by Angel Lawson
Draco sits on the floor, digging through the books on the shelf. When they moved up here, they all combined their libraries. It’s a mixture of workout books, comics, romance novels, and engineering. The bulky guy awkwardly flips through a comic book with a busty red-head on the front. Owen isn’t sure he really wanted to come but Quinn asked him to have dinner—help Astrid adjust to her new life. He agreed and showed up with four boxes of pizza and a case of beer.
“Hey Draco,” Quinn says from the couch, “who was your roommate at the group home?”
“I didn’t have one.”
“What?” Owen perks up. “How did you manage that?”
He shrugs. “Guess Miss Rosalie liked me.”
Owen grumbles. “It took me a while to remember mine, you know, with the memory loss, but it finally came to me. It was a kid named Sebastian.”
“Oh, Sea Bass,” Quinn says. “I remember him. Small, big ears.”
“Yeah. He was younger. Cried a lot. It drove me batshit.”
“Of course it did,” Quinn says. “You’ve got a heart of stone.”
“Not true,” Owen says, darting his eyes at Astrid. She laughs. “You think so too?”
“As someone with empathic abilities, you’re not always the most sympathetic.”
“Ugh,” he runs his hand through his hair. “Just so much crying. I mean, sure I feel bad about it now. He was just a freaked-out little kid.”
“What could he do?” Draco asks. “What was his gift?”
Owen shakes his head. “Not sure.”
“What about you?” Draco looks at Quinn. “Who was your roommate?”
“A kid named Rex. African-American? He was only there for a few weeks before shit hit the fan.”
“I remember him,” Astrid says. “African-American? Dark skin and big eyes? He had a scar over his eye.”
“Yeah, his parents died in a bridge collapse. He survived.”
“Really?” Draco asks, intrigued. “How many survivors?”
“Just him.”
They all understand the implication of that. Rex must have been very powerful.
“Do you wonder how many others are out there? We didn’t know about Blaze. He wasn’t on Atticus’s list.”
“It freaks me out to think about it,” Owen confesses. “We don’t even know where Blaze was that whole time. Who he was with.”
Other than the video game, the room grows quiet thinking about it.
Astrid unscrews the lid of her Mountain Dew and tosses it on the table. It bounces off and skitters across the floor. Harry perks up and watches it roll away, assessing if it’s worth his time to investigate.
With the flick of a hand Owen shifts the green lid into a little green mouse. Four legs, a pointy nose, and a long tail. He wiggles his fingers, forcing the animal to move. Harry moves to a sitting position, ears alert. He’s definitely interested.
Amused, Owen forces the mouse to skitter along the floor, dashing back and forth to keep Harry’s attention. The cat watches for a moment, hunching down in Astrid’s lap. She’s not paying attention, too busy yelling at Quinn to “kill the fucking dragon” but when Harry Styles leaps off her lap to attack the make-believe mouse, the entire room watches wide-eyed.
“Are you harassing my cat?” Astrid asks, watching the cat play.
“Just having a little fun.” He shrugs. “What? You don’t ever just use your gift to mess around?”
“No.” She and Quinn answer at the same time.
“Seriously?” He looks at Quinn. “You’ve never just lit a match or a candle?”
“Well,” he glances at Astrid. “Okay maybe. But that’s not messing around. It’s practical.”
Owen rolls his eyes. He picks up his beer bottle and gestures at Draco. “What about you? Woo the women at the park saving their kids? Flash those perfect teeth and muscles for a free dinner?”
“I, uh.” He shifts uncomfortably.
“You’ve never paid for a drink in a bar in your life, have you?” Astrid asks.
“They just appear! It’s not like I want them to send them over, but then it seems rude to refuse it.” He blushes and Astrid cackles in delight seeing him so flustered. “I never took advantage of anyone, though.”
“Just their booze.”
He smirks and lifts his shoulders in a shrug.
