Her hands roamed his body, stroking his chest before reaching around to grip his shoulders. He thrust into her, again and again. Plunged into her vibrant beauty. Tried to reach the stars that were in his periphery. Tried to touch the ecstasy only she could provide. She rose up to meet each stroke, taking him in fully before he withdrew to slide in, again and again. The tightness of her sex was incredible and he thrust faster and harder. Hungrily he kissed her breasts, and when he licked and then bit her nipple, she quivered. Knowing she was close, he increased the tempo of their rhythm and thrust into her wildly until she cried out in pleasure. Her shudders of release pushed him over the edge and he moaned as his own climax tore through him. He let his head fall into the curve of Willow’s shoulder and kissed her skin softy, reverently. They held each other as their bodies slowed. Mindful of not crushing her, he lifted himself off her, but she protested, and with a smile pulled him back down. For the first time in many years, he fell asleep thinking of someone alive and vibrant, and thinking of a future that was filled with hope rather than horror.
In the morning, Willow woke him with a glorious smile and delightful after sex hair. “Good morning,” she said.
His heart responded with a ridiculous flip-flop. “Good morning.”
“I’m hungry.”
“Of course you are.” He smiled at her lightheartedness. “Eggs? Pancakes?”
Her blue eyes sparkled. “I’ll take everything on your menu.”
So consumed by the moment, he was confused by a knocking sound that echoed throughout the apartment. And then it clicked. Someone was at the door. He pressed his face into the curve of Willow’s neck and ignored it. Her intoxicating scent further inducing him to stay put and ignore the now incessant banging.
Willow pushed herself up off his chest. “Shouldn’t we answer that?”
When it turned to loud thumps, he had a good idea who might be trying to reach him. Swearing under his breath, he quickly pulled on some sweatpants. Before he opened the door, he checked that Willow was decent. Clutching the white sheet to her chest, she gave him a shy smile.
He opened the door a crack and came eye to eye with Granger. “What do you want?”
“What took you so long to answer the door?” asked Granger, smiling and trying to look past Lucas.
“What do you want, Granger?”
“It’s Paige. She’s awake and wants to see Willow. She’s here, right?”
“Yes, I’m here, Granger,” Willow called out, coming up behind Lucas, dressed in his black robe.
“Ah, here’s the amazing Doc,” said Granger, opening his arms wide at Willow.
Shyly she embraced him and white, hot jealously surged through Lucas. He wanted to beat his chest like a mountain gorilla and growl at Granger to retreat, but he forced himself to stay calm. Granger smiled down at Willow and then over at Lucas, a genuine smile, not one of his egomaniac ones.
“She’s awake?” asked Willow with eagerness. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. A fucking miracle, that’s what it is.” His gaze ran over their state of undress and gave them a wink. “Hurry up and get dressed so we can go.”
Their walk to the infirmary was hampered by countless interruptions. Starborn were enthralled by Paige’s resurrection. A group of Starborn milled around the entrance to Paige’s hospital room and they parted excitedly when they saw Lucas approach with Willow and Granger. Willow was peppered with questions from the surrounding Starborn, all wanting to know about her part in the revival of Paige. She was gracious in their interest and spoke of Isobel as the real savior of Paige. Talk turned to the Council and the discussion quickly became heated. Wren had achieved her goal of demonstrating the weakness of modern limitations but she’d stirred up anti-Council sentiment, especially in the younger Starborn. Wren had been elected four times on to the Council, each for a three year period, and Lucas doubted she would be re-elected ever again. He’d sworn his whole life to protect Starborn from abuse like he and his family had suffered. To witness the use of a neophyte in such a vile way for political gain was sickening—no matter Wren’s motivation, no matter what The Order was prophesied to face in the future.
He couldn’t stay quiet. “The Order must stay strong. We must be able to protect each other and our families who remain out in the ordinary world,” he said. “But Wren has crossed the line...this isn’t how we should be governed. This isn’t how we should treat our own.”
The chatter died off. They stared; shocked he’d spoken against the Council. He rarely commented on political matters and had eschewed frequent calls for him to stand for election. Willow’s grateful expression made him realize how much he wanted her approval. Wanted her to know he didn’t support Wren and her sadism. The events of the last few days had challenged everything Lucas held dear; The Order, the Council, and the rules he’d followed all his adult life.
No one said anything for a long moment until Granger piped up. “Yeah, maybe Wren’s going through menopause or something.”
Laughter broke the undercurrent of tension and Lucas forced himself to smile along with everyone else. He took Willow’s hand in his, not caring what the others might make of it. “Please excuse us while we visit Paige.”
He led Willow through the group into Paige’s quiet hospital room and was thankful for the peace after the three-ring circus outside in the corridor.
Paige sat up in bed and eagerly pushed the tray of food in front of her away. “Willow, you’re here,” she said, waving Willow to come in.
The nurse who sat at Paige’s bedside stood. “I’ll leave you three to have a chat.” She motioned for Willow to take her seat. “No excitement though. Keep the visit short.” She nodded to Lucas before leaving the room with Paige’s tray of food.
