The Significant (21 page)

      
However, he was warm and his weight
against her body was comforting. She leaned into him and returned the kiss. She
had been so busy the previous days that focusing on the feeling of his warmth
was calming and comforting.

      
Raphael’s hands ran up and down her body,
his lips working against hers, his tongue ravaging her mouth.

      
Kailynn closed her eyes and tried to turn
off her mind and enjoy the sensations.

      
However, her mind turned to a pair of
stunning blue eyes that made her blood run hot. She thought about those eyes
looking into her soul, penetrating everything of her being, while still being
gentle. The smile that touched those eyes permeated through her intoxicated
mind, causing her to smile as she leaned her head back against the wall.

      
Raphael’s mouth moved over her skin,
gently scraping his teeth along her neck, sending shivers up her spine.

      
He guided her back to the bed, gently
pushing her so she was flat on her back before he made work of her clothes,
stripping them off slowly and seductively, smiling when Kailynn trembled under
his fingers.

      
But Kailynn could only think of water
moving over her skin, warm, as she enjoyed the weightless feeling. She could
feel hands pressing into her back, holding her afloat, steady and sure. She
could almost see the perfect face over her, smiling.

      
Raphael draped his body over her, kissing
her once more.

      
Kailynn slowly came back to reality.

      
She was not with Isa.

      
She was with Raphael.

      
Naked and being kissed all over, Kailynn
felt exposed and uncomfortable. There was something about the situation that
felt…wrong.

      
But Raphael was safe. There was nothing
dangerous about them being together. They had known each other for so long
there were no secrets between them. They always supported one another as best
they could in their times of need, and loved each other, even if that love was
difficult to describe.

      
Raphael knew exactly where to touch to
make her tremble in pleasure. Her body reacted to Raphael.

      
But that was not enough anymore.

      
Her mind was elsewhere.

      
When Raphael entered her, she was almost
shocked at the feeling. It was not painful—her body was ready for him—but it
felt intrusive, like he was not only penetrating her body, but also her mind,
invading an area of her thoughts that she had already dedicated to someone
else.

      
Even as her body bowed and climaxed in
pleasure, Kailynn felt as though she was betraying Isa.

Chapter
Sixteen

      
Kailynn felt as though she was living in
a dream as she went to the home of her next client. There were still seven
members of the Heart of Trid that needed to be broken out, and Kailynn knew
that there was no way Theo would be able to come up with the money on his own,
so she continued her work as a Significant.

      
Focusing on releasing the remaining Trids
allowed Kailynn to get her mind back in the right place.

      
Because she had been dwelling on Isa far
too much.

      
Her night with Raphael had made matters
worse. She felt guilty, as though she had betrayed and hurt Isa, even though
she and Isa were not a couple, technically, and Kailynn was not sure she was
ever going to see the Elite again. Being with Raphael was, in many ways, safer
than being with Isa. And she did love Raphael.

      
She could not name what she felt for Isa.

      
Going back to work at Companion felt
necessary. She needed a distraction. However, she was not called out for a job
for nearly four weeks after the Heart of Trid gang escaped, so Kailynn had a
lot of time to herself to think.

      
Her thoughts always went back to Isa.

      
She approached the door of her first
client in a month and was surprised to find herself nervous.

      
When the caretaker opened the door and
let her in without greeting her, she relaxed a little. She found the couple
standing awkwardly in the living room, stiff, uneasy about speaking with the
Significant.

      
Kailynn smiled as if she had known them
for years. Their request was to host a “dinner party” with a Significant. It
was their first time with a Significant and did not know how to react when she
walked up to them and hugged the woman before shaking hands with the man. She
commented on how beautiful their home was, even though Kailynn actually found
it dark and dull, like most noble homes.

      
It took the couple a few mimutes to
relax, but even then, Kailynn had to skillfully ask questions to keep up the
charade. She asked them what they had been up to, asked them to explain their
jobs as though she was a friend who had forgotten or wanted to know about the
promotions they had obtained. The couple was confused by how much Kailynn was
talking.

