The guard inclined his head to Alazne’s countenance for instruction. Her own eyes went to Alexis and then Kristina to gauge their sentiments. Alexis furrowed her brow with genuine concern and surprise, her own eyes flitting to Kristina’s. Out of the corner of Alazne’s eyes, she saw Marcus vibrate with hostility. She was sure Stefan, Faith and Andresj shared the detective’s sentiments. Only Molly, who showered warmth on her uncle without fail, exclaimed in surprise. She resisted the urge to fling herself into his arms and Andresj, ever aware of the bundle of nervous energy next to him, simply placed his hands on her shoulders, his calmness filtering into her.
Kritina’s own orbs were guarded, revealing little of the turmoil going on inside her. The little girl inside of her wanted to make a scene. Cry, scream and hurl hurt feelings. But another part of her, the one that was growing and changing and channeling, as her mother put it, the inner Cassadine, willed her to be direct, be truthful and clear.
Be honest. Without fanfare.
“You’re here.” It was not entirely what she wanted to say, but there was no hint of malice in her voice, so she decided it was a good start.
Alazne flicked her gaze back to the guard and gave a slight tip of her head. He blinked and eased back to his position just outside the room.
Sonny raked a hand through his dark curls, the heat of all eyes on him, leaving a bead of sweat along his brow. “I heard what happened,” he started, his voice low, suddenly feeling an absurd need to explain himself to the room.
Kristina stood, straightening her posture. She flicked her head to a smaller room just around the corner. “Come on,” she said, turning on her heel without another word.
Sonny was used to staring. He was used to disturbed silence as he walked by. He had learned over the years that it was simply better to not even acknowledge it. Still, as he moved across the room, following Kristina’s lead, his eyes caught sight of a something that he could not ignore.
Dara.
Warm chocolate orbs transfixed, unable to look anywhere but at him. He in turn allowed his own black pools to settle on her for a few brief beats before he forced himself to look back up and acknowledge Molly with a wink of his eye.
Dara turned her gaze back down to the screen, suddenly worried that she’d been caught. Her eyes fluttered about the room like a nervous sparrow, examining her close friends for reactions of what had transpired between her and Sonny. After long seconds of scrutiny, she relaxed, leaning against the cushions in relief.
“That was unexpected,” Alazne murmured, her fingers moving back over the laptop. Dara rubbed her face before sitting up straighter. “I hope it doesn’t cause more problems,” she allowed.
Alazne shrugged, though her own concern radiated from her visage, “There’s always hope. Maybe there is some good to him after all.”
Dara nodded, the words echoing in her mind, when another voice flowed into her mind, this one softer, more masculine, one that set her nerve endings tingling.
“Even I can be a good man for just a moment, can’t I?”
The mood in the room lightened and while Sonny’s arrival lingered, it was no longer the primary focus for those waiting.
Dara took a breath and lifted a legal pad and pencil. “Anything from the WSB?”
The room filled with quiet voices once more as routine settled into place. No one had noticed Dara’s eyes latch onto Sonny. No one noticed the subtle movements in her body language or the faint heat that colored her neck and cheeks when Sonny’s eyes met hers.
No one had thought to look for it, so no one had seen it.
Save for the one who always looked for what no one else did.
Stefan.
*~*
The faint, tell tale buzzing against the dresser caught both the attention and the ire of the couple still twined together in the bed.
“What is that, 6 or 7 times now?” Emily’s voice sleepily asked.
“Sweetheart, I know I’m good, but even I’m not that good,” came Thane’s chiding reply, his hand resting against the soft rise of Emily’s hip.
Emily let out a throaty laugh. “You are awful. Terrible pun, just terrible!” She ran her hand along the solid planes of his chest, the pads of her fingers memorizing the spots which pulled the reactions she sought. Just below his ribcage, he would suck in a breath. Along the collarbone, and he would close his eyes, releasing a sigh. Scratching her nails gently below his belly button, and a deep growl emanated from within, before the heat behind his eyes enveloped her.
It had been pure bliss, being here with him. Doors locked, phones put away, only peeking out into the world to ensure room service had delivered their requests. Instead, they had put their attention to each other and intimately learned the body of the one they had sought this refuge with, the one that stirred so much longing and need.
For Emily, it had been a long time since she’d been with a man so enraptured with her, so drawn to her that she found he never took his eyes from hers. She would turn her head, close her eyes, or find herself catching glimpses of their room. A thrown pillow, a piece of discarded clothing, a billowing curtain or swatch of fabric, before his voice captured her attention once more.
“Come back,” he’d purr into her ear and she would be his again.
For Thane, Emily was his first since Nakia. First kiss, first touch, first caress, first everything. With Nakia, it had been love, each time and every time. No worries or fears, just the arms and body of a woman he’d loved the moment he met her.
With Emily, there had been hesitation, trepidation and faraway, in the back of his mind, guilt. The emotions had been a blur and a jumble, a powerful driving force he could barely hang onto. Now, she was a beautiful flame, one he could scarcely fathom keeping away from.
She was Jason’s sister. A means to an end.
Yet she was Emily with him. And she was burning him, brandishing him with herself with every word, every whisper and sigh, every look and touch.
