9.

Aira couldn't remember the last time she had so much sex, scratch that, she could, but this time it was with a man. Liam didn't have the stamina for long, multiple sessions. Like right now for instance, she was straddled over his face. It had started as a joke, he came in, sat on the floor next to her then began to pester her while she played Call of Duty on her Xbox One she had shipped up from California because she was missing her team mates, and the bloodshed. She had also bought Duke a larger TV, he just didn't realize it was his yet. It was a nice forty-five-inch 4k TV.

He kept pulling at her headset and toying with her ponytail. Her teammates were laughing at her yelling at someone they couldn't hear. When Duke laid down, laughing at her almost failing her mission, she hopped to her knees then shoved him own and sat on his face. She had meant for him to realize he needed to stop and ended up with her one piece pushed to the side and his tongue swirling relentlessly. He had wrapped his arms around her thighs so she could fall off. One team mate had noticed her sharp inhale and asked if she was okay. Her ears heated up with embarrassment.

"I'm fine, B-man." She knew she was taking deep shaky breaths. Duke caught her eye and he winked at her, still not letting her go. "Uh, uh…Brett, you still see the tank." She asked, sounding breathless she knew. "No podemos perder esto." (We can't lose this.) A collective of what's echoed in her ear, as the growls and cat calls that followed. "I said we can't lose this." I can't even think right, right now. "Fuck it, move out, now. Cartman! Where the fuck you going?" she growled, trying to mask the fact she was going to come soon. "Left, dude, left. Oh, vamos, ¿cómo extrañaste?" The boys in her ear were now saying how hot it was she was speaking in Spanish. Right as the timer hit zero they managed to win, and also, she came to a glorious orgasm. "Si!" she screamed. Her team stopped celebrating when they heard her. She knew she sounded a little too porn star for the occasion. She quickly exited out of the game and tossed her controller maybe a little too hard. Duke caught her off guard and rolled her around to her back. "You are so bad!" she could hear her Spanish accent flaring from nowhere. She knew that meant she was on the verge of breaking back into Spanish. Calm your ass down. Then she saw his eyes and she felt riled up again.

"You actually managed to finish the mission." He was kissing slowly up her body. She was already taking her arms out of the swimsuit and pushing it down. "Whoa, you work fast." He laughed just noticing she was getting naked.

She reached out and grabbed his hair to pull him to her. "Fuck me." The bathing suit didn't even make it fully off before he was in her. Thank God for bathing suits.

They were barely into the throughs before they heard a voice in the distance shouting for Duke. At first, they didn't stop, hoping the person would go away if he didn't answer. The second time his name was called he stopped to sigh. "Why?" He closed his eyes. "That's Audrey."

"Hm, que?" Aira said, she pulled him close again, sucking gently on his neck. "No, Duque." She slightly whined, not wanting to stop. "Acabamos de empezar. Mi coño es tan húmedo." She said, not noticing she was speaking in Spanish.

Duke groaned and started again just to pause seconds later, and it seemed to be with effort. "English." He chuckled, breathing hard.

"We just started!" Aira translated.

"What was that last bit?" She gave him big eyes, feigning confusion. "You said two sentences." Duke smirked. "What did you say?" Aira knew that he knew she said something dirty.

"Duke? Are you down there?" Audrey's voice yelled.

"Shit!" he whispered. He scampered up and fixed himself and ran to the stairs. "Oh, Audrey, didn't hear you, I was in the bathroom. I'll meet you up there!"

"Ok, but hurry." She said then she vanished.

Duke looked at her. Aira had gotten up to her feet to fix her bathing suit. "I'm going to see what she wants. You can come up if you want. If you're okay with that."

"Are we a secret couple?" she asked walking toward him.

"I don't think so, we have been seen in public." He smiled.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. "Do you want me to be a secret?" Aira knew this question was loaded but she needed to know how things were playing out. Who would have thought one visitor would be a stepping stone?

"Never." He gave her an incredulous look. Aira knew she was riding off her sex drive from earlier but she didn't care. She moved her arms to his neck and brought him to her. Her hand went into his shorts to grip him. He gets hard so fast, I love it. He steadied them both, holding her off like a wild animal. "I don't know how you do it." He chuckled. "This will be quick, I promise."

