Chapter 7
As they headed back into the room, Talon took deep breaths and willed his body to forget her curves and smell. She had slimmed down and toned up in the past month and she fit even more comfortably against his body now. He feared that he was going to get little sleep tonight.
Karen watched him walk away. He had radiated heat and maleness and she had felt so protected at the moment that he had held her in his arms. Her body felt hot from his touch and she could still feel his heat entering her body. She quickly banished all thoughts from her mind as she entered the room.
“Let’s see what you can control.”
Karen nodded. “How do we do this?”
“Interesting,” Michael commented after they had left.
“I did not think that he would be so bold as to do that. He has been so set against touching her. For him to just take her in his arms...did you feel the current that they created?” Emerald chattered.
“I would have to say that he is being very affected by her,” Michael responded.
“Has anyone noticed that he has become more social with everyone and has seemed to be softer in his speech as well,” Eric spoke as he watched the two figures step up to the first site.
“Hush.” Emerald shushed at them. “I want to see this.”
“Go ahead.”
“And?...” Karen asked.
She was still a bit off from his sudden embrace. Even if he had only done it to confirm her suspicions, she could not stop herself from reacting to him it seemed. She was becoming a fool.
“Try moving the water.”
Karen sighed and did what he asked, but she did not know what she should do.
“What do I do?”
“Just reach out with your mind the same way you do the barrier. You will see a reaction if it is the right thing.”
For the next twenty minutes, they tried various things. After each attempt, a new element was put in front of her and she was asked to try again.
“Next.”
Suddenly they were in the middle of a lightning storm. Within seconds they were both soaked through.
“How am I supposed to control this?”
A flash of lightning flashed across the room and Karen immediately felt an answering tingle in her fingers and arms.
She rubbed the hair that was suddenly standing on end. She hated thunderstorms. There was something about the lightning that disturbed her. Another flash of lightning had her jumping and rubbing her arm some more as it started to tingle even more than before. In fact, her entire body was tingling and her hair was flying around her face.
Talon and the others watched as her hair started to glow faintly and move.
“It is coming.” Emerald leaned against the glass.
The next flash came quickly and was much closer.
“Get ready,” Talon whispered and Karen suddenly knew what to do.
The fourth flash came and before it could disappear, Karen reached out, grabbed a hold of it with her hands and shot it across the room to destroy a large boulder.
“Again. Do it again.” Talon spoke and stepped out of the way.
Karen waited. She could feel the energy building around her. The next one came and she did it again. She continued with the next five or six before Talon called out.
“Enough.”
Immediately everything disappeared.
Karen stood in the middle of the room, wet and cold, looking down at her hands that were blackened. She could see where her clothes were burned a bit in places.
“Amazing.” Lily breathed. Lightning was a very dangerous ability. Quick and unpredictable, never in the same place twice. “She is like Talon. She will be very dangerous.”
Talon came up to her and reached out to touch her burns but Karen coiled away.
“Do not touch me. I might electrocute you.” She was breathing heavily and was starting to shiver from the cold.
Talon realized in that instant that he did not care. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into his arms for the second time in the past hour. He was going soft, but he just knew that she was going to need his support. She was battered and bruised physically and mentally.
“You cannot hurt me honey, and once you have had more experience with it, the pain will disappear.”
“Was it like this for you?” She asked, happy to have someone strong holding her, even if he was an unsociable brute of a man. Her body ached.
“Yes honey, it did. It will pass and you will be able to use it for good not evil.”
“Can I create it?” She asked as her teeth starting to shake and her hands became numb.
“Not yet, but you will. You must learn how to tap into your power core better first. It takes time and practice.”
Karen started to shake even more.
“Come on, Let’s get you into a hot shower and warm clothes. You will catch a cold if you stay like that.” He wrapped his arm around her and headed for the door as Emerald and Carrie appeared with towels.
“Here. You need to try off quickly.”
Carrie pulled Talon aside as Emerald took over.
“Twice in thirty minutes and you will not be having a physical bond with her, huh?” She looked at him knowingly.
“Get off my back,” Talon muttered. “I did not plan this. It was a necessity. She needed me.”
“All I have to say is that you damn well better not do anything without her completely understanding what is going on. Do I make myself clear?”
“Relax. I do not plan on doing anything so you do not need to worry and if for some reason it looks like the impossible just might happen, I will make sure she understands first... Satisfied?”
Carrie nodded.
“Are you coming?” Emerald asked, Karen and her waiting at the door for them to come.
“You are soaked to the bone as well,” she added, looking at Talon’s shirt which had become see through.
Talon nodded and followed after the ladies. Lord help him if they were going to be like this from now on.
As the weeks went by, Karen found her schedule becoming more and more packed as her stress rose and her patience waned. She found that she was not able to sleep, no matter how physically tired she might be and she was starting to lose her focus during training and there had even been a few times that Talon had had every right to rip into her, even though he refrained.
She was at her wit's end. She had always had a piano or an instrument to relieve her stress and she had yet to see even a hint of one here. There was not even a radio for music laying around. She was deprived and it was taking her to her breaking point.
