Calling Quarters (Beacon Grove Book 1)

by Jen Stevens

  “Is this your doing?” I heard my voice demand.

  He looked down at the paper pushed against him and sighed, turning his face away from mine like it hurt him that I thought he was capable of what was happening to those innocent girls.

  “No.”

  “You need to tell me the truth if we’re going to continue whatever this is between us, Remy. I need to trust you.”

  “It’s not us,” he insisted, stepping away from me.

  I let the paper fall into the sand at my feet, too distracted by him to even notice. He’d fully turned his back to me and began raking his fingers through his hair.

  “I have to tell you something,” I finally said after staring at him through a few long beats of silence.

  The waves crashed across the water, arching and breaking once they hit the shore. They reached out at us, threatening to soak our feet before retreating back into the ocean. I realized it was almost like the water matched his mood each time we found ourselves out here.

  His fingers ceased their attack on his scalp and his arms fell to his sides, waiting. As if he knew what I was about to say and had been dreading it for some time.

  “I'm a Counter.” The words felt thick on my tongue, a disgusting admission that I wished I never had to make.

  “I know.”

  I blinked owlishly. “What?”

  Remy turned to face me again, his expression poignant. “I know you're a Counter. I've known since the first day we met.”

  That gave me pause. He recognized my confusion and his entire demeanor shifted. A smile teased his lips, as if he were pleased by my ignorance.

  “In fact…” he added while his feet closed the distance between us before he lifted his arm and let his hand hover over my cheek for a weighted second. Then without warning, he surprised me by grabbing my jaw and tilting my head up just a little.

  “You're mine.”

  He practically growled the words into my face, his hot breath sending chills straight down my spine. His fingers held onto my jawbone just a tad too tight and when I moved to step away, I watched his brow quirk up and excitement flash across his eyes in challenge. His grip tightened even more, letting me know there was no escape.

  All at once, the fear I'd felt toward him in the beginning came rushing back. This unpredictable behavior had always been part of his allure, but he never exercised his strength against me.

  “Why didn't you tell me? If you've known all this time, why would you let me believe I was holding onto some dark secret?”

  “Because of this.” He tugged my face closer to him, and I let out a terrified whimper. “Because I had no idea what you'd do with the fear that it would ignite in you.”

  “Why not kill me, then? Like you were trained to do.”

  He released me and shook his head with a shrug. I could see the tortured struggle in his expression. He was unable to find an adequate excuse, and that drove him crazy.

  “It just didn't feel right.”

  My mind raced, remembering every piece of information I'd learned from Tabitha tonight. I had to tell him. We were equally entitled to the truth about who we were and what our purpose was.

  “You were right. Keeping me alive is what saved your life.”

  “How? It seems to have only threatened it even further. My brothers are weakening by the day, and the Movement is turning everyone against us. Killing you would have given me the boost I needed to prove I was a worthy Quarter. I just didn't think you'd make it so impossible.”

  His voice dropped with the last part as he hung his head. Shame. He was feeling humiliated at following his instincts and failing to fulfill the one thing he'd been trained to do.

  I wanted to kiss him. The urge to climb his body right then and there and hand myself over to him in gratitude was overwhelming. Imagining the power that would flow through us as we connected with this newfound knowledge on a physical and spiritual level had my heart doing excited somersaults inside my chest.

  “You've got it all wrong, Remy.”

  The crazed smile that took over my face was sure to startle him. My body buzzed with anticipation as I finally realized that I shared this unexplainable feeling with someone else. That while it went against everything I'd ever been told, my instincts told me to place my trust in him and they'd been right all along.

  “We're not enemies. I'm your counterpart. I've been created to protect you. We share the same energy.”

  His throat bobbed and I continued, my arms flailing around us manically.

  “Can't you feel it? That undeniable force that seems to be pushing us together isn't just in our imagination. It's in our nature.”

  I could practically see the gears moving inside his head as he considered what I was saying. He knew it to be true, though he was clearly fighting it. It didn't matter how many people tried conditioning us to believe otherwise—our hearts knew each other.

  “How do you know this?”

  “Tabitha. She's got all these ancient books and records dating back before Beacon Grove was even created. She warned me that you'd hurt me if you found out what I was, but I knew she was wrong. None of the Quarters are as bad as you're made out to be.”

  “Tabitha Granger?” He shot me with a disbelieving scowl. “Storie, listen to me. You can't let anyone else know about this, okay? Including the other Quarters. If they find out what we are to each other, they'll eliminate you. You have to keep quiet.”

  “No. That's what I'm saying. Tabitha said the same thing about you, and she was wrong. I'm sure if we told them what we knew, they'd understand, and we'll be able to help them.”

  Why wasn't he as excited as me? This was monumental. Surely, the Quarters would understand, just as he did.

  “They won't. They won't understand and they won't hesitate to kill you. They can't feel the connection we feel.” He grabbed my arms and the familiar jolt of electric current shot through my body. “Feel that? That's how I knew you were special to me. How I knew not to hurt you. But they've never experienced this before. They won't get it. Please, tell me you understand.”