"I can be quick too." She went to move again. Jesus he is strong. That turned her on more.

"I swear, after this I'll do anything you want, just I need to shoo Audrey away."

"Anything?"

"I don't like how you said that." He laughed. He kissed her on her forehead then went toward the ladder like he couldn't run fast enough. He knew if Aira caught him there would be no talking her off a second time.

Aira contemplated her vibrator in her suitcase, but then decided she would see what the fuss was about up above. She went to the drawer Duke had given her and pulled out a pair of white high-waisted shorts with the pockets visible. She shimmied it up her body and slipped on her all red Versace flip-flops. As much as Aira blended in with everybody, every now and then she would forget that most people wouldn't spend four-hundred dollars on a pair of flip-flops. She pushed her glasses up on her nose then traveled up the ladder. She saw Audrey speaking to Duke and he seemed tense. She went outside just as Audrey said she was hoping Duke could help her look to see where they could find her.

"Hello." She said in an awkward voice.

"She's…here." She looked confused then a small smile creeped on her face. "Hi, Aira, thought you'd left, and he was being vague."

"Oh, well, here I am." Aira smiled then looked at Duke, trying to figure out why was giving the run around to Audrey. She was nice.

Duke turned around to look at her. His look was saying that she could have stayed down there a little bit longer. "There she is." He smiled.

Aira went to stand next to Duke, her hand naturally went to the curve of his elbow. "Is there a problem? Is this about be double parking?"

"No, you moved your vehicle like you said you would it says in the report but there is a problem, or a trouble…." Audrey didn't get to finish the sentence before Duke began saying 'uh-uh' then 'nope!'.

"Aira doesn't need to be tangled up in Haven's messes." Aira felt his muscles tense up, and she could tell his emotions were deeper than just her being tangled up. "She could have been seriously hurt with that little girl, and what about that perv?"

"Duke." She said. They both looked at her. "I'm twenty-eight for one thing, okay?"

"But…."

"I served for ten years as a mechanic and deployed five times, two were in high risk areas where I lost two friends. So, Audrey, how do you think I can help you?" Aira said, crossing her arms, giving Audrey full eye contact. She could feel Duke relax next to her.

"Teenage girl, Nataly Gonzalez-Perez. She is singing a phrase in Spanish, over and over and she can't stop. She's apparently been singing for a week. We don't even know what she is saying." Audrey explained.

"I'm Cuban, well, my dad is Cuban, but I can speak Spanish if you wanna know what she is saying."

"Oh! Perfect." Audrey smiled. "I don't know what type of singing trouble she has but," she looked to Duke for a second, giving him a smile that Aira did not understand. "I hope this isn't a danger to you."

Duke drove in silence behind Audrey with her lights on. He didn't want Aira to be out on this call. How do I get dragged into this shit, and now her? Just like…. He stopped himself from thinking about her. That was emotional trap thinking of Evi. He couldn't stop thinking of what the little girl was singing, and what if her powers were like Aira's? What if Aira sang the girls words? There were to many variables to deal with in this situation.

"Are you mad at me?" Aira asked, tearing him from his thoughts.

"What…no. Why would you think that?" he asked.

"Well, you are gripping your steering wheel, and your frowning." Aira explained.

"I'm terrified for you, Ai. Terrified. This could be bad for you. I can feel it." She placed her hand on his thigh, the warmth calmed him.

"I'm fine. If you could look at me, you'd see I'm fine." She giggled, knowing he had to chase after Audrey. "I don't know what I'm gonna do to help her though."

Duke parked in front of a house. Everything seemed normal. A glimpse of hope showed, and maybe he was overreacting just a tiny bit. He turned toward her, forming what was probably a great pep talk, but her lips caught his and his thoughts cleared. She pulled back and he almost trailed after her, forgetting they had something to do. He kept remembering her fighting to get out of her one piece and him just pushing it to the side and having his fill of her. He sighed and got out of the car when suddenly he heard someone singing loud. By loud he wasn't sure he was hearing it in his head or by his ears. Audrey was coming up when Aira came up rubbing her temple.

