In Pursuit of Light

by Sarah B Meadows

  Kia’s eyes are swirling and a few more specs of silver have returned to them. Keeping eye contact, I carefully ease myself toward her, squatting low when I get near, letting the water cover my shoulders. Reaching my hand down to find one of her injured feet, I lift it onto my lap, and run my thumb over the sole, assessing the damage. Something sharp protruding from her heel catches on my thumb, and she tugs her foot back slightly, stilling me in my movements. An idea begins to form in my head but I’m unsure of how Rolland will feel about it.

  “You trust me, right, Brother?” I don’t look to Rolland, but keep my eyes locked with Kia.

  “Of course, why would you question that?” Rolland’s perplexed voice seeps through my mind.

  “There's a shard of glass embedded into Kia's foot and I’m going to distract her while removing it. Just don’t hit me, okay?”

  “O-kay…” he replies uncertainly, but I trust that he won’t react with her in his arms. Kia’s still studying me and the swirling becomes faster as a few more silver specs appear. This could go seriously wrong, but I’m willing to try anything to heal her with as little stress as possible.

  Edging closer so her face is inches from mine, her ankle still in my hand, I watch as her eyes flick over my face curiously. I hear her breath catch as she zeroes in on my mouth. Her wet, pink tongue darts out and she sucks her bottom lip into her teeth softly. Tentatively, I touch her lips with mine, then draw back just a fraction to see if she’s about to bolt. Instead, I find that the tiny silver specks have multiplied, like the stars coming out on a dark night.

  Grabbing me by the neck, she tugs me to her, and I hear Rolland grunt from behind. She’s already seeking entrance to my mouth and I give her the freedom to explore at her own pace. As she clings tighter to me, I feel myself growing harder, and my restraint begins to falter. Unable to hold back any longer, I brush my tongue against hers, and I hear a small noise coming from the back of her throat. She carries on searching my mouth as my need to touch her grows heavy.

  Releasing some of my pent-up frustration through my fingers and into her feet, I feel her hands tighten on me. Wanting to keep her distracted, I curl my tongue around hers and suck at it. That seems to do the trick and she draws in a sharp breath and delves deeper into my mouth. Desperation takes hold and I can feel us both fighting for control.

  Before I get too lost in the moment and while she’s so thoroughly distracted, I quickly force the shard of glass out of her foot, being sure to keep her focus on the dance our tongues are doing. There’s a sharp sting in my lip as she bites down on it, and a growl finds its way out from deep in my throat. Pushing more energy through her foot, I heal the remaining bruises, tears and blisters, then continue on up her leg, stopping at her knee. I can feel that it’s bruised considerably and may well have a few chipped bones.

  She frees my lips and I open my eyes to find her breathing just as hard as I am. My brain is no longer functioning as everything else around us disappears and the need to have more of her becomes almost painful. Unable to hold back, I reclaim her lips once again, plundering her mouth firmly, and am met with equal abandon. Warmth starts to trickle its way into my chest, and I realise it’s her energy, driving its way into my heart and burrowing deep within me. Someone calls my name, but it’s too muffled to recognise or hear.

  Kia continues to her exploration and her raspy breaths are like music to my ears. Her hand tangles into my hair at the back and she tugs hard, dwindling my restraint to mere ashes. Of their own accord, my hands draw her body even closer to me.

  “Sebastian!” Rolland’s deep voice drills through my mind, snapping me out of the fog that was clogging it up. Reluctantly and with great effort, I lean back and the see specks have completely taken over her irises. Remembering what I was meant to be doing, I grab her left foot, and I see her brow furrow. I retake her lips, trying to keep my head clearer this time, but I find her slightly more reluctant.

  She’s caught on to what I'm doing and I’m not sure if it’s going to work again.

  “Rolland, help me out buddy.”

  “And how might I do that, ‘Buddy?’” he jests, full of amusement.

  “Use your imagination. I don’t think she’s going to be so easy to distract this time. She knows what I’m doing, and I think she might stop me.”

  “Oh, she’s figured out that you're trying to eat her?” he questions sarcastically.

  “That’s rich coming from the man who was just doing the same thing,” I mock.

  “Touché.” I see Rolland give a tiny nod from behind Kia.