      
Kailynn felt like she was pulling teeth.
The couple wanted her there to talk to through the dinner party, but they were
unable to hold up their end of the act. Kailynn forgot how tedious the work
could be.

      
Through dinner they started to relax and
speak more. The woman asked Kailynn’s opinion about current political affairs
and everything happening in the Ninth Circle, which was something that made
Kailynn hesitate.

      
“Oh, politics is such a frightening thing
to talk about over dinner,” Kailynn tried to laugh. “I have complete faith in
Elite Isa and the others of the Syndicate that they will solve the problem
efficiently.”

      
She then asked another question, hoping
to draw the attention off politics.

      
Kailynn, for all the free time she had to
mull over her own thoughts, had not been keeping up with the current political
state of Tiao. Now reminded of the trouble in the Ninth Circle, she wondered if
Isa was alright. She wondered if there was any progress with Caroie and if Isa
was able to resolve the hostage situation. Kailynn worried that Isa was not
taking care of herself, too worried about political problems to think of
herself.

      
Kailynn stumbled her way through the rest
of the appointment with her client, her mind focused on Isa.

      
It had become a warily constant theme in
her mind.

      
When it was finally time for her to say
goodbye to the couple that, she had to admit, was very nice, just awkward,
Kailynn rushed to the elevator eager to get out of the building. She met Nix at
the car as he tried to keep up with her, even as she quickly clamored in. When
he saw her worried expression, he blinked, staring at her.

      
“What’s wrong? Did they hurt you?”

      
“No, no, I’m fine,” she assured, taking a
deep breath.

      
“Are you sure? You don’t look okay.”

      
“I’m just…I have a lot of things on my
mind, okay?”

      
“…are you pregnant or something?”

      
“Excuse me?!” Kailynn gasped, rounding on
Nix.

      
“You’ve been acting weird,” Nix said,
shrugging. “I was just asking.”

      
“I can have a lot on my mind without
being pregnant, Nix!” she snapped.

      
“Fine, sorry I asked. Not like I’m
worried about you or anything.”

      
“Don’t use that tone,” Kailynn groaned.
“I know you’re worried. I know that’s why you asked. I just have a lot
bothering me.”

      
“Do you need to talk about it?” Nix
asked, turning the car on and leaving the parking garage. Kailynn sighed and
rubbed her face, trying to get her thoughts under control. She felt like she
was obsessed with Isa. She had been thinking about the Elite every waking
moment for the past month. It was starting to feel like a full-time job.

      
“Have you ever thought about something
for a month non-stop?” she finally asked.

      
“Yeah,” he said with a nod. “Wait, a good
thing or a bad thing?”

      
“…what if you didn’t know?”

      
“Then that’s a predicament,” Nix
chuckled. “If it’s a good thing, then you can say you’re thinking about it
because it makes you happy, and there is nothing wrong with that. If it’s a bad
thing, then thinking about it helps you process it and helps you get over it.
If you don’t know…” Nix sighed heavily. “I guess you’re thinking about it
trying to decide what it is.”

      
Kailynn groaned and leaned her head back.

      
“I feel like I’m obsessed.”

      
“With?”

      
Kailynn shook her head.

      
“Too personal.”

      
“Oh? Are you falling in love with someone?”

      
Kailynn had a strong urge to punch him.

      
“I doubt it.”

      
“Is it a person you’ve been thinking
about constantly?” he asked, turning to her as the car moved along the tunneled
roads under the city.

      
“So?”

      
“Maybe you’re in love,” Nix suggested.
“That’s what happens.”

      
“You think about the person so much it
might as well be obsessive?”

      
“Yeah,” Nix chuckled. His face fell
quickly. “Wait, did you fall for a client?”

      
“No!” Kailynn growled. “I haven’t
fallen
for anyone.”

      
“Are you sure about that?”

      
“…no.”

      
Kailynn closed her eyes and lightly hit
her head a few times against the window of the car.

