by SM Olivier
He sighed. “She will be. She’s been dating some guy the last few months, but she had hoped I would come back around.”
I couldn’t silence the voice that tried to tell me I couldn’t compete with a girl like Molly. She could give Jace all the attention he deserved. If he was still with her, he wouldn’t have to compete for my attention. I couldn’t forget the fact that they even looked like they were the perfect couple.
He noticed my quietness and gave me a long lingering kiss. “You’re my connection. You’re the one I want.”
I believed the sincerity and conviction in his voice.
I blinked around in confusion. I stood in the door way of an office of a large room with book shelves lining the wall. An expensive mahogany desk sat in the middle of the room dominating it. There were files and papers strewn across it. The carpet beneath my feet was a rich burgundy. Where was I? I felt my anxiety rise and tried to run. I couldn’t move.
I felt a large hand take mine, a warm hard chest, pressed against my back. “Blake? Where are we?” Jaxson asked in a hushed tone.
I looked up at him startled. It looked like he had just woken up. His dark hair was tousled. His steel grey eyes were heavy with sleep. I couldn’t help but notice that he wasn’t wearing a shirt with his flannel pajama bottoms. “I don’t know. How did we get here? I just fell asleep, next to Jace.”
Jaxson gave me a dimpled smile at my ogling before he frowned. “We’re in your dream.”
“How?” I asked him in shock. “We’ve nev—"
“I brought you,” Alex explained as he strolled into the room from another door. “Cade asked me too.” He pointed behind him.
In strolled a handsome teen of mixed heritage. I gasped as I recognized the boy from Ella’s drawings. Jaxson squeezed my hand, and I knew he recognized him as well. He wasn’t as tall as Micah, but definitely taller than me (which wasn’t hard, let’s be real). His hair was as dark as mine but had a shininess that Hispanics or Asians stereotypically had. It had a slight wave to it as one side continued falling into his eye. His eyes were dark, but there was something familiar about the shape of them and his nose.
“Who’s Cade?” I asked Alex slowly, wanting to snatch him closer to me.
Cade looked over his shoulder with paranoia. “I’m your brother,” he said hurriedly in hushed tones. “I don’t have much time, but I had to reach you before it’s too late. Right now, I’m in Horatio’s office, he’s really angry at you guys. He is going to set some traps the next few days. He’s convinced some of your operatives of the locations of some women in danger, but he’s already moved them.” He hurried to the desk and pointed to the papers strewn across it. “Remember these addresses. These are the right ones. He had forty-two more unwilling females in his facilities. They need you.”
“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” I asked him suspiciously as Jaxson held onto me tightly.
Alex crossed the room and grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “He is. I know he is. Please help him.”
Something in his eyes convinced me that he was telling me the truth. I had so many questions. Alex told me he talked to our brother when we first met, but never told me about any further conversations. I guess I should have pressed him more.
I walked over to the desk and tried to commit everything to memory. “How am I supposed to remember all this?” I asked baffled.
I quickly perused the correspondences, emails, and papers on the desk. There was a possibility that this was all a set up, but instinctively I knew it wasn’t. I was actually standing in one of Horatio’s office. I tried not to get distracted by the other papers.
There was a sound down the hall. Cade paled. “Someone’s coming. Remember what you can,” he whispered. He visibly relaxed. “They went the other way, but you still need to hurry.”
If we were in my dream, with the help of Alex, who could possibly hear us, why was he whispering? We weren’t physically here. We only existed in Alex’s head. My head was spinning. None of this made sense.
“Why are you here?” Jaxson asked as I tried my best to remember all the details. Gavin and I had a way of memorizing things. We liked to think of a story that would make sense to us. I began making up my stories.
