Skye had a smile on her face as she sat at the kitchen table, the small piece of paper in her hands. Things had finally been settling down, but she knew they were about to pick back up again. Macy had finally, finally adjusted to school. While she still wasn't too fond of her Teacher, getting her to school every morning was no longer a fight. No more tears when Skye hauled Macy onto her back and ran her from the news station to school. Macy no longer clung to her when they got there, but rather, she slid off her back easily and went into the building.
And since she had started sleeping easily again, Skye had sent out a message that she was available and ready for action. And since the message had gone out, it was a waiting game. Once the wait was over, her nights would be as busy as they were when Macy was a baby. Perhaps even busier since she now had to work Macy around her plans. It would be harder since the child was getting smarter every damn day.
That much was proved by the note she held in her hands. It was the note she had stuck to Macy's door the last time she had gone into the tunnels. Macy had woken up at some point and read it. She'd found a pencil and added on to it. Skye had found it the next morning when she went to wake Macy up. She'd found the words added to the note in Macy's scrawling, barely legible handwriting.
Love you. And then Macy had drawn hearts around the words. It made Skye's own heart swell every time she looked at the note. She'd succeeded. After her mother had died giving birth to Macy, her father had made her promise that she'd take care of the infant. Skye knew that he didn't plan on being around for much longer. So Skye had promised to take care of Macy. And this note proved that she had- Macy was alive, well, and learning. Macy loved Skye as much as Skye loved her. For all the trials and tribulations, Skye had kept her promise of taking care of Macy.
But there was so much more Skye could do for her little sister. So much more that she wanted to show her. But she had to wait for the timing to be right. She had to know that her sister would survive in the place Skye wanted to take her to. First, she had to know that she could trust Macy with her biggest secret and not have it be exposed. She'd been trying to think of a small, safe secret that she could share to find out. So far, she hadn't thought of one that couldn't harm anything. She could come up with a lie, but that felt like cheating. She wanted to see how Macy handled the truth.
"Well now, Macy, what am I going to tell you?" Skye said to the note. "What secret shall we share?" Her thoughts were interrupted by a curt knock at the door. She looked at the clock and saw that it was just past midnight. There was only one reason anyone would be at her door at this time of night. She sighed and pushed her chair in, careful not to make too much noise and wake Macy up. She got to the door, smiling to herself. Only a month since her last meeting. One week since she'd announced that she was ready to play her part again. They weren't wasting any time.
"Skye?" the young woman said. Skye wasn't even sure she could call her a woman- she looked like a teenager. The ponytail her light blonde hair was tied into made her look even younger. Skye wondered vaguely how old this Messenger was.
"Yes?"
"You have a message from Salvia Street," the Messenger said. She ran a hand through her hair, and when her hand went up, Skye saw a small green band around her wrist. It seemed the King had taken her advice and set up a system so she knew which Messengers were on their side.
"And what is the message?"
"The King's Guard would like to meet with you." Skye tried to bite down her laugh but found herself unable to.
"The King's Guard? He thinks pretty highly of himself, doesn't he?"
"Well, from what I understand, you did call him a bodyguard the last time you saw him. He must be taking the title seriously," the Messenger responded with a laugh.
"Is the King coming?"
"No. It's just him." Skye's eyebrow rose at that. What was Atlas meeting her for, then? What did he have to say that was so private that even the King wasn't coming? Technically, such a meeting wasn't supposed to happen. Skye was only supposed to be summoned down to the tunnels if the King was coming. Whatever Atlas had to say, it must be important. "He said normal time, normal place."
"Alright. I'll see what he wants. May I ask what your name is?" Skye asked, and the girl smiled.
"I'm Taryn."
"How old are you?"
"16." So the girl, Taryn, was just a teenager. It wasn't odd for there to be Messengers so young. Messengers had one of the shortest apprenticeships of any profession. "Do you need me to come in and watch Macy for a bit?"
"That'd be great," Skye said, and Taryn let herself into the apartment. Skye dug around in her bag for the proper amount of money, a small portion for the delivery of the message, and a hefty extra for watching Macy. Taryn didn't say another word as Skye left, locking the door behind her and making her way to the tunnels.
