Noble Sensations

by Peyton Elizabeth

  “Reese and I talk about our relationships often. Do you know there are ten Noble males born for every Noble female? If humans didn’t exist, the Nobles would probably all live in ménage relationships. So, forget everything you just said. Forget everything that you think you know. Do you love them?”

  “Yes,” Clarissa whispered, afraid of saying it too loud.

  Addison stood up and leaned down to take Emily from her arms. Giddy as a teenager, she grabbed a hold of Clarissa’s elbow and pulled her up off the couch. Dragging her to the door, Addison giggled. “Then go tell them. Don’t waste another minute, and then maybe, you’ll be smiling all the time, too.”

  * * * *

  “Doc, Senator Brock just flew in, and Jagger wants us at the main house,” Kalen said, coming to meet her halfway. Clarissa must have been coming from visiting Addison, because she had some dried milk on her sleeve. The temperature was lower on the mountain than in town, so everyone tended to wear long sleeves during the day and sweatshirts at night. He looked Clarissa over, liking the way her red shirt covered her breasts and the way her jeans clung to her legs. She had her hair in a clip instead of a tie, so the curls were piled on top of her head. He would give anything to see them sliding down her back, but he and Ace had promised each other to give her time and space. They needed to prove that what they felt wasn’t a temporary thing. They were in this for the long haul.

  “I wanted to talk with you and Ace,” Clarissa said, stopping in front of him. A curl blew across her cheek, and he reached out to tuck it behind her ear.

  “Everything okay?” Kalen noticed that Clarissa seemed a little pale and wondered what she wanted to talk about. Was it something about her research? He knew she had a hard time not knowing what Emily’s powers might be when she got older. Clarissa liked to know everything, but Kalen didn’t think she was going to get her way this time. Jagger was pretty adamant that they keep the data under lock and key unless they needed it for emergencies. “Can it wait until afterwards? Senator Brock only has a short time before he has to go back.”

  “I have never met him in person,” Clarissa said, running her hands down her legs. “Maybe I should change into something dressier.”

  “He’s just a man. You look fine,” Kalen assured her, knowing she looked better than fine. She licked her lips, and Kalen thought about stealing a quick kiss, but then Ace was walking up behind him.

  “You sure do, Slick. You look good in red.” Ace walked around him and planted a kiss on her head, which caused her to make a funny face. Kalen smothered a laugh, knowing that going two weeks without sex was just as hard on her as it was on them. But the reasoning was sound, and they needed to follow through. “I heard the plane come in a bit ago, but who’s leaving now? Why waste the fuel when Senator Brock has to return soon anyway?”

  “I ran into Theo a few minutes ago,” Kalen shared. “He said Senator Brock needed him to take a trip to his office, see if any of his employees were not on board with the way he was running his campaign. It seems there were some problems he was running into. He said it was too important to wait.”

  “So he’s sending Theo to pick up on any threatening thoughts?” Ace asked.

  They were now heading into the direction of Jagger’s house, the three of them falling into step with each other, both men on either side of her. A gust of wind broke through the trees, and Kalen wrapped his arm around Clarissa to make sure she was warm enough. He wasn’t getting any vibes from her that she normally didn’t emit. Well, maybe a little impatience, but nothing out of the ordinary. He would bring up whatever she wanted to discuss later.

  “Are you certain that Theo doesn’t listen in on everyone’s thoughts all the time? He was looking at me funny this morning.” Clarissa snuggled against Kalen when another draft broke around one of the cabins. Kalen smiled, knowing the exact moment she was referring to, because the arousal she had been sending out their way was unmistakable. Since Theo was a Watcher, she was thinking that Theo was listening to her naughty thoughts.

  “Reese would kill him.” Ace grinned, taking a hold of Clarissa’s hand. “We try to go by the honor system and not use our abilities on anyone unless we have to.”

  “But Kalen uses his,” Clarissa argued, understandably seeking reassurance that Theo wasn’t peering into her mind. “What if Theo is like Kalen?”

