Caged (Talented Saga) (26 page)

After dinner Frederick suggested that we all stay at his house since Penny was no longer fit to drive.

“I really can’t. Mac made me promise that I would be back at a decent time. I can drive,” I added, noting the way that Penny was leaning on Harris for support.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Erik asked hesitantly.
“I mean, you aren’t really allowed to drive......”

“I know, but I think that Mac would be less upset if I drove than if I stayed in the city,” I pointed out.
I wasn’t entirely sure that was true; he would probably have preferred that I’d been responsible enough to demand one of my friends stay sober.

“How about this:
I’ll take Talia back and you guys can stay at Frederick’s. Henri, I’ll come get you tomorrow?” Erik offered.

“You don’t have to do that.
I don’t want to cause you any trouble,” I muttered, although I secretly liked the idea of spending the ride alone with Erik.

“It’s no trouble, and I’ve barely had anything to drink, so I’m good,” he promised me.
“That cool with everyone?”

Only Cadence looked like she wanted to protest, but Ursula didn’t give her the chance.

“Totally,” she declared, “let’s pick up some more wine on the way back!”

After I made sure that Penny would be okay if I left her, as if the puppy dog eyes she was making at Harris weren’t enough of an indication, Erik and I said our goodbyes.
Then he took my hand and led me back to the hover garage. The streets were still filled with people, and I wished that Mac hadn’t placed such strict rules on my outing. Yet even as I thought it, I realized that I was exhausted. It was late, and we’d been partying all day. My bed sounded more appealing by the minute.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Did you have fun?” Erik asked once we were airborne.

“Yeah, I did.” I smiled at him across the darkness. The muscles in his forearms twisted as he maneuvered the vehicle through the air, and a lock of dark hair curled over his forehead. I wound my fingers together in my lap to keep from reaching over to push the strands back.

“What?” he asked, tearing his eyes away from the sky when he felt me
staring.

“Nothing,” I said hastily, feeling my face color with embarrassment.

“Admiring the view?” he teased.

“Something
like that,” I mumbled.

Erik laughed, and reached one hand over to rub my bare shoulder.

“Yeah. Me, too.”

His thumb stroked the hollow of my collarbone and I leaned into his touch, nuzzling the back of his hand with my cheek.
Erik let his fingers dip a little lower toying with the neckline of my dress. I inhaled sharply and Erik swerved.

“You should keep your hands on the wheel,” I choked out.

“Nervous, Tals?” he chided me. I knew that he wasn’t referencing his driving abilities.

Erik laughed again, trailing his fingers down my bare arm on the way to my hand.
“Don’t worry, I won’t crash,” he promised, raising our hands to his lips. He kissed the inside of my wrist, his lips lingering on my jumping pulse. I melted like hot candle wax. Just then, I didn’t care if we did crash.

Despite his taunting and teasing on the ride, Erik made no move to get out of the vehicle when we landed.
He left the engine idling when he turned to kiss me goodbye.

“Want to stay for a little?” I asked, not wanting our time together to end so soon.
“I know that it’s late, so I understand if you’d rather just go back to headquarters,” I rushed on when he didn’t answer right away.

“You sure?” he asked, searching my face for the answer.
Apparently his games were just that – games. He might toy with me, but he wasn’t going to let it go any further until I told him that it was okay.

“Of course, I just need to tell Janet I’m back so that she won’t worry,” I confirmed.

Erik turned off the engine and we set off for my room. Once inside, I called Janet and let her know that I was safe and in for the evening. I didn’t bother to tell her about my guest; Mac hadn’t specifically forbidden visitors, but I doubted that he’d approve.

Erik suggested that I change into jeans and a t-shirt, so that we could go for a walk around the grounds.
I’d been hoping for something more along the lines of lying in my bed, but he was insistent, so I complied.

Once we were out of the dorms, Erik took my hand and led me through a wooded area that I was pretty sure was off limits.

“Where are we going?” I asked suspiciously.

“You’ll see.
It’s one of my favorite places,” he added, tugging my hand to make sure that I’d follow.

After several more minutes of traipsing through heavy underbrush, we emerged at a gate.
Erik released his grip on my hand and began peeling back the metal fencing from its post. When the hole was wide enough for us to fit through, he took my hand again and pulled me to the other side. There were only about ten feet of solid ground, then the rocky ledge dropped off.

