Hathor Legacy: Burn (26 page)

32
Questions

"More coffee?" Estrella held the carafe over Nadira's cup. "Are you sure you don't want more to eat?"

It was a relief to share everything she'd been holding in since she left Hathor. Not only had Jonathan been anxious to hear what happened, but so had his mother. Estrella was less defensive than she'd been when Nadira had arrived, but her apprehension hadn't completely disappeared.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks," she replied.

"I don't understand it. Why set the fires at all?" Estrella asked, setting the carafe down. "What happened to Nadira in the warehouse makes no sense at all."

"They wanted to kill her along with Lt. Lin and the others," Jon remarked. "That way they could stop the investigation."

"They had to know it would lead to retaliation of some kind. Security is going to track down the people who killed the officers, and if the company sends troops in, it'll be even worse. That entire incident was pointless," Estrella said.

"Varyn told one of the clients she'd been forced to sell her se
rvices," Nadira said. "Maybe they were afraid of being found out."

Jon shook his head. "Then why not just punish Varyn? Besides, the other fires happened before her house burned. Why set the other fires?"

"At this point, things are out of control. Jen Montaigne gave me seven days to catch Ron in the act. I'm going to have to get back," Nadira said.

"She should ask her brother, Dakar, what he's doing," Jonathan said. "And we're both going back."

Estrella sighed. "Yes, I figured as much, Jon." She addressed Nadira. "If you take a freighter, it'll shave several hours off your trip. You both can meet Brandon on Demeter and take it from there."

"That's a good idea," Jonathan said. "Then we can leave tomo
rrow."

"But suppose troops do come in?" Estrella asked. "Brandon's told me how Novacorp treats people who are disruptive. Neither of you know what they've done on other worlds."

"Don't worry, Mother. If anything happens, we'll come back here," Jon replied.

"You act as though that'll be easy. Suppose it's not? If the co
mpany thinks the Guardians are behind the arsons, don't you think they'll be the first to suffer?" Estrella began gathering the cups and plates, stacking them so hard that Nadira was sure she'd broken a few of them.

"There are more Guardians than troops, Mother."

"Novacorp controls most of this system and all of the neighboring ones. How do you think they've done that? By force." She placed her palms down on the table and came to her feet, looking like she needed strength to push herself up. "If necessary, Brandon can protect you both. Promise me if there's any trouble when you go back, you'll contact him right away."

"We will," Nadira replied. If the worst happened, and troops came in, how could she leave the others to their fate? Saving he
rself wasn't an option. But she would do everything she could to get Jon to leave.

"Then, I'll tell Brandon." Estrella pushed her chair back and left the dining area.

"She's worried, Jon. So am I. I don't know what we'll be walking into," Nadira said.

"I know," he said. "But we'll find out, won't we?"

"I shouldn't have come to get you." She hadn't really considered the possible outcomes. It had seemed so unlikely that the company would really turn on the Guardians, and that they might be rounded up, or worse.

"If you hadn't, I would've found a way to get back to you," Jon replied. "They never expected you to do this. Now that you have, there's nothing more to discuss. Remember? I told you before, we're together now."

"Yes, I remember," she said.

"So we're going back together."

So far, leaving to get Jon had been the most rebellious thing she'd done since she'd become a Guardian. But seeing how things were going, she knew it wouldn't be her last.

33
Ashira

Restless after their conversation with his mother, Jon had given in to Nadira's desire to go outside and look around at the surrounding area. For the most part, the house was surrounded by the gardens, trees and other foliage.

The closest home was a few kilometers away, which meant it was unlikely for anyone else to come walking up. Just the right location for privacy, which his parents had particularly wanted after coming here from Hathor.

"I can't believe how hot it is." Nadira pushed up the sleeves of her top and fanned herself with her hand.

"It was your idea to look at the garden, certainly not mine." Wiping off his forehead, he pulled back a twisted tree limb so she could duck under it. "I thought you wanted to take a nap."

After being out here for the past half hour, he was ready for a nap himself. Between the heat and the meds he'd taken earlier, he felt like he was moving through a fog.

"I did before your mother gave me that strong coffee. Now I'm wide awake." She cupped her hand around a small white flower with pointed petals and a yellow, fuzzy center. "Where did she get it?"

"They grow it here. Astarte is mostly farms and small towns. The frontier, as Karin calls it." His mother's garden was as neat as usual, with flowers and fruits and vegetables in their separate se
ctions. As a kid growing up here, he'd been excited to help her with it.

Nadira shaded her eyes from the sun and scanned her surroun
dings. "Hey, is there a way to get down to the beach?"

