Catalyst

by Elisabeth

  Elani was quiet as the doctor spoke to her. She refused to get off my lap. At least she wasn’t straddling me when the doctor came in. She had gone to the bathroom, and the doctor saved herself from getting a show. We both listened to the doctor as she spoke about the sonogram and how the baby was doing.

  “Would you guys like to find out the sex of the baby, now?” she asked us. “I wanted to wait to tell you; I knew you needed a moment to talk first.” She looked at Elani.

  Elani smiled and looked back at me. I smiled back at her, not able to help myself; her smile was infectious.

  “Whatever you want, baby,” I said.

  Of course, I wanted to know, but I figured I could give her this much for now, before I became my old, domineering self.

  She looked at the doctor and nodded.

  The doctor smiled. “You’re having a baby girl,” she said.

  Elani giggled and my smile disappeared. I ran my fingers through my hair and threw my head back.

  “Oh gods!” I exclaimed.

  “What?” she whispered.

  “I need a whole new set of guns!” I said to her and righted my head to smile at her. I felt a whole new joy and fear erupt throughout my entire body. I hid my fear of what could happen to Elani, especially after she saw that message. I had to remind her not to say a damn word about it.

  Chapter 6

  Elani

  One week! One whole week! That’s how long it’d been since the hospital and that amazing kiss I shared with Ales. He didn’t have to convince me to stay with him. With all those memories of Alana, I missed him immensely. I wanted to spend so much time with him, yet the very next day, he was gone again. This time, staying away a whole week, and it made me mad. All the memories of Alana showed me he was also gone a lot. This was who he was. As Alana, I understood, but as Elani, it didn’t make sense to me. I missed him and wanted to be in his arms again. He made me feel so small in his arms and I loved how warm he was.

  I sighed as I snapped out of it and went back to clean the bar. I couldn’t sit around and not do anything. I asked my manager to switch me over to daytime and I’d be a waitress instead. He didn’t seem to mind, knowing he wouldn’t have to hire anyone else. I smiled when Stacey came in for her evening shift while I got ready to clock out.

  “Hey, love,” I greeted her.

  “Hey.” She sounded like she wasn’t looking forward to the shift.

  I was concerned for Stacey. I took a good look at her and her skin wasn’t glowing as it usually did. We barely saw each other this whole week due to working different shifts. I knew it had nothing to do with Patro; he was with Ales.

  “What is it?” I stopped everything to give her my full attention.

  She smiled weakly.

  “Oh, it’s nothing. I’ve just been tired. Also, Jace…” She didn’t get to finish her sentence. Jace came walking straight up to Stacey, pulling her in for a kiss.

  My eyes widened. I was shocked. In all the years we’d worked together, Stacey had never once looked at Jace like that. The way her body stiffened when he kissed her made me curious. I didn’t like how Jace kissed her, and looked at me, as if it was my fault they were together. His glare held an accusatory look in them and it made me uncomfortable. I didn’t know if it was me, getting back all of Alana’s memories, or what, but the way he looked at me reminded me of Cyril. He let Stacey go and fully turned to look my way. He smiled as if he knew it was making me uncomfortable.

  There was something in his smile I didn’t like. It reminded me of what I saw when Cyril killed Achilles’ mom. It made me shudder, and I looked over at Stacey who looked as uncomfortable as I did. I tried to communicate with her, but it appeared whatever hold he had over her trumped her telling me the truth. I watched her for a moment longer, deciding to behave as if I hadn’t seen a damn thing. I could come back to it later.

  “So Stace? No more Patro?” I teased.

  She chuckled. “No. It didn’t work out. Jace and I found each other and now I think I’m in love.”

  That was a red flag. For as long as I’d known Stacey, she had never talked about love because of her family issues and her past. We joked around once and told each other, if we were ever in danger, we would use the term, ‘I think I’m in love’ as some sort of signal.

  I had to help her.