Erik pulled me to the edge and sat, letting his feet dangle over the side.
I tentatively sank down beside him, peering into the abyss below.

“You can see over three states from right here,” he said wistfully, pointing to the lights littering the landscape.
“That’s Virginia,” he pointed to the south. “That’s West Virginia,” he added pointing slightly to the north, “and, of course, we’re in Maryland.”

“It’s beautiful,” I breathed.
It was. From our vantage point, I could see for miles. In the distance, the lights from small towns still glowed brightly. The stars seemed closer here, exceptionally lovely against the black backdrop.

“Sure is,” he agreed, but Erik wasn’t looking at the scenery anymore.

I blushed, thankful that there wasn’t enough light for him to see the color in my cheeks.

Erik wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.
I rested my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes, absorbing the calm that had settled over him. He trailed his fingers up my side above my t-shirt, making slow, lazy lines up and down my ribcage. His heart pounded, and I knew that he wanted to explore more than the cotton.

I stretched to kiss just underneath his chin.
Erik sighed happily.

“I don’t want to pressure you, Tal,” he mumbled softly toying with the hem of my tee.

“You’re not,” I promised, twisting my body closer to his.

Erik dipped his head so that our lips met and slid his hand underneath my shirt, resting it on the waistband of my jeans. He kissed me softly, chastely at first, but when I opened my mouth, he didn’t hold back.
His fingers crept over the bullet scars and, though I could tell that marred flesh unnerved him, he didn’t shy away.

The fingers of Erik’s other hand found their way up to the back of my neck and he began massaging the tension away.
I moaned against his mouth. I felt like I should’ve been embarrassed by my audible reaction, but it seemed to encourage him more. He lay back on the dirt ledge and pulled me down, so that I was leaning over him. I planted my hands on his biceps, and his mouth left mine to trail kisses down my throat.

Being with Erik, touching him and having him touch me, I felt alive and sane and normal for the first time in months.
I didn’t want him to stop. I wanted to live in this moment forever. He wasn’t treating me as though I might break; he didn’t care that I was scarred. His mind was open, his feelings on full display. I didn’t worry that he was keeping secrets or was lying to me; I knew what he wanted and I wanted it, too.

When his fingers found my bra clasp, I started to tremble, and Erik hesitated.

“It’s okay, Erik,”
I promised.

“You’re shaking,
Tals,”
he sent back, sounding more than a little worried.

“I’m just cold,”
I insisted. But even as I thought it, the trembling began to increase and I collapsed onto Erik’s chest, tremors running through my entire body.

“Tal? Tal, are you okay?” His hands flew to my face and cupped my cheeks, forcing my face up so that he could look at me.

“I don’t know,” I chattered, my teeth painfully clanging together.

Erik scurried to a sitting position and gathered me into his lap.
He stroked my hair and made soft, soothing noises. When the trembling didn’t subside, Erik sent me waves of calming thoughts, and I clung to them. Desperately, I willed myself to not have a seizure. This couldn’t be happening; I didn’t want him to see me like this. He was the only person who didn’t think that I was on the edge, but once he realized how sick I was, he would run.

“I’m here, Tal; you’re okay,” he whispered, rocking me back and forth.

I relaxed. He was here, and he wasn’t running away screaming. Erik was slowly taking control of my mind, reading my every thought and dispelling every panicked belief.

“Just let go, Tal.
Let me do this,” he urged, his voice was calm, strong, and determined. He wasn’t scared; he wasn’t afraid that I might hurt him. I released the small amount of control over my mind that I had left.

“Good.
Now breathe, slowly in and out,” he ordered gently.

Erik’s manipulation slowly started to work.
My teeth stopped chattering first, and my jaw muscles unclenched.

“You’re doing
good. Keep breathing,” he said, running his palm up and down my back.

Every muscle that he touched relaxed under his hand.
Soon the tremors died down until only my hands shook with small aftershocks. Erik still didn’t let go; he held me tighter, and continued to control my thoughts. He didn’t release my mind until my body went still.

“I think I’m okay now,” I mumbled, completely mortified now that I was in control.
What guy wanted to make out with a girl who convulsed every time he touched her?

