“A woman knocked on my door, so I went to open it,” Lauren explained when we were all gathered in the meeting room. “She greeted me, and before I could blink, she had me by my throat.”
Jimmy had given Lauren a crash course on the subject of Roes and told her about Aitana being a Racer. It explained how she’d been able to escape so fast the night they killed Shawna.
“Then she grabbed my phone and called Haylie.”
“I thought it was Lauren on the phone,” I continued with the story, “but when I heard the voice on the other end, I immediately knew who it was. I could never forget that voice.” I took a moment to gather my composure. That voice had haunted me so many nights. “She told me to come alone and not tell anyone about where I was going, or she’d kill Lauren. What was I supposed to do? She already killed Shawna, and I had no doubt she would do it again.” I threw my hands in the air in desperation and started pacing around the room, too restless to sit still.
“You could have been killed, Haylie,” Jimmy argued for the third time since the meeting started.
“Lauren could have been killed. I, at least, have some training and know about the danger out there.”
“Each of us would have done the same, Jimmy,” Chris came to my defense. “We’ve just never been in this type of situation before.”
“They wouldn’t have killed me, Jimmy. They wanted me alive.” I played nervously with my bracelets. My scars had started to itch again.
“I don’t know if that should bother or relieve me,” Jimmy mumbled as an afterthought before asking with curiosity, “How did you know the way out of the cemetery? It runs for miles in every direction. You’ve never been out there on your own.”
That was the question I’d been dreading. Or maybe not the question, but the answer to follow.
“Aitana told me over the phone. She knew the way. You know what that means…” I concluded, lifting my eyes from under my lashes to give him a knowing look.
It meant the location of the compound was no longer a secret, maybe hadn’t been for a long time.
“They could have tracked your GPS over Lauren’s phone,” Scott suggested.
I shook my head. “They know where the compound is. Jimmy,” I cautioned, “nobody is safe here anymore.” I waited until Jimmy lifted his eyes to look at me and placed my hands on the table’s surface before placating, “Not as long as I’m here.”
“What are you saying?” Dylan suddenly asked with caution, squaring his shoulders. He hadn’t said a single word until now, as usual the quiet listener until the end. Catching my gaze, he dipped his head slightly, as if trying to read my mind. I hoped he wouldn’t make this more difficult than it already was. Actually, he should be relieved I was offering to leave, considering he never wanted me here in the first place. The thought sent a jolt of pain through my heart, but I swallowed it down, collecting the courage I needed for what I was going to say next.
“I can’t stay. You brought me here to get me to a safe place, to a place they didn’t know about. But they know where I am, and they know the compound’s location. They will come for me, and if I don’t cooperate, they will come for somebody else,” I pointed out with a fearful glance at Lauren. I would do everything in my power to prevent them from getting their hands on her again. No one would touch her—not as long as my heart was still beating.
“If you’re not safe here, then you won’t be safe anywhere else. You’re staying,” Dylan declared, and with the way he said it, it sounded close to an order.
“But Dylan, think about this for a second—”
“You’re staying,” he repeated more forcefully. This time, the warning undertone was hard to miss, and he dared me to object with a hard glare.
I eyed him with a frown. I knew Dylan had a certain status here, but wasn’t Jimmy the one in charge?
“Dylan is right,” Jimmy agreed much to my surprise. The compound’s safety was his priority. I would have expected him to share my point of view. “I already requested help from Serena. They will provide us with security guards who can help us out.”
“So, they know about Haylie?” Sarah asked.
“I had to tell them. I couldn’t keep her a secret any longer,” Jimmy confessed in an apologetic tone.
“What are you talking about?” I wanted to know.
“The government. Serena Stokes is responsible for the Department of Roe Security,” Jimmy enlightened me, and I remembered Scott telling me about the government helping out with funds.
“Should I be afraid of them?”
“No. They are on our side, obviously, but the fewer people who know about you, the better.”
I nodded in acceptance. If Jimmy trusted them, I would, too.