Owen turns to Astrid. “What about you? You’ve never screwed with someone’s emotions just for kicks?”
The look she gives him is one of absolute horror. “I would never. That’s like a violation of ethics or something.”
Casper, who has apparently been listening this whole time, says, “Wait, we have an ethical code?”
“Dude,” Quinn says. “You’ve looked all of us up, haven’t you?”
“Social security numbers, medical, banking…” When everyone shouts out in horror, he adds, “It was part of my job to find you!”
Owen leans back in his seat, enjoying the commotion. “Okay well, I say before the night is over everyone has to do one trick. Something big.”
“I don’t want to be accused of violating anyone,” Astrid says, shooting a look at Casper. The two of them can do the most emotional damage.
“We all have to agree—anything goes. As long as no one gets hurt—”
“Or blown up,” Draco says, eyeing Quinn. He nods in agreement.
“I’m in,” Casper says.
“Of course you are, you aren’t even here!”
“I can still play.”
“What about you?” Owen asks Draco.
“If you all want to buy me beer, I’m good with it. I’m just not sure what I can do.”
“That makes you our pawn,” Astrid says. “You willing to take that risk?”
They stare at one another for a moment and Owen gets the sense that the stakes have just been raised.
“Yeah,” he says, swallowing the last part of his beer, “I’ll play.”
Quinn stands. “I’m game but we need to move to the training room.” Owen smiles, rubbing his hands together, and Quinn glares at him. “No snakes.”
“I promise.” Owen has something way better than snakes in mind, and he hops off the couch and follows the others down the hall for a little fun.
*
At the door he stops the group and says, “I’m not going to be a dick, okay? No mice. No snakes. Just a little happiness to get us through the night. Sorry dude,” he tells Casper. “This is one experiment you have to be here to experience.”
The goblin scowls and blinks out.
“I’ve been telling him to get out of that bunker,” Astrid says with a shrug to Draco.
Owen opens the door and steps in first. With his eyes shut, he thinks about where he wants to be and he hears the small rip in the fabric of reality, and slowly it begins to spread.
“What is that?” Draco asks, having never seen him do this.
Owen hears Astrid reply. “That leads to another place.”
“He better be serious about no snakes because I will bomb this place.”
Astrid’s laughter tickles his senses and he opens his eyes. “Follow me.”
“Through that?” Quinn asks nervously.
Owen goes first, feeling the ripple of energy over his skin as he bends the physics of time and space. He’s been working on this more and more after the dragon with Demetria. Sure, he got the parade-goers to safety, but it was nothing more than lights and a warm glow. With this skill he can actually get people out of danger. He never wants to feel that scared again.
Astrid doesn’t hesitate. Just steps through and follows him. A smile lights up her face. She marvels at the soft sand squishing under her feet. Astrid removes her socks, and when Draco crosses over he looks up. A million stars dot the night sky and the sliver of a moon hangs among them.
“Real or not real?” Mr. Perfect asks over the roar of the ocean.
“Real enough,” he replies. “I read an article about this place. An island off of Fiji.”
�
��You thought it, opened a door and here we are?”
“Pretty cool huh?”
The article he read was a resort, and although the beach is empty, lounge chairs surround a fire pit. Torches are staked into the sand. Thick blankets hang over the backs of the chairs. Owen nods at Quinn.
The man stands in front of the fire pit but stretches his arms wide. There’s a pop and the strong scent of sulfur as a dozen torches light in a flash. His final move is to snap toward the pit and a blazing fire appears.
“That was pretty cool,” Owen says, feeling the heat from the flames. Combining their gifts is epic.
“What about you?” he asks Astrid. The gentle breeze rolling off the ocean blows her blonde hair, and what he’d give for her to be in a bikini right now. A vision he never knew he needed until this very moment.
He trusts this woman, on the street and off, but the glint in her eye makes him nervous and he wonders what the hell he’s gotten them all into.
