A Flare Of Sorrow

by Elodie Colt

  Dylan sighed, propping one knee up while resting one arm on it. “Remember how hard you worked on reaching your ability with meditation and Lisa’s help? Now you need to do the same, only you want to achieve the opposite,” Dylan explained, making me frown. It had taken me many hours and lots of patience to gain this amount of control, and now I had to start anew?

  Dylan must have known what I was thinking and added, “It will be easier this time, I promise.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I might not know much about your ability, but I know how the Awakening works.”

  As soon as the words left his mouth, my eyes latched onto his from under my lashes. If we’d gone through my Awakening together as I remembered it, then we needed to have a serious talk. Again, Dylan knew what was going on in my mind, staring back at me with intensity.

  “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

  I bit my lip and nodded, nervously playing with my bracelets. “Are you? I mean…” I cleared my throat. “Are we? Okay? After yesterday?” My voice was barely a whisper at the end.

  Dylan gave me a crooked smile and put his hand over mine to keep me from my nervous fidgeting. “Of course, we are. I promised, remember? But if you’re talking about the night of your Awakening, then I have to tell you it happened two days ago.”

  I blinked. “What? I was out for two days?”

  “Don’t worry, you didn’t miss anything important.”

  “But… two days?” I repeated.

  Dylan rose and sat down next to me on the bed. His bulging bicep was on full display as he wore a tight-fitting, dark gray tank top. It made me think back to how we’d fallen apart… both of us. At the same time. I’d made a man reach his climax just by rubbing myself over his jeans.

  “It’s not unusual to fall into a long sleep after the Awakening. I was out for twenty hours. What’s a mystery to me, though, is how you could sleep through the noise coming from next door,” he added with a chuckle.

  “Huh?”

  “Your room is under construction.”

  “Why?”

  Shaking his head, Dylan laughed at my confusion. “Well, your room didn’t survive your Revival.”

  Then it clicked. I recalled the cracks appearing on the ceiling when Dylan had lowered me down while I… well, while I was having the orgasm of my life. I must have passed out soon after.

  “Oh my God, is anybody hurt?” I asked in alarm.

  “No harm was done, Haylie. Everyone’s fine,” he assured me, resting a hand on my shoulder. The gesture reminded me of how the strap of my shirt had slid down, and his fingers trailed a path along my arm.

  “I saved this for you.” Putting a hand into the pocket of his jeans, he retrieved a metallic brown object.

  “My hair clip,” I said in astonishment. “Thank you.”

  Dylan knew how much it meant to me. His thoughtfulness made me want to hug him, but somehow it felt weird, which was crazy considering what we’d done.

  This was when I noticed red marks on Dylan’s shoulder blade. Bolting upright, I yanked his shirt to the side to have a closer look at the scratches caused by my fingernails.

  “Why didn’t you let Sarah heal you?” I demanded, horrified.

  “It’s nothing, really.”

  “Nothing? Dylan, they are super deep. They’ll leave scars. Let Sarah help you.”

  “No.”

  “Come on, you don’t need to prove anything. I respect that you refuse to let Regenerators near you, but this is different.”

  “No,” he repeated more sternly, removing my hand from his shoulder to stop me from touching the scratches.

  “Why?”

  He averted his eyes for a second as if unsure what to answer. A deep swallow made his Adam’s apple bobble before his eyes swung back to mine, glinting with humor. “I’ll keep them as a reminder. They are proof of a sexy Natural inflicting them on me during her Revival. I guess I’m the only man alive who can say that.” His crooked smile threw me off guard. He was saying so much more with those words…

  He wanted to keep a reminder of me.

  Dylan stood up, combing a hand through his hair. “I got you some clothes from your room,” he declared, pointing to his closet. “I have a meeting with Jimmy in a few. You can take a shower if you want. Oh, and Lauren is bugging me every ten minutes asking when she can finally see you. I’ll tell her you’re awake.” I just nodded, my ability to speak lost for the moment. “Hey, if you need anything or don’t feel well, call me, okay?” Dylan offered after a few seconds of silence.

