A Torn Dream (Jade Book 2)

by Lucy Rains

  I pushed more energy out, wrapping it more securely around Alex. My eyes remained closed, and my head started to dip as I used my energy to lift Alex. My arms raised, my hands still curling inward.

  “Shit! Jade, no!” Alex’s fear bit into my mind and I opened my eyes. He hovered above the surface of the ocean, the water coming up to his knees. He held his arms out above his sides, waving around in the air.

  I smiled and released him, halting the flow of my energy, and watched him crash back down into the water.

  But I wasn’t done experimenting. I put my hands in the water, facing away from the guys, and released another flow of power, this time with a stronger force. I moved my right arm in a circular motion, spinning my hand around. The water began churning, moving in a cyclone, creating a whirlpool effect in front of me.

  “Jade!” Pierce’s voice barked from behind me.

  My hands stopped, my energy relaxing and the twisting water went back to normal.

  I looked at Pierce, raising an eyebrow in question.

  He shook his head, “There are too many eyes around.”

  My mouth turned down, knowing he was right but still wanting to test my skills. Drawing attention would be a bad idea.

  So instead, we swam. We swam farther out into the ocean, around reefs, and large underwater seaweed gardens. Alex and I practiced our acrobatics and flips in the water. We tested our speed in large open areas. Surprisingly, I kept up with the guys at their top speed. I was no faster than they were, but I was able to keep up in any underwater swim sprints that we did.

  I wanted to play with my energy underwater again, but I didn’t know what else to do with it. The sea life stayed away from it. The guys wouldn’t let me test it on them anymore. I knew I could use it as an extension of myself and I knew I could manipulate the water with it. But for what purpose? Was this supposed to be for my benefit in a different life?

  We had all gathered above the surface again when Kyson announced, “Alright, it's time to head back to shore.”

  I looked towards the beach, so far off in the distance that the people on shore looked like tiny dots. “How long have we been out here?”

  “Two and a half hours,” Kyson answered.

  My eyes widened, “Are you sure?”

  He smiled, “Because our bodies don’t experience any discomfort, we don’t feel time pass like we normally would.”

  I held my hands up out of the water, the skin was still smooth and unwrinkled despite being in the water for that long.

  “The sun will set soon,” Pierce pointed out.

  “How about a race?” Alex suggested with a wink. “Back to shore?”

  I looked towards the beach and then back to Alex, considering the suggestion. Normally I would back down, but the idea of beating him was tempting. “Loser has to submit to a dare from the winner?”

  Alex smiled, “Exactly.”

  My eyebrows came down as I quickly calculated the distance from us to the closest shoreline and I shook out my limbs. “If you cheat, I get to dish out two dares.”

  “If he cheats, I will personally light his hair on fire,” said Kyson.

  I smiled at Kyson in gratitude.

  “I never cheat, thank you very much.” Alex made motions like he was pushing up shirt sleeves. “No reason to start now. Okay,” Alex paused, looking at the shoreline, “lets aim for that clearing over there. Out of the water, and touch the palm tree on the right. First one there, wins.”

  I nodded in agreement and tensed my muscles in preparation. Alex gave me a smug smile that I hoped I could wipe off his face.

  “On your marks,” Pierce started. Alex and I faced our direction with the palm tree in sight.

  “Get set,” Kyson said.

  “Go!” Pierce and Kyson shouted together.

  I dropped down into the water and shot off at a high rate of speed that surprised even me. I could sense Alex’s presence a few feet behind me, not gaining in that moment. His emotions were full of shock and determination. My arms tucked in tight along my side, my palms pointing behind me as I used my energy to push me forward even faster. My legs kicked, my feet pointed, all trying to maintain my lead.

  And then something changed. An ache started in my temples. I could feel my energy dim. I went from top speed, beating Alex, to seeing him swim in front of me and take the lead. Through the start of my vertigo I tasted his emotions as they soared with his impending victory.

  I gasped as I broke the surface, just as Alex began sprinting across the sand. Coming up on all fours my right hand darted forward, my energy flowing out and around Alex to entwine around his ankles, bringing him down to the sand with a yelp.

