“No. Hell to the no, Harleigh.” I give her a stern look, and she pouts. Actually fucking pouts at me, dammit.
She just walked into the room all smiles with a returned Orion trailing behind her, and just told me I was playing the guitar for their year end performance. I would have been fine with it if it wasn’t such a fucking chick-flick song.
Yes, I’m aware that it wasn’t always a movie or even a song in a musical, and was written by ABBA, but fucking hell. I did not learn the guitar to play something so chick-like.
“Please, baby?” She gets up and walks over to me, straddling my lap and touching her nose to mine with the cutest pout and puppy dog eyes I’ve ever seen, and I groan.
I know I’ll give in because I love her, and she’s just too fucking adorable to say no to, and she fucking knows it.
“Fine,” I concede, and she smirks at me before kissing me hard, grinding her hips against mine. “Don’t even think about starting something we can’t finish right now,” I growl at her, and she chuckles.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen her so carefree and happy, and if this stupid-ass song is what’s doing it for her, then I will play a million more just to make sure she’s always happy.
She’s turned me into such a fucking sap for her.
“You need to get that sexy ass of yours to detention before Daniels punishes you.” I smack her ass, and she leans down to bite my neck and grind hard against my dick, making it stir some more. “Fuck, babe, don’t do that.”
“Don’t smack my ass then.” She throws back at me with a laugh, before we all get up and follow her to detention and training.
She’s been coming along really well with her telekinesis, to the point where she can even move Mark without getting too tired, and he’s a big fucking dude. It still takes her a while to regroup once she’s succeeded in throwing someone across the room, but the goal is for it to not drain her. For her to be able to throw one person, and then another, and another if the situation arises.
The power is there within her, but her body isn’t used to wielding it, so she needs to exercise it and build up that strength.
She’s getting there.
“I see you decided to bring your entire entourage with you today,” Mark snarks the moment we walk through the doors, and Harleigh doesn’t miss a beat.
“And we’ve been over this. They go where I go because they love me, and want to protect me. Deal with it.”
I laugh, and Brian smiles at her attitude. When I look over at Orion, he’s assessing Mark like he’s someone that may need to be eliminated, and it sends a shiver down my spine.
He’s cold and calculated, and I have no doubt that if Harleigh didn’t love us, he would take us out in a heartbeat without losing sleep over it. But he loves her, and she loves us, which means we aren’t going anywhere, so I trust him not to kill us.
Mostly.
“Who is the new tag along?” He lifts his chin toward Orion who gives a hard glare in return.
“Orion Conners. I just transferred, so I will be in your class tomorrow.”
“I have a Darren Conners in my morning class. Twins I take it,” he states.
It’s kind of obvious without needing to be said. The only physical difference between them, according to Harleigh, is their eye colour. I shouldn’t be surprised that she’s paid that close of attention to the two of them, but it’s still weird.
Oh, and the guy dresses like he’s a thirty-year-old lawyer rather than an eighteen-year-old, which is just odd in itself.
“Clearly,” Orion states dryly, and I stifle a chuckle when Harleigh swats my stomach. It’s her universal sign to ‘behave’.
Mark just gives a nod before focusing on our girl. She’s the sole purpose of us all being here right now. “Any changes with your abilities in the past few days?”
She bites her lip, looking unsure, and it has Brian and I exchanging a look. She hasn’t said anything to us.
“Maybe. Well, more like the past week and a bit,” she says.
“Alright, what is it?” His stance is wide with his arms crossed over his chest as he asks her, waiting for her to respond.
“It might be nothing, but I’ve dreamt about the same place, and person, twice since school started.”
He seems to think on it for a second. “Were they the same dream?” he asks, and she shakes her head.
“No. Just the same location and the same man.” She’s shuffling her feet like she’s uncomfortable talking about it.
I’m kind of uncomfortable hearing it. She’s dreaming about some random guy and didn’t think to mention it to us? Why?
Fuck, a dream demon could be attacking her mind at night and we wouldn’t know because she didn’t tell us.
“Why didn’t you say anything to us?” Brian cuts me a look to say, ‘chill the fuck out dude’, and I glare at him.
“Because it’s only happened twice now, and I just figured it was a stupid dream, but he knew things.” She sighs, and looks up at Brian.
