Shadow on the Water

by Katya Moore

  "Chase will get over it. Deep down, he knows that you made the right call. He just hates it." Galen frowned. "If he doesn't get over it, I'll slap the shit out of him personally. I promise." I snorted again. A small smile crept across Galen's face. "And we'll all gladly smack the hell out of Aric. Once he's mended up a bit."

  I leaned my head on Galen's shoulder. "Thank you," I sighed. Considering how muscular it was, his shoulder felt warm and welcome against my cheek. I snuggled into him.

  He slipped his arm around my waist. "Your dinner's getting cold."

  I nuzzled his shoulder. "Let it. I need this right now."

  His free hand returned to stroking my hair. "Alright then."

  I closed my eyes and let myself drift, focusing on the warmth of his body, the gentleness of his hands. I felt the pain of the day fading away, replaced by a warm glow of tenderness. It moved something deep within me. In all my life, I'd been held like this maybe a handful of times. The day Mary and Terese told me they were going to adopt me. The moment I was told the adoption didn't go through. The night Kitty found me by the dumpster, terrified and alone. It was a strange feeling, foreign but a good foreign. His arms felt like heaven. Not in a sexual way, for once. Just, as it was, peaceful and calm and caring.

  I turned my face up to look at him. His eyes were closed, a gentle smile on his face, lost in the moment. I reached up and kissed the side of his jaw. His eyes opened.

  "You're an amazing cuddler." I smiled up at him.

  He grinned. "You're not so bad yourself," he replied. His lips grazed my hair. “What are you thinking about?" he asked, brushing a strand of hair from my eyes.

  I burrowed my face into his chest, embarrassed. "Would you hate me forever if I said Aric?"

  Galen chuckled deep in his chest. The vibrations set me tingling again. "No. I'd honestly be surprised if you weren't."

  "Really? I thought all guys thought that the mighty power of their embrace cured all wounds." I grinned.

  Galen shrugged. "I'd be lying if I didn't hope that it would. But I know you, Sia Bellmont. You love your friends. You need your friends. Losing one is like losing a part of yourself, and I don't want you losing parts. I like your parts." He grinned at that. His fingers traced along my breast teasingly, then dropped as he saw my face grow pensive. "Seriously. Don't stay on my account. You need to make this right, if not for him, then for you. It's going to eat you up if you don't."

  "I'm not a terrible person for abandoning you?" I chewed at my lip.

  He lay back against the pillow and clasped his hands behind his head. "You know where to find me when you're done," he winked.

  I leaned over and locked my lips onto his. "You are the best, you know that?"

  "I do what I can," he beamed.

  I sat up, then furrowed my brow. "How the hell am I going to get past the guards?"

  Galen shrugged. "You're a smart, strong woman. You'll think of something. I have faith."

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  After a cursory recon mission in the hallway, I decided a frontal assault was not my best bet. The two guards, leftovers from our time with the Elder Council earlier, looked pretty dedicated to keeping me as far away from the room as possible. Edie and Marcus, a couple of the housecleaning staff, came out of the room with sealed cardboard boxes. I swallowed hard.

  No. I've got to stop this. Think.

  I walked out the back door and into the yard. Aric's room was dimly lit, but visible. The window was open a crack, letting in the night air. I stared up at it, a lump in my throat. What are you doing up there? What can I do to fix this? How can I get you to talk to me? I pondered a Romeo and Juliet moment, shouting my despairing, desperate feelings up to him. He'd probably laugh at me. No, he'd definitely laugh at me. Grand romantic gestures would not be the way here.

  Then, I saw it. The wisteria-covered trellis.

  This is a dumb idea. This is a bad idea.

  Didn't I just say dumb romantic gestures wouldn't cut it here?

  I sighed hard.

  This is my only hope.

  I was suddenly very glad I'd opted for jeans and a t-shirt over something dressier. I checked the laces on my sneakers. Briefly, I contemplated shifting into my half-form for better climbing traction, but I decided that lambent glowing eyes staring into his window might be counterproductive to my mission. Old-school it was, then. I grabbed onto the trellis with both hands and gave it a hard tug. The grounds crew were a diligent lot. The trellis gave a slight wiggle, but held solidly to the wall.

