“I’m not naked!” I quickly submerged myself in the river. The water immediately cooled me off.
Liam turned. “Not completely.” His eyes zeroed in on what he could see of my chest above the water line.
“Swimming in my clothes would defeat the purpose of cleaning up.”
Liam smiled. “I don’t have a problem with it.” He joked around a lot but not usually about my lack of clothing. He treaded water next to me. “So you never told us, what did the message from Ruth say?”
“What do you mean I never told you? I told you we had to look in the swamps.”
“That’s all she said?” Liam asked skeptically. “That would be a really short message.”
“Some things should stay between Essences.”
Henry grinned. “Yeah, I am certain that is what happened.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’ve gotten mighty sure of yourself since I first met you, Henry Ashwell. Don’t forget I have powers.”
“Powers you cannot use right now.”
“It would be easy to do—”
Liam swam over closer to me. “Are you threatening us?”
“Me? Would I ever threaten someone?”
Henry splashed me. “You threaten Kevin all the time.”
I splashed him back before pulling the leather tie out of my hair. I leaned back to get my hair wet. “That’s because he’s my brother. You and I are not related.”
Liam moved behind me. “Do you need help?”
“Help with what?”
“Your hair. You have a lot of sand in it.” Without waiting for an answer, he took my hair in his hands and started to wash out some of the sand.
There was something so intimate about the action that it made me nervous. I jerked away slightly. “I can do it myself.”
“There’s no reason to.” His voice was soft, almost like a whisper.
“Thanks.” I couldn’t deny that it felt good to have Liam so close. What was wrong with me? I turned to pull away from him “You have to stop.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, his lips claimed mine. His kiss was demanding, passionate, and needy. I needed to break the contact, but I couldn’t. It was almost like our first kiss—supernatural—but twisted up in it was desire that neither of us could control. The kiss got more intense, and even though my brain yelled at me, the power was too strong.
“Um, I am going to look for berries,” Henry said.
I snapped back to reality. What the heck was I doing? I’d just lost my virginity to Calvin the night before, and I was making out with Liam, half naked. I felt disgusting. I pushed Liam away. “We can’t do this.” I swam to the bank and slipped into my wet clothes.
As Liam got out of the water, I caught a glance of his naked chest. I turned away again. “We can’t be near each other. It’s wrong. Horribly wrong.”
“How is it wrong? We’ve known each other for years—loved each other for years.”
At the word “love,” I swung back around to face him. “Loved each other? That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is. And if it weren’t for Calvin, we’d be together now. We both know it.”
“But there is Calvin. He’s my Gerard. I’m with him.” I looked down.
“Why? Are you with him because you want to be, or because you think you have to be?” Liam stepped toward me. “I know what happened. His sword glowed or something. Maybe if I was there with you, mine would have glowed.”
I shook my head.
He took my hand. “Just listen. Why do you think I’m on your Guard? We never talk about it, but it’s because of that kiss. The Source wanted me here for you—the Source wanted us together.”
“You can’t believe that. And I love Calvin.” I pulled my hand from his.
“Maybe, but you also love me.”
“I can’t do this. I can’t.”
“Please, Charlotte. Just consider it’s a possibility. I need you to at least consider it.”
I shook my head. “I’m with Calvin. He’s my Gerard, and he’ll always be.”
Liam buried his face in his hands. “I can’t watch this. I can’t sit back and watch you in his arms.”
“You don’t have to.”
He looked up. “What do you mean?”
“We need to split up, Liam. You should have gone with Kevin.”
“Don’t say that. I need to be with you. I’m supposed to protect you.”
“Right now I need protection from you.” My words were bitter and mean, but it was a message he needed to hear. What happened in the river could never happen again.
“No. No, you don’t. You felt that, Char.” He pointed at the river. “I know you did.”
Even looking at the flowing water made me feel guilty. “It wasn’t us. It was something else.”
“If it was anything else, it was the Source. If that’s true, it’s for a reason.”
I shook my head again. I could feel Calvin’s presence; he was close. “Calvin will be back in a minute. You should get dressed.” I forced myself to turn away. Hurting Liam made me sick to my stomach, but the guilt over what had happened between us was worse.
“Charlotte, you can’t mean what you said. You don’t want me to leave.”
“You and Henry should go back and help the Resistance. I can stay with just Calvin.”
Henry strode over to us. “Absolutely not. You need your Guardians.”
Liam pulled on his damp shirt. “I’ll keep my hands to myself. I promise.”
I backed away from him. “It would be better if we weren’t near each other.”