She finally swallowed her pride after snapping at Evan for dropping his plate at breakfast one morning and then bursting into tears for being so harsh with him. She had had enough, something had to give.
She headed for the president’s office, not knowing if he would be in, but she needed to speak with him. He would be the only person that could help her right now.
“Enter.”
Karen stepped into the room.
“I wondered how long you would last.” He spoke even before she shut the door.
“Mr. President...” Karen looked down. “I am sorry, but I...”
He stopped her. “I already know child and it is here and ready in the next room. I will have it moved to your suite as soon as you ask.”
“Oh no, do not do that. Where it is now is just fine. I would not wish to disturb the others.”
He laughed, “I do not think that they would be bothered by it, but if that is what you wish... I will leave it there for now. However, if you do wish to have it moved to your room all you have to do is ask.”
“Thank you, sir.” Karen gave him a bow and left the room.
She crossed the hallway and quickly entered the room, leaning against the door and taking a deep breath as she stared at the concert grand, black Steinway piano that adorned the room. She quickly crossed over to the shelf and picked a piece of music before sitting down on the bench before the piano.
“I did not know what your tastes were so I had them bring a bit of everything. If there is something you want, merely ask.”
Karen jumped at the sound of the president’s voice through the door.
“Enjoy.”
After they had gathered for supper that night Karen apologized for her behavior that morning.
“I am sorry for my outburst this morning. It was uncalled for. It should not happen again as I have taken care of the issue.”
Evan waved her apology away. “It is all right. We all have bad days. You were overdue for one anyway.”
“It is still no excuse to take my stress out on another. I am sorry.”
“It is forgiven and forgotten. That is if you will train with me for a bit this evening.”
Karen nodded. “I would like that. Let me know when.”
A couple of hours later Karen had a shower and was heading back out the door. Talon just happened to be in the library and caught her slipping by. It was unusual for her to go back out after her evening training.
What was she up to at this time of night? he wondered, his book forgotten as he followed her out the door.
He watched as she entered the room across from the president’s office and he stood outside the door wondering if he should enter. Just as he had decided to go in, he heard the sound of a piano fill the hall and he suddenly understood why her stress and tension had disappeared.
“She really is quite good, not professional level or anything, but she can hold her own quite well.”
“What are you up to old man.” He spoke softly so as not to alert Karen that they were there.
“I came to listen to her play. It is very relaxing.”
“Is this what she meant by fixing the issue earlier?”
“More than likely. Seems that this is how she likes to de-stress. Not bad, uh?”
Talon turned and headed back to the house.
“She will be done in about an hour.” He called out as Talon left.
Karen headed back to the house feeling much calmer then she had when she left. It was good to have her outlet back. Now if she could keep it from the others...
Talon watched her go by and stepped out of the shadow and walked alongside of her. Karen nodded her thanks as he took her right to her door and left him there.
Talon stood looking at the door. He had gone back and grabbed his book and then had found himself outside of the door again as he started in on his own work. He let out a sigh. She really was quite good, but it was also apparent that she did not want others around her to hear her playing. He wondered why.
He laid on his bed and tried to calm his mind. There had been so many things that had happened of late and he was having a hard time wrapping his mind around all of the changes. He closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep, but kept seeing images of her body outlined in her wet clothing. It had become a regular visitor since it had happened in the combat room.
He could see her nipples pressing against her clothes and her stomach was smooth and flat despite her clothes trying to hide that fact. She was hiding a very nice body underneath it all.
He rolled over. It did not help that he could not get her fragrance out of his head nor how soft she had felt against his rock hard body. His body started to react to his thoughts and he groaned, rolling back to his side and tried to think of other things than her. It had to be the bonding process. There was no way that he was attracted to her as a person.
Karen stared at the top of her canopy as she laid in bed. She had finally been able to get rid of some of her tension, but now she had time to think about him. She rolled over, fully aware that she was going to have trouble getting to sleep. That is unless she took matters into her own hands and gave herself some release. She had not had to do that since she arrived and she was not comfortable with it, however, she really wanted to sleep. She reached over to the bottom drawer of her nightstand and pulled out the little black bag.
She let out a sigh and pulled out her favorite toy and laid back against the pillows allowing Talon’s body to appear in her mind as she started to touch the places that would give her the most pleasure. She could see his t-shirt outlining his rock hard abs and she could still smell his scent and the warmth that came from his body as he had pulled her close. She imagined running her hands over that incredible chest and she let out a sigh of pleasure. She could not understand her obsession with the man. What was happening to her common sense?
Talon gave up. He was not going to be able to walk tomorrow if he did not do something soon. He had not been this affected by a girl since middle school and he could not remember the last time he had had to resort to his hand to find his release. Damn it, the woman was going to drive him out of his mind. He started to stroke his member as it grew even harder and hotter in his hand.
His hand moved up and down as he took his time, let his imagination take over, feeling her stroke him over and over again and then lowering her head to encircle her tongue around the head of his cock before slowly parting her lips and sucking him into her mouth. Moving up and down as her tongue teased his member.
He groaned at the images and started to move faster...