  With great effort, I pulled myself to my feet, picking up speed. The palm tree of our finish line only several meters away. But Alex recovered before I could even take a few steps, flying up on his feet and hitting the palm tree several seconds before me.

  After my palm hit the trunk of the tree, I leaned over to rest my hands on my knees, catching my breath. Spots flashed in my vision, and my pulse pounded in my ears.

  “I can’t believe you tried to cheat!” Alex barked, also panting but nowhere near as hard as me.

  “You never,” I panted, “said...I couldn’t.”

  I blinked. My legs had filled with cement and refused to move another inch.

  “Jade?” Alex called out, his victorious grin sliding off his face.

  And then everything went black.

  Chapter 3

  “She’s fine, Alex, I promise.”

  “Don’t tell me she’s fucking fine!” Alex roared. “Fine doesn’t pass out! Fine doesn’t go unconscious!”

  Anxious fear slammed into my skull, telling me that Alex was not the only one upset. He was just the only one voicing it.

  “Her blood pressure dropped pretty low.” Kyson murmured to himself.

  “See!” Alex barked. “Fine my ass."

  Sand prickled along my back and neck, indicating I was still on the sandy shore. My eyelids wouldn’t do more than flutter,

  “But her overall vitals were okay. Sure she had an elevated pulse because she was racing, but I could see the blood flow to her kidneys slow down dramatically to help direct more towards her arteries.”

  Bringing together enough saliva I swallowed and tried curling my fingers. Nothing hurt, I just felt...slow.

  A fierce tremble started in my feet and inched its way up my legs. Not having control over my muscles forced me to do nothing but feel the icy chill creep under my skin.

  “Why the hell is she shaking?” Pierce growled.

  “From her blood pressure dropping so low. Jade? Jade, can you hear me?” Hands on my forehead, my cheeks, my neck. Kyson’s skin on mine. “She’s waking up, I can see her neurons firing up again. Just give her a second.”

  More skin, more hands.

  Pierce. Pierce picking me up. Pierce bringing me close to his chest. The warmth was delicious and I relaxed into him.

  I was being moved, shifted. And then we were walking.

  My eyelids finally responded to my command and I opened them. Alex caught my eye as he walked beside Pierce and I lifted my mouth into a half smile. “I’m okay,” I whispered.

  “Liar,” he huffed, running a tense hand through his wet hair. He lengthened his stride to keep up with Pierce. “By the way, I still get to dish out my dare. Don’t think this passing out shit is going to get you out of that.”

  I rolled my eyes and stopped trying to smile. That was going to be unpleasant.

  I twisted slightly in Pierce’s arms, trying to lean up. “I can walk now.”

  “I don’t care,” Pierce grumbled, his arms tightening.

  Slouching back down, I eyed the house that was only meters away. Arguing my way down wasn’t worth it.

  Pierce set me in a patio wicker chair and the other three guys settled in nearby seats, Pierce on the wooden coffee table, Kyson and Alex in rusty metal folding chairs. With furrowed eyebrows and pinched mouths
they all scrutinized me.

  “What happened?” Pierce asked.

  My lips parted to release a heavy sigh, “I have no idea,” I said tiredly. Alex looked ready to object and I held up a hand. “Seriously, I felt fine when I was racing, and then as I got closer to the shore my energy just disappeared.”

  Alex guffawed, “Your energy felt fine to me.”

  I shook my head, “No, not that energy. I mean I felt fatigued, worn out.”

  “When’s the last time you felt like this?” Kyson asked.

  They all watched me as I thought about his question. I had never fainted from overexertion. Heck, I had never even fainted before. “Never.”

  Alex stood up then and went inside, not bothering to soften the slam of the screen door.

  Pierce leaned back in his chair and Kyson stood up.

  “I really didn’t see anything else other than what I have already pointed out,” Kyson shrugged. “Did the ocean water wear her out?” He asked to no one in particular, “Possibly.”

  “Monthly?” Pierce asked.

