But there was one thing I did know. I no longer had the worst table manners.
AFTER DINNER WE hung out in the living room. Jasper got a fire going. It was the one thing about the home that wasn’t modern since it actually required wood and matches, not like the gas fireplace in Father’s study. It soon crackled and glowed, sending heat through the room.
It felt good. Despite the home’s advanced HVAC system, it was still cool. Outside, snow flurries danced against the window, the large flakes floating together.
I lounged on the couch snuggled against Flint. His heavy, muscled arm kept me close.
Everyone else lay on the floor or sprawled on the furniture. From the low energy feeling clouds, we were all exhausted.
“Are we getting a Christmas tree this year?” Amber asked as everyone settled in for a lazy night.
“We should!” Mica replied. Jasper had an arm draped over Mica’s shoulders.
I was relieved that Amber didn’t seem bothered. Instead, Amber’s attention was on Edgar as he said something funny in his peculiar accent. Amber giggled.
“I hardly think we have time for a Christmas tree,” Di muttered. “We have too much going on.”
“What’s a Christmas tree?” Susannah asked quietly. She stood at the edge of the living room, as if trying to hide in the shadows. Her voice was soft and pleasant sounding, so different from her eagle scream.
Everyone fell silent after she spoke. It was the first thing she’d said all night.
I smiled brightly at her. “It’s a pine tree decorated for the Christmas holiday. Have you never seen one?”
Susannah hesitated and then shook her head.
“We didn’t celebrate holidays,” Luke explained.
Jet’s eyebrows rose. “But you know what a Christmas tree is?”
Luke shrugged. “More or less. I think I saw one in a movie once.”
Flint and I shared a concerned look. If we had grown up in O’Brien’s research facility, we probably wouldn’t know what a Christmas tree was either.
“Well, we should definitely put one up then.” Amber smiled prettily.
Di sat down on a free chair, her dark clothing in contrast to the light gray fabric. “We’ll see.”
I sneaked a peek at Susannah. She still cowered in the corner, her thin arms wrapped around her knees as she sat on the floor, watching everyone. At least she hadn’t left.
The rest of us talked for a while longer, but when the clock struck nine, we all got up. Despite being early, it seemed everyone was ready for bed.
Ashy smoke curled up the chimney when Flint pulled me down the stairwell. Now that we’d found Susannah, some of the had worry left me, but we still hadn’t heard from Father.
I had no idea if he was safe.
CHAPTER FIVE
Flint changed the bed sheets while I showered. He was good about stuff like that. I probably would have left them for another month.
The sound of snapping sheets and fluffing pillows sounded from the bedroom while I towel dried my hair in the bathroom. Flint never seemed to care that I was a messy, impulsive person. Not once had he ever huffed or got annoyed when I lost something or left a dirty pair of jeans at the end of the bed. I tried to be neater. Truly, I did, but that was as easy for me as a dead canary singing in the coal mines. But Flint didn’t seem to mind. He loved me as I was.
I opened the door wider and got a glimpse of his broad shoulders as he stuffed a pillow into a pillowcase. The way his muscles bunched and moved made my breath catch. Desire flowed through my veins. No other man affected me like he did.
An undercurrent of energy poured off him. It was so easy to feel now. I switched my vision. His beautiful blue, pale green and orange cloud appeared. It glowed around him in a sphere. I pulled up the energy within me and then gave his cloud a tug.
With a mental flick, I flung my cloud to join his. Together, our clouds intermingled, my unique bright green, blue and pale green cloud blending with his. They danced and entwined, like a beautiful rainbow swirling together in a soft breeze. If I wanted to, I could have given him a playful shove with the ball, like someone bumping him from behind, but his expression when he turned made me stop.
Shadows in the room dipped and played across his features, making the worry lines more prominent. His chestnut colored hair sat in unruly waves on his head. He’d threaded his fingers through it all evening. I knew why he’d been so agitated. Father. Marcus. We still had no idea what was happening on the outside.
