A Flare Of Power

by Elodie Colt

  We crashed into the ground forcefully, the concrete ripping open beneath Dylan. He exhaled sharply when the air left his lungs on impact.

  “Dylan!” I shouted anxiously and lifted my head from his neck to look at him. He looked at me in awe, and his face told me he wasn’t in any pain.

  “Whoa, that was… hard,” was the only answer as he tried to shift his body from lying uncomfortably on the hard surface. His face contorted into a frown, and he grumbled from the effort, pushing with his hands on my shoulder and trying to lift my weight, but nothing happened.

  I frowned at him and braced my hands on either side to heave myself up, but my body didn’t follow my command. I tried again, but it felt like doing push-ups while having a dozen lead weights on my back.

  This was the point where I started to panic.

  “I guess your ability is still activated,” Dylan stated the obvious in a strained voice, caused by me lying on top of him with all my weight, bolstered by my power.

  Closing my eyes, I tried to catch the substance as I’d lost the connection when tumbling down. Shit. Most of it had snatched upward to my chest and shoulders, shifting my balance point. Only a little was left in the center.

  “I used too much,” I hissed through strained breaths. “Wait a sec.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  I refocused on the task, but whenever I tried to yank at the chords, they backed away. A few frustrated cries later, Dylan put his hands on my face, causing me to huff in frustration.

  “Hey, you need to relax. It won’t work otherwise.”

  I nodded, not knowing what else to do, and took a few calming breaths. My heartbeat calmed down a bit but not enough.

  “It’s… it’s not working.”

  “Just breathe and take it slowly,” Dylan soothed me again.

  However, his calm, deep, and purring voice shattered my concentration, and my focus shifted to his lips so close to mine instead of the problem at hand.

  It was then that I noticed the position we found ourselves in. Dylan’s body was outlined with sharp stones of concrete jutting out, multiple cracks spanning out a few feet away. We’d sunken into the ground nearly five inches. I would need to persuade Dylan to train outside, should my power ever become stronger, or I risked killing us down here.

  I switched my attention back to Dylan who lay below me, his breathing suddenly harsher than before. We were at eye level with my hands propped up on either side of his neck. My chest was pressing down on Dylan’s, squishing my boobs in the process and putting them further on display through my tank top. I didn’t dare look down, afraid to steer Dylan’s focus there, but it was too late. I caught him eyeing the nice view above him for a second before snapping his eyes upward again, clearly struggling with focusing on my face.

  The air felt hot all of a sudden. Dylan swallowed hard, and his lustful gaze moved from my eyes to my lips. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I felt his fingers dig into my skin where my top had ridden up over my waist. My breathing became immediately faster.

  But what happened then turned the situation from hot and steamy to slightly awkward. Something hard built under the top of my thigh, and it wasn’t concrete. No. It was under his pants.

  My eyes widened as realization hit. I didn’t know until now Dylan found me attractive. At least, not that attractive that he would react after one glimpse at my babies. Well, in our current situation, there was no hiding it, and Dylan knew it, too, with one look at me. Needless to say, that tiny issue wouldn’t make it any easier to regain control.

  I guessed it was uncomfortable for him, so I tried to reduce some pressure there. As my power still centered in my chest, I could move my legs freely, so I dug my toes into the ground on either side of his ankles, heaving my lower body up. Dylan immediately let out a relieved breath.

  Well, I couldn’t stay that way, or I would get cramps in my buttocks, so I did the only thing I could think of, which was scooting forward with my knees. As a result, I was making matters worse as I suddenly found myself straddling Dylan’s hips, sitting directly on top of his package. Dylan growled in disagreement.

  “That was not a clever move.” His voice became so deep, he barely got the words out. As if in response, his fingers dug even deeper, and I didn’t know if it was to anchor him to me or to push me away. Well, it wouldn’t help either way, because I was already anchored to him—literally.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered in embarrassment, a blush heating my cheeks.

