Chapter Ten
Nikon couldn’t decide if lacrosse was the best or worst game he’d ever seen. The fact that the players carried around big sticks and would occasionally knock one another down was a bonus in his eyes, but he couldn’t see where the tactical skills would be all that useful in real-life battle situations. Maybe it was unfair to think that way, but that was the way his hybrid mind worked.
There wasn’t a lot of strategy behind the moves, and the game itself seemed somewhat basic.
Not to mention, the team they were rooting for seemed to be nothing but cheaters. He watched as once again the home team was being called on a penalty.
“In combat, that move would have never worked,” he said to Leah. “The counterattack would had been devastating.”
She laughed and smiled widely at him. “I’ll have to let the coach know.”
Her laugh was infectious, and Nikon felt himself smiling back at her.
The hybrid had been worried when he’d dropped her off earlier. She seemed so matter of fact with him, and she clearly didn’t understand just why he couldn’t be with her. It didn’t help that he hadn’t been able to keep the way she felt against his body off his mind.
There was also the matter of the teacher Matt. Just thinking about the bastard made every piece of Nikon irritated. He tried to remind himself that Leah wasn’t his woman, but the beast within didn’t seem to agree with his mind.
Nikon did another scan of the crowd. No sign of the guy. Lucky him.
Leah shivered next to him. He looked around and knew she had greatly misjudged just how cold it would still be, even with her sweater outfit.
Not able to look her in the eye, Nikon opened up his coat and moved her to the warmth of his body. She gratefully placed her hands under his arm, and her shivering started to subside.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
They stayed like this for a bit. His eyes remained fixed on the game, although he wasn’t really paying much attention to anything other than the woman next to him.
The crowd jumped to their feet as a boy from the home team smashed through another boy, knocking the ball free. The two players tossed off their mitts and masks, and then began wailing on one another.
The boy in green from their team was nailing the other player, but the other boy was clearly trying to get away.
“Why aren’t they stopping it?” Leah whispered as people around them cheered the blood sport on.
Nikon shook his head. None of this made any sense. Getting bloody was a part of hand-to-hand combat, but neither of the players was demonstrating any actual battle skill. It was basically about who could get to their stick first after that point.
“I need to use the restroom,” Leah said quietly.
He could see the color had gone out of her face and knew that the spectacle was too much for her. After pulling back his arm, he stood and held out a hand.
“I’ll go with you,” Nikon said.
A blush filled her face, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit warmed by it. Did Matt make her feel this way? He doubted it.
Nikon continued to hold her hand as they made their way down the stairs and then still as they walked the dark and quiet path back to the school.
“I think the open door is right around the corner,” Leah said.
A rustling noise came from up ahead, and he quickly moved in front of her. It could be a sneak attack. No one would ever see it coming, especially at a place like this.
A teen couple stepped out from a bush. Their fan face-paint slightly smeared around their mouths. They had the decency to duck their heads as he glared down at them when they passed by.
Once they were out of earshot, Leah turned to look up at him. “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“The way you just acted, and the fact you didn’t want me to even come tonight. You know something you’re not telling me.”
Nikon looked down at her and grunted. It was time to just come clean.
“We received information from a source that some of the Vestals are being hunted.”
Leah frowned as they entered the darkened school. “Oh?”
“There was a list, and your name was on the top of the list,” Nikon reluctantly said. “I just want to keep you safe.”
Leah stepped to the side of the door within the shadows. “Do you believe this source?”
Nikon nodded. As much as he didn’t want to believe Tycho, he knew the other man wasn’t wrong.
“Is that why you wanted to come to the game?”
Nikon opened his mouth to say something but stopped. He heard voices from around the corner. Leah’s mood shifted, and a bright smile appeared on her face.
There was only one reason in his mind she could be smiling like that and that reason pissed him off. Her smiles were for him and him alone. He only barely fought down a growl.
Not thinking much, Nikon pulled her to the doorway just around the corner where they couldn’t be seen.
“What are you—” Leah said.
Nikon did the only thing he could think of. He leaned down and kissed her.
For a moment, he thought she might push him away as she balled up her fists against his chest. He was surprised when she relaxed them and wound her hands around the back of his neck.
At first, he had just been kissing her to keep her quiet, but the more they kissed, the more he didn’t really care just who the hell was nearby.
A low, deep growl filled his chest as he moved her body against the hard frame of the door. Her breasts pressed against him through the layers of fabric. He could still remember the way she felt against him naked and the way her warm body help bring him over the edge.
Nikon tasted the seam of her mouth before dipping inside. His tongue was slow in her mouth. He moved the way he wanted to move in her body.
Leah groaned against him, and he hoisted her leg up to his thigh, letting his lower half press firmly between her legs.
A sort of soft whimper came from her, and for the first time he realized just where they were and what it might mean for her if they were discovered.
Nikon pulled back with a sigh, letting her leg fall back gently to the floor. She kissed him softly on the lips and then licked her own.
“Well, um, wow,” Leah said, her cheeks and lips reddened.
Nikon rested his head against her as he panted softly. He wanted to say something so she would understand. Anything so she might not get the wrong idea. But he was fairly certain the large bulge in his pants that had been pressing against her center said more than he could ever hope to get out of his mouth.
“We should get going,” he said after a moment, tilting his head. “From what I can hear, I think the game is over.”
Leah nodded. “I’ll just use the restroom, and we can go.”
Nikon watched as she made her way down the hall. He leaned against the wall and let his head thud against it loudly. The pain only partially brought him down from the high of kissing Leah.
What the hell was he thinking? It didn’t matter if she smiled for another man. She might have been Alair’s Vestal, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be happy. He wanted her to be happy. It just couldn’t be with him.
No more.
Nikon couldn’t let his emotions cloud his actions anymore. If he were going to keep her safe, he needed to start thinking logically. He would be the man she needed him to be. No matter what it took and no matter how much it hurt.