Charlie settled himself on the bed between my thighs, pulling my panties aside and spreading me open, slipping the tips of two fingers just inside me as his tongue found my clit. His lips closed around it as he sucked, and I cried out, then he flicked me once with his tongue and began massaging me more firmly. His lips pressed deliciously against the sensitive places surrounding the tiny node he was working, and I ground myself against his mouth, tangling my hands in his hair and pressing his face to me. Charlie groaned and growled as he gave in to my every lead, giving me just what I wanted, just what I needed, and just as I began to climb toward that peak a second time, his lips relinquished his claim.
I whimpered as he kissed my tummy. Then he made his way back up my stomach to my ribs, kissing and brushing his searing hot lips across my chilly flesh. He trailed his lips up the center of my chest, purposely and painfully missing all the delicious parts along the way, then his lips slid up my neck and jaw to my lips again.
I wanted him everywhere. Everywhere. I wanted his lips and his hands and the painfully hard throbbing appendage between my legs, I wanted us free of our fabric constraints, and I didn’t want to think about anything but Charlie and the feel of him for the rest of the day.
I rolled us sideways, landing on top of him, straddling his hips and feeling the hard shaft between my legs where I could ride it like a witch’s broomstick at Halloween. I sat up, tearing my lips away from Charlie’s, then I grabbed his hands and pulled them up my hips and ribs to my breasts, placing them where I wanted them as I ground against him. Charlie’s head popped up, and he groaned, watching the movement of my hips against him with avid fascination. The sound sent chills of pleasure and heat tearing through my body, and my head fell back, arching my back, pressing my breasts harder into his hands and my center heavier against his firm, wet shaft.
I felt warmth and wetness wash between my legs, and Charlie sat suddenly upright, taking a nipple between his lips as his tongue flicked lightly against it. One hand held me tightly as his other slid down my waist to the hem of my panties, teasing along the edges until he eventually slipped inside, finding my clit faster than even I could have. His thumb rubbed me as I rode him, and we rose quicker than I would have liked. Too soon for me to make my next move, we both tumbled over the edge, my breathy cries mixing with Charlie’s deep growling groans into a symphony of pleasure and need and desire and love.
As we came down, I rolled off the bed and ran to the bathroom, grabbing a towel and running back. I threw it at him with a giggle, and he laughed, catching it in midair then cleaning himself up as I climbed back into the bed. Charlie rolled the towel up and tossed it off the foot of the bed, and I pulled him to me.
“Again,” I whispered against his lips, not giving him the chance to answer as I claimed them for my own.
When I finally released him, he pulled back and chuckled, “Happily, but I’m going to need food and water first.”
I wrapped my leg around his hip and pressed myself up against him, then leaned back, pressing further into him and feeling him throb against my still sensitive center. I pulled my nightstand drawer open, and sure enough, there was the box of condoms Mom said she put there. My eyes grew warm and I felt tears gather in the corners of my eyes. She approved before either of us had likely thought about it.
So I smiled, tore off one condom, closed the drawer, and pulled myself back up onto the bed.
“Just so there’s no confusion,” I began, dropping the condom on his chest. “I want you, Charlie. All of you. We can be safe, and I appreciate the restraint you’ve shown, but the last thing I want you to be now is restrained.”
His hesitant look was instantly betrayed when his shaft throbbed at the sight of the condom. “I know you want me. I want you. We love each other. What are we waiting for?”
Charlie’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he opened his mouth to respond, but at just that moment, Shadow went nuts downstairs and both our heads turned toward the door. He sounded vicious, and thus far, I’d only heard him sound that way for one reason.
20
Dani
“Stay here,” Charlie commanded, disentangling himself from the sheets, then rolling over me and off the bed. He grabbed his sweats from the floor and began pulling them on as he walked across the room. Even in possibly dire circumstances, I was having a difficult time focusing on the potential danger and not his bare ass as he traipsed across the room naked. It physically hurt me when he pulled the sweats up over his hips, but it made it a lot easier to focus on the lethality of the sounds coming from my dog.
