Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men and I doubt I ever will, dammit! However, in my dreams, the sexy feral who comes to me every night is all mine!!
Hey, everybody! Welcome to 'Smoke and Mirrors' - the third installment of my Kristiverse series! Set just four days after the X-men's return from Muir Island following their kidnapping by Magneto and his band of renegades, this story continues to expand on Logan and Kristi's relationship, sending them careering towards cataclysmic events which will change their lives forever! And just who is the mysterious red-head who claims to know Logan from times before?
Many thanks to all who followed along with and reviewed 'Shadows of a Dark Mind'! I hope y'all will enjoy this latest adventure and if prompted to review, please feel free to do so! I am addicted to reviews of any kind - the more the better!
And now ...... onward! Something wicked this way comes ...... !
Smoke and Mirrors
1. Memories of Future Past
The lower levels of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters were silent and stark, the metal walls a marked contrast to the warm wood panelling of the hallways above. Footsteps echoed hollowly along their pristine length as Kristi Marsters, also known as the X-Man Wildstar, moved cautiously from door to door, pausing to look into each room before moving on to the next. She knew she was looking for something but, at this moment in time, she didn't know what exactly. She would know it when she found it.
She turned to glance briefly at the brooding figure ambling along at her side. Her bondmate, Logan, also known as the feral Wolverine, rolled the unlit cigar between his teeth and raised an eyebrow, pointedly.
"Only one place left ta look, darlin'," he growled passively, nodding down the corridor.
Kristi looked hesitantly in the direction he had indicated. "Danger Room," she confirmed, somewhat reluctantly.
Sensing her fear, Logan moved ahead, leading the way towards the huge double doors that marked the entrance to the team's training room. Kristi fell into step behind him, worrying nervously at her lower lip and wondering, not for the first time, why the familiar hallways felt so alien to her. Both the functional starkness of the lower levels and the warmth of the mansion proper above her had become, in the last three months, as welcoming to her as her own home, yet she couldn't stop the sudden shiver that rippled through her body as she followed the feral. Try as she might, she couldn't shake the ominous feeling that she and her mate were being watched by malevolent eyes.
Logan punched the control panel next to the Danger Room doors with a meaty fist, stepping back slightly to cover Kristi as they rumbled open, protecting her from attack from within. Involuntarily, Kristi flinched as the doors locked back into position, but nothing leapt out to rend her limb from limb and she tried to calm her pounding heart as Logan stepped inside. Giving him a count of ten – time enough for him to locate anything nasty lurking inside and deal with it – she followed, finding him standing in the center of the empty room, arms akimbo.
He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Ain't nothin' here, Kris. Ya sure ya ain't been duped?"
Kristi shook her head, looking around her in confusion. "No. The message was quite clear. There were explicit instructions …….."
…….. Mom ……..?
Kristi whirled around, her raised hands glowing golden. "Did you hear that?"
"I heard somethin'." Logan popped his claws with a flick of his wrists, turning slowly on the spot, every sense alert for danger. A low growl rumbled in his chest.
…….. Mom …….. we're here ……..
"What is that?" Kristi's eyes flicked desperately around the empty room as her bondmate dropped into a fighting crouch beside her, the growl going up a notch. She could hear the voice, but where was it coming from? It sounded far away …….. almost as though …….
She looked up, her eyes alighting unerringly on the control booth situated above the Danger Room, a gasp rushing past her lips as she recognised the two children beating their fists against the glass. Her blood ran cold as she noticed something terrifying and black hovering behind them.
"Logan! There ……..!"
Her mate spun on one foot, following the direction of her outstretched arm and leaping forward, ultimately knowing that he was going to be too late to save his children from the thing that was seeking to take them away from him.
Too stunned to move, Kristi could only shout a warning as the black shadow descended and ripped her children to pieces before her very eyes. She screamed ……..
