Lightning Strikes: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (The Storm Book 1)

by Ripley Proserpina

  Until she moved.

  She lifted herself off me, then lowered herself back on. The friction was incredible, so I moved with her. Each time she lifted, I withdrew and then slammed us back together. I adjusted my hold, hands reaching up from her back to her shoulders to hold her against me. Her breath came faster, and she groaned. Her head went back, exposing the smooth column of her throat. It called to me, so I licked from her shoulder along her neck to her chin. She caught my mouth with hers, tongue thrusting, swirling.

  I was getting closer, so I jerked my head back, sucking in a lungful of air as I tried to keep myself from going before she did.

  “What can I do?” I asked.

  Whit didn’t answer, but she reached behind her for my hand. She moved it between us so my fingers grazed the apex of her thighs. I may not have had much experience, but I could follow directions. I explored her with my fingers, finding the place where we joined and then skimming until I found a spot that had her crying out.

  Oh yes, she liked that. I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face. This was all that I’d wanted for so long, to make this woman feel this way. She threw her head back, making the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard in my life.

  I couldn’t hold back anymore. I spilled inside of her. There was nothing like it. Not ever had any of the times I’d taken myself in my hand compared to being inside her warmth with her beautiful eyes adoring me. I couldn’t keep my head up, so I pressed my face to her shoulder. For the longest time we just breathed.

  This was worth all the pain I’d been through as a Controlled. Every minute that led to this was time well spent.

  I lay with Whitney in the darkness. The door opened and closed, and I lifted my head to see who it was, not surprised to find Carson.

  He approached the bed, his steps halting. I read his question through his body language. Yes, it was okay for him to come in. I nodded, and he climbed in next to her. It was exactly what I’d done with Isaiah the night before. There was private time, but sleeping wasn’t one of those times. In fact, I was glad to have them there to help watch her.

  She was the center of our world. If the Controlled banged through the door, he’d be there to help protect her.

  She rolled over, facing me and Carson pushed against her back. A small smile spread across her sleeping face.

  Carson lifted his head. His voice was a whisper when he spoke. “What do we do now, Brandon? We have John back. What do we do?”

  “I don’t know.” I really didn’t. Roanoke was burning. I guessed we had to go there. We had to see what was left, to bear witness to what had happened.

  Then again, what did we owe Roanoke? What did we owe anyone? We’d paid our dues, died, came back, died again. Now my heart beat in my chest and everyone could go fuck themselves as far as I was concerned. This right here was a slice of heaven, and I was going to do whatever I needed to hold onto it.

  “Do we go to Roanoke, help out where we can, or do we stay here?” Carson whispered.

  I didn’t answer because I knew what the right answer was, and I didn’t want to admit it.

  “I’ve been thinking—” Carson went on. Of course he had. “It’s possible we can find things in Roanoke that may help Dante figure out a way to inoculate people against the Infection.”

  I startled, and Whitney let out a little snore. “What do you mean?” This was the first time I’d considered Dante helping people other than us.

  “It’s the next logical step,” Carson said. “What are we supposed to do? Keep fighting Controlled? Keep fighting her father? This world is shit, Brandon. And everything is on fire. What the hell is the point of anything?”

  “That’s dark,” I replied.

  “Guys,” Whitney said. “What are you talking about?”

  I glared in Carson’s direction, even though it was dark and he wouldn’t be able to see me. “Saving the world,” he said.

  Shit. Whitney shifted away from me, rolling toward him. “What do you mean?”

  “This can’t be it, Whitney,” Carson said. “There has to be more to this life. We’ve seen the end of the world and it’s time to bounce back.”

  An indrawn breath. “I never thought… I should have.”

  “We have no responsibility to anyone except each other,” I said to her. I knew her heart, and I knew if she believed there was a way to end the Infection and save others, she’d do it. Her heart had broken when she’d imagined her brother keeping Controlled from freedom. “No one knows we’re here. We can carve out a life here.”