"Can you hear it? I can't hear it." Audrey asked.

"She's singing. She sounds sad." Duke said, trying to plug his ears and unplug. There was something wrong with his ears.

"She is singing in two tones. Dual tones. Her tone and another." Aira said then rushed toward the house.

"Ai…Aira?" he shouted after her. Why did she run off?

"What was that all about." Audrey started rushing as well as Duke. Aira got in the house so fast they couldn't keep up with her. The singing was louder inside. "Now I can hear it." Audrey said. "She is singing out loud as well."

"Aira?" Duke called, looking around the home. It almost seemed grey and blue tinted. He rubbed his eyes and scanned the room.

"Ms. Gonzalez?" Audrey called.

"Some woman came in here!" A bigger woman came in with a kitchen knife and was headed toward a hallway. "Is she with you? Cuz I swear I will cut her face if she touches my daughter." She yelled.

"Put down your knife." Audrey said, easing towards the woman.

The woman looked at her hands and dropped the knife startled, like she hadn't realized she grabbed it. "Oh, Audrey, please help us."

Duke left the two women and went towards the noise. He could hear Audrey close behind him. When he entered the room, there was another girl, early twenties at max, sitting in a chair across the room, tears streaming her face and obvious cut wounds on her forearms and wrists. Aira was sitting on the bed with who had to be Nataly. She was the color of ash and her face was close to looking like a skeleton. "Quiero ser como ellos. Cantar y bailar con toda la familia. Por favor noteme. Verme." Nataly sang in a sweet voice. He felt the tears prick the back of his eyes.

When the mother came in Aira finally spoke. "I take it you don't speak Spanish?" Aira sounded angry.

"No." she wept. "My late husband taught Nataly. She was fluent in both languages before he died."

"Why doesn't your other daughter know?"

"They have different fathers! Not all Latinos speak Spanish, Jesus!" she cried.

"I know this! And by the way, why haven't you gotten your other daughter to the hospital!" Aira shouted. Ms. Gonzalez looked at her other daughter and screamed.

"Gloria! Gloria! Why!" she shouted as she went to her eldest.

Duke rubbed his eyes; a headache was building. "What is she saying Aira?"

"I want to be like them. To sing and dance with the entire family. Please notice me. See me." Aira said. "I can feel her music."

"What?" Audrey asked loudly, over the crying.

"Whatever her trouble is, it's like mine but its making us feel her emotions. She's sad. Lonely. She feels empty." The girl moved her head towards Aira. Her weak hand moving toward her. "It's killing us." Aira stood up. "Ms. Gonzalez, get Gloria and yourself out of the house and into the car. Duke…."

"You are not telling me to leave after you just found out we could die. So, the next things out of your mouth should be a game plan." He stared at her, daring her to tell him to leave because it wasn't going to happen.

"I can't account for you and Audrey to be safe when I start singing."

"You can't like absorb her song or something"

"What? What sci-fi shit are you spewing." She laughed.

"I won't be affected." Audrey clarified.

Aira gave a big huff. "Give me, one little kiss, Audrey, you won't forget me." She sang in a bluesy tone. Duke waited for Aira to be shocked by her power not working until he saw Audrey walk toward Aira and plant her lips hard on Aira. Audrey pulled back, her hand touched her lips in a way that suggested she was remembering. "I'm sorry, but I had to prove a point. I'll try to include you both in the song to protect you. Forgive me Duke, you know, for kissing someone in front of you." Duke couldn't get his mouth to close from the shock that Aira's trouble affected Audrey. Audrey Parker. The woman not affected by anyone's trouble. If the situation they were in was bad, he didn't like the feeling he got from her having that particular aspect. If someone found out about it he had no idea what they would do. He watched Aira go back to Nataly and look at her. "I'm Aira. Aira Dawson." The girl continued. "I'm going to sing with you. Okay? Nothing will happen to me, I assure you."