“Horatio killed my parents.” At my sharp look, he said quickly. “My adoptive parents.” A sad look crossed his face. “I didn’t even know.” He almost seemed to be talking to himself. “A few years ago, I noticed I was different, but I didn’t tell anyone. Who would believe me? About a month ago, we were headed home from my football game. One minute I was looking out the window, looking up at the stars, and the next, the car was spinning out of control.” He swallowed loudly, his eyes were bright with unshed tears. “We hit a tree. I remember the limp body of my sister next to me and the sightless eyes of my parents. I blacked out. Then I woke up here. Horatio was waiting for me. He’s had me trapped here. The drugs he has me on is starting to lose its effectiveness, but he doesn’t realize that yet, so I figured I would help you. I listen when he thinks I can’t hear him or can’t understand him. He’s an evil man, and he needs to be stopped.” There was a look of determination in his eyes.
“We can come and get you,” Jaxson said with conviction. “Where are you?”
Cade shook his head resolutely. “These people need you more than I do right now. I don’t even know where I am. I should soon, though. Micah needs to figure out how to teleport further distances just in case. I’ll let Alex know when I’m ready.”
Jaxson looked like he wanted to argue with him further, but he could see the determination in Cade’s eyes, and came over to me. He was looking over my shoulder and I could see his mouth silently moving. I smiled as I went back to memorizing the addresses.
“I need to go,” Cade said turning to leave, but then he stopped. “I’m so glad to finally meet you, Blake.” He smiled sadly before running out the door.
Just as quickly as I arrived, I was yanked back.
I sat up with a gasp. Jace was in a deep sleep and he went to reach for me, but I quickly and quietly tried to slip away from his grasp. I needed to find a pen and paper. I needed to see Alex and Jaxson. That felt too real to be a dream.
As I slipped out of Jace’s room, Jaxson was exiting his room. He came over to me and drew me into an embrace. “Did that just happen?”
I nodded numbly. “I guess it did. I need to get a pen and paper. We need to write the addresses down and tell your dad in the morning.”
Alex came walking down the hall. “Did you remember it all?”
I gave him a narrowed look. “I think so. Why didn’t you tell me you have been talking to Cade?”
Alex shrugged. “You’ve been busy, and when I talked to him before he was happy. He didn’t want to leave his mom and dad,” he frowned. “Horatio isn’t a nice man.”
Jaxson pulled me into his room and pulled his book bag out of the closet. He handed me a notebook and brought one out for himself. “No, buddy he isn’t,” Jaxson lifted him up and put him in the middle of the bed. “How did I get there, buddy?”
Alex shrugged his eyebrows knit in confusion. “I don’t know. I wasn’t trying to get you. I just brought Blake.”
I paused in my writing. “I think I brought you there…accidently. I panicked, and you have always been there for me,” I said softly.
He reached out and caressed my cheek, giving me a lopsided smile. “I’m glad you feel like you can still turn to me, but that was super weird.”
I giggled. “Who are you telling? I fell asleep, and next thing I know, I have to memorize addresses. Then I finally get to meet my other brother.” I frowned. “I really wish we can get him now. I wished I hadn’t been so caught up in everything else and tried to look for him harder.”
“He’ll be fine,” Alex said confidently. “Plus, like I said, he didn’t want to meet us the first time I found him.”
“Did you stop looking for him?” I asked with a raised brow. “How did you know he was looking for us?�
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Alex ducked his head. “I kept going back to him, but his mind was…weird. It felt all fuzzy and foggy. I knew Ella was worried about him, but I didn’t want to say anything until I knew if he was okay.”
“Why do you think Ella keeps drawing pictures of him?” I asked Jaxson as I continued to write down the addresses. “She’s a precog, but none of her drawings tell us anything.”
“Well, she’s still learning how to work with her gift. Maybe she knew he’ll be in our lives soon…” Jaxson hypothesized.
“Hmm,” I said thoughtfully.
We finished writing in silence and then sat next to each other, comparing our addresses.
“These two are a little bit different,” I pointed to the two addresses.
“We can always give these to Dad and he can verify them thoroughly. Come up with a game plan,” Jaxson yawned.
I nodded thoughtfully. “If we strike them all at once, he wouldn’t know what hit him. He won’t have time to move them again.”
