Electric

chapter twenty-one

Something soft brushes the back of my neck.

My eyes flutter open expecting a nightmare but all I find is the dark of a room. The pillow next to my head bursts into a pile of feathers and I frown. I thought I had that under control. But I'm in Parker's room. There's no need to panic. As I become more self-aware, I feel Parker's body against my back, his legs tangled with mine, and his lips touching my neck so. I shift ever so slightly and Parker's lips move to touch the dip between my shoulder and neck.

Someone decided to give me one good thing in my life and that would be to wake up with Parker right next to me. That person figured that my whole life has been just one big pile of crap so they offered me to Parker, and Parker agreed to take me for some reason I really don't understand. I have woken up with him behind me and I can taste a smile and can feel my laughter and the sun wants to eat away all the darkness the last seventeen years have been and I have decided to let it.

"Good morning, love." His voice is thick and heavy. A sleepy Parker? This might be the weirdest day of my life and I haven't even gotten out of bed yet.

"Shh." I shush in return. "We can pretend we don't know the sun is out. And if the sun isn't out then we don't have to get up." Parker chuckles softly against my neck and I can feel the laughter echoing in his chest.

"I'm afraid that plan is very flawed." His arm is draped over my stomach and I feel a little dizzy. This proximity is intoxicating. "We must attend breakfast or else people will begin to wonder." I turn towards him and every inch of his body brushes against mine.

"Let them wonder."

Parker smiles against my skin and my heart beats loudly in my chest and the world spins ever so slightly.

"You see the problem with that, love, is that they would suspect we were doing this." He explains while turning my head to the side so he can kiss me.

"I'm not seeing a problem." I grumble and he kisses the tip of my nose.

"After everything you have been through, you are still so untainted." He lets out a big sigh and uses his hands to rest my forehead against his. "Alas, love, we must get ready for breakfast." With that, he gets out of bed and starts pulling clothes out from his drawer. "You may go get dressed in your room if you would like." I figure that means that I'm dismissed, so I exit the bedroom and walk the halls without running into one soldier. I'm quite impressed with my luck at avoiding everyone until I open the door to my room.

Hawkins is sitting on the very edge of my bed, waiting for me.

"Ah, there you are, Ms. Evans." Hawkins smiles a false smile at me and I don't even manage to return it. The lights flicker due to my shock. This is a strange turn of events. "Where were you this morning? You weren't even in your bed." Thank God I wasn't. What would he have done if I was? What would I have done if I was? He's worse than Miles so I can't even begin to imagine the answer to that question. I stand as still as a statue underneath the door-frame.

"I was having a hard time sleeping." Which is not a total lie. Before Parker came and rescued me I was having a very hard time sleeping. After that, though, I slept just fine. The lights flicker a little more.

It's not like Hawkins deserves my honesty anyway.

"So you got up and were doing what, Ms. Evans? Running rampant around the compound whilst looking for trouble?" His tone is flippant and it confuses me. "Were you doing something unbecoming with one of my soldiers? Or, let me guess, something with your cute little power? Were you roaming through the halls and making the lights flicker? You do not scare me with your insignificant power, Ms. Evans. Remember that I am not daunted by you but you should be daunted by me because I can do so much more damage than you ever could." I swallow hard. What game is he playing right now?