Hunting the Shadows (17 page)

Chapter Fifteen

“Eyes on me.”

Amy’s gaze tracked over the half dozen or so men and women doing yoga in the courtyard before it flitted back to J.C. It was difficult to concentrate on him when all she wanted to do was watch the others. “I’m listening.”

“You’re not concentrating.”

She couldn’t help the curl of her lips as she shot a look over his shoulder at the vines that had grown around wooden trellises. Someone had taken the time to nurture the plants.

When he snapped his fingers in front of her eyes, she frowned. “I don’t see the point in this.”

He traced a finger down her jaw and she shivered. “I know you don’t but I want you to build your shields. You need to concentrate to do that with others around.”

Amy frowned, but she focused on him for the moment.

“Aren’t we going to disturb them?” She nodded toward the others who were now set up on the lawn in a pose she didn’t know the name for. Whatever it was, it didn’t look comfortable.

She let J.C. lead her away down a small stone path, his hand warm against the small of her back. She found herself tucked against him.

He lowered his head, his mouth brushing her ear. “It would take more than two people talking to interrupt them.”

They were so agile. As she watched them move into a more complex pose, she had to wonder how toned they had to be to pull it off. “What exactly are they doing?”

“Exercising their bodies and minds. Ajay told me once that it’s a way for her to clear her mind and balance out the psychic energy and strengthen it.”

“So you brought me out here to do yoga?”

He shook his head. “Maybe you can get Ajay to teach you some moves. For the moment, I want you to deal with their minds and learn to shove the door closed so that they can’t get into your head.” He stopped her along the edge of the field, still close to the others, and yet far enough away that though she knew they were around, she wouldn’t be distracted by what they were doing.

She turned, smiling a little when she caught him studying her, inquisitive heat in his eyes. It would have been far too easy to simply bask in his attentions, especially after what’d happened the previous night. “What if something goes wrong?”

He dragged his fingers down her arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. “Don’t worry. If you get too deep, I’ll pull you back.”

She had to lift a brow at that.

“There comes a risk with everything. If it gets to be too much for you, I’ll get you out of here.” He promised. “We need to stabilize your shields naturally. I don’t want to pump any more drugs into your system. I’ve never approved of all the pills we’re fed and I’m not about to add more to your regime.”

He didn’t know how happy that made her, that he wanted to try things without the use of chemicals. That’s all she’d ever wanted, a chance to prove herself before being subjected to the mind numbing meds. But still, her stomach tightened at what they were planning to do.

“You okay?”

She looked up. “Just thinking. What first?”

He stepped around her, wrapping an arm around her waist to hold her in place before she could get away. She found herself flat against the hard length of him, unable to move. He didn’t have to say anything to wreak havoc on her senses. His touch was enough to accomplish that. He had to be blind not to notice his affect on her.

“Take off your band.”

Her fingers jerked in their rush to undo the leather.

“Now what?”

The minds of others surrounded her, trapping her as though she were in a small, narrow space. It was instantaneous. She couldn’t pull enough air into her lungs. Panic tore at her control. She tried to turn, to face the oncoming threats but they were everywhere.

“Relax. There’s no point in allowing them to scare you.”

“I’m not scared.” But she was suffocating. Even if she ran, they’d be there. The voices were so loud, the emotions clogging her system.

Terror. Anger. Fear. Happiness. Sadness. They combined within her, a Pandora’s box that threatened to explode and take away her sanity.

Her fingers curled and she pressed her fists to her ears. She wanted to run. Wanted to scream at them to leave her alone, that they had no right to haunt her. If it wasn’t for the fact that J.C.’s hands tightened at her waist, holding her there, she might have done something she would have otherwise regretted, like react defensively. But he
was
there, a prominent force in the back of her mind.

“Deep breaths, Amy. You need to remember to breathe,” he whispered in her ear. “You’re strong. Don’t give them access if you don’t want them to have it. You need to be in control.”

She nodded and straightened her spine when her legs shook. Locking her knees, Amy lowered her hands, reaching behind her to grip him by the loops of his jeans.

