“No pain?” he asked, intrigued.
“Only when it all started. After the first bone was broken, it was as if I were anesthetized. I knew what was going on, but I felt nothing.” She looked down. “I was going to watch myself being murdered without being able to move a muscle.” A tear was going to run down, but she quickly wiped it. “Did you call Samil?” she asked curiously.
“No. He showed up,” he answered, intrigued. “Weren’t you expecting him?” He frowned.
“Not really,” she answered carelessly.
“Stay away from him, Al. Love whomever you want but him. He is manipulative; he can’t be trusted.” Ethan wondered how many times he would have to tell her that to get her to believe him.
“Thanks for the advice, but were not for him, I’d be dead by now, wouldn’t I?” she asked, bothered.
“Yes,” said Ethan between his teeth. “It may not have occurred to you that unless you are breathing, you are useless to him,” he said acidly.
“Why? What does he want from me?” she asked rudely.
“I don’t know. You should ask him that,” he said sharply.
“You are right. What about you? What do you want from me?” she rejoined. She was sick and tired of Ethan trying to accuse Samil of not being honest while all Ethan did was hide things from her.
“I want to keep you safe,” he said firmly.
Even though she had her doubts about that, she didn’t want to seem ungrateful. “Thanks again, Ethan,” she said coldly.
“My pleasure.” He stormed out of the room. Her stubbornness was extremely irritating. He needed some air.
As soon as he closed the door, she lay down and closed her eyes; her hands covered her face. Samil had been the one to give her the diary; he had been the one to show her how to expand her skills and protect her mind, he had been the one to truly save her life. Besides that, there was no way he could fake the fire in his eyes when he looked at her. She felt loved, wanted, safe. There was nothing Ethan or anyone else could say that would push her away from him. She got her phone. She wanted him to know that she was with him, no matter what.
“I’m with you,” she texted.
“Likewise.” He didn’t want to expose his feelings too much, so he changed the subject. “I’m getting things ready for tomorrow; can I get you anything special? Food?”
“You.” She typed without any hesitation.
“Can I get you something you don’t have?”
“I’m fine.” She smiled. She wanted the night to come so badly that she would try her best to sleep until then. She closed her eyes and thought of him until she fell asleep.
XVI
Anna walked into the station. Her feelings were a mess. She was worried about Alexis; she was concerned about herself, she hurt by the knowledge that Scott had not been honest with her and that she had spent years believing that the love of her life had never loved her.
“Good morning, Anna,” said Andrea kindly.
“Good morning. Is Morgan in?” she asked nervously.
“Yes. He’s in his office. You can go in,” said Andrea calmly as if her calmness could give Anna some peace.
Anna did not hesitate; she didn’t even knock. Morgan seemed surprised and excited to see her. He immediately stood up and left his desk. She locked the door and ran to his arms. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you,” she said before giving him a long kiss.
Despite not knowing what had made her change her mind, Morgan was grateful. There was nothing better than having her in his arms. He stroked her hair and gazed admiringly at her. “I would never lie to you,” he said firmly.
“I know,” she looked down in shame.
“Hey, look at me,” he gently tipped her chin up with his fingers. “I understand it was a lot to process, baby. I don’t blame you,” his forehead touched hers, “I love you,” he said, his eyes fixed on hers.
Anna was relieved that he didn’t hate her for not trusting him. She was not sure she would behave the same way if she were in his shoes. “I love you too,” she whispered.
“I can tell,” he said smiling. He wanted to ask her what had made her suddenly accept that he had told her the truth, but she seemed too sensitive at that moment, and he didn’t want under any circumstance to cause her any distress.
“I must go," she murmured. If it were not for the fact that Alexis was leaving the following day, Anna would not even consider leaving the police station without Morgan. "Dinner tomorrow?” she smiled. She would probably be worried sick about Alexis the next day, and hopefully, Morgan would be able to help her deal with that.
