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My gaze moved to Hera’s collarbone despite the mark being hidden beneath her shirt. “I can’t believe you were late to a meeting because of a little afternoon delight. You do realize that is highly unprofessional, right?” Even as I scolded me, my voice held no censure.
“Technically, I was late because I was taking a nap.”
“Yeah, well, Knox sure can wear a person out, can’t he?” I chuckled, then removed the gloves I still wore most of the time. I’d learned to control my powers, at least with those I trusted, but it still took effort on my part. When out in public or around anyone except Hera, Knox, Brax, Deacon and Kit, I still chose to wear them. If nothing else, they made me more comfortable.
I reached out and set my bare skin against hers, the touch gentle, indulging in what I’d been denied for so long.
“The new resident who will be here in a few days is only four,” I said to try to distract us both.
“Four?”
I nodded. “It’s a boy. I’m not even sure what he is, honestly. The results are all inconclusive. We should have Kit look at him when he gets here.”
“You think he’s an elder?”
“It’s all I can figure. We’ve seen more of them lately.”
“Or maybe Larkwood used to hide them more?”
I shrugged, the idea unpleasant. I was sick of Larkwood’s secrets. “That’s possible. This place still has more than its fair share of secrets, after all.”
She tapped my hand with her finger, drawing my attention back to her as she lifted her eyebrow, a sure sign to keep going.
I let out a soft laugh. “I should know better than to hide anything from you, huh? The new shade, named Orion, we’re handling transfer paperwork from a group home.”
“Group home?”
“Seems his parents sent him there when he changed. Because he isn’t fitting nicely into any categories, no one realized he was a shade. They just knew he wasn’t behaving the right way, so they got rid of him.”
The story pricked at my own scars. It was too common a story, having families who opted out the moment they realized their precious kid wasn’t the perfect being they’d wanted them to be. Those sorts of scars lasted for a person.
I shook his head to clear away my own negativity. “So he’s technically a ward of the state. I don’t like taking in cases like that, because it feels too much like forcing them to be here, too much like the old Larkwood, but I think we’re the only ones who can help him.”
Hera’s expression softened as she reached out and caught my hand, squeezing tightly. Her support meant the world to me, a reminder that I wasn’t alone, that I wasn’t isolated from everything else. She understood me—my good parts and my not so great parts—and she still wanted me.
I’d never felt this, not even as a kid. It had taken walking through hell to realize not only my own worth but to accept that there were people in the world who would love me unconditionally.
When I glanced back at Hera to find a familiar, hungry look on her face, I smirked. “Is Knox losing his touch? Because I’d figure you’d be finished after him.”
She was obvious as she tried to hide her embarrassment at my words—I loved getting a rise out of peoplewaytoo much, which meant Hera was forever trying to not give in. Of course, I lost my upper hand the moment she grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me toward her.
And I went willingly.
It was the way of the world. If Hera called, I came. If she wanted, I gave. The amount of power I had, the things I could do, they didn’t matter a bit when it came to that woman.
She set her free hand on my cheek, and I flinched for a moment as I often did when touched. I’d gotten better about touch but a part of me couldn’t shake all of those old wounds, those old fears. As soon as it happened, though, I turned his head and pressed a kiss to her palm as if in apology.
“Well,” I whispered to her, “if you’re not done, it’s not like I can really deny you…” I sank to my knees as I spoke and pulled off my other glove as well, then ran my hands up her bare legs, teasing her at the hem of her skirt. I didn’t look away at all, pinning her with my gaze as I moved one hand up the inside of her thigh until I stroked over her cunt through her panties.
Still, I kept the touch soft, reverent. “When I first saw you, I never would have thought we’d end up here.” I pressed a kiss to her knee, ignoring the way she squirmed when the touch was enough to excite her but not nearly enough for what she wanted. “I was terrified of the world, of myself, of letting anything near me. You gave me a place where I didn’t have to feel that, and I’ll never be able to thank you enough for it.”
I teased over the line of her panties but didn’t dip beneath them, didn’t give her all she wanted.
“You make me feel like I’m not that bad. No matter what else happens, no matter who else throws me away, when you look at me like this, when you touch me, you make me think I wasn’t a mistake.”
Telling her these things wasn’t easy. I didn’t much like baring my soul or revealing my weakness, but she deserved that and more. After everything she’d done for me, after how much she’d helped me grow, she should know how important she was to me.
Of course, I couldn’t stand being serious for long, so I curled my lips into a smirk, ready to throw some sarcasm onto the conversation to keep it light.
