“Okay, Matt, turn the temperature up, just a little at a time, till I say stop.” I see him lean over, turning the controller, and I feel the water raining down on us heat up. This enclosure has six shower heads lining the ceiling with several smaller ones along the side and is big enough for at least four people to stand in comfortably. Matt has only turned half of them on, but there’s plenty of water pouring over us.
“Perfect, Matt.” He moves away slightly, pausing for a few seconds before he makes his way out, closing the door quietly behind him.
“Kia,” I speak softly. She opens her eyes and peeks up at me. Neither of us wants to do this, but we both know it has to be done. “Let’s get the shirt off, then we can stay here till you turn into a prune,” I offer. Her brow furrows. I need to stop using human phrases.
“Sit up and face me, sweetheart,” I tell her gently.
She pulls herself up, turning her body as instructed. Her dark hair is a beautiful, wet mess as it clings to her heart-shaped face, framing her soft, delicate features and making her seem so otherworldly that my breath catches in my throat and my heart skips a beat.
Drawing myself back to the task at hand, I use my right hand to pull her left leg gently across my stomach so that she’s fully facing me. Instinctively she eases herself closer with her legs, causing a wave of her pain to run through me. She slowly leans forward to rest her forehead on my chest again, and I can feel her emotions begin to shut off as the pain that I’ve been taking from her gets pulled back to her.
“Kia, please don’t do that,” I quietly beg, running a hand up her arm. Her emotions begin to seep through - sorrow, sadness, guilt and annoyance - but she’s keeping a tight hold on her pain. “Do you not trust me?” I ask, now stroking the back of her head. More annoyance comes through, but nothing else changes.
I take her head in both my hands and encourage her to look up at me, but she stubbornly keeps her eyes shut, blocking me out. Little minx, two can play this game.
Leaning down, I kiss her lips firmly and push some of my own emotions into her - compassion, empathy, respect and desire - urging them through her, so that she gets a deep understanding of how I feel. I hear her breathing pick up and she begins to kiss me back, but before she can open her mouth and take control, I pull back to see that I’ve got her full attention, a slight smirk on my face. The desire pulsing from her is strong, but so is her annoyance and frustration and I can’t help but chuckle quietly. When she finally opens her eyes, I find them swirling steadily.
“Once the shirt is off, I’ll give you more of that,” I declare, keeping my focus steady on hers. I can feel her desire and need more intensely as her eyes swirl faster. “Nope, not happening, Kia,” I tell her firmly, knowing what she wants to do. Her eyes look sad, and disappointment surfaces as she sticks out her lower lip just a bit in a clear pout. “As soon as the shirt is off, I promise. You have my word,” I say, stroking my thumb across her cheek. She studies my face, looking for any signs of trickery, but I know she will find none as I have no intentions of ever going against any promise I ever make to her.
Though thinking them through, they would sound terrible to anyone who didn’t know what was going on. ‘Once the shirt is off, I’ll give you more of that...’. Damn this woman. What has she done to me?
“Can you let go and give me control now please?” I inquire and am rewarded with her trust as I feel her pain ease back into me. I take a good hold of it and check it for any missing pieces. “Do you promise not to take it back?” She pauses for a brief moment then nods as water drips down her face. “A promise is a promise, Kia, you can’t break it, or it will break our trust,” I remind her as I run my eyes over her small nose and round cheeks. The cut that was along her lip is gone completely and the bruises have nearly disappeared. She skims her gaze over my face, before meeting my eyes once more and nods sharply.
“Okay, we’re going to do this slowly, all right?” She nods again as her head meets my chest once more and I take a calming breath, readying myself for whatever comes our way.
Ever so carefully, inch by slow inch, I begin rolling the shirt up, keeping a firm grip on her pain, focusing most of my attention on her back. Pain flares up, followed immediately by a wave of panic. Pulling the pain away as fast as I can, I push some comforting energy through her.