“What do you mean he know things?” I growl.
She curls into Brian’s chest like my aggression shocks her, and cat boy moves to half block me from her. Like I would ever fucking hurt her. “Back off, cat boy. I’m not going to fucking hurt her, I just want to know why she didn’t tell us.”
“And she will tell us, but you need to back off,” he says simply, and holds his hand up.
“He knew about Orion, and said things like he was family to me. He said he knew who my father was, and that I’m extremely powerful. To be careful,” she explains to all of us.
Fucking hell, now I really want to hold her. That must have been hard for her to keep to herself.
“Baby, come here.” I hold my arms out, and she lets go of Brian to walk to me, and I hold her tight. “I’m sorry I snapped a bit. That had to be hard for you to hold in all week. I just wish you had talked to me, that’s all.” I kiss her forehead and hold her close.
“What else did this man say, Harleigh?” Mark asks, breaking up the cuddle session, and she sniffs. As she pulls away, I grab her hand and squeeze it in silent support.
“That he’s keeping an eye on me from where he is, and if I ever need him, I know how to find him.”
“Interesting. And you’ve never seen this man before?”
She shakes her head. “Never. Why? It’s just a dream, right? My mind trying to find ways to process the past year?”
Her voice quivers a bit with fear before she straightens her shoulders like the brave badass I fell for.
“It could be for sure, but it could also be you having premonitions,” he states, and I squeeze her hand again.
“What about a dream demon?” I ask, and they look at me. I just shrug because I had to ask.
Mark thinks on it a moment before responding. “It’s another possibility, but an unlikely one.” He taps his chin.
“Why unlikely?” I ask. Because I know demons, and I don’t know anyone aside from angels and high-level demons that are immune to their magic.
“Because if you can’t possess her, I assume she’s immune to any demon getting inside of her head.”
It makes sense. I hadn’t thought about it from that angle, either. I just figured that was our soul connection, and I couldn’t possess her because I shared her soul. But what if it is more than that? Could she really be that powerful?
“You think my premonition ability is growing?” she asks, and Mark gives a sharp nod.
“It’s the most likely scenario.”
“And the man?” She whispers softly.
“Probably insignificant. It’s most likely your mind giving you hints for the future, but at this point it’s too soon to try and decipher them. Keep a diary of what you dream about, and see what happens. Alright?”
She nods, and Mark instantly puts us all to work on training our abilities for the next hour.
Harleigh
“I’m toast.” I collapse onto the couch, whining, when we get back to the room.
“You’re getting better, beautiful.” Brian smiles and sits down beside me, kissing my cheek. “I’ve never seen anyone advance as quickly as you. You’re a natural.”
I don’t try to hide the blush that his words elicit in me, and he smirks.
“He’s right. Your escalation is incredible,” Orion chimes in, and Colt just grunts as he closes his eyes.
The room is silent for a while as we all close our eyes and rest for a bit after the day we had, before I break the silence. We need to talk about the elephant in the room.
I open my eyes to glance over at Orion across from me and find him watching me, and I give him a soft smile.
My heart is giving into him quicker than I thought it would, and I need to be careful. I know he holds a piece of my soul, but that doesn’t mean I can just trust him.
“Are we all going to sit here and ignore the question hanging in the air?” I ask.
Brian and Colten sit up and open their eyes.
I look back to Orion before speaking. “Can you tell us where you were now?” I give him a look, and he nods.
“I won’t tell you where I was exactly, but I was following a lead to find your friend.”
“Adeline,” I state so he calls her by name. “Or Addy.”
“Yes, Adeline. Anyway, he’s somewhere in Nevada just a few hours away.”
I sit up straight and stare at him. Addy is that close, and the angels can’t find her? That has to confirm David’s suspicions, right?
Fuck! My breathing starts to pick up as I hyperventilate, realizing we may never find her, and it’s all my fault.
If I had known, I would never have gone to see her that night. Hell, I would have been alone my entire life if it meant keeping everyone safe!
Brian’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me into his lap as he starts to calm me. I shake my head trying to fight it as the tears begin to fall. I want to feel the guilt and pain. It’s not fair that she’s suffering, and I get to be happy.
