And yes, he was proud of me for using mind control on her. I squished the little demon of contention that threatened to make a bad situation worse. This wasn't the time or place for Drake and me to debate the moral ambiguities of our powers.
Not taking the hint, the woman stood up, brushed herself off and inserted her fake doubleD's between me and my man. Was she stupid? I can destroy your mind if I choose to.
Drake barely controlled a laugh when he caught my thoughts.
I scowled at him. He was so not off the hook for this.
Drake brushed the woman aside and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Kylie, this is my girlfriend, Sam."
Kylie's face dropped, but then she looked down at my belly. A smirk crept onto her pretty, silicone-injected lips. "Ah, I see. Trap by baby. That explains it." She poked her finger into my shoulder. "You think this little bundle of joy will hold Drake down? It won't. You can't give him what I can, in or out of the bed. It's only a matter of time before he comes crawling back to me."
My face went hot from rage. I pried open her mind without any of my usual subtlety and ripped into her thoughts like a college kid tearing into a bag of potato chips.
She squeezed her eyes shut as if in pain. I didn't care.
'Why is he with this shapeless loser when he could have me? He didn't find out about me and Brad, did he? Is that why he stopped coming around?'
"He didn't need to know you screwed his best friend to drop you. You never meant anything to him."
Kylie's eyes got so big I thought her eyeballs would pop out. Drake looked from her to me and back to her. "You and Brad? Seriously?"
"How could she know? Nobody knew. How?"
Drake's face turned to stone, but he kept his arm around me while he addressed her. "Just leave, Kylie. Leave me alone. I don't ever want to see you again."
I couldn't tell if Drake had coerced her using mind control, or if she'd left because of the tone of his voice, but at least she was gone.
I slumped in Drake's arms and fought the tears welling up in my eyes. "I'm a horrible person."
What kind of hypocrite am I? I can't get over Drake using his powers against me to save my life, but I'm apparently more than willing to use mine against his old girlfriend. I basically mind-raped her, and for what? Because she had her hands on my boyfriend? Because she looks better in a swimsuit than I do?
I hung my head in shame as my tears threatened to betray me.
Chapter 30 – Drake
Drake turned Sam to face him. "No, you're not horrible. You're human and she was being a bitch. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. What are you even doing out here? Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"I'm feeling better. Or at least I was. I think the worst is over. I’m guessing it’s withdrawal from those new 'vitamin' shots they gave us."
Vitamins. Right. The drugs those bastards had given Sam’s best friends, Luke and Lucy, had turned them into mindless puppets, but Drake and Sam had undone the damage using their combined para-powers. The same drugs had made Sam physically sick, but hadn’t compromised her mental abilities. It made sense that they were still in her system.
Her eyes peeked open, revealing the dazzling blue that took his breath away each time he looked at her. Her cheeks had pinked a bit, and the dark circles under her eyes had begun to fade.
"I'm not shaking as much, and I ate a whole egg this morning."
He smiled. One egg wasn't enough, but it was a lot more than she'd been able to keep down lately. He'd take any small victory at this point.
Sam reached up and pressed her lips against his. The kiss ignited all the passion he'd been keeping bottled up since he and Sam met in person.
Patience had never been one of his virtues, but with Sam it was different. He couldn't rush her or force her into being with him before she was ready.
She'd been through so much, and while he craved her body in ways that making out just didn't satiate, he'd promised her, and himself, that he would wait until she felt comfortable. But with skin so milky and soft, hair so smooth and rich, and eyes that seduced him with every glance, it was getting harder and harder to keep his hands to himself.
He was beginning to sympathize with Joseph, Mary's betrothed in the Bible, except Sam was carrying Drake's child, not God's. And still, they'd done nothing more than kissing and some touching. Drake wondered what Father Patrick would say about this. He'd probably be amused that Drake, who believed in nothing, would draw parallels to himself and Joseph.
"Earth to Drake. You still here?"
"Sorry. I was just thinking about how beautiful you are."
Sam dropped her head and pulled away. "Yeah, right. I could just read your mind, you know."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just... I worry that if I don't... you know... with you soon, the next time some girl rubs up against you, you won't be able to resist. And then I'll lose you forever."
Drake pulled her against his chest and held her tight. "Sam, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my whole life. Nothing could ever keep me from you. You don't need to worry about that. Ever. Okay?"