by Lola StVil
I slide my underwear off and straddle him. Having my bare thighs on either side of him, with nothing between us, causes him to bite his lower lip in anticipation. I pull my shirt over my head and throw it into the water. I then unhook my bra, and the tide once again takes it away. The night air hits my nipples and hardens them instantly. He provides warmth by covering my bare breasts with his mouth. He makes patterns with his tongue as it presses against my swollen mound.
His touch is delicious, so much so that I press my hand onto the back of his head and force him even closer to my chest. His fingers explore as much of my body as they can: the back of my neck, the space between my shoulder blades, and down to my spine. His touch is electric and leaves a trail of heat so intense I moan incoherently.
I’m so lost in the ecstasy of his touch, I don’t realize the sadness is coming after him again. That is until I open my eyes and see he’s on the verge of giving into the abyss of grief and loss. I place my hands on either side of his face.
“Bex, no. Don’t let it in,” I whisper. But it’s easy to see he’s losing the fight. Turmoil and pain are only a few breaths away.
“Bex, stay with me, baby, stay with me,” I beg.
He looks up at me, and I know he’s only a moment away from being buried in a sea of desolation. I take his hand and place it firmly between my legs, past the slippery folds, deeper and deeper inside.
I can see the light starting to reappear in his eyes as his fingers search for my pulsating center. He makes contact with my core, and I arch my back in ecstasy. No longer able to contain myself, I unzip him and set his rock-hard length free. I wrap my hand around it, and he begs for mercy. Not from sadness, but from me. And from the passion that now grips him.
He pulls his hand away from my center, cups my ass from behind, lifts me up, and impales me with his stone sword.
The sheer intensity of the sensations makes me dig my nails into his shoulder blades, carving long stripes into his flesh. He growls in a mix of pain and ecstasy. We wrap ourselves around each other and grind our bodies together. The rhythm is slow and deliberate. With every stroke, the passion builds.
Soon, we’re powerless to stop the oncoming wave of pleasure that courses through us. Our bodies are held captive by desire. It shakes us violently and sends words neither of us understands coming out of our mouths. Milked to exhaustion, Bex drops his head forward and rests it between my breasts.
(PLEASE NOTE YOUNGER READERS CAN CONTINUE READING FROM THIS POINT ON.)
A few hours later, I wake up to find Bex and I are back in the hotel room. I don’t remember him carrying me back inside, but he must have because I’m under the covers now. He’s just finishing up a conversation on his phone.
“No, everyone is to work overtime. The New Order can’t be permitted to act out like this for one more day…good, also I want a team sent to protect the all-human villages near Para-owned buildings. We can’t let them get caught in the crossfire anymore…okay, thanks, Bell,” he says as he hangs up.
“New phone?” I ask.
“Yeah, went out while you were Recharging.”
“Was that Bellamy?”
“Yeah, they haven’t found anything on the New Order, but they have a few leads they’re following up on.”
“She’s a good leader, from what I heard.”
“She’s amazing.”
“Should I be jealous?” I ask.
“Yeah, she could take me away from you. You may have to do something drastic, like move in with me,” he teases.
“Hahaha, funny.”
“Seriously. Pry, move in with me.”
“I can’t do that, Bex.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t leave my team.”
“We can house them too. It’s a castle. So space is not really an issue.”
“Bex, I don’t know…”
“C’mon, think about it. We’d have more time to spend together. I feel like your part-time boyfriend.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then say yes.”
“There’s so much going on right now,” I remind him.
“That’s always the case, but so what?”
“Next thing you know, you’ll want to marry me.”
“Yes, I will. I just know you won’t agree until your parents are back. So I figure I’ll wait until then.”
“You want to get married? You want to give me your Rah?”
“Yes. But like I said, I get that you want to wait for your mom and dad to come back. But can we live together in the meantime?”
“I don’t know what to say to that.”
“Say you’ll think about it. Please.”
“Okay, I’ll think about it,” I reply, unable to say no to his bright smile. I get a text from Randy. I read it twice.
Bex studies my face and asks what’s going on. “Is there another attack?”
“No. Randy says he figured out a way for us to take down Malakaro. But in order for it to work, we need to use a mixture that can bring someone back from the past.”
“I know that mixture. It’s called Faxten. But it only brings back dark souls. That’s why it’s been banned.”
“I know, Bex, but if we use it and get the info we need, it could solve everything.”
“Who is Randy planning to bring back?”
“Malakaro’s mother, Bianca.”
Chapter Seven:
All You need To Know
When Bex and I get back to the safe house, the team is there, but Uncle Rage has yet to return from his trip. The Face went back to the school to help the humans sort out a temporary place to hold classes. Winter, it seems, was waiting for our return. So even though Randy is on the verge of exploding, we signal to him that we should hear Winter out since she ran to meet us at the door.
“Is everything okay?” Bex asks her.
“Yes. I wanted to wait for Pryor to get back so I could tell all of you how sorry I am about the dinner we had. I didn’t mean to go off like that. It’s just been…hard lately,” Winter says sincerely.
“Um…it’s cool. Don’t worry about it. I hope you and Uncle Rage are able to work things out,” I reply.