Willow quickly sat and took Paige’s hands in her own. “Thank God you’re okay. I’m so sorry. What they did to you was terrible. I should never have brought us here. We should have gone back to Queensgate.”
Lucas strove to hide his reaction to Willow’s words. Told himself she spoke of her regret at The Order and not for him and not for what they’d shared this morning.
Paige shook her head at Willow. “No, don’t be. I’m not.” She smiled broadly and raised her index finger. A small orange flame appeared on her fingertip, flashing brilliantly for a moment before vanishing. A vase of flowers on the bedside table burst into flames, but before the smoke could trigger the fire alarm, the flames extinguished. Paige laughed in delight. Gone was the frightened girl he’d known since Queensgate. The excitement a Starborn feels at mastering their ability after years of unpredictability was always a contagious high and he returned her giddy smile.
Willow wasn’t smiling, her brows instead drawn in a frown. “That’s amazing, but they had no right to do what they did to you.” Her voice wavered. “It was beyond barbaric…it was evil.”
“It was horrible, yes,” said Paige, her smile slipping. “Terrifying, but let’s not talk about it. I want to move forward.”
Lucas wanted to help her. Felt compelled to take away her pain. “Paige,” he said, using a soft voice. “I can make you forget it...and other things too that you might not wish to remember.”
Paige slowly shook her head. “No. I’ve been given a second chance. I don’t want to forget who and what I was. I feel reborn. I don’t need to be afraid of myself any longer.” She smiled at them, her gray eyes shining with confidence. When Willow remained silent, Paige tugged at her hand. “Be happy for me, I feel amazing. And I have you and Isobel to thank.”
Before Willow could respond, the door to the room swung open. The entire Council of Elders entered and positioned themselves around Paige’s bedside.
He prepared himself for trouble—Willow was too raw from the initiation to talk with the Elders. He bowed. “Council Elders, Willow and I shall take our leave.” He took Willow’s hand and groaned inwardly when he felt her rage pulse through his fingertips.
Wren signaled for them to stop. “No. I think a
ll of us would like the opportunity to talk with the three of you. We’re missing only Isobel, a shame but there will be plenty of…meetings to discuss what has happened.”
Lucas glanced at the other Council members crammed in the tiny room. The modern faction looked cautious as if they too, expected trouble. Thea gave him an imperceptible nod.
Wren stepped close to Paige with a faint smile on her lips. “You, my dear, and your friends, will go down in the Starborn history books.” She reached out to touch Paige’s untainted skin. “Remarkable,” she said softly. “Truly remarkable.”
Willow’s hand tightened around his. Her aura surged with anger and revenge. Fuck. All hell was about to break loose.
35
Willow
Willow was light-headed with rage. She stared at Wren pawing over Paige like a concerned relative. “Get your hand off her. You don’t deserve to be in this room, let alone touch her.” Lucas tugged at her hand, but she wrenched herself away. Her whole focus was on Wren and when the gray-haired crone didn’t look up and meet her gaze, Willow felt her anger spiral out of control. “You people claim to have the best interests of all Starborn. But you’re monsters,” she cried. “Nothing but abusive parents to defenseless innocent children. You’re sick and evil.”
That got Wren’s attention. Slowly, she turned around, her pale gray eyes boring into Willow’s. She heard Wren’s words in her mind. And you know a lot about abusive parents, don’t you, Willow?
Pain tore through her heart.
And that pain intensified when Paige said softly, “I’m not a child and I’m no innocent. I killed my parents. Burnt them alive. If anyone is a monster in this room, then it’s me.”
“No.” Willow shook her head frantically. “That’s not true, Paige. It was an accident.”
“I should have chosen the traditional initiation.” Paige looked at her with sad eyes. “You don’t understand, Willow. You’ve never been frightened of your ability—”
“That’s not fair! How can you not hate these people?”
“Because I finally feel in control of my own destiny. Finally feel strong.”
“But what they did…what she did.” Willow stared at Wren.
Frustratingly Wren did not fight back like Willow wanted. Instead she spoke calmly to everyone in the room. “I did not plan for Paige to be hurt.”
“Liar!” Anger pulsed through Willow’s bloodstream.
“Willow,” implored Oliver, an Elder who clearly supported Wren. “What happened at the initiation ritual was a tragic accident, but we cannot ignore that it shows the weaker path some of our Council want to take us down.”
Thea stepped forward, her expression hostile. “You and Wren were wrong not to consult with us about Paige’s ritual. Council permission should have been sought first.”
No longer calm, Wren’s face turned a vivid shade of red as she stared at Thea. “I am the Council speaker. I make the final decisions.”
Thea didn’t back down. “We make decisions together. Decisions for our community as a whole, not for just some.”
“I am making decisions for the whole of our community! Our members must know your modernization of The Order will weaken us. You will leave us exposed to harm!”
“Nothing could be worse that what you’ve done,” said Willow hoarsely, staring at Wren.
“Really? I wonder what Lucas’ mother and brother would say if they were alive?”
Willow glanced at Lucas. His face turned ashen and his green eyes filled with pain. The muscles in his jaw contracted and his lips compressed in a thin line.