And we still had no idea what came next.
Despite Flint always being the rock for me to lean on, the hard, safe anchor I depended on – he was still human. If I was scared or worried, he put up a brave front, like he did last night while we were making dinner. But here, when he thought he was alone, when he thought I couldn’t see – his true feelings emerged.
I let the energy disperse and snapped my sight back to normal.
I padded into the room. When Flint turned, I let the towel fall. My long, crimson curls draped around me, still damp. They covered my breasts but nothing else.
Even from a distance, I saw his pupils dilate. He tossed the pillow he’d been holding aside and walked to me in slow, purposeful strides. He stopped only inches away.
My breath came fast.
Just his nearness did that. Even after all these years, where we’d been together and in love, he still got my heart pounding with just a look. I thought for sure after we finally began making love again that things would calm, maybe even cool for a while, but the opposite had happened. It was like now that we remembered how amazing our bodies felt joined as one, it was all we wanted.
At times, Flint would turn and his shirt would stretch across his chest, or his jeans would hug his strong thighs, and just like that, I was a mess of desire. I knew it was the same for him. Some days, he’d sneak up behind me and gather me against him, pushing my hair away from my neck before kissing and nipping the sensitive areas of my skin.
More than once, we hadn’t made it back to our bedroom. Instead, we’d pushed into closets, bathrooms, or the nearest deserted bedroom. We’d lock ourselves inside for a few minutes of hurried, almost animalistic mating. Outside, on the rare occasions when we’d been able to go for walks in the desert or get away from the group for even an hour, we’d quickly fall into a tangle of limbs, desperately touching and ripping our clothes to get at one another. It didn’t matter that we were outside, bare to the world.
And right now, it was no different. My breasts grew fuller and heavier under his gaze. My nipples hardened as if coming to attention for him.
He pulled me closer. His mouth descended over mine as I wrapped my arms around his neck. There was a desperation, a rawness to him, that made him almost frenzied. Neither of us said a word. I knew what he needed and willingly gave myself to him completely.
Afterward, we lay entwined on the smooth sheets, a sheen of sweat covering our bodies. I shivered. My hair was still damp and the room cool. Flint pulled me tighter to him, his heat warming my bare skin. With a free hand, he traced a finger up and down my spine. The energy that pulsed around him when he felt a strong emotion grew. I couldn’t always tell what caused it. Sometimes it was obvious, but tonight, I wasn’t sure if it was from desire or fear. They were too closely intermingled.
“You’re shivering,” Flint whispered when another chill hit me. In one of his blurred movements, he threw the clean top sheet and thick, down comforter back on the bed. Before I had a chance to take a breath, he was beside me again, the heavy bedding still not fully settled.
He pulled the covers around us before locking his arm around my waist and pulling me closely to him. Flint hit the light switch beside the bed.
Biting my lip, I drifted off to sleep.
I WAS IN a dream. I knew I was in a dream because I was flying. It was amazingly fun. With a slight push from my feet, I elevated into the air, hanging as if suspended, and then I turned my body and with a mental push, raced through the ai
r.
A noise permeated the dream. It sounded like someone calling me. I shrugged it off. I didn’t want to wake.
Whoever was calling me, however, was pretty persistent.
“Lena!” Something pushed me, rustling my shoulder. “Wake up, Lena!”
The flying dream faded. I opened my eyes, grumbling. “What?”
“Get up. You need to come with us to the wine cellar.”
I blinked a few times and pushed curls out of my face. “Jacinda?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “You and Flint need to get up and come with me.”
Flint was already awake, looking as confused and sleepy as I felt.
I sat up. It was still dark. It had to be the middle of the night. “Why?”
“Just do it.”
Jacinda’s direct tone made my annoyance vanish. I’d never heard her speak like that before.
She left so we could dress. Neither of us had bothered with pajamas before falling asleep.
“Do you know what this is about?” I asked Flint.
