Silas's Homecoming and an Ominous Sound

I stared at the closed door, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. The anger inside me was a living thing, clawing at my insides, demanding release.

"Get out of my way," I said, my voice dangerously low.

Silas and Ronan exchanged worried glances, still blocking my path.

"Hazel," Rhys stepped forward, gently placing his hand on my arm. "Come with me for a second." There was an urgency in his eyes I hadn't seen before.

"Why should I?" I snapped.

He leaned in close, lowering his voice. "Because I know you can hear everything that's happening right now. And I'm guessing you want to use that little gift without everyone knowing about it."

My eyes widened. He knew. How long had he known about my enhanced hearing?

Without waiting for a response, Rhys turned to the others. "I'm taking Hazel to the bathroom. She needs a moment."

Kaelen nodded, his expression unreadable. "Fine. We'll be here when you're ready to talk."

I let Rhys guide me past Silas and Ronan, shooting them both icy glares as I passed. The moment the bathroom door closed behind us, I rounded on him.

"How did you—"

"Know about your super-hearing?" Rhys grinned. "Come on, Hazel. You're not exactly subtle. The way you tilt your head when you're listening to something far away... I've seen it before."

I opened my mouth to argue but closed it again. There was no point denying it.

"So," Rhys leaned against the sink, arms crossed. "Want to listen in on Jaxon's call? I bet he's talking to Kae."

I hesitated only briefly before nodding. "Show me where to stand."

Rhys pointed to the far wall. "That corner. Jaxon always makes calls by the stairwell. If you focus, you should be able to hear him."

I moved to the corner and closed my eyes, concentrating on extending my hearing outward, past the bathroom, past the hallway, to the distant echo of voices. At first, all I could hear was white noise, but then Jaxon's voice filtered through, tense and urgent.

"...telling you, it's him. I saw the photo."

Kaelen's voice responded, lower and more controlled. "Are you absolutely certain?"

"Yes. There's no mistaking those features. He never changed his appearance, just his name."

"This complicates things."

"No shit," Jaxon replied. "If he was Hazel's father..."

"Then her powers make more sense," Kaelen finished the thought. "But why would he hide among humans? And why leave his daughter unprotected?"

"Maybe he didn't know about her abilities."

"Or maybe he did and that's exactly why he disappeared," Kaelen said grimly. "I need to look into this further. If Magnus is involved—"

Suddenly, a wave of heat crashed over me so intensely that I staggered backward, losing my focus on the conversation. My skin felt like it was on fire, my insides liquefying with need.

"Whoa!" Rhys caught me as my knees buckled. "Hazel?"

"It's—it's happening again," I gasped, clutching at his shirt. "The heat... it's worse this time."

Rhys's eyes widened with understanding. Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text.

"Hang on," he murmured, helping me sit on the edge of the bathtub. "Help is coming."

I barely registered his words, too consumed by the fever raging through my body. Every nerve ending tingled painfully, and the ache between my legs was becoming unbearable.

The bathroom door burst open, and Silas rushed in, his face a mask of concern that quickly morphed into something else when he saw my condition.

"She's burning up," Rhys explained unnecessarily. "Can you help her?"

Silas knelt in front of me, his blue eyes darkening as he took in my flushed face and dilated pupils. "Hazel," he said softly. "Tell me what you need."

"You," I whispered, beyond shame or hesitation now. "I need you, Silas."

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. "Are you sure? After what just happened—"

I grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him closer. "Yes. Please."

Rhys cleared his throat. "I'll, uh, keep watch outside."

"Don't go," I said, surprising myself. "Stay. Please."

Rhys and Silas exchanged a look I couldn't decipher in my fevered state.

"If that's what you want," Silas said carefully.

"It is," I confirmed, my inhibitions melting away with each passing second.

Silas nodded once, then gently guided me to stand. "Let's get these off," he murmured, tugging at my clothes.

I complied eagerly, desperate to feel his skin against mine. As my clothes hit the floor, I heard Rhys's sharp intake of breath behind me.

"Fuck, you're gorgeous," he whispered.

Silas shot him a warning look, but there was no real heat behind it. He turned back to me, his hands trembling slightly as they skimmed down my sides.

"How do you want to do this?" he asked, his voice husky.

Before I could answer, Rhys spoke up. "Here." He pulled something from his pocket and tossed it to Silas. A small bottle of lube. "Never leave home without it," he added with a wink when Silas raised an eyebrow.

