by Lola StVil
I know all the reasons why I should walk out of his room, but I don’t. Instead I walk over to the window and stand next to him. I was bold enough to walk across the room, but now that I’m only inches from him, I’m scared to touch him.
Aaden’s like a beast that’s been severely injured. I want to get close and see where he’s bleeding. I want to lay my hands on the damage, dress his wounds so that they no longer hurt. I want to turn his gruesome wounds into well-healed scars that he hardly thinks about anymore.
But I don’t touch him because he is very much like a wounded beast. And while wounded creatures may appear weaker, they are in fact far more dangerous. They attack when you get close. They strike out of nowhere and seek to destroy anything within reach. They can no longer tell friends from enemies, so everyone is the enemy.
“In the cave I knew it was you that came for me without ever seeing your face or hearing your voice. I knew because I remembered how it felt to be in your arms. Ever since the night I found out the new evil was my half brother, I have been stuck in the center of this insane super tornado of drama and death. But when you held me, everything stopped. And for the first time in months I felt something that I never thought I’d feel after Sam’s death; I felt safe. Aaden, you did that for me. Let me do that for you.”
Then without thinking, I reach out and kiss him, innocently at first. But then I lightly graze the surface of his soft lips with my tongue; repeatedly. By the third time, he can no longer stand it; he hungrily seeks out my lips.
Being kissed by him is like being in the center of a freak lightning storm: exhilarating, unpredictable, and yes, dangerous. Every moment our lips are touching it’s like a bolt of lightning crashing right by me. Yes, this lightening storm can hurt me, but I don’t want to take shelter. Fuck shelter.
My mind is being invaded by a myriad of emotions. I feel passion, longing, and desire like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. His touch ignites my entire body from my hair to my toes. But my mind isn’t the only thing going crazy.
Things are happening to my body that I can’t fully explain: the tips of my breasts harden and extend, and push against my bra. There’s a throbbing sensation between my legs that grows stronger from his touch. And even though I bite hard on my lower lip to stop it, a moan escapes my lips as I lean my head back and give him access to the base of my neck.
Suddenly, he picks me up and lowers me onto his bed. His movements are possessive and commanding, yet somehow, still gentle. He eagerly sucks on my earlobe and leaves a tantalizing trail of kisses down my neck. Unable to process the massive surge of yearning going through me, I grab hold of the bedsheet and gather the fabric between my fingers.
The more he drinks from my lips, the more he wants. When he finally pulls away from them, my lips are bruised and swollen. But they want more. In fact, every part of my body wants more of him. The ecstasy of having him this close to me is almost more than I can take. I didn’t tell my legs to part; they did it on their own.
I close my eyes and try to prepare for what’s about to happen. I’m scared, excited, nervous, and eager all at once. The only thing I’m not feeling is apprehension; I trust Aaden. I have always wanted him to be my first. I brace myself for the onslaught of pain and pleasure I’ve heard comes with the first time.
Then suddenly, everything stops. Everything. There is no more fondling, kissing, or exploring my body. Nothing.
I open my eyes and find Aaden looking back at me. There is no second-guessing the look on his face: deep, profound horror.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He swears as he hurries off the bed.
I open my mouth, but words fail me. I’m so confused. What just happened? One minute we were…and then…
Seriously, what just happened?
“Aaden, what is it?” I ask, completely blindsided.
“Shit, shit, shit!” he says, scolding himself.
“Did I do something wrong? I mean, was I going too fast or not fast enough? I don’t know. Please tell me, what did I do?”
He places both hands on top of his head and starts pacing up and down the room frantically. Then he starts looking at the front door, as if he expects an army to come through it at any moment.
“I took something for the pain and I shouldn’t have. The pain was a reminder not to go too far. Shit!” He starts ranting to himself.
I get off the bed and head over to him. I take his face in my hands and try to stay calm.
“What pain? Aaden, what are you taking about? Why did you stop?” I ask.
“I never should have started.”
“What did you say?”
“Wait, that’s not what I meant,” he pleads.
I run over to the other side of the room and put my shirt back on. He hurries over to me.
“Pry, I didn’t mean…you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s me. It’s my fault.”
“You won’t tell me what happened to you at the Center, you won’t tell me what happened to you in the White Room, and you won’t even tell me why you stopped kissing me just now. You are all secrets, all the time. Well, I have a secret too, Aaden, here it is: I’m sorry you came into my life. I’m sorry that I ever cared about you. And wish to Omnis you’d go away.”
I run straight to my room and lock the door behind me. Then I slide on to the floor and hug my knees. Tears fill my eyes. That pisses me off.
