Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“Don’t sweat it. Peter never stays angry for long. He prefers to think happy thoughts.”
That made sense now that she understood his background better. “It’s nice that you all have each other. In a way, you’re like brothers.”
Something flashed in his eyes. “Peter doesn’t like when we call ourselves that.”
“Why?”
“Because he had a brother once. It’s a touchy subject.”
“Oh.” She wanted to know what happened to his brother. Had he been at the orphanage, too?
Before she could form a question, Cassian asked, “What do you say we try to have some fun?”
She glanced out at the lagoon. “I’m not sure I know how to have fun like this.” Perhaps she was a prude.
He laughed. “You’ve just gotta loosen up.”
“I don’t know how.”
“Well, for starters, you need a drink. Here.”
He handed her his cup, and she sniffed the contents. “What is it?”
“We call it seawater. But this…” He withdrew a small capsule from his pocket. “This is pixie dust.”
She examined the pill, which looked as harmless as an aspirin. “What’s it do?”
“It fills your head with happy thoughts and makes you fly.”
“So, it’s drugs?”
He chuckled. “Don’t act so scandalized. You’re not driving anywhere. It’s going to be a long night. Might as well make the best of it.”
“Have you done it before?”
“Yeah, plenty of times.”
She debated. She’d never done drugs before, but maybe that was her problem. “Will it help me loosen up?”
“Absolutely.”
She wasn’t sure what to do. “I don’t know.”
“How about if I promise to stay sober and watch over you? I’ll make sure you behave.”
She wondered if she could trust him. “You won’t drink?”
“Not a drop.” When she still hesitated, he said, “Look, it only lasts a couple of hours. I promise to watch over you the whole time.”
Wendy chewed her lip. Maybe this was exactly what she needed—a little push to knock her inhibitions down. “Okay.”
He grinned and snapped the capsule in half, dumping the powdered contents into the seawater. “Bottoms up, darling.”
Chapter 8
Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust
The silver powder shimmered with an unnatural gleam, floating on the surface of her beverage like a small galaxy of stars. She swirled it into the seawater with her finger and took a sip.
“Ugh.” She grimaced at the bitter, metallic taste. “It’s like licking the edge of a blade.”
“Just get it down.”
She hoped this wasn’t a mistake. Keeping her eyes on Cassian, she guzzled the sour contents, swallow after bitter swallow, and gasped when it was finally empty.
“Gross. How long before it—”
Her words cut off as the world shifted. Waves thrummed in the distance as shadows formed in the swells.
“Whoa. Everything’s moving.”
Cass caught her arm as she wobbled. “Is it hitting you already?”
Colors melted, bleeding together in hues so bright they vibrated. “The beach is breathing.”
Cassian’s laughter echoed as if a million miles away, but only as loud as a whisper. “Let’s find a place to sit down.”
He led her toward a cabana bed. Various groping couples groaned along the way, and she stared at the way they touched each other. “Are they all doing this? Is that why they’re so free?”
Cassian’s mouth moved as he answered, but she could only hear the vibrating colors and moans of people having sex. She smiled at him as her skin began to hum, every nerve in her body a live wire unraveling like silk from a spool.
“I feel amazing,” she confessed, swaying from his muscular arm.
“Oh, boy. Maybe I should have given you half a dose.”
“No, silly,” she laughed, falling onto an empty cabana bed. “I feel incredible—as if I’m floating on air and made of mist.”
He lounged beside her, resting on his elbow as he stared into her eyes.
The air thickened around her like velvet and honey, and she licked the sweetness off her lips. “Do you taste that?”
“Taste what?”
She stared up at the stars. “My lips.”
“Really?”
He shifted closer, and she looked at him. He was very close. “You gave me a shirt.”
“I did.” He dragged his finger over her hip. “But I like this better.”
“Mmm. Do you?” She reached for his cheek, leaning into his warmth. “Your face is so fuzzy, like a teddy bear.”
He caught her hand. “Careful, darling. Bears don’t like to be teased.”
“I’m not teasing.”
“Are you sure?”
She searched his eyes and nodded. “You won’t hurt me.”
“Of course not. My only goal is to make you feel good.”
She moaned. “I feel pretty good at the moment.” She continued to stroke his cheek. “Everything’s so sensual and alive.”
“I can make it feel even better if you want.”
She closed her eyes and hummed peacefully as the darkness came alive. The air sang, and colors danced. “I hear everything.”
He brushed a wisp of hair away from her face. “What do you hear?”
“The universe is singing to me.” She seemed as weightless as a music note and softer than a whisper. “I know I’m here, but it’s like I’m also there.”