“They knew about her ability,” Chris redirected the conversation to the main topic. “Aitana knew what Haylie was able to do.”
Jimmy exhaled loudly. “Yes, that’s what concerns me the most. I guess there’s only one explanation.”
Sarah jerked her head in Jimmy’s direction as if she knew what he was going to say. “No way. You think we have a mole in here?” Jimmy stalled for an answer. “But that would mean one of us is working with them! Who the hell would do that?”
A few minutes of silence followed. Everybody brooded over the question of who could be the traitor, but even me, who knew my compound companions for only a few months, wouldn’t suspect any of them.
“Cassie?” Jared implied, and we all swung our heads in his direction.
“No. I vouch for her,” Jimmy immediately responded, but everyone eyed him dubiously.
“Jimmy, think rationally. Cassie has been missing for days, and she didn’t tell anyone where she is staying. Plus, she’s the only one holding a grudge against Haylie,” Chris tried to reason with him.
“She texted me a few days ago that she was staying with her sister like Dylan assumed,” Jimmy replied. “She told me she needed some time alone, and she would come back when everything has settled down. This is still her home.”
Chris snorted, apparently not sharing Jimmy’s empathy.
“This doesn’t get us anywhere,” Dylan threw in. “Let’s install more cameras in the cemetery. We can’t cover the entire place, but a few more won’t hurt. Position guards and scouts out there night and day.”
“Yes, we should do that,” Jimmy agreed, taking notes on the sheet in front of him.
“What about Lauren? She can’t go back to her house,” I threw in.
“Lauren can stay here, of course.” Jimmy turned to face Lauren. “I can’t force you if you don’t want to, but I’d strongly suggest you stay with us for a while.”
“I would like that very much, thank you.”
“Lauren, you can’t work at Joey’s anymore. At least, not for now,” I pointed out.
“I know. I have enough cash stashed away. Is there any possibility I can take a few things from my house, though?” Lauren directed at Jimmy.
“Of course. I already organized a clean-up team for today. The windows are broken, remember?” Jimmy reminded us unnecessarily but with a meaningful glance in Dylan’s direction. Dylan didn’t show any reaction. “We wouldn’t want to keep it that way. You can join them and pack what you need. I already have a vacant room, and I know that, technically, you’re not one of us, but Scott offered for you to join his class if you would like to get some training and other lessons.”
Lauren smiled and threw Scott a grateful look. “That would be great, thanks.”
The idea of Lauren getting involved didn’t sit well with me, but I guess it was already too late. Maybe it would be good for her to know how to defend herself.
“Okay, I think everything’s settled, then.”
“Wait, I have one more question,” I interrupted Jimmy who stopped mid-action within the motion of rising from his chair.
“The reason I got in the Bluster was because Aitana said something about my mother. She said she was looking forward to seeing me dying the same way my mother had. I thought maybe you knew something about that.” I doubted Jimmy had any knowledge about how my mother died, but something flashed over his face that betrayed him. Puzzlement? Fear?
“What do you know?” I urged him on, already afraid I wouldn’t like what he was about to say.
“I don’t know anything with a hundred percent certainty, but… You told us she died in Hurricane Marlene, right? Well, some Roe witnesses claimed to have seen a woman with jaylior eyes standing in the middle of it when it hit home.”
My heart stopped beating for a second, and I switched gazes between Dylan and Chris, searching for help. Both averted their eyes.
“What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything,” Jimmy spoke calmly, but his secretiveness made me angry.
“Jimmy, please!”
He sighed heavily, but it was Dylan who answered. “We think she was the cause, but we don’t have enough evidence to know for sure.”
“The cause of what?” I asked, my pulse doubling its rate.
“For the hurricane.”
I gnashed my teeth. “Why do you suspect my mother?”
“The chances of another Natural in the same place at the same time would be too much of a coincidence.”
I refused to believe him. My mother could have caused a natural catastrophe that took thousands of lives? No, it couldn’t be. Not her. Not the woman I remembered who was kind and loving.