  Trailing my lips across her face, I start tracking my way down her neck and across her shoulder. She relaxes as I lick away the droplets of water that cover her skin.

  I run my fingers along the sole of the remaining foot, thankful she doesn’t pull back or flinch this time. Releasing energy into her, I thankfully find no shards of glass, but there are quite a few tears, bruises and deep cuts.

  Gingerly feeling her toes, I find that two are broken. Knowing this will hurt, and that she will need serious distraction, I glance up to find Rolland kissing her deeply. He’s got her full attention, and trusting him to keep her that way, I aim my energy into the space above the tiny broken bones and release it steadily. When it’s done, I look up once again. Shit. Rolland is breathing heavily, his head resting in the crook of Kia’s right shoulder. She’s panting equally hard and as her gaze fully locks on me, I see her eyes are nearly entirely silver now, only tiny specks of blue showing through.

  “No more, Kia-” Rolland continues to drag air into his lungs. “Please-” he takes a breath before he finishes his words, “just give me five minutes, I beg you.”

  Releasing my gaze, Kia turns her head toward Rolland, raising her hand to stroke his jaw. The metal cuff dangles from her wrist and I’m reminded of why she’s in so much pain. Rolland twists her back around, so she’s tucked into his broad chest again, then leans his head back against the tiles, his eyes closed.

  “You’ll be the death of me, woman,” he says, his voice raspy and deep. Startled by his words, she jerks in his arms. I roll my eyes at his idiocy.

  “It’s just an expression, Kia. He’s fine. Better than fine I’d say, by the looks of him. He’s far from death just now.” Kia turns to me with puzzled eyes, clearly needing to understand. Fuck, how do I explain this in simple terms?

  “You’ve got his heart and body running on a lot of emotions, mostly pleasure, and he’s struggling with where to put it.” I watch as she processes this information.

  Apparently appeased, albeit still slightly confused, she curls herself contentedly up in Rolland’s lap. Sighing deeply, her dark lashes sink slowly down until they finally rest delicately on her soft skin. A deep groan comes from both Rolland and I at the same time…

  We are totally, and utterly, screwed.

  Chapter Ten

  Rolland

  Struggling where to put the pleasure? No, not really - I know exactly where to put it. The taste of her sweetness is still on my lips and I want more. I could never get enough. Still resting my head back against the tiles, I continue drawing Kia’s pain away, knowing that with the help of the gel and crystals, I could sit here for hours with her tucked safely into my chest.

  Kia settles deeper into my lap and I wonder if she can feel my hardness pushing insistently into her hip. Counting to ten is useless and trying to think of other things is just plain stupid. Her energy lingers in my chest, and I can feel it seeping deeper, warming me from the inside. The water begins to undulate around us as Seb wades over to the steps, but I don’t open my eyes to see what he’s doing.

  After a few minutes, I hear his feet padding toward us then stop by my head.

  “Rolland, Kia needs to eat a little after all the healing I’ve just pushed her body to do. Once she’s eaten a little then maybe…” There’s a long pause which perks my interest, so I open one eye to find him looking down at Kia with lust filled eyes.

  Yeah, I could have g
uessed that. “Maybe what, Seb?” He doesn’t respond as he continues staring at her and I begin to wonder if she’s pulled him into another trance. This is all very amusing, wish I had some popcorn. I lift my head up to see if she’s awake, but she’s not. Frowning slightly, I look over at Seb again.

  “Seb, what were you going to say?” I ask in a loud whisper. Seb shakes his head slightly, rubbing a hand over his face.

  “I need some sleep, man,” he mumbles. “Maybe we should see if we can put some clothes on her. As much as I appreciate the view, it’s just not morally right, plus, I don’t think Matt, Brad or Gerry are going to be quite as understanding if they see a naked woman walking around the house. Whenever, or if ever, that happens.” His brows pull deeper as he speaks.

  “Agreed, though I’m not sure how that’s going to go down with her.” Her disregard for showing her body is evident. I wonder if it is due to her time spent in captivity or if it’s perhaps just the way she is. We both quietly watch her for a moment as she sleeps peacefully. My gaze runs over her body, taking in the finger marks on her neck and all of the bruises that are still present. Cuts streak all the way up her arms, interlaced with burn marks in various places. The cut below her thin bottom lip, however, has nearly healed and is barely visible.