You better not cry, damn it! This shit is bad enough. You better not cry. Do. Not. Cry.
I am able to blink the tears away before they can fall down my face. I reach for my cell to call Randy, and that’s when I remember my best friend doesn’t want to talk to me. Devastated, I run my hands through my hair and lean back against the door. I tell myself an awful truth that’s long overdue:
Pryor Reese Cane, you are all alone…
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: EVERYONE BREAKS
I have been sitting on the floor of my room for about half an hour with my eyes closed. My dad told me a leader must be able to sit still and process everything that has occurred when they get the chance. It turns out it’s useful for teenaged girls who have just been rejected by the guy they like.
I’m trying to meditate and be a good little leader, but it’s hard because I keep getting flashes of Aaden and me. It’s like watching your favorite movie and being afraid to get to the end. That’s because you’ve seen the movie before and you know things will go horribly wrong. I watch all the way up to the part where he lays me down and then I “rewind” the movie.
Being with Aaden up until that moment felt surreal. I didn’t know my body could have its own mind. I didn’t know it was capable of screaming out for someone like it did for Aaden. Every single cell in me wanted, needed him. And he felt the same way. Or at least I thought he did.
Why did he stop? Did I do something wrong? Could I have kissed better? Should I have showered first? Was he turned off by the size of my breasts? Should I have played “hard to get”? I’ve read a lot of human magazines and supposedly human males like that. Do male angels feel the same?
Don’t do this Pry; don’t start questioning everything, because it won’t get you anywhere. It’ll just confuse you and make you even more upset. Be a grown-up and let it go. So you and Aaden made out, so what? Let it go.
I text Randy repeatedly, but I guess he’s still in a funk because he doesn’t reply. I check my watch and we now have a little more than six hours to save Uncle Rage. I make myself get up off the floor and put my “First Noru” hat on. It’s time to think about more important things than my love life, or the lack of it.
I take a quick shower and change clothes. As I’m about to walk out of my room, I hear someone enter Key’s room next door. Judging by the three voices, it’s Bex, East, and Aaden. I guess they are having some kind of conference that the girls weren’t invited to.
“Silver, what the hell did you do to her?” Bex demands.
“Is that what you brought me in here to ask?” Aaden replies, on edge.
&n
bsp; “You’re damn right I did. Why do you keep fucking with Pry like this?” Bex accuses.
“I don’t owe you or anyone an explanation, so fuck off!” Aaden replies.
“You selfish little prick. All you’ve done since you got here is toy around with her. You even brought your one-night stand in the house to torment her. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?” Bex says, refusing to let the subject drop.
“Whatever you think I’m doing to Pryor can’t be as bad as what you’re doing to Keyohmi. You come at me like I’m messing with the girl you love. And I think this shit is really crazy because the girl you supposedly love is Key. So why are you so interested in what happens with Pryor?” Aaden barks.
“Because I have a problem with you screwing over a friend of mine who is too innocent to realize you’re not worthy of her,” Bex says.
“Then who is, Bex? Tell me, who is worthy of Pryor? Could it be a future Kon? Why are you beating around the bush? Just say you want Pryor. Seriously, grow a set of steel wings and say it,” Aaden counters.
“I’m not going to warn you again, Silver.”
“Or else what, Bex? What do you think you can do to me that hasn’t already been done?”
“Stop playing that fucking victim card for once. So you went to prison for a few months. You went to the Center. What happened there, huh? They denied you access to Coy? Did you have to make your own bed, Silver? Did they prohibit you from screwing everything with wings? Is that why you’re so pissed all the time, the Center didn’t allow you to get some?”
“Bex, shut the fuck up or I will end your life, right here, right now,” Aaden vows.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Bex counters.
“Hey, both of you put the Powerballs away. They go flying and innocent, handsome Quos like myself end up getting hurt. So please, put down the firepower,” East tells them.
“I’m not going to warn you again, Silver. Stay away from her!” Bex demands as he storms out of the room and slams the door behind him.
“Do you believe that arrogant asshole?” Aaden says.
“Bex may be an ass sometimes, but he’s right about one thing: you need to leave Pryor alone,” East says, serious for the first time.
“You agree with him?” Aaden asks.
“Look, man, I saw just some of the things that were in your head when you asked me to Mind wipe you. It was some real sick stuff. You have a right to be pissed and closed off all the time, I get it. But Pry is not the reason that you went to that place. So stop taking whatever happened out on her,” East tells him.
“I’m not trying…I just…I don’t want to hurt her. I really don’t.”
“Then what do you want?” East asks simply.
“What I want doesn’t matter. I’ll never have it. And no, I can’t share the reason why.”
