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TEMPEST:
“HE—HE—HELD ME down. In front of everyone. It was humiliating.” She snarled the words, mad enough to spit. Especially because Robyn’s demeanor was so calm.
“Why?” Robyn asked, though it sounded a bit more like a statement.
“Why?”
“Yes. Why exactly was it humiliating? You’ve been sparring with Shawn for a year and a half now. In all states of undress. You’re not going to tell me that a clothed Shawn collapsing onto your body humiliated you. Hell, a naked Shawn wouldn’t humiliate you.”
“He has never collapsed on top of a male the way he did me!”
“Every person is unique,” Robyn said. “None of the males ever stabbed through Shawn when he was trying to teach them to control the breaking bones projecting from their bodies.”
Control. That damn word again, the same one Shawn had used. And here Robyn was a different person to use it. Something must have flickered in her eyes, because Robyn leaned in.
“You had control, didn’t you, Tempest? How were you stretched out, exactly?”
“Flat on my back. My legs spread. My arms above my head. He spread out on top of me and had his massive, muscular arms stretched out over mine, grasping my wrists, stretching his bulk to where I could only see ridge upon ridge of muscle. Obviously trying to entice me in other ways...”
“Did it work?”
“Excuse me? Of course not.”
“Why not? A lot of Xeno Sapiens are exploring sexual relationships. When was the last time you explored a relationship—any relationship? Not necessarily sexual. Perhaps a friendship. Maybe a flirtation.”
“I—I have friendships.”
“Do you?”
“Of course! I am friends with Sunny. With you. With...Lily.”
“Mmm. You are co-workers with Sunny. You visit me during consultations. And when...exactly...was the last time you hung out with Lily?”
Tempest felt her mouth drop. Is this truly how her friends thought about her? “I am more than co-workers with Sunny. Sunny chose to work the gate because I—her friend—worked there. She wanted to be a co-worker with me because of our friendship. I helped her pick out her underwear so she could snag Beastly, did I not?” She knew Robyn’s best friend’s name was Beast, of course, but that didn’t mean she had to use the correct one. Especially not when they all chose to gang up on her this way.
A slight curve bent Robyn’s lips. “You did at that.”
“And you...I would choose to do things with you outside of consultations, but you are a busy woman. Mated to Steele. Running ragged with the pipsqueak.” Despite her harsh words, she smiled at the small, silver toddler who waved at her from his gated pen in Robyn’s office. She winked at him to show him she meant no offense with her next words. “What is the hooligan doing here, anyway? You knew since last week I had my session scheduled for this time.”
“Lily is his sitter today, but she wanted to attend a function. She’ll pick him up after lunch. I told her you wouldn’t mind Kaden sitting in on your session.”
“Hmmph.” Tempest stared at her purple tinged fingernails, a distraction to keep her from admitting that she did not mind Kaden being in the room. “You wouldn’t think you’d be short on sitters with the way they used to clamor to change his miniscule diapers in the beginning. People are so fickle.”
Robyn’s smile was serene as if she had known Tempest wouldn’t mind—well, actually, kind of enjoyed—the smell of fresh baby air freshener in the office.
“But back to me,” Tempest said suddenly, before Robyn picked up on too much. “This human may be thwarting my progress. I demand to have another trainer.”
“It’s not possible,” Robyn said. “Shawn is the best. We already determined you need the best.” But then Robyn surprised her. “Tell me something you would tell a friend, Tempest. Not a therapist. Not an administrator of Xenia. But a friend.”
It was apparent by the return to this conversation of “friendship” that Robyn didn’t feel Tempest was capable of having friends. And she was. She just had to prove it.
“When Shawn was stretched out over my body, he whispered into my ear that he remembered an arrangement we made right before I killed him.”
She stopped because now that it was out in the open, it made it somewhat more...real.
“What was the arrangement, Tempest?” Robyn asked.
“We were to explore a sexually fulfilling side arrangement.”
Robyn leaned back, apparently back in therapist mode. “And how did you feel over his recollection?”
She could have felt trapped. She could have felt angered. But she didn’t. She felt...
“Guilty. He’d agreed to my wishes...and it was my idea. Then I killed him.”
“It was an accident, Tempest.”
