They swayed to the rhythm in silence. Suddenly Luke dipped Nicole backwards causing her to gasp. The coy smile he wore had her laughing in seconds. “Come on,” he said, “I know you can dance better than this, I’ve seen you.” His voice took on a deep, gravelly tone.
As if on cue the beat picked up causing Nicole to grin. She bit down on her lip trying to resist the challenge but finally she gave in. She looped one hand around Luke’s neck as she moved in close, putting one leg between his so there was no space between their bodies. “You asked for it,” she winked.
She gave a small playful flick of her hips causing him to widen his stance. A sexy grin stretched across his face as he obeyed. She closed her eyes and let the music take control. She slid her free hand up to the back of her own head then let it slowly drop down her side, her hips keeping perfect time with Luke’s movement. Soon she felt the room disappearing to leave only Luke, the heat of his body as he pulled her tight, the smell of his skin, and the passion that filled his eyes.
Abruptly, Luke spun her so her back was against his chest. She reached behind her, looping one arm around his neck as their bodies found their rhythm again. His breath was warm on her neck when he leaned close to whisper in her ear. “I wanted to dance with you like this for so long,” as he spoke his lips brushed her earlobe softly.
She raked her fingers through his tousled hair as she turned her head to face him. When their eyes locked her body stopped. Time stood still. The pull to be with him was so magnetic. Her lips ached to press against his and her tongue begged to taste him, but most of all, her soul needed him. The look in his eyes told her that he was the one. Her friend, her protector, her everything.
She closed the space between their lips without another thought. Seconds ticked by with her only aware of the softness of his kiss. Slowly, they explored each other’s mouth, savoring this long awaited moment. Bodies continued to dance around them as they stood in the center of the floor. Nicole turned in his arms so she was facing him returning her mouth back to his as he deepened the kiss, penetrating her mouth with his tongue. Passion coursed throughout her body sending tingles of pleasure in long forgotten places.
A harsh shove suddenly knocked Nicole a few feet to the side leaving her dazed. She turned around to see the Gothic woman from the parking lot glaring at Luke. Her hands were fisted at her sides and her bright red lips were in a tight line.
“What’s going on Luke?” Nicole asked as she moved back to Luke’s side. “Don’t tell me this is another irate ex-girlfriend.” She could feel her temper rising as she took in the woman’s defiant stance and arrogant stare. The heat of power started to throb in her veins.
The woman snorted in response as she rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t date trash like him,” she snapped taking a step back as if something on Luke was about to infect her. She turned her gaze on Nicole, “If you had any sense, you wouldn’t let his type touch you either,” her eyes widened as she took in Nicole’s face. “Damn it, Luke, haven’t you taught her anything?” she grabbed Nicole by the arm, “Keep your head down. We’re going to the ladies’ room.”
Nicole glanced back at Luke who was following but not trying to stop the woman from taking her. Her brows knitted together as she tried to make sense of the stone set of Luke’s face but the woman’s pale arm pressed her head back down, forcing her to stare only at the floor.
When they neared the door to the restroom, Luke stopped. “I’ll be right here,” he mumbled as he leaned against the wall.
“Stop your whining. I’m going to do what you should’ve already done, you useless warrior.” She opened the door and pushed Nicole inside, “Eyes on the floor.”
There was one woman in the restroom washing her hands. She looked up when the Gothic chick shoved Nicole into the small room. Her eyes were wide from the sudden excitement but also glassy from too many drinks. “Out you drunken bitch, my friend and I need to talk girl talk.”
The blond woman snorted defiantly as her eyes sized up the petite woman making demands on her. She slowly dried her hands to prove her point.
A wide, taunting grin stretched across the red lips of the woman dressed in black leather. She eyed the stubborn woman over from head to toe then leaned into the woman’s face. “Well if you insist on staying, we’ll have to make it a threesome,” she licked her lips, then added, “Feisty bitches turn me on.”
The blonde’s nose wrinkled as she took a step back then sidestepped around so she could exit the room. Nicole looked up from the floor when she heard the door close.
“I don’t know who the hell you think you are…”
The woman held up one pale hand then pointed a long black fingernail to the mirror on the wall. Nicole turned, catching sight of red glowing eyes in her reflection. “I am Sage and you, my friend, are in need of genuine training.”
“I’ve got enough people trying to train me already so thanks, but no thanks.” Nicole glared at Sage in the mirror.
“Yes and they are doing such a bang-up job,” Sage snorted. “Warriors don’t understand what you have. They can’t teach you everything you need to know,” she paused sweeping her black hair back, revealing a pointed ear, “but I can.”
Nicole dropped her head down closing her glowing eyes. Wonderful, first two pushy warriors shadow me everywhere now I’ve got Tinkerbell shoving me around! She thought to herself.
“Don’t call me Tinkerbell, I don’t have wings and I don’t sprinkle fairy dust on children. I hate kids and anything Disney,” smirked Sage as she pulled out a tube of lipstick and began reapplying the bright red over her plump lips.
“Could you not do that please?”