  I decided to stay a bit longer before the night crowd came in. I didn’t trust Jace, and for the first time in my life, he made my skin crawl. This had never happened before, but now I was aware of his presence. Even when he tried to convince Ales he was my boyfriend, my skin hadn’t crawled. But now, my gut was telling me I needed to see something, yet I couldn’t. I watched as Stacey stayed on her side of the bar and Jace on his. He wasn’t running from her, but she was running away from his touches. I bussed the last of the tables, and was cleaning the tables, when I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

  I turned and looked up to find Ales glaring at me with his arms crossed. I smiled at him, and he looked to be wavering with that look on his face. I walked closer to him, and reached out, touching his bicep. It involuntarily flexed under my hand. I giggled and caught myself. Neither Alana, nor Elani, giggled. Yet, I seemed to be doing so now. I looked up at him again and his eyes softened.

  “Don’t be mad at me,” I cooed. I wasn’t ashamed that I was acting like this so he wouldn’t be mad.

  I wanted to laugh as he grunted and narrowed his eyes at me. He knew what I was doing as I continued to caress his bicep. He didn’t say anything. I moved my hand from his biceps and circled my arms around his waist. I looked up at him and rested my chin on his still crossed arms. This brought a smile to his face.

  His eyes still narrowed, he asked, “Where did you learn to do this?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Alana… well you, didn’t do this,” he said.

  I chuckled. “I know and that was a damn mistake on me. I should’ve done this to you in the past, so you would forgive me faster.”

  He smirked, and his lids became hooded as he spoke.

  “I remember what you did back then. I definitely forgave you much faster.”

  I bit my bottom lip thinking of the old me. The method of dropping to my knees, and taking him into my mouth, draining his anger from him.

  “You have to admit, it was a pretty good method.”

  “I’m not complaining. If you want to do that next, love, I will always be for it.”

  Before I could respond with how much I wanted his mouth all over me, a noise erupted behind us. We both turned toward the noise and Patro’s fist connected with Jace’s jaw. I gasped. Even from where I stood, I heard the impact of the hit.

  Ales reacted fast and ran toward Patro, getting to him in less than a few steps. He grabbed Patro from behind and moved back with him. Patro let out a curling battle cry that spread goosebumps all over my body.

  “Patro! Patrocleus! Calm down!” Ales yelled, but Patro was too far gone.

  I almost stepped in but took a step back when Patro ran his back into the tables, so he could shake Ales off. Ales didn’t budge as they both broke the table. My eyes grew wide at the sight of Stacey in the corner crouched down. I didn’t care that we were causing a scene. I ran toward Stacey and got on my knees.

  “Stace? Stace? What’s wrong?” I asked her.

  She finally looked up at me, her left eye swelling up and marring her beautiful skin. Tears were in her eyes, and I felt like the worst friend ever for not seeing it.

  “He hit me again, Lani… After he swore, he would never.” She started to cry, and I pulled her into my arms.

  I don’t know how long we stayed like that, but I heard Ales gruff voice call out to me.

  “Let’s go, Elani. You too, Stacey,” he said to us.

  I finally looked up and realized Jace was nowhere to be found. Patro stood at the door, fuming. He briefly looked in Stacey’s direction, but then looked away again as if it was too painful to look at her face.

>   Ales didn’t move until both Stacey and I stood up. He looked at me and Stacey with palpable anger.

  “You call your boss and tell him you both quit. I’m not playing, Elani. I mean it!”

  “We can’t just quit like that, Ales.”

  “Choose then. Either you quit your job, or I kill that pathetic human being.”

  I knew he was serious, so I nodded. “We’ll quit.” Then proceeded to walk toward Patro, knowing Ales would never let me walk behind him, unless he knew it was safe to do so.

  Ales

  I was fuming the entire drive home. I understood where Patro was coming from, but I was angry. Angry it took him that long to calm down. He couldn’t recognize my voice like he usually could. I held onto the steering wheel tight, afraid I would somehow break it.

  I looked in my rear-view mirror and watched Elani as she held Stacey in her arms. They both fell asleep like that. I was relieved she didn’t continue to question me on everything anymore. I looked over at Patro who was staring out the window.

