Just the Beginning

Mila’s POV

I feel a gush of warm liquid smash against my skin and across my chest and down the side of my face. My eyes blink rapidly as I try to process the scene in front of me. All the sounds of chaos around me fad into a steady ringing sound when I look down at my hands and see them covered.

Blood. It’s blood.

My eyes lift to where the man who had been touching me is clutching his hand to his chest. One of his friends grabs his arm and wraps it around the bloody mess. His head snaps to me and he starts toward me.

That’s when the noise snaps into place, and I stumble back. Someone from behind me wraps their arms around me, pining my arms to my side. I struggle against him, but he turns and pushes me against the bar counter and pushes my head down on the counter with his arm. He pins me there and I feel something cold and metallic against my lower back and a tug that causes my shirt to rip down the middle of my back.

The fabric drops past my shoulders and a sob escapes me.

“Well, it looks like you’re a bad girl. So many scars.” The guy whispers in my ear.

He’s bent over me and I can feel him quickly getting hard against me. I want to throw up as he slides his hand across my stomach and fondles my breast.

“Is she yours Julian? You have good taste. Too bad you don’t know how to take care of your things.” The guy calls out.

I turn my head and see Julian Keller fight off one of this guy’s men.

“Isn’t that what your dad taught you? Destroy everything and take what’s left. Well, I’m about to ruin this girl, and then leave the mess for you to clean up.”

His hand starts to slide lower to the top of my pants and I squeeze my eyes shut. I’m trying to push my mind to another place so I don’t feel or remember what this monster is about to do to me.

There is a second when everything goes silent again and flashes of memories appear, but it’s all broken when the weight of the man is suddenly gone. I let out a sob and gasp for air.

“Mila!” someone calls and there are hands on me again, but these are small and feminine.

Brandy bundles up my shirt and wraps me in someone’s coat. There’s screaming coming from behind me and I turn my head to see the guy who had me pinned writhing on the ground.

“What’s wrong with him?” I ask Brandy loudly over the sounds of fighting and music that no one has bothered to turn off yet.

“He’s been electrocuted.” Brandy sounds shocked by her own words.

Another cry of pain goes off behind us and I turn to see more men being thrown back by bolts of electricity. What the heck? Where is it coming from?

More men rush toward him as the others are thrown back, but another falls and the smell of burning flesh grows stronger. The culprit is revealed when another two men fall and there stands Julian Keller. His hands are lit with currents of bright bolts of electricity. He smirks as he shoots them in every direction, and more people are thrown away from him. I watch in horror when he’s the last man standing, and he’s smiling down at the mess he’s made. The smug look on his face only lasts a second before he stumbles slightly and lifts a hand to his stomach. When he pulls his hand back, it has the same red to match mine.

“He’s bleeding.” I say before I break out of Brandy’s hold and rush over just as Julian starts to fall.

Brandy is there a second later and one of the waiters joins in. We weave through the mess of the club and head toward the back hallway.

“Where do we take him?” The waiter asks.

“See if any of the rooms are free. He needs to lie down, and then call a doctor.” Brandy barks orders like she owns the place, and I respect the hell out of her right now.

I’m in too much shock to think straight, so at least one of us knows what to do.

“I’m fine.” Julian grumbles before he lets out a hiss of pain.

“You’re far from okay.” I tell him, and he shoots me a look that says I should stop talking right now.

“Hang on.” The waiter releases Julian for me and Brandy to hold while he runs down the hall to find a free room. “Hey! This one!”

The guy pushes the third door down open and comes jogging our way to take over, carrying Julian inside. Brandy follows him and I walk in last. My mouth nearly drops open when I see what kind of room we just walked into. This is not where I was expecting my night to lead me.

“I should probably…go.” I say, taking a step back toward the door.

“You can’t!” Brandy calls. “I have to get back out there and take care of the mess. I need to talk to the police and call the doctor. Please Mila, can you wait here with him just in case?”

“I don’t need a babysitter! It’s a small knife wound.” Julian calls from where he’s laying on the large bed.

The bed could fit ten people. That’s how big it is. It’s also covered with purple silk sheets and…is that a mirror on the ceiling? That’s just great.