Fuck it, I was not about to wait here while Charlie put himself in harm’s way again. Nobody else was getting hurt to protect me. I slipped out of bed and pulled on my t-shirt and a pair of jeans, then jogged silently down the stairs. Shadow had stopped actively barking, but he was still growling deep in his throat, and when I stepped into the kitchen, something looked off. The scene looked wrong. Charlie was at the kitchen window, but he wasn’t looking outside. He was simply standing there with his head down, and Shadow wasn’t growling at the door. He was growling at Charlie.
“Hey, everything okay? Did you see anybody?”
Charlie looked up with wide eyes, like I’d caught him off guard, which was doubly odd, because I wasn’t exactly known for my stealth. Charlie looked anxious, and my paranoia that something worse was happening took over for a minute, but then he smiled.
“No, nothing. At least nothing I could see. Doesn’t mean there wasn’t someone out there. I trust Shadow’s senses more than my own.”
I nodded and Shadow growled, stepping between me and Charlie. I eyed the dog warily, nudging his side with my hip as I said, “Hey, you. I thought we were past this.” Shadow looked up at me and then stared back at Charlie.
Charlie shook his head and smiled. “I think he’s jealous. He’s been displaced from his spot on your bed a couple mornings this week.”
I dropped down next to Shadow and ruffed up his unruly mane. “I’m sorry, boy. You know we need a bit of privacy, but you’re still used to being my only guy aren’t you?” The dog didn’t give in to my attention like normal, keeping his eyes on Charlie as he walked to the fridge and opened it.
“So, maybe lunch? Refuel before…”
I saw the blush creep into his cheeks as he trailed off, and I smiled. Perhaps I would get my way today after all.
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”
“How’s leftover pizza sound?”
“It sounds fantastic actually. Now that I think about it, everything sounds fantastic. I haven’t eaten much lately, I guess.”
Charlie smiled, and I stood up and jogged upstairs to get my phone, remembering something else I hadn’t been doing lately. Charlie had mentioned I was out of my medication, so I’d need to call the pharmacy and get a refill so I could get my episodes back under control. I pulled up the pharmacy number and hit send on my way back down the stairs. My prescription bottle had been thrown away, so I punched in the numbers according to the automated menu until I got ahold of a pharmacy employee.
“Yes, hi. I need to refill a prescription, but I don’t have my prescription number.”
“Of course. What’s your name and date of birth, hun?”
“It’s Danielle Shade. Date of birth, June first of two thousand.”
I heard her typing on the other end, then silence, then more typing, and silence. “I’m sorry, miss. We don’t have anything under that name and date of birth. Is there another name it might be listed under?”
“Um, it shouldn’t be, but maybe it was accidentally listed under my mom’s name? Belladonna Shade?”
She began typing again as I sank into one of the chairs at the kitchen table where Charlie had put out two plates of day-old pizza.
“No, I’m sorry, Ms. Shade. I don’t have anything under that name either. Is it possible you have the wrong pharmacy?”
“No. No, it’s not. I had the prescription bottle, but my friend threw it away when it ran out, which
is why I don’t have the prescription number.”
“I’m sorry, there’s really nothing more we can do without that information. Perhaps you could contact the doctor and have them send us a new script?”
“Um, yeah. I’ll call the doctor’s office now. Thank you.” I stared at the phone for several seconds, trying to figure out what was going on.
“Hey, what was that all about?” Charlie asked, interrupting my staring contest with the phone in my hand. He’d already devoured two pieces of pizza and had three more left on his plate.
“That was the pharmacy,” I said, looking up at him. “They have no record of any prescriptions for me or my mom. They have nothing.”
“Nothing? Well, it has to be a mistake, right?”
“Yeah, but there’s nothing they can do. I have to call the doctor’s office and have them call in a new one.”