Jaxson drew me in his arms and buried his head in my neck. “I agree, but now sleep,” he looked down at his watch and groaned. “It’s 4 o’clock in the morning. We should try to get some more sleep. Sleepover in my room,” he wagged his eyebrows suggestively.
I giggled and rubbed my hands across his bare chest. I could feel the warmth radiating off his skin. “Raincheck,” I promised him as I looked over at Alex, who had already passed out in the middle of the bed. “Besides, you already have a guest,” I said tongue in cheek.
“Fine,” he grumbled good naturedly. “But, I want some Jaxson and Blake time.”
I reached up and kissed him on his mouth. I could tell I surprised him as his eyes widened. “Promise,” I said softly before leaving his room.
I felt bad that he felt like he wasn’t getting enough attention. Maybe I took our relationship for granted. Technically, he knew me the most. He had been my confidant and beacon of hope in my darkest hours. He had helped me feel like someone, cared for me, and made me feel like I wasn’t invisible.
I knew it was going to be a constant struggle to give them all the attention they deserved. I was only one girl; I was outnumbered by testosterone-driven gifted men. I needed to find our balance. I wanted them to each know how much they had come to mean to me.
Chapter 23
I woke up to soft kisses on the back of my neck, and I purred at all the sensations. My neck had always been a highly sensitive area. I scooted back into Jace’s obvious reaction. His warm hands found their way under my shirt and he reverently ran them along my body, cupping the weight of my breasts in his hands.
I gasped when his thumbs found my nipples and started to barely touch them with the tips of his finger. We hadn’t been intimate the night before, but I wanted nothing more to be with him right now.
He growled in my ear. “We need to work on your barriers. You turn me on, but feeling how much you want me turns me on more.”
Soon I was flipped onto my back, and I watched Jace lean back on his haunches. His intense blue eyes were devouring me with desire. He was so sexy with his tousled hair, bedroom eyes, and his five o’clock shadow dusting his strong jaw line and high cheek bones. He resembled a caged panther. Dark. Sleek. Muscled. Wild.
Before I could reach for him he was pulling my panties down my leg. “Jace,” I breathed.
“Shh,” he demanded. “I want to taste you,” he husked before he began to kiss the skin of my inner thighs.
His stubble was leaving a burn, but I didn’t care. He was never selfish when it came to this. It was as if he got as much pleasure giving it than I did receiving it. Finally, his mouth found my core and I nearly bucked off the bed in pleasure. He made a deep sound of satisfaction in his throat. It didn’t take me much to get ready for him—for any of them.
“Sweet as honey,” he said in contentment as he continued to lick and suck on me. He was a pro. If this was an Olympic sport, he would win Gold, every time.
He chuckled against me and the vibrations felt good. “Gold, eh?” he sat back as he raised an eyebrow at me.
I groaned in mortification as I found a pillow to bury my head under it. Did I really say that out loud?!
My chagrin was soon forgotten when he added his fingers into the mix. I knew I wasn’t going to last that long. I was glad for the pillow covering my mouth as I screamed into it.
I felt Jace shift so his head was on my stomach. He lazily traced his fingers across my skin. I was just trying to come down from my orgasm. My arms and legs felt like jelly.
There was a pounding on the door, and I sat up slightly irritated at the interruption. I straddled Jace’s lap. “Let’s pretend they’re not there,” I whispered in his ear.
He groaned as someone insistently pounded again. “It’s 6:30 in the morning,” he cursed.
“Wake up Blake,” Jaxson called through the door. “I know you’re in there,” he called out in smug satisfaction.
“I am going to beat him,” I muttered.
“Not if I beat him first,” Jace ground out before he stood up.
I could see he was still hard and ready. “We can make him wait,” I smiled suggestively.
A lighter, softer knock sounded on the door. “Come on, Blake. Pops is up.” Alex called through the door.
It was my turn to moan in frustration. “You made me forget,” I said in mock irritations. I stood up to find my panties.