  “Patrocleus,” I whispered. “What was that about?”

  He sighed and scratched his scalp.

  “He put his hands on her and I saw it. She was terrified of him. I recognized the look in her eyes.” He glanced at me, and I returned my attention to the road.

  I thought for a second, yet I refused to take myself there. I hadn’t thought of her in a long time. I didn’t want to think of how I left her to cry alone and live in agony. She had no one else but me.

  Patro interrupted my thoughts.

  “Whatever you’re thinking right now… It’s true.”

  I gritted my teeth and focused on the road. I didn’t want to think about it, because that couldn’t be true.

  “I’m warning you right now, Patrocleus, don’t fill my head up with anything else. I might not react how you want me to.”

  Patro didn’t say anything else as we rode the rest of the way in silence.

  We reached Patro’s place, which was within walking distance from mine. He got out of the SUV and took Stacey from the back seat without waking Elani up. He shut the door and nodded at me. I nodded back and drove toward my house. I parked the vehicle in my garage. I got out and picked up Elani from the backseat. She had truly fallen asleep to the point that she didn’t even move when I picked her up in my arms and carried her inside the house. Lady’s excited barking didn’t bother her either. If I hadn’t trained Lady to bark a certain way when someone was in distress, my security system installed in my home wouldn’t have picked up on it and Elani wouldn’t be here.

  I was so exhausted when I finally put Elani to bed; I couldn’t do anything else but shed my clothes and fall asleep right next to her.

  I heard her when she woke up and went to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I sighed, thankful she didn’t complain or scream about being in my house. She came out the bathroom and caught me looking at her. She offered a small smile as she shed her clothing. I tried to focus on her face, but my eyes betrayed me, as I looked at her in her sports bra and black lace panties. She didn’t shy away from me as she removed the sports bra and climbed into bed with me. Her back was to me. I knew that she was nervous because she hadn’t slept with me in a long time.

  At the first contact of my fingers on her back, goosebumps invaded her skin. I smiled and leaned in kissing her shoulder. I moved my hand to rest on her belly, making lazy circles on her body.

  “Did you miss me, baby?” I asked, wanting her to stop being so nervous.

  She nodded. “I did.”

  “Look at me,” I commanded.

  She took her time, but she finally turned to look at me.

  “I won’t if you don’t want me to, even though I know you want me to.”

  She chuckled. “That’s confusing.”

  “You know what I’m saying, baby.” I reassured her.

  She smiled and leaned in, kissing me. I didn’t deepen the kiss. I waited for her to tell me what she wanted. She reluctantly let go and sighed. She reached out and touched my bare chest that heated upon her touch.

  “You know how much I want you, Ales. Even when I didn’t remember you, and you came into my life like a tornado turning it upside down, I wanted you.” She moved her hand further down to my abs. “I could never not want you. I miss the way your calloused fingers feel on my skin. You make my body come alive. Please touch me. I want to feel you again. I miss you. My body has missed you so much, my liege, to the point it feels like I’m addicted to you. Ever since I remembered, I haven’t been able to get the way you make me feel, or the way you feel when you make love to me, out of my mind. Touch me, my liege.”

  I groaned. I didn’t expect her to say all that to me, but the more words that slipped out of her mouth, the harder my member became. Her words became the drug I needed. Touch me, my liege, echoed in my mind and I kissed her roughly. I wrapped my hand around the nape of her neck and deepened the kiss. I craved to be deep inside her to the point that I was aching. I groaned as I repositioned us and I was hovering over her. I knew she loved the way I enveloped her in my arms.

  She threw her arms around me as I removed her panties with such ferocity. She whimpered. Gods! That sound. I missed that sound.

  I didn’t have time to go slow as I removed my boxers, not breaking away from our kiss. I positioned myself and slowly entered her. I stopped kissing her, concentrating on the way it felt to slide inside of her once more. It had been way too long, centuries long, that I hadn’t been in perfect bliss. I clenched my teeth, refusing to move until I was all the way in. She was so tight, tighter than I remembered, and it caused me to hiss. I rested my forehead on hers as I thrust and buried myself inside her walls.

