Through The Veil (16 page)

He hated the way medicine made him feel a disconnect between
his head and body, but what Malcolm said made sense so he relented. “Okay, but
no one in this room is allowed to hold anything I say against me.”

Brooklyn gave a gleeful look to Lori which sent a chill down
his spine before she said, “Ooh, I like the sound of this. This could be fun.”

“
Try to keep them from taking advantage of me,”
he
told Malcolm. He’d tried to reinforce the walls again, but it didn’t help.

“Most men would be begging for two women to take
advantage of them.”

He just smiled at Lori. He’d never be able to have another
secret again.
“Sweetheart, if it was just you, I’d be all for it. It’s
Brooklyn I don’t trust.”

“I’ll protect you.”

He groaned as he told Malcolm, “Let’s just get this over
with.”

Malcolm nodded and injected the medicine into the vein in
his arm. An hour later, Marcus didn’t know which way was up. He knew Malcolm
said he’d added 127 stitches into his back and Lori held the place as the most
beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

As Malcolm pulled him into a sitting position, he felt the
need to wax poetic once again about her eyes. “Man, have you seen her eyes?
They’re so fucking beautiful, like the petals of a lilac bush in the spring.
And when she uses her power, they flash with brilliant color like bursts of
purple grapes.” He brushed across her cheek, not even wondering about the
laughter spilling forth out of those same eyes right now.

She turned to the others. “I see why he didn’t want any
drugs now.”

Malcolm shook his head. “Yeah, the big guy has no tolerance
whatsoever. Hopefully, tomorrow he won’t remember what a schmuck he was today.
Poor guy is whipped.”

“I think it’s kind of sweet…you know, in a slightly pathetic
kind of way,” Brooklyn said. Marcus watched as Brooklyn defended him and he
nodded with what she said while he petted Lori’s soft hair. It truly felt like
gossamer wings.

It took him a moment to realize Brooklyn had just called him
pathetic. “Hey!”

Lori reached up and kissed his cheek to distract him. “Don’t
worry about it. You’re really very sweet in a totally manly kind of way.”

He smiled at her. “And that’s why I like you best.” He
started to scowl at the other two laughing at his expense, but he got
distracted by the fact that Lori still wore her swimsuit wrap top. He started
to reach up to hold her breasts as he said, “Well it’s that and your breasts
are the perfect size. Your nipples are the perfect pink…”

She jerked back out of his hold while yelling at him in an
outraged voice, “Marcus!”

“What? You liked me touching them just fine at the
waterfall.” He looked at her beautiful face and couldn’t figure out why she
suddenly looked so flushed and angry.

Brooklyn mumbled to Malcolm, “Damn, I wish I had some way to
record this for the other guys to hear.”

Malcolm laughed and Lori looked even more mortified than
before.

He didn’t understand what bothered her. “Baby…”

“Don’t you ‘Baby’ me.” She scowled at him again.

She really was beautiful even with that frown on her face.
Maybe he needed to cheer her up by finishing what they’d started at the
waterfall. But, whoa, wait just a minute. He frowned down at the front of his
shorts where there was a definite lack of interest going on. What the hell?
He’d been half-hard ever since Lori fell into his arms at the bridge.

His mortified gaze met Malcolm’s.

“What’s wrong?” Malcolm asked.

He waved Malcolm over to him and then turned them away from
the girls for a guy
pow
-wow.
 
“Mal, I don’t have an erection,” he whispered
urgently, but it must not have been quiet enough because he heard Brooklyn
snicker.

Malcolm frowned at him confused. “Um, okay? I wouldn’t
really expect you to have one right now.”

He didn’t understand. This was serious. “No, I
always
have one when Lori is around.”

This time Brooklyn didn’t even try to quiet her loud laugh.
“It is so unfair that this falls under patient confidentiality.”

He turned to glare at her, but became distracted by Lori’s
sweet indulgent smile. She was so beautiful. He looked down. Again…nothing. He
turned a desperate look to Malcolm to find him grinning like he found this
funny. That shit was not acceptable. “You think this is funny?” he asked
incredulously.

“Well, maybe a little, but Marcus, you’re fine. It’s just
the medicine. It’s deadened your nerves. All of them. Don’t worry. It will be
back.”

He turned back to Lori and gave her thumbs up. “Did you hear
that, Baby? I’ll be fine.”

He could see the corners of her mouth quirking up like she
fought a smile. “I never had any doubt.”

He turned back to Malcolm and grinned. “I impressed her with
my big sword.”

Malcolm groaned and tugged Marcus over to Lori. “Let’s get
you home big guy, before this gets any more embarrassing for all of us. The
rest of us don’t have the luxury of drugs to wipe our memories of this
encounter.”

Shortly thereafter he found himself face down on his bed,
quickly dozing off to sleep. He could hear Lori and Malcolm talking.

“The drugs will wear off in a couple of hours. He’ll
probably sleep the whole time, but if he doesn’t and gets to be too much to
control, call me. Unfortunately, the drugs wipe him in more ways than one. When
they start to wear off, he’s probably going to feel sick. I already put a trash
can by his bed, just in case. Again, call me if you need any help.”

“We should be fine. Thanks for all your help, Malcolm.”

“No problem. I hope you don’t hold anything he said against
him. He really has no tolerance.”

“Honestly, most of it seemed really sweet. It’ll be fine.”