“Not tonight?” he asked, intrigued. He was also a bit frustrated, but he did not show it.
“Tonight, I’m spending some time with Al, but tomorrow I’m all yours,” she winked.
“I’ll take that.” He kissed her passionately and felt his heart fill with joy and a warm feeling that could only be love. She caressed his face and left.
Anna felt free. After almost two decades waiting for that moment, when she would no longer feel there were unresolved matters between them. She was finally free to love him the way she had always wanted to. When she got home, she was much lighter and confident that everything would turn out fine for all of them. She went to Alexis’s bedroom. She was asleep. Anna watched her sleep for a second. Alexis was the only real thing Scott had given her, and she was thankful for that. She lay down beside Alexis; it was comforting to be there hearing her breathe. A tear rolled down Anna’s face. She didn’t know when she would have the opportunity to do that again. She prayed that Alexis would find what she was looking for and go back home safe and sound. Unfortunately, there was nothing else Anna could do. All she had was hope and faith. “Al,” she whispered.
Alexis slowly opened her eyes. “Yes,” she murmured.
“Who are you going with?” Anna asked curiously. She had just realized she knew nothing about the person taking her daughter from her.
“Samil,” said Alexis calmly. She knew that further explanation was needed, “he has taught me how to defend myself, and he has helped me to enhance my skills.” Alexis figured that giving her mom more details would only make her even more worried, so she had to bite her tongue not to share more than it was advisable.
“Do you trust him?” Anna asked seriously. She knew that Alexis would not answer that negatively if she really wanted permission to leave, but she believed she would be able to tell if her daughter lied to her.
“Yes,” said Alexis without hesitation. The truth was that after she had closed her mind, she was able to precisely pinpoint her feelings for Samil. “I’ll be safe, mom,” she reassured. Even though she was not sure that was true, she had no reason to make Anna more worried than she already was.
“I’d like to meet him before you leave,” said Anna firmly. She was relieved Alexis seemed to trust Samil, but only Alexis's judgment was not enough. Anna herself had spent years of her life believing someone who didn't deserve her trust. She would feel calmer meeting him. She was confident her maternal instincts would not fail her.
“Sure," said Alexis promptly. She was glad there was something she could do help her mom put her mind at ease. "He’s picking me up tomorrow morning.”
“Good,” Anna gave Alexis a faint smile. There was no need to fake her feelings. She was sad and worried sick. She feared never seeing her daughter again. “Perhaps I could go with you," she said with a glimmer of hope.
“Mom…I’m sorry, but if you go with me, I may not be able to do what I have to do because I’ll be worried about your safety. I need to focus on what I gotta do. No diversions.” She pondered her own words. Samil was a distraction. She couldn’t and didn’t want to go without him though. Besides that, he could defend himself. He didn’t need her help to do that.
“I understand. I don’t want to be a liability,” said Anna sadly. It was horrible to feel so useless when it came to protecting her child, the person she loved the most.
“Mom..." Alex
is wanted to comfort her mom, but she didn't know what to say.
“I know, dear. Things are what they are. I’ll find a way of dealing with it. I don’t want you to worry about me. Do you hear me?” she asked firmly. She looked deep into Alexis’s eyes. “You take care of yourself. You come first. And if you need anything, all you have to do is call me. There is nothing I wouldn’t do; there’s nowhere I wouldn’t go for you. Do you understand?” she asked, tormented by the thought that she would be miles away from Alexis if she needed her; her eyes became wet.
“I understand, mom. I won’t leave you in the dark. I’ll call as much as possible, so you know I’m fine, okay? I promise.” Alexis felt horrible for causing her mom so much suffering. She wished she could take her pain away. Words certainly wouldn't do that, but words were all she had to give her mom.
“Thanks, dear.” Anna gave Alexis a long hug, her heart in agony. “Get some sleep. You’ll probably have very exhausting days ahead of you. I’ll make us dinner,” she said warmly.
