14. Lena

14

LENA

SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD

Eleven months later…

I sit beside David in the darkened movie theater, trying to focus on the film. His arm rests on my seat, and I catch the scent of his expensive cologne. He’s attractive, the kind of guy any girl would want—successful, from a good family, interested in me. I should feel lucky.

But my thoughts keep drifting to Talon. The way his blue eyes pierce through me. The bird ornament he gave me one year ago is still perched on my dresser. The electricity whenever we’re close.

David’s hand slides onto my thigh, jolting me from my thoughts. I shift uncomfortably. After a rather awkward meeting eleven months ago around the dinner table at the Wilsons and constant badgering from Mrs. Wilson, I’ve finally agreed to a date with him.

“David, stop,” I whisper, moving his hand away.

He chuckles softly, his fingers creeping back. “Come on, baby. No one can see.”

My stomach churns. “I said no.” I keep my voice firm but quiet.

His grip tightens, fingers digging into my leg as his hand moves higher. The movie’s dialogue fades to background noise as panic rises in my chest.

“David, please.” I grab his wrist, but he’s stronger.

“Don’t be such a prude,” he hisses in my ear. “Your foster parents want us together. You should be grateful I’m interested in you at all.”

His words sting, but the fear overwhelms the hurt. I try to stand, but his other hand clamps down on my shoulder, keeping me in place. The darkness that once felt cozy now feels suffocating. Other moviegoers remain oblivious, absorbed in the film playing before us.

“Stop it,” I say again, louder this time. A few heads turn in our direction.

David’s fingers dig deeper into my shoulder. “Shut up and sit still,” he growls, his charming facade completely gone.

I freeze as David’s hand slides higher, my throat tight with fear and disgust. Tears burn behind my eyes as I realize he won’t listen to me.

A shadow falls over us. I look up to see Talon’s tall frame, his presence commanding even in the darkness.

“We’re leaving.” His voice is low but sharp.

David’s hand stills on my thigh. “Back off. This is none of your business.”

“Get your hands off her.” Talon’s words carry deadly intent.

“She’s my girlfriend. You’re just some foster kid who?—”

“Shut up!” Someone behind us whispers harshly.

“Yeah, keep it down,” another voice adds.

Talon’s hand wraps around my arm, yanking me to my feet. David tries to hold onto me, but Talon’s grip is stronger. He pulls me past the other seated viewers, ignoring their grumbled complaints.

“You can’t just take her,” David whisper-shouts after us.

“Watch me,” Talon growls back, leading me up the theater steps.

I stumble beside him, relief flooding through me as we escape the suffocating darkness of the theater. My legs shake with each step, but Talon’s firm grip keeps me moving forward.

The cool night air hits my face as we exit the theater. My heart still pounds from what happened inside. Talon’s grip on my arm loosens, but he keeps me close as we walk toward his black car.

“How did you find me?” My voice trembles.

“I’ll always find you, Lena.” His blue eyes lock onto mine, intense and unwavering. “Always.”

He opens the passenger door, and I slide into the leather seat. The car smells like him—a mix of pine and leather. Talon gets in beside me, his presence filling the small space. His knuckles are white on the steering wheel.

“Were you watching the movie too?” I ask, rubbing my arms where David’s touch still burns. “I didn’t see you inside.”

“No.” His jaw clenches. “I wasn’t inside.”

“Then how?—”

“Does it matter?” He cuts me off, turning to face me. The streetlight catches his profile, highlighting the sharp angles of his face. Electricity crackles between us in the confined space. I can’t look away from him.

“You were following me,” I whisper, the realization hitting me. Something warm unfurls in my chest at the thought.

“Following. Watching.” His voice is rough. “Call it what you want.”

My breath catches as his hand reaches across the console, fingers ghosting over where David grabbed my thigh. Unlike David’s forceful grip, the touch is gentle but sends sparks through my entire body.

“I saw what he did to you,” Talon growls. “How he put his hands on you like he had the right. It took every ounce of my self-control not to snap his wrist right then and there.”

His eyes meet mine, smoldering with a dangerous intensity. “I’ll always be watching, Lena. I’ll be the shadow that follows you, the whisper in the dark that keeps you safe. And if anyone tries to lay a finger on you again, they’ll have to answer to me.”

“For how long?” I ask, knowing that Talon has been working to save up enough to leave, or at least, that’s what he says. It still doesn’t make sense. He could sleep in his car for a month or two to get enough for a deposit on a place. Instead, he’s stuck in an abusive home where he used to be beaten on the regular. Mr. Wilson won’t dare raise a hand to him now, not with how stacked out he is.