  “Mine is different. I can’t shut mine off like everyone else can.”

  The front door opened, and Jagger was standing there to usher them in. Kalen had been getting subtle vibes from everyone today, and now Jagger was radiating unease. He looked around the kitchen but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary that would cause his agitation.

  “Reese is over at Addison’s helping her pick out some furniture for the new cabins,” Jagger said rather loudly, shutting the door behind them. In a lower voice, he warned, “Listen, something’s not right, so just be cautious. Don’t let anyone know what your abilities are.”

  Jagger straightened and led the way through the kitchen and living room, which were pretty much one big area, down a hallway to where his office was located. The entire time, he spoke of mundane things, such as what type of furniture Reese wanted while Addison liked another style. By the time they reached the office, Clarissa had tried several times to get their attention. Kalen knew she had overheard Jagger and wanted to know exactly what was going on. If he knew, Kalen would tell her. But as it was, they needed to follow through with this meeting.

  “Senator Brock, please meet Ace Connor and Kalen Nash. And you have already spoken with Clarissa by phone,” Jagger introduced, and then walked around his desk. He stood there, not taking his seat. There were two men in dark suits standing by the door when they walked in, presumably the Senator’s security detail. They didn’t stir as they all moved into the room.

  “Miss Worthing. Such a pleasure to meet you,” Senator Brock beamed, coming over to shake her hand. Kalen disliked him on the spot. He was short, no more than five nine, with salt-and-pepper hair and the worst artificial tan Kalen had ever seen. His smile was fake, and his teeth were abnormally white. Kalen was hit with hatred, and it was coming from this man.

  Ace stood in front of Clarissa, stopping Senator Brock from touching her. Kalen wasn’t the only one who wasn’t impressed with the Senator. He knew that Ace stuck out his hand to thwart the Senator from touching Clarissa. Senator Brock never broke his smile but pumped Ace’s hand up and down.

  “Mr. Connor, are you a Noble as well?”

  “I’m nothing special, Senator Brock.” Ace had taken Jagger’s warning at face value. Neither one would reveal what their abilities were, knowing that could be to their only advantage, if needed. Once the pleasantries were over, without having the man anywhere near Clarissa, Jagger started the meeting.

  “So, Senator, I’m not sure exactly what you called this meeting for,” Jagger admitted, gesturing for him to have a seat. “I have men who are protecting your children, and everything seems to be commonplace. We have taken over Clarissa’s case without any charge to you, although we do appreciate you bringing her to our attention.”

  The Senator chose to stroll across to the window instead of taking a seat. All three shared a look at the odd behavior but didn’t comment. Clarissa pressed closer to Kalen’s side, trying to get him to look at her. He knew Jagger had probably surprised her with his statement, but he and Ace didn’t view her as a client anymore. Hell, they had stopped thinking that the minute Ace kissed her in that bar. She was their woman, and it was their duty to protect her.

  “That’s what I wanted to meet with you about,” Senator Brock said. “Miss Worthing said she had something in her possession regarding the DNA of Nobles. Now, you know I’m an advocate of your species.”

  “Our species?” Jagger asked, his tone made of steel. “Nobles are no different than you, Senator, except to have been born with a gift. We have had several conversations about this and attended many of the same meetings. You have always shown your support as w
ell as asked us to provide protection for your family.”

  “You are too sensitive, Jagger.” Senator Brock turned back to face them, his false smile still in place. “Please know I didn’t mean anything by that. I’m just stating the obvious, and that is your…partners…are different from us, which is a benefit. While I condemn any scientific research on Nobles for harmful intent, I don’t see why we should shy away from something that could benefit all of us.”

  Kalen felt Jagger’s anger being thrown out in waves and knew the reference to Reese and Theo was the root of it. While Jagger might be human, he felt he was no different than any Noble, including his wife and his third. Jagger never showed one ounce of emotion, though, and proceeded to firmly state where they stood on the matter.

  “Senator, if I’m not mistaken, you just voted for the recent regulation stating that no research was to be conducted on Noble abilities. Are you changing your mind?”

