As I slid the top over my head and watched his gaze take me in, I couldn’t look away. There was no nervousness or self-consciousness in presenting myself before him. None of the typical worries of “what do I do now” or “do I look fat” would be entertained tonight. I knew with all my heart that he loved me, and he would show me as much.
“Absolutely beautiful,” he whispered as he pulled back momentarily, admiring his view. I leaned up slightly, and removed the bottom half of my bathing suit as well. Max’s breath hitched and he parted his lips slightly, and I smiled knowing my body had such an effect on him. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bouncing slightly.
“Your turn,” I whispered, too anxious to be patient any longer. Max chuckled lightly, then stood and undressed, pausing for a moment to let me admire his beautiful form. And what a form it was! Every inch of his body was perfection, from his strong, defined calves to his broad, sculpted shoulders. My mouth went dry as my gaze drank him in. I couldn’t have imagined anyone ever being sexier than this man before me. I crooked my finger, inviting him back into the bed as I laid back and closed my eyes. The mattress shifted as Max crawled back on top of me, the heat from our bodies sizzling like a sparkler on the Fourth of July.
When we finally came together as one, our souls fused together in a way I’d never experienced. In a way I never wanted to end. The world around us slipped away. Nothing else mattered besides that moment—right there, right then.
“I will love you until the end of time,” Max whispered in my ear.
“Always and forever,” I promised, kissing him in earnest before losing myself in the feeling of him once again.
The bond that we shared grew stronger with each moment—each thrust of our bodies—and I knew that nothing could ever tear us apart. We were complete with each other, two parts to a whole. And as we professed our love to each other in the most intimate way, I somehow fell even deeper for this man who had become my whole world.
Chapter Seven
“Well, good morning you two! Don’t you look refreshed,” Cassie teased as she scooped a bite of melon onto her spoon. We’d missed dinner completely, and Max and I were the last to arrive at brunch, not ready to leave our rare alone and private time to face the real world. We were having far too much fun enjoying each other, but knew that if we didn’t make it down to breakfast, Cassie would be banging on our door soon after.
We’d woken up with the sunrise, enjoying it while we snuggled together in bed, holding each other as the full moon from the night before gave way to the magnificent rays of orange, pink, and yellow. I mourned when Max finally left my side to grab us two cups of coffee. The spot he vacated left my back cold and I would have given up coffee for a year just to have him back next to me. When he finally snuggled up next to me a mere five minutes later, I ignored the steaming beverage he placed in front of me and wrapped myself around him, smothering him in kisses for the next forty-five minutes.
“Yes, I find the salt air very invigorating,” I replied, challenging her to keep up her teasing. I had lived with her—and consequently Adam—for months and had a lot more dirt on her than she had on me. Raising one eyebrow to let her know that two could play at that game, she tipped her head in acknowledgement and changed the subject.
“So, what’s on the agenda for today? I was thinking snorkeling would be fun. Who’s with me?”
Zander was the only one who opposed, wanting instead to surf, but we agreed to let him give us all lessons the next day, which put a big smile on his devilishly handsome face. Placing one final bite of the sweet, juicy pineapple in my mouth before wiping my face with a napkin, I laced my fingers with Max’s and ran to change into my swimsuit. I always loved snorkeling and scuba diving since I grew up near the beach, so this was a dream come true. I never thought I’d have a chance like this again.
Three hours later, tired and hungry, our group trudged back to our camping spot and I collapsed into the sand. Since I’d had the most swimming and diving experience, I did several long dives for shells to give to my friends as souvenirs, but it took its toll. I could easily have fallen asleep where I sat. Max pulled up a log next to me and I laid my head on his leg, enjoying the coolness from his still wet swim trunks on my cheek.
“Why don’t you girls go take a nap, and we’ll build another fire and cook you a feast for dinner? Adam, can you try to catch some fish with the poles we found in the cabin? And Zander, how about you see what the pantry has stocked to go with it?”
“Sounds like a plan, mate,” Zander chimed in as Adam clapped him on the shoulder and jogged over to where the fishing poles were kept.
Cassie, Lola and I simply nodded our agreements, none of us objecting to a nice, long nap. But first, a shower was necessary. No way could I climb into my big comfy bed all sandy and salty.
As I closed my eyes and drifted off, I had a sudden sense of dread. My dreams were filled with ominous blackness, and worry plagued my chest, causing it to tighten. There wasn’t anything specific, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to enjoy this happiness now, because it was fleeting.
When I woke up, I brushed aside the dark thoughts and chalked it up to a bad dream. I focused on the beauty surrounding me and the love for my new family. After another quick shower, I was ready to enjoy a delicious meal with my friends. The food was outstanding. Tender, flaky fish with a mango chutney and an avocado, crab, and corn salad on the side. I scrapped every morsel off my plate, and was half-tempted to lick it clean. We spent the whole night in front of the fire, laughing, telling stories from our lives, and truly enjoying each others’ company.