  My back went ramrod straight and my eyes shot open. But my body relaxed when I saw Kyson shake his head. “It’s too soon.”

  “Maybe for normal humans,” Pierce pointed out.

  Oh hell no, I thought. Our species of whatever we were, had better not have more than one bloody flow in a month or I would be considering attempting surgery on myself.

  “Again,” Kyson said, “I have not seen the necessary triggers in her body that would indicate an impending menstruation.”

  “Her body,” I said, “is right here. You can talk to me.”

  Kyson frowned, “Pierce asked the question, I was simply answering it.”

  I rolled my eyes and stood up, slowly. It seemed unnecessary to continue the conversation and I was ready to clean up. “I’m fine. Next time, shorter ocean play, got it.”

  After a quick rinse in the outside shower to get off any lingering sand, I toweled off and went inside. My sixth sense reached out for a moment, and came away satisfied as I felt Gavin’s presence.

  I padded across the rustic hardwood floors that called for a good sweeping. The beach house was quaint, and homey. At least, I tried to tell myself that. In reality it was small and worn. The walls needed a new coat of paint, the smell of mold reeked through our sensitive noses, and it barely fit us. Three beds, one queen and two twins. The living room had a pullout sofa and the second bedroom had a small couch. Despite my fervent arguments I slept in the queen bed and the guys rotated around through the other sleeping accommodations.

  Nature called and I made my way across the small living room to the one and only bathroom. I yanked my hair tie out of my hair while pushing the partially open door open wider. My eyes fell to the floor as I cursed softly. I wasn’t expecting for my hair to be full of sand. I looked at the layer of grit that fell onto the tan colored tiles in the bathroom. I was going to have to clean that up before someone stepped in it.

  “Um, Jade?”

  My head jerked up, my eyes landing on a bare, naked Gavin. A towel was held to his chest, hanging down to cover his front. But he was facing away from me, looking at me through the mirror, his rear facing out. A smug grin lifted his mouth as blood ran up my neck and into my cheeks.

  Frozen in shock, forgetting how to breathe, and completely speechless, after several seconds I realized that I needed to look away. I spun around, my hand going to cover my eyes, “Really, Gavin?! You couldn’t lock the door? Or even close it?!”

  My words sputtered, and I took a step forward when I felt his presence right beside me, and then his hand was grabbing mine.

  “No!” I gasped, trying to yank my hand away.

  “Jade, it’s okay. I’m covered.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  He chuckled. The sound in itself warmed my blood. “If I wanted you to see me naked, trust me-”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I cut him off, “I get it.”

  I turned my head at this point, determined to keep my eyes up and level on his face. Out of my peripheral vision I could tell he was still bare chested. When I glanced to the mirror behind him I saw that the towel had been secured around his waist.

  Gavin’s hazel eyes were dark, dilated and zoned in on my face. Warning bells went off in my head. Just because he was covered, didn’t mean I should still be in the room.

  I took a step back and ran into the wall.

  “Don’t run,” he whispered, his face coming closer.

  “I should let you get dressed,” I answered in a low whisper, my heart beating so hard my chest ached.

  “Don’t pretend you didn’t like what you saw.”

  I pinched my lips together and swallowed. “I should go,” I tried whispering again, but with less force behind it.

  Gavin rested a hand on the wall next to my head, the other gripped his towel. “Mirrors don’t lie, Jade.”

  I rolled my eyes, “Yeah well, lucky for you they don’t laugh either.”

  Gavin smiled and leaned forward to press his face into my hair.

  Images of his bare ass were etched into my mind, doing nothing to help my heart rate slow down. As I stood there in only my bikini, and Gavin in only his towel; thoughts, desires, possibilities, what-ifs ran circles in my mind. Questioning myself in what I wanted, and what I was ready for, I met his hard gaze. Gavin’s desires were clear in his emotions, and the physical hardness that was so close to me.

  A shuddering breath came out of my mouth and my fingers trembled as I lifted them to his bare chest. “Did you leave the door open on purpose?” My fingers trailed over the hard lines of his pecs and up to the muscles of shoulders.

