Hailey.
Hailey smiled, getting more used to hearing James' beautiful voice within the walls of her mind. Every time he touched her mind, it was like she was being immersed in the most decadent of whiskey creams, smooth and powerful and a little rough. The fact that his voice alone could flick all her switches made things in her lower body twitch. Especially when he'd use that voice to whisper all kinds of dirty and hot things in her head.
After James had showed her heaven and brought her back to earth again, they'd walked back from their night in the forest. And Hailey wasn't the least bit sorry that Nerida and Yuri had seen them sneak out of the woods. She'd kissed James goodbye in a display of open possession, and he'd kissed her back just as possessively before they went for that shower.
Happiness made butterflies constantly flutter in her stomach. It made her feel like a teenager but she couldn't help it. She was so hung up on him, she barely believed the past eighteen hours had actually happened. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was scared someone would wake her up and tell her it had all been a dream.
Wow, Hales. Insecure much?
Hailey thought about what James had said, how he'd claimed her.
"You're mine, Hailey. There can be no misunderstanding about that."
When he'd spoken those words, it felt like he was branding her soul. And God yes, she wanted to be his. She wanted him to be hers, too. Hailey now considered that disbelieving his words would be like disputing his claim. James wasn't someone who made choices without confidence and certainty–he was way too pragmatic for that. Aside from that, he promised her he'd speak the truth.
Sitting on the grass with a small group of teenage Arrows after her class, she tipped up her head towards the handsome man who was walking her way, his body moving in a lethal and beautiful rhythm.
No, Hailey said to herself. No more doubt in your heart or mind. Leap into this great unknown and be brave, be bold and fearless. He's caught you more than once, he will not let you fall.
She motioned the girl who was plaiting small braids in her hair to wait when she saw James' face. His features remained mostly expressionless, but she recognized the serious look in his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
James extended a hand to haul her up. "Aubry contacted me," he said when she stood. "He requested you to call him."
Hailey shook her head. "You know I'm not allowed to contact anyone while I'm staying here. I even agreed not to use the ShadowNet."
"I've been told it's a pressing matter. Considering the circumstances, we are making an exception."
Hailey raised her eyebrows. "We?"
James didn't respond to her question but pulled her along instead, his big hand warm, covering her smaller hand almost entirely. Hailey barely had time to say goodbye to the children as she adapted her strides to his. "Where are we going?" she asked as she looked up.
"To my room," his voice brusque.
"That sounds like an invitation," Hailey found herself saying, joking in an attempt to break through the tension. Aubry told her he'd only contact in case of emergencies and Hailey couldn't figure out what could be so important.
Feeling antsy, she unclasped their hands and quickly secured her hair in a messy bun. When she was done, James took her hand again and laced his fingers through hers. The contact made her stomach clench.
Possessive man.
They walked into a larger building that required a security code and a scan of James' face before they could enter. Walking though the corridor, several Arrows passed them and greeted James. Several also stared.
Long.
"Are you even allowed to bring me here?" Hailey asked, feeling more than a little uneasy when the eyes of a cardinal soldier went entirely black as he gawked at her.
"I don't care." James walked around a corner and tugged her along. "Come."
She scowled at his curt tone but said nothing as they walked into a hall to the left of the main corridor. James stopped in front of the fourth door in the hallway and scanned his palm. Something clicked and the door opened.
James' room had the feel of a studio apartment, the space open with white walls and lights built into the ceiling, dimming and glowing depending on your movements in the room. Hailey stepped into a small hallway where several black jackets were neatly hanging on a coat rack. On the floor stood two pairs of military style boots. She stifled her smile by biting her lip. Her Arrow definitely needed a wardrobe change.
But black does look good on him…
Her eyes scanned the rest of the space. There was a large window with grey curtains on the opposite side of the hall. To the right was a door she assumed to be the bathroom. Hailey walked farther inside and watched James stride to the left, where a comm device hung on the wall next to a single bed.
There were several datapads neatly stacked on a side table to her right. She looked around the room and only found bare necessities: a white closet with doors and several drawers, a small table with three chairs and a nightstand next to the bed. Nothing in the room was out of place; even the bed was made up with military-neat precision.
"Wow. You have some serious decorating skills," she said as she turned around again to see if she could discover anything personal.