  “Until the gas runs out,” she replied. “And we have to find food. And my brother finds us again.”

  I groaned, covering my eyes with my arm. She was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. “What if Dante can’t cure it?” I asked Carson. I sat up and turned to him, making sure the blanket covered my lap. I may have been fine being naked in bed with Whitney, but I wasn’t okay flashing my junk at him. “What then? Do we risk our lives to rummage through ash and coals?”

  “They had a hospital, Brandon,” Carson said. “I’m not saying they have the cure sitting in a fireproof cooler, but I’m saying they’ll have the things Dante needs to work on it. I want kids someday, but I’ll be Goddamned if I’m bringing them into a world where they could be: one, eaten by zombies, two, mind controlled, or three, without the internet.”

  My mind stuttered over his last declaration, and despite myself, I laughed. Leaning against me, Whitney began to chuckle. “As the person who has to carry said babies, can I just put it out there that I’m not ready yet? I’ve had sex twice.” She took a breath and went on, “And I also miss the internet.”

  Carson’s discussion about children changed everything. My heart beat now. I was alive. I’d just had unprotected sex with the woman I loved. Whitney might not be ready, but son of a bitch, we may have made a baby.

  And I wasn’t bringing a baby into the world as it was now.

  “Okay,” I replied. “You’ve talked me into it. Let’s save the world.”

  And maybe we should go find condoms. Or a doctor who prescribed birth control.

  Whitney took a long breath. “Kids, huh?”

  Carson looked between us. “What am I missing here?”

  She leaned back down in the bed. “Oh nothing. Just me thinking about my own irresponsibility in the possibly making kids department. I guess I wasn’t thinking you guys could have babies. Oh hell, I wasn’t thinking about it at all.”

  Carson widened his eyes. “Maybe we can’t. Or can’t yet. Or… yeah. I could see how that might be complicated for you, Brandon or Isaiah right now.” He threw his head back and laughed. “I might be Uncle Carson a lot sooner than I expected.”

  I was glad he could find this funny. Someone should.

  “Whatever happens Whit…”

  She patted my arm. “I know Brandon. I love you, too.”

  Finding out if I fathered a child the first time I ever had sex, months after I technically died, would have to wait until tomorrow.

  38

  Whitney

  Isaiah came up next to me, placing his hand on my back while I waited for everyone to gather so we could head back to Roanoke.

  He kissed my temple before he spoke. “Brandon told me about the, ah, protection issue. Whatever happens, you can count on me.”

  I leaned my head on his shoulder. “Let’s not worry until there is something to worry about.”

  “Wouldn’t worry me, actually. I think I’d love it. A gift I didn’t expect to have. Now. Or later. Whatever.”

  These guys were amazing. Nick finally came down the stairs, and we jumped in the cars to head back to Roanoke. This time I traveled with Carson and Dante. The former drove, and I noticed he took the bumps in the roads a lot more cautiously than Nick had when he’d been driving.

  I sat in the backseat, and after a bit I met Carson’s gaze in the rearview mirror. He winked at me.

  I loved when he could be playful. “Hey, Carson, you and Nick
stole these things and now you’re the two to drive them all the time. Is it like finders-keepers or could I get in on the driving sometime?”

  Dante turned to look at me. “I never got my driver’s license. That was a big gap in my life.”

  “You want to drive, Whit?” Carson pulled over, and Nick screeched to a halt in front of us. “Come on. You drive.”

  I loved this. “You know what? I do.” I undid my seatbelt and jumped out of the car. As I climbed back in, I grinned at Dante. “And soon we’re going to teach you how to drive.”

  “Hey,” Nick shouted from his window. “What the fuck?”

  “Hold your horses.” I yelled back. “Are you late for a meeting?”

  “I’m trying to save the world here!” he replied, but he was smiling.

  “Yeah, yeah.” I adjusted the seat. Carson was way taller than me and soon I was knees to the dashboard. Dante snickered, and I glared at him in the rearview mirror. “We can’t all have long legs.”