“So Lola, you actually met Elvis? You have to tell me what he was like!” I grinned around mouthfuls of gooey marshmallow from my s’mores.
She rolled her eyes as she placed a chocolate square on her graham cracker. “He was a pompous ass!”
“What? Oh come on, you have to give us more than that.”
“The big ogre thought that just because he was the King he could have any girl he wanted. Well, I showed him! When he put the moves on me, I slapped him hard across the face. And I’m pretty sure I dented the royal jewels, too.”
Cassie doubled over in laughter, tears streaming down her face. “Oh my God, that’s the best story I’ve heard in years.”
“He didn’t seem to realize that I am a lady, not some hussy groupie like the rest. And I absolutely expect to be treated as such.”
“Well, good for you, Lola! I bet that was the last time he made that mistake.” I leaned over and high-fived her.
Lola smirked. “It most certainly was. But if you really want to know who was a perfect gentleman, it was James Dean. He had everyone fooled with that bad boy attitude; he was a sweet teddy bear.”
“I actually got to meet him when I first got here! He was on a special assignment out of the California unit. He was very sweet. And not at all hard on the eyes.” I winked at her, hearing Max growl in jealousy above me.
“I heard about that. I’m sorry I missed it. I would have liked to have seen him again.”
“I bet you would have,” Cassie teased, her voice drenched with innuendo. To her credit, Lola didn’t deny it, but still turned her face to hide the blush that now resided there.
Deep, satisfied contentment resonated throughout my whole body as we stayed up late into the night telling stories. This was exactly the stress relief I’d needed, and I was so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people.
The next few days flew by in a blur. We all tried our hands at surfing, surprised when the only one who picked it up right away was Cassie. I swear she was a mermaid in a previous life. I couldn’t even stand on the board, and was very thankful that bumps, bruises, and the like healed quickly. It was a lot harder than any of us anticipated. All the girls protested more beach games after that, insisting on worshipping the sun for long, uninterrupted hours. We napped and ate and played Monopoly until two in the morning later that night.
When we called our go
odnights, I hugged each one of my friends fiercely and thanked them for such a wonderful vacation. As Max and I wandered through the stone path hand in hand back to our room, a thought struck me.
“You know that warning they give you when you’re getting ready to take off in an airplane?”
Max looked at me with a crooked smile. “’Fraid not, sweetie. Air travel wasn’t around when I was alive.”
“Well, before every flight, they give passengers a warning. They tell you in the event of an emergency, don’t help the people around you until your own oxygen mask is in place.”
“That makes sense,” Max nodded, walking up the steps to our cabin. “You’re no good to anyone if you aren’t in control. And that seems like a pretty out of control situation.”
“Yeah, and if you pass out from lack of oxygen, then no one survives.” We stood silently for a few moments on the porch. Max simply leaned against the railing, giving me time to think. “For the past few months, I’ve been trying to do exactly that. I’m running around, holding my breath like nothing is wrong. I never put on my own oxygen mask.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I never mourned my own death, I never let go of the guilt from losing Jessica, and I never accepted that so many of the events that transpired are simply out of my control. This trip reminded me to put my own oxygen mask on first, so I can be stronger.”
“And the stronger you are, the better you’ll be when we face trouble, or anything else that comes our way.”
I pulled Max to lie on the hammock next to me. “You’d better believe it.”
Chapter Eight
We didn’t even make it to the Commons before James caught up with us, sort of. A ping flashed in my eyes, letting me know I had an urgent message. As I glanced at the rest of the group and heard their collective groans, I knew we’d all gotten the same one. We were needed in the debriefing room- STAT.
“This had better be good,” Lola sulked, wringing drops of salty water from her still-damp hair from getting in one last swim before heading back. “I had a long hot bath calling my name.”
“You and me both, sister. Cass, do you think this is about—” I couldn’t finish my statement. For months, every time an urgent message came across, my hopes would inflate to this finally being the time I get Jessica back. And after my resolution on the beach last night, I wouldn’t keep doing that to myself. As much as it pained me, I needed to learn to let go of my control-freak nature.
“Let’s hold off on the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’ for now. It could be as simple as him wanting to see us and live vicariously through us for a bit as we tell him how much fun we had. I really wish he’d come with us, that man needs to let loose more often.” Cassie shook her head in pity.
“I tried to convince him, but he said he had a meeting with the Council. Oh! I bet that’s what this is about. I bet something happened at that meeting.”
We trotted down to the south end of the campus, passing the courtyard full of waiting souls happily playing chess and baccarat. I came upon a rear hidden entrance, which to everyone else looked like a boring storage locker next to a dilapidated men’s room. The window to the room showed it was filled with files and paperwork strewn about, but as members of the Gideon team, we could see past the illusion. We filed in, and each presented our bracelet to the first locked door to gain approval. As we entered, we greeted James and took our usual seats. Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen, not that I was complaining. She was probably out obtaining more creepy footwear to freak me out. Maybe she’d bedazzle the next pair. I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle the giggle at the ridiculous picture in my head. A few minutes later, and after sharing my hysterical mental images with Cassie and Lola via the Instagram in my head, James began the meeting.
