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The conference table was large—a monstrosity only fitting for the huge room it was centered in. But as typically was done with smaller parties meeting, they all sat at one end. Steele, Renegade, Robyn, his sister Amanda.
Jason got straight to the point. “How is she?”
He’d snuck her in, barely remembering the details but feeling enough guilt to know they made love. One small seizing jerk...and then he’d never seen her go so still, into her mind, into the trance he’d seen brief glimpses of before. It terrified him, more so than when her physical form changed into a prehistoric creature of the sea. More so than the loss of control he exhibited that caused this. He’d left the safe house as is, gathering her still form into his arms and sneaking her into the new, secret hovercraft Steele had transferred to his parking lot for the transportation to Xenia later that day.
They had no idea if the thing would work. But it was a magnificent experiment. The vehicle was painted with a light-bending paint, reflecting the surface of the eye from the visual spectrum light. Basically rendering the vehicle invisible. It was a trick to fly as others couldn’t see it. Pax had enabled it to have two capabilities: auto-sensoring pilot abilities and manual. In this case, auto sensors worked. Other hovercrafts avoided his space. Their sensors told him he was there. More than likely, there was more than one person scratching their head at not being able to see what their computers told them was plainly visible.
When at last he arrived at the gates, it just took a phone call for them to open from the inside, the curious stares of the few reporters left wondering why there was a rush of air without a vehicle. Soon he was safe on the grounds, and Lily was safe, back on Xenia where she should be. Following his babbling, incoherent call, he’d rushed her into Systems where Amanda and the small team of doctors waited in the med bay.
His sister answered. “She’s still in a medically induced coma—though it’s a light sleep. From what we can figure out, her brain wave patterns were constantly disturbed for the entire month she was away. She never had true sleep, they woke her each hour to keep her brain from reaching the deep waves needed for maturation.”
“And now?”
“She can’t slip into it by herself. Her body and mind are trying to work as one, but she’s unable to reach that state. We’ll have to induce her into a deeper frame of mind, but with consequences.”
“If you do that, all of her memory pathways open?”
Robyn’s face was grim. She nodded at the same time as Amanda.
“None of us know what she suffered at the hands of Crested Ute? How bad it’ll be?”
He turned to Steele, knowing the Xeno Sapien was able to cross minds with those of his own kind. “Like I mentioned during our arrival to Xenia, she was repeatedly drowned to see if they could force her body to adapt to underwater living like her ancestors. It wasn’t pretty.”
“No,” Jason snarled, his mind made up. There was no way he’d allow her to suffer. “We leave her alone, to transition naturally. Dammit, she has nightmares that she can’t remember. Why would we want her to remember?”
“Jason, sometimes it’s best to be cruel to be kind,” Robyn said. “She’s in an in-between state. Not understanding the urges of her body because her mind is behind.”
“What do you mean? Urges?”
Robyn’s eyes were sharp—and to the point. They pierced his soul. His dirty, rotten soul. “I’ve been witnessing her dreams. There’s no judgment here, but I want to know if something happened to the two of you while in the safe house. The high and low readings of her brain levels are only achieved with the highest emotion.”
He crumpled a sheet of paper on the desk. “Y—yes. I didn’t mean to. I’m ashamed of myself, but I have to be honest. I love her. I’m confused as hell by it, especially when she reverts to her teenage mind. I never thought this would happen—“
“It happened easier than you think,” Robyn said gently. “And that’s the only reason why I brought it up in front of others instead of in private with you, Jason. It’s not your fault. Lily has come into a power...like the one you discovered when you took her swimming.”
“She changed?” He was confused as hell because she looked exactly the same.
“Not physically, but yes. You weren’t aware of it because you were already under her influence.”
“What influence?”
“We first suspected when she was interviewed during the shopping trip you took her on. Before the kidnapping. Remember when she remembered her species were storytellers? She gave a haunting tale of human creation? We were mesmerized by the broadcast—her skin had an ethereal glow—“
“Like an angel,” Jason said.
“Like a seductress. That’s what her species was, Jason. The legends of sirens? Some of our stories depict them as bird-like women who sang. Other tales told of mermaid-like humans. Because she has such a powerful stroke when she swims, she’s able to thrust herself from the water and into the air, to give the impression that she flies. That could be where the stories come from. In either case, she had a brief hint of what her power would come to be back then. I would say you had a taste of what it came to during your time with her. I’m pretty sure she turned it on and seduced you.”
“I—” Jason exhaled. “I can’t say I would have said no.”
“You wouldn’t have,” Steele said. “We witnessed how powerful she was across the televised vid-cams. You didn’t stand a chance.”
“Supposing we’re wrong? What if it wasn’t her? What if it was all me?”
“It’s not,” Robyn said tersely. “Trust me. But she can’t continue in this state. It’s merciful to allow her to become whole with herself.”
