Free Willing Captive by Belle Aurora Page A

me for no reason at all.
I-” Sitting on the bed, I breathe deeply and try again. “My life
consists of two things right now. Being depressed and being
paranoid. That’s it.” I bark a laugh, “What kind of life is
that?”
    With his back to me,
he raises his strong arms and holds the top of the doorframe. And I
almost gasp. The move has made him look like a fallen angel. The
dark room graced with the bright silhouette of a solid male body.
Beautifully dark and mysterious.
    Strong. Safe.
Secure.
    Those are the words
that flood my mind.
    What the
mothertruck?
    My heart beats
faster and a flush rises up my neck. I shouldn’t be thinking the
things I’m thinking. Needing to break the spell, I utter, “So I’m
pretty much freaking myself out with images of my impending death
and I was hoping that you’d- I don’t know- you’d reassure me or
some shit.”
    Not hesitating for a
second, Nox turns and strides over to the bed, right in front of
me. I crane my head to look up into his face.
    Sheer determination.
“You are not going to die.”
    I reply breathily,
“What makes you so sure?”
    His lip tilts at the corner as he says, “There’s a reason I’m
cocky, princess.” Then he smiles. Not a smirk or a grin. A gleaming
teeth, megawatt smile.
    And it’s nice.
    Slightly crooked, it
softens his normally hard face. I could get used to this Nox.
    He utters, “Don’t
worry, you’ll live to annoy me at least another day.” I almost
swoon when he winks. “I’m the best.”
    And then he’s
gone.

    ***

    Nox

    My body jolts as I
wake.
    Opening my eyes, I
stretch in the rocking chair and something soft falls to the
ground. My brows draw into a frown as I look to the floor.
    A blanket?
    Not just any
blanket. The blanket from Lily’s bed.
    My gaze shoots over
to find her bed empty.
    What the hell? Where
is she? More importantly, how did she get out with me blocking the
doorway?
    Oh shit.
    My blood runs cold
as I shoot up and run down the hall. A million possibilities shoot
through my brain but only one sticks.
    Lily going AWOL.
    Taking three steps
at a time, I screech to a halt at the bottom of the stairs when I
see Lily and Boo dancing in the kitchen as they cook. They sing
along with the CD player.
    “ If you wannabe my lover, you gotta get with my friends!” This
is Lily.
    “ Make it last forever, friendship never eeeennddss!” This is
Boo.
    They fuse together
with, “If you wannabe my lover, you have got to give. Takin’ is too
easy but that’s the way it is!” Boo takes her spatula and booms
into it, “Slam! Slam! Slam! Slam!”
    I’m stunned
speechless. I don’t know whether to laugh or pull up a chair to
catch the rest of the show. Lily looks…happy.
    I don’t believe
it.
    Her cheeks are
flushed a peachy pink as she sings, laughs, and dances around like
a loon. Wearing a pair of almost too short shorts, a white tank,
and sport socks, she looks like a college girl. Then I remember,
she should be a college girl. She’s twenty-two years old. She’s at
the point in her life where she should be acting irresponsibly,
making stupid choices and being irrational.
    A sharp pain pierces
my chest. I quickly quash it. She’s going to have that life. And
I’m going to get it back for her. Mark my words.
    Lily yells into a
wooden spoon, “Slam your body down and wind it all around!” Then
she and Boo make circles by their sides with their hands, making
them look like human choo-choo trains.
    And I can’t stop it.
Leaning my head back, I roar with laughter.
    Lily yelps, placing
a hand on her now heaving chest. Boo remains cool as a cucumber,
still showing off her spaztastic dance moves. Boo turns to Lily and
teases, “Don’t worry, Deedee. He’s just jealous he can’t move like
we can.”
    Lily scowls at me,
“You didn’t have to sneak up on us. I almost had a heart attack.”
Waving a hand in front of me, her eyes widen comically as sarcasm
takes over. “Hello? Remember? Impending death and all