by Charlie Hart
“So …” Lark says, looking around the furniture, as if debating where to sit. “What were you saying about being different than me?”
North sighs, but the rest of us shrug, giving him the go ahead he is looking for. “We’re shifters, Lark. Hawk shifters.”
She frowns, arms crossed. “What is that?”
“It means we can transform from man to hawk, and back again.”
She sits on the chaise, hand over her mouth. “Shit, you’re the hawks outside the house?”
“We are,” Brecken tells her. “And we are there every night to protect you.”
She inhales and then exhales slowly, shaking her head the entire time. “My mom warned me about you. For some reason she thought you might…she believed you could be bad, dangerous. She told me to stay away.”
“She’s wrong,” Vaughn says, adamant. Vaughn is a man of few words, but his heart is always in the right place, and the very idea of being thought of as dangerous seems to blow his mind. “We are here for you, Lark, and you alone. To watch over you. Not because we don’t think you are strong, but because Gaia has reason to believe you are in danger.”
Lark shakes her head again. “Danger from what? That’s what I want to understand.”
“I wish I knew,” North says. “But we didn’t keep this from you to hurt you. We thought it might scare the crap out of you.”
She twists her pink lips. “My mom’s a witch. We can all fly across a stage. And the fact that you shift isn’t the craziest thing that has crossed my mind in the last twenty-four hours.”
“Oh yeah?” Brecken asks. “What other crazy things have you considered?”
She swallows. “Melanie just told me to avoid distractions, but...”
“But what?” I ask, stepping toward her.
“I know I should listen to Melanie, but honestly I can’t seem to stop the pull I feel when I’m around you.”
I move toward her then, unable to hold back. I have been looking at her lips for hours, dreaming of tasting them again. I want her to know that I’m good for her.
When I pull her into my arms, she melts against me instantly. And our mouths open, our tongues colliding. Her arms wrap around my neck, and she moans against my mouth.
“Oh God,” I groan, as she pulls back.
“I don’t know,” she whimpers, closing her eyes. “I need to focus on the show.”
“Damn, woman,” Brecken says. “I can’t handle much more of this push and pull.”
“I’m not meaning to–”
Brecken cuts her off. “It’s okay, Lark. You need to follow your heart. This is your show– your time to shine. Besides,” he says. “I have an idea; a way to cool this down.”
“Oh yeah?” she asks, looking relieved.
“Hell yeah,” he says. “Let’s go swimming.”
16
Lark
We pull on swimsuits, leave the cabana, and jump in the water with laughter spilling from our hearts.
“Cannonball,” Sawyer shouts, pulling up his legs and causing a massive splash across the pool. He pulls me to him, the black bikini I borrowed from Emmy’s stash hugging my body in a way I know the guys find attractive. When I stepped out in it their jaws dropped, and I saw more than one of them adjust themselves.
Now, Sawyer reaches for me in the water, and I shriek as he lifts me up, as if planning to toss me in the air.
He doesn’t, though, he just draws me close until my legs wrap around his torso, and kisses me hard.
Thank god this is a public place, otherwise I’m not sure I could keep my resolve. He squeezes my ass as we kiss, and I guess it isn’t so scandalous here at this Vegas pool where most women wear thong bikini bottoms and some are topless.
Sex is in the air and it covers me in the most delicious way.
Suddenly I am craving more of these men–more than kisses. I want everything. But Melanie’s words are ringing in my ears.
And so are my mother’s.
Be wary of those hawks.
But how can I consider them distractions right now? So what if they are hawk shifters– at least they know what they are. Me? I haven’t a clue.
I just know that when I am with them, touching them, tasting them, kissing them–I feel safe. I feel exactly where I am supposed to be.
And right now, if I were to go home and spend time with my mother, I would feel lost and alone, stuck in a cage.
But here, with these men, I don’t feel locked up.
With them I feel free.
“Dang, that’s gonna be insane,” Sawyer says as Melanie leads us through another sequence in the show.
“You can pull it off,” Melanie says as I examine the harness that will lift me above the stage thirty feet. “In a month of rehearsal, we’re already eight weeks ahead of schedule. I’ve never seen a cast pick up a routine so quickly.”
Brecken squeezes my shoulders. “It’s because Lark manages to nail everything in one try.”
His hands massage away any tension that might be lingering. The last few weeks I’ve been fighting with my mom, and it seems to get worse every day. I come home and find charms tucked under my pillows, dried herbs on my doorway, putrid-smelling sachets hanging above my bed. I’ve confided in the guys about all of this, and it helps me not feel so alone.
“I’m not the only one who picks up every part of the dance sequence the first time,” I say. “You guys are equally impressive.”
Melanie laughs. “Okay, we get it, you guys are all amazing. Now, let’s try it out. Lark, are you ready to hang in the air and then jump?”
I grin. “I so got this.”
“I love your confidence,” Brecken whispers in my ear. A thrill runs over my skin, his hot breath sending shivers over my body. “Can I help you into that harness?”
Turning toward him, I lean in and lift my eyebrows. “Do you know what to do with your hands??”