“Isn’t it too early for dinner?” Alexis beamed. She had to rise to the challenge and convey that she was relaxed and confident.
“It is, but I want to prepare something special, so that will take time,” Anna smiled. “You know I’m not a great cook,” she said humorously.
“I don’t know about that,” Alexis said jokingly.
“I love you. Now get some sleep.” Anna walked to the door.
“I love you too, mom.” The thought that they would not have dinner together for quite a while after that night upset her. Sadness owned her heart for several minutes until she fell asleep again.
The cold breeze of the evening woke Alexis up. She jumped out of bed. Nothing around was familiar to her. The walls were black, and the room had a creepy atmosphere. She ran to the window. It was so dark that she could not see anything outside.
“Alexis,” she heard a hoarse voice say. A chill ran down her spine. She slowly walked to the bedroom door. She was about to open it when she heard a voice she knew quite well.
“What are you doing here?” It was Samil. She looked around, but he was not there. His voice was distant.
She was startled by what came next. “You. This is all your fault.” It was Ethan. She walked to the window again. They seemed to be outside. She could see no one though.
“Alexis, leave them. Open the door,” commanded the voice.
Alexis stared at the door. Something inside her insisted that she stayed where she was. It was not safe to leave the room.
“What exactly is my fault?” Samil and Ethan were arguing. Alexis was sure she had already heard that conversation before. She tried to focus on it.
“It is killing her!” Ethan was clearly desperate. His sentence rang a bell. She had not woken up. She had simply got back to the moment the amulet was torturing her. She was back to what had happened, to the things she had not been able to remember until that moment.
“Well done,” she heard the voice say. Suddenly, she watched herself open the door from a distance. She wanted to tell herself to stop, but she understood that she was merely watching what had happened. She was wandering in her memories. Her heart was racing, she could feel an immense amount of fear taking control of each of her body cells. She followed herself as she left the room. The hallway was lit with very few candles, so she could see very little of it. “Come,” the voice whispered. Alexis saw her hesitation mixed with her incapability of refusing to obey. The amulet had more influence on her than she had imagined. She slowly walked down the hallway until she reached a big wooden door, engraved on it the Elkavian insignia. “Open it.” She hesitated.
“Take your hand off it, or I’ll kill you,” said a young harsh female voice. Alexis looked to her right and saw a girl holding a sword about seven meters away from her.
“There is plenty of time for you to open the door, run into the room and close it before she is able to reach you,” said the hoarse voice now in her head. As Alexis believed that staying and fighting the girl was not a good idea, she reached for the knob, but before she could touch it, she felt Ethan’s hands on her arms, pulling her out.
“No!” she screamed. She needed more time. Ethan couldn’t hear her though. He continued pulling her out. Alexis opened her eyes. She was awake. It was already dark; Anna would probably walk into her room any minute. She got up and locked herself in the bathroom. She was confused. Who was the girl with the sword? What was behind the door? Why would the amulet try to kill her while trying to show her something?
Anna was pleased, dinner looked great. She went to Alexis’s room, but Alexis was not in bed. The bathroom light was on. “Al, is everything okay?” asked Anna worriedly.
“Yes, I’m almost done.”
“Dinner is ready,” said Anna enthusiastically.
“One minute,” said Alexis faking excitement. She washed her face and took a deep breath. It was her last night with her mom before she left, and she didn’t want to screw things up. Her mom deserved better. She opened the door with a smile on her face. “Ready!” she beamed. Anna smiled back. “So, what did you make us?”
“You’ll see,” said Anna sweetly.
Anna had prepared Alexis’s favorite lasagna. They had a pleasant evening. They talked about Morgan, school, movies, TV series and music. Both of them tried their best to avoid talking about Alexis’s trip the next day. After dinner, they watched a comedy and allowed themselves to laugh together enjoying the most of each other’s company. The truth was that they already missed each other.