  With a deep breath, I hoisted myself onto the trellis and began to climb.

  "Careful with that!" I heard Aric snap at someone. "That's Waterford. It's worth more than both your salaries. Do not just chuck it into some newsprint!"

  "Of course, sir. I'm sorry, sir."

  "And stop sniveling at me. I'm not a sir. I'm not anyone." There was movement by the window. I flattened myself against the wall, my pulse racing. Aric shoved the window open a little further and leaned out. His shirt was off, the bandages stark white against his pale skin. The lean muscles in his arms were tense. He gazed out at the moon and sighed. I thought back to Galen's assessment of his dramatic tendencies and stifled a giggle, then felt guilty. This angst was my doing. I didn't have the right to mock it.

  Much.

  I swallowed hard, then put on my best sarcastic smile. "Alas, poor Aric. Is this the part where you start spouting poetry?"

  I thought he was going to fall out the window for a moment. He jumped half a foot. "Jesusfuckingchrist!" He looked at me with a combination of anger, surprise, and terror. "Get your ass in here before you fall off the wall." He ducked his head back into the room. "You two, make yourselves scarce. I'll call you when I need you." I heard the door open, then close as I clambered toward the window. Aric reached for my arm, looked at his bandaged hand, cursed, and settled for holding the window open wider as I pulled myself through the opening.

  "What the everloving fuck were you thinking? Are you trying to die?" he hissed as I disentangled myself from his curtain.

  I smirked at him. "Aww, you really do care."

  He glowered at me. "No I don't. If you die trying to talk to me, I'll probably get tried for treason again. Your broken neck on my hands. Thanks a fucking lot." He slammed the window closed and turned away from me. "Now that you're done with your parkour fun, get out."

  "No." I walked to his desk, pulled out his chair, tossed a Bluetooth headset onto the desk, and sat down. "We need to talk."

  "No we don't." Aric crossed his arms, groaned, and thought better of it. He settled for setting his hands on his hips. "We've got nothing to talk about."

  "Bullshit." I was surprised at my own anger. "We've got a hell of a lot to talk about."

  "Tell it to your buddies on the Elder Council," he spat.

  I growled low, a feral sound that made him pause for a moment. "Goddamn it, Aric, what was I supposed to do? Let them kill you? Because that's what they were planning on doing, you ass."

  He didn't turn around. "Maybe they should have. Maybe they should have put me out of my misery. Then I wouldn't have to deal with you anymore."

  That was a stab in the heart. But my adrenaline was on a roll. I stood up, fists balled, the portrait of impotent fury. "If you're so fucking miserable dealing with me, fine, go. But don't tell me I should have let them torture you. Don't tell me I should have sat by and watched as you paid for a crime you didn't commit. Don't tell me I should have let you die, because there's no way in hell..." A sob tore its way out of my throat. I cursed softly and tried to swallow it back. I closed my eyes, willing myself not to cry. "Aric, you fucking asshole, I care about you. Whatever bug you have up your ass about me, I care about you. You're my friend. And if you hate me, fine, hate me, but I can't hate you. Even though, right now, I really want to. Because..."

  There was a rustle, then the press of stiff bandages against my chest, gauze against my cheeks, lips against my own. I gasped in surprise. The kiss intensi
fied. His hands moved behind my head, crushing my lips to his. My breath caught, and I reached around his waist, pulling his body closer. I could hear him gasp in pain, and I started to pull away. One hand flew from behind my head to catch my hand and hold it right where it was. His lip curled against mine, then he parted my lips with his. His tongue darted in as he devoured my mouth. My heart bounded in my chest, even as tingles shot through my entire body. I sank into the kiss, my body pressed to his. I could feel him stirring, hard against my hip. My mind reeled. Moments ago, I'd been resigned to losing him forever.

  His hands moved to my waist. Without breaking the kiss, he swung me around and started to back me up toward the bed. I grinned wickedly against his lips and shook my head. He growled low, nudging me with his chest. I reached my hands up and pressed down on his shoulders, gently but firmly. I felt his brows furrow in confusion. I nudged him back with my chest. The backs of his knees hit the front of the chair I'd been sitting in. Comprehension dawned. He returned his hands to the back of my head, refusing to break the kiss. I laughed against his lips, then straddled his knees and sat in his lap. He gave a soft moan of approval.

