Chapter 14

She tasted of some sort of rich dark ale. Xander’s right hand found the back of her head, guiding it sideways in order to get better purchase, to deepen this kiss of theirs. Time be damned. The feel of her melting into his arms was the only thing worth his attention right now.

Her hands fisted in his hair, her own hunger growing by the second. It was sheer bliss. She moaned, and his body hardened and jerked in response, and he pressed her closer to him.

“...guys...hey...somebody’s coming,” Lennie’s voice finally broke through the haze of lust, and; well, he refused to name what else was possible.

He pulled away from her, his hands sliding through the silky locks of black hair, so dark it was like the star-filled sky. Her crystal blue eyes were heavy-lidded, her mouth pouting at being taken away.

God help him. He wasn’t supposed to even like her. He needed her to be currency, a tool, a way to get his brother back without jeopardizing anyone else. Yet now, even in his thoughts, it sounded hollow.

“We have to get to your ship, Xander. I can get us into the bay as long as you can get us out of here and take us where we need to go,” Lennie was practically begging.

“Alright,” Xander turned away from Charlie and followed Lennie, but Xander couldn’t quiet let go of her completely, so he continued to hold Charlie’s hand.

The Allegiant guard who had been coming, ended up walking down an opposite hallway, completely oblivious to the two people who had escaped a puzzle prison. His superiors would be furious when they went back and reviewed the visu-links. Actually, Xander was wondering why there wasn’t anyone around now...

“Lennie, why aren’t there a million Guards on us right now?” Xander asked.

“I fixed the sensors on a loop so they only see empty space, but it will only hold for just so long. Once we get to the ventilation system, we’ll be safe. I’ve turned those systems off completely without it showing an alert, but we have to move fast, Xander. Fast.”

Shaking his head, Xander followed the lanky red-head of their new Wizard. He’d had and used a lot of ally’s in his life, but this was the first time it had been a Laertan kid. He pulled Charlie along, her steps were almost halted, as though she were half asleep. He supposed she was, between the drain the JUMP must have had on her, the kiss, and the sheer shock of everything she was going through. In all the places he had been to, her planet was the most foreign, which meant it was possible that she may not have known other planets were inhabited. Much less, that time travel was a semi-typical event, she could be in true medical shock.

As long as she kept walking, he’d let her sort it out, and if he had to, he’d throw her over his shoulder; but he wasn’t going to lose her now, not after everything he’d done in the last lunar cycle to find her.

Lennie stopped. The toe of Xander’s book hit the back of Lennie’s shoe, and he almost fell over the kid.

“What the hell, Lennie?” Xander asked, reflective of Charlie’s whisper shouting at him.

“We have to get to the bay through here, it’s the only way we can go undetected.”

“This is the way you found me, isn’t it?”

“Uh huh,” Lennie acknowledged, looking at the floor.

“I guess you’re right. We could take our chances down the halls and back ways, but I really can’t afford to get caught. No, you’re right, this is the only way.”

“You go first, Lennie, then Charlie, and I’ll take up the rear, to keep us covered from the back, just in case,” Xander said.

Suddenly, it was like someone had clapped their hands in front of The Time Keeper’s eyes, for her eyes widened with fear, and she shook her head wildly. She yanked her hand from his and held them both out in front of her, as though warding off an attacker.

“No, I can’t, I just can’t,” she said, over and over.