“I better check,” she said, making the move to push off the covers, off their cocoon, to get to the phone that was resting next to his across the room.
But he didn’t want her to go. He didn’t want her to leave his side. He clutched her hand as she rose to a sitting position. She turned to him and gave him a look that took his breath away and all his emotions pooled down to his groin. She didn’t want to go either.
“Come back,” he said, his voice a velvety rumble and she smiled and in the next moment her mouth was on his, and he devoured her sweetness as his hands rested at her hips, guiding her to his hardness. The apex of her thighs radiated heat and with a pant of satisfaction, she joined with him, his length filling her completely. He rose up, wrapping an arm around her waist as she began to rock her hips. Thane pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the valley between her breasts and she sighed.
“Definitely number 6,” she declared.
*~*
Helena tightened the knot on her robe as she stepped out into the cool air and stopped with surprise, one of the rare times she was genuinely caught off guard. The breakfast table sat untouched, the table setting for only one and not the usual two. A servant entered, carrying her usual request for morning meal.
“My son?” she inquired, a hint of impatience already curdling into her tone. The servant stood sharply, wishing suddenly he was anywhere but under the watchful gaze of Lady Cassadine.
“He left several hours ago, said he had something to sort out with the others,” the servant stammered. He thought for a moment as he went over Archer’s careful instructions. “Oh, and he said not to worry, to enjoy your meals and he would contact you shortly.” The servant let out a breath as though he’d run a marathon.
Helena pursed her lips as she considered her next words. “And Athena?”
The servant shook his head. “No Madam, nothing from her.”
She waved her hand impatiently and the servant scurried off.
That Archer had gone off without warning was less irritating now than years before. It was a habit she found she could not break him from. Perhaps it was the unmolded years before she came back into his life, but there were times where Helena felt a sense of assertion from Archer, an urge of him wanting to try something on his own. It did not always end well, but she fought her own urge to discourage it or worse, to chase after him. He was her son, the one she could look at and instantly feel a sense of legacy and triumph.
It was the closest thing to trust she could imagine gifting him with.
Athena was another story.
She had a voice that always obeyed, but ice blue orbs that on the rare occasion, flared with rebellious intent.
Despite not sharing a moment’s breath of time with Stefan; over the years, it was plain that Athena’s innate impulses were irritatingly so much like his. So many times Helena had curbed the intense desire to simply be rid of the girl, to fling her broken body on Stefan’s door and watch the misery unfold.
But she knew better than to give into those flashes, that there was so much more damage, so many more delicious cracks to nourish if Helena simply guided Stefan’s only daughter down a path of true destruction.
The fact that Athena was truly pulling from Helena’s grasp and authority indicated that like all wild animals, there came a time when the cage could simply no longer hold the beast.
It was time to let go.
Another servant appeared, holding a small folded paper. She opened it, dismissing the servant with another wave. She read the few words before smiling broadly.
Nikolas had arrived in Paris.
*~*
Nikolas gripped the arm rests as the plane taxied down the runway towards the terminal. The leather squeaked under protest of his grip.
“Alright there man?” Lucky’s query was relaxed, almost teasing, but there was a hint of gruff concern underneath. Nikolas expelled a nervous breath, unable to quell the anxiety within him. Nikolas didn’t get nervous anymore, with his role in the family, decisions were made constantly, there was never any time to get nervous and so, over the years, the sentiment simply stopped before it started.
Until now.
Lucky was still leveling him with a look and so Nikolas finally offered a somewhat honest reply. “I’ll be fine.”
It was enough and Lucky turned his gaze back to the oval shaped window and the brothers sat in silence as the minutes ticked by.
“Thank you for coming with me.” Nikolas’s soft voice broke into the quiet and a flicker of something passed over Lucky’s face. It was so strange sometimes how Lucky and Andresj reacted so similarly, despite their glaring differences.
Lucky offered a half-grin, a trademark of his when he had mixed emotions he didn’t want to share. “Well, LuLu wanted one of us there with you.” He waved his hand in front of him, a nervous tick of his own at play. “She wants to know what she’s like, what this will do to Mom.”
A pause of silence. Laura. The weight of her presence was felt by both of her sons.
“Besides,” he added, turning his gaze back to his brother, issuing another knowing look. “You shouldn’t be handling this on your own.”
Nikolas furrowed his brow, feeling coddled. “I’ll be fine,” Nikolas said.
Lucky arched his brows. “Saying it again, doesn’t make it truer than the last time.”
There it was, that hint of warning. The one he heard from his father and now from both brothers. The tone that plainly displayed wariness of what lay ahead. In an instant he felt fury, but also fear. He could be wrong. He could be so terribly wrong.
Lucky tilted his head as he watched his older brother. “You aren’t alone in this. You never have been,” he pointed out.
Nikolas nodded. “I know.” A chill ran through him and he knew he didn’t entirely believe Lucky’s words. He did feel alone in this.
Lucky leaned forward, resting his forearms against his jean clad knees. “I mean, she’s my sister too.”
“Not like Lesley Lu,” Nikolas replied quickly, his voice dark. “Not like her.”
Helena. Another woman to give the brothers pause.
Lucky squared his shoulders, conceding the point. “Fair enough.”
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