My limbs started to tremble, and I sunk into the chair behind me, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts. “No. You’re wrong,” I stated in a deadpan voice.
“Haylie…” Dylan started, but I threw him a warning glare.
“No!” I shot back, making Dylan grind his jaw.
“We don’t think she did it on purpose,” Jimmy threw in. “The ability to control air or creating storms is a dangerous one. She was old enough to be very powerful, and if she lost control that day…” Jimmy trailed off, leaving the end of the story hanging in the air.
“But how would Aitana know? Do you think they had something to do with her death?” I curled my fingers until my hands were fisted. No way could that bitch be responsible for three deaths in my family, my father included.
“I honestly can’t tell you. Nothing makes any sense.”
This was when red spots appeared in front of my vision, and my surroundings faded to a dark gray. Anger started to consume me, and I closed my eyes and shook my head to shake it off before it could—
“Breathe,” Dylan’s voice soothed me from only inches away. How fast had he crossed the room to get to me? I hadn’t even noticed him rising from his chair.
Then, I felt his strong hands on either side of my face. Clenching my teeth, I focused solely on the deep timbre of his voice. “Come back to me,” came his next command, but so low that nobody except Catchers would have heard what was meant for me.
The way these words were spoken caused a snap inside my brain. Opening my eyes, I saw soft, appion ones staring back at me. He held my gaze, waiting for me to calm down. After he was assured it was safe to let me go, he stepped back. The entire room was silent, and everyone was trying to catch our silent communication, but before anyone could say anything, the door burst open, and Phil rushed in.
“Cassie’s back,” he announced in excitement, leaving us all dumbstruck. “She just entered the compound.”
“Thanks for the update, Phil,” Jimmy said and waited until Phil left to direct us. “None of you will make any hint about what we were just talking about here, whether Cassie is guilty or not. She is not our enemy,” he added for good measure. I remained silent, despite my urge to counter. I didn’t suspect Cassie to be the mole, either, but I was also far from trusting the annoying blonde.
When Cassie finally arrived, she stopped on the threshold, waiting for us to judge her. No signs of the narcissistic and arrogant woman I’d known Cassie to be were visible. Her stance was self-conscious but not snobbish, her gaze careful and calculating. Her hair was still blonde, but I swear it was a few shades darker. Instead of wearing her usual heavy makeup, she’d just applied some mascara and a natural shade of lip gloss. There was no black eyeliner circling her eyes, and no pink rouge highlighting her cheekbones. In front of me stood the same, yet a completely different woman than I knew. I risked an uncertain glance at Dylan, and the frown on his face confirmed my suspicions that he was thinking the same.
Cassie bit her lip nervously, clueless as to what judgment awaited her.
“Cassie, it’s so good to have you back.” Jimmy stood up to greet her before addressing the rest of us. “Please leave us. I want to talk to Cassie alone.”
We all stood up without another word, and Cassie backed sideways to let us pass. When Dylan passed her, she didn’t spare him a glance, which was rather uncommon for her, and I swear I noticed a vein trembling in her jaw.
With a hand tight around her waist, I watched Chris walking Lauren outside. Not that I would have anything against the two of them together, but I hadn’t forgotten about the kiss Chris and I had shared not too long ago. The last thing I wanted was for Lauren to become his puppy whenever he needed to boost up his Fighter testosterone.
“Give me a minute,” I said to Dylan and jogged forward to catch up with them. “Hey, can I talk to Chris for a second?” I asked Lauren who nodded. Chris stopped, staring after Lauren as she walked away with Sarah.
“Don’t hurt her,” I warned him, and Chris gave me a frown.
“What are you talking about?”
“Lauren. I know you kissed me because you wanted to test the Connection with me, but I don’t want you to play with her. She doesn’t deserve it.”