He took a deep breath, releasing the air slowly. “Okay. But I want to watch. I want it immediately stopped if it gets too bad.”
“Agreed,” Robyn said quickly. “We’ll begin tomorrow.”
“And you’ll stop if I want it stopped? If it grows too painful for her?”
He didn’t miss the way Robyn looked at Amanda. “I agree.”
“As do I.” Amanda didn’t look happy.
Jason rose when everyone else did. One by one, they made their way out the door to the main area of the building. A group of Xeno Sapiens were standing, discussing amongst themselves. From across the room, Tempest approached.
“Tempest. How goes the training?”
She shrugged. “It is boring. I had hoped that you would be available for my training. I understood that you had to retrieve Lily, but she is back now.”
“Are you saying Shawn is not a decent trainer?”
“You told me I deserve the best. That is you.”
Jason’s gaze softened. “I know I recruited you. There are great things in store for you Tempest. But I’ve been busy. I have some free time until tomorrow, but then I may be tied up for a couple days. I’ll join you and Shawn for today’s training, though.”
Tempest nodded and without a word, stepped away.
Renegade stood next to him, his eye on the retreating Tempest. “Shawn has her scheduled for the gladiator pits in an hour.”
His soldiers had given it that nickname, amazed at the amount of blood the Xeno Sapiens spilled when they sparred.
“Who’s she battling?”
“Blaze. I believe Shawn is instructing her on how to control her temper and not release her bones so painfully. That it is to be used only in a state of ultimate survival. However, I believe she does it to punish herself. For some reason, she wants and needs the pain. Shawn is breaking her from that.”
“I knew he would be good for her.”
Renegade nodded. “It is a wise move. Tempest does not see it as so, however. To her, her strength lies in her ability to slice and dice. She does not realize that she grows stronger by her experience in the ring and Shawn’s continued refusal to allow her to change. Instead she grows frustrated with his teachings.”
“Is she giving him a hard time?”
“Would she be Tempest if she were not?” Renegade smiled. “To his credit, he is the most patient man I have ever seen.”
Jason wouldn’t call Shawn patient, but apparently, Renegade saw something he didn’t. From across the room, Steele entered, carrying Kaden in a carrier that dwarfed the tiny baby.
The infant had gained some weight in the last few weeks, but he was still a baffling anomaly to everyone. The baby blinked, his eyes large and dark and mysterious. Definitely his father’s eyes.
“Hello, precious,” Renegade cooed. None of the Xeno Sapiens thought it strange to baby-talk, and they did it so frequently that even the humans—the rough, retired soldiers that he employed—began to do it.
Kaden kicked his legs out excitedly. Unable to help himself, Jason squatted down to the carrier and held out a finger for the baby to grasp.
“Strong grip,” he murmured. “Warrior in training. Takes after his mother.”
Steele’s smile was unperturbed. He’d mellowed since becoming a parent. “His cries are much stronger now. Wait until you hear him howl for breast milk.”
Hearing the words, the baby scrunched up his tiny nose and belted one out.
“I was wrong. Takes after his father,” Jason murmured under his breath, loud enough for Steele to hear. Steele wore the same unperturbed smile—though it grew wider—as he gazed at his son with loving amazement.
Talking everywhere ceased as the Xeno Sapiens all turned their heads toward the baby. Jason winced, knowing they wanted to come running but were afraid to incur Robyn’s wrath for spoiling the baby.
Lily’s teenage friend Mellow came darting around the corner. “Want me to take him to Robyn’s office, Steele?”
“I’d appreciate it.”
She hefted the carrier up, carrying Kaden away. His cries stopped, either with the movement of the carrier or the sound of her voice humming. It was just weeks ago that she’d been with Lily everywhere on the compound. He wondered how Lily would adjust to not having that friendship because like it or not, the relationship had changed. She’d either stay grown-up part time or remain an adult full time.
“I’d hoped he would get hungry before the training. I really want to see how far Tempest has come. She seems to learn something new each time she fights.”
“Shawn is amazing. I didn’t just leave her stranded, you know. He’s a professional trainer. I’m lucky I was able to steal him away from the military. He was one of the few not ready for an early retirement.”
“I’m not sure Tempest appreciates him,” Steele said wryly as the three of them made their way outside.
“That’s part of Shawn’s charm. Lying low until you forget his presence, yet he’s quietly manipulating you from the inside out, forcing you to learn, to work harder.”
“He’s got his hands full with our stubborn Tempest,” Beast said with a grin, joining them at the bleachers they’d constructed.
“Where’s Sunny?” Renegade asked.
“Patrolling the wall,” Beast said with a scowl. It was known by everyone that if he could prevent her from being seen by humans, he would. Unfortunately for him, Sunny had a mind of her own.
Just then, Blaze came up. “Which doctor’s on duty?” he asked, scanning the people filling the bleachers.
“I think it’s Dr. Eric.” Renegade winked.