Strong, muscular arms wrapped around her and his lips brushed her ear as he spoke. "You can teach me." James pressed a kiss on the sensitive skin behind her ear. "Just like you can teach me other things."
She shivered and leaned into his embrace. God, she thought, that man's voice should be absolutely illegal. Every syllable felt like a stroke against her skin, and when he was aroused, his vocal range would dip even lower, edged with sinful roughness, raw heat crashing against every erogenous zone. He could read a cooking recipe and make it sound like pure sex, slick heat, skin grazing against skin. Hailey shuddered. He'd probably have her soaked after naming the ingredients alone.
Tilting her head back, she watched him, studying the hard line of his jaw, his golden skin, his dark blond eyebrows and eyelashes. A gleam appeared in James' eyes when she licked her suddenly dry lips.
Hailey heard a thumping sound and realized James had lifted his bed with Tk to redirect his response to her. Her hands moved to rest on his thighs and she squeezed lightly, the sensation of his hard muscles underneath her hands enough to light the embers in her stomach.
"No." He nudged her towards the comm screen. "I've input the number; you can start the call when you're ready."
She rolled her eyes. "You're no fun, being all disciplined and in control."
On the contrary, Miss Logan, she heard within her mind as she tapped on the screen–while fighting the urge to jump him for using her formal title again, the darkness in his voice making abdomen tighten, I have very little restrain when it comes to you.
The butterflies fluttering in her stomach took a nosedive when she saw Aubry's grim face. His features softened a little when he greeted her.
"Well, hello Miss Logan," Aubry' southern accent was apparent in each word.
"Hi Aubry. It's good to see you."
He inclined his head as his eyes focused on James. "I take it the Squad has been treating you well?"
Hailey took a quick glance over her shoulder to the man standing diagonally behind her and felt warmth rushing to her cheekbones. James looked as dangerous and statuesque as ever, but for a black ops Psy soldier, he was standing very close to her.
Clearing her throat, she nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Training has been going well."
Has it really? Familiar melodies echoing in her head.
Shut up, she snapped without heat, a small smile around her lips.
She watched Aubry's eyes narrow as he took in the both of them. He must have noticed something was off but didn't comment on it when he replied he was happy she was making progress.
Stop it, this is serious, Hailey chastised James.
He said nothing…but touched her hand just out of sight of the screen.
Terrible man.
"Aubry, I was told this isn't a friendly check-up. What's going on?"
The usually good-natured man on the other side of the screen frowned. "Yes, you're right. Shane asked me to contact you. Morgan is in the hospital."
Hailey went motionless. Shane's younger brother was a sweet, gentle sixteen-year-old. But teenagers had a way of getting themselves into trouble, even the gentle ones. "What happened?"
James' hand folded around hers and she absently squeezed it, her attention on Aubry.
Aubry's head tilted a little, his drawled words still apparent but he was more to the point than she'd ever heard. "He had multiple seizures. Nobody knows how or why. He'd been complaining of headaches for a couple of weeks, but their doctor couldn't find anything obvious. After the last seizure he hasn't woken; that was two days ago."
Aubry shook his head, his eyes bleak. "It looks serious, Hailey. His vitals seem to be declining; some organs look like they might shut down soon. The medics and M-Psy are at a loss, they haven't seen anything like this before."
Hailey's breath caught, her heart in the ice-cold grip of fear and worry. Morgan was such a young boy, still had his entire life ahead of him. The thought of him having an unknown, incurable disease made her head spin.
"What about Glen?" she asked quietly, referring to Dr. Glen Herriford, who ran the medical floor at the Shine Foundation.
Aubry shook his head. "He tried but couldn't find anything either. He'll keep running tests but so far, we have nothing to work with." Which meant that whatever was happening to Morgan wouldn't stop anytime soon.
Shane had to be going through a really hard time right now. Shane and Morgan were very close, especially after their mother had left when Shane was seventeen.
Guilt seeped into Hailey's system. Shane was worried sick while she'd been tumbling with her Arrow.
She wet her dry throat and replied to Aubry. "Shane must be heartbroken. Of course I'll be there for them," she said. After receiving the location of the hospital Morgan was currently being treated, Hailey switched off the screen.
"You're worried," James said as he stepped around to face her and studied her features.
"Yes." Hailey was unable to talk about the topic right now, her head whirling from everything Aubry had told her. She looked up and met James' gaze. "I have to go."
James inclined his head. "I'll make the arrangements."