  “I didn’t say anything.” I liked this humorous side of him. Despite having so much lost, or taken away from him, he still found joy and humor and love. “You’re pretty awesome, you know that?” I told him.

  His eyes widened, and he couldn’t hold my gaze. “I don’t know about that.” He stared out the window.

  I didn’t reply, but put the car into drive. For not having done this in a while, I was damn good at it. I didn’t go as slow as Carson, or as fast as Nick, but I managed not to bottom out on any of the dips. Ahead of us, smoke curled into the sky.

  “Do you think we’re going to find anything that can help us?” I asked Dante.

  “I don’t know,” he answered. “When Dr. Karlton had you, I got a look around your doctor’s office. There were things there we could definitely use. It’ll depend on what’s left.”

  “I don’t understand why it’s burning,” I said. “Did Dex do this? Did my dad? Roanoke was his everything.”

  “I can’t imagine your father burning the seat of his power,” Carson said. “He was king of Roanoke. Traders and governors from other towns came to him. He had supplies and cars. Weapons.”

  A huge crash sounded through the air and a giant ball of fire exploded around us.

  “Forget I said weapons,” Carson said.

  “I spent my entire life in that town,” I mused. “And the only time it felt like home was when I was with Brandon. It’s crazy, but that little house we found is more a home than any place I’ve ever lived.”

  “That’s because we’re together,” Dante said. I felt his hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “We’re a family.”

  I reached over and took his hand to bring to my lips. His skin was warm and his fingers calloused. “I’m so glad I met you.”

  “I’ll never stop being thankful you believed Brandon’s letter,” he whispered.

  I slowed as we came closer to Roanoke. The road between us and the town was blockaded. Dad had built a wall of whatever scraps and garbage he could find between us and the rest of the world. Cars lined the perimeter of Roanoke, pushed into place with a bulldozer which now sat, rusted and out of gas, against a gate. Usually, those gates were manned by armed guards. And those armed guards had no problem shooting people instead of asking their business.

  But no one was there when I came to a stop. We couldn’t get closer in the car, so I pulled it alongside a ruined Toyota and shut it off. Nick parked behind me, leaving enough space for me to back up if I needed to pinball my way out of here when we left.

  “Nice driving!” he said as I got out. He held out his hand for a high-five, and I slapped it. Instead of releasing me, he entwined his fingers with mine.

  I grinned at him. “I’m not sure if you’re being condescending or not?”

  “Maybe a little bit with the high five. But the nice driving was real.”

  “So a little of both.” I hopped down. “What now?”

  “We walk.” Carson nodded toward me. “Come on.”

  John came up next to me. “Whitney, I was thinking.”

  “Hey there.” At first he couldn't stop talking but then he’d fallen quiet. “Yes, what were you thinking?”

  He looked better. His color had come back and the sharp intelligence in his eyes had returned. John had been a natural leader in Zero, or at least the others had said he was always competing for the role with Isaiah. They didn’t seem to be arguing anymore. Was that because of his ordeal or because of this circuit we found ourselves in?

  “What if this is an opportunity?”

  I didn’t follow him. “I think it is, but I’m not sure we’re thinking the same thing. What do you mean?”

  “I’m thinking there are a ton of Controlled in there. And non-Controlled. Living people, like you.”

  I hoped there were still people alive in there. Dex did want to make himself a Controlled city. “Go on.”

  “And Dex has all of those Controlled. Seems to me that’s all it takes to free others from Dex. I mean, maybe that’s the way to beat him. Take his Controlled away from him.”

  He was right. I whirled around. “Dante. What do you think the possibility of having others like me in there are? Other living beings who could take on a group of Controlled?”

  “I think it’s likely there are a few people with the ability to form the circuit. Not enough to take back all the poor souls trapped, but maybe enough to make a dent.”

  That wasn’t the best possible news but it wasn’t the worst. “Then we find them and we do it.”