Aira swayed to the girl's gentle tempo. "Esto es para Nataly, y solo para Nataly. Ella quiere ser como su familia, pero lo que no entienden, es que Nataly es increíble, tan increíble. Voz como un ángel, y la cara para que coincida. Oh, Nataly, estoy escuchando. Oh, Nataly, eres visto." Aira came in like she was the melody, taking over the song. He hated the fact the only time he got to hear her sing was in dire situations. Her voice was perfection, and he was wondering what made her choose to sing in Spanish. Aira continued to sing the same song over and over, just like the girl. The room was humming with a power they couldn't see. Aira's hair was actually starting to blow back like wind was blowing around her. Her voice sound layered almost. As Aira began to fight more against the girls' voice, the room began to feel warmer, and looked brighter, like one of the bright scenes from a Tim Burton film. Wait…. He realized things were in normal color. They had been without color the whole time and he hadn't noticed. The vibrations continued in the room as they sang. He touched his ear and realized blood was pouring from them. It was like he was in the middle of a sound war.

Aira began to lift off the ground as her voice rang out like a choir, claiming its dominance over the girl's power. Nataly's hair returned to color, a rich chocolate brown. Her skin returned to color and her cheeks filled in. As he watched in awe and horror, he realized what she was doing. If he was correct, she was taking her song away, like in the Little Mermaid. It was when her ears, eyes, and nose began to bleed his heart began to race. "Aira?" he panicked. He went to grab her and Audrey pulled him back.

"She's almost done. Just a while longer."

"Are you kidding?" he yelled. "Let go!" Aira stopped singing and hit the ground in a sickening heap. He looked back at Audrey and yanked his shirt from her. He ran to her, falling to his knees immediately. "Aira, baby, Aira?" he flipped her over examining her. Blood was everywhere and it was still leaking from her. "Oh, God. You did too much." He had tears blinding his eyes but his voice was steady.

"Está ella bien?" the girl said softly, breathing hard. "Creo que la amo." Those words caught his attention but he couldn't figure out why. "Ella me salvó la vida."

"I'm sorry, I don't speak Spanish." He repeated softly.

"She is asking if I'm fine." Aira said low, voice raspy. He instantly squeezed her. "Oh, Duke, stop. Hard to breathe. "Creo que la amo…she thinks she loves me." She gave a chuckle. "Hero complex Nataly."

"Didn't mean to speak in Spanish. When we were singing it was like we were one voice and for a second all I knew was Spanish." She knotted her sheet. "I'm so sorry for all this. I just. I just wanted them to notice me. I would sing in my thoughts, writing my songs. Then a solo opened up and I lost because I wouldn't speak up. I am a family disappointment."

"Nataly." Aira's voice was stern. "My ribs hurt but I know I could take you right now."

"Do we need to get you to the hospital." Duke asked.

"Probably, but I hate hospitals." Aira coughed, and blood splattered out.

"Are you joking?" Audrey asked.

"No, but I'll sing up a healing shower for me." Aira said meekly.

"You've done this before." Audrey said. Duke hadn't made that connection and felt slow.

"I tried to sing away my powers. Universe said fuck you. I was projectile vomiting for five minutes." She coughed again and more blood came up.

"I am taking her home, and don't stop me Audrey. I don't even want to look at you right now." Duke said. He wiped his face then picked her up, noticing her foot was falling at an odd angle, probably because of how she fell, and it made him that much angrier with Audrey.

"Lemme know if she is alright." Audrey said.

Duke walked out of the room and quick pace. "If she had let me go."

"Don't dwell on it." Her voice was quick and short.

"Don't speak. Save your energy. Can you heal yourself now?"

"The way I do it is less painful."

"What?" He placed her in the jeep and ran to the other side and revved the engine. "What do you mean?"

She tried to sit up but then ended up excepting the fact she was going to be leaning against the door. "I broke my ribs. My…my lungs have ruptured. I heal quickly." She gasped at the air. "I can make the water be a pain repellent."

"Why would it hurt." He was panicking the more she spoke.

"The bones forcing themselves back into place. Ever dislocated an arm? I broke all my ribs. I can't feel…feel one leg and one arm so I'm guessing the fall and my trouble affected my spine where they did my surgery." She groaned, spitting blood. She closed her eyes.

"No, no, no, no! Keep your eyes open, Ai!" he shouted.

"I'm awake, I'm just resting my eyeballs." She said. She groaned some more. Her working arm was clasped around her waist. "I would love a shot of Everclear right now." She smirked.

