Captivated (Talented Saga #3.5) (4 page)

“
Dude, the Director is coming,”
Henri said, peeking his head through the doorway once
again.

“
Coming,” I called
back.

I kissed her soft, warm cheek and murmured, “I love
you, Natalia,” against her skin.

As I walked to the door to join
Henri, I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. This time I didn’t
pretend dirt was causing them to water, they were tears. I was
actually crying over a girl. When had I lost my man card? But Talia
wasn’t just any girl; she was different, special in a way that I
couldn’t describe.

Pausing in the doorway, I turned
and took one last look at her sleeping form. The neon bulb from the
hallway cast enough light to illuminate her face. She looked
peaceful now, not nearly as agitated as when I’d first come in.
Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part, but I thought her
improvement had something to do with my visit.

“
I love
you,”
I sent, even though I doubted
she would receive the message. Then, I slipped through the door and
away from the only person, besides my family, I gave a damn
about.

The Director and Henri stood together in the
hallway; apparently Donavon had found a more productive use of his
time than standing outside Talia’s room.

“
When she wakes up will you let
her know I was here?” I asked the Director. I hated asking a favor
of him, like it indebted me to him somehow, but I wanted her to
know. I needed for her to know that I cared enough to
come.

“
Of course, Mr. Kelley,” the
Director said and offered me a thin-lipped smile.

“
Thank you,” I replied and
followed Henri back down the long hallway en route to the
hangar.

Talia

I kept fidgeting, alternating
between restlessness and excitement. For the past thirty minutes,
I’d rotated pacing back and forth outside the hover hangar and
sitting on the bench inside. Dale, the hangar attendant, watched me
curiously. His hazel eyes followed my every moment with increasing
worry, probably concerned that I would wear a hole in the concrete
if I didn’t sit still. The cuticle on my right thumb had seen
better days; twenty minutes of worrying it caused blood to well
around the rim of my nail.

Where was Erik? He left
headquarters nearly two hours ago. The trip took less than half of
that. Begging Mac’s permission for the weekend visit had been no
easy feat. On the promise that we would behave, adhere to the
McDonough’s house rules, he had reluctantly agreed.

The loud roar of an engine
overhead made me come to an abrupt halt. I looked up. A small hover
craft was approaching the hangar. The pilot’s face was obscured by
a flight helmet, but I knew it was him. My heart began to beat
faster, thumping so loudly in my chest Dale probably heard
it.

As the plane made its final descent towards the run
way, I hurried back into the bay.

“It’s him,” Dale called from his
post, relieved as I was that Erik had finally arrived. The poor guy
was ready to be rid of me.

The plane’s wheels touched down; I
sprinted towards the craft, reaching the side before he had the
chance to open the hatch. Erik removed the flight helmet and tossed
it on the seat next to him. His dark hair was shorter than when I’d
seen him the week before, his face clean-shaven. Turquoise eyes lit
up when he smiled at me through the glass. Impatiently, I waited
while Erik reached beneath the passenger seat to collect his
belongings.

Tears welled in my eyes as the
hatch slowly opened, and Erik blew me a kiss. Instantly my nerves
calmed, he was here. A slow smile spread across his face as his
eyes traveled the length of my body. Self-consciously, I smoothed
the blue and white sundress I’d chosen for today. Gretchen had sent
someone into the city to pick it up. Not that my closet at the
McDonough’s house wasn’t full of clothes, some I’d never even worn,
but today was special. It was the first time we’d seen each other
in person since saying I love you.

Erik continued to stare at me,
making no move to exit the plane. The thin smile I wore began to
fade. Did I look that awful? Had he changed his mind about our
relationship?

The past week had been horrible,
the majority of it spent in the hospital. My skin still had the
pallor to prove it. I’d tried my best to pull myself together, to
appear whole when inside I was a million broken pieces. Gretchen
had helped me straighten my hair, brushing the chestnut strands
until they shined. She’d even applied my makeup since my hands were
too unsteady to hold the brushes.

Erik broke the silence, his words
thick with emotion. “Hey, Tals.”

I beamed through my tears, feeling stupid for crying
but unable to stop the waterworks.