“Aww, shit,” Blaze said. “I’m gonna get my ass kicked. I only volunteered for this day because Irina was supposed to be working.”
“You picked to fight Tempest on a day I’d be here? Why?” Irina came up behind him.
Blaze whirled around. “Oh, uh...because you’re my doctor, so I thought it would be great if you were here and I needed you.”
“Any doctor can treat you, Blaze,” she said, walking with him toward the caged-in pit. “Of course, if you don’t feel healed enough from your last accident, you shouldn’t be in the fights.” Her voice chided and he hung his head.
“Poor guy can’t catch a break.” Beast laughed. “That wasn’t cool, man,” he said to Renegade, who shrugged. Renegade knew Dr. Eric wasn’t the one on duty.
“He’s further along than I thought he’d get,” Steele said as they made their way to the bleachers.
Irina sat in front, her eyes on the stretching between Blaze and Tempest. Shawn was instructing them. Steele, Jason, Renegade, and Beast squeezed in next to her, dwarfing her. She looked a bit alarmed with big men surrounding her. Beast smiled, showing fangs.
Her eyes widened, and she focused past him onto Blaze.
From inside, a bell rang as the two opponents came from opposite corners. Blaze was on offense, attacking Tempest who deflected his strikes.
The beauty of the two fighting Xeno Sapiens was amazing to watch, almost like the scene was choreographed, yet Jason knew it wasn’t. The crowd waited patiently, knowing that eventually Tempest would tire.
When she tired, Blaze’s fist struck her in the center of the chest. She flew backward several feet. She paused for the briefest second before rolling up and out of the way for his second approach.
Jason winced. It had to hurt, and by Irina’s gasp, she knew the force Blaze expended in that sucker punch. Shawn was yelling instructions, and Jason knew it was aimed at angering her. He wanted her to learn to control her movements with her temper activated.
But Tempest’s movements became harsh and jerky as her anger escalated. She glared at Shawn as if he distracted her.
Blaze continued to bait her, landing blows. Shawn had told him how to attack, Jason realized. He was working on Tempest’s control and wanted Blaze to aim at disrupting that.
Tempest lost her cool and fought back, kicking Blaze in the jaw. His head jerked with the impact, spraying blood on the dirt ground.
Shawn was still yelling when Blaze tossed her like a doll through the air. When she landed, he grabbed her by the arms, holding her back against him, her tender belly exposed. All it would take was ramming her into a jutting branch to end it.
But Tempest twisted slightly and Blaze froze.
Shawn blared the whistle, entering the pit angrily.
“What’s happening?” Irina whispered.
It became obvious as Tempest moved away from Blaze. When she’d twisted, she’d broken a piece of rib and sent it sailing into his side.
He grabbed his side, blood flowing onto his hands.
Next to him, Irina stood and rushed into the pit, taking the medical bag he hadn’t even noticed at her feet.
Shawn yelled at Tempest, his tone biting.
“Brilliant,” Renegade whispered to him. “See what I mean? He knows she feels bad for failing and slicing Blaze. The wound is just a nick. But instead of coddling her, he’s ripping her a new one. It’s the only way she’ll learn. A normal trainer would have told her to try harder next time. Shawn knows this is the longest she’s lasted before cutting someone.”
“I agree,” Steele said. “He knows exactly what he’s doing. I wasn’t sure at first, thinking he was wary of Tempest. Now I realize he was studying her, letting her react in her natural habitat so he could break her of the patterns.”
“But she’ll come to you and demand better training.” Beast grinned. “She has no idea Shawn has her right where he wants her.”
“Each of you that fights her knows you’re going to take a bone to the gut?”
“Yup,” Beast said cheerfully. “Why do you think Blaze jumped to volunteer today? Irina’s on duty. She’ll fuss over him.”
Sure enough, Irina was on the field with Blaze, cleaning and bandaging his wound.
The Xeno Sapiens began to disperse from the bleachers. Jason rose when the others did.
“Jason!” Tempest called from the pit. Next to her, Shawn looked frustrated. Jason understood. It was hard to control her when she kept running to someone over him.
He walked toward the pit but stayed on the outside of the fence.
“Please tell Shawn that I won. I stayed in the fight longer than anyone has, and I stopped my assailant in the end.”
Her head was regal as she held it high.
“You lost,” he said flatly.
“Wha—”
“Listen to your trainer,” he snapped. “If your objective was to end the fight quickly, you won. If your objective was to avoid breaking your own bones, you lost. What was your objective set by your trainer, Tempest?”
“To deflect his blows, which I did.”
“You stabbed him in the gut.” Jason’s voice was harsh. “You lost.”
He turned on the ball of his foot and left her standing with her mouth agape. As soon as he was a distance away, he looked back.
Shawn and Tempest were huddled together. Shawn’s demeanor had gentled somewhat, and she was responding.
She was actually responding.