I would have laughed if I wasn't so consumed with need. Instead, I turned and braced my hands against the bathroom counter, meeting Silas's gaze in the mirror.

"Like this," I said, my voice barely recognizable to my own ears.

I watched as Silas's eyes flashed blue, a growl rumbling from deep in his chest. He moved behind me, his hands gripping my hips with a possessiveness that sent shivers down my spine.

"I've got you," he promised, pressing a kiss between my shoulder blades.

I heard the snap of the bottle cap, then felt the cool liquid against my heated skin. I bit my lip to keep from crying out as his fingers explored me, preparing me with a gentleness that belied the hunger in his eyes.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Rhys leaning against the far wall, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his eyes never leaving us.

"She likes being watched," Silas observed, a smile in his voice. "Don't you, Hazel?"

I couldn't deny it. The knowledge that Rhys was witnessing every touch, every reaction, only heightened my arousal.

"Yes," I admitted breathlessly.

"Lucky me," Rhys murmured.

Silas positioned himself behind me, his hands guiding my hips. "Ready?"

I nodded, beyond ready, beyond desperate.

The moment he entered me, something extraordinary happened. A surge of energy coursed between us, bright and powerful, like an electric current connecting our bodies. Silas gasped, his grip on my hips tightening to the point of bruising.

"Oh my God," he breathed. "I can feel you... everywhere."

I knew exactly what he meant. It was as if our minds had connected along with our bodies, sharing every sensation, every emotion. I could feel his pleasure as clearly as my own, creating an endless feedback loop of intensifying desire.

"What's happening?" Rhys asked, straightening from the wall.

"Bond," Silas managed between clenched teeth. "We're bonding."

Our pace quickened, driven by instinct and overwhelming need. Each thrust sent sparks of pleasure radiating through my entire body. I could feel something building inside me, greater than any climax I'd ever experienced.

When it hit, it was cataclysmic. My vision whited out, my legs gave way, and only Silas's strong arms kept me from collapsing. I dimly registered his own release, the flood of emotions that weren't mine yet somehow were – ecstasy, belonging, completion.

"Home," Silas whispered against my neck as we both trembled in the aftermath. "I'm finally home."

It took several minutes before either of us could move or speak coherently. Rhys had thoughtfully procured towels and was offering them to us with a mixture of awe and arousal on his face.

"That," he said, "was the hottest thing I've ever seen."

Silas chuckled weakly as he helped me clean up and dress. "It was... unexpected."

"The bonding?" I asked, my head finally beginning to clear. The heat had subsided, leaving a pleasant warmth in its wake.

"Yes. I didn't think—" Silas paused, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "This is The Spark. It has to be. I need to contact Julian and see what he knows."

"Julian?" I questioned.

"The researcher," Rhys explained. "If anyone knows what's happening with these spontaneous bonds, it's him."

Once dressed, Silas pulled me into his arms, pressing his forehead against mine. "I'm sorry about before," he said softly. "I shouldn't have kept things from you. And I definitely shouldn't have tried to block you from following Jaxon."

I sighed, the anger from earlier feeling distant now. "We'll talk about it later. Right now, I just want to lie down."

"Of course," he agreed immediately.

Rhys opened the bathroom door, checking the hallway before gesturing that it was clear. The three of us made our way back to my room, where Kaelen and Ronan were waiting anxiously.

"Everything okay?" Ronan asked, his eyes darting between us.

"More than okay," Silas replied with a small smile. "We bonded."

Kaelen's eyebrows shot up. "How?"

"The traditional way," Rhys quipped, earning himself a glare from both Kaelen and Silas.

Too exhausted to deal with explanations or questions, I climbed into bed and was asleep almost instantly.

I woke sometime later to hushed voices nearby. Keeping my eyes closed, I focused my hearing on their conversation.

"...getting worse," Kaelen was saying. "Her heat cycles are intensifying and coming faster."

"It's the opposite of what should be happening," Silas responded. "With each bond formed, the heat should be more manageable, not less."

"Unless..." Ronan hesitated. "Unless what Julian suspects is true. That her body won't stabilize until all the bonds are formed."

"Meaning what, exactly?" Jaxon's voice, harder than the others.

"Meaning," Silas said slowly, "that until she bonds with all of us – including you, Jaxon, and you, Kaelen – her body will continue to push her toward completion."

A heavy silence followed.

"We need to prepare for the next wave," Rhys finally said. "It could hit her any—"

An almighty boom shook the entire building, cutting off Rhys's words and jolting me fully awake. The floor trembled beneath us, and the lights flickered ominously.