by Rachael Wade
I shushed him and continued to try to strike a deal. After a few minutes, it seemed I’d found something worth offering, and the bartender handed me a sign and gave me directions.
“Thanks, Jimmy,” I yelled, turning back to Jet with a smirk.
“One hour,” Jimmy warned, pointing at me to emphasize his point.
I waved him off over my shoulder and launched back into the crowd, pulling Jet along, leading him up a stairway and down a cavernous hallway. The hallway’s dim light flickered with the pounding of the music from below.
Jet raced to keep up with my feverish pace. “Slow down, Sky, what are you up to?”
We reached an entryway that read “Sector Two,” with line after line of blankets hung over a string of old-school clotheslines. We passed each section, one by one, until the cardboard sign on one read Number Three, matching the cardboard sign in my hand. I used the clothespin to hang my sign on the line, then ducked underneath the blanket.
Once inside, Jet took a deep breath, surveying the small space and the flimsy straw mattress on the floor. “Skylla, I don’t know—” I didn’t give him a second to think. I crushed my mouth on his, opening for him, inviting his tongue to intertwine with mine. He stiffened and then melted under my touch, his whole body going lax with an animalistic groan. “Oh, fuck, you taste so good. But I don’t think … you’ve just been through hell, Sky.”
“Don’t.”
“You need time,” he urged, forcing himself backward, his expression pained.
“You told me what you want,” I pulled him back and whispered against his lips, “now I get to tell you what I want.”
And I did want him.
I wanted all of him, and I wasn’t entirely sure where along the way my mind or body had decided that. I only knew at one point, they both merged and agreed on wanting the same thing. The minute Jet released my cuffs in that prison, he unhinged something crucial, waking up a part of me I’d known had been asleep for far too long. I wanted to know more about this man—the one who’d spoken of his little sister like the sun rose and set because of her, the man who both stole me and set me free.
Maybe he was right, it was too soon after what I’d been through on the train. Maybe I’d lost all sense of the weight my mind was capable of holding and the pace it needed to process it all. But I felt something with Jet that was nonexistent with those men on the train: safe. And whatever the consequences of rushing my mind into new emotional territory, I’d live with them. They were my responsibility now.
I broke our connection to suck in air. “You’re not taking advantage of me. You won’t hurt me. I’m asking for this.”
“More like telling.” He smirked. “I think you need time to digest what happened … before you let anyone touch you again. God knows I want to, holy hell do I want to, but I can’t, Sky.”
“Time? Time is exactly what I need. There’s not enough of it, and I won’t spend however much I have left afraid, or regretful, or wishing I could get back what was taken from me. Because this could be it. I can handle this,” I gestured between us. “I’ll handle whatever comes along with it, okay? I don’t want to remember what could have been my last time … that way. Please. Try and understand?”
The inner workings of his mind began to churn, his bottom lip taking the brunt of his teeth as he considered my words. He studied me carefully, the inches between us excruciating. “Okay,” he said quietly, nodding. “If this is really what you want.”
My eyes flitted shut and my lips tipped in satisfaction. I remained still, letting him make the first move this time.
I waited.
His thumb finally moved, sliding slowly over the fly of my jeans, creating a trail for the rest of his fingers to follow. He cupped me with a groan, bringing his head down to reclaim my mouth. This time, he didn’t just kiss me.
He devoured me.
Our movements were frantic and messy now. His fingers fumbled with the hem of my shirt—still his shirt, which made me smile—and in seconds I was naked in front of him, panting shamelessly for his touch. His jeans were next, and then he had my back to his front again, one arm caging me against him. I glanced down at the beautiful angel and demon dancing across his forearm. They’d become familiar friends. Undoubtedly a part of Jet, and now a part of me.
“Listen to me,” he whispered huskily, “I’ll take control of your body because I know what’ll make you feel good. But I don’t own you, and the second you don’t like me running the show, I stop, you got it?”