  “I don’t know if I am or not…”

  My head jerked up. Had I imagined his words? His eyes were closed, so I couldn’t be sure. I gave my stupid mind a mental slap. Now was not the time for this. Dylan could be hurt.

  Trying hard to block out any images of Dylan’s hands on my body, I closed my eyes and honed in on the substance that had taken residence in the wrong place, then started to tug at the individual chords. After a third of them were back in place, I felt the weight lift slowly. Dylan should have been able to lift me up now, yet he didn’t, probably afraid my power would switch on a second time, and we would have to start all over again.

  The last chords were more difficult to mobilize. They were the base, cemented deep inside me, and seemed to be adamant to stay where they were. The effort made me arch my back in a desperate attempt to get off Dylan’s chest. Finally, a snap, and it was done.

  I huffed out in relief and let myself fall forward in exhaustion. I didn’t care that I fell back down on Dylan again. I just needed a few seconds to catch my breath.

  Dylan let me, and we both pretended nothing was growing inside of his pants caused by my movements.

  “See, you did it. I knew it,” Dylan whispered into my ear. As soon as his hot breath came into contact with the sensitive skin there, an enormous shiver went down my spine. His pants immediately reacted again, and I swear I heard a rumble in his chest.

  Lifting my head slightly, my heart started to hammer like crazy in my chest as his lips approached mine. I wanted him so badly to kiss me, the desire was nearly painful.

  “Haylie...” he hummed, and his voice told me he fought against the pull as hard as I did.

  But just as only a fraction of an inch separated us, a loud clank echoed off the tunnels, followed by Josh calling out to someone else, “… leak in the gas pipe. It was only a matter of time, if you asked me.”

  And gone was our heated moment in a puff of smoke. Dylan groaned, letting his hands slip from my body and drop down at his sides.

  I heaved myself up, not daring to risk another glance at Dylan’s appion eyes. He followed suit, peeling his body out of the ditch I’d caused.

  “Are you hurt?” I wanted to help him up, but he was back on his feet in an instant.

  “Maybe a sore neck,” he joked, rubbing said body part.

  I laughed, glad to feel the tension evaporating. “I’m serious. Did I hurt you?”

  He finally looked at me with an amused glint in his eyes. “No. It takes more than a girl with the power to manipulate nature’s greatest power to defeat me.”

  My mouth turned into a smile. Dylan was indestructible, and it made him so damn sexy.

  “I’m sorry about the mess,” I apologized, pointing to the debris on the floor where a Dylan-shaped dent was visible next to my handprints.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll fix it before our next training session.”

  I nodded. I had a free day tomorrow, which I would spend with Lauren, and training with Lisa the following day. That was good. A little distance from my hot trainer would be advisable.

  “Take the day off and get some sleep. You need it,” Dylan said, trying to adjust his training pants inconspicuously. I fought a grin but couldn’t help biting my lip.

  “Yeah, I should do that. Thanks for everything.”

  “Anytime,” he answered in a soft voice, and in the few seconds we stared at each other, we both realized we had reached a point of no return. What exactly it meant was still unclear, b
ut that was when Lauren’s words from what felt like ages ago flooded back into my mind.

  “He’s out there, I promise you. He’s just waiting for you to look at him.”

  Was Dylan that man? Despite everything standing between us? No, he couldn’t be. He used sex to strengthen his powers on a regular basis, Sarah had told me as much. There was no way I would become his next play toy.

  With another nod to indicate my gratitude and a heavy heart, I left the room to walk back to civilization.

  Haylie’s strength was beyond my imagination. If she could wield that amount of power only after a few weeks of training, what would she be able to do after her Awakening? I was one of the strongest, but I knew there would come a point where I wouldn’t be a match for her anymore. Hell, no Fighter on earth would be able to stand against her.

  When she’d tackled me to the ground, I’d been completely helpless. Even lifting my arms more than an inch had been impossible. Not that I’d wanted to move away at that moment because having her on top of me had been pure bliss.