Another inch and her breathing speeds up. I’ve still got a good handle on the pain, but her emotions flare. Fear and the feeling of being lost run through her.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart, I’m right here,” I speak softly through her hair into her right ear. Another inch up, and an image flashes across my vision. A man is looming over her with a spiked metal whip, dripping with blood.
“Kia, you’re not there. You're here with me,” I tell her as I push more comfort through her, followed by the feeling of peace. She takes a shaky breath and I feel her head nod.
Readying myself for the next wave, I encourage more energy through her, and it feels as though I’m falling into a part of her. I move another inch, and another swell of pain rushes up, feeling like someone has struck my own back with a whip. I suck in a breath, feeling my body begin to heat. I’m only halfway up Kia’s back and from the amount of blood on the shirt I saw earlier, I know the worst is yet to come.
I lift it a bit more and heat whips at my back, followed by the sting of acid. Dragging air into my lungs, I try keeping my eyes open. My hands begin to shake and Kia’s shoulders tremble. She’s crying, but not from pain. Remorse pours from her and I know she wishes she hadn’t agreed to this.
“Nearly there, Kia,” I say to her, though my voice trembles slightly. She nods and I hear her sniffle. I take a steadying breath as I pull the shirt up several inches this time, trying to get it done more quickly. More acid strikes at my back and it feels like someone is holding a hot blade to it. The pain is resurfacing memories, and even though she’s not feeling the pain with her mind, her body is still reacting to it, causing these visions to manifest. And somehow, I’m tuning into them.
“Kia, baby, I’m right here and I’m not leaving you. I’m never going to leave your side. I’d rather die.” I vow, knowing my words are true. A part of me feels like it’s attaching itself to her.
She sags into me, pulling the shirt higher with her movement. More pain follows and I see another memory of a different man coating a whip in his hand with a substance. Kia shudders as she takes a deep breath, which she seems to hold. The shirt is bunched up over her shoulder blades now and I can feel the weight of it on my own back.
I’ve got a hold of every drop of her pain, but she seems to be falling into a memory. Tension and fear fill every ounce of her, so I push some calming energy through her again, but it doesn’t seem to do anything. She’s not fighting me, she’s just lost to it.
Wanting to get this over with, I pull the shirt the rest of the way up her back. Pain strikes at my own skin again and it feels like the whip is stuck there, branded to me. A man’s voice trickles through my ears, but I can’t understand the language he’s speaking. I try dragging air into my lungs, but they don’t seem to want to work. The pain doesn’t leave me but continues to pour down my back. I close my eyes to shake myself from it, but darkness drags me under and I slide across the wall and onto the floor. Kia moves with me and I fall deep into my centre unintentionally.
Aware, but unable to move, I start to panic for Kia. I feel her pull herself from me, followed by the sound of something heavy with water hitting the ground. I try to wake from my centre, but the pain in my back pulls me deeper. The noise around me fades and I become lost, unsure how to get myself out. I try focusing on what I can feel. The pain in my back is gone, but I can’t feel the water from the shower either.
“Rolland?” A voice I’ve never heard before drifts through me so quietly. “Rolland, you hear me?”
Who is that? It’s slightly louder, and I want to hear more of it.
“Please wake up, you promise me.” It sounds foreign and curls around th
e r’s. “Rolland, I kept promise, but you not keep yours.” It’s as though it’s struggling to form some of the words.
“Kia?” It can’t be.
Something sparks within me and I grab onto it pulling myself from my centre. Taking a deep breath into my lungs, I feel the water running over me again, and the sound of the shower fills my ears.
I haven’t opened my eyes yet, but I can feel Kia’s hand on my face. “I’m back, Kia, I’m back,” I assure her, though my voice is barely above a whisper.
My body feels drained and all of Kia’s emotions flood back, but not her pain. “Kia, give it back, and I’ll open my eyes.”
Her hand pulls from me, but I can still feel her emotions. Annoyance and frustration come from her. I’m just glad the pain in my back has gone.