He gives me a smile that gets me hot all over. “Oh, Lark, I know exactly where I want to put my hands. You’re the one always pushing them away.”
My cheeks heat up and I let him help me into the harness. “You are a distraction, remember?” I tease. Over the last few weeks, rehearsal has been so exhausting I haven’t had time to consider anything more than flirting and stolen kisses after rehearsal, in the changing room.
But I want more.
I just need to get the courage to tell them that. Tell them exactly what I crave.
I haven’t returned to their suite since the vision … I’ve been too scared.
But I am inching toward the idea of going all in–damn my mother’s warnings and Melanie’s insistence on focus.
Now, the other guys are busy getting into position as Brecken helps me into the harness. His fingers press against my waist and I practically melt on stage.
“You need to step away,” I tease, softly. “Or I’m going to mess up and Melanie will get mad.”
“I notice you don’t mention that you’ll get mad.” He tightens the harness, and then pats my ass. Our bodies are so close I can feel the heat coursing over his body too.
He likes being so close to me, so close he can practically taste me.
“Oh, I wouldn’t be mad about you running your hands over me, Breck,” I tell him. “In fact, I’m pretty much dying for you too.”
“Not sure you can handle me, little bird.” He lifts an eyebrow. “I’m a package deal, remember?”
“Oh I remember.” I bite the side of my lip and replay all our kisses in my mind. My body stirs at the memory. “All for one, one for all.”
“Good,” he says, patting my ass one last time. “Glad you remembered. But there’s no rush, Lark.”
He walks away and I finally breathe. God.
As if I could possibly forget.
17
Brecken
After putting her in that harness, I swear to God I have a hard-on for the next two weeks straight. She does wild things to me, that woman. We have been rehearsing nonstop, and Lark has more rehearsals tha
n everyone else as she is in every single scene of the show.
I know she must be worn out from all the work, but just like she told us, she is strong–she is never complains, never asks for a break, and always gives it her all.
It helps rein us guys in, that’s for damn sure. There’s no room for moaning about the fact Gaia has left us high and dry in the desert when Lark has never once said a negative thing, not once Melanie had that talk with her a while back. Ever since then, Lark has just dug in her heels and had laser-like focus.
I’ve never met a woman like her.
Then again, not everyone stars in a Vegas show. Only the best of the best.
And it’s clear Lark is the best.
During a break I ask her if anything is getting better at home, and she just sighs.
“Not really I’m walking on eggshells.”
“That stressful?”
Lark laughs. “Well, yeah, but there are literally eggshells everywhere. Some protection spell that consists of broken eggshells and ground coriander, sprinkled on the floor. I’m telling you, it’s strange.”
“She must really care about you if she’s going to that much trouble to make sure you’re okay.”
Lark leans her head into my shoulder. “Maybe. I know she loves me, in her own way, but we haven’t spoken in a month. And you know how long the rehearsal days are. Most of the time I get home and collapse in bed. I don’t know how you guys do it, keeping watch.”
She loves to give us a hard time about shifting into hawks outside her window.
“We take shifts,” I say, laughing. “God, I miss you, Lark.”
“I know,” she moans, nestling herself in the crook of my arm “I heard the show date is getting moved up again.”
“Which means the distraction rule might be lifted permanently?”
She looks up at me, our eyes meeting, and it feels so fucking good to be seen by her. Just then Melanie calls us over. The director Tanya is here and wants to make an announcement.
“Good afternoon,” Tanya says, “I want to make sure you are all aware of the new performance dates? They’ve been emailed and are in your contracts, but I want to make sure you understand that we have opening night in two weeks. Two. That means it’s go time, folks.”
The background dancers nod and clap. Everyone is pumped for SOAR. I’m fucking pumped too. We’ve been rehearsing on the main stage for the past few weeks and it’s really amazing how the big stage and sound system turns this into a real show.
“And listen, you need to take the weekend off–I’m looking right at you, Lark.” Lark’s face flushes red, and I know she hates being called out like this, but I’m glad the director said what the guys and I have been thinking.
“You need to take a few days off and remember to have some fun. Understood?”
The room nods and claps, thanking the crew for everything they’ve done to get us to this point, and then we break.
I ask the guys what they are thinking we should do tonight, and it’s unanimous.
“You heard the director,” North says. “Lark needs some fun.”
When we suggest going out she frowns. “I don’t know, guys. I should really–”
I cut her off. “Really–listen to the director. She said you need to have some fun. So, we’re in Vegas– let’s go have some!”
“What kind of fun do you have in mind?” she asks.
“Dancing. Gambling. All the Vegas things,” I say.
She nods. “I’m game, but I have to go home and change first.”
“You know we’ll escort you anywhere you wanna go,” Vaughn says.
“I’ll ride with you,” Arrow offers. “Don’t want to let the star ride alone.”
18
Lark
I get in a cab with Arrow, happy that he offered to come with me. He always seems to be watching out for me, and maybe he could sense I’ve been having a hard time at home.
“I’m going to apologize ahead of time for anything that my mom might say.”
