A Hero in the Dark: 2nd Edition

Chapter 96: Sealing the Deal

Once Malcolm finishes all his tests—temperature and pressure checks mostly—John shows me around the Human Garde Academy; he shows me around the administration building, dormitories, cafeteria, giving me the whole tour until my feet begin to ache.

By then, he leads me back to his cabin; it's long and rectangular and made of wood panels. Pixie's the first to bound inside, looking eager to inspect every inch of the place.

From the door, we're in the lounge room. There's a small pantry and table with a couch on the far end. "I meant to ask before," I start, realizing I hadn't. "But where are the others?"

John sits me down on the sofa, inviting me to sit on his lap. "Marina and Eight are in the Himalayas," he says. "I'd like to take you there tomorrow if it's not so much to ask—if Malcolm says it's ok. Six and Sam are traveling around Europe; I think they're in Romania now. Henri's back in Paradise—so is BK. Everyone else, I think, is here."

"What about Adam?"

"He's in Alaska," he explains. "Rex is too. There's a prison there for the rest of the trueborn. Adam and Rex were pardoned though, but Adam said he wanted to help rehabilitate his people."

John stands then, causing me to do the same, and takes me by the hand. He kisses it quickly and, with an ever-growing smile on his face, ushers me to his bedroom. It's an ordinary bedroom; not too big, not too small, and not so cluttered with things, so it's perfect. He sits me down on the edge of the double. "Wait here," he says, turning his back to reach into a drawer cabinet. "I want to show you something." I can't tell what he's fishing for, but it takes a while.

"John?" All he's got is a ridiculous half-smile on his face and a perfectly wrapped black box with a navy-blue bow tied on top of it. "What is that?"

"I made this a while ago," he says, smiling softly, "just in case you ever came back—or, if you didn't—if I ever found you again..."

"What is it?" I wonder.

"Open it," he insists. "Consider it an early birthday present." I oblige out of curiosity and tug on the ribbon until it loosens, then remove the top, and inside, to my surprise, is a silver sparkling amulet with stripes of blue marked around the edges. "Henri helped me with the symbol," he explains. "In Loric, it means faith—because I never lost it." He pauses for breath, or perhaps to let me take this in. "Everyone kept telling me to let it go, to forget, but I knew I couldn't. I waited for you, Emily. I asked Nine to put out search parties for you. He didn't—so I teleported out there myself. I thought I went to every place imaginable; the most populated places, the most remote, anywhere I thought you'd run off to. I reached out to you telepathically every day." He strokes my arm in a heavy-hearted way as if I'll disappear again, and an immense crushing guilt sits on my chest, smothering me. He did everything, anything imaginable to find me again.

"I heard," I mutter in a weak attempt to keep the tears at bay. "Every time."

"Why didn't you ever answer then?"

"I couldn't," is all I find myself slurring. "After all that happened... after what I did... I knew I could never face you again, no matter how much I wanted to."

"What you did? For helping him, you mean?"

I nod. "I never should've joined him. I could've gotten you killed. I only wanted to find a way where we all survived. I knew to some extent what he wanted—how badly he needed to kill you—but I thought I could prevent it. I didn't know it'd be so impossible..." I shudder and hug my middle. "I just wish there was something I could do to make it up to you, to prove that I'm not the traitor you all saw I was. I just—"

"Hey," he interjects, taking my hands and the box so it doesn't fall. We're nose to nose. "I knew you weren't a traitor. Not once did I think that. You lost your way, Emily; that's all. I never lost faith in knowing that you'd one day return to me, and now, here you are."

A sob escapes my chest that, for the life of me, I can't hide. "I could've gotten you killed, John."

He smiles, eyes of hope and gratitude, I think. "But you didn't. We're still here. I'm still here."

I drag in a breath. "Sarah isn't..." and just like that, it's silent again, and that weight returns to suffocate me stronger. "She died because of me."

"No. Not because of you."

"No, you don't understand," I say, shaking my head. "I asked them to come to me in Mexico. I don't even know why—if I was bored or lonely or what. Point is, I lied to them. I told them it was safe when it wasn't. I told him about it, and I set up the trap. It's because of me that anything happened to them at all. If I hadn't have convinced him to leave them alive, he would've—"

"Emily, stop," he begs, squeezing my hand tighter now while the other rests on my collarbone. "It's in the past. Please don't blame yourself. It was Setrákus Ra. He blinded you."

"As much as I want to believe that, John," I say, refusing to take that truth. "I can't." He stares at me, pleading, like he's begging me silently to see the way he sees, but I just can't. I'll never forgive myself for what I've done. I can blame Setrákus Ra all I want, but in the end, it was me—all me—and yet, still he tolerates that. "How?" I ask. "How can you even be in the same room as me?"

"I be in the same room as you because I love you, Emily," he says, sounding more content and at ease with that as the time progresses. "You're the sweetest, strongest, most intelligible, and honourable girl I've ever met. Not to mention insanely intoxicating too. I just want to have you," he purrs, putting his nose up to the side of my neck. "Please, let me have you now..."

"But John," I moan, unsure what to say and lost in the moment now. "Their pendants—"

"Who's pendants?" He seems distracted, focused only on sucking on the skin of my shoulder.

"Six's," I murmur, trying to withstand it, but I can't deny that it feels good. "And—the first three Garde... and Five's... I don't deserve to hold on to them..."

"We'll sort that out later," he slurs, nuzzling his nose into my neck before nibbling my ear. "Right now, it can wait. First, I want you, here, all to myself."

He leans in 'till my back is pressed to his bed. I close my eyes and let his scent take over. His breath is minty, and he smells of cedarwood. He doesn't stop caressing me and I don't want him to. I sigh a low sigh and my mouth falls agape, and he snags the opportunity to thrust his tongue deep inside, holding me oh so dearly, one arm around the nape of my neck and the other around my waist. He hampers me against the sheets, kissing me senselessly. "John..." I slur, my chin upraised to the ceiling as his stubble kisses my jaw.

"Em..." he groans back, brushing his thumbprints against my cheeks, neck, bust.

"I want you..." I murmur in a sea of lust.

"I want you too..."

There's a minute where he breaks away, and a pang of sorrow washes over my every nerve. I pout and reach for him like a child might if they were reaching for their favourite toy. John smiles and pulls off his HGA shirt, then he's pressing against me again and continues. I dig my fingers into his hair, gripping him firmly; I don't want to let him go.

He tucks my legs in-between his own, wraps me within his hold like I'm a delicate plushie to be cradled; a kitten to keep safe from the cold. He's so warm, so warm that I know he's using his Lumen to keep the cool air from biting my skin. He bites me instead, and without coming apart, he caresses me while tracing his fingers down and into my sweats—until their off me entirely.

I let out a soft moan under his breath and his lips come back to bite me for it before his tongue pushes through my lips, dancing with my own. "You're so soft when you've been crying, Em..." he slurs. "Please, let me fix that."

I nod, as it's all I can do; that, and tug on him gently to bring him oh so closer.

I don't care if he's an alien. I don't care if mom or dad will approve or not, or if Henri will. I want him. He knows I want him. I want him more and more with each flying second that passes. "I'm so glad you're back, Em," he whispers, chest against my bust. "I'm so glad you're home."