TheHealers (17 page)

“Did I do it?” He still hadn’t spoken, so maybe I had misinterpreted what I had felt. Surprise colored his entire face. I decided to keep my new found little strength secret for the moment.

“You did it. Much faster than I anticipated.” He reached over to grab my hands again and I let him.

“Let’s try it again, but this time with me causing a distraction.” Alexander’s chair scooted over closer and his hand was rubbing on top of my knee while the other hand was wrapped up with my fingers on the table. Those small touches were enough to create strong urges for nakedness right away. But, I kept my clothes on. I closed my eyes and waited. Nothing happened. The rubbing had stilled on my knee.

“What’s wrong?” I searched his eyes for some sort of clarity and found nothing but a deep dark serious face.

“You’re shielding me right now. You never put them down from when I poked at you the first time. Do you feel what you are doing?” Eyes intent on my face waited for a response.

“I felt that I held it after your pin prick. It just feels like I’m holding an umbrella. This is what you want me to do regularly?” Questions were still in my eyes, but it all did feel natural.

“Yes. This will keep others from figuring out who you are right away.” Big arms pulled me to his lap.

“It makes me feel so much better to know you can hide yourself. I can worry a little less now.” Relief crossed over his face in massive amounts and then another expression crossed his face. This one I had seen recently.

My legs were on one side as I lay strewn across sideways on his lap. He brought his face down to mine. Even sitting in his lap, I was smaller. A few small bites and tugs on my lips before I let him inside of my mouth. His tongue took complete control of my mouth. For maybe just half of a second I wondered if he was trying to distract me from holding my shields. Then he pulled my dress down from the top so that my breasts were peeking out for him. His finger reached around and snapped off my bra and a loud moan escaped my mouth.

“I was thinking that we might have a few extra minutes to play before going since you’re such a fast learner.” His words were playful, but his face and hands were austere. The tingle all across my nipples created huge amounts of heat down below. One of his hands roughly grabbed my back to hold me in place while the other mischievously abused my nipples.

Our lips welded together like they had never been apart. Nothing existed outside of this kiss. I pushed back for a breath and spoke passionately, “What do you want, Alexander?” I smiled at my reference to his earlier words.

“You. In this chair, riding me.” In an instant my panties were being ripped off and I rubbed against the rocklike bulge in his pants. One finger slid right into me. The astonishment of it nearly threw me into a tremendous release, but I held on. Both of my hands went down to his button and zipper. They came undone easily and I reached in to grab what I wanted.

“Take me out. I need you.” His passion filled words drained every thought in my mind and heated me to an insane fever. I started to put my hand on this piece of him that wanted me. His body rocked with heat and scooped me up to place my body right on top of it. A hard push and I was sliding up and down with one of his hands on my waist and the other grabbing my neck. The hand on my neck was giving him a better angle to push in and out of me with. Again, I could hear the sounds of our skin sliding over each other and all the rough heated sounds that came from both of our mouths. The chair gritted against the floor to hold us and I wanted him to push harder. The pleasure hit me in waves. I felt him pulsing deeper and thicker. My legs shivered and clenched him inside of me while I rode myself into a state of delirium. His body shuddered and started calling words in another language. Together we were intertwined for some time. My body wanted to hold onto his fullness inside of me and never let go.

Alexander’s face came up and pushed our foreheads together.

“I want to be like this with you forever.” Those powerful words and the closeness of our bodies crashed down walls all over my mind. I was letting him into places no one else had ever been permitted
—
this seductive Guard of mine.

Chapter Eighteen

Her
face
was covered in exquisite laugh lines that glowed off of her with all the happiness in her being. Hazel eyes shimmered like gold and glittered with her laughter right now.

“You were always such a force of nature, Alexander. Even as a child.” The glow in her eyes went soft for a moment with memory.

The four of us were alone in Trevor and Irena’s home on the vineyard. It had been a short walk from our cottage and yet long enough that we could enjoy stargazing on the way. A light blush rose in my cheeks as I remembered what we had been doing an hour ago. Alexander glanced at me with a hopeless grin. He noticed the color on my cheeks too.

“Are there other cottages on the vineyard?” I wondered how safe we were here.

“No. We built only the one. It was our hope to reserve some of our privacy by keeping it exclusive.” There was something in his expression that told me privacy in the literal sense was not the only reason. I leaned over to have a last bite of the savory lasagna when the conversation started to get serious.

“The threat on her life has become an all out chase. I believe it’s time to start going on the offense instead of always on the defense.” The determination in Alexander’s voice was hard to argue with.

“We follow the rules set in place by the Conservatory. What else can we do?” Trevor’s tone suggested this conversation was going to be long winded.

“I intend to seek authority to fight back. We are trained and many of us are willing. I think this is the time for change.” Alexander grabbed his glass of wine for a sip and then put his hand on my leg. My whole body ignited to his touch.

“What do you mean fight back?” My words were laced with concern. I was not going to advocate for anything that would endanger Alexander.

“For centuries, we have always hidden from the Hunters. We do not fight back. There are many of us that believe hunting them would put an end to their tyranny.”

“I can feel that your shields are up now, Layna. Good work.” Trevor’s praise felt nice.

“Do you not fight at all?” I was confused, because there was no denying Alexander’s physical strength to take someone down.

“We fight in defense and to protect, but we do not seek out their Hunters and attack. I believe if we were to seek them out the way they do us, they might stop picking us off like flies.” Such strong conviction. He was most definitely a protector. My protector.

“She’s a natural. Not that it surprises me a bit.” Alexander’s hand continued to stroke the very essence of my soul just by his touch on my leg.