“
It’s okay, Tal. I shouldn’t have pushed you,” he whispered, still rocking me gently. “But I’m going to need a lot of cold showers if this happens every time,” he teased.

I smiled in spite of myself, but it quickly faded.

“Aren’t you turned off by me?” I whispered.

“Turned off?
Why would I be?” He seemed offended that I would even ask.

“Because I’m sick, Erik.
I’m diseased. These seizures aren’t stopping, and they’re no closer to finding a cure!” I exclaimed, trying to wiggle out of his arms.

Erik let me struggle, but he was so much stronger that my efforts didn’t get me far.

“Stop, Tal,” he said when my attempts became weaker, more pathetic. “I don’t care about the seizures, and I’m not going anywhere. I’m in this as long as you want me, do you understand?” Erik chanced freeing one of his arms from my waist and tipped my chin up, forcing me to look him in the face. His voice was firm, almost angry, and his eyes blazed with a bluish fire.

I nodded slowly.
I hated that he knew how worried I’d been about him leaving because he’d read it in my mind. Erik’s expression softened when he stared into my eyes.

“So is this going to happen every time I touch you, or should I just
avoid certain areas?” he smiled mischievously. Without giving me time to answer, he planted his lips firmly on mine, holding my chin in place so that I couldn’t pull away. Not that I wanted to pull away. When the episode started, I thought for sure that this would be the end. Now I knew that I could count on him, trust him, and he would be there if I needed him. But he also wasn’t going to walk on eggshells with me; the way his mouth was moving across my jaw and down my throat let me know that he was still reckless, and would deal with the consequences if they came.

“Is this okay?” he teased, nudging the neckline of my shirt aside and kissing my collarbone.
He moved his mouth across my shoulder and nipped softly before looking up at me. He still wanted me, I could see that, but he was just teasing me now. He had no intention of actually trying anything more tonight, but his point came across loud and clear.

“I don’t know.
Dr. Thistler told me that overstimulation triggers the seizures,” I said, wishing that he wouldn’t stop but knowing that it was probably for the best.

Erik actually laughed.

“So, you’re saying that I overstimulate you?” he joked, pushing my hair back to kiss my cheek. My face flamed. That was what I meant, just not what I meant to say aloud. I couldn’t formulate words to answer his chiding. Erik laughed again.

“Don’t be embarrassed.
I want to overstimulate you.”

“Thanks, Erik,” I whispered, kissing the corner of his mouth.

Erik swallowed hard. “I’m here for you, always,” he promised. “Why don’t I walk you back? I think you’ve had enough for tonight.”

“Just a couple more minutes,” I urged.
“I don’t want to be alone yet.”

“Only if you promise that you won’t get overstimulated again,” he teased.

“Just tonight, or in general?” I said back, playing along.

“Just tonight.
We’ll figure something out after that.”

I stayed in Erik’s arms for another hour, talking while he rubbed my back.
We talked about his letter, and he told me about his mother’s death. When the fury and anguish began to build as he recalled the memories, I returned his earlier favor and dulled the emotions. He told me about his father and his brothers, Edmund and Evan. I felt his comfort when he thought that at least his sacrifice had been worth it.

“You’re really sure that Donavon hasn’t told anyone about the letter?”

“Yeah, positive,” I said. I hesitated before adding, “he did read it though.”

“Can’t blame him for that.
I would have, too.” Erik sighed. “What’s he doing here, anyway?”

Mac didn’t want me talking to very many people about the whole spy thing, but I knew that I could trust Erik; I’d trusted him since the moment I met him.
So I told him about the spy and my unofficial assignment to find him.

“Mac thinks that my whole mission to Nevada was a trap.
He thinks that we have a spy, a traitor in the Agency.”

“Of course, we do,” he scoffed.

“You knew that we had a spy?” I asked, shocked.

“We probably have a ton of them.
It only makes sense. We have a number of spies inside the Coalition. Why wouldn’t Crane have spies placed here? If McDonough thinks otherwise, he’s deluded. What makes him think that your mission was a trap?”

I hadn’t even considered that.
Of course, Ian Crane would have infiltrated our ranks. How else did he stay so well hidden?

“Crane knew that I was coming; he was waiting for me.
He knew who I was,” I rambled.