grips his hand and he leaves.
“What was that all about?” Alex exclaims.
“Sit down for a minute,” Claire says. “We need to talk.”
“We can talk standing up,” Alex retorts, crossing his arms.
“Fine, if you want to,” Claire whispers. “Alex, what happened six months ago—I don’t regret it.”
“Neither do I.”
Fidgeting with her fingers, Claire says, “The thing is…it was six months ago. That’s a long time. We’ve been friends for most of our lives. We had sex, but I don’t think we’re going to do it again.”
Alex stands there just staring at her.
“I don’t want to lose you as a friend. I’d never want that to happen.”
“It has to do with Damien,” Alex growls.
“No, this is about you and me.”
Glaring at her, Alex says, “It has everything to do with him, doesn’t it?”
Claire bites her lip. “I made that decision to not go forward with you before I pursued anything with Damien. He and I do care for each other I just didn’t know how to tell you.”
“So you dragged me along this entire time?” Alex snaps.
“No, Alex, I was confused,” Claire emphasizes. “Everything was overwhelming. I’m new to this sort of thing, I didn’t know how to handle it.”
“So, you’re dating Damien now?” Alex seethes.
“Yes,” Claire answers.
“And you’re serious?” Alex snaps.
She nods. “I guess so. He called me his girlfriend.”
“You know what Claire?” Alex starts.
“What?”
“You and Damien can go to hell.” Alex walks past and shoves her out of the way. Claire rebounds and sweeps his legs out from underneath him. Alex falls.
“You ever think about putting your hands on me again, I’ll break them both,” Claire yells.
Alex stares up at her and whispers, “I’m sorry.”
“Whatever!” Claire shouts, as she turns on her heel and walks away.
A guard member appears in front of her. “Alex Lennox, you need to stay on the floor and put your hands on your head.”
“What? Why?” Claire asks.
“Master Damien’s direct orders,” the guard member replies.
“Oh, crap,” Alex groans. Claire turns to watch him put his hands up.
A few seconds later, Damien turns around the corner. “D
id you really think there wouldn’t be ramifications for shoving her?”
“I’m sorry,” Alex stutters. “I would never hurt Claire.”
“You blatantly shoved my girlfriend, knowing she’s my girlfriend. Do you have a death wish?” Damien yells.
“Damien, calm down,” Claire sighs.
“No. Not this time Claire,” Damien snaps. “There are rules and he just broke one. A guard member is never supposed to touch someone in anger, let alone the girlfriend of a council member.”
“Damien, please,” Claire pleads.
He looks at her and then Alex. “Alex Lennox, you are discharged from the guard. You will gather your things and leave immediately.”
“No!” Claire cries. “This is his dream!”
“Alex should have thought of that before he acted this way,” Damien retorts. “It’s inexcusable.”
“Damien,” Claire spits out. “I would never forgive you.”
Damien takes in a quick breath. “Claire, you can’t play that game. There are rules in place for a reason.”
“He’s my friend,” Claire begs. “I love him. I could never be with someone who ruined the life of one of my closest friends. I can punish him enough by avoiding him, but taking away his future is another thing. I couldn’t be with you if you did that.”
“I can’t back down,” Damien murmurs. “Laws are laws.”
Mr. Blakely comes around the corner with Claire’s grandfather. “What’s going on?”
“Alex shoved Claire,” Damien replies.
“Alex?” Claire’s grandfather bellows. “Are you insane?”
“I told him that the law is the law,” Damien sighs. “He needs to be discharged from the guard.”
“No!” Claire exclaims. “You can’t do that.”
Her grandfather looks at her. “Claire, he broke a major law.”
“He did,” Mr. Blakely says. “Especially since you’re dating Damien.”
Claire vigorously shakes her head. “No.—you can’t do this.”
“The law is the law, dear,” her grandfather states.
“Then fine,” Claire snaps. “I won’t join the guard. Alex and I are leaving!” She turns and sticks her hand out to Alex. “Let’s go.” He looks at her hand and then everyone else. “Alex, he told you to collect your things and leave. You’re just taking me with you.”
“Claire, you can’t leave,” Damien says.
She spins around. “Watch me. You can’t stop me.”
“Actually, I can,” Mr. Blakely retorts. “You need to stay here.”
“You’ll have to keep me tranquilized for the rest of my life or tase me every second that I’m awake. I’ll destroy whoever is around me.”
“Don’t talk that way,” her grandfather whispers, stepping toward her. “Jail isn’t something fun.”
She crosses her arms. “Well then, I guess we’ve hit a pivotal moment.”
“Claire,” Alex moans. “You can’t do this. I did break the law. I deserve the punishment.”
“No, Alex. Shut up. I’m fighting for you, here,” Claire snaps.
“Okay, let’s all take a breath,” Mr. Blakely interjects. “We don’t want anyone to make any rash decisions.”
Turning, Claire glares at Damien. “I can’t believe you.”
Damien gets a pained look on his face. “Claire, I have to do my job. I’m not the one who did something wrong.”
“To me you did,” Claire retorts sharply.
“Don’t blame Damien,” her grandfather says. “He has obligations.”
Claire angrily crosses her arms and stares at him.
Her grandfather exhales. “This is a mess.”
“Very well. I’ll leave it up to Damien,” Mr. Blakely says. “Whatever your decision is, I’ll back it up.”
Thrusting his hands up, Damien exclaims, “Thanks, dad. Are you trying to bury my relationship with Claire?”