“Well, our most important responsibility right now is to keep Layna with us. You are a very important part of The Order. How soon can you get her out to the Conservatory? I know they’re waiting for her.” Trevor looked up to meet my gaze.

Irena spoke softly, “Layna, why don’t you help me get the dessert?” Even though I was curious about the turn of the conversation, I jumped right up to help her because she was someone I didn’t think you argued with.

Dirty plates started to fill her hands so I mimicked the movement by grabbing Alexander’s plate along with my own. There was comfort in that simple act. Here was a man I would pick up dirty dishes for. I practically mirrored a domesticated house wife. Wouldn’t all my friends have a good laugh at me now?

I copied Irena’s movement and placed the dishes to the left of the sink. I was about to offer to rinse and place them in the dishwasher when she turned around.

“Layna, you are so very special and important to our people. It is of the utmost importance that you keep yourself safe. Do you understand?” The plea in her words did not match the commanding aura of her presence.

“I don’t understand what you mean. Aren’t we all Healers?” Now my confusion hit an all time high.

“I will let Alexander explain the rest to you. Take good care of him. He belongs to you now.” Warmth crossed her face in affection at this man that I had grown attached to. She grabbed me into a motherly embrace that left me speechless for a few moments. Irena must be a great mother.

“Belongs to me?” There were hope and questions in my voice all at once. I wanted him to belong to me forever, but how did she know?

“My blood line is mixed with seers. They are magic people that have a large range of gifts. My grandmother had the ability to see emotions and connections between people. I can see the unbreakable bond that ties the two of you together.” Her hands reached up to run through my hair in a nurturing caress.

“Is it real? I feel it, but I’m scared. My mind tells me that it’s not possible.” It was so natural to open up to the woman I had just met. She was full of love and goodness. My senses could feel it and I started to trust them.

“Oh, glykia mou.” Her voice warmed my heart.

“What does that mean? You speak Greek, too?” I had heard those words before. I was pretty sure it was from Alexander. He was the only hunky Greek man I knew.

“It means
my sweet
. Yes, Alexander and I are both Greek.” The smile that crossed her face now was full of pride. It hurt me a little because I still wished I knew who I was and where my family had come from.

She put her hand in mine and started to speak to me more. “You two have an unending connection. You will always belong to each other on a spiritual level. On a physical level you will have to choose it. Commitment to someone like that, it’s hard. You both have to work for it, but the reward is worth it.” She continued to hold our fingers together and I squeezed back. I would fight for it, live and die for it. This belonging to someone, it soothed my soul.

“I know it’s worth it.” The tears filled up my eyes as they came close to splashing over my face, but I held onto them. Irena needed to see strength in me. The air tasted of her need for me to be filled with unbending strength and I would not disappoint her.

We spent the night at the cottage and savored a long lazy loving all night. It seemed as though we would wake up in the middle of the night and need each other. His physical presence inside of me soothed parts of my soul that I didn’t even realize had been damaged or hungry. In all of my life I had been the one helping others. Being more aware of my gift, I wondered how many times I had healed others and had not been fully aware of it because it had been in small doses. Always helping and healing others. Now, I had this presence in my life healing me. I was so touched by this gift I was being given. Alexander was truly a gift. This binding that was occurring between us felt so pre destined. It was impossible to wrap my mind around the powerful push to draw us together. Did I believe now in the idea that two souls could be aligned for each other?

The hand that made my legs quiver all night began to brush through my hair as we drove away from our safe haven. A deep breath provided an overload to my senses as I smelled him all over me, mountains and waterfalls. The scent of him still lingered on me. I hoped it would never go away.

“Where exactly are we heading? Are you sure we had to leave the cottage so soon?” Leaving had been painful to my mind and soul. This place had awakened parts of myself I had been unaware of. Mostly, because of this tantalizing man beside me.

“The Conservatory. It’s a school and a home for Healers.” His hand reached down to bring my hand to his lips and kiss. We had been driving for at least thirty minutes and my mind had wandered silent. Either that, or he had sated every need imaginable in the last twelve hours so that I didn’t feel the need to speak. I wondered if husbands had ever contemplated that as a strategy for arguing less with their wives. When I started my therapy sessions again I would suggest it. Snickers came from my throat as I imagined the scene.

Brooding husband states, ”I can’t get my wife to stop complaining. All she does is bitch at me. Everything I do is wrong and stupid.”

The all knowing therapist replies, “Have you ever thought of fucking the fight out of her? I suggest you please her over and over again until she has nothing else to say.” Wouldn’t the world be a wonderful place…?

“What is going on in that pretty mind of yours?” The pleasure dripped off of his words. We were both experiencing such highs. The world could be a lot more effective if everyone had more sex. I thought I might start a campaign. Now, I doubled over in laughter.

“I was just imagining the world if we had a daily sex quota for everyone. No more need for constant drugs to help our moods. I think it would be magnificent.” I had succeeded in making Alexander laugh, too.

“I whole heartedly agree with you. In fact, it’s been a few hours. Should we pull over?” I knew he would totally take me on if I said yes. Just then his cell phone began to go off, interrupting the moment.

I turned my head to stare out of the window while he carried on his encrypted conversation. It consisted of more than a few murmurs of agreement or disagreement and then a consensus about where we were going. I guess he didn’t feel like phone lines were safe enough. The nice chill outside the window was visible on the passing trees. There were still hills and a few glimpses of river water. Not many cars were out and the places we passed seemed to be still closed
—
except for the churches. Sundays were an entity all to themselves in the South.