Duke parked in two spaces then reached across the center and grabbed her. She had stopped talking and he was worried he was too late. He draped her over him and ran as fast as he could to his ship. It was vacant on the dock as he served corners. One of her sandals dropped on the ground but he left it behind. He carefully made it down into his home and took her to the bathroom and put her in the tub. He turned the water on, the shower head spraying her with water, clearing some of the blood. She gasped long and hard, like she had just taken a breath from diving. Relief spread over him as she coughed, it was bloody, but she was still alive. She weakly shooed him from the bathroom. He shut the door behind him and he rushed to the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of rum and pulled the cork out and took a large swig. She's alive. He was shaking. Creo que la amo. Why does that sound familiar. Then he thought of Aira, Creo que te amo. If la is she in that, then te must be you. She thinks she love me? She loves me? He pulled the bottle to his lips again and headed to the ladder. Drinking as he climbed. He was thinking too much, but he knew he was right. She did say those words, and so low it was almost missed. So, did that mean she was trying to hide it? Do I love her? He finally asked himself

Duke was staring into the dark water. The wind was nice and cool on his warm skin. Music drifted in along with a scent that he recognized as Aira. He had no idea who made it but it made her smell practically edible. He had a nice buzz going, muddling his emotions. The music was turned up, then her hands encircled his waist. He loved feeling her on him. He turned around facing her. She was smiling, wearing a sheer lace slip with a simple sweetheart design. He could see her hard nipples pressing against the thin fabric. "I'm alive." She leaned into him. The feel of her breasts was soft.

"God, I thought you died. I though we weren't gonna make it back here."

"We're back. We're home, I'm safe, you're safe, we're safe." Aira said into his chest. Looked up at him then kissed his lips quickly, smiling. "Oh, you taste like liquor. You were not doing well." She looked around for the bottle. She walked over to the rum and took a swig herself. "Oh, God, I don't do that."

He laughed. "Nope you don't." He back was bare to him, the lingerie dipping low in the back. The only other article of clothing was the matching lacy G-string. She had a single French braid the center of her head down her back. "Healed?"

"Yes." She laughed. "I can dance for you, to prove it. Next song."

"Okay, Next song." He had only seen her dance on YouTube, or just the simple things she did when she was getting into the songs. Duke turned to find a decent seat. He sat down and watched her flick on the stringed lights she put up that looked like different types of bugs. She smiled at him and he felt his shorts tighten. "You feel sick just stop."

"Oh shush."

Beautiful by Bazzi came on and she spun into the beat, blending contempary and hip hop. She leapt with grace and spun at dizzying speed. He felt his heart pick up as she slipped off the dress she was wearing, and she looked like a wingless angel. He was standing before he knew, and as the song began to end he was up near her, catching her off guard. He caught her by her waist and kissed her hard. I think I love her too. He led her back until she was at the bow of the ship and laid her down on the flat space there was before the tip. He pulled down his pants down slightly and slid into her quick, filling her up fully. He gently tugged at her hair while his other hand squeezed her thigh. Her nails racked him hard. He couldn't imagine her not doing this anymore. With every thrust, his emotion was poured out. Aira moaned into the night sky, the stars watching them. He roared his release and stood there shaking in the wake. He kissed her again, breathless.

"Sor…sorry. I couldn't stop myself." He said.

"It was beautiful." She said grabbing his face. "You showed me how much you cared"

"I think we should go inside now."

Aira smirked. "Is this my part of the deal. The anything I want." She smiled.

"Oh man, what did I get myself into?" He smirked. Aira paused then leaned up to him and whispered. He raised his eyebrows. "I'm sorry, repeat that, why are you whispering?" he asked. She had said something that he knew that she didn't say. No way she said that.

She whined. "I'm embarrassed."

"I guess you don't want it."

"Anal, I said anal." Aira said, rushing it out.

Duke's mouth opened in shock. "Okay." He wasn't going to argue with what she wanted. He fixed his self and then picked her up. She laughed loudly.

"Barbarian!" she shouted playfully.

"Pretty girl want anal." They both laughed as they disappeared downstairs, embracing each other for hours.