Chris needed a moment to catch up before his face lit up with one of his dazzling smiles. “Haylie, you’re a Natural, and yes, I wanted just to taste you once, and I don’t regret it. But I didn’t play with you, and I wouldn’t play with Lauren, either. I promise.” Just taste you once. So, there weren’t any hidden feelings, I realized with relief.
“Okay. Good.”
“Haylie, are you coming?” Dylan called out, and I looked over Chris’ shoulder to see Dylan waiting for me in the middle of the hallway.
“You better go. We don’t want to make him angry again, do we?” Chris mocked, and just as he was about to pass me, he gave me a quick peck on the cheek. Was he deliberately trying to provoke Dylan?
When I reached Dylan, he remained silent, but his mouth was set into a grim line. “I just told him not to play games with Lauren,” I explained, in case Dylan suspected anything else.
“You mean like he played games with you?” he asked in annoyance. And within seconds, his mood had shifted from kind and caring to grumpy. We’d made huge progress just a few hours ago, and now we were having another backlash? Again?
“Chris didn’t play me. He just…” I grabbed Dylan’s arm, and he stopped to face me. I didn’t want the subject to cause a commotion again. “There’s nothing going on between us. It was one kiss, nothing more, and it won’t happen again. I don’t have any feelings for him. He’s just a good friend.”
Dylan lifted an eyebrow in questioning, but some of the tension left his body, as if my words were what he needed to hear. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I don’t know. I just felt the need to clear it up.” I bit my lower lip and saw Dylan following the movement, his eyes emanating a sudden longing, as if he was desperate to taste the lip I was torturing with his own. “Okay, I’ll go change for training,” I babbled before my over imaginative mind could continue to spin a web of dirty fantasies and took off.
~~~
I quickly put on my training gear and grabbed some bobby pins to tame my hair. The braid I used to wear tended to be in my way during fighting, so I tried my best to twist my mass of hair up. As I was not part of the ‘formal’ classes anymore, I figured there was no need to follow the no-metal-and-jewels rule further. Swirling some strands between my fingers, I fixated them with the pins at the back of my head. It was a messy hair style, but at least it would keep my hair out of the way. When I met Dylan outside, he gave me a quizzical look.
“What?” I asked, curious.
“Your hair. It’s different,” he commented.
“Yeah, I figured I needed something more practical.”
“How is it you never wear it down?” he asked when we made our way to the training room. I didn’t respond immediately as I tried to think of how to answer. Dylan threw me a sideways glance. “Did I say something wrong?”
“Um, no. Shawna loved to play with my hair. She used to brush it before we went to sleep, and she could stay busy for hours creating the craziest hairdos. She made me promise never to cut it, although I always wanted to because it got on my nerves. After she died, I couldn’t bring myself to do it, but I also couldn’t wear it down anymore because I was always reminded… So, what do you think of Cassie?” I changed the subject directing it to safer ground. “Did she seem different to you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I have no idea what she’s been up to the entire time. I’ll have a talk with her.”
Dylan switched on the lights in the training room. It was funny how familiar I already was with the musky scent and the sound our footsteps made echoing off the walls. It was my second home, next to my room.
“Okay, let’s start,” he announced when he turned to face me. “Today I’ll charge you, and you’re going to go on the defensive. No attacking. If I get a hold of you, you’ll think of ways to get out, understand?”
I nodded and positioned my fists at chest level, ready for Dylan’s attacks. At first, he went slowly, giving me time to move out of his attack line. After I warmed up, he came at me faster, making it impossible to dodge all his punches and kicks. He never struck me, of course, and would back away before connecting with my body. Every time he could get a hold of me, he barked at me to think of moves that would get me out of his grip.
Sweat was pouring down my face while Dylan didn’t appear to be the least bit exhausted. Damn Fighters. I prepared myself for his next strike when he advanced on me, and I managed to block a high strike at the last second. His next punch would connect with a soft spot in my stomach, and I sidestepped, only to lose my footing when he swung his leg at my ankle. Dylan took the chance to snake his arm around my neck from behind, leaving me struggling in his chokehold. Fear suddenly bubbled up inside me, memories of the previous night invading my mind.
