Talent Storm (37 page)

Finally, after half an hour, I stopped. Instead of slapping her, I gently tapped her shoulder. She rolled over to face me, her eyes fluttering open. With a wide smile, she met my eyes. Her pupils were dilated under her long eyelashes, her rounded cheeks flushed.

“You can do that anytime you want,” she said.

☼☼☼

The next day Sofia and I stood in the kitchen, hungry from a long day of exercise. “I can’t wait to get off my feet. That was some run,” said Sofia.

“I’ll make you something. Go relax. I’ll meet you in your room.”

She smiled, her eyes crinkling. “Aww... thanks.”

After making two cheese and tomato sandwiches, I made my way to her room. I walked down the hall with two plates and pushed open her door. I gasped, flinching back and dropping the plates. Instinctively, my talent whipped out and just managed to catch them before they shattered.

Sofia wore only a lacy black bra and panties. I stood mouth agape, admiring her long lithe figure—the smooth skin of her tight stomach and her generous curves.

“Umm,” I said.

Sofia lifted her head at the sound of my voice, her eyes blazing. “Jaden! Look away.” Her chocolate curls bounced as she threw her hands down.

I wheeled away, my face burning. “Sorry.”

She giggled. “I’m just kidding. I don’t mind if you look.”

Oh boy.

She pointed to the bed. “Have a seat while I finish getting dressed.”

I walked to the bed and accepted one more glance at the naked skin of her athletic body.

After another moment, she sat on the bed next to me, now wearing a short green dress with a low neckline. She reached over and took her sandwich. “Thanks for making me this by the way. It’s the first time someone’s done something nice for me in a while.”

“Maybe if you weren’t such a shrew all the time,” I said with a big smile.

Her jaw dropped, and she punched me hard in the shoulder. “Hey!”

“Just kidding,” I said, raising my palms to her. “Honestly, you’ve been great. I like doing things for you.”

Her full lips stretched into a wide smile. “Oh, well if that’s the case, I have a few things I need from you.” Her eyes lingered on my lips.

I raised an angled eyebrow. “Like?”

“I need you to sharpen my sword, polish my armor, and why don’t you mop the floor after that?”

I laughed, feeling the sexual tension leave my body. “You get right to the point.”

She shrugged, then took a bite of her sandwich. “Yum. This is great.”

“I used to work in a sandwich shop.”

“Really?” she asked. A single curl fell in front of her big brown eyes.

I smirked. “No. Not really.”

Grinning, she hit me. “I’m going to get you when you least expect it.”

I finished my sandwich and put down the plate. The second I did, Sofia leapt on me, tackling me back on the bed. After wrestling ourselves to exhaustion, we collapsed. She breathed deeply, her chest expanding as she lay on her back, looking at the ceiling.

I took the chance to admire her. If I were an artist, she’d be my muse. Her nose was perfect and thin. Her lips, full and pouty, were a drug, devilishly tempting me.

Sofia looked at me from the corner of her eye, her head turning slightly. “Like what you see?”

I turned away, my face now burning hot. Of course I did.

☼☼☼

The next morning, I walked down the dimly lit tunnel that led to the kitchen. My step was light, my mood positive. I still couldn’t believe that I’d seen Sofia in her underwear. The image was plastered in my mind. I loved it. More than that, I was really beginning to feel like we had a connection. My stomach growled, and I rubbed it. I couldn’t wait for breakfast.

Walking by Valleri’s room, I heard, “… it’s necessary Kevin,” through her slightly open door. It was Valleri.

I paused to listen.

“Are you sure? It doesn’t seem right,” said Kevin.

He sounded uncomfortable. Curious, I slid closer, near the side of the door.

“Yes. If Sofia doesn’t keep attracting Jaden, he may leave. We must keep up the ruse. We need him.”

I squinted, my mouth falling open. What... it wasn’t real? I wanted to fling open the door and announce myself but stood frozen, too shocked to move.

“I know we need him, but I don’t want to betray his trust. Now that I know, I have to tell him.”

At least Kevin was sticking up for me. Damn Valleri and Sofia.

“You won’t tell him,” said Val, her voice hard. “That’s an order.”

Kevin breathed out sharply, but didn’t respond for a few moments until he said, “Fine.”

