Water (9 page)

I glance over his shoulder, keeping an eye out for any would-be food thieves, then shoved another piece of roast beef in my mouth.  "I need to take advantage when I’m presented with mold-free food.  And YOU," I pointed my finger at him, "haven't given a girl many opportunities to eat."

"You are hungry because of the energy you are absorbing – it is a lot for your body to process.  Don’t worry, your routine here will be a little more predictable; and I’ll be sure three mold-free meals a day get on the schedule."

"With mold-free snacks?"  I prodded.

He laughed.  "With mold-free snacks and desserts.  Your tests all came back clean and the lab gave their go ahead to begin training.  Try this.  Almond butter on homemade sprouted grain bread."

I took his offering, then grabbed another, letting him laugh at me.

I looked back up, swallowing the second piece, savoring the taste this time.  "What kind of training are we talking about?"

"Do you want more bread?  There’s also hazelnut, raspberry and apple butter."

I gave him a look for ignoring my question, but grabbed another piece with the honey butter.

"Good choice."  He smiled.  "You will be learning how to use and control your powers.  You will also do some weapons training, martial arts, first aid, and if there is time we’ll teach you the basics to a few foreign languages."

I looked back at the plates.  I had polished off most of the meat, leaving only scraps for Micah.  I moved on to the fruits but eyed the cheesecake.  "I’m not exactly the warrior princess type you might be hoping for.  I will, however, go Xena on your ass if you don’t pass me that cheesecake."

Micah laughed again and put two slices on a plate for me, including a very generous amount of strawberry sauce.  I put a large forkful in my mouth and let out a long sigh as the entire concoction seemed to melt in my mouth.  "Will the training be safe? I mean not just for me, but everyone else?" I asked, in between bites.

"That’s why I am here.  My job is to protect you and, well…"  Micah hesitated, "…to protect others from you."

He looked down, pushing food around on his plate and, although it was hard to tell in the failing light, it seemed his cheeks had turned pink.  He nearly looked ashamed.

I decided not to push it.  "With your methods of reining me in, I might be inclined to lose control more often."  I pushed aside some of the plates and moved to sit beside him.

He grinned and put his arm around me, and we laid back on the blanket together, watching the first stars of the night twinkle into view.

"The training will be difficult," he said.  "It’s designed to bring you to your greatest potential in as little time as possible.  But I’ll be there the whole way and if there is anything you need, just let me know.  I’ll make it happen."

I thought about my life up until this point and surprisingly was not disappointed to leave it behind.  Barring Tuesday night Karaoke with a few select friends and some rather fickle house plants, there wasn’t much to go back to.  I had two bids in for photography assignments, but clients don't wait around long before moving on to the next photographer.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the temperature cooled significantly. I turned on my side, and he did the same so we were face to face.  He threw his other arm around me, warding off the cold.

"I'm sorry, Kaitlyn. For everything."

I raised my eyebrows.  I certainly wasn't going to say it was okay, and that all was forgiven.  Although, another kiss wouldn't hurt…

His hand moved up to my face, pushing my hair behind my ear.  I grabbed hold of the hem of his shirt, twisting it around my hand and squeezing.  He stopped stroking my cheek with the pad of his thumb, and lifted my chin up.  "Are you okay with this?"

I should have said no.  For the most part, choice was no longer an option.  Now he was giving it back to me.  I moved my hand, touching the bare skin at his waist.  More shocks.  More heat.  "What is that?" I whispered.

"I don't know," he whispered back.  "Us.  Being together."

His hand moved to the back of my neck.  It was tense, I could feel him resisting the urge to pull me in the rest of the way.  This was still my choice.  Ultimately, the fear of long years without anyone, of denying the ache in my chest to belong, drove me into him.

I took a deep breath, inhaling his scent which was a mix of campfire, mint, and amber.  Once our lips touched, he kept me tethered – or was it me doing that to him?  Hard to tell.  Our limbs snaked around each other until we were tangled in a complex human knot.  I rolled on top of Micah, sliding my hand in between us to feel his abs.  My own were sizzling, deep inside.

He rolled us again, and I landed in something squishy.  The smell of strawberries tinged the air.  I laughed, pulling the sauce out from under me.  He licked remnants of the sticky glaze off my clumsy fingers, then kissed me again. The taste of the sweet berry exploded on my tongue.  I hummed in pleasure.

He held both my hands to the ground above my head, while his kisses moved down my neck, then over to my ear.  I squirmed.  He tightened his grip, using only one of his own hands.  The other snaked up my shirt.  I stilled, like prey caught in the clutches of a reptile.  I held my breath as his caresses moved higher.  I wanted him to continue so bad it hurt, but I hadn't done this in so long. 
Was there a point of no return?  Do I want to cross that line tonight?  Yes.  No.

He paused, lifting off of me, catching his breath.  "Not until you're ready."

Goddamn valiant gentleman.

He looked confused.  I swiped at one of his hands supporting his weight, then caught him at the lips, and rolled us.  He was on the bottom again; ceramic plates clanging together beneath us.  I kissed him long and hard, exploring his strawberry mouth with my tongue, until I felt his resistance melt into me.  Then I stopped.  If we were going to reign it in, it would be on my terms.

I sat up, "You're right.  Besides, we need to spare the food."

He squeezed his eyes shut, "You're killing me, Kaitlyn."

I waited until he composed himself.  He took in a deep breath, exhaled, and I felt the tension dissipate.  He put both hands behind his head, "At least now I know your priorities."

"Oh, please," I swung my leg off of him, popping a grape into my mouth for good measure, "as if you didn't already."

He laughed, standing us both up.  "Come on, you need your sleep.  Tomorrow we begin training."

"Should we bring in the leftovers?"

