Without warning she flips us so that she is now on top. My mind is fuzzy. She feels familiar and I know her but I am too engrossed in the euphoria that comes with Coy to really stop and think who she might be. And regardless of who she is, right now, she’s the only thing in my world. No missions. No Solin. No pain.
Once on top she takes control. Her thrusts are slowly, deep, and rhythmic. We’re riding on a wave of ecstasy that causes both of us to shiver. By the time the Inner and Outer arch appears, we have pushed the grief, sorrow, and pain far away.
Exhausted, she collapses into my arms and closes her eyes. I run my hands over her fingers and roll over so that she is now flat on her back. I want to get up but my body won’t comply. I’m exhausted too.
The haze of the Coy is starting to lift. The girl is becoming clear to me but my body demands that I Recharge. So I close my eyes and hope the girl is an angel the team doesn’t know too well because the last thing we need is more drama.
I open my eyes and see the sunlight streaming through the window. My body feels like it’s made of lead. My lips still have the taste of Coy on them and according to my cell phone; I’ve missed no less than twelve calls. I groan with regret and wryness. Then I look at the figure on the bed next to me. She’s under the covers so I can’t see her face.
Great Marcus, you had a one-night stand with a perfect stranger. Very fitting of a First Guardian…
As I scold myself, the figure, still Recharging, stirs slightly and places her hand on my chest. There are markings on the tips of her finger. They appear all over her hand; markings that I have seen a million times before.
No…
I slowly pull the covers back and find her eyes, freshly opened, looking back at me in shock.
Ameana…
CHAPTER FIVE:
EASY
In the whole time I have known Ameana, I have never seen her this frantic. She holds the sheet in front of her and repeatedly begs Omnis to make this moment go away. I’m freaking out too but given Ameana’s state, I’m forced to remain calm.
“Omnis, what did I do? What did I do?” she cries out.
“The good news is Coy doesn’t affect Sibs. So Aaden will be fine,” I remind her of what she told me a few moments ago.
“Of course he’s not affected. He feeds on my soul, not my blood. Do you really think I would have had a drink if it could hurt my son? Aaden will be fine but look what we did, Marcus!” she says hysterically.
“Ameana, get a grip okay?”
“‘Get a grip’? Marcus, I just slept with you. I married Wolf, then I go and sleep with my ex. What the hell is wrong with me?” she shouts.
“You have to take it down a notch.”
“Do you get what’s happened here? You and I had sex. I’m so screwed. Oh Omnis, I am so screwed.”
“We can…we can fix this,” I reply, not sure what else to say.
“DO YOU HAVE A TIME MACHINE YOU NEGLECTED TO TELL ME ABOUT?”
“Screaming is not going to solve anything,” I reply, starting to lose my temper.
“I didn’t even know it was you I was kissing,” she says almost to herself.
“That’s what happens when you have too much Coy,” I remind her.
“Yes, but I should have known. Somehow, I should have known.”
“Coy is powerful in large amounts, it would affect any angel, Ameana.”
“What happened? Why did we….how could we…Shit. Shit. Shit,” she shouts.
“I know, it’s crazy but--”
“--Wait, Marcus is there any way we got drunk and just passed out without doing anything?” she asks hopefully.
I signal for her to look at the both of us, undressed. She starts to frantically put her clothes back on. I follow her lead. When she’s done she sits back down onto the bed with her head in her hands.
“Thomas has worked so hard to be good. He turned his whole life around for me. He trusted me with his heart and I…he’s gonna hate me now. I ruined everything. Everything,” she says shaking her head in disbelief.
“You’re not in this alone, we’ll figure it out, Mimi.”
“Oh my Omnis, what if someone saw us? It could be all over the Splash by now. Oh no, no, no…”
“Ameana.”
“Go away.”
“Ameana.”
“Go away, I said,” she spits venomously.
“Damn it, Ameana, they’re disappearing,” I shout as I head over to her side of the bed.
“What’s disappearing?” she snaps.
“Aaden.”
She looks at the markings on her hand and finds they are quickly fading. Her jaw drops and tears spring to her eyes. Terrified, she looks to me for help.
“Aaden is sensing your panic and sorrow. You have to let go of those emotions right now or the markings will all fade and he will die.”
She hears what I’m saying but the very thought of having a miscarriage is too much for her. And instead of calming down, she gets even more aggravated. The markings are all gone from her hand now. And the ones on her wrists are now starting to fade.
This isn’t working. How do I get her to relax?
“Mimi, I know it’s crazy because Rage is a demon but the fact is you are his soul mate. He would die for you. There is nothing you can do that will make him stop loving you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he looks at you the way I look at Emmy. He won’t stop loving you because he doesn’t know how.”
“What if…”
I take her hand in mine and look into her eyes.
“There is no ‘what if’. Yes you guys are fighting really hard right now but you two also love hard.”
“But look at what I did to him,” she whispers with a bowed head.