“Leave them.” Jace slid up behind me. “I’ll find them later. Besides, I like to think of you naked under that shirt.”
“I wish something else was under my shirt, or should I say, in me.” I leaned against him.
He cursed. “You need to stop saying that or I’m locking us in here all day.”
Another knock.
“Jaxson James,” Jace growled loudly. “I swear, if you knock one more time, I’m breaking off your hands.”
“Mine too?” Alex chirped with no fear.
Jace threw on a pair of sweats, before opening the door. “No little man,” Jace was adept at hiding his frustration, but as Alex and Jaxson exchanged conspiratorial looks, he bent down so that he was on eye level with him. “I’ll just let the girls put their makeup on you,” he said with mock seriousness. He knew better than to joke about beating or breaking anything with Alex. Alex knew all too well what it was like to get unnecessary beatings.
Alex eyes widened before he took off down the hall, yelling.
Jaxson gave us a smug smile. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything, but Alex woke me up, and I didn’t think it was fair if I was the only one up, suffering.”
“I’ll take care of you later,” Jace said with annoyed look.
Jaxson laughed before he jabbed Jace with a fist. “I’m not afraid of you anymore, big brother,” he said but took off running the moment Jace went to retaliate.
“Are you sure it’s not a trap? Are you sure he’s your brother?” Will asked in consternation as he looked down at our addresses.
“He’s our brother,” Alex said doggedly as he took a bite of his banana.
I had given him a snack while I began whisking the pancake batter. We were the only ones up, but I knew it wouldn’t be that way for long. I decided to do a banana foster topping and strawberry with whip cream topping (my favorite).
“I don’t think it’s a trap,” I stated as I started slicing up the fruit.
We had just filled Will and Jace in on what happened last night. To say Will was flummoxed would be putting it lightly. He had been gifted for many years. He was immersed in the culture for a very long time. In a short while, we had rocked all his preconceived notions. I had six connections and had gained their gifts, while retaining my own. Micah, Ella, and Alex were showing an ability to handle their gifts far exceeding many children or teens twice as old as them.
Jace slid up behind me and handed me my coffee with a kiss on my cheek. “Did he tell you this, little man?”
“They did resemble each other,” Jaxson stated as he took a s
ip of his own coffee.
I paused, momentarily distracted by Jaxson and Jace standing by each other in their sculpted beauty. Both were sans shirt. They resembled each other in many ways. Jace had harder, more angular features. Jaxson was wider in the chest and shoulders. I really wished we could implement a mandatory shirt rule. Especially this early in the morning. They were proving to be a distraction.
In that moment, Troy came into the room without a shirt on, wearing a pair of his martial arts pants. I was vaguely aware of Will saying something, but I was so preoccupied with the sight of them that I was incapable of processing his words.
“Blake?” Will called my name again.
I blushed and ducked my head. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “Just waiting for the coffee to kick in. What did you say?”
“Coffee?” Troy gave me a knowing grin.
“Do you believe we should trust your brother? Do you think we can trust his intel?” Will repeated as he gave the boys a narrowed gaze.
“Which one?” Troy asked in confusion before he plucked a piece of strawberry off my cutting board.
“Cade,” I explained to him. “Jaxson and I got to meet him last night through Alex. He warned us some of the intel we received may be incorrect, and he gave us the locations of the actual facilities with the rest of the females he has. Yes, I believe him.”
“Wait, what?” Troy raised an eyebrow.
“I found Cade, and he wanted to meet Blake,” Alex explained patiently. “She brought Jaxson somehow,” he shrugged.
“Have you done that before?” Troy asked.
“No,” Alex said.
“These things you do,” Will said affectionately rubbing a hand through Alex’s curls, “They’re beyond me. I feel we should be preparing you more, but I don’t know how.”
“Cade told us that we needed to prepare Micah to travel longer distances. We probably should be setting up classes for the children every day,” Jace frowned. “It’s not like they are getting them in school.”