“Don’t worry. She’s good. He won’t figure it out.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

I had heard enough. I snuck away and treaded down the hall back to my room, my eyebrows lowered and my jaw clamped shut. How dare she manipulate me? And Sofia. Damn. All this time she didn’t care about me; she was just using me. It just seemed like so much more. Was she really that good of an actress?

☼☼☼

Someone knocked on my door, and then it swung open. Sofia stood, most of her weight on one foot, her serrated sword in hand. At the sight of her, I flinched back.

Her full lips curled upward. She put her hand on her hip and looked me up and down. “Don’t be scared. I won’t bite... unless you want me to.” She paused, her smile growing.

I reminded myself it was fake and looked away, frowning.

When I didn’t respond, she said, “I thought we’d go training. Want to?”

“Umm, I don’t know.” Normally, I would jump at the chance for any time with her, but after what I just heard, I couldn’t stand to be near her. I felt my anger bubble but cut it off with a thought.

“You can make sure that we don’t get hurt right?”

“It’s not that.”

She said nothing.

I looked back up. She was frowning, her brow furrowed. “You don’t want to hang out?”

“I’d like to be alone right now,” I said.

“Oh.” She stepped backward, then paused still looking at me, as if unsure of what to say.

“In fact, just leave me alone for good.”

Her eyes widened, and she winced as if hit. “Oh... okay,” she stammered. She turned and left, her feet smacking the hallway as she ran away.

☼☼☼

Sofia’s Journal:

What have I done? Jaden told me that he doesn’t want to see me anymore. Could he have found out about Valleri’s plan? What else could it be? We’ve gotten along so well. My first thought was of the mission. I was failing Val and losing a weapon. Then, I realized that I didn’t care very much about that. I cared about not seeing him again, not laughing, flirting, and sharing stories. I realize now that I really like him. It’s not an act. I don’t know when it happened, but I’m glad it did. The thought of him not being around makes me feel empty and alone, just like after my parents were killed. I want him to stay; I need him to stay.

☼☼☼

The next day, all of the rebels and I sat down in the main conference room for the meeting that Valleri called. She cleared her throat and just as she opened her mouth to speak, Levette jumped in.

“What is he doing here?” she asked, pointing at me.

Valleri’s face darkened.

“He’s just freeloading off of us,” said Levette. “I say we toss him out.”

“What?” I asked, feeling off balance. I knew she didn’t like me, but I didn’t think it was this bad. Maybe it was time to leave anyway, though, given the circumstances.

Sofia turned to Levette. Her eyes were slits on either side of her crinkled nose. “Enough Levette, leave him alone,” she demanded. “He’s recuperating.”

I’d never seen her so angry. She
was
a good actress. Unless...

Levette bolted upright, pushing back her chair, her yellow telekinetic aura flaring around her. The chair slid, then fell, landing on Pavel’s foot. He looked at it then back up again, his expression unchanged.

“What’s he to you? Do you like him or something?” Levette asked.

Did she? Was I something more than an objective for her? It did seem that way.

Sofia jumped up from her chair, fists clenched. I could feel her talent bubbling. “A lot more than I like you,” she said.

“That’s not hard,” Barid chimed in.

Levette turned on him, red faced and scowling.

Pavel grunted a laugh, but didn’t smile. He never did.

“Come on guys,” said Kevin. “We’re all in this together.”

“See. Nobody likes you,” said Sofia, ignoring Kevin.

Levette stomped over to her, with her fist raised. Sofia didn’t flinch, but adjusted her weight on the balls of her feet in a ready stance.

“Stop,” Valleri commanded.

Levette’s shoulders instantly slumped and her fists dropped. Sofia’s eyes fell. Frowning, she fidgeted with her purple tank top. Without another word, the two women returned to their chairs and sat. I was amazed with how quickly they both listened, and Valleri hadn’t even used her talent.

Sofia turned toward me and our eyes met. A hesitant smile tugged at her lips. I searched her eyes trying to see if there was truth in them. I felt like our time together was real, but now I didn’t know. Under the circumstances, our look probably lasted too long. I finally broke contact when I realized Valleri was staring at the two of us. I shook my head, annoyed and looked away. She was the one who put Sofia up to it. I hated her the most.

“I wanted you
all
to be here to talk about our plan moving forward,” said Valleri. She fixed her eyes on Levette. “Levette, you’re a new member, and you don’t make decisions around here. I do.”