  Wishing Seb could heal her faster, I drag my thoughts away and wade over to the steps. Seb is waiting with a large towel, so I ease Kia into his arms gently, careful to maintain connection with her body. Her emotions have settled down, and there’s this strange feeling of home flowing soothingly through her. I’m not sure that’s the right way to describe it, yet it’s the only thing I can equate it to - a sense of contentment, calmness, tranquillity and the feeling of knowing you're safe.

  Climbing out of the pool, we make our way through the archway and back into Seb’s en-suite. It’s a warm, well-lit room, with a window high up that lets in just enough light to make it cozy but doesn’t allow for any drafts. Seb leads us past the long shower and over to the cabinet that stores loads of cotton trousers. Grabbing a towel from the heated rail nearby, I awkwardly dry as much moisture off my body as I can using only one hand. Dropping the towel in a heap at my feet, I snatch a pair of the trousers from the cupboard, careful not to tug on Kia, as I pull them on.

  Once done, I stand up to find Seb watching Kia with an emotion I’ve never seen in his eyes before - serenity - and a part of me wishes I could leave her in his arms. He raises his eyes to me and an understanding passes between us. No matter what it takes, she stays with us. He passes Kia back to me carefully, then turns to grab a shirt for us to use to cover her up. “I think it would be better if we dress her in a room that will be more familiar to her.” Seb nods his head in response and we make our way into the bedroom.

  As I make my way to the bed, I see that Seb has changed the sheets to a deep maroon coloured set and with the sun still coming up, light pinks and yellows bounce off the walls. There’s a tray of fruit on the bedside table that I assume was brought in by Jack, as well as a freshly cleansed jug of water. Going to the side of the bed closest to the door, I sit with my back to the headboard, easing Kia into a more upright position as Seb sits on the opposite side, facing us. I don’t want to wake her, but she needs to eat.

  Preparing her for the transition to wakefulness, I begin pushing calming energy into Kia as I speak quietly in her ear. “Kia, sweetheart, I need you to wake up for us.” A slight frown appears on her forehead, but she doesn’t stir. I take a deep breath and speak a bit louder. “Kia, I know you can hear me, sweetie. Open your eyes so I can see you.”

  A small amount of pleasure, desire and a bit of annoyance trickles from her, as she turns her head entirely into my side, squirming her way deeper into me and pulling her arm over her ear. I try not to laugh as I look at Seb, who’s clearly fighting his own need to chuckle at her response. Smiling, I decide to up my game.

  Running my hand up her arm, I let a small amount of desire trickle through, followed by pleasure, and I’m rewarded with a small moan, but she still doesn’t move. I do it again, and I feel her squeeze her legs together as she peeks up at me through her arm. Her eyes look like two silver pools of pearls glowing in the shadows of her arm, and it feels like she’s shot a zap of her energy straight through to my cock. I hear myself make a deep, guttural noise in the back of my throat.

  “Seb, I think we’re in trouble, Brother.” His response is to let out the laughter he’s been holding in for the last minute.

  Kia’s eyes furrow and she moves to sit up, causing her towel to fall and expose her beautiful breasts that are just begging to be appreciated. She looks incredible with her wet ebony hair falling around her shoulders and her big eyes that seem to hold the whole world within them. Seb’s laugh cuts off abruptly, drawing my attention to him. He’s clearly as stunned as I feel.

  Kia raises a thin eyebrow at me in question, but my brain seems to have stopped working because I can’t remember what we were doing. Tasting her lips...yes, tasting her lips again seems like what I should be doing. Anything else would be just be stupid.

  “Kia, we woke you so that you could eat something to help your body replenish after the intense healing.” Ignoring the voice that dribbles on from across bed, I let my gaze leisurely peruse her body. She looks so beautiful, despite the bruises and cuts still covering it, and all I want to do is trace every inch of her with my tongue. My body clearly agrees as my hardness begs for attention. My fingers start tracing up her arm and I hear her breath hitch. My eyes flick to hers, and she’s looking back at me with desire and want.

  “Rolland, I hope the silence means that you’re both eating,” Seb says sardonically.