“We did something stupid and thoughtless. It was a few drunken hours. Nothing more. Don’t think about that right now. Think about you, Rage, and Aaden. Think about the life you want. Tell me about the life you see for your family,” I plead desperately.
“I can’t think,” she says, shaking her head.
“The marks are fading, Ameana, you have to talk to me.”
“I don’t know. I don’t…”
“You are my second in command. I am ordering you to tell me about your family.”
“There’s a cliff near our old villa. It’s the perfect place for Thomas and I to take Aaden and hone his flying skills. Thomas said he’d also show him how to blow up the surrounding cliffs with a mini power ball. And before Aaden Recharges, we would tell him stories about Mouse and how brave she was…”
While she speaks, she begins to get caught up in her daydream. Soon she is immersed in her fantasy life with Aaden and Rage. I look down and the markings begin to reappear. It takes a full hour but eventually, all of them return.
“Thank you,” she says, exhausted.
“Yeah, no problem.”
We are both so relieved that Aaden is safe, we don’t talk for a few minutes, fearing that the markings would disappear again. Ameana is the one who eventually breaks the silence.
“So…what now?” she asks.
“Are you good to talk about it?” I ask.
“Yeah, I can stay calm.”
“Good.”
“Marcus, is there something between us? I mean…are you in love with me again?”
“Yes, I love you but not in that way, not anymore. I’m sorry—”
“—no, that’s good. What we had before the first mission was great but…Thomas is the one I want to be with—forever.”
“That means last night was just a one-time thing,” I reply.
“Yes, it was. And it was because we were drinking and stressed. There’s nothing more to it,” she says trying to comfort herself.
“Well, at least that part is settled. Now, do we tell anyone?”
We go over the pros and cons of telling everyone. The fact is this awful thing we’ve done will be nearly impossible for Rage to get over. It’s difficult for an angel
to handle that kind of news, let alone an Akon. So telling him or anyone seems like a really bad idea.
However if someone out there saw us, and told IM Trouble, it’s probably going to be front page of the Splash. And the only thing that’s worse than finding out about our indiscretion is finding it out through the angel media.
“There’s one thing we haven’t considered in this whole thing, Ameana.”
“What is it?” she asks.
“The Shoma. It knows our secrets. It could do something sick and twisted like make the address of this hotel room one of the clues,” I remind her.
“Damn it, you’re right. I can’t let Thomas find out from the Shoma. Especially given how he found about my marriage. I have to tell him the truth,” she says filled with dread.
“Okay then, we’ll tell him together.”
“What about Emmy?” she asks.
“You know we broke up. I’m sure Emmy doesn’t care what I do.”
She looks at me as if to say I’m lying.
“What? She doesn’t care. She has Alex now,” I reply, finding it difficult to look into Ameana’s eyes.
“So are you going to tell her?” Ameana
“I don’t know yet.”
“You shouldn’t let her find out from someone else. And in case you haven’t noticed, her and Thomas have gotten very close.”
“Yeah, I didn’t see that coming,” I admit.
“Well, I’m sure they didn’t see this thing with you and me.”
“I had CP in my hand and threw it away. I thought drinking was smarter. I was wrong. Either way, there’s damage.”
“You didn’t do this crazy thing alone. I was there too. I’m to blame as well,” she says.
“I guess I really do need CP in order to deal; how sad is that?”
“Marcus, you don’t need CP. You need Emmy. It kind of sucks to have to say but you’ve always needed her. Even when you and I were together; you needed her. And she has always needed you.”
“Then why did she pick Alex?”
“You gave her a choice. Bad move.”
“I don’t want to be with her if she’s not sure she’s ready.”
“You know what I’ve learned about you two?”
“What?”
“‘Marcus and Emmy’ is not a possibility. It’s a certainty. Believe me Marcus, you and Emmy are far from over…”
On the way back to the new Guardian home, we pick up a Splash and throw it against the wall. There is nothing there about my night with Ameana. We both say a silent prayer of thanks to Omnis for not letting our mistake be front-page news.
Even before we get into the house, the team comes out to greet us. They all inquire about how I am doing. The most worried among them is Emmy. She tries to act casual but her concern is etched on her face. She looks for signs that I may have taken CP.
“I didn’t do anything crazy,” I tell them.
She shrugs it off as if she wasn’t really that concerned. She is probably thinking I’m avoiding her because of our last interaction. She’s wrong. I just don’t know how to face her after spending the night with Ameana.
She won’t care, Marcus. She’s moved on just like you told her to do. Yeah, but did shehave to do it so fast? I mean, it’s like she had one foot out the door the whole time wewere together. Did she ever really love me?
You told her to go, you idiot…
Knowing my issues with Emmy are far too complicated to get a handle on at the moment, I try to focus on the matter at hand: Ameana and Rage.
I tell the team that Ameana and I need to talk to Rage, alone. The others head down the street and the three of us head back into the house. Ameana looks at me with resolve. She really is going to go through with confessing.
Once in the living room, Ameana braces herself for the worst conversation her and Rage will ever have. The conversation that may be their last as a couple.