Laughter broke her concentration. A laugh that was only in her mind, she knew, because around them, there was nothing but silence. Nothing but the broken gasps of her own breathing.

“Concentrate,” he instructed. “Picture a wall. A door. Anything that you can put up to push them out of your mind. Force them all to leave you alone.”

The door she envisioned closed. She focused on it, forced the lock in place. It wasn’t enough. The minds slammed and pushed until the door began to waver and fall apart.

“They’re strong.” Her brain throbbed with the beginnings of a headache, her system threatening to collapse.

“They’re the ones who are invading, Amy. Don’t be a doormat. Kick every one of their asses out. You don’t want them there and they don’t belong.”

She didn’t want to be reduced to not being in control, having to live in a protected, isolated room. She wanted her own life. She’d lost too much time.

Anger came on the heels of that thought and this time, she recognized it as her own. She’d lived for years in isolation, letting the thoughts and emotions of others drive her into a corner. No more. She gathered that anger within her, used it, reforming that door, locking it. And when that door began to shudder, she envisioned bricks and mortar, building a wall to re-enforce it.

Her mind silenced and she drew in an easy breath.

“How do you feel?”

“Great.” She hadn’t collapsed or frayed her system until it was irreparable. The headache began to recede. “I did it.”

She started to turn, but he wouldn’t let her. Instead, he moved back, tugging her with until they were deep in the tree line, hidden completely from eyesight.

“Good. Keep going.”

And then his mouth was at her neck, his tongue tracing circles over her pulse.

Amy couldn’t help but arch into the touch, her eyes fluttering closed. She wanted to rock back to give him as much access as he wanted.

She couldn’t help but gasp at the heat produced by his mouth as he nibbled and sucked. “I’m pretty sure—” She moaned. “—that I can handle anyone who happens to try and suck on my neck.”

His head whipped up and when she glanced over at him, his eyes were dark. “The only one you have to worry about is me. No one else.”

Had she missed a memo? Her body tingled at the declaration, making her knees shake. But she didn’t have time to dwell on it, not when the wall fell again, crumbling because he’d broken through.

“You’re supposed to be concentrating. Focus, Amy. I’m not going to make it easy for you. Attacks won’t always be mental. You need to learn how to defend yourself against the physical as well.”

She shuddered, all too aware of him—and the press of an erection against the small of her back. How could she concentrate? She couldn’t stop her body from responding. Not even if she wanted to.

“You’re playing dirty.”

His lips nibbled at her ear. Hot. Sinful. She closed her eyes and tried to focus, to block the others from her mind. It was harder when his mouth was doing things that made everything in her tremble. That was the point. He wanted her to work for it, to not let the physical get in the way of her building shields. And damn it, he was right.

She struggled. Brick by brick a wall was forged. When she had the last in place, a wave of pure, uncensored lust hit. It wasn’t her, though her body was burning up, but his. She rocked against the force of his desires.

Big, warm hands slid beneath her shirt to cup her breasts. She jerked and wavered in keeping the wall up. Every time she thought she had it firmly in place, he flicked his thumb over her nipples or pressed a kiss to her skin and she lost it all over again.

“J.C.,” she murmured.

“Focus, Amy. You’re losing ground.” When his hand slid down her stomach, she held her breath, half in relief, half in anticipation. But then he stroked along the inner crease of her thigh, oh so close to that needy pulse between her legs.

“I’ll get it back.” She tipped her head to the side. He trailed his tongue down against her pulse. “J.C., we’re outside. Anyone could come across us.”

She more than felt his erection pressing against her, she
felt
his arousal.
Felt
the way he held back, his muscles strained tight. The need throbbed within her, an ever present heat that made her all too aware of how easy it’d be to give herself over to it.

“No they won’t. I’ve disabled all of the cameras in the area.”

“How?”

“I’m using my abilities right now to shield us.” His thumb pressed against her through the material of her cargo pants.
“If I licked between your thighs, would you scream, Amy?”