Talon’s hand drops from my thigh, and he leans back in his seat. The loss of his touch leaves me cold.

“If you mean me getting enough to move out, the Wilsons are making it impossible.” His fingers drum against the steering wheel. “Takes more than half my paycheck for ‘rent.’ I owe him for all the years he put up with me, even though the state paid for my ‘care.’”

“That’s not fair.” I shift in my seat to face him. “You’re barely making minimum wage at the grocery store. Why don’t you just leave?”

“Life isn’t fair, Lena.” He turns those piercing blue eyes on me. “You and I, we’ve seen the worst of it. The Wilsons are just another reminder that the world doesn’t care about people like us.”

“There has to be something?—”

“Listen to me,” he interrupts. “I know what they’re capable of. They’ll break you down, piece by piece, until there’s nothing left. And they’ll enjoy every fucking minute of it.”

He leans closer. “I won’t let that happen to you. I’ve been saving up and planning my escape. And when I’m ready, I’m taking you with me. We’ll leave this shithole behind and never look back.”

His hand finds mine, his calloused fingers intertwining with my own. “But until then, we have to be smart. We have to play their game, even if it kills us inside. Because the alternative...” He trails off with a haunted look. “Trust me, Lena. You don’t want to know what they’ll do if they think you’re trying to cross them.”

The silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken words. Through the windshield, I watch a couple exit the theater, holding hands and laughing. They look carefree and normal. Everything we’re not.

“How much have you saved?” I ask.

“I’ve only got fifteen hundred saved so far. There should be thousands by now, but...” He shakes his head. “Whenever I get close, Mr. Wilson finds a reason to take more. Broken window, damaged furniture, missing food.”

“But you didn’t?—”

“It doesn’t matter if I did or didn’t. His house, his rules.” Talon’s knuckles whiten on the steering wheel. “And he knows exactly what he’s doing.”

I gently place my hand on Talon’s thigh, wanting to comfort and show him he’s not alone. The gesture feels natural, right—like my hand belongs there.

His entire body goes rigid. The muscles beneath my palm tense, hard as steel. His jaw clenches, the sharp line of it more pronounced in the dim light. His knuckles whiten further on the steering wheel, and I hear the leather creak under his grip.

My breath catches as I notice the growing bulge in his jeans right beside my hand. Heat floods my cheeks, but I can’t look away. The air in the car becomes thick, charged with electricity.

“Lena,” he says, his voice rough and strained. “Move your hand.”

I should listen. Should pull away. But something keeps my hand in place, my fingers curling slightly into the denim of his jeans.

“Why?” I whisper.

His chest rises and falls with rapid breaths. “Because if you don’t, I might do something we’ll both regret.”

The haunting tone of his voice awakens something deep inside me that I’ve tried to ignore.

“What if I don’t regret it?” The words slip out before I can stop them.

Talon’s head snaps toward me, his blue eyes blazing. The streetlight catches his face, highlighting the sharp angles of his features.

My hand trembles on his thigh, but I don’t move it. “I turned seventeen last month.”

“You’re still too young.” Talon’s voice comes out strained, his muscles taut beneath my touch.

“The age of consent in Massachusetts is sixteen.” Heat floods my cheeks at my boldness, but I press on. “I looked it up.”

His head turns sharply toward me, those piercing blue eyes searching my face. “You looked it up?”

“Yes.” My heart pounds so hard I wonder if he can hear it. “I wanted to know... for us.”

“For us,” he repeats, his voice dropping lower. “You’ve thought about this.”

“Haven’t you?”

The silence stretches between us, charged with years of unspoken desire. His hand covers mine on his thigh but doesn’t push it away.

“Every day for longer than you know,” he admits roughly. “That’s why I’ve been distant. I couldn’t trust myself around you.”

My breath catches at his confession. All this time, I thought he was being distant because he didn’t care.

“I’m not a kid anymore,” I whisper.

“No. You’re not.” Talon’s hand tightens over mine, but then he gently lifts it off his thigh. The loss of contact leaves me cold.

“We can’t,” he says, his voice rough. “Not yet.”

“Why not?” I hate how young and petulant I sound. “I told you, I’m legal?—”

“This isn’t about legality, Lena.” He turns in his seat to face me fully. “You’re seventeen. Your hormones are driving you right now, making you think you want this.”

“That’s not true.” I cross my arms over my chest. “I know what I want.”