“What not read your mind? Yes, if I wanted to block out your thoughts I could, but right now I’m enjoying the circus inside of your head.” Sage winked at Nicole as she pressed her lips together smoothing out her lipstick.
Nicole turned her attention back to the mirror. Her eyes had begun to fade back to the normal, ghost blue she knew. There was only a hint of red around the edge of her irises. Satisfied with her reflection, she turned back to Sage. “Listen, thanks for getting me out of there before anyone noticed, but I think I have enough help with my training.” She turned to open the door but Sage was already in front of her. Nicole took a step back crossing her arms over her chest as she blew out an exasperated breath.
“You need my help even if you don’t want to admit it. Face it, all those warriors care about is getting into your sexy little pants. That was obvious on the dance floor to anyone with half a brain.” Sage moved forward to whisper into her ear as she placed one pale hand on Nicole’s neck pulling her close, “And though I wouldn’t mind having a taste myself, we’ve got to look at the bigger picture. You don’t know how to control yourself and you’re running out of time to figure it out.”
“What do you mean I’m running out of time?” Nicole asked as she took a step back, slapping Sage’s hand from her neck.
“You think that if one warrior fails to bring you back, he will just give up?” she shook her head like she was talking to a child, “He will send more. He wants you to join him…. or die and he won’t stop until one or the other happens.”
Nicole ran a hand across her forehead. Tension was starting to build in her temples as she tried to understand what was going on. “Who is 'he' and why is he so set on having me?”
Sage let out an ear-piercing laugh that made Nicole’s skin crawl. “Those no good warriors really have kept you in the dark, haven’t they?”
The door to the bathroom banged open as Luke pushed inside, his forehead creased with deep lines and his eyes red with fire. “You’ve said quite enough Sage. Nicole has plenty to deal with without you adding more on her.”
Sage threw her hands up as she paced back to the far wall. “You aren’t helping by keeping her in the dark, Luke. You’re putting her in more danger and you fucking know it.”
“How about you mind your own damn business,” he hissed through gritted teeth as h
e put himself in front of Nicole.
“Luke what is she talking about?” Nicole stepped to Luke’s side looking between him and Sage expectantly.
“I’m talking about Loch, Nicole. He wants you and he will have you if you’re not ready to fight.”
Those words sent a chill down Nicole’s spine as her mind spiraled. “That can’t be true.” She looked to Luke taking in his pained eyes. “You told me Loch was killed centuries ago for trying to kill the Queen. He’s dead.” The doubt was heavy in her words as she watched Luke’s face fill with regret. “Luke?” she said, pleading.
“Yes, do tell, Luke.” Sage smirked, then turned her gaze to Nicole. “You may change your mind about your little boy-toy warrior after this one, sweetie. So the offer still stands to let me train you.” She winked at Nicole as she leaned against the wall settling in for the story.
Luke reached for Nicole’s hand but stopped himself, being careful to honor her rule. “I guess I have no choice now but to tell you, but not here.” He glared at Sage for a moment as if he were having a conversation with only his eyes. “I know how to reach you if she decides to use your help.” He turned his gaze back to Nicole. “Come on, I’ll explain in the car.”
Nicole only nodded, unable to decide if she should be scared or mad as she followed Luke out of the club. They sat in silence for a few miles as Luke drove the dark country roads back toward Double Springs. Luke took an unexpected turn down a road that led to Smith Lake. The road was the same one she and Kat had driven looking for her dad a few weeks ago.
“Where are we going?”
“We need to talk and I don’t want to in front of your dad and Rhys.”
Nicole nodded, biting her lip to keep the questions from flowing. Her head was such a jumble. She could understand Luke being nervous over telling her why he lied about Loch being dead but it shouldn’t be this big of a deal.
Luke pulled the black Chevelle to the water’s edge and got out. Nicole followed him to sit on the hood of the car looking out over the lake. The moon was full and it cast a beautiful glow across the calm water. It was a serene place with only the sounds of crickets chirping and the occasional splash of water from a fish, or maybe a turtle, surfacing in the distance.
Nicole watched as Luke sat in silence, arms crossed and head bowed in deep thought. Her stomach was churning as she thought of the malice in Sage’s eyes when she spoke of warriors. The girl had issues that ran deep and Nicole wondered if there was some truth in her words.
“Nicole, let me say this first. I’m here with you to be your warrior above anything else but I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t have feelings for you that run much deeper.” He turned his face to the night sky as if looking for the right words to be written in the stars. “The thought of losing you scares me to death.” he pushed off the car and walked to the water’s edge. “I have a good explanation for not telling you the whole story sooner. Some were for my own selfish reasons but most were to protect you. If you want me to leave after you hear what I have to say,” he paused turning to meet her eyes for the first time since they left the club, “I will go and you will never see me again.”
Nicole’s heart crumbled as he spoke. She felt like he was walking away from her forever and that there was nothing she could do to stop him. Everything hinged on what he was about to tell her and how she accepted it, whether she could understand his reasons. A large lump formed in her throat as she looked into his pain-filled eyes. Unable to form words for fear of crying, she nodded for him to continue.