  “I think that if we already have the data in hand and it could be used for the benefit of Nobles in general, then we should take a look at it.” The Senator turned to look at Clarissa, while Kalen felt Ace stiffen at his attention. “Miss Worthing, you mentioned that your research was on the DNA of Nobles. What, exactly, did you find?”

  Kalen didn’t know if Clarissa was going to speak up, so he tightened his fingers on her shoulder hoping she would get the hint of not giving him any information. This meeting was going downhill fast. He could feel Ace’s adrenaline pumping, getting ready to use his power if they needed it. Jagger had casually laid his fingers on his waist, no doubt to be able to reach his weapon that was always by his side.

  “Miss Worthing was mistaken,” Jagger interjected, before Clarissa might say something to escalate the situation. “She found that the data was of no use and destroyed what she had in her possession.”

  “I find that hard to believe, and I would like to hear what Miss Worthing has to say.”

  Kalen felt something hit his back, and he fell to his knees, pulses of electricity shooting through his body. Heat, numbness, and pain all intertwined, and he gritted his teeth to keep from screaming. His muscles became rigid, and he could hear Clarissa yelling out his name, along with Ace’s, but he couldn’t answer her. Neither could Ace, because he, too, was on the ground writhing from the electrical current shooting through their bodies. The electricity was interfering with his energy, preventing him from immobilizing anyone. Kalen knew then that they were fucked.

  * * * *

  Clarissa almost fell to the ground when Kalen got hit with the Taser. His arm had been around her shoulder when he went down, but she was able to stay standing. Ace and Kalen were now on their knees, their faces contorted in agony. She wanted to help them, but unfortunately, Senator Brock pulled out a gun and now had it aimed at Jagger. If she made a move, would he shoot?

  “It looks like we are at a standstill, Jagger.” Senator Brock’s fabricated smile finally fell from his face. A vicious gleam set in his eyes that scared Clarissa, because that type of cruelty wouldn’t hesitate to kill. She glanced around the room for some type of weapon, anything to help try and get them out of this mess. “Fifty-thousand volts of electricity will make sure they can’t use whatever power they were born with. My men will continue to dole out that voltage over and over again until you give me what I want or I kill them.”

  “I told you, she found nothing.” Clarissa saw that Jagger never took his eyes off of Senator Brock. She also noticed his fingers were twitching by his side and hoped that he wouldn’t try to go for his gun. If he missed, the men behind her would surely kill Ace and Kalen. Jagger needed a distraction. She looked around the room again for anything that would come in handy. “Why would you risk your career for something that doesn’t exist? You know that I will end you over this. I will ruin you.”

  “Idle threats, Jagger. I got on your compound, didn’t I? Something no one has ever done before,” Senator Brock boasted. “Theo is gone, so I don’t need to worry that he can hear my thoughts. No one knows what’s going on in here. I want whatever information she has. It was important enough for someone to go after her to begin with, so I know it has to be important. I also know she worked for the Fray. Remember, I have the same contacts as you.”

  “You were invited to my compound because over the last year you warranted my trust. I’ll be more careful in the future. You’re the one who was trying to kill her all along?” Jagger asked, as if trying to draw his answers out and stall for time. Was he waiting for her to help? “That wasn’t you who ransacked her house the first time?”

  Clarissa couldn’t stand to hear Ace and Kalen grunting in pain as the electricity was shooting through their bodies. They couldn’t take much more of that without their hearts giving out. Jagger needed to either hand over the information, and worry about getting it back later, or figure out a way to end this.

  “I could care less if she lives or dies. I have no idea who broke into her house. But after she called me, I did some digging. And I just want whatever she’s working on. Now hand it over,” Senator Brock demanded, motioning with his gun.

  “And then what?” Jagger asked. Clarissa didn’t like the way he was goading the Senator. All of the Senator’s attention was on Jagger. She needed to draw it away and onto to her. “Do you think if you kill us you’ll ever get off this compound alive?”

