Captivate (Manipulate, Book 2)

Chapter 32

After a several long moments of kissing Sage, however, Claire began to feel a little awkward. How did you end it? His lips were still on hers when she started to feel the end of the kiss and get embarrassed. Because, well, you couldn’t kiss forever (or even very long, if you have no idea what you’re doing) and then you’re just standing near a huge freezer with cold lips and red cheeks.

Sage carried it off well though. He ran his fingers down her arm and smiled, but then sighed.

“We can’t stay here.”

“Um, no.” Claire was still reacting to the kiss, but didn’t want sound like an idiot. “It’s cold.”

“I mean, we shouldn’t stay at the restaurant.”

The back door burst open, and Francois slid in quickly. Claire could tell he was upset because he hovered nearly a foot off the ground, rather than his customary half inch.

“Are you alright?" Francois demanded. "I’ve been healing my neighbor. The wretched Merith concussed him so soundly I had to stop a cranial hemorrhage! I hope you destroyed those thugs.” He was mostly addressing Sage.

“No, that would have made the feud worse. It was Claire’s former owner and he already holds a grudge.”

Pots and pans were rattling around Francois, and in his agitation he began turning the hot water in the sink on and off. “Faal? And I did not know. I have failed you. I truly believed I could give you warning if he knew of my location.

Steam was rising from the hot water in the sink, making the air moist and warm. Claire felt the goose bumps on her arms start to go down. Francois wasn’t exactly wrong; he had assured her that he’d know if Faal found them, but Claire found it easy to forgive him.

“It’s alright. It worked out after all.”

“We’ll have to leave, however,” Sage added. The others joined them in the kitchen, as he explained to Francois what had happened and how carefully it had been timed to get Claire alone.

Claire went to sit at the table with Juliet, as her legs were a little shaky. “You were so fast,” Claire told her. “How did you learn to move like that?”

“I told you, I was the director’s daughter.”

Claire looked blank.

“She doesn’t know what that means,” Sage said to Juliet.

“Oh," she paused. "The Rik are serious politicians. They live with manipulation, collateral, and blackmail. They take hostages to gain leverage,” she explained.

“I’m still not getting – ”

“I had extensive physical training, so I could avoid being kidnapped or killed by my mother’s enemies.”

“Oh. Wow. And that carried through to your human body?”

“No, I was changed... a long time ago.” Juliet’s eyes shadowed. “I’ve had a lot of practice in this body.”

“And Athlete, and Sage, too, you all worked so well together." Claire narrowed her eyes. "I feel like you've been holding out on me."

“We’ve been together for a while,” Juliet said. She smiled at Athlete, who was now holding a large ice pack on his face. The part of his mouth that they could see turned up and he gave her a thumb’s up.

"Together doing what? Military training?" Claire was half-joking, but the furtive looks they cast at Sage made her raise her eyebrows. "No, really?"

Sage was busy talking to Francois, so Juliet shrugged uncomfortably. “Anyone who was going to Earth in the next few years had extensive training... We were planning an invasion, you know. Athlete and I had extra training, because of who we were, and Sage is... Sage.”