“No, Bry, stop trying to calm me down.” I cry harder, and he stops using his power on me, but doesn’t stop trying to sooth me.
Colten has already moved and is sitting on the couch beside me, trying to comfort me as well, and Orion is squatting on the floor in front of Brian and me.
“Harleigh, babe, you can’t think like that. There is no way you could have known, so stop blaming yourself for this.” Colt’s voice is soft and loving, but has a firmness to it that brings me back to the present just a little.
“You don’t understand! She’s suffering because of me! I need to fix this.” I look Orion right in the eyes with the determination I feel, and he stares for a moment before nodding.
“I will do whatever it takes, Harleigh, I promise.”
Wiping the tears from my cheeks as they start to slow, I turn my body toward him more, and hold out my hands for him to take. Brian’s hands hold my hips and Colten rests his on thigh, so they’re all touching me in some way.
“What did you have to do to get that information?” I ask him, and he doesn’t so much as blink.
He holds eye contact with me, like the detached person he is with everyone else, but there is a layer of softness there. He’s not cold with me.
“I don’t think you want the details.”
A sick feeling rises in my stomach, but I push it down. This is who he is, and if the person was working with Paul, then he wasn’t a good person.
If I need to detach from that part of me in order to find my best friend, I will. It’s not like I’m the one doing the torturing and killing, anyway. He warned me of who he is from the beginning.
“You’re right, I don’t. Are you okay?” I ask him, and he rocks back on his heels with a look of shock, before he gives me a devilishly handsome smirk that has my heart racing and my pussy clenching.
“I am more than okay. Don’t worry about me, baby. This is where I thrive.” He winks, and I let out a whimper.
Why do I find it so hot that he’s willing to torture and kill for my best friend? All because she means something to me. Or that he doesn’t give a shit about anyone but me, and yet he respects me enough to leave Bry and Colt alone?
I think I might be damaged when it comes to him. Or it’s our souls, but it doesn’t matter. All I want right now is to kiss the fuck out of him and feel his body against mine.
“Bry? Colt?” I look between them, and Colt is scowling. He knows what I’m about to ask, and he doesn’t seem very happy about it.
“Yeah?” Brian speaks softly as he gives my hips a squeeze.
“Can you guys give us some time alone?” I make sure to show them how serious I am about this, and Colt grumbles under his breath as he stands. Bry moves me off his lap to do the same.
“Colt, I’m not having sex with him. Not yet,” I tell him to ease his worries, and he looks at me with an odd expression.
“I know it’s inevitable if he sticks around, I just want you to be sure, babe. Make sure we can trust him, and that he’s forever, first. That’s all I ask.”
I give him a genuine smile as my heart warms inside my chest. “I would do nothing less. I waited with you and Bry, too. I’m not going to do anything without being one hundred percent certain.”
He leans down to give me a soft kiss that’s so unlike Colt, the heat in my chest spreads. “I love you,” he whispers.
“I love you too,” I whisper back.
“Angel boy and I will give you an hour. We’ll go get something for dinner, and bring it back for everyone.”
My stomach chooses this moment to rumble, and all three of them laugh.
“Dinner sounds perfect. Love you, Bry,” I say, smiling.
“Love you too, beautiful.”
They walk out the door, leaving us alone for the first time in a week. I look down at him still sitting on the floor by me. “You can come up here, you know.” I pat the couch, and he chuckles.
He moves to sit on the couch beside me, and I straddle his thighs while he grips my hips to stop me from moving.
“What are you doing, Harleigh?” he asks.
“Getting close to you.” I lean my forehead against his, and he groans.
“I thought you just told them we weren’t doing this.”
It’s my turn to laugh. “We can do other things without having sex or getting naked, Orion.”
“I think you overestimate my control with you, Harleigh.” He licks his lips, letting out a harsh, shaky breath. “I’m used to just taking what I want and not having to follow any rules.”
I swallow hard, and try to hold back the fear trying to creep in. “You raped women?”
He looks repulsed. “Never. I never had a need to. You have to understand the life I’ve lived, Harleigh. Women seem to enjoy trying to reign me in, and get me to feel. I don’t feel, or rather I didn’t. Sex was always subpar, and just a physical issue I had to deal with when my body wouldn’t fuck off.”