“You’re going to have to make tough decisions throughout your entire life. This is a good example. What do you think is punishment enough for his crime? You have to think outside of Claire,” Mr. Blakely states.
“I can’t do that. My feelings are too strong.”
“What if he was suspended for a period of time? Given time to think about what he did,” Claire suggests.
Mr. Blakely raises an eyebrow and motions toward Damien, who looks at him.
“We can do that?”
“You can do whatever you want,” Mr. Blakely replies.
“Will that suffice?” Damien asks Claire. She nods. Damien exhales loudly. “Alex Lennox, you’re suspended for six months. After that, you’ll be on probation for a year.”
“A year?” Claire squeaks.
“Yes, a year,” Damien sighs. “This was a serious infraction.”
“He only shoved me. Alex didn’t take a swing at me.”
Her grandfather says, “It doesn’t matter what it was. A guard member is never supposed to touch someone in anger or start an unneeded fight.”
“Will that punishment do?”
Claire looks at him. “Yes, fine.”
“Alex, you will collect your things and leave,” Mr. Blakely declares. “You’ll be flown home.”
“Wait—who am I supposed to work with while we finish the tests?” Claire exclaims.
“We’ll use other guard members,” Mr. Blakely answers.
She grimaces. “Would you want to do that with a stranger?”
“We need people who don’t know what you can do. Alex knows how it works now,” Mr. Blakely responds.
“Whatever.” Fuming mad, Claire turns and storms away.
“Claire, show respect!” her grandfather calls after her.
Ignoring him, she runs down the hallway and heads to the gym. She gets there and a few guard members are working out. They all stop what they’re doing when she walks in.
Mark raises an eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”
“I need to blow off some steam,” Claire growls, crossing her arms.
“I’ll spar with you,” Mark replies. “Let’s just keep away from pressure points.”
Claire nods, and he waves his hand to the mat. She follows him over there.
Mark takes a stance. “Ready?”
Claire nods. He quickly comes after her. She dodges the moves and strikes back herself. They go back and forth for a while. Claire gets him on the ground a few times. Mark tries his hardest to return the favor, but Claire is too good. After a half-hour of straight sparring, Mark bends over. “Okay—I give.”
“I’m sure it’s refreshing to get your ass handed to you once in a while…by a girl!” Claire quips with playful attitude. Mark laughs and Claire returns with a grin. Someone claps from behind them. Claire spins to see Mr. Blakely standing there.
“Good show,” he says. “You’re amazing.”
Nervously, Claire replies, “Thanks.”
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Mr. Blakely asks.
“Sure.” Claire turns to Mark. “Thanks for sparring with me.”
“Any time,” Mark returns. “You give a guard member a real work out.”
“I’ll keep you on your toes,” she chirps. He laughs and Claire turns to walk over to Mr. Blakely. “What’s up?”
He tilts his head toward the doorway. “Walk with me.”
Biting her lip, Claire follows him out of the room.
“I needed to talk to you.”
“Okay.”
“Damien is very upset,” Mr. Blakely starts.
“Oh,” Claire whispers.
“Come. I want to show you something,” Mr. Blakely declares.
She follows him down a corridor. They remain silent as they walk into a large room.
“I wanted you to see this.” He taps a button on the panel and the wall turns from opaque to clear.
“Holy cow!” Claire walks over and puts her hands on the wall. “That’s amazing.” She stares out at the ocean. Water splashes in huge waves against a large ice clif
f. “It’s beautiful.”
Mr. Blakely walks up next to her. “Isn’t it?”
“Wow,” Claire murmurs. She turns to him. “Why are you showing this to me?”
He smiles. “This is what you can expect out of life.”
She raises an eyebrow. “I could live in Alaska. It’s wonderful.”
Bursting out in laughter, Mr. Blakely shakes his head. “No, seeing amazing things. You’ll do it by either traveling with Damien or joining the guard and going with me.”
“Oh,” Claire squeaks, looking out at the ocean again. “I’ve always wanted to travel.”
“Where would you like to go?”
“Egypt. I think the pyramids and all that stuff are awesome.”
“We have a ship near there.”
Claire turns to him. “Because it’s the dessert?”
“Yes. The Sahara is massive.”
“Makes sense,” Claire retorts. She looks back outside. “So, Damien is upset?”
“Yes, very. He feels torn.” Mr. Blakely sighs. “You’re the first person to challenge who he is. You know he has a place with our people. Expectations and responsibilities. He’s a council member. We’re obligated to enforce the laws.”
With a frown, Claire whispers, “I know.”
“You’ll be held to the same laws,” Mr. Blakely says. “As a guard member, you’ll live by a set of rules. One of them is not questioning our authority.”
Snorting, Claire mumbles, “Well then, I guess I’ll be kicked out of the guard.”
“Claire, be serious,” Mr. Blakely retorts. “Is joining the guard really something you want to do?”
She sighs. “Yes.”
“You have such great discipline with your grandfather. Why would that not transfer over to us?”
“I don’t know. I think I’m just protective of people. Alex is my friend. He only got upset because of me. It was kind of my fault. I couldn’t let his life fall apart because of something stupid I did.”
“He pushed you in anger,” Mr. Blakely says. “That was Alex’s choice.”
Claire shrugs. “I guess. I kind of led him on a little bit. I just didn’t want to hurt him.”
“Love is a tricky thing.”
“You have no idea,” Claire exhales.
“I was once a teenager too,” Mr. Blakely chuckles. “I dealt with just as much drama as Damien.”