  Desperation like I'd never seen before was marring his perfect face. Even though they turned him against his own kind, he believed his words and he needed me to believe them, too. I finally nodded my agreement, hoping he was wrong.

  “Just give me some time to figure out how to tell them. This is huge. I've wanted them to know for a while now, but they're growing hopeless with the Movement closing in on us. I can't have them hurt the only thing that's helped us get by. I can't lose you.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay,” he breathed. Large hands slid down my arms and grabbed onto my fingers. The scowl from before finally loosened and I could have sworn I saw the ghost of a smile.

  “What else did Tabitha tell you?”

  We spent the rest of the night together going over every detail of what we knew so far.

  ---

  The sun was just making its debut when he reached his hand over and caressed the bruised spot on my face from where he grabbed it the night before to prove his point. We were sitting on the edge of his bed, facing the ocean as the fresh air wafted around us through the open French doors.

  “I'm a danger to you,” he softly sighed in self-defeat.

  I shook my head vehemently. “No. You're the only place in this town where I feel safe.”

  “Storie, I've got so many people relying on me to make this right. Even the ones who have lost their trust in us. Especially them. I'm afraid you're going to be put in harm's way over a lie that began way before our time just because people want their sense of normalcy back and they think that's the answer.”

  I had no idea how to make him see that we were in this together. That without the other, neither of us was truly whole. It's how we were created, our fates intertwined long before we were even a blip in the universe. And no amount of time or distance could ever keep us from finding the other again.

  My leg swung over his lap until I was str
addling him. The move felt more awkward and unskilled than it had in my head, but I pushed through my insecurities and hesitantly rested my hands on his shoulders to steady myself. His palms found my hips, adjusting me until we were perfectly aligned.

  “We've managed to defeat the odds together this long,” I whispered into his ear.

  I thought of the sacrifices my family members made to keep him from finding me. To keep this entire town from learning what I was and hunting me down. Then, I remembered what Lunet said about making a choice based on intuition and standing on the edge of greatness.

  My intuition was screaming that this was the way. He was the leap of faith that I needed to take into the unknown, trusting the gods and the universe to catch me.

  His mouth was on mine before I could say anything else, and I welcomed the warm humming that his touch erupted inside me. My lips opened up to him, our tongues dancing together like old lovers. Large hands tensed against my hips as I rolled them against his jeans, over the growing ridge that sat perfectly between my legs.

  This time, my soft moans didn't fluster or humiliate me. They served as a gentle call for him to continue nibbling on my ears and neck. To remove my sweatshirt and place his lips on my milky breasts. They were permission for him to take this further than before.

  And he understood every unspoken request.

  Before I knew it, all of our clothes were gone, and he had scooted us further onto the bed so his head could lay on the pillow as he gazed up at me in admiration. My naked body was still straddling him, and his manhood was unashamedly on full display between my legs.

  I watched his expression closely as I reached my hand out and gently grabbed him. He was too thick for my fingers to fully wrap around. His length was far greater than anything I imagined could fit inside me, but he felt warm and smooth in my grip.

  His expression remained stoic while I explored him, never really changing until he let his lips twitch the slightest amount as I applied a bit of pressure and began moving my fist up and down. I liked the way he felt in my embrace. I reveled in the power I held over his body when I added my other hand and his hips moved against me.

  I pumped for a few more minutes before gaining the courage to lean down and run my tongue along the back of his entire length, taking him completely by surprise. He tilted his head to the ceiling and let out a string of curse words and I took that as encouragement to keep going.

  With one hand still working the base, I moved my mouth up to his tip and wrapped my lips around it, careful not to let my teeth graze his skin. A light, salty drip landed on my tongue as I opened my mouth further and took him into the back of my throat, suppressing a gag when I went a touch too far.

  Remy writhed under me as I moved my head up and down, my tongue circling the tip each time it made a pass while my hand still remained on his base. I picked up speed when I felt him twitching inside my mouth and within seconds, his warm, briny liquid was leaking down my throat. Once the pulsing stopped, I pulled my mouth off and cleaned up the remaining mess with my tongue.

  “You said you've never done this before,” he rasped. I realized he had propped his head on his arm to watch me, and I blushed at how entranced I'd become to not have noticed.

  “I haven't,” I agreed.

  My self-esteem took a dive when I realized he was probably rationalizing why I'd done such a horrible job. Just when I lifted my leg to slide off him, his hand shot out and wrapped around my thigh. He tugged it back into place beside his hip and those menacing, black eyes glared at me.

  “Don't.” It was a command.

  That same dominant look from last night when he grabbed my chin passed through his eyes and I instantly cowered to it. I relaxed back onto him and crossed my arms over my chest defiantly.

  “I haven't done this before, either,” he admitted after a few breaths.