That’s why he loved her so much.
Mine
he thought as
he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

She’d heard his muttered thought as he fell asleep. She
brushed his blond hair off his forehead and smiled as she thought back over his
ramblings of this afternoon. They hadn’t discussed it yet, but now he knew her
secret.

She hugged her arms across her stomach as she watched him.
Her gut told her that she could trust him, but she’d been wrong before.

Even with her trust, she needed to go back to the ES and
help her friends. He worked directly for Bethany and she hadn’t yet approved of
a plan for Lori to cross back over. They were at crossed intentions.

But if the last six years had taught her anything, she knew
she needed to grab happiness wherever she could. She didn’t want to regret not
embracing the few moments of happiness she knew she could find with Marcus.
Choosing that route would make leaving harder, but for her part, the good
memories would be worth it.

She opened her eyes, resolute in her decision, to find him
awake and watching her. He had a slight frown between his brows and his voice
sounded quiet when he said, “You’re thinking too hard.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were awake. How are you
feeling?”

He closed his eyes as his skin took a frightening pale, then
green shade. He groaned as she hopped out of the bed to grab the trash can. She
got it in front of him just in time. She ran to the bathroom and grabbed a
couple of wet washcloths for him. When she came back into the room, she handed
him one and laid the other across the back of his neck.

“Thanks,” he muttered quietly. “The humiliation just keeps
rolling on. I never should have let Malcolm talk me into that drug.”

She ran her fingers through the back of his hair and
massaged his scalp as his head bowed against his chest. “Hey, it’s okay.
There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

He glanced at her and grimaced. “You mean all that in the
clinic this afternoon was just a dream?”

She smiled at him. “Well, no, but nothing that happens when
under the influence of medical drugs can be held against you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise, besides until you felt me up in front of everyone,
you were actually being really sweet.” She smirked at him and he groaned and
lowered his head into his hand.

“Yeah, I’m definitely going to kill Malcolm.”

She laughed lightly. “So how is your stomach and back now?”

“The stomach is settling and the back is bearable.”

“Okay, good. Do you want to move down to the living room or
would you like to stay here for a while?” He still looked really pale and
drawn. In fact he’d closed his eyes while he leaned into his hands.

She took the trashcan from him, set it outside, and gently
pushed him onto his stomach on the bed. She lowered down beside him and
continued to rub his head and neck. Slowly he scooted over so that he draped
across her chest using her breast to pillow his head.

“That feels nice.” His voice echoed low and his eyes were
shut. Slowly, his muscles loosened as he relaxed. She thought he’d drifted back
to sleep when he asked, “So the wall thing is why you were imprisoned, right?”

“Yes.” She automatically tensed but then forced herself to
relax. This was Marcus. She could trust him. She needed to trust him.

“I don’t know all the scientific ways of saying it, but
basically, I can rearrange matter. As long as I’m touching an inanimate object,
I can rearrange its form and function. It also works with items from the
earth…dirt, plants, and the elements. I haven’t experimented with it too much
because it destroys my energy levels. And when I lived in the ES, it endangered
my life if anyone knew about it.” She took a shuddering breath. Telling someone
those details after the events in the ES was one of the hardest things she’d
ever had to do. Please, don’t let her be wrong about trusting these people,
trusting Marcus.

“In the ES if you have a special ability,” she continued to
explain, “you’re a threat to the government. I kept it hidden for about ten
years, but then I told my boyfriend. Within two days I found myself in a cage
like you saw the others in.”

His eyes opened and his gaze overflowed with compassion.

Tears filled her eyes. To have someone care so much on her
behalf after so long was a little overwhelming and so different after Teddy.

Teddy reacted to her gift with horror and repulsion. He’d
covered it quickly, but she hadn’t missed it. At the time, she thought his
reaction was just from the initial shock of her revelation. She’d quickly found
out she’d assumed wrong.

Marcus reached up and brushed at her tears. “I’m so sorry
for what happened to you, but you’re safe here. I’m not going to let anything
happen to you.” His expression was fierce with resolve.

She nodded and the thing was…she believed him. This Warrior
would do anything to keep her safe and it would kill him when she deserted the
safety he offered her. She looked away in guilt, but he didn’t see it because
he’d already drifted back to sleep.

The next morning, Lori watched Marcus move with a critical
eye. He said he felt much better, but still appeared stiff and a bit pale.
Regardless, he insisted that he wanted to jump back into his security detail.

The Warriors were having a meeting and Lori had asked to
attend. She hoped to convince Bethany and the Warriors to help her free the
Others. But if she couldn’t convince them, then she needed to know what
resources they had that she could ‘borrow’ when the time came.

Surprisingly, the meeting took place at the mill where
they’d removed the bullet from her side.

At her questioning look, Marcus explained, “The mill serves
as our second headquarters. Since we’re discussing security matters, sometimes
it’s better for us to do so out of the village and away from curious eyes and
ears.”

They walked into the room and everyone turned toward them.
Whoa, talk about testosterone overload. Whenever they handed out sexy genes in
Heaven, these guys got more than their fair share. Every single one of them
stood bare-chested and Lori said a little prayer of thanks to the tropical
climate of the WS. None of the Warriors had a single solitary fat cell among
them. There were seven of them total, six men and Brooklyn. She didn’t swing
that way, but if she did, even Brooklyn stood as a symbol of tough sexiness.