first. “Every time we vouch for her, you accuse us of only defending her because of her looks.”
“It’s my go-to because I know you, and I see how all of you look at her,” Ori shot back. “Like you’ve never seen tits or a pretty face before. It’s pathetic honestly.”
“And you don’t stare?” Rayen laughed loud and it seemed out of place, given the tense moment. “Yeah … okay.”
When the accusation was tossed at him, Ori glared. “I’ve never lost sight of what my priorities are,” he countered, gracefully sidestepping the truth—which was that we had all caught him watching her, just as often as the rest of us.
“Nice dodge,” Rayen grinned.
There was a thought rattling around inside my head, and I wasn’t sure if I should just say it.
“What Joel said … I think it’s worth exploring.” There. Now it was out in the open for the others to judge.
Rayen’s brow quirked, but he didn’t seem put off by the idea of Noelle being our missing piece, the one Spirit had sent to strengthen our unit.
“Uh … wow?” was Paulo’s reaction. There was no missing how confused he was that I’d make such a bold statement. Right away, I regretted speaking my mind. Especially having done so with Ori present. When he sighed and reared his head back, I knew he’d be the hardpoint.
Like always.
‘Clearly, you seem to know something we don’t,” Rayen said, popping into my head only, leaving the others out of this conversation. ‘What are we missing? Where’d you get this idea?’
Uncertainty caused me to hesitate, sitting there like I had nothing to say. When, in fact, I was growing more positive of this feeling with every second.
‘I kissed her last night,’ I admitted, ‘and I felt something. Just like the other hives told us we would.’
There was complete silence inside my head, and I wondered what Rayen was thinking.
‘Wow,’ was his initial response, staring out across the lagoon while the others sat unaware of what I just shared with him.
‘And you’re sure about this?’ he asked when his gaze rose to meet mine.
‘Positive.’
Rayen and I shared a brief look, but neither of us spoke. Maybe because the gravity of what I just presented him with had yet to settle in.
“Regardless of Joel’s … completely unfounded statement, our mission hasn’t changed,” Ori asserted as his gaze turned icy. “Our priority is now, has always been, and always will be to secure the safety of this island. And need I remind you that Noelle is potentially the greatest threat we’ve ever known?”
“We know there’s a chance she—”
“She’s not the one,” Ori started again, cutting Rayen off midsentence. “Hell, for all we know, when she transitions, the stress of it might kill her! Then what?” he seethed. “We’re left to mourn her for years like the Tritons have done Charlotte.” He was pacing again, shaking his head as his feet moved across the dock. “Spirit wouldn’t be that cruel twice. Not to another hive. Not to me.”
His last words made it so none of us argued back, because we hadn’t experienced loss on the level he’d experienced it. Sitting there, I wondered if any of the others’ hearts were as heavy as mine as we contemplated the many sides of this dilemma. I wondered if they knew like I did that, until the heart of our hive was located and in her rightful place, we would never be whole.
To make things even more awkward, the front door of the bungalow swung open and then closed after Noelle stepped out. We turned that way, and as if to deepen the conflict within our hive, she sauntered toward us looking like she’d walked right out of heaven, and into our lives.
She’d always been an attractive girl, but today she took my breath away, made every thought I’d had before laying my eyes on her seem insignificant. In a turquoise, sleeveless dress that swayed in the breeze, barely touching her knees, she was like a dream in the flesh. She’d somehow pulled off being able to look sweet and innocent, and looking like she’d crush the heart of any man who dared to put theirs in her hands, all at once.
After showering, she asked for a blow dryer, but none of us owned one. So, the big waves a gentle gust of wind moved across her shoulders were likely the result of that. Standing before us, her fingers pushed through her hair as if she meant to tame it, and there