The Keys (Ethos Society Book 2) Read online

  “I’m free tomorrow night, though,” I offered, making his eyes snap back to mine at the lifeline. “Maybe we could have dinner together then?”

  “You want to have dinner together?” Reed asked, a comfortable grin forming on his lips. It took me back weeks ago, before everything had gone wrong. “Are you asking me out on a date, Char?”

  Normally, the joke would have made me laugh, but I had slipped into the distant place I reserved for work. All that managed to escape me at that moment was a short exhale through my nose.

  “We need to talk, Reed,” I murmured.

  Before I could blink, I was being crushed against his chest and swamped with his pine and mint scent. The combination that was uniquely him calmed me as he leaned his head on top mine.

  “What’s next, huh? ‘It’s not you, it’s me’? Are we aiming for all the cliches?” His voice turned serious. “I’ll be damned if this is the end of us.”

  I squeezed him tight around the waist before pulling away. It didn’t feel right— being so close, so comfortable after everything.

  I tried to offer a soft smile. “No, Mountain Man, It’s not the end. But tomorrow night—“

  “I’ll feed you and we’ll talk, Char. Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you. No more secrets between us,” he promised, eyes full of sincerity.

  Relief spread through my body at his words and I knew we’d find our way back to each other somehow. Even if the road was filled with massive potholes along the way.

  I suddenly shivered as a cold chill spread down my arms. It prompted a brilliant idea, and I popped by head up to meet Reed’s eyes. “It’s still cool outside, so maybe you could make that kick-ass chili of yours? If it’s not too much trouble.”

  But it didn’t seem like he’d heard me. His gaze was locked on my hands rubbing warmth into my arms.

  “Fuck, Char, look at your hands,” he hissed, worry overtaking his features. My attention darted down, a faint electric blue glow radiating from my palms. “Has this happened before?”

  Ignoring the faint shaking in my limbs, I lifted them from my arms to study them closer. It was like light danced beneath my skin.

  “No. I mean, I’ve felt off... like I haven’t been sleeping well, and I think my heart rate has been up, but I figured that was from all the stress. I haven’t experienced anything like this since initiation.”

  My whole body tingled, as I desperately fought not to scrub at my skin. The rush of adrenaline from the energy made my heart pound faster as my eyes dilated, taking more light in. Goosebumps rose against my skin, showcasing that the hairs on my arms had risen.

  Reed grabbed my hands as his eyes scanned meticulously over the rest of my body. His skin seared my own, and a small hiss escaped before I could stop it.

  At the sound, his gaze jumped to mine as he explained, “It was probably the uptake of a sudden emotion coupled with being near me. And since you haven’t integrated with your Spark yet, it released the residual energy when you came down.”

  “What are you talking about, integration? I thought that was what the initiation ceremony was for.” He let out a sigh before he squeezed my hands and dropped them, noting the faint glow had receded.

  “Look, Char. We’ll have our dinner tomorrow night, and we’ll talk...” he trailed off, gaze intense and shoulders stiff with… worry. “But after that, we need to start training you ASAP. We can’t put it off any longer, regardless of how you may feel about all of this. It isn’t safe for you to be in this suspended state much longer.”

  Confusion threatened to drown me as I frowned up at him. “I’m going to pretend to know what you’re talking about, and for the sake of myself and humanity, agree,” I said slowly.

  “Whatever you need to tell yourself, as long as you agree to start training. To answer your question, integration is the process to settle the Spark within your body. Right now, it’s a bit like a contained live wire without a ground. You should be okay until tomorrow, but we can’t keep pushing things back. You’re seriously behind and it’s going to raise some flags if you wait any longer.”

  “I’ll train,” I promised, if only to erase the worry ingrained in his face. My lips twitched as I couldn’t help but tease, “But I am not putting on any of those ominous black robes. I’m not a grim reaper.”

  His lips didn’t even twitched as he said, “Nah. Your cycle size was unheard of in many regards, we’re not even having a cycle this session.”