  I don't know why that surprised me. I knew from the start that Quarters were isolated from the rest of the town, though I supposed after Julia's jealous display, it wasn't too far-fetched of a thought for them to have a crowd of girls desperate for their attention.

  They were some of the most unique, attractive men I've ever laid eyes on.

  Something about his confession gave me the courage to lean forward and delicately take his lip into my mouth. I suckled and teased, and his breathing sped back up. His hands moved up my sides and pulled me forward until he was placed directly at my entrance. A whimper escaped my mouth and disappeared into his as he pressed against me ever so slightly.

  He stared up at me expectantly, asking for permission and encouraging me to make the next move. The passionate fire that was burning in my groin made the decision for me. I lifted myself the tiniest amount and slithered my arm between us to gather him into my hand once again. Then, I lined him up perfectly with my dripping center.

  He hissed out a breath at the contact, already rock-hard and busting at the seams.

  Slowly, I eased down onto him, and my body stretched and ripped to accommodate his. A sharp exhale released between my lips as I began to fear that I would burst before he was fully inside of me.

  His mouth was on mine in an instant, absorbing my soft groans until I finally reached his base and realized I wasn't going to break apart in his arms. We stayed still for a brief second, allowing my insides time to adjust to him before he pulled his hips back into the bed and slid out of me.

  My body stilled, frozen in place while he thrust himself back inside over and over. Each time he filled me, the pain became easier to bear, eventually melting into white-hot pleasure as my muscles relaxed and my hips began moving in rhythm with his.

  Only a few minutes passed before he completely stilled beneath me, and I felt his muscles spasm against my skin. My stomach coiled at the same time he squeezed my hips.

  Watching him on the edge of release with the knowledge that my body had encouraged it for a second time sent a wave of heat straight into my core. My thighs clenched around him, and stars appeared behind my eyes as I pulsed around his thick shaft in pure ecstasy. He thrust himself inside me three more times before lifting me from his cock and spilling himself onto his stomach.

  I collapsed onto the bed beside him, my body feeling wrung out and weak. It only took a few seconds for embarrassment to flood my chest when I finally glanced at him and saw the crimson mess that my innocence smeared all over him. He reached for the towel hanging on his bedpost to clean up and my hands intercepted him. They snatched the towel up to wipe it away, but he covered them with his own to stop me.

  “Never be ashamed of what just happened. It was perfect. You're perfect.”

  He leaned over and planted three tender kisses on my lips. His hands released mine and wiped away the remaining evidence of my virginity mixed with his release. Once he finished, he threw the towel over the side of the bed and pulled my body closer to his.

  We were asleep within minutes.

  Chapter 27

  Storie

  The Quarters had been villainized by the coven. Each day, more people were joining Rayner and the Movement out of sheer terror over what the future held for them if they continued putting their trust into the four men they felt had failed them the most. Remy never shared much with me about the others, but he had insinuated multiple times that our connection was the only thing keeping him going while the others were fading away.

  Rayner was now revered by the townspeople. They greeted him with excitement and respect, hopeful that he would be their guiding light out of some of their darkest times. Even if I hadn’t been so close with Remy, I knew better than to believe any of the lies he spewed. I’d seen what he was capable of and the fear he instilled in Aunt Ash from one simple visit filled with deadly threats I still wasn’t aware of.

  Each time we passed on the streets or found ourselves in the same diner or store, I purposely avoided him. He always made a point to pin me down with his pointed stare and creepy smile, but never once bothered speaking to me.

  Not yet.

/>   I felt it coming, though. He had plans for me, I knew that much from the sliver of time he’d spent with Aunt Ash. But he wasn’t going to reveal them until the time was right.

  “Our home is being taken over by dark magic and the people we’ve relied upon to repel it away have remained silent. They owe us an explanation for allowing this evil to get this far. I beg you, my powerful brothers and sister, to cast your own protection spells and protect your families,” he preached from the white gazebo.

  A crowd had gathered around to hear, nodding their heads and clutching their hands to their chests as his words sparked more fear. A police officer stood sleepily nearby to ensure peace was maintained while Rayner and his followers rallied. After a few instances where Quarter supporters attacked Movement members during their meetings, the mayor decided to station an officer at every political convention, big or small.

  “Those boys were given a gift and they are squandering it. They’re no longer deserving of the admiration they’ve received and taken advantage of from this town. Their fathers promised they can right the wrongs of their sons, yet the darkness continues to linger.”

  “I can’t believe people are falling for this,” Blaire mumbled from beside me on the bench we stopped at to enjoy our coffee and listen to Rayner’s ridiculous claims. “Fear makes people do stupid things.”

  “Still, at least half of the town has joined him. I’ve even seen posters in support of the Movement taped to the walls in The Grind.”

  It shouldn’t bother me that these people were being brainwashed by a man whose ego was larger than the span of the town itself, but I’ve grown fond of some of them in my time here. To see them being taken advantage of was simply heartbreaking.

  Maybe that was a sign it was time for me to leave. Or maybe it was time for me to step in and claim Beacon Grove as my home.