  “No,” his lips moved against my cheek, “Alex did it.”

  My fingers stopped moving to consider his answer. “He came in here while you were naked?”

  Gavin shrugged. “Nothing he hasn’t seen before.”

  Trying to remain cool at his response, I couldn’t stop my eyes from widening. “Does this happen often?”

  Another shrug. “It happens sometimes.”

  The guys seeing each other naked? This was new information to digest and only added to the uncontrollable flush that had taken over my face and caused my belly to burn.

  A groan came from deep within Gavin’s chest. His body pushed closer to mine and the hand on the wall went to my lower back. His fingers pushed into my flesh, his chest brushing against mine. “If you really don’t want anything to happen, you had better leave. Right now.”

  Before I could answer his mouth went to my neck, his teeth biting into my skin. Moving was not an option. My body couldn’t move, wouldn’t move, trapped in the heated desire that was so near the surface.

  His fingers skimmed the hem of my swimsuit and pushed under the fabric. The tips of his fingers grazing the top of my cheeks.

  I gasped at the contact, my hands going behind Gavin’s back and pushing into his shoulder blades. My chest heaved with rapid breaths, sweat pricking at my neck. The temptation to remove the towel growing stronger with every inhale of oxygen.

  “Gavin!” Alex called from somewhere within the house. My eyes snapped open, annoyed at his interference. “Be careful with Jade, she’s still recovering!”

  I rolled my eyes, “Don’t listen to him.” Turning my head towards the door, “Mind your own business!" Turning back to Gavin, “I’m fine."

  Gavin pulled his head back and looked over my nearly naked body. “Why? What is he talking about?”

  Suddenly, Alex’s head was around the bathroom door. “Babezilla passed out after getting out of the ocean.”

  “I’m fine!” I repeated, but Alex had disappeared, leaving me with an upset Gavin. Feeling the shift in his mood and watching him step back from me, I groaned in frustration. “Alex, I will murder you in your sleep!”

  “What happened?” Gavin’s eyebrows came down, his eyes dark but not with desire this time. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Because I’m fine?” My answ
er came out as a question, asking for permission for it to be reason enough.

  “If you were fine, why did you pass out? What did Kyson say?” He crossed his arms, his questions like accusations. Each word was like an ice cube stuffed into my bikini bottom.

  “One, I don’t know why. Two, Kyson said I looked fine.” Partial truth, I didn’t feel like talking about the blood pressure issue. “And three, if you had been there with us, you could have been apart of what was going on.” I tilted my head. “Where did you go? You push me to go swimming and then you don’t even come?”

  I watched him closely, keeping an eye on any body language that could signal he was hiding something. Sure enough his head turned and his eyes went to the floor. A five year old could tell he was hiding something. “I just had to be alone.”

  “Okay...alone? Doing what?”

  A heavy sigh, still no eye contact. “It’s nothing. Just wanted to be alone.”

  Instead of letting me ask another question, Gavin turned and left the bathroom, taking his clothes with him. With no parting words or backwards glances. His emotions turned heavy and sour as he disappeared.

  Frustrated at Gavin’s continued secretive, elusive behavior, I threw the door shut and turned the lock. I stripped off my swimsuit and turned the shower to a scalding temperature before stepping in.

  My nails dug into my scalp as I washed my hair, my hands scrubbing in my new shampoo vigorously. My frustration was coming out on my hair and my head began to ache. The way Gavin got under my skin had to be an art. Why was he still withdrawn? Why did he still need space away from us? From me? We had come so far in connecting emotionally over the past few weeks, and now we had taken a few steps backwards.

  I frowned as I thought over the last one.

  A few weeks.

  Not months. Not years.

  Weeks.

  Too much.

  I was expecting too much.

  He needed more time.

  I grabbed a bar of soap and began covering all surface areas with a layer of suds.

  My gut was still heavy. Disappointed at Gavin with not telling me where he was. Disappointed that he wanted to be alone. Hating how hard it was to be patient, and wanting to slap Alex for interrupting us.