      
“I don’t know what to do.”

      
“Maybe talk to the other person?” Nix
suggested. “That might be best.”

      
“Not really possible…”

      
“Why not?”

      
“…it’s complicated.”

      
The two fell into silence for a several
minutes. Kailynn did not notice it, but her body was becoming tenser with every
passing second. Nix tried not to smile, but he knew it was only a matter of
time.

      
“Okay,
fine
, just…exit at the next stop and let me out. I’ll walk the rest
of the way!”

      
Nix chuckled.

      
“What?”

      
“Nothing,” he assured, touching the
screen and programming a new exit for the car.

      
“Then why are you laughing?” she
demanded.

      
“I had a mental countdown of when you
would finally tell me to stop.”

      
Kailynn narrowed her eyes.

      
“Don’t tell anyone about this,” she
snarled darkly. He raised his hands and shook his head.

      
“No, my lips are sealed. But what are you
going to tell Jak?”

      
“I’ll just tell him that I needed to see
my brother in the hospital,” she said.

      
Nix’s expression softened.

      
“Has he taken a turn for the worst?” he
asked gently. Kailynn shook her head.

      
“No,” she said. “He’s actually doing
better.”

      
“That’s a relief,” Nix said with a smile.
“And you’ve fallen in love. Things are looking up.”

      
“I have not fallen in love,” Kailynn said
quickly, looking around as the car rose up to ground level and sat still,
hazard lights flashing, waiting for further instruction.

      
“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Nix
assured. “It’s a wonderful thing.”

      
“Goodnight, Nix,” Kailynn said,
exasperated, getting out of the car and waiting for him to drive away before
walking around the buildings of Anon, glancing up at the lit windows and
hearing the hum of the machines as the city remained awake late into the night.
The city was so devoid of people and noise that Kailynn could hear the
commotion of the music in the Walking District, which was a fair distance from
where she stood.

      
She had to look around for several
moments, walking a few blocks and looking around again, trying to locate Anon
Tower.

      
When she finally saw it her pace became
determined, deciding to push all her thoughts and doubts away. As she got
closer, she reached into her bag and shuffled around the contents, being sure
to find the small, grey card that she kept on her at all times. She became
flustered when she did not find it immediately, but she also did not stop
walking, continuing down the walkways toward the building as she searched for
the access card.

      
Kailynn finally found it, holding it
tight as her steps hastened.

      
Entering Anon Tower felt surreal. She
remembered her nerves when she first walked into the building to spend a month
with an unknown Elite. She also recalled the pain and confusion she felt upon
leaving, and Rayal’s words came back to haunt her.

      
“
Don’t
come back.
”

      
For a brief moment, Kailynn hesitated.

      
But she had been thinking about Isa every
day since leaving the Elite. She could not turn back now that she was in the
lobby.

      
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into
the elevator and swiped the card to go up to the level of the Golden Elite.

      
Her stomach was tangled with butterflies
as the elevator ascended. She wondered if Isa would be there when she opened
the door. There was a part of her that wanted to see the Elite’s face the
moment she walked in, and another part of her that knew she needed time to
prepare.

      
The elevator doors slid open. She stepped
out and walked to the door, shaking, though she did not understand why.
Nervously, Kailynn stepped in front of the door and it opened. She was
immediately greeted by Tarah running to her and hugging her tightly.

      
“I almost didn’t believe it when I saw
your picture on the monitor,” Tarah gasped, refusing to let go of Kailynn. The
older woman laughed and returned the hug.

      
“Where is the security system?” she
asked, confused.

      
“My room and the kitchen,” Tarah
answered, finally pulling away from the Significant, her face beaming. “It
feels like it’s been years since I’ve seen you.”

      
“How have you been?” Kailynn asked,
walking into the main room after Tarah. The younger woman sighed heavily.

      
“Alright, I guess.”

      
“That wasn’t convincing,” Kailynn laughed
brokenly. Tarah smiled thinly.