  There was a soft rap at the door. We froze in place for a moment. Aric slipped a fingertip between our lips, then tilted his head to the side. "What?" he barked.

  "The boxes you requested, sir." Sanders.

  Aric looked at the door, then locked eyes with me. The ice in his eyes had melted to a deeper blue, dark with desire. "You can take those boxes and send them straight to hell," he commanded, his lip curled in an intense, seductive grin. A shiver of desire ran down my spine.

  "As you say, sir."

  "Damn right, as I say sir," he murmured, slipping his finger from my lips and replacing it with a searing kiss. I moaned softly, arching into him. I wanted more. More contact. More of his tongue dancing against mine. More of the delicious fire flooding my body. I gripped the back of the chair and slid my knees forward, caressing him with my body, teasing him with the contact. He groaned in appreciation and brought his bandaged hands down to pull my ass closer still.

  I ran my hands over his bare shoulders, feeling the wiry muscles tensing with anticipation, with the effort of drawing me near. His body was so different from Cass' swimmer's build with his muscled shoulders and biceps, from Chase's martial artist's pecs and power, from Galen's athletic prowess. He was lithe and lean, more of a dancer's grace than a warrior’s power. My fingers couldn't get enough of it. I traced the lean muscles of his arms, the smooth shoulders, along the top of his back above the maddening bandages obstructing my lustful exploration. A feral part of me wanted to tear them off, to free him from his prison and trace my tongue over his chest.

  I wasn't the only one feeling impatient. Aric slid his hands beneath the hem of my shirt and jerked upward, pulling my hands away from their journey over his body just long enough to free me from the thin fabric. His eyes took me in appreciatively as he revealed my stomach, my breasts, my throat. My head tipped back as my hair caught in the shirt for a moment, and he took the opportunity to sink his teeth into the side of my neck, biting at the tender skin. I gasped. My back arched. I threw the t-shirt aside and gripped his face between my hands. His smile was unrepentant, mischievous, and completely panty-melting. I attacked his lips with mine, forcing him against the back of the chair with a sharp exhalation of breath.

  "Sorry," I gasped against his lips. He gave a small shake of his head and bit my lower lip, teasing it with his teeth.

  I had neither experienced nor watched a lap dance performance before, but I was determined to give it my best shot. I pulled my lip away from Aric and sat up in his lap, caressing the growing firmness in his jeans with my body. Slowly, I gyrated against him, grazing his face with my bra-clad breasts. I gripped his shoulders for support, digging my nails in not-so-gently. A satisfied smile dawned on his face. He nipped at the edge of my bra cups and flicked his tongue against the soft skin. I rolled my head back in languid delight, taking pleasure in riding the length of him. His hands slid up my back, then stopped. He cursed softly.

  "Mind doing the honors, yer maj?" he panted, raising his hands helplessly. I grinned down at him, reached back, and undid the strap, letting the black scrap of satin fall between us. He sighed appreciatively at the sight of my breasts. I cupped one and raised it to his lips. His eyes widened in surprise at my brazenness, but his mouth took my nipple in eagerly. We both moaned in ecstasy as his tongue flicked across the erect nub. I could feel the wetness threatening to soak through my jeans.

  "Aric," I sighed, my head lolling back in helpless pleasure.

  "Mmm?" he replied, raising an eyebrow and catching my nipple between his teeth. I yelped in surprise. He snickered, then released me. "Can I help you?"

  My head snapped up, my eyes locking onto his with laser intensity. "You could take me. Right now."

  He blinked hard in surprise, then his wicked grin returned. "Or I could let you suffer." His tongue flicked at my nipple. "Leave you hanging for a while."

  I shifted my hips, drawing my mound against the entire length of his shaft. His eyes half-closed.

  "Damn it, you make it hard to be evil," he moaned.

  I slid against him again. It was my turn to grin mischievously at him. My turn to be evil. "Tell me you need me."