I pull back my head a bit to look at him. I can’t imagine a life where sex doesn’t feel amazing and desirable. Where you feel nothing.
“That sounds lonely,” I whisper, and he gives me a shrug.
“I didn’t know any different, baby. That first day you found out I wasn’t just Orion the cat?” I nod when he looks to make sure I’m following his thoughts. “You touched my cheek, and it was hands down the most intense, and life altering moment of my life,” he admits.
I’m shocked speechless before I can function again. “So, sex is just… empty?” I ask, and he nods.
“Yes. I get hard, I fuck them to get off, and that’s it. It’s not satisfying in any way. You change everything.”
“Wow.” I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him to me to take his mouth with mine.
Orion
Fuck. She feels like the most incredible sin to ever exist on this earth.
I’ve never felt anything so perfect against me, and as her mouth captures mine with enough passion to light the entire building on fire, I know I never will again.
I groan, giving into her wants and needs, opening my mouth to run my tongue along hers, while her hips grind against my dick that’s throbbing painfully behind my slacks, begging to be set free.
I’ve never felt desire like this before. This primal need mixed with passion and emotions. Where I actually want to be with the woman on my lap instead of just using them as a physical hole to stick my dick in.
I groan into her mouth when I think about how tight and wet she would feel on my dick, and I almost combust from the thought alone.
“Harleigh,” I whisper into her mouth, my hands moving into her hair to bring her mouth harder against mine, so I can feel every inch of her delicious mouth. To capture her every moan and gasp that leaves her as her core rubs against mine.
“Orion.” She puts her hands on my shoulders, digging her nails in as she picks up the rhythm of her hips, and I start thrusting up to meet her every move before I make her stop.
“Whoa, whoa, wait,” I whisper, and she stops to look at me with worry. “Can I touch you if I promise clothes won’t come off?”
She blushes like the sweet woman she is, and nods.
Picking her up, I lay her down on the couch before kissing her hard as my hands move slowly down her sides, before opening up her jeans.
Before I can get my hands past the waistband on her pants and underwear, her hand cups my throbbing dick through my pants, and I groan her name loudly.
“Shit,” I hiss, and she chuckles, before turning onto her side to face me so I can lay down with her. “You’re trying to kill me,” I groan while her hand rubs up and down, and she moans.
“Can I touch you, too? Please?” She blinks at me with innocent eyes like she thinks I have the control to deny her. Yeah fucking right.
“Always, baby. Always.” She moves her hands to open my pants, sliding her soft warm hand over my bare cock, and I thrust into her palm. “Holy fuck, that feels good,” I groan out as I try to fight off the climax that wants to blow just from her soft touch.
I refuse to cum before she does. Biting her bottom lip and pulling her close to me for a deep and intense kiss, my hand moves past her stomach. Moving down the front of her pants and undies, and she moans when my finger touches her drenched folds.
Holy, fucking fuck. She feels like an oasis made for my cock to live in, and I would give anything to feel her channel gripping me, but my fingers will have to do for now.
I circle her clit a few times before dipping down to her entrance. Pushing the tip of one finger in, I start pulling it back out, and pushing it back in just a little further until she’s wiggling against me, and squeezing my dick with her hand.
“Fuck, Harleigh, you feel better than anything I’ve ever touched,” I groan against her lips, and her whimpers turn into a low cry as I add a second finger and pick up the tempo, curling my fingers to rub against her g-spot with every thrust.
“So close. Please, oh shit, close. So, so close. Please!” She cums with a loud scream as I push my thumb into her clit, and I feel her pussy convulsing around my fingers so tightly it sets my own orgasm off. I groan her name as I cum all over her hand, spurt after spurt draining from my body in an intense release.
I kiss her softly as her orgasm wanes, and I slowly remove my fingers with a shudder. “Thank you.” I look at her as I lick her juices off my fingers, and she groans. She tastes fucking delectable.
“You’re thanking me?” She tilts her head. “Why?”
I move to hold her face in my hands and run my nose along hers, taking a deep breath. “Because you’re letting me love you, and you gave me something no one else in the world can.”
“What?” she whispers.
“You, Harleigh. You’re everything. The best thing in my life.” I kiss her gently.