…….. and sprang upright in her bed, heaving a choking sob as one hand clutched to her chest, feeling the frantic pounding of her heart through the silky material of her nightie, while the other gripped the bed covers as though afraid that letting go would send her spiralling down into the depths of despair once more. Her heart was telling her that it had only been a dream – a nightmare – it wasn't real – yet her mind refused to abandon that last dreadful image as her children died horribly at the whim of the formless black shadow, their blood spraying across the control booth window ……..
"Oh god …….." She moaned, and dragged in a ragged breath, fighting the tremors that shuddered through her body. It was the third night in a row she'd had this particular nightmare – the third time she'd woken up in a cold sweat with the cries of her children ringing in her ears. The fact that those children did not actually exist was no less devastating. Talyn and Chiana had been the product of a fantasy life created by Magneto with the sole purpose of keeping the X-Men imprisoned indefinitely, and realisation of this had been heartbreaking to the young mutant who wished for nothing more than to some day bear children for her feral bondmate. Now, with memories of the fantasy life still haunting her, the pain of the nightmares was almost too much for her to stomach and she sobbed helplessly into her hands as the terrified screams of the youngsters once again preyed on her sanity.
She almost missed the soft click of her bedroom door opening, but a gentle touch of reassurance in her mind had her pulling a hand away from her face just in time to see a dark figure enter her room. Unmistakably male in stature, she held her breath as he closed the door behind him and then strode swiftly across the room to her bedside. She felt the bed dip slightly as he sat.
"Kris? Y'okay?"
She stifled a sob vainly, knowing that he could feel her distress through the bond anyway. The very fact that he was here, in her room, gave evidence to that.
"Was it the nightmare again?"
His voice was soft and tender and Kristi couldn't help the shudder that passed through her body upon hearing it. He was trying so hard to be there for her in her time of need and it was this very fact that finally proved her undoing. She leaned into him with a sob.
"Oh, Logan! It was horrible ……..!"
His arms came up to enfold her and she clung to him willingly, resting her head on his bare shoulder and letting it all out – all the hurt, the anguish and fear in her heart. Logan patted her back, awkwardly, and allowed her to cry herself out, murmuring soft words of comfort and projecting his love and assurance down the bond, giving her all the time she needed.
As her snuffles subsided, he pushed her back slightly, watching her swipe at the tears on her face with a shaky hand and he reached out to cup her chin, running a thumb across her cheek and feeling the wetness there. Her own hand came up to enclose his.
"Y'okay now, Kris?" His voice sounded gruff to his ears, but her tender gesture had clouded his judgment, leaving only desire in its wake. This was his bondmate – she was his by right – but so far, since returning to the mansion from Muir Island four days ago, she had refused to take him to her bed. Or come to his. He understood her reasons for wanting to take it slow, but he was feral by nature and 'slow' just didn't come into his vocabulary.
She nodded hesitantly against his hand. "I'm feeling better now, Logan. Thanks."
He grunted in acknowledgement and made to get up, but her hands caught anxiously at his, pulling him back down. "Don't go!"
He raised a surprised eyebrow. "Yer askin' me ta stay?"
"Yes. No!" She dropped his hand and dipped her head, disconsolately. "Oh, I don't know. I just don't want to be alone."
He tucked a finger under her chin and made her look at him. He knew she probably wouldn't be able to see him clearly in the darkness of her room, but he could see every detail of her tear-stained face as if it were daylight. "I'll stay if ya want me to, Kris," he growled, warningly, his tone low and deadly. He wanted her to know that, if she went ahead with this, things between them would change forever. Whether she granted him sexual favours or not, if she asked him to stay, she would never again refuse him access to her bed.
She hesitated, picking up his intent through the bond and warring with her desire for everything to stay the same between them, and her need for company. She was ashamed to admit that she was scared – not of the feral, but of what he represented. Logan was change, pure and simple – change that spelled out a new life for her as a feral's bondmate and …….. change in the form of the loss of her virginity. She knew the feral wanted to make love to her – she could feel his desire every time he looked at her – and that scared her more than anything.
Hence the reason she had refused him entry to her bed.
But she also knew she was living on borrowed time – she couldn't hold him off forever – and fear of the nightmare was making her weak.