"The beach? Why?" Of course she'd want to go down there.

"You live over the beach and you've never gone?" She perched her hands on her hips. "You won't get seasick standing on the shore, I promise."

Why did she always have to mention that? When they'd gone to the North he'd taken his first boat ride, and his last. Just the thought of being on that damned thing made him nauseous. "You sure you don't want to go take a nap?"

Laughing, she ran over and grabbed his arm. "Come on. We only have a little bit of time here. Show me."

Sighing, he led her through the garden and around to the rear of the house. Carved into the side of the mountain were stairs winding down to the small beach. Surrounded by shrubbery, he could only see small glimpses of the sea as they descended. It had been years since he'd been down there.

Last time he remembered making the descent, he'd been with some buddies who'd wanted to swim out to one of the rocks. Unfortunately, it hadn't been the smartest thing to do after a night of partying back in the city. He'd ended up swallowing a bit of sea water saving one of his friends who'd been swept out. Exhausted and more scared than any of them were ready to admit, they'd cut their nighttime swim short.

After that, he'd stuck to partying in town, where the worst that could happen wouldn't involve drowning while half-drunk.

That same loss of control had hit him again when Talia had been trying to force him to confess. Not knowing if he was going to survive, and having to fight with every ounce of his strength to hold on. He'd made it in the water that night, and again in the Detention Center. But what would happen if one day his determination wasn't enough?

Ahead of him, Nadira reached the bottom step and ran out onto the sand. Stopping to kick off her shoes, she headed for the water's edge just as a wave splashed up. At least the water wasn't as rough now as it had been. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let her get so close.

"This is beautiful. Your own private beach." She turned around in a circle, her arms outspread. "Don't you love the smell?"

"It smells like boiled seaweed." He kicked off his shoes and joined her, jumping back as a wave washed up over his feet. "It's cold." Seaweed, cold water and wet sand. Looking out over the shimmering blue-green water, he had to admit it was beautiful. As long as you didn't look beneath the surface, or think about the huge, jagged rocks that jutted out just steps away from the shore.

"Let's go in." She glanced up. "No one can see us from the house." She pulled off her top and flung it over by her shoes.

"Go in? This water is too rough." There was no way either of them was going in. "And see the rocks over there?"

"I don't mean swim. We can just go in. Damn it, Jon, I've come millions of kilometers to be here. Millions. I just want to forget all the shit we've been through in the past couple of weeks." Hooking her fingers into the waistband of her knit pants, she rolled it down until she could step out of them. "Who knows if we'll ever get to do this again?"

What the hell had happened? Some kind of role reversal? Us
ually she was the cautious one and he was the one rushing out. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Are you going to come in or not?"

"I'm still trying to figure out what the hell is going on." Maybe the trip had done something to her. Were Guardians affected by space travel?

"Fine. Stand there." Walking to the water's edge she removed her bra, and then her panties and threw them to the side. She glanced back at him, then slowly walked into the water.

Did she know what she was doing to him? For a moment he was rooted to the spot, watching her movements, unable to look away. After the almost three weeks they'd been apart, he'd dreamed of her, ached for her, believed he might never see her again.

When she was halfway between the shore and the first jagged rock, she stood there, letting the waves surround her with bluish-white foam. By now the water was halfway up her hip. Another few steps she'd be submerged.

"Nadira. Don't go any further!" he called.

She turned, but only enough for him to see her profile. "I'm not afraid," she said, as she reached out a hand to him.

Standing there unflinching as the waves broke around her, she could've been some sort of mythical creature who'd come out of the waves.

In his learning modules, he'd been taught about some of the myths from Earth. According to his Novacorp-designed instru
ction, those stories were old fashioned and irrelevant. No one wanted to be like the people back on Earth who still believed such things.

But seeing Nadira there, fearless and beautiful as the water splashed over her, he wondered if those stories of goddesses ari
sing from the sea might have been based on some truth. Her golden brown skin glistened as sunlight reflected off the beads of water trailing down her body.

It only took him seconds to undress and go to her side. Gathe
ring her into his arms, he eased his tongue into her open mouth. A wave splashed against them and he almost lost his balance, but kept himself upright. Sharp bits of shell and rock were digging into the balls of his feet, but he didn't care. In that moment, the pain didn't matter.

Breaking the kiss, she pressed her cheek against his. "Doesn't it feel good?"

He chuckled. "If you wanted me naked, you should've said so."

"I wanted you naked, and I wanted to feel the water too." Her fingertips glided across his back and down to his hips.

"Look, let's get back on land. Okay?" He guided her back to the shore. As the wave came in and went back out, the water pulled at his legs, forcing him to fight against it with every step. Nadira kept up with him, her arm around his waist, as they moved.