“Have a good night, mom,” said Alexis heartily. “Thanks for the perfect evening,” she hugged Anna. “I love you.” Her eyes filled with tears. She held back not to cry.
“I love you too, baby girl,” said Anna emotionally.
Their eyes quickly met, but Alexis deviated. Even though she believed she was doing the right thing, she could not handle the pain she was inflicting her mom. She went to her room and closed the door. Feeling free to cry, she let tears roll down her face. A knock on her window took her away from her misery. It was Samil. She opened the window for him.
“I’m sorry, Al,” he said kindly as he wiped the tears from her face.
“Will I see her again?” she asked in pain.
“I’ll make sure you do.” He stroked her face and leaned in; his lips softly touched hers. Alexis felt all sadness vanish and she passionately kissed him back. Lights were turned off without a single movement from any of them.
“Magic,” he whispered. He had promised himself he wouldn’t worry about anything or anyone but her that night. His left hand slowly went from her waist to her back and all the way up to the nape of her neck. He pulled her hair back a little and kissed her neck.
“Samil,” she murmured. He was going to tell her that they didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to, but she didn’t allow him to say anything. “Don’t,” she said taking her finger to his lips, shushing him. She pressed her lips to his sliding her hand into his hair to deepen the kiss. There was no room for anything else in her mind. Every inch of her body was lost in the sensations caused by the warmth of his body pressed against hers. She took off his shirt and gave a step back to admire his muscled body. He let her gaze for a second before grabbing her hand to place it on his chest, slid it down his belly and all the way up to his lips, so he could gently kiss it, his eyes fixed on hers. The desire in her eyes begged him to act. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her close to him. He took her blouse off and kissed from her neck to her navel getting on his knees to do so. He looked up; she had her eyes closed, her hands holding his head. Noticing that he was looking at her, Alexis opened her eyes. He hoped that his eyes told her the things his mouth feared to let free. Without deviating his eyes, he pulled her pants down, taking them off.
She felt her body tremble in anticipation. The connection between them completed the hollow space in her heart that, until that moment, had never ceased to make her feel lonely. She was his. He licked from her ankl
e to her inner thigh. Alexis moaned, her fingers running through his hair. He went all the way up to her lips; his fingers played with her panties about to take them off at any time. They gave a long kiss. Alexis felt her skin burn, but interestingly enough her power seemed to burn too. She could feel it at her fingertips ready to be used.
“You can let it free,” he whispered nibbling her earlobe. “You won’t hurt me.”
Alexis hesitated. What if he was wrong? She didn’t want to ruin the moment. He softly pressed his body against her making her lie down on her back. It was his turn to gaze at her perfect body. She bit her lips enticing him to continue.
“Only if you let it free,” he said smiling lasciviously. He got on top of her and kissed her lips, his hand getting closer to her most intimate parts. She scratched his back and gave her power the freedom it had been claiming. A rush of adrenaline and a burst of intense pleasure took them both. Samil couldn’t help making a lustful husky sound of pleasure. Alexis fisted her hands around the sheets, she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer, feeling his desire for her completely expressed in all parts of his body. He took her panties off and let his fingers roam in places never touched by a man. She arched her back responding to him, making him crave her even more. His tongue lustfully followed the path his fingers had made, bringing Alexis closer to climax. His hand caressed her belly while he kept tasting her; he felt the muscle tension build up before she orgasmed. Another explosion of pleasure left her body, this time hitting him without any warm. Samil had to control himself not to orgasm at that moment. He had never felt anything like that. He got to her lips and kissed her fiercely. She tried to roll him over, so she could be on top, but he didn’t allow her.
“Al,” he said gently, “the first time is usually painful,” he looked her deep in the eye, “Let me know if you want me to stop.”
“I want you,” she whispered. No pain would make her push him out. She knew he was holding his power back, saving it for when he got inside her. She wanted to feel him in his purest form just as she was giving herself to him.
The Defender (The Elkavians Book 1) Page 23