Soul(s) (8 page)

“
Sounds like you and
Sariah have gotten adjusted rather quickly.”

“
It’s an easy thing to get
adjusted too,” I said. “Anyway, we’re headed to the caves. Either
of you know how to get to them?”

“
The caves!” exclaimed
Bem. “How
romantic.
I haven’t been there in a long time.” She added
wistfully.

“
On the other side of the
aquarium is a large pool labeled, ‘CAVES’,” said Ajani directly to
me.

“
You’ll have to dive and
you’ll probably want to change into the water-suits, there’s some
gear over there for you to use too.”

“
Thanks, we’ll figure it
out,” Sariah said taking charge. We were still holding hands and I
felt a tug as she began to walk away.

“
Tired of socializing?” I
asked.

“
Nope, just of you
provoking Ajani. He already doesn’t like us and you’re making it
worse.”

“
Not us, just
me
,” I
corrected.

“
Not like it would
matter,” she mumbled to herself.

I froze. “What do you mean? Do you like
him?”

“
I haven’t really thought
about it. Either way, there wouldn’t be a choice if I
did.”

“
You always have a
choice,” I said back, my tone very adamant. I was trying not to
sound too thrown by her words. But I was. I’d never be satisfied
with her being with me just because she thought it was some
unavoidable pre-made decision. My feelings on that topic weren’t
going to change.

I felt her eyes on me but
I didn’t look at her. I didn’t want her to know how deeply my
feelings were beginning to be; especially if she was on the fence
about
us
. If she
saw my face right now, she’d read me like book. To avoid that until
I was ready, I took it back to a level we were both comfortable
with—playful.

“
I see that notorious sign
labeled ‘CAVES’ just ahead.”

“
Ajani
could
be a tad less hostile,” Sariah
commented with a sly smirk.

“
I don’t think he’s
capable of more than two emotions,” I countered back.

“
What two would those
be?”

“
Lust for your sweet ass,
and anger.”

Between laughing I heard her ask, “I have a
sweet ass?”

I swung an arm around her waist pulling her
to my side.

“
Oh yes you do,” I purred
into her ear as my lips brushed into her hair.

She leaned into me affectionately, linking
her arm with mine. Maybe this was a date after all.

11: SARIAH

“Is there a place to change?” I asked
Keegan.

“
Probably,” he replied
looking around. “There,” he said pointing to a little nook in the
wall. It wasn’t far off and we reached it in a few strides. It was
just a little cove with a couple of wall benches. Not a lot of
privacy, but then I was just with Keegan, did I really need
privacy? I blushed at the idea. I had to admit, I wanted to see him
naked again. From what I remembered—and that was literally every
inch of him I’d ever seen—he was an Adonis of a man. Smooth,
strong, streamlined and sexy. I felt my cheeks flush at my own
photographic memory of him.

As if on cue Keegan started peeling his
suite off his shoulders. I turned my back trying to reel myself
in.

My swim suit was different than what I
remembered it looked like a sleeveless turtle neck leotards. I
turned back around Keegan’s s-suit was different than mine. Only
trunks that stopped at his knees. He was sitting on the bench now
putting on the webbed-socks.

I sat down beside him and as he wiggled his
toes in the flipper.

“
Finally,” Keegan
exclaimed. I heard the soft snap of the latex-like material against
his ankles. “That was impossible to get on.”

“
Maybe if your feet
weren’t so large,” I commented eyeing him.

“
Well,” he said winking,
“we all know what has been scientifically proven about
that.”

“
I’d have to agree with
the scientists.”

“
Would you now?” He said,
giving me a devilishly flirtatious gaze. He slid down to the floor
motioning for me to put my foot in his hand and he began peeling
the webbed socks over my toes.

“
The longer we’re here the
more that comes back to us about First-Plane. I thought it would
dull over time.”

“
I don’t think it will,”
said Keegan. He was concentrating on fitting in each of my toes
into the rightful slot. Like it was his sole purpose; it was kind
of adorable.

“
We’re different from
everyone else,” I said.

“
I know,” he agreed.
“It’ll give us an edge in battle. After this Banguri mess is sorted
out, we should try to learn more about the other cities; next foot
please.”

I switched foots obediently.

“
I could have put these on
myself. It’s probably would have been easier since I have smaller
hands than you,” I reasoned as I watched him start on my second
foot.

“
I think there was another
scientific report done about men with big hands,” Keegan responded
back smiling towards my foot.

“
What else do you remember
about First-Plane?” I asked curiously.

“
This,” Keegan said. He
had my toes into the webbed water sock but the middle of my foot
was bare. He ran is thumb down the middle applying a firm amount of
even pressure. I felt a wave of pleasurable warmth shoot up my leg
and straight into my sex. He repeated the motion rotating his
thumbs. He looked up at me as I inhaled sharply in surprise. Our
eyes locked. I leaned forward catching his hand on my foot. With my
free hand I slipped the rest of the flipper on easily.

“
I bet your dance card was
always full,” I teased awkwardly. I was trying to regain some type
of composure.

He stood up, dropping my hand as he moved
off the ground.

“
There are ones for our
hands too,” he said tossing me another pair.

I slipped them on, wiggling my fingers when
I was done. I walked over to the bench and picked up the last piece
of our garb. The breathers were like thick twigs with a rectangle
part for you to bite down on as you held it in your mouth.

We left the little side cave and went back
to the pool. Keegan sat on the edge dipping his legs in. He
outstretched his arm to me and I joined him.

“
Ready?” he
asked.

I nodded excitedly. Placing the breathers in
our mouths, we slipped off the edge and straight down into the
water.