“I hope you all had a wonderfully relaxing weekend, but much has happened since you’ve been gone. I met with the heads of several divisions across the US, and we have pooled our resources to gain more intelligence on the recent influx of attempted soul snatchings across the country. We believe that our team—you all—have intimidated the vampires and werewolves so much that they are becoming scared. Five other teams like ours have popped up across the States, and all together we have retrieved over double the amount of previously stolen or runaway souls than in the last two years combined. That’s something worth celebrating, folks! Give yourselves a round of applause.”
We all began clapping, proud our hard work had paid off. Adam let out a long, loud whistle and even Max started whooping like Arsenio Hall! James chuckled, but we all simmered down so he could continue. “The leaders of the packs and covens know this, are feeling the losses, and it’s making them sloppy. About four hours ago—ah, there she is now.”
Elizabeth came rushing into the room, huffing with a report of some kind in her hand and began whispering in James’ ear. Whatever was going on, it was big.
“Yes, excellent. Thank you. Why don’t you take over and explain?” He took an empty seat and handed the floor to Elizabeth.
“As James was saying, about four hours ago a recovery team like ours from Louisiana was on a mission where they captured several higher-ups in the vampire hierarchy. These were souls that had been missing for decades, and ones that to the core were rotten. The Omega is practically salivating to get them back. They begged for mercy and agreed to hand over valuable information if the Council agreed to a new trial, one based solely on their living time and omitting anything they did as vampires. The deal was made, much to my chagrin, and they cooperated with the Louisiana team fully.
“I got the report that spelled out their intelligence, and it has been authenticated. The head of the vampire coven has been making their headquarters in New Orleans of all places, and they are still there. If we leave soon, we’ll have the element of surprise when we face them. The Louisiana team will back us up since we have more experience, and by the end of tonight we should have some of the most notorious souls back in our possession.”
Elizabeth stopped to look at her bracelet and typed into it quickly. “Coordinates, departure time, Alpha and Bravo teams have all been sent to you. Get ready quickly; you’re going to need to be on top of your game for this mission.”
And with that, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room. No one spoke or moved for several seconds, all stunned by the news we’d been delivered. This was the big one, the moment most of us had been waiting for since joining this team, and it seemed a little surreal that it was actually upon us.
“Well, what are we all still doing here?” Cassie spoke, jostling us out of our stupor. “Let’s go steal some souls back!”
Everyone popped out of their chairs to prepare. Lola was the first out the door, running back toward her room to get in a quick shower before we left. Even Zander and Adam high-tailed it to the weapons room to load up. But I couldn’t move. My feet were cemented to the floor. My chest felt like it had bricks thrown on it, and my mouth was suddenly dryer than the Sahara. I could hear the voices fading as they all left, but couldn’t focus on anything in particular. Everything became out of focus and blurred as panic and fear raced through my body. Before I could dwell on it, a hand was gently squeezing my shoulder.
“Don’t let it control you. You’re stronger than you realize. Stronger than most people can imagine. Stay focused and never forget the goal.”
I blinked a few times, sure I was hallucinating. Elizabeth gave my shoulder one last squeeze and turned to leave. I stood, no longer feeling weak or shaky, and took a deep breath. My confidence returned with my voice.
“Thank you.”
“You know, Donovan, you can kick ass and take names better than most, but your emotions—not to mention hormones—tend to screw things up for you more often than not. Take it from someone who knows: when everything is pulling you in a hundred directions and everyone wants a piece of you, the only person you can depend on in the end is yourself. So suck it up, quit sniveling like a girl, and grow a pair.”
Chapter Nine
“Knives?”
“Check.”
“Silver tipped boots?”
“On, and very adorable.”
“Then are we ready to rock this?”
“I’m gonna rock this like a geologist!” Cassie giggled at her lame joke, and our eye rolling only spurred her on. “Oh come on, that was funny!”
“That was seriously cheesy.” I shook my head, but her giggles only increased until she was laughing so hard she was snorting. “Lola, back me up.”
“Girls, I think you’re both cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.” Lola teased, blowing a giant bubble and popping it next to Cassie’s head.
I shook my head, slid my favorite dagger into the back of my pants and zipped up my boots. I smoothed my hair into a tight bun and gave a final glance in the mirror. “If you two comedians are ready, I think the boys are waiting for us.”
“All right, let’s go. Besides, you’re no fun tonight.”
“I know, Cass. I’m just nervous about this mission. We’ve never gone to another jurisdiction headquarters, and if what James said is true and this is a huge lead, then—” I couldn’t finish my thought. A huge lump formed in my throat and prevented any other words from escaping.
“You have nothing to be worried about. Especially not with that wicked cool power you received. I mean seriously, how freakin’ awesome is it that you got a second silver skin that makes you look like a liquid mercury Catwoman?”
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