He shook his head, but the worry lines were back on his face. When he pulled his jeans on, he waited until I was mostly presentable before clasping my hand and tugging me to the door.
Jacinda waited in the hallway. I reached for the light switch, but she stopped me. “No lights.”
My eyes widened, but I did as she said. With a hurried turn, she walked quickly down the hall. Flint and I followed. Both of us gave one another questioning glances. When we reached the wine cellar, Jacinda opened the massive door. Light peeked out. We hurried in.
What I saw inside made my mouth drop.
Everyone was in the cellar still looking dazed from sleep. I whirled around. “What’s going on?”
Jacinda firmly shut the door and glanced at Di.
“Jacinda heard something, about twenty minutes ago,” Di said. “She turned her hearing on full force. From what she can gather, we’re surrounded. Ten men are staked-out outside the house, about a hundred yards away.”
My stomach plummeted. No, it can’t be true! How did Marcus find us?
“Do they have Father?” I screeched.
Di shook her head firmly. “No. I broke the rules and text him. He’s safe in Houston right now.”
Relief poured through me. Even though Di’s text could be traced, I was glad she’d done it. Usually, we never contacted Father when he went into the outside world. We always waited to hear from him, but I agreed with Di. It was better to know he was safe.
Heat and energy escalated off Flint. “What are the men saying?”
Jacinda wrung her hands. “Last I checked, they were coordinating how to attack.”
Di began pacing. “We came down here because it’s the only room underground that’s fully enclosed. Jacinda thought she heard them talking about a listening device. This is the only safe room for us to talk in.”
“Is Marcus with them?” Flint’s voice grew edgier, energy rolling off him in waves.
“I don’t think so,” Jacinda replied. “There’s been no mention of him.”
Luke growled at the mention of Marcus. The werewolf sat on a stool, his large shoulders dipped forward. His head hung. “I think this is my fault.”
Flint’s gaze narrowed. “What do you mean your fault? Did you contact someone?”
Luke’s head snapped up, his expression incredulous. “What? No! Never!” He paused for a moment, his brow furrowing. “But I’m guessing my tracking device has been activated again.” He smacked himself on the forehead. “Of course! I’m such an idiot! When I transformed yesterday, it probably triggered it. I didn’t consider that possibility, but it’s how they tracked me when I was free in the wild. I should have been more careful.” He angrily raked a hand through his hair.
Flint took a menacing step toward Luke. “What tracking device?”
Luke stood and paced a few times. His muscles rippled in his forearms as he clenched and unclenched his fists. His hair, bronzish gold, glowed every time it hit the light. “They implanted it in me years ago. Dammit!” He pounded his fist into the wall. The wall vibrated. “I should have known!”
Di crossed her arms. “Why didn’t you tell us this sooner?”
Luke stopped pacing and shrugged. “I didn’t think about it. It only occurred to me just now that the tracking device is probably how they found us. Most of the time I forget it’s there.”
Mica cocked her head. “How can you possibly forget it’s there?”
“It’s probably like reality TV shows.” Jacinda defended him. “When a camera’s always there, you forget about it and do something embarrassing.”
“Are you sure that’s how they found us?” Flint asked, ignoring both of them.
Luke nodded his head solemnly. “I’m pretty sure.” He sat back down, his shoulders slumping.
“So we’ll need to get that device out of you.” I placed a hand on Flint’s arm. “But first, we need to figure out how to get out of this situation.”
Everyone else was eerily quiet in the room. Amber stood beside Edgar. She still wore pajamas and her wide, frightened eyes darted between Flint and Luke. The twins were both on edge, apparent in the tense way they stood, as if waiting for someone to burst through the door and attack at any second.
Mica stood beside Jasper, every now and then brushing against him. Only Susannah seemed oblivious. She hovered quietly in the corner, her dark hair tumbling down her back, her bright blue eyes holding a far-away look. I wondered how much she understood about what was happening.
Jet put his hands on his hips. “So what do we do?”
Luke’s hands clenched into fists again. “I can take at least four of them.”