Chapter Twenty-One
Astrid
“I still don’t feel right manipulating your emotions. It’s too personal.” She studies the three of them and Owen shifts nervously in his seat.
Owen sits in one of the soft lounge chairs and rests his hands behind his head. “Add to it, bring on those happy, pleasant holiday feelings.”
“He’s right,” Quinn says. “All I want on vacation is to relax and have a good time. Holden and I went to the beach when I was about fifteen and together we built a huge sandcastle. It had tunnels and moats and we decorated it with shells we found on the beach. It was pretty awesome.”
She feels the warm glow of the memory and latches onto it.
“Okay, so, fun time at the beach. I can do that.” With a twist, she thinks. Owen eyes track her every move. There’s zero doubt that he’s always hungry for her and she always feels it. But this isn’t about fulfilling his sex fantasy, although she could if she wanted. Nope, this is about exploring their gifts, having fun and messing with each other. She may not be a snake, but she can still bite.
With her bare hand she touches his cheek and feels an instant shift in Owen’s emotions—the constant horniness vanishes.
He looks at her, at her chest, her legs, and her gorgeous face and feels nothing.
“Hey!” he cries. “What did you do?”
She shrugs. “Just testing the waters.”
“So what? You took away my hormones?” His eyes are a little panicked. She’s done nothing to him but wipe away his feelings for her. He hops out of his seat. “And why do I have all this energy?”
She ignores him and walks over and grabs Quinn’s hand. He doesn’t fight when she drags him over to where Owen now stands. She takes his hand too and channels a rush of emotions into both of them. The two men look past her and at each other. Both have wide smiles on their faces, two seconds later they’ve pushed her out of the way and are alternatingly hugging and play fighting.
“What did you do to them?” Draco asks.
“I just shifted things around a little.”
He watches the two men crumble into giggles. “Are they…”
She knows where he’s going. “Oh, they’re not into each other.”
“Like brothers. Twelve-year-olds. They really, really like each other.” The two laugh and share some kind of inside joke. Then one tosses sand at the other and they race down the beach.
“That’s pretty impressive.”
“Thanks.” She sits on the edge of the fire pit and he follows. The heat warms her back but it feels nice, a contrast to the breeze coming off the ocean. “I know the two of them were hoping I’d go sex-goddess orgy on them but eh, this is more fun.”
“You let them treat you like that? A sex object?”
She turns to look at him. His jaw is more defined in the firelight. “Is that what you think goes on between us? That I’m some toy for them?” Guilt consumes him but she’s not angry. If anything, she feels a little more sympathetic to his reaction at his house. “Let me make it clear. They are not using me, not in any way, and our relationship isn’t something any of us jumped into. It developed slowly and is constantly evolving. The three of us are in this together. We’re open and safe. Honestly, it’s a lot like our bond on the street. We have each other’s backs. We fight hard and then come home and love hard.”
She’d never defended their relationship out loud before. She’s never even defined it, but if the softening of Draco’s expression says anything, she did a good job.
“Thank you for explaining it. I’m not trying to be a judgmental ass. It’s just new and even if my actions don’t always show it, I care about you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Those two aren’t going to hurt me.” She holds up her pinkie. “I’ve got them wrapped up tight.”
He laughs. “I bet you do.”
“But listen,” she says to him. “I don’t judge you either for holding back. Sharing, as you say, isn’t for everyone. We’re strong and we’d welcome you into the group, but only if you want. It’s your decision.”
The tic returns in his jaw and she wonders if she lost him again. He looks down at his hand and in a quiet voice says, “I’m not sure I can push through my concerns on this one. What I want and what my mind say are warring. That’s hard for me.” His eyes find hers. “Like it goes against my nature.”
“Mr. Perfect, you are so complex.” She reaches for his hand and says, “May I?”
His everything is guarded. His face, his mind, his body. The shield has gone up but if he’ll let her, Astrid can try to chip away. She holds back her elation when he places his hand on hers.