It feels wrong that I’m standing here with them. But I don’t know what form Rage’s anger will take so I can’t leave her alone with him. And even if Rage wasn’t unpredictable, I would feel like a jerk letting her have to face this alone. After all it was the two of us who made this mistake. So, the two of us should try and fix it.
“Thomas, I have something to tell you—”
“—Stop,” Rage says.
Ameana and I exchange a quick look but say nothing.
“I know you and Marcus took me aside because of my reaction to the Wolf thing,” Rage begins.
“Well that’s not what—”
“—Ameana, let me finish,” Rage insists.
“Okay,” she replies softly.
“When I found out about you and the Kon, I was…it really…hurt,” Rage confesses.
He is noticeably uncomfortable. He shifts his weight slightly and doesn’t know what to do with his hands. I try and look away in a sad attempt to give them some kind of privacy.
“As you I know, I went ballistic. But when you came back and I saw you, it didn’t matter. I didn’t care what you did, I just wanted you with me. Then you said you signed a contract and you couldn’t touch me…it made everything…I lost it, again,” Rage explains.
“I know, I’m sorry, Thomas,” Ameana replies.
“But then I thought about Marcus and his mother. I thought about how she chose drugs over him. And how my mother chose my father over me. She never found the courage to protect me. Instead she protected her husband and left me to fend for myself.”
“And that’s when I started thinking you are exactly what Aaden needs: you’re a chick who will do anything for her kid. That’s what Aaden deserves. So, I’m done being pissed off at you. You love our son and you put him first. I don’t like what you had to do but…I get it. And you know, I forgive you and crap,” Rage concludes.
His first instinct is to pull her close. His basic need is to touch her. But knowing the consequences that would bring, he forces himself not to reach for her. Ameana is clearly overwhelmed by Rage’s words. She blinks away tears and suppresses a smile.
“So…are we…okay?” Rage asks.
“Yeah, we’re okay,” she replies.
“And when this is all over, I’m gonna make up for lost time and put my hands on you every minute of every day; forever,” Rage vows.
I so don’t need to hear this…
Ameana laughs despite herself and agrees to let him do just that, as soon as the contract is broken.
“And Marcus, like ‘Speedy’ would say “Don’t Trip”, I’m not gonna lose control and burn anything else down,” he assures me.
Rage is now quoting Jay? Wow.
“I’m glad to hear it because we probably would never be allowed back to Italy,” I reply.
“Wait, you had something you wanted to tell me before. What is it?” Rage asks Ameana.
“Um…well…” Ameana stammers.
“Ameana, what is it?” Rage pushes.
“Aaden. I wanted you to know that Aaden misses you,” she lies.
Damn…
Rage calls out to his son.
“Aaden Grey.”
He calls out three times and on the third try, Aaden responds by causing his mother’s marking to illuminate.
“That’s my son,” he says to me proudly.
“Yeah, you’re a lucky guy,” I reply, feeling like crap.
Just then, Miku bursts into the living room and makes an announcement.
“Raphael is here. He has the first clue to finding the second Alpha.”
“Did he say what the clue was?” I ask.
“No, he’s waiting for everyone to gather. I hope finding the second Alpha isn’t too hard. We’re short on time,” Miku says as she heads out the door.
“The Shoma goes by our lives right? It tests us as a team by using our secrets against us. But we should be golden because none of us have anything to hide so… getting the second Alpha will be easy,” Rage says as he heads out the door.
Ameana and I look at each other in dismay. I
don’t have the power to see the future but I would bet my wings finding the second Alpha is going to be anything but easy…
CHAPTER SIX:
SOME KIND OF JOKE
As Ameana and I join the others in the small backyard, I can’t help but notice the stern expression on Raphael’s face. He glares at me and shakes his head in disapproval. I look at the rest of the team before I address the Para.
“Is something wrong?” I ask him.
“Did you send an Indigo to the Kon?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“Why, Marcus? Your team barely has time to find the last two Alphas. When will you find the time to take on a Kon? Or better yet how will the team fare without you when you are killed?”
“What makes you think I can’t take Wolf?” I challenge.
“So this is a matter of ego?”
“No, it’s a matter of freedom; the freedom he’s taking away from my second in command.”
“From what I have been told, Ameana married him of her own free will. He did not force her.”
“She had no choice. The hippie bastard threatened our son,” Rage shouts.
“I will grant you that Wolf is being emotional and unreasonable but he is a good Kon. He has kept us united in the midst of the darkest times. He is a worthy leader and the Paras need him,” Raphael reasons.
“I can’t allow him to hold a member of this team prisoner.”
“The way Wolf has gone about this suggests to me that he is willing to die in order to keep Ameana with him.”
“And I’m ready to die to stop that from happening,” I reply.
“Going against a Kon will not be easy,” he cautions me.
“Shocking since all our missions have been so easy,” Miku quips.
“I am only trying to warn you.”
“What you should be doing is telling Wolf to back off and stop acting like a punk bitch because he lost a girl out to Rage,” Jay challenges.