She finally came to a decision, lowering her eyes to her hands, which were clasped together nervously on her lap. "Stay," she whispered, shakily.
Logan growled and stood, quickly stripping off the sweat bottoms he had worn for the short journey down the hallway from his room to Kristi's, kicking them away across the floor. As he turned back to the bed, Kristi's scent changed, becoming cautious and afraid. Uncertainty nudged at his mind from the edges of the bond.
"What …….. what are you doing?" she asked, warily, pulling the sheet up to her chin.
"I sleep nude, Kris, ya know that." He made to pull the covers back. "Move up."
He saw her eyes widen in the dark. "But …….. you …….. I mean …….."
Logan pulled back, folding his arms defiantly across his muscular chest. "There's just two ways we can play this, Kris. One: I stay. Two: I go. Pick one."
"I want you to stay, Logan, but …….."
"Fine. Move up."
Kristi scooted over quickly as her bondmate pulled back the covers and slid into her bed. He lay down quietly on his back, hands behind his head, trying to look non-threatening, until Kristi huffed in resignation and snuggled down with her back to him, then he rolled over and moved closer, spooning her gently and pressing his limbs to hers.
He felt her stiffen, instantly.
Snorting a breath into her hair, he slid an arm around her waist. "Relax, Kris, I ain't gonna molest ya, fer Chrissakes. Go to sleep."
Go to sleep? Was he crazy? Did he honestly think she would ever be able to close her eyes with his strong muscular chest tucked up against her back?
Lying there, with his arm heavy across her side, hand tucked just beneath her breast and his breath ruffling into her hair, Kristi had never felt so aware of her body as she did at that moment. She could feel every inch of him pressing against her, particularly his legs, which were tangled with her own. Her silky nightie, which usually fell to mid-thigh but had ridden up slightly with the act of snuggling under the covers, gave scant protection against the feel of his male masculinity. Kristi's whole body seemed to tingle with his closeness and she scarcely knew how to breathe, her heart beating wildly and knowing he could feel it.
True to his word, however, he kept his hands to himself and presently, his breathing evened out, becoming heavy with sleep. Kristi began to relax slightly as she grew accustomed to his presence. Boldly, she moved her leg slightly, letting it rub against his, feeling the softness of his body hair and the warmth of his skin. Her own body hummed in response to the closeness of her mate. His presence in her bed felt right – it felt ….. destined.
Although she had been determined to stay awake, her eyes finally drifted closed, lulled by the regular movement of his chest against her back and the comforting heat he gave off. Her last thoughts, before she finally succumbed to sleep, were of her mother. Brought up strictly to believe in a no-sex-before-marriage relationship, Kristi knew her family would be scandalised to know their daughter had taken a man to her bed, however innocent the circumstances. A man she had known for barely three months.
A man who had the reputation of being a cold-blooded killer.
Sighing softly, she lowered her shields and allowed the essence of the one she loved with all her heart to fill her ……..
oooOOOooo
By the light of day, the horrors of the dark hours seemed a distant memory.
Even before she opened her eyes, Kristi could feel her body responding to the early morning sunshine that leaked through a chink in her curtains, and she smiled sleepily, as a small bird landed on the outside window sill and began to chirrup enthusiastically, greeting the new day in the only way it knew how. Stifling a yawn, and wondering if anyone had started breakfast yet, she stretched luxuriously, freezing instantly as she bumped against something warm and hard behind her.
Rolling quickly onto her back, she squeaked in surprise as she found the Wolverine propped up on his elbow behind her, watching her intently with eyes the colour of arctic ice.
"Geez, Logan! You gave me a shock! I'd forgotten you were there!"
Unconsciously, she pulled the comforter up to cover the expanse of skin that was revealed by her low cut nightie, but Logan reached out to stop her.
"Don't," he growled, warningly, and Kristi froze, mesmerised by the intensity of his stare. Her heart thudding loudly in her chest, she sucked in a ragged breath as he dipped his head and nuzzled his nose into her hair.