I can feel her energy right next to me, so I know she’s still there. I want to open my eyes to see if she’s okay, but a stubborn part of me wants her to give in first.
“Come on, Kia, I’m fine. Just a little tired,” I encourage, keeping my eyes closed. Still nothing. Damn it. I open one eye to look at her.
She’s sitting with her arms crossed over her legs, which she’s pulled up to her chest, her head is turned slightly the other way and I can see she is pouting. Her breathing is somewhat laboured. I feel bad for making her suffer, so I open the other eye and sit up, noticing that her discarded shirt is a wet heap on the floor beside her.
Realising I made her a promise and didn’t keep it, I decide to make it up to her. Kissing her forearm that rests on top of the other one, I make my way up her arm, sucking the water droplets away. Kia’s breathing calms slightly and her emotions begin to change. She’s still annoyed, but desire starts to simmer through.
She continues to look at the wall, so I lean over more, kissing her cheek gently. Her desire heightens, and her head moves to me a fraction, but then quickly moves back as she slams the desire down and tries to focus on her annoyance.
Guiding my fingers up her leg, I push a bit of lust and desire, followed by remorse. It gets her attention as she turns her head in my direction, but keeps her eyes closed. My hand reaches her knee where her arms are folded over. Tracing my fingers down the backs of her thighs, I push my hunger for her through my fingers. She pulls her lips into her mouth then releases the top one.
Running my tongue over her top lip, I push hard so I can feel her teeth. She finally gives in and her hands move to my face as she lets go of her bottom lip to kiss me back. I ease her body to me, so she’s sitting back on my lap again, but hear her gasp from pain rather than pleasure as she settles. I stop and lean back to look at her. She’s looking back at me and it’s like a battle of wills again. Her eyes are swirling fast with the silver specs glittering back.
“Let it go, Kia,” I tell her firmly.
Her pain slams into me at the same time as her lips do. Shocked by the double onslaught, I dig my hand into whatever I’m holding and find her hips. It seems to spur her on, as she grinds herself against me while fighting for control of the kiss. Her tongue seems to be searching for something as her energy pours down my chest fast, making its way to my heart. Her emotions flood me, and it's true need and frustration that’s coursing through her, making my cock that was already hard seem to grow even harder, and I worry what her reaction to it will be. She grinds on me again, pushing me harder into the wall. Small noises of frustration come from her, which perks my ears.
I start kissing her back firmly, forcing my energy at her along with some of the frustration that is a direct result of the hardness I cannot control. She gasps as she pulls from me slightly. Her eyes are entirely silver, and they seem to lock me into place. We’re both breathing heavily, and our emotions seem to be jumbled together – no longer sure which are hers and which are mine. Frustration and desire weave a tangled web together.
Flicking my eyes over her face, I take in every detail. Her small nose, delicate cheekbones and eyebrows that refine her face. Her long, dark eyelashes make her eyes appear larger as they pulse, and her lips that look ripe and swollen from being kissed. She grinds on me again and I want nothing more than to finish her off here. But I know her body needs rest, so I try and calm her down by kissing her gently, making my way along to her ear.
“Kia, sweetheart. We need to stop before your body gives out," I whisper gently to her. Disappointment flows through the both of us, but she turns and kisses my cheek.
Thankful she's not annoyed anymore and feeling like I’ve got full control over her pain, I let myself relax a little. My eyes catch on the bottles Matt set down for us, and I reach to pick up the shampoo. Sitting back against the wall so she can see what I’m doing, I squeeze some shampoo into my hand. Utter confusion covers her face but instead of explaining it to her, I show her by working it into my hair to get a lather going. My hair reaches my shoulders and can be a pest to keep tidy sometimes, but Seb found some great products on a trip we took over to America.
We’ve used this stuff ever since. It smells fantastic, plus it does the job of making my hair easier to manage. Kia is looking even more confused and very worried, as she begins to shake her head, moving from my lap. I feel my brow furrow, confused at her reaction.