  Fuck, that gorgeous body cradling my hips had nearly made me come undone. My craving for her and the high amount of testosterone from the Fighter in me had cost me everything not to crush my lips against hers and rip the clothes from her skin. Her delicious scent mixed with a hint of sweat had clouded my senses, and each movement from her hips had tortured my dick to the point of pain.

  And those perfect breasts so close to my face… If my hands hadn’t been cemented to her back from her power, I doubted I would have been able to keep them from wandering to that forbidden place on her body. Flashing images of grabbing one of those plump breasts, pushing it up within reach of my mouth to kiss the upper swell, were all I could think of.

  Of course, she hadn’t been oblivious to the way I’d reacted to her, and it had affected her just the same. My breath had sent shivers down her back, and I’d wanted to exhale over her skin again and again, just for a second chance of feeling her trembling under my hands. The shimmer of hazel in her eyes had become shinier than usual.

  I’d once heard a Natural’s eyes became vivid and alive when glazed over with sexual desire. I’d love nothing more than to witness it myself—with her—while I was the one causing her eyes to reflect her desire back to me.

  It had been like dry sex—a foreplay hotter than I’d ever had the chance to experience. That moment when she’d arched her body to regain control, she’d done it so gracefully, the top of her butt stuck up high over her shoulder, teasing my arousal. She hadn’t done it on purpose, but again I’d been grateful for her power not allowing my hands to move, or I would have grabbed those cheeks, pushing her down again, and this time, I wouldn’t have gone gently like the night before when I carried her home.

  Snipping the cigarette stump away, I watched it flying in a high arc over the headstones. My mind was so occupied with thoughts of Haylie with her mesmerizing eyes, I hadn’t even noticed it had started to rain. Our little incident happened days ago, and I still couldn’t rid my mind of it. It was even plaguing my dreams, waking me with a jolt and a boner that nearly tore my boxers in pieces…

  Standing in front of Ricky’s grave, I realized this was the first time I stood here feeling at peace. My anger toward Haylie had long ago evaporated, knowing she was not to blame. If anything, she was the reason I felt different, more balanced since she’d come into my life—as much as I wanted to deny it in the beginning.

  Haylie Bryceland was like a good, hard, and bloody fight satisfying the needs nature had gifted me. She was a match for me in every way that counted—a challenge pushing me to my limits, physically and mentally. She invigorated me. That was what had been missing all my life. I had a goal to achieve again. I just didn’t know in which direction I was aiming at right now.

  I hung my head, deeply lost in thought. To be honest, I was afraid. Afraid I’d fail to protect her. Afraid Haylie awaited the same horrible fate as Jenna and Shawna. Afraid Ricky had given his life for nothing. The Hunters wouldn’t stop until they got what they wanted. They would come for her, and when they did…

  My blood started to boil even thinking about it. I wouldn’t allow it. I wouldn’t survive losing her. It would crush me to pieces. Ricky had died to ensure her survival, and I would do the same if necessary. Chris was right, I understood it now. There was no way I could fool myself any longer. It wouldn’t get me anywhere.

  I was falling for her.

  I probably had fallen for her a long time ago. Still, it didn’t change the fact that I couldn’t act on my feelings. On the one hand, because they were foreign to me. They played with my head, changing my priorities, taking the one thing I was so desperately clinging to—control. On the other hand, because I feared she wouldn’t feel the same way. Haylie being attracted to me didn’t mean her feelings went any deeper.

  Hell, why would she feel that way at all? After everything I’d done in the beginning, showing her nothing but resentment? We were just starting to get along. If I ruined this, all progress we’d made would have been for nothing, and it had been a damn hard and stony path to get to where we were now.

  Fuck, I’d been so close to kissing her... So close to crushing my lips on hers and feeling the Connection with her again, if it hadn’t been for Josh bursting the moment in a heartbeat. Yet, I was glad it had turned out the way it did. Kissing her could have backfired. Whatever decisions I made regarding Haylie, I could not act on impulsiveness.