“Do you?” His blue eyes pin me in place. “Do you understand what it means to be with someone like me? Someone broken?”

I swallow hard. “I’m not afraid of your jagged edges.”

“You should be.” He leans closer, his presence overwhelming in the confined space. “If we cross that line, if I let myself have you, I’ll never let you go. You’ll be mine completely, corrupted by me. There won’t be any going back.”

His words send a shiver down my spine—part fear, part desire.

“I need you to wait,” he continues. “Until you’re eighteen. Give yourself time to really think about what you’re asking for. What you’re willing to give up.”

“And if I still want this when I’m eighteen?”

His eyes darken. “Then nothing will stop me from making you mine.”

The intensity in his voice makes my breath catch. I want to argue, to convince him I’m ready now, but I see the resolve in his expression.

“Fine,” I whisper. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good girl.” He pulls back onto the road, breaking the tension between us. “Now, let’s get you home.”

“One condition,” I say, my heart racing. “Kiss me now.”

Talon’s eyes narrow. “Lena...”

“I want you to be my first kiss.” I twist in the seat to face him fully. “Not David or some other guy. You.”

His jaw clenches the muscle ticking. “That’s not a good idea.”

“Please.” I lean closer, emboldened by the desire I see flickering in his eyes. “I don’t want anyone else to take this from me.”

A low groan escapes him like he’s in physical pain. “You’re making this very difficult.”

“Good.” I reach for his hand. “So, is that a yes?”

His fingers thread through my hair, gripping the back of my head. The touch sends electricity down my spine. His eyes lock onto mine, intense and burning.

“Just one kiss,” he growls.

Then his mouth crashes into mine and it feels like the world stands still. His lips are firm and demanding, claiming me with a possessiveness that makes me gasp as a shock travels straight to my core.

He takes advantage of my parted lips, deepening the kiss. And it feels like my entire body is burning from the inside out as his tongue tangles with mine.

I grip his shirt, pulling him closer as the sensation between my legs heightens. He tastes like mint and something more addictive. His hand tightens in my hair, tilting my head to get a better angle.

A whimper escapes me as my core throbs, and he groans in response. The sound vibrates through me, and then he bites my lip hard enough to draw blood before licking it.

“Fuck,” he groans. “Mine. All fucking mine.” His kiss deepens as if he’s trying to imprint himself on me. Mark me as his forever, and I want that. I’ve never been so desperate in my entire life for something. What, I’m not sure. I’m aching deep within.

This is nothing like I imagined a first kiss would be. It’s not sweet, gentle, or tentative. It’s consuming, passionate, almost violent in its intensity. Talon kisses my neck and then sucks hard like he’s trying to mark me, brand me, make sure I’ll never want anyone else’s lips on mine.

And he’s succeeding.

I break away from the kiss, gasping for air. My whole body thrums with an unfamiliar energy, a pulsing need centered between my thighs that makes me squirm in my seat. My lips feel swollen, tingling from the pressure of his kiss.

Talon’s breathing comes in heavy pants, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His blue eyes are dark, pupils blown wide with desire. I can’t help but notice the prominent bulge in his jeans. He groans, running a hand over it.

“Fuck,” he swears under his breath, shifting in his seat.

My cheeks burn hot, but I can’t look away. The knowledge that I affect him strongly sends another wave of heat through my body. My heart pounds so hard I’m sure he can hear it in the confined space of the car.

The tension between us is thick enough to cut with a knife. Every breath feels charged with electricity. I press my thighs together, trying to ease the unfamiliar ache there.

“We need to stop,” Talon says through gritted teeth, though he makes no move to start the car. “This is already more than I should have allowed.”

“A deal’s a deal,” I say, my voice still shaky from the kiss. “I’ll wait until I’m eighteen to decide.”

Talon nods, adjusting in the seat.

“But I want you to know something.” I gather my courage, heart pounding against my ribs. “I’m saving myself for you. Only you.”

His breath catches, and those intense blue eyes lock onto mine. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I mean it.” I touch my lips, still tingling from his kiss. “After that... I’ll never want anyone else. Not David, not any other guy. Just you.”

A low growl rumbles in his chest. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I do.” I meet his gaze steadily. “That kiss proved everything I’ve been feeling. Everything I want.”

Talon’s jaw clenches as he turns the key in the ignition. The engine roars to life, breaking the heated silence between us. He shifts the car into drive, his movements precise and controlled. And we return to the Wilsons’ house in charged silence, everything between us altered forever.