I lost all sense of rational thinking, grabbing at Dylan’s arm frantically. My breathing hitched, and I panicked.
“No!” I cried out in horror, and Dylan dropped me immediately. I stumbled forward, nearly falling to my knees as I panted heavily.
“What’s wrong?” Dylan asked in alarm and was by my side in an instant.
“Nothing,” I muttered, trying to catch my breath and calm down.
“You panicked. Why?” He grabbed me by the shoulders to steady me and forced me to look at him.
“I remembered the Fighter I killed yesterday. I don’t know how I did it, I just wanted to get rid of him and jumped. I had no idea it would work, but we suddenly crashed into the wall and he… he got stabbed by that stupid hook. I felt it piercing his chest at my back, and I heard his bloody chokes near my ear, and I…”
“Hey!” Dylan shook me to stop my panicked babbling. “Calm down. You did what you had to do. You didn’t know there was a hook.”
Twisting out of his grip to gain some distance, I started pacing around the room. “I didn’t want that to happen.”
“I know,” Dylan said with empathy, his voice gentler now. “But they won’t hesitate to kill you or anybody else, no matter what. You should keep that in mind.”
“I’m not a killer, Dylan, and I don’t want them to make me one,” I confessed in exasperation. “And I can’t forget how it felt to be in the Bluster. I can’t go out there fighting, being constantly afraid of the rage that could consume me and hurting people I want to protect. Is there no way to control it?”
Dylan heaved a deep sigh. “That depends on the individual and the ability. The Bluster of Regenerators is rather harmless. We assume their ability to heal prevents negative emotions from spilling over too much. For Fighters, it’s nearly impossible to get a hold as their testosterone and adrenaline levels are higher than the average. I can’t say for sure how it’s working for Naturals, but taking their powerful abilities into account, I’d say it isn’t any easier for them.” I hung my head in defeat. “What did you feel when you were in the Bluster?” Dylan wanted to know.
I looked at him with a frown. “Rage, of course.”
“That’s not what I meant. I mean, how did you take in your surroundings? Were you able to distinguish between friend and foe?”
“I don’t know. I had this feeling in the back of my mind that there were people I shouldn’t harm, but it was hard to form a coherent thought. And then my power took over, and although I wanted to switch it off, I couldn’t.”
“I saw you flinching when Lauren called out for you. You recognized her.”
“Yeah, I remember, but it wasn’t enough.”
“You don’t have any experience in working with your ability. You won’t be able to control the Bluster if you can’t control your power in general.” He gave me an intense gaze, as if searching for something in my eyes, and I saw the exact moment he made his decision. “Let’s start training with your ability.”
I raised a brow in question. “Are you kidding? I can’t control it. Every day I’m sitting in Lisa’s room and doing nothing except ‘reaching’ for it. She never lets me do anything else, and I guess she has a good reason to.”
Dylan crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Usually, the students train for years until they’re allowed to go on their first mission. You’ve been here for a couple of weeks and already fight at the front. Why? Because you are prey. If you want to learn how to wield your ability, we need to skip some steps.”
I eyed him warily. This was certainly not what Jimmy had in mind when allowing Dylan to train me personally. “And what do you expect me to do?”
He backed away and spread his legs. “Charge me while activating your ability.”
I huffed a laugh. “First, I usually can’t activate it on purpose. Most of the time, it just happens. And second… are you out of your freaking mind? I could crumble you to pieces!”
“That won’t happen,” he assured me, not in the least bit worried.
“How can you be so sure?”
“I’m a Fighter, Haylie, and one of the best, I might add. I can endure much more than the average.”
“The guy from yesterday was a Fighter, too.”
“Yes, and I’m sure he would have fought back if he hadn’t been stabbed to death.” I winced, but he ignored it. “Haylie, the reason you’re training with Lisa is to learn how to be in harmony with your ability. You must not fear it, you need to let it in. As long as you’re fighting it, you won’t be able to control it. You need to practice, and the sooner you start, the better.”