I shuddered, my body rocking back against his hardness.
“Sky, answer me.”
“Yeah. Got it.”
“Do you want me inside you? I need your permission.”
“Yes,” I said too quickly, my voice a raspy breath.
His hand slid down between my legs, his fingers gliding through my wetness. He positioned his erection, the hot tip nudging at me softly. “Do you like this position? Do you trust me?”
I could only moan in response, biting hard on my lip to hold myself together.
“Good, because I fucking love it. You ready for me, baby?” His callused fingers worked over my clit, the muscles in his chest undulating against my bare back. “Oh, you’re so ready,” he whispered, biting down on my shoulder. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do, Sky. You’re in charge here.”
“Mmmhhmmm.”
Tugging softly on my hair, he adjusted his feet and rolled his thumbs over my hipbones. I heard the tear of a wrapper, could feel him sliding on protection. With a quick shift of my waist, he lifted my hips and then tilted his groin up to sink into me in one fluid movement. I exhaled on a gasp, feeling him pulse inside of me. My head dropped and I grasped at his arm, which was steel across my chest. He worked my clit and rocked into me from behind, delivering swift, precise thrusts, matching the rhythm. I was completely and utterly lost. So lost in the heady pleasure that it wasn’t until he leaned in and began whispering endearments against my cheek that the reality was driven home.
Jet Phoenix was inside me, clinging to me like a last breath. The same Jet who’d collected me from God knows where, who’d held me prisoner on enemy grounds, then proceeded to save me and set me free. Now he was once again holding me prisoner, only this time by admission of my own free will, and I was recklessly committed to being his captive.
Each sleek pump of his groin catapulted me forward, his hands gripping my hips to steady me. “Beauty like fire,” he whispered, grazing my earlobe between his teeth, “and a heart like rain.” He charged me with a sharp jolt. “You’re incredible, Skylla. Fucking incredible, baby.”
His words soaked into me, wrapping around my lungs and heart and locking them in a vise grip. I rolled my head to the side. His teeth brushed my earlobe one last time before releasing it, a toe-curling moan wafting through him when I dropped forward, bending over to bring him deeper. One warm hand continued to work me from the front, while the other slid over my back, smoothing down my spine, then back up, to weave through my hair.
“Jet, I can’t hold on.”
His pounding increased, his heaving breaths filling the meager blanket tent. “I’m almost there. Wait for me, baby.”
“I can’t,” I cried out, reaching for the blanketed curtain, for something to grip. “I can’t.”
Three more hard thrusts and Jet was sending us both home on a shout, our bodies slapping together and crashing onto the straw mattress. He rolled to his side, his tall form spooning mine, our bodies still connected.
“Holy hell,” he breathed, wiggling behind me. He twitched inside of me, the dull throb delicious and satisfying. “You feel so good, I don’t want to leave yet.”
“So don’t.”
“We have a serious problem.”
I angled my head to glance up at him. “What problem?”
“I found something I love a whole hell of a lot more than Twinkies.”
My lips broke apart and I beamed at him, jabbing my elbow into his ribcage.
>
“Seriously, though.” He dragged his thumb over my bottom lip. “You’re gorgeous. You make me lose all sense.”
“What were you reciting to me?” I whispered back, kissing his thumb. “What did it mean?”
“It’s from an old folktale. A story I used to tell Hera at bedtime.” A distant cloudiness drifted over his gaze. “This warrior fell for this princess, and he described his love for her by comparing her beauty to the beauty of a dragon’s fire—violent and dangerous—and her heart to the rain—generous and kind. No matter how small a rainstorm, it provides replenishment for all living things.”
A grin swept over my face, and I was mesmerized by his words. “What do you know about my heart?”
“I know it’s compassionate. And brave. It’s most definitely like the rain.”
“You sound so certain.”
“Because I am. I’ve seen it.”
“That doesn’t count,” I whispered, knowing what he was referring to.