“No,” Di said sharply. “You, Edgar and Susannah are staying out of this. So are Jacinda and Amber.”
“What?” Luke roared. “Are you kidding me? I’m stronger than anyone here!”
His energy increased a hundred fold. I let it wash over me. If I hadn’t, it would have brought me to my knees.
“Luke.” Di’s tone grew lower. “You’re too hot headed. It’s too much of a risk, so you’re staying here.”
He took a menacing step closer to her.
Without considering how wise my actions were, I gathered up the energy inside me and then pulled the aura from around Luke’s shoulders. Using it, I forced him onto his stool.
He sat down with a humph. A bewildered look covered his face. I could feel him try to rise, but I kept him down, concentrating and pulling everyone else’s energy into my ball. Luke was strong. He wasn’t easy to hold.
“I can’t move!” Panic laced Luke’s voice. “What the hell’s happening to me?”
Di glanced my way. “That would be Lena. Now, if you’ll let me explain, you’ll understand why I want you to stay here.”
I felt something else enter my ball. Another energy, almost like a trickle of water, flowing through it. Jet and Jasper both watched Luke, their faces masked in concentration.
Luke’s muscles softened under my grip, and his legs stopped trying to straighten. A drunken smile emerged. “Yeah sure, Di, whatever you say.”
I dispersed the energy, letting the twins work their emotional control over the werewolf. That was twice today we’d manipulated our new family members, and while that didn’t sit well with me, I also knew now wasn’t the time for moral questioning.
Our lives may be at stake. Luke was unpredictable. Ten men surrounded the house, and we were currently trapped in the cellar. Time was of the essence.
Di gave each of us a nod of thanks. “Now, as I was saying…”
WE SPENT THE next few minutes working out a plan to remove everyone from the house safely. Since Di, Flint, the twins, Mica and I had so much experience working together and using our abilities in a coordinated manner, Di felt it was safest for us to take care of the men outside while leaving everyone else safely locked within.
I completely agreed.
Jacinda crept out of the cellar with us. After she worked
out where all of the men were located, we could move into action. It was still pitch black outside, so it was probably the middle of the night.
I shuddered, wondering how long those men had been out there. Jacinda said they had a listening device. Had they listened to our late night conversation around the fire in the living room? My eyes widened. Did they hear Flint and I having sex? That thought was oddly creepy.
We crept up to the main floor. Going out the front door wouldn’t exactly be inconspicuous so we decided to exit through the garage side door. It was as secure as the front door but less noticeable. Of course, the ten men would probably have eyes on both, but at least landscaping camouflaged the garage area.
Di made a motion to Jacinda.
Jacinda closed her eyes. None of us moved. The slightest sound could distract her. I also knew when her hearing was turned on full force that sounds could be deafening. She listened silently before opening her eyes. “They haven’t moved. They’re still trying to figure out how to get in. The latest discussion is about using explosives.”
I tensed. “No time to waste then.”
Di nodded. “Exactly. Jet and Jasper?”
The twins closed their eyes. I didn’t know if either had ever manipulated so many people at one time before. Between the two of them, they were trying to influence the moods and thought patterns of ten men, which meant five individuals for each of them simultaneously. I imagined they were projecting happy, calming feelings to the men – similar to what they’d done to the guards at O’Brien’s warehouse in Chicago.
Di disappeared to collect supplies from the garage. Minutes ticked by as we all waited. The tension in the room felt as thick as gelatin, the anxiety among us almost palpable. I took a deep breath. A headache brewed in the back of my mind. So much energy. So much anxiety.
Flint’s energy wasn’t helping. It was so strong it made me nauseous. He’d stayed close to my side since hearing about the men. Rage slithered through his cloud. The men outside threatened us. They threatened me. And if there was one thing that got Flint’s temper roaring, it was someone trying to harm me.
Reborn: A Contemporary Fantasy Romance (The Lost Children Trilogy Book 3) Page 4