He was right, of course. I couldn’t expect to wield it in battle if I never practiced how to use it. I was just afraid to hurt Dylan.
“Okay, what do you want me to do?”
“Charge me and combine your tackle with your ability. Let’s see if you can take me off my feet.”
I frowned. There was no doubt I could tackle him to the floor, assuming I could activate my power, that was. However, I was more afraid of what would happen if that occurred.
“This is crazy,” I muttered but took my stance, nonetheless.
“I’m sure you won’t be able to do it on the first shot. Take it slowly and keep in mind what you learned in Lisa’s lessons. Reach for it and keep a hold.” Yeah, it sounded easy. “Take your time. There’s no need to rush.” I nodded again, although it was more for my own assurance rather than an expression of agreement.
Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, I recalled Lisa’s instructions and reached inside to the center of my ability. Catching it was easier now, and the nauseating sensations had ebbed off over the last few training lessons.
As soon as I had a firm grip on the golden vortex hovering inside me, I opened my eyes, only to be faced with another problem. I needed to focus on two things at the same time, in this case, my ability and attacking Dylan. How the hell had I done it the few times I’d managed to fight with my power?
“Yes, that’s good. Don’t let go,” Dylan encouraged me after spotting the Flare in my eyes, indicating the activation of my ability.
I took some careful steps forward, afraid to lose the connection as my head started to spin like crazy. Stopping abruptly, I tried to regain control over my body. Damn, it had been a lot easier while sitting in Lisa’s room on the floor with my focus solely on one thing.
I stumbled a little when the golden substance in my stomach started to move up and down, and like the current of waves from water, I rocked slightly with it. I didn’t know what was happening, but Dylan seemed to have the answer.
“Take it slowly. Your ability takes hold of your body, and I guess gravity is switching on and off. Try to gain control to keep balance.”
Huh, now that he was saying it, it made perfect sense. It felt as if I were getting heavier and then lighter with each rocking motion. After another wave of uncontrolled gravity switches, a crack echoed off the walls, and I felt the concrete splitting underneath my shoes.
The hard thing was to distinguish between two different powers—the gravitational pull downward and upward. I had yet to discover how to handle them differently, but apparently, I always activated the right direction when I needed it.
The next challenge was controlling it in my body versus directing it at a target. Last night, when I’d spiked the Fighter behind me, I’d transferred the pull upward to him. This way, I’d been able to fling him back despite his mass and weight. It was amazing how hard it was to control the different aspects of my power willingly without the addition of rage or any other emotionally unstable state.
My teeth clenched in concentration, and I flailed my arms to keep upright. I concentrated harder on the airy substance inside me and slowly, the motions became steadier. After a few seconds of testing my stability, I stepped forward. I must have looked like an acrobat balancing on a rope, but Dylan patiently waited, watching my progress.
“How do you expect me to run at you, let alone tackle you in this state?” I asked peevishly. No way was I able to turn into fighting mode now.
“Try to lead your power to certain parts of your body. As a Fighter, I move the power inside me to the arms when punching and to the legs when kicking. Maybe it’s the same with yours.” I nodded briefly, although I had no idea how to put it into practice.
With as much focus as I could muster, I started pulling on the substance. At first, only a thin golden thread followed my order and moved higher, snaking up my torso. I managed to level it with my heart, but as soon as I exhaled, it snapped back to its original place. Thankfully, my stomach stayed calm this time.
“This could take a while,” I grumbled.
“Take all the time you need.”
I started the task again, this time stretching the thread up to my collarbone. The farther up I wanted it to go, the more difficult it became like straining a ribbon to its limit. Afraid of tearing the cord in two, I released it again.
I didn’t make much progress the third and fourth time, but I managed to pull the cord to my shoulder on the next try. It seemed the substance got more flexible the more I played with it, like sinews in the human body stretching farther with more training.
“Are you still with me?” Dylan’s voice penetrated my focus.