“Stop being stupid, Charlotte!” Henry had never talked to me that way. I stepped back in shock.
Liam stepped toward him. “Watch it, Henry.”
Henry scowled. “No. She is being selfish. Put your stupid hormones aside and focus on what is important. We have to find the scroll and figure out how to defeat Blake. It is our only chance of saving Energo—and James.”
The mention of James hit me hard. “You’re right. I need to focus on what’s important.”
“Good. I suggest you keep whatever happened with you guys to yourself. Setting Calvin off is not going to help us.”
I nodded. I didn’t want to hide anything from Calvin, but how could I possibly explain kissing Liam to him? Either I was out-of-control interested in Liam, or the Source wanted us to kiss again. Neither was something Calvin would want to hear.
Chapter Thirteen
Kevin
We pushed open the glass door and stepped into the brutal storm. I anchored Samantha to my side as we made our way up the stairs. Thankfully, our room was only a few doors down. We stumbled inside, closing the door behind us.
I flicked on the lights and took a quick look around the room and the bathroom before locking us in for the night. “So it’s no Ritz Carlton, but it’s better than being out in that storm.”
“Ritz what?”
“Oh, I just mean it’s not fancy.”
“It is fine.” She paused for a second, and I could tell she was deciding whether to say something else. I waited. I’d learned it was better not to push her. “Thank you for staying with me.”
“Yeah, not really something you have to thank me for. Did you think I’d prefer bunking with Talen?”
She smiled. “Are you ready to sleep, or do you want to clean up first?”
“We should shower. It’s probably going to be a while before we get another chance.” After the words left my mouth, I realized she might think I was implying we do it together. “I mean separately.”
“Of course.” The hint of a smile crossed her lips. “I think I will. Is it a shower like in Alak?”
“Yes. But not as nice. Like I said, this place isn’t fancy.”
“I think I will try it.” She opened her backpack and pulled out a pile of clothes as well as a few bottles that I assumed were shampoo and stuff.
“Have a good shower.” Once the bathroom door closed, I opened the blinds and peered outside.
The snow seemed to have picked up more. I stood there for a few minutes watching the swirling snow, then the light flickered. Damn, we were probably going to lose power. No lights and no heat. No lights—Samantha was in the shower.
The water shut off. “Kevin?”
“Yeah, I’m right here,” I answered through the door.
“Are the lights going to go out?”
“Possibly.”
“You should get your shower done then. You can come in.” I grabbed some clean boxers and tentatively opened the door. She was dressed in only a towel, and I forced myself to avert my eyes even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.
“Have a nice shower.” She gave me a knowing smile before slipping out past me.
I took as fast a shower as possible, half out of fear that the lights would go out and half because I wanted to get back out there with Samantha. She was fully dressed when I walked out, and I enjoyed the look of surprise on her face when she saw I was in just my boxers. Considering what she’d just made me see, she could handle me with my shirt off.
“How was the shower?”
I sat down next to her on the bed. “Nice.”
“If I tell you something, do you promise not to get too upset?”
“Sure.” I would have agreed to anything she asked.
“Yesterday, the reason I couldn’t sleep is that I had a terrible nightmare. I had it twice and then again on the plane. I have it every time I sleep.”
I pulled a leg up on the bed, positioning myself so I could face her. “A nightmare? About what? When did you start having this dream?”
“They started when we left Energo. The dreams almost feel like a flashback, like I am remembering something from my past. Only I can’t be.”
I scooted closer to her. Samantha had never opened up so much. The dreams had to be really disturbing.
“In the dream, I am in a clearing, and there are three men. One man—” She stopped, and a tear streamed down her face. “One man dies.”
I wiped the tear off her cheek, still in shock that a dream had upset her so much. Samantha usually kept such a tough exterior. “Did you recognize him?”
“No. But I recognize the others.”
“Who were they?” I tensed. Something told me I wouldn’t like her answer.
“Blake was one, and the other… this is the part you might get upset about.”
“Just tell me.”
“Monty.”
My stomach clenched. “How does the third man die? Is he killed by one of the men?”
She nodded. “Yes. But I don’t know which man killed him. It all blurs out.”
“It has to have been Blake. Or it’s just a dream. Monty would never—”
“I know, but I think I know who the dead man might be.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Emma’s Gerard. He is killed with a Guardian sword.”
I got up and paced the room for a second. I wanted to believe it was just a dream, but nothing with Energo was ever like that. Nothing could be written off. “Blake killed her Gerard, but why was Monty there?”