"I'll send someone out for it."

Two medics, a man and a woman, watched us enter through the sliding glass door in the living room.  They surveyed our soiled clothes, then asked, "We got a new shipment of food?"

Micah gestured over his shoulder, "Out back – you get first dibs if you clean it up for us."

"Well, second dibs, really." I corrected him.

They didn't care, they were already jostling for position.  The woman elbowed the man in the stomach on their way through the door, "Out of my way – I think that was cheesecake!"

Chapter 10

Miles to Run

The next morning, I woke to the crude noise of blinds being drawn followed by the intrusion of the glaring morning sun.  I closed my eyes tighter, turned away from it, and muttered with a scratchy voice, "Coffee."

Something hard landed on the pillow next to my head.  I cracked open my eyes.

"Apple," Micah said.  "Wakes you up better than coffee."

I groaned, but took a few bites anyway.  Might help to mask my morning breath.

All too soon Micah started shuffling me out of bed.  "Up.  We have things to do, people to see, miles to run."

My shoulders sank at the last part.  "Miles to run?  Today?"

"Not just today, but right now."  Micah pulled together a running outfit for me.

"What about breakfast?"  There was no way he would convince me an apple, with all its wondrous qualities, served as a full meal.

"Not before we run off that cheesecake."

Less than five minutes later I was huffing and puffing to keep up.  We ran along the outskirts of the compound and I was quickly finding out how large the Chakra really was.  Micah talked the whole time, changing the subject often while trying to find some motivation for me.  He talked about the breakfast waiting for us, he tried complimenting me, then bullying me, and he even tried a military cadence.  Finally, he started talking about The Seven, going more into detail about why I was there and what was expected of me.  He kept his voice low and always stayed a step ahead so I worked constantly to keep up.  I barely noticed his pace increasing.

"So why
‘The Seven’
?"  I panted.  "Was
‘The Six’
taken?"

"Actually, we’re not quite sure," Micah replied.  "We believe our organization predates Christ, though documented history doesn't go back that far.  In fact, we used to be called ‘Haft’, which is Persian for seven.  This was back when the Persians were considered the most advanced culture around.  Since then, the majority of our organization has been made up of English speakers, hence the change in name."  He was barely breaking a sweat and his long-winded explanations didn’t interfere with his rhythmic breathing.  "Anyway, seven has a lot of significance, both in nature and elsewhere.  There are seven stellar objects visible to the naked eye from Earth, there are seven main stars in the Big Dipper and Orion, any flower that has not been crossbred has seven petals, there are seven Chakras on the human body."

"I’ll take religion for $400," I huffed.

"Judiasm," he said.  "The Menorah has seven candles.  Islam believes in seven layers of heaven and seven layers of hell.  Christianity – seven days of creation, seven deadly sins, seven virtues..."

"History," I challenged.

"Seven wonders of the ancient world, seven—"

 "Dwarfs, seven days of the week, 7-Up--" I started.

 "Save your breath, Kaitlyn," Micah interrupted.  "You’re going to need it."

"Funny.  That’s what I told Alex, just before I beat his ass."  I used the last of my energy and broke into a dead sprint.  The building loomed back into sight and our conversation halted while we raced.  We reached the paved porch at the same time.  I doubled over, holding my knees while I tried to catch my breath.  Annoyingly, Micah was not breathing nearly as hard as I.

"Next time, we'll work on channeling energy waves into your physical performance," he said.

"Oh, joy."

"I know, right?" He genuinely looked excited.  "Anyway, more about the Seven.  You were brought here to be our Gaia, which basically stands for Mother Earth.  You will provide balance to the world.  We are here to identify, train, and support Gaias."  He bent at the waist, touching his toes.  I followed his lead while he continued his lecture.  "Cato is responsible for monitoring ecosystems, predicting drastic changes in the environment, maintaining political connections, securing funding, identifying and tracking people with abilities, and the list goes on and on."

My breathing finally slowed down.  I straightened, looking at Micah.  "So what do I, or the Gaia, do to bring about balance, exactly?"

"You can affect the four natural elements to help resolve or even prevent natural and environmental disasters.  Stretch like this.  It prevents shin splints."

I followed his example and we continued to stretch out, moving to sit on the cool grass.  "So can you affect nature, like I can?"

"I am your Ardwyad.  My job is to protect, train, and generally be responsible for all things Gaia.  I can affect nature only vicariously, through you."

"What about Cato?"

"Cato is called the Rais, which basically means leader.  He used to be an Ardwyad, and has picked up some powers by working so closely with Gaias, but he rarely has a chance to practice, much less maintain them."

"Have you picked up any powers?"

He smiled, "It takes a long time.  I'm not due for my own magic until well into my twilight years."

I shook my head, "Can't be too far off.  Wait – are those grey hairs I see?"  I yanked out a strand.

"Ow!"

"And Alex?" I asked.

He glared at me, debating if he should let me go unpunished.  He did.

"Alex coordinates communications, weapons, and all other logistics.  Each person has a large part within the team.  Usually when we go on a mission, we are all there or the mission isn’t possible."  Micah started humming the theme song to Mission Impossible under his breath but I was too distracted with his last words to be humored.

"All must be present?  So what about Shawn?"  I looked at him seriously.  "You know - boy band material.  Bright blue eyes.  Hell-bent on sticking a knife in my chest."

Micah hesitated, and then stood.  "Let’s get some breakfast."  He took off toward the kitchen quickly.  I followed.  He wasn’t going to get off the hook that easily.

When I caught up, he was piling eggs and fruit on a plate.  "Hope you don’t mind but you won’t get too much of a choice in food.  We put together a menu specific to your needs…"

I took the plate out of his hands and dumped the whole thing in the trash.  "Answer my questions."