“How can sacrificing yourself for me—subjecting yourself to the horrors you did on that train—not count?”
“Because it’s what any sane person would do to save another’s life.”
“Skylla, any sane person would have jumped off that fucking train and never looked back. I was no one to you.”
“I couldn’t let you die, and I couldn’t let those assholes steal our map and throw us out like trash. And no, you were not no one. You saved my life. It was only fair.”
“Fair?” His brows furrowed and his jaw ticked, anger flaring in his eyes. “I didn’t save you so you’d return the favor. And I sure as hell don’t call what you put yourself through fair. If I hadn’t been outnumbered at the time and didn’t need the lift out west, I would’ve taken out every son of a bitch on that train.”
“It’s over, Jet. Done.”
“It won’t ever be. Not for me.”
“Well, that one isolated act does not make my heart like the rain.”
“It’s been many acts, some small, some large. You just don’t see it. I saw it the first time I found you, with the animals.”
I searched his expression, studying him. “What are you talking about?”
“The day you were collected.”
My smile fell and he watched me cautiously. A tear trickled from the corner of my eye and streamed down my cheek. “I don’t remember. Will you tell me?”
He nodded gently, pausing as if thinking before speaking. “You were at a pet store. You were at the back entrance, holding the door open. You really don’t remember anything?”
“No.”
He shifted up on his elbow and began tracing soft circles on my arm. “Most prisoners don’t remember. The injection makes the memories of the capture foggy. But every now and then, some slip through.”
“I was at a pet store? In Morton?”
“Yeah, you were letting all the animals loose. Shooing them out into the woods behind the building.”
“I worked there,” I said absently, grasping for the memories. “After I found my parents, I ran from the house … ran into town, to the pet store.”
He tensed, his shoulder muscles working beneath his skin. “Is it coming back to you?”
“I was about to run into the woods, was going to hide … but I couldn’t stop thinking about the animals stuck in their cages at the store. I wondered if they’d already broken out or been stolen. I couldn’t stand the thought.”
“So you went to the store to let them go?”
“Yeah.” I laughed, wiping at my tears. The memories were flooding me now. “Yes. I broke in through the back door, and was so relieved when I saw them all—the rabbits in their pens, the birds still in their cages—I was frantic.”
“You were. That’s when we spotted you. You were at the back door, opening cages and begging them to run. I just stood there staring at you, completely transfixed. The look on your face killed me.”
The tears flowed freely now, my fingers making quick work to sweep them up. “I knew the neighborhood pets had been disappearing. We lost our dogs, Cooper and Riley. It broke my heart, and I just couldn’t stand to think what might happen to them if they were trapped like that, just waiting in that store for God knows what. I figured they’d have a better chance at surviving, defending themselves, if they were just …”
“Free.”
“Yeah.”
“See?” He pressed his lips to my collarbone, his stubble tickling my skin. “A heart like rain.”
SEVEN
“Hey,” Jet said, his voice a smooth drawl, “why in such a rush?” He gently slowed my stride and tipped me back against the cavern entryway wall, just outside of Sector Two. His blue eyes roamed lazily from the tips of my boots to my lips. He looked down at me with a hint of a crooked smile, and all I wanted to do was disappear again with him in Sector Two and say to hell with the world, but I made a promise to Jimmy the bartender, and Kale would be wondering where we were by now.
“Our hour’s up, Phoenix.” I smirked back, clasping my hands around the nape of his neck. “I have a promise to keep.”
“Looks like my theory was right. You were sent to drive me crazy.”
“You like crazy, though, don’t you.”
He chuckled deep in his throat, strutting closer. His broad shoulders cast me in shadow against the cool rock. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Do you promise to play nice with Kale now?”
“What makes you think I’m going to play nice?”
“Because now you know what I want.”
“Ha.” He lowered his head and traced my bottom lip with his tongue. “Yeah, okay. I’ll think about it.”
