The Ripple Effect

When I awoke, I was suddenly aware of two things: one, my legs were no longer restricted; but two, my body was. I stirred slightly, and the body behind me shifted in response to remove the distance I had just managed to create. My face burned bright red as a hand pressed flat against my stomach. My back was cradled perfectly against his chest, and his body bent wherever mine did to create what was almost a vacuum seal between our skins.

His arm was folded beneath my head, propping my neck up while his angle appeared to be far less comfortable; his heart also thumped rhythmically throughout my entire body. With every exhale, his breath tickled the base of my neck and sent almost violent chills up my spine.

“Sophie,” he murmured sleepily, shifting once more so our bodies had all but melted together.

“You up?” I asked lamely.

“Mmm, baby?” I moved to question him, but his mouth was suddenly on my neck. A gasp ripped past me when his lips parted, allowing his teeth to graze the sensitive skin. Just when my level of embarrassment had reached a new high, Orion whimpered, “Mine.”

My hand shook as it reached behind me, my fingers trailing along his jaw. His body tightened subconsciously in response, and an incoherent rumbling noise of what sounded to be approval rumbled past his lips. Why did I shudder?

“Mine,” he growled again, his nose trailing along the side of my neck as his hand slipped underneath me. My balance was only corrected when my body rolled until I was staring at the ceiling.

Only, Orion was now blocking my view.

His eyes were wide open, and they were this electric blue as he smiled a toothy smile down at me. My breath caught in my throat.

“Sophie,” he rasped, his voice much heavier than I remembered; he sounded almost strained.

“Orion?” I whispered as my hand reached up to touch him. He leaned his face into my palm, exhaling a shaking breath that had a growl hidden beneath it.

His hand suddenly wrapped tightly—a bit too tightly— around mine and his striking eyes held mine as he dragged my palm to his lips to press a rough kiss against my skin.

“I’ve outdone myself,” he commended, his chest heaving with erratic breaths. “…perfection.”

“Orion?” I said a bit more loudly, beyond confused. This surely wasn’t him…

His eyes—did they fade from that intense colour? He blinked a few times, then that hesitant and gentle smile lit up his face.

“Good morning, Sophie.” But then he looked around, and his face burned before he pushed himself from the couch. “I’m sorry… I … I must have been sleep-talking or something!”

I sat upright, watching him curiously as he glared at his feet. It looked like he was having an internal argument with himself. What…had just happened?

“Does that happen often?”

He smiled apologetically. “Apparently so.” His hand gripped the back of his neck, rubbing it thoughtfully. “I’ll go wake Rein and Jonathan.”

“Orion, wait!” I shout-whispered, scrambling to escape the couch cushions. Knowing my horrible luck, I tripped over my own feet and barreled into him. The entire action shook the house, and a loud thud rumbled across the floor.

A groan tore past his lips as he took the full blow of the fall. I smiled apologetically down at him while he gawked up at me.

“Sophie, that hurt,” he moaned. “Why on earth did you do that?”

“I…I tripped.”

Giggling pulled me from my humiliation, and my eyes jerked upward. Beneath me, Orion craned his head backward. We both stared at the two boys who had their arms crossed over their chests and smug grins on their faces.

“You’re up early,” Orion noted to them.

“You, too, Papa.” Rein wiggled his eyebrows, and Jonathan just kept laughing behind his hand.

Orion just smiled, confused, but then he glanced up at me and made an Oh face.

“Boys, this isn’t what it looks like,” I interrupted, pushing myself from Orion and offering a hand to help him up. “We just had a little accident is all.”

“Sure, Maman; we didn’t see anything.” Jonathan, to my horror, winked at us before turning to Rein. “Brother, maybe we should get dressed.”

I stumbled with my tongue, and Orion stammered beside me; but they were gone in that instant. Orion sighed heavily.

“So… What is it that you wanted before you shoved me to the floor?” he eased in not so subtly.

“Smooth,” I muttered, turning to him regardless. “It’s just… You said that you were sleep-talking?”

He shifted uncomfortably between his feet. “Yeah.”

“Well… It sure seemed to me that we were having an intelligent conversation—well, I mean, my end might have been a bit more intelligible.”

“What…What did I say to you, Sophie?” he all but breathed, catching my wrist and forcing me to look into his eyes. If I had even considered lying—which I hadn’t—I highly doubted that I would be able to go through with it.

“I… I mean, you were almost growling; your voice was all hoarse and almost strained. I think you just kept muttering that something was yours. But then…”

“Then?” he prodded, his eyes flashing to what seemed to be concern.

“Well, that’s just it. Your eyes snapped open, and you…” My face burned bright red. “You kissed my hand. Then you muttered something about outdoing yourself and something about perfection.”

He choked, “And then what?”

“Your eyes…” I could not stop my hand as it sought out his cheek of its own accord. His lips parted, but his eyes remained steady. “They were so intense, and then they faded back to normal when you woke up.”

“Intense, you say?”

I nodded, watching him cautiously as he covered my hand with his own and effectively trapped it against his cheek.

“Very intense,” I agreed quietly.

“Were you scared?” I shook my head. “Good,” he murmured, his face so close to mine. Even then his eyes flashed to that intense blue. His voice was raspy again when he said, “Never fear me, Sophie. I exist only to protect you, no matter the cost.” Then he blinked, and the moment was gone.

He cleared his throat and started toward the bedroom.

“I’ll get them ready for school,” he called cheerily, glancing over his shoulder with that gentle smile on his lips. I only nodded.

We both had our secrets, us and everyone else on this planet. So what was Orion’s? Surely he shared his body with two people…

Just what was going on here?