“Well, that sucks, but at least it doesn’t sound too difficult. They should be able to get that straightened out pretty quickly, right?”
“Yeah, let’s hope so.” I pulled up my maps search and searched for Dr. Halston’s office, but got no results, so I headed into the den and pulled my mom’s cell phone out of her purse. She was the one that handled all the doctor appointments and medical information, so it should be in there somewhere. The only thing I found was a ‘Doc’, but with limited options and a sinking feeling in my stomach, I thought it was worth a try, so I hit send.
“Cassandra’s Herbal Remedies, how can I help you?”
“Cassie?”
“Dani? Hey, hun. I was hoping you’d call. If I didn’t hear from you, I was planning to come by to see you next week. How are you holding up, sweetheart?”
“Um, okay, I guess. I’m just trying to work out a few things for myself. Being a grown up should come with instructions.”
Cassie laughed gently. “Yeah, I wish. I’ve been at it a lot longer than you, and trust me, it doesn’t get any easier. So, what can I do for you, sweetie? You wanna talk?”
“I’m sorry, Cassie. Definitely soon, but we’re a bit busy at the moment. Mom has you listed as Doc in her phone, and I was trying to find the number for my doctor.”
“What do you need the doctor for, Dani? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Charlie and I are just trying to get all my things in order, and we can’t find the doctor’s number anywhere.”
“I’m going to come see you tomorrow, Dani. Okay? There are some things your mama wanted you to know. She made a lot of provisions in the event that something like this happened, and she wanted someone to be able to give you answers. I assume she left you a note, too. Have you read it yet?”
“No, I haven’t. The lawyer lady gave it to me after the funeral, but I just haven’t been able to open it yet. Listen, I’ve got to go, Cassie, but I’ll come by the shop soon. Promise.”
I hung up before she could continue. I could feel myself getting more agitated by the second, and I didn’t want to lose another day in the blackhole of depression that threatened my freedom and sanity at every turn. What the hell was going on? What answers did Mom think I would need? I doubted it was the answer to where my prescription and my doctor’s information were located. And why had she made provisions in case ‘something like this’ happened? Starting with the lawyer, she seemed very prepared for this. What didn’t I know?
Charlie was studying me from the doorway, his eyes sharp, and Shadow had come to sit next to my while I was speaking with Cassie. I just needed to keep moving, so I dialed information and asked for a Dr. Halston who was a neurologist. When that returned no entries, I asked her to search for any Dr. Halston within a hundred miles of Knight City.
Nothing.
Spiraling into a full-on panic, I rushed from the den and burst into Mom’s bedroom. I headed straight for her desk and began shuffling through stacks of paperwork looking for anything from my doctor’s office. Shadow stayed dutifully by my side as I fell into a chaotic frenzy. Charlie followed close behind me and kept asking what I was looking for, but I couldn’t answer, and it didn’t matter anyway.
There was nothing there.
I felt myself give into the darkness pressing in on me. Charlie must have felt it too, because he was suddenly on his knees beside me.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“I can’t find my doctor’s office. There is no Dr. Halston… within a hundred miles of the city. There’s no paperwork here from any doctor’s office. He doesn’t exist. Neither does my prescription. I don’t know what to do, Charlie. I can’t do this. Mom took care of everything. Because I’m useless. I’m useless! And she let me be!” The panic was giving way to a bit of rage I didn’t realize I had stored away, and I was struggling more than normal to control myself these days. How could she let this happen? How could she leave me so unprepared?!
Charlie wrapped me in his arms, but I felt the cold seeping in already. And the pain. He carried me back to the kitchen and sat me in a chair at the table, rushing for a glass of water, but it was too late. I began to shake, and I knew this one was going to be bad. The pain and the cold joined, became one and flooded my body until there was no space left for anything else.
“Dani?” Charlie was beside me again. “Where are the syringes?”
“None left. We used the last one yesterday.”