Astrid doesn’t read his echo. She’s done that. She knows him, but what she wants to do is release him for just a moment from his mental binds. Standing, she makes a bold move, straddling his lap. His apprehension is clear, even out on this fantasy beach. She feels his hand grip her hip and the tightening in his pants. Swallowing, she places her hand on his cheek and closes her eyes, pushing past the layers holding him together.
The images in his mind are strong, she’s not here to read his echo but damn if it doesn’t want to be heard. At least the parts about her. God, he wants her. All the time. But it’s not just physical. It’s emotional, and that’s where the fear lies.
She uses her empathy against him, pushing back with the bond she has with Owen and Quinn. Those emotions are stronger than anything she’s ever experienced; all-consuming, and if the love, laughter, and connection they share can’t break Draco, then nothing will.
The slightest stirring vibrates against her gift, the thinnest crack, and she doesn’t hesitate to exploit it. His chest heaves against hers and his fingers dig into her skin. She feels his breath against her lips and she dives in one last time.
It’s unnecessary, Draco is already on the cusp and she’s barely pushed through the break when his mouth crashes into hers. The first hit tastes like birthday cake, sweet and sugary, and it drives her to kiss back. She grinds against his lap, craving the pressure. His hands are strong, needy, and her body melts. The want blossoms in her belly, expands through her limbs, and comes out through her empathy in a soul-crushing collision.
“I didn’t know,” he mutters, pulling her against his erection. Everything is already so heightened that it doesn’t matter if there’s layers of fabric between them. The pressure feels good and he tastes fantastic and the cool breeze tingles against her damp skin when he trails kisses down her throat. She’s pretty sure if he keeps doing that, she’ll come despite the barrier. From the way he’s breathing, she’s pretty sure he may too.
“Didn’t know what?”
He holds her face between his hands and captures her eyes with his own. “What I was missing.”
“You may not feel the same when this is all over, but understand I’m waiting for you, got it? Because now that I’ve tasted and felt you, I’m not giving up so easily.”
He drops his forehead to hers, their lips inches apart. Yelps down the beach bre
ak the moment. The edges of their world start to fade, the room ripples and slowly the beach, the fires, the roaring ocean all vanishes.
They’re back in the training room; Quinn and Owen standing near the wall, breathing heavy. They eye her and Draco suspiciously since they are curled into one another in the middle of the floor. After a long, awkward pause, he helps her extract herself from his lap. She pretends his cock isn’t still pressing hard against her as she comes to her senses.
“We never left?” she asks, completely bewildered.
Owen rubs his hands together. “All an illusion. Pretty good, huh?”
“That was insane.” Quinn says, brushing his arms. “I feel like I still have sand on me.”
“But what about everything else in there? Quinn making fire…” she doesn’t put a name on what happened with her and Draco.
He shrugs. “I’m not in charge of everyone else’s gift.”
One thing that’s evident is how exhausted they all are, and soon Owen and Quinn head to bed. Astrid walks Draco to the door, scooping up Harry along the way. He makes a good buffer, purring and snuggling in her arms.
“Sorry if I crossed any lines tonight,” she says.
“If anyone should apologize, it’s me. I’m stronger than some hormonal teenager unable to control himself.”
“Dude, I probed your brain and I’m pretty good at it.”
He smiles and it warms her heart. She doesn’t want to start back at the beginning with Draco. She can take it slow, give him time, but start at ground zero? Nope. Not happening.
“You’re really good at it,” he agrees. “And you’re a great leader, Astrid. I know things are rocky right now but I have no doubt we’ll be back on the streets helping people.”
“Why are you so sure?”
He shrugs but his lips are warm when he kisses her cheek and exits the dormitory. What he doesn’t say, and what she feels in her heart, is that Draco has faith in her. In their mission, and maybe he’s coming closer to wanting to share more. She hopes that all of that is true.