Words she’d heard many, many times. But those simple words didn’t negate the fact that Shawn was human—and therefore weak.
“The human is weak,” she snarled. “I choose another.”
Robyn leaned back, glancing at her watch as she did so. A signal that another appointment approached, or that her time was up. A signal that perhaps this wasn’t the friendship Tempest claimed but merely what Robyn had claimed. A work appointment. Were her other friendships that meaningless also?
“I’ll make a deal with you, girlfriend,” Robyn said, stressing the word. “You prove Shawn is weak. Conquer him. And I’ll give you someone else.”
Tempest jumped to her feet, furious. Robyn knew damn good and well she couldn’t conquer Shawn. She’d hurt him—just as she had hurt him over a year ago.
“I’ll take the pipsqueak to the park until Lily has had her cooking lesson,” she snarled, just to prove she knew why Lily was late for babysitting. Hell, even if they weren’t friends, it wasn’t hard to figure out. The woman was obsessed with cooking. “Heaven forbid your next appointment gets less than your full attention because pipsqueak has been cooing in this pen distracting your patients.” She snatched the baby up, who clung to her like a little monkey. She carefully tucked a little blanket around him, because he was still small, and therefore might get cold. Then she grabbed his toy elephant. And perhaps he might want the baby leopard, too.
“Don’t forget the diaper bag,” Robyn said, turning toward her cup of coffee as she hid a smile.
And that. That hidden smile was the friendship Tempest had stressed, but they all seemed to think she was crazy. So it made her snap out, “I’m already weighed down like a pack mule taking care of your child. Next time use birth control.” She grabbed the diaper bag, hoisted it over her opposite shoulder and stomped off with Kaden.
She didn’t miss the fact that Jason waited in the lobby. Apparently, Shawn’s leader was Robyn’s next appointment. Figured.
“Aww,” Kaden said, his tiny, four-fingered hand on her cheek as he snuggled against her.
“It is all right,” she told him. “Let Jason have his time. I shall merely express all my frustration onto you at the park.”
ONCE THERE, TEMPEST took time for safety measures. She made a mound of extra foam chips first, then placed his stuffed animals and blankets at the point under the swings where she’d measured countless times before. She looked around, satisfied with her work. Finally, she stuck the silver being into the swing, gently pulled his scrawny legs through the holes, and watched him clap gleefully. He knew what was coming.
“You must learn to hold tightly onto the ropes, Kaden,” she said, waiting until his tiny fists closed before she’d push. It was only here, when they were alone, when she’d refer to him by his name.
“I cannot believe that your mother thinks my friendships are lacking,” she said, giving him a push. “I was the one who friended Lily when she was a geeky, unpopular child. Sunny? I agreed to work so she wouldn’t be lonely and unprotected returning to the gates after her kidnapping.”
Kaden cackled as if he’d never been on a swing before, but it was just his excitement at being allowed to go so high.
When the swing returned to her, she said, “And that Shawn. Looks like he gets away with humiliating me like a petrified female in front of all the other Xeno Sapiens of the land.” She pushed again, aware her voice was a little dramatic, but who cared? It was only Kaden listening.
Once again the swing returned, the baby’s high-pitched giggles slowing as he lowered, but heaving in a breath as if he anticipated the next push.
“And to think he immediately ran crying to his boss, Jason? Who showed up at Robyn’s right after my session? Bah.” She blasted the swing out like a rocketship to Mars.
This time, his giggles roared so loud, she was afraid he might choke, because surely he couldn’t breathe. Might let go of the ropes he held onto so he could clutch his aching sides. She should have thought to check his diaper for previous saturation.
“I’m not sure anyone would approve of Kaden swinging that high,” a droll voice behind her said.
Lily.
Tempest caught the swing, let Kaden take a few gulps of air through his laughter, and pushed it out again. “He loves it.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “That’s not the point. It’s unsafe.”
“How? Robyn has designed this infant park with enough foam chips to catch a full grown man falling from a spacecraft in the sky.”