  He gazed up at me, desire warring with stubbornness. "You little cocktease..." he sputtered.

  I ground against him. "Tell me."

  His eyes closed. His head lolled back. "Dear freaking... I need you. Damn it, I need you now."

  "Tell me you want me." I kissed the tip of his nose, then brushed my breasts against his face.

  "You're something else. Something downright demonic," he moaned. "I want you. Sia..."

  I slipped a hand under his chin and pressed my lips to his. "Tell me you're mine," I whispered against his lips.

  "You first," he smirked as he broke contact.

  I nipped his nose with my teeth. "I want you. I need you. I'm yours."

  He smirked, satisfied beyond measure. For a moment, I thought he was just going to gloat. Then, his face softened.

  "Yours," he whispered. Then, the smirk returned. "Now take off your pants, for the love of every god."

  I threw my head back and laughed as I stood up to comply. With my sodden panties and jeans cast aside, I knelt in front of him and began to unfasten his pants.

  "The Queen on her knees," he mused, a gleam in his eyes.

  I shot him a look, then gave his pants a tug. He lifted his hips and let me wrestle his jeans off him. For the first time ever, I cursed him for favoring tight pants. When, at last, he was free of boxer briefs and jeans, it was my turn to lean back and take him in. His cock was an admirable length, long and lean like him. My body ached for it.

  "See something you like?" he smirked.

  I bit my lip and grinned. "Eh. It's okay, I guess." His momentary outrage was assuaged as I stood and straddled his knees again. "Shut up and kiss me."

  I sank into his kiss and lowered myself onto his cock, letting a long moan escape me as he filled me up. His breath was ragged, his eyes full of fire. I wanted to let it consume me. He started to move his hips to draw back and enter me again, then growled in pain and frustration.

  "I've got this," I assured him, then began to slowly ride him. He leaned back into the chair, looking all the world like a king on his throne being pleasured by his concubine. I kissed the smirk off his face and increased the pace, feeling the rising tide within myself. He saw the passion in my eyes, the tension in my face, and carefully reached a hand between my legs. His fingertip slid against my clit as I took him in again, sending me writhing and moaning with renewed vigor. He caressed the tender nub and took a mouthful of my breast.

  "Come for me. I want you to come for me," he whispered against my flesh.

  So I did. An animal cry tore itself from my throat as I plunged him deep into me. I could feel my body spasm against him, and he joined me in my ecstasy, gasping and moaning into my
chest.

  "Oh god. Oh Eldest," he panted. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me to him. Our eyes met. His lip curled. "Tell me that was the best you've ever had."

  I nipped at his nose again. "That would be telling," I teased.

  He frowned, then kissed me long and hard. "You know it. I know it. The nerd will know it." He sat back, satisfied.

  I laughed. "Whatever."

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  "I suppose you're all wondering why I've called you here." I looked around the study nervously. It was the first time since the trial that Alpha Squad and my squad occupied the same space. The mansion had never felt so small. Tension hung in the air like a cloud of ravenous mosquitos.

  "I'm wondering what the hell he's still doing here," Dario grunted, angling his chin at Aric.

  I sidled over to Aric and put my arm around him. He grinned like the Cheshire Cat, first at me, then at Dario. "He's here because he belongs here," I answered.

  Dario's jaw dropped slightly. It took him a moment to recover. "You... no."

  Aric smirked. "Hell yes. But that's not what this is about." He sat up a little straighter, then winced. "This is about what really went down while I was captive. Everyone was so damned interested in what I might have said that no one gave a shit about what I might have heard."

  Chase sat up a little straighter. "You mean, they talked in front of you?"

  Aric grinned at him. "Fucking idiots, right? They were so sure that they were going to kill all of us that they kept forgetting I was there." He fidgeted slightly. "Okay, I was unconscious for some of it, and in a hell of a lot of pain, but I still got an earful or two. And the Elders aren't going to like it."

  Dario narrowed his eyes. "What aren't they going to like?"

  Aric leaned in, ignoring the screaming of his ribs. "You've got a traitor in your midst, and it's not me. You might want to get that figured out before we go to the Elders."

  "Bullshit." Dario leaned back in his chair. "You just want payback for your little trial."