Willow reacted instinctively. “What’s that got to do with anything?” She tried to breach Wren’s shield but it was ironclad.
“Everything, you little fool,” said Wren, losing her patience. “Who do you think Lucas would have preferred to find his family first? Us or Noctem?” Her eyes narrowed. “Think of your patients. What if Lucas and Granger hadn’t got you out of Queensgate? Think of what might have happened had they not been there to protect you from Noctem?”
“What I think is that you keep talking about Noctem as this evil enemy who torture innocents for their own gain. What you did to Paige was no different.”
Before Wren could argue, Oliver stepped forward. “Willow, what happened at the initiation was a tragic accident. You must believe that. Thankfully Paige has recovered. We can all work together to be a strong community. To better protect our own from the likes of Noctem.”
“I don’t understand you all!” Willow looked wildly around at the Elders. “If Noctem is so feared why do you not fight them instead of letting them hurt innocents in the community? Instead of hurting your own?”
Oliver’s round face reddened. “We’ve remained protected and hidden from ordinary society for hundreds of years. A war with Noctem would lead to our discovery.”
“Maybe that’s what needs to happen,” said Willow.
“You talk of things you know nothing about.” Wren waved her hands dismissively.
Thea interjected, “She talks about things that some of us support.”
“I talk about what I have seen,” said Willow, sick of their political infighting. She stared at each Elder, knowing they were yoked by centuries of tradition. Even Thea, who supposedly wanted to modernize The Order, had done nothing to stop Paige’s ritual. “Paige might be able to forgive you and your precious Order, but I can’t. The only reason I came here was to find my sister. She’s not here. I’ve done my fucking bloody ritual. And now I’m leaving.”
She didn’t dare look at Lucas. Didn’t want to see the hurt in his eyes or any evidence that she might be trampling on the one bit of her life that finally had meaning.
“You think you can leave?” Wren sneered. “That we’ll let you go before your one year orientation?”
Willow clenched her fists so tightly that her fingernails cut into her palms. “You won’t keep me here. I won’t stay. I don’t care about your precious Order or your precious secrecy. All I care about is finding Eve.” The tentacles of her power stretched out across the room, seeking entry into those unable to shield themselves from her.
Lucas grabbed her arms. “Willow, stop! Please…pull back.”
From behind him, she heard Wren’s voice turn livid. “Lucas, I warned you what would happen if you couldn’t bring her under control. Her defiance can’t be tolerated!”
Thea held up her arms for peace. “Wren, let us be calm. She’s still adjusting to her power since the initiation.”
Another Elder chimed in, “Let us leave and give her time with her friend.”
“No! No more excuses. She needs to be brought under control before she damages The Order,” said Wren, her voice hard. “Lucas will perform a memory wipe on our good doctor. Wipe every memory she has of her sister. Replace her reason for being here. Make her a devout believer.”
Lucas slowly turned around and faced Wren. “I will not.”
“You will do as ordered.”
In a fog of confusion, Willow heard Wren’s threat and Lucas’ defiance. Other Elders cried out their objections. Fear thundered through Willow at the thought of her memories of Eve being taken. Stolen. She staggered, almost fainting. Held onto Lucas to keep herself upright. Leaned her forehead against his back.
“No,” said Lucas, his voice was deep and sure, and rumbled through her body.
“You are infatuated,” Wren sneered. “You put her before the good of the Starborn community.”
“Willow is part of our community.” He turned to bring Willow to stand by his side, his arm snaking around her protectively. “She’s one of us.”
“Wren,” cautioned Thea. “You’re taking this too far. Let’s talk of this later in Council Chambers.”
“No! Our strict rules have kept us from anarchy, kept us safe. I cannot let insubordination take hold within these walls. I won’t lead The Order to its destruction.” Wren moved to stand within inches of Lucas. She looked up at him with a single-mindedness that verged
on insanity. “You have a choice. You can erase Willow’s sister from her memory or you can be executed.”
Bedlam broke out in the tiny room. Council members shouted their disgust at Wren’s threat and argued among themselves. Willow struggled to breath. She clung to Lucas, terrified for him and terrified for herself.
Lucas was undaunted, his stance unwavering, his expression formidable. “Do with me what you will.”
“No!” cried Willow. “You won’t hurt him.”
“You underestimate me, my dear. I must rule for the sake of Starborn everywhere. Offer up your memory to us. I’ll bring in a Mercurian memory specialist from the Asian Sanctuary. Willingly join us, let us use your power to bring greater power and peace for The Order of Orion and I’ll spare him.” Wren smiled with her mouth but not her eyes. “Someone needs to be erased—your sister or your new lover. Who do you choose?”
“That’s no choice,” said Willow, bringing her hands to her face. The room started spinning, her world imploding as the reality of the situation sunk in.
“You can have him here and now, or you can cling to some deluded fantasy of finding your twin.”
Willow took a shaky breath and lowered her hands. She stared into Wren’s eyes, unwilling to crumple like this deluded woman wanted. “Fuck you,” she bit out.
Starborn (The Order of Orion Book 1) Page 22