She shuddered, knowing she was failing this assignment, but not caring. And he knew she heard him, that she hadn’t built the walls high enough to block him. The punishment was a sharp bite where her neck met shoulder, followed by his tongue as he soothed the ache and created a stronger one lower, between her legs.

He lifted his hand and for a moment, she thought he was through playing with her, but he gripped the waistband of her pants and his head lifted, dark eyes locking onto hers. When he slid his hand under the material, beneath the thin protection of her panties to touch sensitive flesh, it was he who groaned, his breathing that hitched.

“You’re so wet. Answer me. I know you hear my words.”

She fought to draw in air.

He moved closer to her aching flesh, closer to where she needed a harder, deeper caress. Closer where he could do things that were surely illegal. She rubbed herself against his fingers, her movements driven by instinct.

Frustrated when he stilled, her body coiled so tight that she hurt, Amy growled. She tried to move, to turn and face him but his other hand rested against her, holding her still, his leg between her thighs keeping them apart. Turning her head, she bit his lip, hard enough to startle him as she put the final brick in the wall.

She was left with desire. A need so forceful that she rocked closer to him, wanting more. She couldn’t breathe without feeling the heat in her gut, couldn’t move without her muscles coiling tight.

He smiled, a slow, sensual curve of his lips. “There you go, sweetheart. You got it.”

“Do I get a reward?” It was a breathy question and only slightly sarcastic—and before she could say anything else, she was spun around with her back pressed against the tree and two of his fingers buried deep inside her.

She had no choice but to clutch his shoulders for support when his fingers began to move. His mouth took hers in a hungry kiss, giving her no choice but to do as he commanded, his fingers driving her to that sharp cliff. She came in an exquisite burst and would have fallen to her knees if he hadn’t been holding her.

When he lifted his head, she was well aware of his harsh breathing in her ear. “Let’s go eat. I’m not sure about you, but I’m starved.” After taking a moment to fix her clothes, he stepped back rigidly. “And unfortunately, food is the only hunger I
can
feed. The other will have to wait.”

* * *

The air had cooled and J.C. was grateful for it. His entire body burned and the fact that Amy looked good enough to eat didn’t help. Not when her cheeks were pink, her eyes darkened by her orgasm. If they hadn’t been in the cafeteria where anyone could see, he’d be far pressed not to lift her onto the table, spread her legs and simply bury himself between those sweet thighs.

“You’re staring.”

“I’m proud of you.” He cleared his throat and stabbed his fork into something that was supposed to resemble a piece of meat. He definitely hadn’t missed the food. “I know you were concerned, but you did it. You built the wall.”

“I didn’t think I could.”

“You got angry and lost your temper.” He grinned. She lost her temper because he’d teased her to the brink of it. “Psychic abilities are closely connected to emotions. It’ll take awhile for you to learn to do it without drawing on them.”

“Practice, right?”

He watched her lift her fork to her mouth, frown at the cheesy macaroni then place it down again. “Practice, yes. Remember, it’s taken all of us years. It was one of the first things we were taught as children. You were never given that chance.”

“How freaking great for me,” she muttered.

“You have an ability, one that so far, no one else has control of. Plain and simple.” He chewed on the piece of meat, swallowed. It tasted like rubber. “Broderick hates that you aren’t under his thumb.”

“I won’t let him use me.”

When she glanced over his shoulder, he turned, following the direction of her attention. Ajay was making her way through the cafeteria and headed in the direction of their table.

Lowering a carton of milk, apple and some kind of sandwich, Ajay settled beside him. “You’re actually eating that crap?” She pointed at their plates, “J.C. didn’t warn you, I take it. Amy, you’d be better off making something in the community kitchen. Or bug Davan. It’s what I do. The man is a God in the kitchen. Seriously. He’s the Kitchen King.”

“No, he didn’t warn me.”

J.C. lifted a brow at Amy’s pointed glance. There was a quirk to her lips that warmed him uncomfortably and for once, it had nothing to do with lust but something else. A look passed between them, something that changed in the air and he looked away. “Not everyone is spoiled.”