“Kia, its fine. It’s just shampoo. It’s for washing all the dirt and grease from your hair,” I placate, still working up a foam. She continues to shake her head slowly, but she’s stopped moving backwards.
I start rinsing my hair off, working my fingers through it until I can feel all of the shampoo has been washed away, then I grab the shower gel and start rubbing it on my body. Kia’s face continues to contort, moving from puzzlement to worry. It doesn’t look I’ll be getting any of this on her. She looks over to watch the bubbles drain away and then seems to look for something.
“What are you looking for, Kia?” She shakes her head again, giving up her search.
She watches me steadily and the blue of her eyes returns, with just a few silver specs left flittering around.
“Do you fancy some food?” I offer as I rinse the last of the gel off my body. After a long pause, she nods. This should be fun. Getting us both out of these soaking wet clothes and into fresh ones while keeping a hold on her pain. Yep, sounds like a recipe for disaster.
“Kia, come sit on my lap again and grab hold of my neck, so I can get us out of here,” I explain. She climbs on as instructed and her soft arms slide around my neck as her breasts push up against me. Yep, this is going to be a nightmare.
Standing us up carefully so as not to jar her body, I step out of the shower and turn it off. Grabbing a couple of towels as I pass the heater, I set her down slowly on the counter and take a look at her back in the mirror. Blood is trickling from two of the deeper gashes, but thankfully the others seemed to have stopped. They will all need to be dressed in bandages before a shirt can go back on.
Kia starts to shiver from the cold and her pain levels increase from the air hitting her wounds. As I carefully wrap one of the towels around her body, I feel another wave of pain pass through me, followed by another vision - Kia being slammed against the wall by the same man with the whip.
Steadying my breath, I pull her head to my shoulder. “Shh, he’s not here. Just you and me, okay?” I tell her, running a hand down the back of her wet head. I get a tiny nod in response. I think we’re going to need help to get through this.
“Kia,” I say softly as I carefully pull her hair out of the hair tie and gently dry it with the other towel, “I’m going to call one of the other guys in to help us, okay?” Another tiny nod.
“Matt!” I call, hoping he’s not too far away. The door opens slowly, and Matt’s head pops in, followed by the rest of him. He runs his eyes over the both of us.
“Can you find Seb and see if he knows where some bandages are that we can use to dress Kia’s back?” Matt’s face is full of concern, but he nods and leaves.
“Kia, I’m going to put some dry clothes on, while we wait for Seb. Just be sure to keep a hand on my neck the
whole time, okay?” She nods and pulls her head away from my shoulder. She’s got her eyes closed, and I hope they stay that way while I change.
I reach out to grab some trousers from the drawer then lower myself until I can step into them, being sure to go slowly so that Kia can keep her hand in place. My thoughts turn over how bandaging her back is going to go after what just happened in the shower. Fuck, I know I have to keep her thoughts away from those images but I’m not sure how much more my body can take. Aw hell, here we go again…
Chapter Nineteen
Sebastian
After Jack left to find more stones and Gerry finished eating, I decided a quick tidy up was needed. Throwing some vegetables together for a quick stew doesn’t take long, so if I don’t have time to make anything later, there will at least be food for Kia, and a peace offering for Brad and Gerry. I take the joint of meat out the fridge and place it in the slow cooker along with some herbs and spices, then set the time on the cooker. Once that is done, I get to cleaning up.
As I finish wiping the worktops down, Matt ambles through the kitchen door looking apprehensive and worried. “What’s up?” I ask, frowning a little. Has something happened with Kia?
“Rolland’s asking for bandages for Kia’s back,” Matt explains, flicking his eyes over my face, then raises a hand to rub at his neck. “He needed to take her shirt off as it was sticking to her back and pulling at the wounds. I suggested he take her in the shower to make it easier to remove and they’ve just got out,” he finishes, then begins drumming his thumb against his leg. Shit. How did he manage to get the shirt off without her turning on him?
In Pursuit of Light Page 14