  “I will when I tell them that Miss Worthing was a traitor.” His evil smile was back, and Clarissa’s stomach sank at hearing the words that fell out of his mouth. “I’ll say she killed you because you wouldn’t let her go public with her research. I’ll play the grieving Senator who lost a colleague at the hand of an unstable woman. It’s really rather simple, once a person thinks it through.”

  “Take me with you!” Clarissa blurted out, ignoring Jagger’s glare. She tried to nod her head toward the weapon she knew he had to have, while the Senator was still looking over at Jagger. She could distract him so Jagger could have his chance. “Leave them alone and take me with you. Let them live and I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “Clarissa, be quiet,” Jagger demanded, obviously not getting what she was trying to do. “He needs you as a scapegoat, don’t you see that?”

  Clarissa snapped. She was done being quiet. This evil little man that she thought she could trust because of how he portrayed himself to the media was the root of all her problems. For all she knew, the initial break-in was just that—a random act. But one phone call from her, and her life had gone straight to hell. The only saving grace was that she had found two men that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. And now this man’s henchmen were torturing them. No, she was done being quiet.

  “You listen to me.” Clarissa stepped away from Ace and Kalen, crossing the room and coming to stand in front of the Senator. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it registered that this wasn’t a good idea, but then she thought this was exactly what Jagger needed in order to get to his weapon. She let her emotions take over. It was a good thing Kalen couldn’t feel them now. “I spent that last month looking over my shoulder and thinking I was going to die. I had to send my rats to my mother in Florida. Do you know how traumatic that was for them? You also blew up their bikes. Do you know what Rhonda meant to Ace?”

  “Clarissa—”

  “And you think you can come in here, take my research, and set me up for murder? Do you think Addison and Reese won’t believe me when I yell from the rafters what you did? That I’ll be a meek little scapegoat, like Jagger suggested? Just because I seem a little off, doesn’t mean I don’t have—”

  “Clarissa, that’s enough!” Clarissa looked over at Jagger, wondering what was taking him so long to pull his gun out. She could have gotten her weapon faster if she’d had one. Why was he looking at her as if she’d lost her mind? She was trying to help him, for crying out loud. “Brock, I think you’ve forgotten one thing.”

  “And what is it that you think I’ve forgotten, Jagger?” Senator Brock took a step closer to Jagger, pushing
past her as if she was just a little nuisance. She would have to convince Ace and Jagger to give her a gun. This was ridiculous.

  “My wife.”

  Clarissa suddenly felt her body become warm, as if being wrapped in a heating blanket, and then heard this horrifying scream. She cupped her hands over her ears. Senator Brock flew back, barely missing her, causing Clarissa to stumble. The two men who held the Taser guns were thrown against the wall, thuds echoing around the room as their heads made contact. Ace and Kalen were released from the prongs and fell to the ground. Immediately, they got to their feet and ran over to where she was. And just like that, the danger was over.

  “See, honey, this is why I should always be in meetings with you,” Reese’s voice sang out over the silence.

  Clarissa was now in Kalen’s arms, with Ace pressing against her back and rubbing his hands up and down her sides. Kalen held her off the ground, so she glanced over his shoulders and saw Reese walk though the doorway. She stepped over the two men and went around the desk to Jagger’s waiting arms. He laughed and picked her up around the waist.

  “You’re right. From now on, you can attend every meeting that I have. You’re getting more and more control everyday.”

  “Are they dead?” Clarissa whispered in Kalen’s ear. She didn’t want to let go of them, and trembling had taken over her body. When she was verbally attacking Senator Brock, her anger prevented her from letting the fear take over. But now that the threat was gone, she couldn’t keep herself from shaking. What would she have done if she’d lost them?

  “No,” Ace answered, his lips pressed against her hair. “Reese has been working really hard on maintaining control of her power and is able to limit the amount of energy she releases. But they will be out for a while. At least, long enough for Jagger to call in some government officials to clean this mess up. The last thing the President needs is to have the media crawling all over this.”