Erik climbed over the side of the
plane, a duffle bag in one hand and a bouquet of purple and white
flowers in the other. He tossed the duffle to free one hand; it
landed with a dull thud on the pavement by my feet. An instant
later he was there, standing in front of me. The purple and white
roses he held gave off an intoxicating fragrance.

“I would have been here sooner,
but I made a detour for these,” he said, then softly added, “I’ve
missed you.”

“They’re beautiful,” I breathed,
inhaling the scent, and taking the offered gift with two hands. The
tears that had collected in my eyes spilled over, trailing hot
streams down my cheeks.

Erik stepped closer, wrapped his
strong arms around my waist, and pulled me against him, crushing
the flowers in the process. The white button-down he wore was
cotton, soft and warm against my cheek. He rested his chin on the
crown of my head and stroked my hair.

“I have been counting down the
minutes until I saw you,”
he sent. The
words were what I’d longed to hear. I’d missed him so much it
physically hurt. While we’d only been apart a week, it might as
well have been a lifetime. So much had happened since I last saw
him.

My arms encircled his waist, and I
squeezed him tighter to make sure he was real. Lately, the line
between reality and fantasy had become blurred. The last thing I
wanted was to open my eyes and realize this was a dream.

“I’m here, Tals,”
Erik sent, answering the question that I was too
afraid to voice. I didn’t want him knowing how clouded my brain had
become, how damaged I truly was. Erik was strong, a fighter, a
rock. Weakness was not in his vocabulary.

He pulled back, putting enough
space between us that he could study my face. Suddenly, the tears
still tracing hot streaks on my cheeks – and likely ruining my
makeup – seemed ridiculous. Why was I crying anyway? Erik’s visit
was the first good thing that had happened to me in a long time.
Instead of sniffling like a child, I should be jumping up and down
for joy.

“Look at me,” Erik whispered, the command soft but
authoritative.

I didn’t want to obey. After all
I’d done in preparation to see him, I was now a mess. And he was
perfect, as usual. His skin was tan, a shade darker than when I’d
seen him at headquarters. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up
to his elbows, revealing muscular forearms. His khaki shorts were
wrinkle-free, even after the hover ride. Thanks to all the anxious
pacing I’d done while waiting for him and the humidity that was
heavy in the summer air Gretchen’s ministrations were proving a
waste. Strands of my chestnut hair clung to my bare shoulders and
upper back and forehead. My feet were dirty since the flip-flops
had provided little protection from the freshly cut grass next to
the landing strip – my literal stomping grounds while I waited for
his arrival.

Unfortunately, Erik had a strong
handle on my Talents, and that, combined with the fact that the
doctors felt it necessary to increase the dosage of my medications,
made it impossible to refuse his request. Slowly, I tipped my head
back and met his turquoise gaze.

“I’ve missed you,” Erik repeated,
speaking aloud this time as if sensing that I didn’t want him in my
head. Not that I minded, too much, when he tuned into my thoughts
and emotions, but my head was a confused place lately. At times, I
had trouble discerning which way was up; he didn’t need to know
that.

I stared up at him, blinking back
the tears that wouldn’t quit. The sun was high overhead, and the
intensity of the orange orb caused me to squint.

“What, haven’t you missed me too?” Erik teased when
I didn’t reciprocate his sentiments.

“More than you know,” I whispered,
finally connecting my mouth and my brain. That had been happening a
lot lately, too. There was this disconnect between what my brain
was thinking and what my mouth said. Articulating my thoughts and
feelings was difficult. Thankfully, the only person who cared
whether I spoke was Dr. Wythe, and even he allowed me sit in
silence if I preferred.

Tentatively Erik lowered his head
until his lips hovered millimeters from mine. His eyes remained
opened, locking our gazes. “Can I kiss you?” he asked
huskily.

I blinked, confused. Why would he
ask? Since when did Erik Kelley have to ask a girl, particularly
his girlfriend, whether he could kiss her?