  “Eating, yeah eating her lips and tasting her skin sounds like a fantastic idea.”

  “No, Rolland. The food, eating the food.” I hear him let out a heavy breath. I’ve still not taken my eyes off of Kia, and her face is inches from mine. “Nope. No, no, no.” A hard hand pushes me back against the headboard, and I hit it with a thump.

  Shit, that hurt. Kia sucks in a painful breath, jerking me back to reality. I must have lost my grip on her for a split second and guilt riddles me. Looking down at her face, I see she’s scowling at Seb, but he’s up and off the bed. He picks up the plate of fruit, then settles back down.

  My cock stirs again, and my focus is brought back to the situation at hand. A shirt. She needs to put a shirt on before we have another repeat of whatever the hell that was. Looking around, I see the one Seb brought in from the en-suite resting nearby. Grabbing it, I show it to Kia. “Sweetie, this may, or may not sound strange, but we need you to put a shirt on, okay?” I explain cautiously.

  She had turned her head to scowl at Seb but as I speak, she turns back to me. Her brow furrows even deeper as she looks down at her chest, and then around the room. Confusion and worry start to bubble up, and I’m not sure what to say to make this easier.

  “Kia, your body is beautiful, but your nakedness is a distraction, and neither of us can focus. All we want to do is touch and pleasure you, but your body just isn’t ready for that yet,” Seb explains tactfully. Huh, I suppose saying it like it is, is a good way to go. More puzzlement trickles through, but thankfully her worry has dissipated.

  Taking the shirt from my hand, she looks at it in bafflement, clearly not knowing what to do with it as she moves it around in her hands. Taking it back from her gently, I pull the neck hole open and cautiously ease it over her head. She raises one eyebrow at me inquiringly, and a smile plays on my lips as my suspicions are confirmed. I don’t think she’s ever worn a top before. Laughing quietly to myself, I carefully show her how to push her arms through the sleeves, then tug the shirt the rest of the way down. Kia looks down at it briefly before dismissively turning her head toward the food, clearly done with the whole mess.

  Jack has put together an elaborate spread of various fruit and vegetables. There are strawberries, grapes, pears, apples, perfectly ripe bananas and a whole, unpeeled mango sits to the side. Seb
, clearly starving, starts shovelling a handful of grapes into his mouth, and I grab a banana and begin peeling it. After watching us, Kia reaches out and picks up the mango. Bringing it to her lips, she takes a big, full bite out of it, and makes a tiny noise of appreciation. Seb stops chewing, and I pause in my actions, as we both watch her curiously. Kia continues to munch on the mango without a second thought. Does she not know that she needs to take the peel off first?

  Deciding it’s best to show her, I gingerly take the fruit from her hands and begin peeling it with a knife that Jack had thought to put on the tray. As she watches me, she picks up a piece of skin and pops it into her mouth.

  “Erm… there are some fruits that have to have the outside shell removed from them, Kia, as they are not easy to digest and often taste badly. For this fruit, called a mango, let's stick to the fleshy part on the inside.” She continues to watch me work away and removing the skin. It’s a messy job, and I wish Seb had done it, because he can peel and chop one of these with little to no waste.

  Once done, I pass the cut-up pieces of the juicy inside over to Kia, then start to lick my fingers clean. Kia dives into the mango slices and she watches me in fascination as I work the juice off my fingers. Seb passes me a warm damp cloth and I want to keep teasing her, but I think better of it and finish off with the cloth. We sit in companionable silence for a bit as we have our fill. Kia gulps down two full glasses of water, then curls herself up into the space between me and Seb. With her back against my chest and her hands in Seb’s, I feel her contentment flow through me as I close my eyes and ease down into my centre.

  With some hope, we can get a few hours of rest.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jack

  After leaving food for Sebastian, Rolland and Kia, I teleport to the Ketil Mountain in Greenland, to see if Jerhaner can help me sort through my quagmired thoughts. I arrive on a large outcrop about halfway up the mountainside. It is only accessible by those who can teleport and cannot be seen from the ground below. Taking a deep cleansing breath, I enter through the tall stone doors and into the large open common area. Thankfully, no one is about as I walk over to the lift, which is the only exit from this space, and head down to see Jerhaner.