“Yeah, I’m almost there, I can feel it.”
I tugged again, and the substance gave way easier. I stretched it up over my chest to my right shoulder and down to my elbow until it finally reached my wrist. Flexing my fingers, I felt the power tingling there. I didn’t know if the single cord was enough to give me the needed strength, so I reached into the center again, gathering more substance to add to the cord already in place. After endless tries, I finally managed to collect more substance in my hand, and the threads automatically twisted together like a rope, strengthening its stability.
But I wouldn’t cry out for joy, as what happened next put me off guard. Literally.
The gravitational pull intensified so fast, my hand smacked down as if having a heavy sack of sand attached. Thankfully, my flexible limbs gave way, and it was only my upper body following suit.
My hand connected with the ground, and I didn’t even have time to form a fist, which was a good thing, as I would have certainly broken my knuckles. With a loud crack, I punched a hand-shaped dent in the ground.
I cried out in surprise, and the loud “Whoa!” from opposite me was a sign that Dylan hadn’t expected my Hulk-move either. It would have probably looked cool if I weren’t stuck in this awkward position where my feet stayed on the ground, barely a few inches apart, and my torso was down, arms outstretched, my upper body forming a perfect U-shape. Huh, I would make a yoga trainer proud of that pose. Right now, I was grateful Dylan wasn’t standing behind me.
I freed the golden substance centered in my hand. This time, I didn’t let it snap back into place like before, as this would have certainly caused a nausea my belly wouldn’t have survived, so I eased it back slowly. As soon as the substance retreated past my elbow, I was able to move my hand and lift it from the ground.
When I was upright again, wiping crumbs of debris from my hand, I lifted my head to look at Dylan who was staring open-mouthed at the dent in the floor.
“Well, I guess this was a tad too much,” I muttered.
“A tad…” Dylan agreed sarcastically.
“Still want me to tackle you?” I mocked, but instead of rejection, a creepy smile crept over his face.
“Finally, a challenge,” he exclaimed, and I huffed in disbelief. Was this man afraid of nothing? “You worry too much. Just do it, I’ll survive,” Dylan said, taking his defensive stance again.
I thought about my broken ribs when we landed in the pool. Dylan had been injured—I’d felt his back connect with the pool’s bottom—but hadn’t even sported a bruise when presenting his naked back to me today, except for the cut on his neck. Fighters were naturally more robust. Well, I hoped he was strong enough to take what I had in store for him.
Having a better feeling now on how to handle my power, I debated about how to perform the tackle. I decided to pull my power to the center of my chest, which should give me the needed strength in my upper body. Not as much substance as before, maybe just three or four cords for starters.
As soon as the substance was positioned where I wanted it to be, I asked Dylan one last time, “Are you sure about this?”
“Just do it,” he repeated, and I didn’t hesitate this time.
Bolting forward, I braced myself for the impact. I tackled Dylan with enough force to knock a normal person over, but other than tumbling a few steps back, Dylan stayed on his feet. He steadied me with his hands on my shoulders.
“That was your power coming through. Try again,” he ordered, and I returned to my spot.
We repeated the same move three more times. Each time, I added more threads to the center of my chest, and each time, it was harder for Dylan to keep upright.
After my fifth tackle, I fought the urge to rub my shoulder as I felt a bruise building there but refrained from showing my weakness in front of my relentless trainer. On the next try, I extended some of the threads from my chest to my shoulders, hoping to enhance the force of my tackle.
“Go!” Dylan shouted, and I sprinted forward.
Finally, I connected with Dylan’s hard chest with enough force to knock him over. The gravitational pull followed immediately, and we both went to the ground with me on top.
Dylan didn’t waste a second and snaked his arms securely around me, but it was not joy overcoming me for managing the task, it was fear for Dylan. If I landed on top of him with gravity still switched on, he could seriously hurt his spine. However, it was too late to withdraw as I still needed too long to maneuver the power within me.
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, but 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.