  “O-kay,” I said, dragging the word out. Apparently, there was way more I had to learn. “I should probably put some of my stuff away and head back so I’m not late. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow,” Reed echoed, a smile finally curling his lips.

  And even as I was excited to work on rebuilding what I had with Reed, anxiety reared its ugly head at the thought of everything… else.

  “How did it go, cara?” Gavin asked once dinner was well on its way.

  His light blue dress shirt was rolled to his elbows, showing off his flexing forearms as he brought over the salad to the already crowded dinner table. I followed the motion as he sat down and took a sip of his Pinot Noir. We didn’t eat full blown-out meals all the time, but when Gavin wanted Italian, it was no holds barred.

  “Were you both waiting on me to talk to him?” I asked, thinking of Gage’s words earlier, as I looked between them.

  “There’s a difference between giving a push and pushing. You needed the former, though if you waited much longer, I might have tied you to that chair and made you two hash it out,” Gavin said matter-of-factly.

  “So, Bird, back to the question,” Gage chimed in from my right side. “How did it go?”

  “Besides my hands deciding to glow at the end, it was...progress. It was rough, and we still have things we need to talk about and work out, but we agreed to dinner tomorrow.”

  Both men shifted in their chairs, somewhat abashed. Gage’s hand landed on my thigh while Gavin ran his hand through his hair and briefly looked to the ceiling.

  “You know, regardless of my IQ, sometimes I feel like a fucking idiot. I’m still relatively new to this myself, but it’s no excuse and I’m sorry, cara. Maybe I should have actually pushed you to go to him sooner,” Gavin said.

  “Does someone want to clue me in?” I asked, slightly agitated with being in the dark about something... again.

  “He’s probably beating himself up because you haven’t integrated yet and he didn’t realize it could have adverse effects so soon,” Gage replied. “I hadn’t noticed anything off with you until earlier in bed. It was like, all of a sudden, you were almost vibrating. I mean, you’ve been high strung with all the stress, but this was different.”

  “Wait, when did you integrate?” I asked Gage, wondering how I had missed something like that.

  “While you went to see Alicia around Christmas. When you came back from break we were waiting for you to bring up the initiation, or hell, anything to do with Ethos, but you never did. We thought you still needed more time to adjust to everything.”

  “I get that, I really do guys, but please don’t handle me with kid gloves anymore. I get that I haven’t handled everything well, but that stops today, okay?”

  The buttons on Gavin’s light blue button down strained as he leaned closer to me, a lock of caramel brown hair falling across his forehead.

  “You know we’ll tell you whatever you want to know,” Gavin said, his eyes shining with sincerity. “If you hadn’t gone to Reed today, then I was going to take you there myself. I just thought you deserved the chance to work things out on your own and make that decision for yourself. But next time, I’ll be sure to voice my concerns earlier.”

  “We won’t hold back anymore, Bird,” Gage said wickedly in a tone that had me squeezing his hand that was on my thigh. My mind raced with all the devious possibilities that could mean as excitement coiled in me.

  Gavin caught what was going on quickly and sent a lopsided grin my way, erasing the tension th
at had sprouted from our conversation concerning integration. The rest of dinner was delicious and filled with a different kind of tension as the night wore on.

  “So, do I get the double dessert you promised for being such a good girl and following through?” I said cheekily.

  The twins shared a glance, seeming to have a silent conversation with each other. Gage’s tongue darted across his bottom lip before he nodded and stood up to head to his room. Gavin rose as well and approached me, pulling me flush against him.

  “Do you trust me, cara?” Though Gavin had framed it as a question, his tone left no doubt that he already knew the answer.

  “You know I do,” I replied, gazing at him questioningly.

  “Then come with me. It’s about time we played, don’t you think?” he said, threading his fingers through mine as he pulled me towards his room.

  Heat flashed through me at the thought of what playing with him might entail. Gavin had always been up front about his kinky... tendencies, and I suddenly wanted nothing more than to explore everything he'd learned through his travels.