“Boss, you need someone here to stop you from going into shock.” Brandy says over her shoulder.

The girl has a big pair of ovaries to talk to her boss like that, but he doesn’t reprimand her.

“I don’t know- “I say to her, but she gives me an exaggerated pleading look.

“Please. I’ll owe you big time.” She pleads harder and I feel my resolve crack.

“Okay.” I finally give in and

“Thank you so much, babes!” She says before pulling me into a hug and rushing out of the room.

“I’ll go help.” The waiter guys says.

“Bring me a Burban!” Julian yells as the waiter jogs out of the room.

“You got it, boss!” The guy yells back before disappearing down the hall.

There’s a long stretch of silence where I watch the door, hoping someone will come along and save me from babysitting the man who took out a group of his attackers with his electric powers. How did he do that? Is that all he can do?

“Close the door.” His voice is hard, but there’s effort in it, like he’s trying to keep the pain from melting into his words.

I jump at his request and don’t hesitate to do as he asks. His command snapped me out of the idea that I’ll be saved from being alone with him, so I turn to face him instead. He’s laying back with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. I’m not sure if I should stay where I am or if I should make sure he’s okay. He’s been acting like he isn’t that badly injured, so it might offend him if I ask if he’s okay. He’s my boss now, and I can’t afford to upset him if I want to keep this job. Still, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if he was seriously hurt, and I didn’t help him.

So I suck in a deep breath and walk toward the side of the bed he’s laying. When I reach it, I stand over him quietly. He doesn’t look at me right away, so I take my time to examine him more. He’s young, which comes as a surprise since until now he has seemed so much older. I guess his intense presence is usually enough to make him seem intimidating, but right now…he looks vulnerable.

"How bad are you hurt?" my voice gentle as if treading on fragile ground.

He sighs, a sound heavy with a mixture of pain and exhaustion. His silence stretches, making my nerves skitter. The tension in the room seems to magnify as seconds tick by.

“I’ve had worse.” Is what he finally says.

He turns his head to face me, and I gasp when I see his eyes. They’re brighter and almost glow.

“But my powers seem to be on the fritz.” He says next and his lip quirks up slightly.

Was that a joke?

Before I can form a response, he moves, surprising me with the suddenness of his actions. His arm snakes around my waist, pulling me toward him with an urgency that sends my heart racing. In the span of a heartbeat, I find myself lying atop him, our bodies pressed together in an intimate embrace. My gaze locks onto his, and I'm trapped in the intensity of his electric eyes.

There's a palpable shift in the air, an undercurrent of something I can't quite put into words. It's as if the universe has conspired to draw us together, how is this possible? He reaches out for me and wraps an arm around my waist. I’m lying on top of him and staring down into those electric eyes. He’s hard against me and unlike with the guy who attacked me earlier, there is a warmth in me at the feeling.

"W-what are you doing?" I manage to whisper, my voice a fragile thread that hangs between us. But the look in his eyes, smoldering with an intensity I can't ignore, answers my question before he does.

“Do you feel that?” He asks.

I pause, allowing his question to permeate my thoughts. And then, as if in response to his inquiry, a tingling sensation dances across my skin. Tiny sparks seem to ignite along the surface, leaving behind a trail of goosebumps in their wake. His hand, warm and sure, slips under the jacket I'm wearing, his touch sending shivers down my spine.

I gasp, the sound escaping before I can hold it back. Our connection deepens as his lips descend upon mine, a meeting of mouths that's both electric and charged with a fervent energy. Time seems to stretch, the world around us fading into insignificance as I lose myself in the sensation of his kiss.

His lips are warm and insistent against mine, a fusion of fire and tenderness that ignites a fire within me. The spark that had been kindled between us now blazes into a full-fledged flame, consuming every thought, every reservation. In his embrace, the world outside fades away, leaving only the two of us suspended in a moment that feels infinite.

I don't know how long the kiss lasts—seconds, minutes, an eternity. The concept of time becomes irrelevant as our connection deepens, our breaths mingling in a rhythm that matches the cadence of our hearts. The taste of him, a heady mixture of vulnerability and strength...

This is just the beginning.