Levette crossed her arms over her chest and turned away.

Valleri continued, “We seem to be making good progress with our sabotage, counter propaganda, and outreach program. Still, we have a long way to go before destabilizing Goldwater’s Kingdom.” She eyed me and said, “Jaden....”

“What?” I asked, pulled from my thoughts of Sofia.

“I wanted you to be here to see what your intentions are. I know you’re a citizen of the Coalition. I’ll have people return you, if you’re interested.”

Levette smiled.

Sofia frowned and caught my eye. “You’re not going to go... are you?” Sofia asked.

I sat up straighter “I have no intention of returning to the Coalition. I’m going to kill Goldwater.”

Sofia smiled, relaxing back in her chair.

“Good, then we’re in this together,” Valleri said.

I stood up, shaking my head. “No, I’m sorry. I have to do it alone.” I couldn’t stand to be near them anymore, to follow
her
orders.

“Let us back you up at least. You can’t hope to defeat Goldwater alone. We have a gradual plan to destabilize his government. Work with us.”

Lowering my head, I pressed my fist into my lips. She was right. What hope did I have alone against a man so powerful in a direct assault? Their support would be invaluable, but what about the consequences? If we worked together, they’d suffer my curse like everyone else. I was angry with Valleri, but didn’t want the rebels dead. Despite Val’s betrayal, the rebels were becoming like family. I wasn’t sure if Sofia cared about me or not, but I couldn’t bear for her to die. I had to protect them by leaving.

Frowning, I shook my head. “No. Sorry, but I’ll get you all killed. I’ve been with you too long already.” I walked out of the conference room without another word. I couldn’t afford to get any closer to them.

“Jaden.” I heard Sofia call behind me.

I didn’t turn or stop until I was back in my room. I stuffed my things into a duffle bag that Val had given me. In a way, it felt like my uncle was kicking me out all over again, even though I was leaving on my own accord. I lifted my mace and heard the door open behind me.

Heart pounding, I dropped Peacemaker with a clunk. Sofia stood straight backed in the doorway, chin up, exposing her long neck. “You’re not going to go.”

I faced her square on, puffing out my chest. “Excuse me?”

She looked down, taking a step closer. “I mean... I don’t want you to go, but I have to tell you something. When you first got here, Valleri commanded me to attract you so you’d stay.”

A wince flashed on my face. “I know.”

Sofia grimaced. “Damn.”

“Your plans are ruined. I overheard Valleri talking to Kevin about them. I understand why you did it, but it doesn’t make it any easier to stomach.”

“I’m so sorry that I lied to you,” Sofia said, lowering her eyes briefly before gazing into mine. “But I really like you now and have for a while.”

My eyebrows climbed. I had hoped that it was the case, but I didn’t dare count on it. “Really?”

“Yes and I’m sorry. I should never have listened to Val, but I’m glad I did now. Otherwise I might not have fallen for you.”

It was all real! I grinned, my worries fading. “I love our time together, and I want nothing more than to be with you.”

A huge smile broke out on her face, showing her perfect white teeth. “Really?”

“Yes.” A pang of guilt reared in my mind as I thought of Lilly. Was liking Sofia a betrayal? I didn’t know; I just knew how I felt. Maybe Lilly would even be happy for me.

Worry slammed back into me. Sofia was bound to die as long as she stayed near me. I wanted nothing more than to be with her, but I couldn’t risk it. If I left and killed Goldwater, maybe my curse would end with him. Then, who knew...

She stepped close to me before squeezing my arms. “So you’ll stay with me?”

Her touch and closeness threatened to overwhelm me. I steeled myself. “It’s because I care for you that I have to leave. If you’re near me, you’ll die. Don’t you see,” I said, making fists. “I’m cursed.”

She moved closer, her grasp softening. “No, it’s not true. I know life’s been hard for you, but it’s all Goldwater’s fault. You’re not cursed. Together, we can kill him. Together, we can do anything.”

I shook my head, resolved to leave.

“Please stay.” she said, gazing into my eyes.

Her beauty was a shining star on a cloud-filled night. Her brown eyes were quicksand drawing me deeper and threatening to hold me forever.

I glanced at her full, pouting lips. I wanted to kiss her right then and be with her forever. “I want to stay,” I said, looking down.