"Ya smell good," he rasped and Kristi shivered as his warm breath tickled into her ear, raising goosebumps on her flesh. Holding her breath as his nose ghosted around the curve of her ear and down her neck, she almost cried out aloud as his tongue flicked out and licked along her collarbone.
"Taste good too," he mumbled into the hollow of her throat and, encouraged by the way her body arched beneath him, he wreathed her neck with tiny heated kisses.
Tilting her head back to allow him greater access, Kristi fisted her hands into his hair, pulling him closer even as her common sense was screaming that she should be pushing him away. This was everything she had sought to avoid for obvious reasons, but she loved this man more than life itself. He was her bondmate – he was part of her – and the attraction couldn't be denied. Even as his intent pushed against the bond, scaring her with its intensity, her heart welcomed his advances and prayed that he would make her his in more ways than one.
She could deny him nothing.
"Logan …….." His name was a breathy sigh drawn from lips that desired the touch of flesh, and she pulled at his hair, forcing his head up so that she could take his mouth with hers. Encouraged by her boldness, his tongue nudged insistently at her lower lip, demanding that she let him in, and slipping forcefully between her teeth when she parted them. Kristi mewled softly at the invasion.
Beneath the covers, his hand alighted on her knee and began to creep up her outer thigh. Pushing past the hem of her nightie, his caress glided sensually along her ribs to stop just below her left breast. Kristi writhed under his silky touch, remembering another morning not too long ago when she had awakened to find the feral in her bed. Hands had wandered then, too, and only the emergence of one of Logan's bond headaches had stopped them from going too far. With Logan's misgivings about their connection well and truly behind them, there would be no such interruptions now and, as her mate's thumb lightly brushed across her peaked nipple, Kristi moaned softly in obvious arousal.
Things were moving too fast. Everything was out of control.
Did she care?
Yes!
No.
Some small part of Kristi's mind was telling her that she should be fighting this – protecting her innocence – but his hands on her body felt so good and, with reason flying out the window, she craved more.
"Logan …….. oh, Logan, please …….."
He broke the kiss, groaning softly as he dipped lower to suckle her earlobe, the sensual movements of her body beneath his hand stealing away every thought save for that of pleasing her. His breath was ragged as he nuzzled into her hair.
"Want ya, Kris," he rasped brokenly, into her hair. "Need ya so bad, baby …….."
He shifted slightly, moving closer …….. and Kristi gasped as she felt the obvious evidence of his desire pressing into her thigh.
Startled, she scrabbled out from under him, pushing back the bed covers and almost falling out of bed in her haste to put some distance between herself and her undoing. His eyes were dark as he watched her backing towards the bathroom door and his low growl made her heart jump, painfully …….. helplessly ……..
"I can't …….. Logan …….. not now …….. please." Her voice shook as she tried to make him understand and, when her back connected with the bathroom door, her fingers scrabbled for the handle. "I gotta go," she finished, helplessly, and ducked inside, closing the door behind her and leaning against it with a flustered sigh. Tilting her head back against the hard surface, she closed her eyes and waited for the frantic beating of her heart to slow, still feeling the sensual caress of his hands as they roved her body, and she stifled a groan, knowing he would hear it.
He had wanted her …….. and she had wanted him …….. wanted him so badly she could still feel the desire pulsing through her veins. She …….. they …….. had come so close …….. and it scared her. The power that she held over the fiercely intense feral tormented her with its complexity, prompting memories of the 'other time' – the life they had experienced in Magneto's fantasy world. Married, with twins, they had shared an exclusively sexual relationship but, while her memory recalled nights of tender caresses and passionate joining, her body had no such experience. It was a mix guaranteed to cause confusion.
Forcing back tears of frustration, Kristi pushed away from the door, stripping off her nightie and stepping into the shower. Briefly wondering if she should have locked the bathroom door against the possibility of Logan following her, she finally decided he was too honourable to accost her in the bathroom and cranked up the heat, taking her shower far hotter than normal in an effort to ease her conscience and soothe her mind.
By the time she had finished and slipped back into the bedroom, wrapped in a large fluffy towel, Logan had gone ……..
NEXT: Jean plays agony aunt!
