I thought Marcus had a point. “We have people back at the Institute,” I objected. “What about my brother, and Opal, and Chancey and Ivy?”
“We’ll figure out a way to get them here,” Kallie said. “It’s just going to take time to break them out.”
“But no one has ever broken out of the Institute,” Marcus said nervously.
“Hello!Weescaped the Institute!” Kallie all but cheered. “We did it! We won— we fucking beat the Warden! We never have to go back to that dump, ever!”
Elation ricocheted through my stomach as I realized Kallie was right. Wehadescaped the Institute. The Warden had no idea where we were, and because he didn’t know where Forevermore was, he’d never find out. We didn’t have to go on the run to escape our sentences. We could literally stay here for the rest of our lives, enjoying Forevermore and avoiding the rest of the world. Screw the prophecy.
Though I don’t think this suited Charlie. He sat back in his seat, like the idea of remaining here longer than a few days bothered him.
Kallie and Marcus got drunk off the rest of the wine, and fell asleep on the lounge chairs. Servants came and took our plates away. They asked if we wanted anything else, but Charlie told them that he was tired, and they left us alone. Oberi slept on his back on one of the giant pillows by the fire. Rishi curled up on Oberi’s stomach, nose touching tail. Both creatures were completely out of it.
I led Charlie back to his bedroom. It was dark inside, lit only by the light of the false moon coming through the balcony.
Charlie let his robe fall to the floor and slipped underneath the covers. I hung my robe up on one of the hooks lining the wall, and slid into the bed beside Charlie fully nude.
Ancestors, this was the most comfortable bed I’d ever laid in. The pillows felt like clouds, and the silk sheets caressed my bare skin. I curled up in a ball on my side, enjoying the floating feeling the bed gave.
“The bed’s really soft. I know you like that,” I offered. “And the food’s good, too. You have a home now. It’s everything you wanted.”
“I wanted us to earn that forourselves,” Charlie said. “Not have it be handed to us.”
I didn’t think it mattered how we got what we wanted, so long as we had it, but it apparently mattered to Charlie. I dared to snuggle closer to him, though I didn’t touch him.
I thought we’d go right to sleep, but a half an hour passed, and neither one of us seemed to get any rest. Forevermore was so quiet at night. It was different from the noise of the prison. There were always guards banging on doors and inmates shouting at each other through the walls, even at night. Without the background noise, I couldn’t drift off.
“I can’t sleep,” Charlie announced, giving a defeated sigh.
“I can’t either,” I confessed. “Today was a lot to take in.”
Charlie made a sound of agreement. His fingers reached out, to tickle my stomach. “It doesn’t help that your beautiful, naked ass is right next to me.”
“You’re naked, too.” I snickered.
“What a coincidence.” Charlie reached out and brought me close to him.
Our bare bodies pressed together under the sheets, skin rubbing against skin, and it was the most heavenly thing in the world. I felt Charlie’s dick harden, and the area between my thighs began to ache.This is the moment! I knew it was.
“You’re already wet,” Charlie whispered as he reached down and felt between my legs.
He slipped a finger inside, and butterflies fluttered inside my head. I gave soft moans as Charlie massaged me, moving his fingers in and out. Tingling sensations ran from my apex all the way down my legs. Without thinking about it, I reached down and began rubbing Charlie’s dick. I took it in my hand, and he began gasping with me as we pleasured each other’s bodies.
So this is what we’d been missing, forced to live apart at the Institute. How wonderful it was to share a bed, and finally get some private time to be justus,instead of being forced to steal away hasty moments whenever we could.
My back arched off the bed as Charlie sank his fingers in deeper, but it wasn’t enough. I took my hand off his dick and placed it on his chest. “Charlie?”
“What is it, pidge?” he murmured. He was busy kissing my hair, which he loved to do, and I loved it when he did so.
“I want to go all the way.”
Charlie froze. He pulled his fingers out of me and paused, his face a complex riddle. “Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
“Yes! I want it.” I pulled him close. “Don’t you want it, too?”
The puzzle still bore true on his expression. “Yeah. But we need to be careful. Are you taking any medication?”
“I… can’t take birth control,” I confessed. “It messes up my hormones and makes my bipolar worse.”