  “Will do. Thanks.”

  He pressed his lips together, giving me a short nod. “Anytime. Go to Sarah when you’re ready, and let her heal the cut on your forehead.”

  And with that, he left, leaving me in his room with a million thoughts overloading my brain.

  Before I could start brooding over every detail that had occurred the night of my Awakening, I jumped out of bed to take a much-needed shower. Taking a glance in the mirror first, I noticed three things.

  First, my hair would make a comfortable nest for a horde of hamsters. I would need to use an extra load of conditioner to loosen the tangles.

  Second, I looked the same, apart from a bandage sticking on my forehead. Honestly, I didn’t know what I’d expected. You’d think the Awakening would have left its marks on the outside, gathering from all the intense sensations and a near-death experience. The Flare was gone, the color of my eyes their usual jaylior. The only difference was a rosy flush on my cheeks which would remain as long as I thought about Dylan and me dry humping for nearly an hour.

  And third, there was a tiny purple mark on my throat—unmistakably a love bite. I didn’t remember Dylan kissing me there. In fact, I was pretty sure there had been no kisses involved at all. Granted, I’d been rather distracted during the last phase of the Revival.

  What I did remember, though, was Dylan telling me real women left scratches, not love bites. The irony of it let a hysterical laugh bubble out of me when I looked at the bruise on my throat.

  After I took the time I needed to rub myself clean and get my hair straight and shiny again, I wrapped myself in a towel and started combing through my strands when a knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts.

  “In the bathroom, just a sec!”

  My announcement was ignored because a second later, the bathroom door flew open.

  “Hey, what… oomph.”

  My attempt to yell at whoever wasn’t patient enough to wait for me getting dressed got strangled by a body crashing into me and giving me a bone-tightening hug.

  “Finally, you’re awake!” Lauren whined, not caring in the slightest that I was practically naked.

  “You’re squishing my boobs,” I complained, trying to get air into my lungs.

  “I don’t care,” she just mumbled into my neck, making me chuckle.

  “Hey, there. I’m fine, okay? No need to worry.”

  Lauren finally pulled back, and I caught the towel hanging loosely on my hips before it fell to the floor.

  “Okay, good,” Lauren said, wiping a traitorous tear away. “Because you need to tell me everything. Right now.”

  I groaned. “Lauren…”

  “Ah-ah-ah!” she cried out, startling me. “I want to hear every tiny detail.”

  “All right, all right. Can I get dressed first, please?”

  “Sure.” Lauren grinned from ear to ear, eager to hear my story. I honestly didn’t know what to tell her. I still hadn’t found the time to process anything.

  Lauren made herself comfortable on Dylan’s bed. That’s when I noticed two pillows and two blankets lying crumpled on top. The single beds inside the compound were big enough for two people, but the fact that Dylan had obviously slept next to me for the last two nights made my heart do crazy somersaults. He’d had free reign to observe me day and night without me noticing. Hell, he could have done anything in my comatose state.

  “Are you having a moment?” L
auren broke through my delirium, eyeing me as I stood there, frozen.

  “Probably. I suppose this won’t be the last, considering…”

  “Considering what?” Lauren pressed, clasping her hands in front of her.

  While I got dressed—my clothes were in Dylan’s closet like he’d promised they would be, neatly piled next to his shirts which gave me another moment, as Lauren had put it—I told Lauren everything I remembered, starting with Dylan finding me unconscious. I explained about the pain I had to endure during the Inferno but skipped the part where I’d nearly frozen to death if Dylan hadn’t revived me.

  When I came to the juicy details, I hesitated.

  “Aw, please. This is the part of the story I’m desperate to hear,” Lauren scolded.

  “So, you know that Dylan stayed? The entire time?” I probed.

  Lauren laughed. “Everybody knows.”

  My mouth dropped open in horror. “Shit,” I cursed, covering my eyes with my hand while plopping back on the bed.

  “Don’t worry, there won’t be any rumors. Sarah, Chris, Cole, and I made sure of that.”