“Okay, I respect that. But at least tell Pryor why you can’t be with her. Seriously, man, she deserves to know. Otherwise she’ll keep trying.”
“No she won’t, not after the stupid thing I did earlier today,” Aaden says, filled with dismay.
“What did you do?” East pushes.
“East, I don’t talk about things that happen with me and other girls.”
“Pryor isn’t just another girl. She’s the First Noru. And more importantly, she’s family, Silver. What did you do?”
“She came into my room…we got…close.”
“She just lost her brother. She has no idea when she’s going to see her parents. And she may have to kill her best friend. Do you really think now is the time to get in her pants? Really?”
“Hey, it wasn’t like that,” Aaden replies, affronted.
“Then what the hell was it like, because Bex and I watched her run to her room like someone just tried to stomp her damn heart out. Pryor is powerful and she has her father’s ‘leadership’ gene. But she’s still a little girl in many ways. She just turned fifteen. She’s not ready for whatever you have planned.”
“I don’t have anything planned. Look, I made a mistake. I got carried away, but I will control the situation from now on,” Aaden promises.
“So for some unknown reason you and her can’t be together. Okay, fine, but you have to tell her the reason,” East pleads.
“I can’t do that.”
“You don’t have a choice. When you don’t tell her why you push her away she will start to think it’s something she did. That’s how girls are, Silver. They are hardest on themselves. The guy is never the jerk, it’s always on them or so they think. And right now Pryor is thinking you really hated getting close to her.”
“I didn’t hate it. I--I wanted that more than anything; anything,” Aaden vows.
“But you can’t have her because of some secret you won’t share?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell her why you can’t be with her so she can move on.”
“Do you have any idea who Pryor really is? If she found out even a tenth of what happened at the Center and where the Center was located…”
“She’d go after them,” East concludes.
“She leaped into a cave of Bitters knowing it would kill her. She did it to save Randy, who she just met a year ago. What do you think she would do to save one of us?”
“She’d do anything,” East agrees.
“Exactly. I have managed to avoid telling my father about the Center because I know how he is when it comes to family. But Pryor is worse. You saw what happened after Sam died. She nearly demolished Manhattan. That ‘little’ girl as you call her, has the power and authority to wage war.”
******
I walk out of my room and make a conscious decision not to ask Aaden about what he just said to East. The fact is, Aaden wants to deal with whatever happened to him on his own. He keeps pushing me away, and frankly it’s time I stayed away.
As far as them referring to me as a little girl, I’ve come to understand that they will always see me as the kid they had to help hold on to so she didn’t fall out of the sky or fly into a tree. I remember being upset about that one day after school. We had a training session and no one wanted to follow my lead because I was the youngest.
I came home miserable. I told my dad that I would never make a good leader because no one listened to me. He sat me on his lap and said, “Pryor, don’t command them by begging them. Command them by showing them why they should follow you.”
The next day, we had yet another training session and instead of trying to lead them, I went ahead on my own first. I flew faster and higher than all of them, even Bex. And when it came time to do a battle simulation, my strategy allowed for the most human lives to be spared. From then on, the team followed my lead. Although I still can’t get them to stop calling me “Carrot.”
I smile slightly when I recall how much my dad taught me. I head out of the room quickly, fearing that I would start to miss him. I enter the hallway and knock on Key’s door. Bex and East open it and look back at me and wonder if they were overheard.
“I need everyone ready in ten minutes. We’re going to school,” I order.
“I really don’t think Silver is up for school today,” East says.
“Well, Silver doesn’t run this team, I do. So get ready,” I reply as I head down the steps.
A few moments later, the team is dressed and ready to go. They stand by the front door awaiting my instructions.
“I know the thought of school is daunting right now, but we don’t want The Face to get on us about attendance. Also, I texted Randy and one of the Healers will put him on a Port, and he will meet us at school. As far as the four elements are concerned, Aaden, I need you to get on your phone and send them a final email.”
“An email saying what?” Aaden asks.
“You tell the Movatu if they don’t make contact within the next hour, I will personally see to it that their island burns to the ground.”
*********
We get to school just in time for The Face to scold us for being late as usua
l. It was all Aaden could do not to throttle her. She herds all of us into her office, including Randy, who is still acting like he’d rather be somewhere else.
“Normally I start by sending all of you to detention because you have missed several classes. However, we have more pressing issues,” The Face informs us.
“More important than my father’s life?” Aaden counters.
“As I understand it, there has been some progress made on that front. Now if they allow you access, I assume you will tell me so that the Paras can rescue Rage,” she says.