Arrow reaches for my hand. “Don’t apologize for your family,” he says. “At least you have a mom.”
“You don’t have any family?” I ask.
“When Gaia found us we had been abandoned after a terrible fire killed our families. We were so young, so alone in the world, but she looked out for us.”
I swallow. “It’s still strange to think about you as shifters.” I want to see them shift, watch as their bodies change form, but it feels intrusive to ask.
“I know, it’s weird for me too. It’s like, I’m part of the human world, but not entirely. Always set apart.”
“That’s how I’ve felt too,” I admit. “Mom always made sure I kept my distance. It made for a lonely childhood.”
“Maybe it’s not all bad though, Lark, that she was so protective of you. I mean, it’s the same thing as what Gaia wanted us to do. Maybe your mom isn’t just superstitious–maybe she has a reason to be so paranoid about you.”
Arrow comes across as so intelligent and wise, not spouting off about emotions or letting any rivals get in the way of his words, and I want his opinion “Do you think I’m being a brat, refusing to talk to my mom?”
Arrow laces our fingers together. “You want my approval?”
I shrug. “Maybe?”
“But it’s your life, Lark.”
“So, what? You’re at my service, or whatever. Sent here to watch over me and I get to call all the shots?”
“Do you want to?”
“No.” I pull back. “I mean, I don’t need to.”
“But would it be nice for a change?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know, your mom seems to have made a lot of choices for you. Maybe now you can make choices for yourself. Do you want to keep fighting? Or do you want something else?”
“I don’t want to make a decision that hurts anyone.”
Arrow’s face softens and for the first time, his dark eyes seem a comfort instead of a threat. “That’s what I love about you, Lark... You care about people–you care about your mom. That’s how I know it’s all going to be okay. Maybe not how we planned, but you’re going to be okay, Lark. Maybe just, you know, start with forgiveness?”
“Forgiveness, huh?” I look at him with a smile, the idea of making amends with my mom feels overwhelming. But also important. “You seem to have it all figured out and under control. Cool, calm, collected.”
He shakes his head, his eyebrows raised. “No, I’m just as nervous as you. I’m not experienced, either.”
“Oh?”
The cab pulls up to my house, but I don’t move. Neither does he.
“No. That’s why I wanted to ride over with you. I wasn’t sure how tonight might go, but I want you to know, I’m a virgin. The other guys aren’t, and I don’t want to ruin this night for you.”
“You won’t ruin anything, Arrow. You’re perfect just the way you are.”
I lean over and kiss his lips, softly, and then tug on his hand, leading him to my house. Neither of us knows where this night might go.
At the front door, I look up and see four hawks perched on the lamppost. I give them a small wave but don’t invite them in. Right now, I feel more comfortable being alone with Arrow.
“My mom will have questions. Just warning you.”
He nods, and I unlock the door. Mom is waiting in the kitchen. Always waiting for me.
It breaks my heart now that I understand why. She’s so scared of losing me. She thinks she already has.
“Lark,” she says with relief. “I was getting so worried.”
“I told you not to worry about me anymore.” I pull Arrow closer. “This is Arrow, a cast mate.”
Mom cocks her head to the side. “What an interesting name.”
“He’s a straight shooter, just like the name suggests,” I tell her.
“Interesting.” She purses her lips and doesn’t say more.
“Mom, don’t be weird.”
“I know. I’m trying to sort things out. And I have the show. And … I just stopped by to get a change of clothes.”
“You’ll be gone all night then?” she asks, tears springing to her eyes.
“Yes, Mom, I will.”
“Right, well, then.” She wipes her eyes and takes a long, deep breath. “Before you go, do you want a reading, Arrow?”
He looks at me and I shrug, knowing this is her signature move. “Just one card though, Mom.”
The fact Arrow agrees to the reading makes Mom happy, and she reaches into a cabinet for her favorite deck. I put on the teakettle and pull down three mugs as Mom begins shuffling her cards, telling Arrow to sit across from her.
“Have you just flown into town, then?” she asks.
I turn to her and flash her a look of warning.
“What?” Mom smiles. “It’s not a secret. And I can tell you’ve talked things out with him. I’m glad. You need to have people who understand you.”
“I’m not a bird, though, am I?” I ask.
Mom though, just shrugs. “I don’t actually think I have any idea what you are, Lark.”
My fingers tense as I grab tea bags. “Neither do I.”
Mom closes her eyes and begins to breathe deeply, hovering her hands over the deck and whispering an incantation I haven’t a clue about.
The kettle whistles and I pour the water and then deliver the mugs to the table. I sit next to Arrow and squeeze his knee. As if he needs assurance, which I highly doubt.
He may say he is inexperienced, but there is something about him that screams absolute control.
“Cut the deck, please,” she instructs him. And he does, straight down the middle.
“Alright, love,” she says, smiling. Her silver hair is piled up high on her head and her cheekbones are pronounced. Sitting here, I can’t help but feel a surge of love toward her.
She nods as if knowing what she’d pull. She sets it on the table, the Ace of Arrows.