Erik didn’t wait for my answer.
Instead, he gently touched his mouth to mine. The kiss was so
gentle, the contact so slight that I thought maybe I’d imagined it.
But when he drew me closer, pressing one hand into the small of my
back and grasping my hip with the other, he deepened the kiss. I
responded, coming alive for the first time in recent memory. This
was not a dream, I realized. He was actually here, touching me,
holding me, kissing me. I brought my arms up and wrapped them
around his neck, knocking him in the back of the head with the
flowers. Erik didn’t seem to care; he squeezed me tighter. Not
nearly as gentle as he had been several seconds before.

Someone cleared his throat loudly
nearby. I ignored the disruption at first, not caring who saw us or
whether that person was bothered by our public display of
affection. All that mattered was Erik, and being close to him. The
throat clearing came a second time. While I would have been happy
to continue to ignore the voyeur, Erik had more propriety than I
did. Gently, he eased me back from him. That was when I realized
that somewhere in the midst of our kiss I’d practically wrapped my
entire body around his.

Only slightly embarrassed, I
turned to greet the throat-clearer. Mac stood several feet off to
the right, which turned my slight embarrassment into whole-hearted
humiliation. Of all people to catch Erik and me making out, Mac was
last on the list.

“Director,” Erik said in greeting.
Erik was not the least bit ashamed at having been caught in the
act, so to speak. When I tried to step out of Erik’s embrace, the
hand at my hip prevented me from doing so.

“Mr. Kelley,” Mac replied coolly,
“nice of you to come.” Mac’s tone contradicted his words, making it
obvious he was not thrilled by Erik’s presence. “While you are
here, I would appreciate if you refrained from pawing Natalia. She
is still recovering from her incident,” Mac continued.

Erik’s muscles tensed at Mac’s
chastisement. His mind was closed off, but his incredulity was
palpable. Before Erik could say something that he might regret
later, I spoke up.

“I am fine, Mac,” I snapped. “Dr.
Thistler says my health is improving every day.”

That was true, at every visit she
exclaimed how well the new medications were working. Secretly, I
disagreed. The seizures had stopped completely, but my brain was
always fuzzy and something felt off.

“Natalia,” Mac began in a much softer tone than he’d
used with Erik.

“No, Tals, the Director is right.
You are still building your strength back up,” Erik said to me
before I could say something I might later regret. To Mac, he said,
“I apologize. I only came to be with her.”

The fingers digging into my hip
bone warned me not to argue, which I was about to do. My temper had
flared the moment I laid eyes on Mac. Erik, being so cognizant of
my emotions, must have noticed. He was trying to remain neutral,
not rock the boat, since Mac had been reluctant to let him visit in
the first place. Gretchen’s insistence that Erik’s presence would
help speed my recovery had sealed the deal. That and Dr. Thistler
agreeing that being around people I was comfortable with and
trusted would be beneficial for me. Mac argued Erik excited me too
much, and thought him a distraction when I was supposed to be
resting.

“My wife made up the guest room in
our house for you,” Mac said stiffly. “I trust you won’t feel the
need to wander the house in the middle of the night.”

“Thank you,” Erik replied
cordially. “And that won’t be a problem.”

“Good,” Mac said. “Why don’t you
two come with me and we can get you settled.”

Mac turned on one perfectly
polished loafer and headed towards a waiting car without further
comment. Erik reached down and grabbed his duffle, then laced his
fingers with mine and together we followed the Director.

The short ride across campus was
taken in uncomfortable silence. Ordinarily, I would have reached
out to Erik mentally, but with my emotions running wild and my
inability to control my thoughts, I thought it best to refrain in
Mac’s presence. In fact, the more I thought about Erik’s visit, the
more I regretted having begged for the concession. Once we were in
the McDonough’s home, Gretchen would be able to monitor any and all
of our mental communications. Unlike Mac, Gretchen wasn’t devious,
she simply worried about me. Any eavesdropping would be out of
concern; she worried that I was more affected by what had happened
with Penny than I was letting on. Her assessment was correct. I
tried to keep my inner turmoil from spilling out, but that task was
easier said than done. Pretending that the girl who had once been
my best friend was now my mortal enemy, and that I was happy about
her scheduled execution were not easy tasks. The doctors, Mac, even
Gretchen thought I should hate Penny. But no matter how hard I
tried, I just couldn’t muster the sentiment.