  When we got to his room, he gave me a chaste kiss and left me standing by the foot of his bed as he disappeared into his closet. He came out with a black go bag and placed it on the bed.

  Dragging the zipper down, Gavin pulled out a pair of safety shears, placing them on the dresser, before pulling a large bundle of cyan rope and placing it on the bed. And then another bundle of rope.

  He was relaxed in his movements and handled the items with care, moving with a familiarity that spoke of his experience. Zipping the bag back up, he placed it back in the closet before moving to the nightstand and pulling out a small bottle of lube, then returning to stand in front of me.

  “So how does this work?” I asked, my curiosity spiking.

  “Aren’t they gorgeous?” Gavin asked, his tone husky and excited. “The rope is hand dyed and I already had it treated when I ordered it with you in mind. I thought it would look great against your skin and really bring out your eyes.”

  My heart filled once again at his words, my thoughtful and considerate lover. “I love you, Gav,” I said, letting him see just how much I really meant it.

  “I love you too, cara,” he said with a full-blown smile. “To answer your question, I’m going to wrap you up like my pretty little present, and I’m going to make you come until you think you’ve had enough. And then, I’ll make it happen all over again. Sound good?”

  “Look who's being cheeky now,” I said playfully. “Do I need some type of safeword?” I asked, nervous excitement building, like I was the one who was about to be dessert.

  “If it will make you feel more comfortable, of course. But we aren’t going to play like that tonight. I’m not a sadist by nature, which I’m sure you know. I only want your utmost pleasure and to guide you to new heights. I’ll talk you through every step of the way, and if anything makes you feel uncomfortable, all you need to do is tell me. Capisci?” he asked, fingers tracing along my covered collar bone.

  I nodded my head in agreement before giving him a genuine smile, knowing that Gavin would always take care of me.

  He cupped my face in his hands as he leaned down to kiss me, the slow cadence of our lips building on the anticipation of the night. Fingers danced beneath the edge of my shirt before he tugged the bottom of my polo up and over my head. The ends of my hair tickled the swell of my breasts.

  His hands came back to cup my face once more as he claimed my lips, taking his time, before they made their deliberate descent branding my exposed skin along the way. The sound of my belt being undone filled the room, followed by the loud drag of my zipper. My chest was rising and falling more rapidly as he helped me step out of my utility pants.

  Getting to his knees, Gavin ran his hands up from my ankles to my thighs, gently massaging the muscles. Lips brushed against my inner thigh, trailing to my panties before placing a hot open mouthed kiss just shy of where I wanted him most. Fingers dipped into the straps at my hips and dragged them down, helping me step out of them.

  Moving to stand, Gavin’s lips found mine as he removed my bra and left me utterly naked, breasts hanging heavy as my nipples pebbled against the cool air of the room.

  Gavin grabbed my hair tie from my wrist then began gathering my dark brown locks and twisting them on top of my head before securing them. Anticipation coursed through me at the subtle tug to my roots, which was reflected back in Gav’s eyes as he smoothed my bangs to the side. Then, he moved to grab the first bundle of cyan rope.

  The anticipation that had been building spilled over into uncertainty. The rapid rise and fall of my chest and the ragged inhales of air caught my attention, as my mind once again began to overthink. Gavin, who had been watching my every move, dropped the rope back to the bed and walked over to me.

  “Talk to me, cara. What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” he questioned, cupping my cheek with concern in his gaze.

  “I want you, Gav. Really want you. So much so, that I’m worried my hands are going to light up again like earlier today.”

  “What emotions were you experiencing earlier?” Gavin’s hands rubbed up and down my arms before taking my hands in his. “Anxious? Sad? Hurt? Maybe even out of control, which is why you’re worrying now?”

  “All of those.”

  “And tell me, how do you feel now? A little out of control, but turned on, anticipating what comes next?” His fingertips stroked my inner wrist, sending a shiver through me.