Because she knew the journey so well, she let her mind wander as she ran through the streets. There were a thousand different reasons Atlas would call a meeting for just the two of them, and none of them were good. The fact that the King wasn't going to be in attendance made Skye fear that something had happened to him. If something were to happen to him, who would he pass his crown down to? What would happen to everyone then?
That was the thought burning through her mind as she descended into the tunnel. As she pulled the trap door shut and turned around, she was surprised to find that the tunnel was already lit. Sure enough, there was Atlas about ten feet from her, torch in one hand, leaning carelessly against the wall. It made her heart skip a beat, seeing him so at ease with the torch casting shadows on his face. She wished she could see him more often, but certain circumstances made it impossible to arrange.
"Atlas," she said, and he turned to her, smiling at her fondly. "What's happening?"
"Who says anything is happening?" he answered, running a hand through his hair. Normally, she would say it needed cutting, but the long hair looked good on him. Just another thing that looked good on him. "Who says I didn't just want to see you?"
"So, wait, that's what this is about?" she asked with a laugh. "You drag me down here at nigh two in the morning, just to see me?" It wouldn't surprise her. Atlas was the kind of person to do just that. And she could complain all she wanted about having to descend into the tunnels in the wee hours of the morning, but she knew that his trek had been longer. Atlas would do it, though, just for an opportunity to see her. It was the main reason he was always with the King when he called a meeting.
"Does that surprise you?"
"Not a bit," she said, closing the distance between them. "Does the King know about this?"
"What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, if he knew I was coming, he would have wanted to come. And some things are better left between the two of us," he answered as he placed a hand on the back of her neck. She laughed softly, playfully smacking his chest.
"Hey now, mister, if you think you're going to drag me down here just so you can-" Her words were cut off by his fingers burying themselves in her hair. She gasped softly as he took that one last step to her, closing the distance between them. This close, she could feel the heat of the torch he held, but more than that, she could feel the heat between them. The heat that had built every time they had seen each other. It built in those few minutes before the King arrived and they shared as many kisses as they could. It built in those seconds after the King left when Atlas stole one more kiss before he was called to leave.
And it built now as Atlas dropped his head and pressed his lips to hers. Skye returned the kiss readily, wondering if this would be the time they took things further. They'd never been able to before, not when the King was watching and expected Atlas to follow his every move. But when it was just the two of them and Macy had someone watching her, well, anything could happen. And Skye was okay with that.
Atlas put the torch in a holder so both his hands were free to cup her face as he deepened the kiss. That heat, that spark, was steadily building, and Skye wondered how much longer they had before it exploded and consumed them both. And down in the tunnels where no one could find them... well, they could let that fire burn as brightly as they wanted for however long they wanted it to.
Skye pressed herself against him, and a low sound escaped his throat. He pulled away just long enough to turn them and press her against the wall, another soft gasp escaping her. But then he was kissing her again, pressing against her until there was no space left between them at all. This. This was what she wanted. What she needed- what she'd been saving herself for. If she'd wanted, she could have just about any man in the City. Even Remy had once expressed his attraction to her. But she didn't want them. She wanted Atlas, and she'd been willing to wait until he decided that he was ready for her, too.
And judging by the tongue he just ran over her lower lip, he was more than ready. She opened up for him as she ran her fingers into his thick hair, a soft moan building in his chest. And as his tongue found its way into her mouth, a similar sound was pulled from her, too. The heat was racing through her veins, and she found that she never wanted this to end. Without the sun, the City was often cold and dark. She wanted him to warm her up in such a way that she'd never feel cold again.
His hands went to her waist, pulling her hips towards him until she could feel how hard he was already. She knew that if his hands went exploring, if they went a little lower, they'd find that she was more than ready for him. But instead of doing that, he actually stepped away, reaching for the torch. Her mind went into overdrive. If he came all this way and riled her up this much, and this was all she was going to get, she was going to kill him. If she didn't get some damn satisfaction, she would actually lose her mind. He must have seen the look on her face because he started to laugh, that husky chuckle that always drove her insane.
"You know, I've been told that when it's completely dark and you can't see anything, your other senses start to light up," he mentioned.
"Is that so?" she asked breathlessly.