He held me as I shook, pulling me from the chair and into his lap, and Shadow leaned against me from the other side, sandwiching me between their bodies like they were trying to hold me together.
“Tell me what to do, Dani. What do I do?”
“Just leave me here,” I spat, sobbing my rage and pain. “I don’t deserve your comfort. This is what I was doing when my mother was killed. They attacked us, and I had an episode. I couldn’t fight back, couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t protect her. My mother was dying, and I was a useless puddle on the ground!”
The entire house pulsed suddenly. Everything lifted from the countertops and tables, wall hangings pulled away from the walls, and everything that wasn’t nailed down or incredibly heavy floated toward the ceiling. It hung there, suspended in time and space.
Then everything began to spin above us. Around and around and around it went, faster and faster as I screamed and Charlie and Shadow tried to cover me with their bodies. He dragged me under the now shaking table where only moments ago we’d been having pizza and gearing up for an afternoon of pleasure and discovery and love.
Now there was a tornado in my house.
Shadow stood between us and the room, creating a protective wall out of his massive, furry body. He seemed bigger than normal, and his body looked darker, but everything around us looked hazy, almost smoky, so I wrote it off as a visual reaction to the chaos.
We huddled together beneath the table as images of the bathroom earlier and with Mom, and the funeral home only days ago flew through my mind. This was me. I was causing this.
I covered my ears against the increasing noise, trying to steel myself against the increasing pressure within me. Finally, unable to contain it any longer, I released the scream I’d been holding in. Images of the alleyway assaulted me next. The man that had followed us into the alley throwing his hand in the air and down again; Mom being tossed in the air like the plates and things currently flying around my ceiling; the sudden and massive blast of energy that had exploded from me… me; the blast that came from me and knocked everyone back: a man with wings, shredding the men that had killed my mother, burning the corpses to nothing, kneeling before me and making promises, apologizing for being late. We’d called him. He had come.
I remembered seeing Mr. Lee over his shoulder too. The man with wings was talking to him, but his eyes never left my face. I’d felt warm and safe in his presence. And he had said we’d called him.
The prayer. It had to be, but… did that make him… His name… I was almost there. I could almost touch it.
I finally ran out of steam as my head went as fuzzy as the room around me, and I swooned. As suddenly as it
had begun, it all stopped. Everything fell to the floor, and I collapsed back against Charlie, catching sight of the desperate look on his face.
“What’s happening to me?” I managed, and before the darkness claimed me, I heard him respond.
“Don’t worry. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, Dani. Okay? You’re gonna be okay. I know who to call.”
21
Charlie
This was not how this was supposed to happen. I was supposed to have the chance to talk to her about what was happening, prepare her for the world I was about to toss her into, but whatever was happening to her, she was stronger than any other supe I’d ever seen. The director had warned me that her mother had been giving her something to suppress her powers, but whatever it was, it was so effective that I’d thought she didn’t have any powers for a while.
Even though I’d thought he was wrong about Dani, I’d never said anything to the director. I was so enamored with Dani that I’d kept my mouth shut, buying time to get close to her, thinking we’d never have to deal with this future. Now here we were. I’d felt traces of power here and there, but never anything significant or lasting, until the past week. Shortly after that other guy had shown up at the store. Now, he had power—nothing compared to me, but I’d always been stronger than most—and since his little visit, everything had suddenly gone sideways. Dani was intermittently leaking power like I’d never seen since the attack, and not in amounts I’d be able to hide. I was hoping that I could shield her from everyone after her, that maybe we could disappear together, that I could get out and we could live a normal human life, happily ever after.
That couldn’t happen now. She was simply too powerful to hide. Never had I expected this super-powered supe. She’d caused an indoor tornado, an earthquake, shattered everything in her bathroom, and the suppressants wouldn’t be out of her system for at least another week, maybe even a month. I’d been warned that the suppressants she’d been given weren’t normal power suppressants. They were unusually strong and would take weeks to leave her system fully, maybe months, and still… she was just so powerful.
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