  Dragging a hand through my hair, I shook my head in disbelief. Never in my life had it cost me so much to stay in control. Never in my life had I needed to control this need. My women were always available and willing. I’d never cared about hurting their feelings, never thought about the many hearts I’d crushed.

  With Haylie, it was different. I couldn’t bear to hurt her. She deserved better. She deserved a man who stood by her side, a man who could give her a future, who gave her utter commitment. I doubted I could embrace that role. I would be in uncharted waters.

  With another sigh, I put the empty cigarette package into my pocket. Time to face another issue of the female kind—Cassie.

  I refused to believe she was the traitor in our circle. Even if she was known to be a nasty bitch, and to resent Haylie as much as I had in the beginning, I wasn’t ready to accuse her yet. Despite her hateful nature, she’d always been loyal to us.

  The question was, if it was not Cassie, then who was the one betraying us?

  I would vouch for every one of my friends without hesitation. It would have to be one of Jimmy’s closest because who else in the compound knew about Haylie’s friendship with Lauren and that using her was the only thing to make Haylie compliant?

  The first time we’d met Lauren was the night in Hell’s Trial. There had been Chris, Josh, Phil, Sarah, and Cassie, next to myself, Haylie and Lauren. As we could exclude the last three, or Jimmy for that matter, that only left five.

  No wonder everybody blamed Cassie. Who would suspect the others? Chris and Sarah? No way. They were my best friends, and they both had proven their ambition to protect Haylie over and over. Josh and Phil? An even more absurd thought. They’d rather hurt themselves than the enemy in a fight. To work as a double agent inside this highly secured compound, you needed big balls and one hell of a plan.

  That only left Cassie—the one who’d mysteriously gone missing in the exact time frame when Lauren had been taken hostage.

  I rubbed my temples in frustration. Could we have been fooled by her all this time?

  But if she was the one we were looking for, why come back to the compound? Why not go into hiding? She would step right into the grave she’d been digging. Cassie was too smart to make such a stupid move, knowing she was the only one with a motive. In all her years here at the compound, she’d stood by Jimmy’s side. She’d fought so many of the Hunters, killed so many in seeking revenge. What would she gain?

  I needed to find the answers to those questions myself, so I made my way back to the compound wit
h a silent goodbye to Ricky, heading for the control room in hopes of finding Cassie there. I’d barely seen her the last few days, and she hadn’t spoken to me, which was very unlike her. Was she keeping distance on purpose? Not that it bothered me, but I figured we needed to talk this through.

  Just as I crossed the tunnels and entered the main halls, Sarah called out to me from the other side. She jogged toward me, two bloody towels in her hand.

  “One of my students cut himself with a throwing knife,” Sarah explained in annoyance before I could ask.

  “Maybe you should skip the weapons. You could save yourself the energy to heal them all the time.”

  “Believe me, I’m usually busier with healing when there are no weapons involved.” Sarah huffed, brushing some sweaty strands of hair behind her ear. “Anyway, Lisa wants to talk to you. She asked me to tell you if I saw you.”

  “Lisa?” I used to visit her on a regular basis, but to be honest, I hadn’t found the time to see her the last few weeks. “Alright, thanks.”

  I felt guilty. I’d been so wrapped up in my own life, I hadn’t even thought about how Lisa was doing. She rarely left her private wing, her ability to see and feel vibes simultaneously overwhelming her when surrounded by too many people.

  And that was the thing with Roes. They were highly resistant to natural diseases, but not against what fate had in store for them. After all, we were only human.

  Lisa had been studying chemistry when she was younger, but an explosion in the lab had cost her her eyesight. Her mother, who’d luckily been a very skilled Regenerator, had healed the burns and cuts, preventing scars to develop, but she hadn’t been able to give her daughter her sight back. No one had expected her ability would adapt, making her a powerful Watcher, nonetheless.