  “If they choose it.” Nick answered. “You chose this. Everyone else did, too. They have to. We can’t force anyone to take on your role, Whit. They may have families. They may have plans.”

  I nodded. “All true. But right now what they have is my brother burning the city to the ground. I imagine their plans have altered.”

  “Not all circuits are romantically created,” Dante said. “Strong emotions, a massive jolt of electricity… those are the basics needed.”

  “It’s like Whitney said, the Controlled could have families. They’re someone’s mother, son. Familial bonds could do it,” Carson said. His eyes lit up at the thought. “There are bound to be relationships like that here.”

  “If that’s true, why haven’t there been other people yanked away from Dexter,” I asked.

  “We don’t know that there hasn’t,” Dante replied. “But with an Infection like this, there’s always someone to take the place of one he loses. They’re keeping him healed, slowing down the rot.”

  Set in the wall was a metal door, but it latched from the inside. As we got closer, I saw it was partially open. That wasn’t good. “Hold on,” Nick said when I lifted my hand to push it aside. He dropped my hand and moved closer, peering in the crack between the door and wall. When he glanced back at me, half his face was in shadow. “I think it’s safe.”

  The door swung open, the metal groaning against the hinges. Automatically, I looked over my shoulder for the Controlled that the sound would attract. But the groans didn’t come from outside Roanoke. They came from inside.

  The first person I saw was Elaina, Dr. Robinson’s wife, and I wanted to cry. My pediatrician’s wife hadn’t been seen in ages, and I wondered if this was why. Had he kept her with him, hiding her away? Or had she just changed?

  The city was wrecked. Buildings still stood, but most were smoldering. Doors stood ajar and windows were broken. It was like the entire place had imploded.

  “We need to go to the shelters,” Brandon said to me. “I don’t see any living. If they’re here, they’re hiding.”

  I nodded. “There’s an old refrigeration warehouse.” I pointed toward the warehouses in the distance. “That’s where they’ll be.”

  “Isaiah!” Dante called.

  Isaiah’s head was tipped back and he stared at the sky. “I’m ready,” he said.

  “Do you think you can direct electricity toward the warehouse?”

  The sky had been cloudless, but with Dante’s questi
on, lightning streaked across the sky. It illuminated Isaiah’s face. He placed his hands on his knees and took a deep breath. As the gold disappeared, something inside me pulled toward Isaiah, leaving me weak-kneed. “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I answered, embarrassed to find myself out of breath. At once, I was hit with a surge of energy. “What…?”

  “It’s the circuit,” Dante said. “It’s happening more naturally now. One draws from it, the rest fill it.”

  “All your hearts are still beating, right?” I asked. “I don’t want anyone dropping dead because I get a little winded.”

  Dante smiled, but it didn’t escape my attention that no one agreed with me. Hmm. Sneaky boys.

  Elaina came closer. She was in very good shape for a Controlled, which seemed to support my theory that her husband had been caring for her. She moved hesitantly, and every so often stopped, her head swiveling almost like a bird’s.

  “Can we move her somewhere?” I asked. “I know her, and her husband. I have a feeling if we’re able to find him—”

  “We can try,” Nick said. He cracked his knuckles.

  “Be gentle!” I called as he, John and Isaiah moved to surround her.

  “Later, I’ll show you how gentle I can be,” Nick retorted.

  I grinned. I was looking forward to those times with all of them. I winked at Nick. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  He threw back his head, laughing while they half dragged/half pushed the woman with them. I put my hands on my hips and regarded Dante. “Are we crazy? Should we just be running away? As fast as we can and as far as we can?”

  “I love that you want to try.” He touched the side of my face. “You have so much good inside.”

  He hadn’t seen me when I’d killed Mace. I had that inside of me, too. Whatever it was that made me this person who could link them all together, had also made me capable of that level of hate. “Dante…”

  “Whit Whit,” Dex’s shout was high pitched and maniacal in its pitch. I jolted. Where had he come from?