  “Yes.”

  “Last question, cara. Do you feel completely safe with me?”

  My answer came slower as I considered all sides to his question.

  “I do, I trust that you’ll stop if I ask you to. But also, that you’ll always be there for me, that even when or if it hurts you, you’ll still try and do right by me,” I said, thinking of the night where he struggled to tell me he was in Ethos.

  “Always,” he promised. “What happened earlier today was because of two reasons. One, you had highly volatile emotions around your sponsor with your Spark being so new. And two, you haven’t integrated yet. Which means until you have, that extra energy coursing through you is seeking a place to be absorbed into. It probably recognized Reed and his Spark, since he is your sponsor, and it tried to seek him out.”

  “That makes sense,” I said, nodding my head slowly.

  “By your own admission, you feel safe with me, and your emotions are of a whole different mindset. While our Sparks are similar, mine is on a slightly different frequency, if you will, and would require a great deal more effort on your part to try and bridge that gap.”

  I took a second to turn that over, and I was once again struck with how much I had missed these last couple weeks. I wasn’t one to let hurt feelings get in the way, and I had done just that. But tomorrow, tomorrow I could deal with that.

  Putting that away in a good place for now, Gavin’s crystal blue eyes met mine. With a hint of mirth, I apologized, “Sorry if I killed the mood.”

  “None of that, cara. I’m glad we’re open with each other. Now, are you ready to see what this is all about?” Gavin gave me a wide smile, full of love and patience, and I couldn’t help but catalogue the expression for later.

  “Yes, please. Shirt off, I’m feeling a little uneven here,” I teased him lightly, gesturing to his fully clothed body, then my completely nude one.

  Button by button Gavin opened his shirt, never breaking eye contact with me, and once again reclaiming the building sexual tension of the moment. Breaking eye contact, my eyes trailed down his tanned and toned torso as he removed his button down completely and placed it on the chair in his room.

  Gavin’s forearms flexed as he unwound the bundle and matched the ends, folding the length in half and coming around to face my back. Lips pressed on the nape of my neck before the rope wrapped around me, just below my breasts. Gavin worked the rope with familiarity, wrapping the rope around me again before copying the motions above
my breasts.

  On and on Gavin worked, periodically checking in on me and placing open mouthed kisses on my skin as the rope wound between my breasts and down my waist, before looping around the tops of my thighs. He led me to the mirror and took the spot behind me, running his hands over me and the gorgeous rope work he had just done.

  “How do you feel now, cara?” Gavin asked as his lips met the side of my neck, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror.

  “Calm. Almost like I just meditated...and secure,” I said, admiring the ropes twisting across me. My breathing was even, posture relaxed as I sank deeper into the tranquilness.

  “Exactly,” Gavin hummed in agreement. “This particular harness lets you have free range of motion while still providing that delicious pressure. Can you imagine wearing this under your clothes?” His hands lightly traced the rope before cupping my breasts. “Knowing that you have a secret no one else would know.”

  My nipples pebbled at his words and he deftly moved to roll them between his fingers, making my head fall back against his shoulder.

  “More,” I softly asked.

  “Patience, cara. You know I’ll take care of you.” He led me to the bed before picking up the second bundle, which was much smaller, and instructed me to hold my wrists out in front of me. He started the process again, wrapping my wrists multiple times, weaving in and out, before tying off the rope and leaving me with a set of gorgeous cyan cuffs.

  The sound of Gavin’s zipper filled the room as he shed the last of his clothes, moving to join me on the bed and leaning back against the headboard.

  “Come here.”

  Bracing my now tied hands on the bed, I crawled to his lap before his hands grabbed my waist and turned me with a strength I didn’t know he had. My back was now flush against his chest as I sat between his spread legs, the evidence of his arousal firm against my lower back.

  His hands trailed down my arms before he lifted them into the air, bending them slightly as he slid them back over his head. The position left my arms immobile while it pushed my chest up, leaving me completely at his disposal.