“I didn’t lie to you when I said that Loch was sentenced to death…he was. He was imprisoned to await his execution when the Queen returned from hiding. I was charged with keeping guard over him until that day arrived.” He paused taking in a deep, unsteady breath. “The problem was that Loch is my father.”
Nicole’s eyes widened when he spoke those words, she shook her head in denial backing away from him. Fear gripped her as she thought of Luke turning on her to please his father. Like a bolt of lightning her mind wrapped around one idea, the man who awakened her power, the man who started her whole life spiraling out of control was Loch. The red eyes that haunted her nightmares belonged to Luke’s father. Wind started to whip around as her panic rose. On instinct alone, she created a barrier of wind that danced between her and Luke. The wall pulsed and swayed taking on a life of its own, seeming to wait for her command.
“Nicole please, hear me out.” He stopped short of touching the wall, the lines of worry etched on his forehead and his eyes pleading. “Just imagine for a minute that it was your dad,” he whispered staring past the wall and into her eyes. “Every day I had to stand by and watch my father sit shackled in a dark dungeon awaiting his death. I knew what he did was wrong and, no, I didn’t have any part in it but it didn’t change the fact that I loved my father. Day after day he spoke to me, telling me how sorry he was and how he would never shame our family again if I would help him get out.” Luke lowered his head down, reliving the painful moment in his past. “For months I struggled to stay true to my brothers but I finally broke. I helped him escape.”
She stared into his face as the wind whirled out toward him, sending a spray of sand in his face. She hadn’t told the wind to lash out but then again, she didn’t know how she called the wall here in the first place. It seemed to be acting like a loyal guard dog, sensing its master’s tension, and reacting protectively.
The look of pain she saw in Luke’s eyes came from deep within his soul. His expression was of a man who had been ripped to pieces at reliving the moment in his mind, opening old wounds again. She forced her feet to stop moving as he reached toward her. Her mind was screaming for her to run, but her heart told her to stop and listen.
“Why are you here now? Shouldn’t you be punished for letting Loch escape?” Her voice was strong despite the fear eating away inside of her.
He nodded as he turned his back to her and began to lift his shirt revealing lines of jagged scars covering most of his back. “Did I tell you how fast warriors heal?”
“No, I don’t think you did,” she whispered, her voice was choked by the sight of his horrific scars, all raised and overlapping one after another in long lines.
“Well, it’s pretty damn fast. In most cases, a cut that would send you to the hospital will be healed completely on me in a hour.” He flashed her a weak smile as he lowered his shirt back down. “My punishment was being whipped continually until my father was found or until he turned himself in.” Luke sighed as his face took on a faraway stare. “Word was sent out that I was being beaten in an attempt to lure Loch back to save me. Warriors took turns whipping me for ten days. Ten whole days of my wounds being opened over and over again while my father hid like a coward.” A weak, sarcastic laugh escaped his mouth.
Nicole didn’t know what to say or do when Luke got quiet. She wanted to know more but was afraid to ask. She could see the tightness of his jaw and the stiff set of his shoulders as he thought of his past. She tried to imagine the pain of her own father turning his back on her but the image eluded her. She realized in that moment what Luke had been talking about when he said that she was lucky to have wonderful parents. Slowly the wall between them began to drift away as her fear of Luke faded, to be replaced by a deep sorrow.
Luke gave Nicole a soft smile. “Do you know who stopped my torment?” He paused as Nicole shook her head, “Your grandmother, the Queen of the Fae. She returned from hiding and showed me great kindness. She said she understood my love and loyalty to my family though it was wasted on a father who was undeserving. That’s when she told me about the child she was forced to hide. She asked me to protect her bloodline with my life and I did not hesitate.” He reached forward, catching a curl that had been windswept then tucking it behind Nicole’s ear being mindful not to touch her skin. “Now my loyalty falls to you, my princess. I will protect you with my last breath, then my soul will find you again. I am forever yours.”
Nicole’s b
rows knitted together as she thought about his words, she turned her face up to the night sky. The stars seemed dim tonight and the moon wasn’t impressive but maybe that was how she felt on the inside, devoid of happiness and beauty with a grieving heart. “I don’t want you to be with me because of your word to the Queen,” she whispered. “I want you to be here now, because you want to be with me.” Nicole’s eyes met his, her heartbeat was deafening to her own ears as she watched the emotions play across Luke’s face. She moved closer to him, reaching up to run her fingers along his face. Luke turned his head softly into her hand, reveling in her touch.
“I’ve never wanted anything more in all the centuries I’ve walked this world than to be with you.” He reached forward to touch her but his motions were hesitant as he searched her face for permission.
Nicole sensed his turmoil. She pulled his hand up to cup her cheek, her eyes never leaving his. “I know these feelings are my own. I don’t doubt us anymore.” She watched as Luke’s eyes misted over and a smile stretched across his face. He placed a tender kiss on her lips sending a joy into her soul she had never known.
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