  “Jesus!” I said through clenched teeth. Her walls constricted around my member holding it in a vice like grip.

  I opened my eyes to look at her as she waited on me to move.

  “Look at me, baby…” I called out to her. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded. “Please love me.” She begged, pulling me in for a kiss.

  I smirked and began to move.

  I couldn’t be gentler as she wrapped her legs around my waist, and I thrust in and out of her. I grabbed one leg and placed it on my shoulder. I needed to get deeper. I moved back a little, shifting my weight to one hand as I dove in.

  “Please…” She begged and couldn’t hold back her moan.

  I grunted, wanting to talk, but too focused on making her remember how good I gave it to her and how much I missed this. Missed her being so wet for me no matter what. She gave me her body wholeheartedly, and I accepted it. I wanted her to know, through it all, she had my body and soul. She whimpered again, clutching my hand while the other grabbed my bed sheet.

  I knew the moment she orgasmed; it almost forced mine with hers. I slipped from her and flipped her on her belly. I positioned her and smiled as she got on her knees arching her back ready to take me.

  “Mmmm, baby,” I said as I caressed her back and spread her legs a bit wider.

  I flattened my palm on her back. She arched more, then I slid my hand up to her neck. I wrapped my hand around her as I thrust inside her. I wrapped my other hand around her too. I couldn’t stop being rough as I tightened my hold. She was stuck and couldn’t run away, just as I liked it. Her body began to quiver under me and I removed one hand from her neck as I held her in place.

  “Take everything from me, my liege!” She spoke so soft yet such a command.

  “Anything for you, my love.” I sped up a bit and got rougher as her whimpering turned into moans, loud moans. Nothing else mattered to me as she released again. This time, I couldn’t help but give in.

  I dropped to the side of the bed with her in my arms, not wanting to slip out of her just yet. After a moment, I wholeheartedly laughed.

  “What are you laughing about?” Elani asked.

  “It’s better than I remember. Gods! Being inside you is something else, and I missed it so damn much. I don’t know how I didn’t
find you sooner.” I leaned in and kissed her sweaty shoulder and buried my nose in the crook of her neck. “I will never let you go again, love, never.”

  She scoffed. “You mean I will never let you go again. The last time I let you go…” She didn’t finish her sentence. I knew what she was trying to say.

  I kissed her neck. “I promise to have you as my protector this time, okay?”

  She nodded. “Don’t ever leave me like that again, Achilles. I mean it.”

  “I promise.” I slipped out of her and turned her to face me.

  I looked into her hurt eyes and I saw the pain there. I reached out and lightly grabbed her jaw. I rained kisses on her face, then I pulled back a bit to look at her once more.

  My beautiful one.

  “I will never do that to you again,” I said to her and kissed her lips. She wrapped her arms around my neck, holding me in a tight hug I didn’t realize I missed so much.

  She broke the kiss this time and looked at me. Her eyebrows furrowed.

  “I want to say something, but you have to promise to be honest with me.”

  I nodded. “Yes?”

  “I heard you and Patro in the car… I know what he’s talking about, with Stacey. Do you not see it?”

  “See what?” I feigned ignorance.

  “I know you see her eyes. You see the way she looks and who that reminds you of. She is exactly like her. I didn’t notice, because I didn’t remember, but when I remembered, something clicked. She never outright looked at you, but, earlier tonight, I saw it. Even through her tears and bruised face, she looked at you. She sought you out, wanting that comfort only you can give her.”

  Elani watched me for a reaction and I gritted my teeth.

  “Don’t you dare say it, Elani.” I warned her.

  She didn’t say anything at first, but then she kissed me; a peck before she pulled away and looked at me again.

  “She reminds me of your mother, Ales. Her eyes tell it all. From the joy they expressed whenever you made her laugh, or just because you were her pride and joy, to now, the sadness of losing the one person she loved. Ales, I know you see it just as much as I do.”