The water was cool but not cold. I felt
revitalized as soon as I was fully submerged. I bit down hard on
the breather afraid it would drop out. I felt so free and swam
easily downward.

Where should we go
first?
Keegan thought to me.

Startled bubbles floated out of my nose.

We can communicate
underwater,
I realized excitedly.
Where to?
Keegan thought
back swimming in seal like circles around me.

I’ll follow you.

Then come this way little
mermaid,
he answered back as he moved away
from me.

We swam deep down and then plateaued across
the pool floor. There was an underwater opening at the bottom
against a wall. Once inside it, the cave opened up to an underwater
foyer of other caves. The walls were lit by emerald and blue lights
creating a shimmering northern lights effect. Exhilarated by the
atmosphere I swam faster shooting past Keegan and dipping into one
of the cave entrances.

Once inside, the tunnel arched, curving as
it turned upwards. I kept swimming upwards until my head broke the
surface and air prickled against my face. There was a ledge a few
feet away, just big enough for two people to lie on and I swam to
it. I tried to pull myself up but with the flippers on I couldn’t
get that great of a grip and slipped back down in the water.

I felt movement beside me. Keegan’s head
popped up out of the water. I turned around as he swam towards me.
His hands trail up my thighs stopping just below my butt. He
gripped me, lifting me upwards out of the water. I scooted back on
to the ridge. Taking the breather out, I slipped it carefully into
my suite.

“
Thanks,” I told Keegan as
he easily propelled himself up next to me.

“
Anytime,” he replied
back. “Look at the ceiling, this place is amazing.”

I cranked my head up. The rocked ceiling
looked like it went on endlessly. At the very top there were dots
that glittered like night-time stars.

“
I love it here,” I
said.

“
I’d feel safe saying this
isn’t a bad first date.”

I turned my eyes away from the stars and on
to him. “If this were First-Plane I’d say, you’re crushing on me
pretty hard.”

He’d been pulling off his webbed gloves
while we’d talked and he smirking as he reached over to help me out
of mine.

“
It’s not a crush,” he
murmured.

“
What is it then?” I
questioned.

Not answering me, he leaned over close. His
eyes stalking my lips, as he dragged his thumb slowly across them.
I felt myself unconsciously leaning into his touch.

“
Is it lust?” I asked,
pushing for an answer.

“
Partially,” he breathed
into the nape of my neck, his thumb now trailing down the opposite
side. His lips began kneading kisses beneath my chin and down the
skin of my throat.

I scooted closer to him and he pulled his
head back catching my mouth with his. Soft at first, then
enamored.

I needed more; my lips parted for him and he
took everything I offered. A light groaned escaped from him as he
pulled me fully into a straddle on his lap. The feeling of him
beneath made my heart pulse in my chest. My hips move on their own
accord against him. He gave a throaty approving growl at my
movement and tipped me head back so he could hungrily mark my neck
with his lips.

I could take you right
here,
he thought feverishly to
me.

Take me then,
I consented.

Not yet,
he thought.

Right here, right now!

My hands entrenched in his short curly hair
and I pulled his mouth savagely down on mine egging him on. My
response surprised me, but I shoved my emotion aside.

But Keegan kept control, slowing the pace
down. He cupped my face in his and the heat turned into tenderness.
After a moment he pulled back looking at me intently, before
leaning his head back. He closed his eyes as he breathed in
deeply.

Don’t pull away from
me,
I thought to him.

He opened his eyes quickly, staring at me
with a curiously surprised expression.

Just—don’t’ be so delicate
with me,
I thought trying to explain
myself. I knew he was holding back, I could feel the flame between
us. Hurting me was the only reason I could think of why he’d be so
careful; so guarded.

He held my gaze with, looking at me with an
expression so jumbled I couldn’t understand it. His hands slid
beneath me gripping me firmly and he lifted me up unto my knees. I
gasped in surprise. My head was dangling just above his now. A sly,
mischievously grin pulled at his lips and I couldn’t resist dipping
my head down to take a kiss from him.

His fingers slipped along the line between
the bottom of my suit and my wet skin. But he just teased me and
the lack of release was making me frustrated, not to mention,
confused.

You’re not ready. We’re
not ready.
Keegan thought to me finally
after what felt like an eternity.

What are you afraid
of?
I asked him.

Trying to taunt me into action?

“
Yes,” I snapped back
aloud.

Keegan laughed richly, clearly enjoying my
frustration. He reached up with his mouth lightly nipping the
underside of my chin.

“
You haven’t answered me.”
Our mouths were just inches away from each other.

His arms wrapped tightly around my waist
pulling me down back on his lap. He held me against him saying
nothing else. He just sat there, holding me. It was so
uncharacteristic of him to be so quiet that I just submitted to
what he wanted. Maybe he was afraid of was the same two things I
was: loss and love.

“
Are you ready?” Ajani
asked; his tone both playful and taunting. It was the next morning
and I was standing across from Ajani in sparing arena behind
Paramount.

Iris had apologized profusely for the rush
in our training, explaining again that normally there’d be more
than one rushed evaluation, but time was ticking away. She already
knew that Keegan and I were above average—as far as Aura abilities
went—she couldn’t risk the Banguri threat getting any more
prevalent.

It seemed unlikely that
she
wouldn’t
let
us join the other fighting Aura. There were so few interested or
able to actually fight, anyone was better than no one. Still, I was
glad for the chance to test out my abilities without holding back
as much. Practicing with Keegan was fun, training with Iris
one-on-one was helpful, but I needed to really stretch my abilities
and see what I could do without worrying about mortally injuring
someone.