She smiles politely but doesn’t say anything. That is until she speaks to Aaden. Her voice is soft and filled with emotion. Aaden hates being the center of attention; he’d give anything to stop Winter from singling him out.
“I owe you the biggest apology of all. I never meant to ruin the only keepsake with your mom’s likeness. Please believe me.”
“I know. Look, it was an accident. And maybe it will help my dad move on. Maybe it’s what he needed,” Aaden replies.
“Well, if he’s moving on, it won’t be with me. He broke it off earlier today,” she says sadly.
“Mom, why didn’t you tell me?” East says, taking her hand.
“There was no need. I’m fine. Everything is just fine. What am I thinking? There’s no food in this house. What are you kids going to eat?” she says as she rushes to the small kitchen and starts taking out pots.
“Winter, we’re not humans anymore; we don’t eat, remember?” I reply gently.
“Oh, yeah. But Randy is human, he must be hungry,” she says desperately.
“Ah…yeah, I’m starving,” Randy lies.
“Good! I’ll go to the market and fix you a nice, proper dinner,” Winter says as she rushes out the door.
“Okay, what was that? Since when does your mom cook?” Swoop asks.
“Damn it! I told her it was a mistake getting involved with a guy like Rage,” East snaps.
“What does that mean?” Aaden demands.
“It means you Case guys are really good at deceiving and subterfuge,” East says.
“Did East just say subterfuge?” Swoop asks me.
“Easton, if you have something to say, then say it,” Aaden pushes.
“Fine. Your father is a sneaky piece of shit—”
Aaden tackles Easton with such force he knocks him off
his chair and onto the ground. Right away, we try to separate them, but not before Aaden knocks out one of Easton’s teeth. East is able to land a few powerful blows himself, causing Aaden to growl. It takes all of us to stop them from killing each other.
“If you ever, ever talk about my father like that, I swear to Omnis, I will kill you,” Aaden promises.
“I’m ready whenever you are,” East says as he charges again. Thankfully Swoop puts herself in the middle, knowing East would never hurt her.
“Enough! Easton, what the hell is going on?” I demand.
“I never should have allowed my mother to date that demon bastard Rage!” Easton shouts. That was a mistake. Aaden is agile, strong, and has a bottomless source of anger he can tap into. He powers his way past us, grabs East, and starts pounding his face with his fist.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” I declare. Everyone stops and turns to face me.
“We just got our powers back. I don’t want to press your Deck and take them back, but I will if I have to! Do you two understand?” I demand.
“Yes,” East says as he tries to gather himself and clean the blood off his shirt.
“Now, someone tell me what the hell just happened and why. And just this once, can we pretend to be real grown-ups?” I order.
“What happened is exactly what I thought would happen: Silver’s father was just toying with my mom,” East spits.
“I don’t care what he did or didn’t do, you don’t talk about my family like that!” Aaden warns.
“Before you two go another round, can we hear what Randy has to say before he explodes?” Swoop suggests.
“Sorry, Randy. Go ahead,” East says as he glares at Aaden.
“Before you do, I just want to make it clear, it’s like we thought: Bex had nothing to do with the demons that came after us. Someone is using his seal,” I announce.
“We’re all thinking the same thing, right? It’s Hunter,” Swoop says.
“It could be, but Mrs. Doris died in one of the fires, and I don’t think Hunter is capable of that,” Bex replies.
“Did you think he was capable of blackmail?” Aaden asks.
“I’m not going to defend Hunter, but I don’t want to convict him without knowing all the details.”
“What details do you need to know, Kon? Your psycho brother is burning everything in sight,” Aaden concludes.
“If this baby works, the New Order won’t strike anymore because Malakaro will be dealt with,” Randy says happily as he holds up a small six-inch glass tube.
“You actually got your hands on a vial of Faxten? It’s in short supply. I’ve never even seen one in person,” Bex says.
“Yeah, I called Spider, and he took care of it,” Randy informs us.
“What did he want in return?” I ask.
“Nothing—okay, well, something,” Randy mumbles.
“A kiss,” Swoop says.
“You kissed Spider?” Bex asks.
“I took one for the team. So this better work, Randy,” Swoop warns.
“It will. We use this black powder and mix it with the mixtures Diana has been working on. Then we will be able to call for her essence to come to us. She’ll tell us what kind of shield she used to protect Malakaro when he was a baby. Once we know that, we’ll be able to make a new mixture to destroy him.”
“Randy, how do you even know all this?” Aaden asks.
“Ever since Key died, I’ve been reading as much as I can on mixtures and ways to destroy evil,” Randy says.
“Are we sure we should do this? I’ve heard some really bad things about Bianca,” East adds.
“That was forever ago; we should at least talk to her,” Randy counters.
“What makes you think she’ll help us kill her own son?” I ask.
“She will do it because we will give her something in return—life,” Diana says.
“The Faxten only works for a few minutes. You can’t bring her back indefinitely,” Bex says.
“No, but I found a way to give her three days. So she’d be alive for three days if she helps us kill Malakaro.”
“You think she’ll really go for that?” I ask.