"Care to test that theory?"
"Are you just trying to make it dark because you're embarrassed for me to see you?" Skye wondered, and he smirked.
"Never. But when you're in your room at night, and you get a little frisky, you can picture how I feel and how I sound. I have a feeling that'll have more impact than seeing me," he said, and she swallowed slightly. She had confided in him years before about her aphantasia- her inability to visualize imagery. She had no issue imagining sound and touch, but when it came to mental pictures, that was impossible for her.
He had a point. If she was going to fantasize- which she was, but she'd never admit that to him- having the memory of his touch and only his touch, would fire her up more than a visual memory.
"You talk big," she said, stepping closer to him, so close their lips brushed together. "Why don't you prove it?" He sucked in a breath, desire clouding his eyes. Without hesitation, he took her hand and put out the torch, sending them into total darkness. If it wasn't for his hand in hers, he could have disappeared, and she would have never known. For a second, she started to panic, but his other hand running along her spine calmed her.
"You don't need to see. Just feel."
And feel she did. She felt him gently guiding her to the ground and hovering above her. She felt his lips on hers as he started to push her shirt up and off of her. She felt him kissing a trail down her neck, pausing for a moment at the hollow of her throat. One of his hands laid on her belly before traveling up and to her breasts. She felt that low, sexy laugh as she gasped in pleasure. And she most certainly felt him hard against her, the feel of it alone promising to send her into oblivion.
They both knew that they didn't have much time. Skye had work in a few hours, and Atlas would have to be back before the King noticed he was gone. So as much as they wanted to stay in this tiny little bubble and tease each other until they nearly died of anticipation, they forced themselves to keep moving. Not that they didn't want to get to where they were going. They most certainly did. But when they finally shed the last of their clothes and Skye felt him pressing against her, all thoughts of waiting went out the window.
In fact, the only thought left in her mind was the feeling of him slowly pushing into her. She was told that the first time was supposed to be awkward, but as he slowly and surely began to thrust into her, she didn't feel any of that awkwardness. Maybe that was because of the dark, or maybe it was just because they'd known each other for years. Skye didn't know, and she didn't care. All she cared about was the feeling of him inside her. The way the muscles of his back felt against her fingertips. And, most importantly, how it felt as she reached her peak.
And as he pushed her over the edge, the dark was banished by the stars bursting behind her eyelids.
They lay there together in the dark, both breathing heavily when it was all over. Skye was glad she'd waited- she couldn't imagine her first time being with anyone else. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke. If she thought the foreplay was the bubble she'd wanted to stay in, she was wrong. This was where she wanted to stay. She wanted to stay in this little world forever where they were coming down from their highs, their heartbeats still in sync.
"I miss you," he finally said, and she raised an eyebrow. Not that he could see it, but it was involuntary.
"I'm right here."
"I mean when you leave. When you stay here and I go back. I miss you. I wish... I wish we could see each other more often than these stolen moments," he told her, and she sighed.
"I know. I wish we could, too."
"Why don't you just take Macy and run?" he asked, and she froze slightly. It wasn't like the thought had never crossed her mind. She thought about it almost every damn day. But she couldn't. Not when Macy was still so young.
"I want to. I really do. But... what if she doesn't make it? What if she can't survive out there? She's still so little. I can't risk it yet," Skye answered.
"We were young when we escaped. You were eleven. And two years later, when I was eleven, I left, too. And we're both just fine," Atlas argued. "Is that what you're waiting for? Or are you really going to wait until she's eleven? That's seven years. Can you wait that long?"
"If it means keeping her safe, then yes, I can."
"Does Macy even know?" He didn't have to clarify. She knew what he meant. Did her little sister know about the midnight meetings? About the man she worked for? Did Macy know the truth about Skye? The truth about who she was, where she'd been, and what her role was?
"No. I'm not sure if I can tell her yet. I'm not sure it will stay a secret," she answered, and Atlas pondered this for a moment. But Skye knew how to test the theory. For in that moment, she realized the secret that she could share. The secret that wouldn't harm anyone if it was found out. The secret that wouldn't put herself or anyone she cared about in danger.
And if Macy kept that secret, Skye would tell her everything.