“Hey!” Kale’s voice echoed at the end of the hall. “Where the hell have you two been? There’s not another meeting until tomorrow night, but I managed to talk Rico and his crew into talking to you guys right now. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” He slowed as he approached, his gaze sliding between the two of us. A beat later, recognition registered on his face.
Jet pushed off the wall and swaggered up to meet him. “Where we’ve been is none of your business.”
“Jet,” I warned.
He sent me a side-glance. “I thought about it.”
“Uh, it kind of is my business. I’m your ticket into this Hole, and we’re making a trade here, remember?”
“Whatever. We’re coming.” Jet started forward but stopped, leaning in to pin Kale with a confident gaze. “Oh, for the record?” He nodded to me. “She’s spoken for. Touch her and I break your fucking hand.” Clapping Kale’s shoulder with a wink, he strolled down the hallway. I started after him, rolling my eyes.
Boys.
“Hey, Skylla?” Kale asked, following me.
“Yeah?”
“When Jimmy told me where I could find you, he said something about a dog?”
I laughed. “Yeah, I owe him. I’ll meet you guys in twenty, okay?” Kale nodded, and we walked silently after Jet, back to the main gathering area. Jet and Kale slipped away from all the music and dancing to go meet with the rebel group, while I returned to Jimmy.
I handed Jimmy the cardboard sign from Sector Two. “Thanks for that,” I said. “So, where’s this lab retriever of yours?”
He finished wiping down his section of the bar and waved to the left. “Follow me.” I did, to a quiet area nestled away in his sleeping quarters. Tied up in the corner with a bone and a bowl of water sat a black lab, about a year old.
“His name’s Zeke. He’s a great dog.” He leaned down to pat Zeke on the head. “But I don’t want him running off. It’s too easy for him to get hurt around here. I just need him to listen to me, but he’s got zero attention span.”
I smiled and bent down to greet the dog, letting him sniff my hand first before moving to gently stroke his ears and the side of his face. “Yeah, he’s at that age. Well, I can start teaching him some basic commands. I think my friends and I are going to be here for a few days. But you’ll need to keep up
with it, put the commands into practice. He needs consistency.”
“I can do that.”
“Cool. Same time tomorrow good for you?”
“Yeah, that works. Guess I’ll leave you to it.”
“Thanks.”
Jimmy left me with Zeke and I spent the next fifteen minutes showing him how to sit and stay. He was a smart dog; it wouldn’t take him long to start picking up basic obedience commands. Visions of Cooper and Riley, of the days my dad and I had spent teaching them to heel overwhelmed me to the point of distraction while I worked with Zeke, but I focused on my part of the deal. I’d promised Jimmy I’d help him in exchange for some privacy with Jet. And in this loud, crowded Black Hole, beneath a war-torn Earth, privacy was golden. Who knew how much of it was left? The hour I’d just spent with Jet might very well have been the last.
It was worth dealing with Zeke’s impatience and puppy slobber.
When I was done paying my debt, I went to find Jet and Kale. They were huddled around a table in Sector One, in the middle of an epic verbal showdown with a group of men and women who didn’t sound happy with Jet’s presence.
“I’ve seen the maps for their base stations on the coast,” Jet insisted. “I’m telling you, there’s no way in hell you and your little rebel movements are going to make it inside alive. You’ll be lucky if you even make it to California. By the time you get there, your numbers will be dwindling, just from the journey. If you want to do this, you need to work with the groups already in Cali. They need to be on the front line for a mission of this magnitude.”
“Why are we even listening to him, anyway?” a woman hollered. “Just because he’s not being tracked anymore doesn’t mean he won’t go right back to the Invaders and report everything we’re saying as soon as he leaves this place.”
“It doesn’t work that way,” Jet snapped. “I can’t communicate with them anymore. They speak to us through chip implantation. And I have no reason to run back to them. I want to bring them down just as much as you do.”
“Says the traitor who willingly turned himself over to the enemy. You weren’t even collected! You weren’t forced into service!”