“I’m sure it’s worth a shot,” Randy says.
“I don’t know. Everything I’ve ever heard about that woman makes her sound beyond evil. This may not be a good idea, Pry,” Swoop counters.
Before I can reply, Uncle Rage and Melody enter the safe house. She rushes towards East and embraces him.
“Mel, what are you doing here?” he asks.
“She was scouring the area, asking everyone if they knew where you were. She was just minutes away from calling an all-out press conference,” Uncle Rage says.
“Sorry, I was just worried,” Melody says, slightly embarrassed.
“It’s okay. It’s sweet that you worry,” East says, unable to stop looking in her eyes.
“Why is Randy holding a vial of Faxten?” Uncle Rage asks.
We explain the plan to him. He listens carefully and asks who it is we plan to bring back.
“Bianca,” Randy replies.
Suddenly, Uncle Rage snatches the vial from Randy’s hand and hurls it at the wall. It shatters open, and the black powder flies all over the room, then disappears.
“Why did you do that?” Randy shouts.
“Are you kids out of your damn minds?” he demands.
“We know Bianca is bad—”
“You don’t know shit! Bianca isn’t just bad. She’s the source of all fucking evil. She’s worse than three Malakaros put together. If bringing her back is your only plan, you might as well kiss the world good-bye,” the Akon yells.
“She’d only be alive for three days!” Randy protests.
“That bitch gets life for three minutes and she will unravel your lives in ways you can’t even comprehend. That’s why she’s dead now. She did things that were vile and vicious. You are not bringing her back. That’s final. Do I make myself clear?” he demands in no uncertain terms.
“Okay, we won’t bring her back,” I promise.
“Good,” Uncle Rage says.
“You always get what you want, don’t you?” East says with attitude.
“East,” Aaden warns.
“No, screw this! Who do you think you are treating my mom like shit?”
“She told you about us,” the Akon asks.
“Yeah, she told me. And you have no right to treat her that way!”
“East—” Uncle Rage says as he takes a step towards him; East automatically lifts his hands up to protect his face as if he’s about to be struck. Before we can stop him, East takes a swing at Uncle Rage. He misses but keeps trying. He’s now punching and kicking at everything and everyone. He’s in a full blind rage.
“YOU JUST STAY AWAY FROM MY MOM. YOU HEAR ME? STAY AWAY FROM HER OR I’LL KILL YOU, FRANK!”
“East, it’s Uncle Rage. It’s not Frank. It’s not Frank. You’re okay,” I promise.
The rest of the team and I exchange worried glances. Easton’s stepdad was abusive to him. And even though East was capable of overpowering him, he never did. So for years Frank would strike East. We all thought since Frank was dead, East was fine, but judging by his reaction to Uncle Rage’s approach, East is anything but fine.
When East settles down, Uncle Rage tells him to step outside. East is about to object, but he can tell the Akon is not asking. So the two of them step outside; we can’t help but overhear as their voices carry back to us.
“I heard about what went on in your house with your stepdad. I didn’t know about it; if I did…”
“What? You would have rescued me?” East says bitterly.
“I get it. You’re pissed. But it’s not with me.”
“Oh really? You broke my mother’s heart and you don’t think that’s why I’m angry?”
“No, I don’t. What’s happening with your mom and me is between us. All you need to know is that I respect her and I would never hurt her on purpose. But I think you alr
eady know that. The person you’re upset with wasn’t in that room,” Uncle Rage suggests.
“I’m not crazy. I know that Frank is dead and being pissed at him would do me no good.”
“You hate Frank, but the person you are actually, seriously angry with is your mom.”
“Why would I be mad at her? She loves me.”
“But she never stopped what she must have known was going on. She turned a blind eye, and while you love her, you hate her for that. You got a crap deal, and she did nothing to help. Now you’re angry and directing it at everyone but her.”
“How would you know?” Eats asks.
“That’s the same way I felt when I was human and my mother stood by and let that asshole father of mine take his rage out on me.”
“He’d hit you?”
“I knocked down the TV by mistake. It still worked, but the screen was cracked. He beat me with an extension cord until I wet myself and I passed out. I was four.”
“What did your mom do?” East wonders.
“She cried. She was good at that.”
“Yeah, mine too.”
“I wanted her to stand up to him, but she never did,” Uncle Rage says reflectively.
“They just let it go on, like it doesn’t matter and it’s okay, but it’s not. It’s never okay again,” East says as his voice shakes.
“There are things that went on in my house I can’t bring myself to tell Aaden about. Things that horrify me till this day. But the thing that haunts even more so than the beatings is this: If my mother loved me like she said she did…”
“And you want to know why she didn’t stop him?” East concludes.
“Exactly.”
“My mom says she thought she was protecting me from the dangers of being a Noru, but Frank was worse than any demon we’ve ever come across,” East says.
“I can’t say I agree with the lengths your mother went to so that you didn’t become Noru. All I know is she loves you. But at some point, you’re going to have to tell her how you feel. Or you will end up like me. I may be a decent guy now, but it took a lot of blood to get me here. Don’t go down that path, East. Talk to her.”