  “What?”

  “Well, we lectured everyone who called Dylan a pervert and you a whore.”

  I threw her a skeptical look. “Cole defended me?”

  Lauren grinned. “Sure, he did, but that’s beside the point now. So, Dylan stayed with you…?” she questioned, offering me another start for my story.

  “Yeah.”

  “How was it? Come on, spit it out!”

  “It was fantastic,” I mumbled with a shake of my head. “But not just because of him. I mean, the Revival was so intense, I can’t even describe it.”

  Lauren shrieked, clapping her hands in excitement again. “What did Dylan do?”

  “He held me.”

  Lauren’s brows furrowed as if disappointed. “That’s all?” I scoffed. If she only knew… “I mean, no kisses, no grabbing, no—”

  “Nope, but it was steamy nonetheless, believe me.”

  “How did he react when you… you know?”

  “He… got carried away with me.”

  Lauren’s mouth popped open like a fish snapping for water. As she wouldn’t leave it as long as I hadn’t spilled every tiny detail, I told her everything from how I’d ended in Dylan’s lap to him shielding me when the ceiling came down on us.

  “Dammit, Haylie, that’s so fucking hot! You’re the luckiest woman on the planet. You know that, right?”

  I chuckled. “We didn’t have sex, Lauren.”

  “Well, it was more sex rather than not.”

  Yeah, that was exactly the problem. You’d think for sex to happen you needed to go through the actual intercourse, but in my case, the lines got blurred somehow which seemed to be an everyday occurrence when it came down to Dylan and me. It made things a thousand times harder.

  After I’d revealed enough to make Lauren happy and giddy all over, Chris and Sarah joined us, both glad to see me whole and unharmed.

  “Finally made it, eh?” Chris grinned, clapping me on the shoulder.

  “Yeah. I’m glad it’s over.”

  “Not sure about that. I mean, how good must it have been if you broke down your entire room?” Chris mocked. My answer was to punch his arm. He didn’t even flinch.

  “Dylan told us he stayed with you until the Glaciation was over, and that he waited during the Revival in his room.” I shot Lauren a meaningful look which she countered with a shrug as if to say very gentlemanly. I had to agree.

  “But we all know that’s bullshit,” Chris added with a crooked grin, making me groan in embarrassment. “He thought we’d buy it because all the cameras in this aisle were down, but I wouldn’t have believed him even if he’d bet his Fighter dick on it.”

  “Thanks for the visual,” Lauren mocked, rubbing a hand through Chris’ blond locks, who in return laughed and kissed her cheek. Now this made me throw a what-the-fuck look in Lauren’s direction, but she only mouthed me a tell you later. What the hell?

  The door opened again, and Jimmy entered. Dylan’s room quickly became crowded.

  “Hello, my dear, how are you?” he asked, scrutinizing me from head to toe.

  “Good, thanks.”

  “Guys, would you let us talk?” Jimmy directed the others.

  “Of course. Haylie, come to my room later so I can heal the cut on your forehead,” Sarah said.

  “Will do, thanks.”

  After everyone left, Jimmy turned back to me. “Are you okay?”

  I smiled. “Everything’s fine. I’m sorry about the destruction next door, though.”

  Jimmy waved a hand in the air. “Don’t worry about it. It will be as good as new in a few days. I came here because Lisa wants to see you. Do you think you’re up for a little lesson with her?”

  “Sure.”

  “Great. She’ll meet you outside in the cemetery in an hour.”

  “Outside?” Lisa never left the compound, not even her room, as far as I knew. The many different vibes she was now getting overwhelmed her.

  “Yes. She figured it would be safer now that your power has grown to its fullest.”

  “All right. I’ll be there.”

  Entering my cabin was like hitting an invisible wall ever since I’d brought Haylie here to stay with me for the time being. In a matter of hours, her unique scent had manifested in my tiny room. It had been much worse when I’d lain next to her, her body only inches from mine, her hair flared out on the pillow like a halo of dark gold.

  Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep the first night. Every time Haylie had stirred in the slightest, it had jolted me awake, scared that she was suffering from any after-effects. I’d hovered over her, listening to her breathing for I don’t know how long until I was convinced she was fine, and I could allow myself to close my eyes once again.

  Last night, though, I’d had the most refreshing sleep in a long time, and there was no denying what it all came down to—Haylie’s arm wrapped around my chest, her head resting in the crook of my neck, and one slender leg above mine.

  She’d been oblivious to it crawling over to me in her sleep. I almost felt guilty taking advantage of the moment. Almost. Tracing my fingers over her soft shoulder, or kissing her forehead and tasting her sweet skin, or playing with her silky hair until sleep claimed me had just felt too good to let it gnaw on my conscience.

  This was the first time a woman had slept next to me without me having any hidden sexual agendas. Don’t get me wrong, her sinful body hidden beneath the sheets had teased me constantly, making it damn hard to refrain from exploring it, but that night when I’d held her in my arms had changed my train of thought for the moment.

  The following morning, I’d overslept. Most of the time, my restlessness wouldn’t let me sleep for long, waking me the latest at dawn, but Haylie’s presence had allowed me some peace I’d desperately needed.

  Now, Haylie had moved in with Lauren. Half of my closet was already empty. I was back to living alone in my room again. A slight pang of disappointment settled in my stomach. That woman was my undoing in every way imaginable.

  With a sigh, I opened the drawer under my bed and rummaged through the stuff, pulling out everything I would need—a chest protector, a belt with holsters for various weapons, and my heavy combat boots with metal caps in front.

  Our cameras had captured some strange Roe activity we wanted to follow up on. We were going to check things out, which was exactly what I needed right now. I’d been underground for too long with nothing on my mind but surveillance duty, training lessons, and, of course, a certain Natural who occupied my every thought ever since she’d entered my life.

  Haylie…

  Only thinking her name sent electric currents through me, and it got a lot worse since the fateful night of her Awakening. Her goddess-like body pressed against mine, her endless legs straddling my hips, her long hair flying around with each movement, her beautiful face masked with sexual desire, and her jaylior e
yes luring me in. I’d been torn between staring at her angelic face with those vibrant eyes, and the two perfect breasts dangling in front of my nose.

  It had taken every ounce of self-control to keep from kissing her or stop my hands from wandering to certain areas, afraid to overstep that thin, invisible line still holding us at bay. Which was ridiculous, taking into account what we’d done, and where my hands had landed at the end—her butt, to be precise, which had just tantalized me a tad too much. However, I hadn’t wanted to use her in her fragile state. It would have been wrong on so many levels. If she wanted me to touch her in that way, then not when she was driven by the effects of the Revival.

  And those sensual movements when she’d rubbed her sweet spot against my cock, my name a plea on her lips when her climax came near. Then her body dangling over my arm when her world had shattered apart into the, without a doubt, best orgasm of her life—one she’d shared with me.

  The Connection had been so intense, I hadn’t been able to focus on anything else—touching her flawless skin, drowning in those endless pools of jaylior eyes, breathing in her breaths—it had been unlike anything I’d ever experienced. My body had hummed with power the next day, and I knew I could have uprooted the entire forest next to the cemetery if I tried.

  Even thinking about it grew a boner in my boxers. I’d never have thought she’d want me to overstep that line with her. Not that I would have been able to stop my dick from exploding, but Haylie urging me on, craving this as much as I did, had made my mind go blank.

  In the end, I’d given in and bit down on her throat, sucking her luscious skin until it made me high. Haylie had already passed out when I was finished, going limp in my arms and letting me process everything that had happened the last few hours, starting from me finding her unconscious over her nearly freezing to death in my arms to the soft porn it had turned into. There was only so much a man could take.

  Even a Fighter like me.

  Haylie wasn’t just one of the most powerful people in the world because she was the rarest human being on earth. Everything about her was amplified, not just her power but also her beauty, her passion, her mind, her strength, her determination, and her ability to love. And it affected the people surrounding her. Most of all me.