“I do not know.”
I sat back down. “I’m sorry you’ve had this dream.”
“Me too. I want to trust him.”
I swept some wet hair away from her face. She looked so vulnerable in that moment—wet hair all messy around her face, tears on her cheeks. I just wanted to make everything better.
She brushed her fingers against mine. “That is one of the reasons I wanted you to stay with me.”
I edged closer. “I’m glad I’m here. I’d be worried about you otherwise.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, pulling the thin T-shirt tight, and I discovered she wasn’t wearing a bra. “Just because I am a woman doesn’t mean I cannot take care of myself.”
I forced my eyes back up to her face. “I know you can take care of yourself.”
“I know you know it. It is one of the reasons I like you so much.”
I leaned in closer. “Like me, huh?”
“Yes.”
I couldn’t wait any longer. I kissed her. Her cool lips responded immediately, and her mouth welcomed me. I wanted things to get back to exactly where they had been the day before when we were interrupted. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her body against my naked chest. I put my arms around her to get closer and to warm her. She released my neck with one hand and tentatively touched my chest.
I groaned. Giving in to my need to touch her, I slipped a hand under her shirt, running it first over her stomach before moving up just below her breasts. She broke the kiss and let out a surprised sound.
“Do you want me to stop?”
She shook her head. “No.”
I cupped one of her breasts, loving the moan my action caused. She kissed me, her touches no longer tentative. I lost track of everything else—the storm, the fact that we were in a road-side motel—and just lived in the moment. Her body was as amazing as I knew it would be, and I wanted to explore every inch of it. I needed her in a way I’d never needed a girl—raw, and desperate, and real.
Then the lights went out.
Samantha jumped. “Did we lose all sources of power?”
“Yes.” I tried to dial down the disappointment. Another perfect moment ruined—or was it?
I found her lips again, and she responded. If anything, the darkness made it better.
Our kisses grew more frenzied, and I moved both hands under her shirt. She lifted her arms up, making it easy for me to remove it. I gently moved her down onto the bed, hovering over her. I wasn’t thinking; I was just doing. I’d wanted Samantha for so long.
I stroked her stomach, forcing myself to keep my hands away from the drawstrings on her pants. If anything like that happened, it was going to be when she wanted it. I felt her finger slip underneath the elastic of my boxers. Her hand started moving down, and I pulled her closer. I waited for the contact I knew was coming.
I heard several loud noises from outside. “What the hell?” I sat up. “What was that?”
Another round of loud banging had me searching in the darkness for my clothes. I found my pants, but I’d never unpacked another shirt, and the old one was still in the bathroom. I located Samantha’s shirt and tossed it to her.
“What is going on?” The alarm in her voice matched the way I felt.
“I don’t know. If I could see anything at all, I’d say we need to find everyone else, but we could be running into anything.”
Samantha took my hand. “We cannot just stay here. What if they are in trouble?”
“I know. I wish I had brought in some of our new gear. We have flashlights. Wait.” I felt around for my cellphone on the nightstand. I hit the power button, but nothing happened. I could have sworn it still had some battery left. I heard a howl followed by a deafening scream. A second later, the window was lit with a bright light. It was eerie, and it definitely wasn’t something from our world.
I pulled her to the door. “Let’s go.”
“Wait. Our stuff.” She yanked me back to grab our packs before I fumbled with the lock and opened the door.
Outside, the storm was still going strong. Linking arms, we fought the wind and snow to make our way down the stairs. We slipped several times as we clumsily tried to find the slick concrete slabs. We didn’t talk—although I wouldn’t have known if Samantha had been trying to speak to me over the howling wind.
The other rooms were located just below ours, so we didn’t have to walk far once we got downstairs. I knew immediately that something was wrong. Even in the dim moonlight, I could see that the doors to both rooms were off the hinges.
The overhang blocked some of the storm, and I gestured for Samantha to stand to the side while I walked into the first room. Of course, she didn’t listen. I felt her on my heels but decided it wasn’t worth arguing with her. Besides, she might have been in just as much danger outside. The room was completely empty—every part of it upturned. The bed was
pushed against the wall, the sheets torn off and balled up on the floor. Every drawer had been pulled out of the nightstand.
The next room was the same. I kept waiting for other doors to open—someone had to have heard the noise—but nothing. The owner had said they only had three rooms available. That meant the place should have been full. We made our way to the office. It was empty, too. The scene was beginning to feel like a horror movie, and as much fun as those were to watch, they sure as hell weren’t something I’d ever wanted to experience firsthand.
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