Back on the beach, he felt her trembling. He led her over to the stairs and sat her down on a small mound of sand. Kneeling in front of her, he rubbed her arms.

"Had enough?" he asked. Down here in this corner of the beach, the sunlight didn't reach directly, so it wasn't as warm.

"I can't use my abilities right now, Jon. All I have are the senses that everyone else has," she said, sliding off the mound and sitting next to him. "That's what I wanted to feel."

"But you lost your abilities before. After the warehouse."

"Not the same. I was drained, but my abilities were still there. Now I can barely feel them. I can't even read your thoughts right now." She nestled against him. "It's like being naked with no d
efenses."

"Being naked isn't so bad." He kissed her as he eased her down on the sand. "You don't have to read my thoughts to know what I feel."

As aggressive as she'd been about going out into the water, she was the total opposite right now. Usually when they'd made love, the reaction between them was heightened by their connection. Energy flowed like sparks and they'd be overwhelmed with emotion.

But this was different. What passed between them was gentler, and slower.

She was on top of him now, running her hands over his chest as she came closer for another kiss. Sand between her fingers irritated and excited him at the same time. He slid his hands across her shoulders and turned her over on her back.

Reaching over to grab a handful of their clothing, he rolled them up and put them under her head. Then he trailed kisses down her body, stopping at her breasts to taste and tease her, taking one soft peak into his mouth, while he cupped the other. Whimpering, she arched her back as he suckled, entangling her fingers in his hair so she could draw him down even closer.

He wanted to linger, but his own desires were driving him to continue. With one last nip of the hard bud, he rimmed the dark areole, and then ran his tongue across her breast. Her fingers, still entwined in his hair, tensed as a long, low sound escaped her lips.

Nestled between her breasts, he licked and tasted salt. Moving his hands down to grip her waist, he let his tongue play over her skin. Wiping sand off her belly, he caressed and licked his way down, on his way to the place where he knew he'd find her center. Smells of sweat mingled with the sweet soap fragrance as he moved over her salty slickness.

Working his tongue over her most sensitive places, he positioned himself on his elbows so that he could take his time. Above the roar of the waves crashing, so much louder in this corner of the beach, he heard her moans fueling him to his own explosion. He held himself back, wanting to take his time on his task. Nothing else mattered right now but giving her pleasure and her responses spurred him to work even harder at driving her.

Crying out, she called his name and tried to move, but he held her in place, not letting her get away from his slow, insistent pro
bing. Refusing to let her quickly have release, he prolonged it as long as he could, straining against his own desire to bury himself inside her soft warmth. Without her abilities, she couldn't feel his emotions. But that didn't matter. With what he was doing, she'd have enough of her own to experience.

He couldn't hold back any longer. It had to be now. Easing himself up, he positioned himself over her. Her eyes were closed, her head lolling to the side.

"Look at me," he commanded.

She opened her eyes, revealing the gold-flecked brown. Frow
ning, she was trying to focus, but he knew what she wanted.

"Guide me." Aching to enter her, he pressed against her moist opening.

Her lips parted, and her tongue licked across them as she complied.

Gasping, he sheathed himself inside her. Maybe she didn't have her abilities, but feeling her like this was like being hit by a stunner blast. He shuddered as she lifted her hips and received him, dra
wing him into her. He caught his breath, preparing himself to be just as deliberate now as he had been before. Slowly out, then in, letting the heat build up between them. But as much as he wanted to, he couldn't hold back any longer. As the heat burned between them, he felt that she wanted it, too.

He was lost. They both were. Moving together, their hunger for each other pushing everything else aside, he let her responses pull him, urge him on to the fiery release they both desired. For a m
oment he was glad they were down here, where they wouldn't be heard over the waves smashing against the rocks. He felt her stiffen beneath him, suspended as she let the waves of emotion wash over her. Then he followed her, and unable to hold himself up, he collapsed against her.

Lying there for who knows how long, he came back to the sound of her voice. She was caressing the back of his head, ta
ngling her fingers in his curls. Moving to lift himself, his arms trembled and he fell back again. Boneless, he couldn't find the strength to roll over.

He tried to fight the desire to sleep, but it was pulling him into its embrace. Leaning his head against her shoulder, he stopped fighting it.

"I love you, Jonathan," she said. "I love you."

In spite of his exhaustion, his heart surged in his chest as her words registered. "I love you too, Nadira," he replied. Resting in her arms, he was safe and he knew he always would be. Cradled there, he drifted off, as the sound of the waves lulled him to sleep.