“The concentration of those chips surrounds the swings at strategic places where they could possibly fall when swinging at a normal pace,” Lily said and then her voice dropped off as she studied the blankets and toys Tempest brought. Her eyes narrowed as something dawned on her. But it took her several moments to comment. “You’ve calculated the distance—the depth of the—for a higher fall—”
“If something should snap on the swing and Kaden should happen to come loose,” Tempest said. “His fall from this speed would mean he lands at an approximate location of the spot marked by blankets. The cushion provides all he would need to keep him safe as he drops into the foam chips.”
Lily looked amazed.
“What?” Tempest snarled, uncomfortable with her scrutiny.
“You’ve been keeping him safe? All this time?”
Yes. She’d been swinging Kaden since he was much smaller but that wasn’t the point.
“Well, of course,” she snapped. “What do you think? I’m a monster?”
Lily giggled. “Of course not. I think you’re too smart in that head of yours.” She reached over and tapped Tempest on the skull. “I think he’s gotten his exercise for the day. I brought a picnic lunch. What say we head over to the outstretched blankets there and have a bite?”
Lily wanted to eat with her? This...this was the friendship that Tempest had spoke of to Robyn. Why couldn’t this proof had been a mere half hour earlier?
“Your man couldn’t wait to get to Robyn’s office to smooth things over after my altercation with Shawn this morning.” If her voice sounded somewhat accusatory, so be it.
“What was your altercation over?” Lily asked.
“Shawn held me down and forced me to endure his body spread over mine.”
“Ahh,” Lily said, opening the basket she had brought with her and unwrapping sandwiches. She gave a small piece to Kaden. “Wanted to teach you he wouldn’t break, did he?”
Tempest felt her cheeks darken. “Does everyone assume that? Suppose it was more than that? Suppose he was copping a feel?”
“I’m sure he was doing that, too,” Lily said, bursting out laughing. “And I’m sure Robyn thought that. Live a little, Tempest. A handsome man lined up his hard, muscular body to yours. Enjoy the naughty moment.”
“Does no one in this city have morals any longer?” Tempest snarled.
“Oh, honey. If you truly didn’t want it, we’d be behind you one hundred percent. But let’s be honest. How did it feel to have his body on top of yours?”
Tempest sighed. “It was perfectly delicious. More so than this sandwich, which is pretty good, by the way.”
“Egg salad. I’m perfecting the recipe to be the best it can be.”
“I’d say it’s there, but then again, I have nothing to compare it to.”
Lily snickered and took a huge bite of hers, then reached out with a napkin to wipe Kaden’s chin.
“Messy baby,” Tempest chided. “I’m not the type to fawn over a male,” she said to Lily. “Especially not a weak human.”
“Weakness is in the eye of the beholder,” Lily said. “Most people would call him strong. He’s been through death’s doors and back.”
“I don’t need anyone with weakness,” Tempest said.
“You used to say you didn’t need anyone at all. But because you’ve changed your mind to say anyone with weakness, it proves that you have your sights aimed on Shawn.”
Tempest felt herself go rigid with shock.
“What do you mean?”
“That day in the ring. You told me you didn’t need anyone. I was a petty child and I said no one needed you. I was wrong, Tempest. Shawn needs you. What other hot tough guy would put up with the fussing you’d done over his recovery this last year and a half?”
“I would have done that for anyone,” Tempest declared. “I’m quite maternal inside. Look at how I care for pipsqueak.”
He giggled when he flung a bit of egg at her and she caught it with her open mouth.
“Besides, I did kill him. I merely nursed him out of guilt.”
“If that’s how you feel,” Lily said. “But how are you going to feel when Shawn remembers you and he were going into a relationship?”
This day was continuing with the shock effects.
“Are there no secrets in this land? Did Robyn share that with you?”
“Nah,” Lily said. “I saw it in your mind that day you let me in to save Shawn. Don’t worry. I never told anyone. Not even Jason.”
That made her feel a bit more comforted that Lily was on her side. “Shawn remembered,” she admitted. “That’s why I went to see Robyn.”
“Because you’re not quite sure how to feel about that?”
“No. We agreed to get that...”she squirmed uncomfortably. “...itch out of our systems. But that was before everything happened. And the itch went away with his memories, so it left me feeling as though perhaps it was only on my end. And I don’t like feeling that way.”
“No woman would,” Lily agreed. “But who’s to say he didn’t remember earlier and just hadn’t said anything?”
“Why wouldn’t he have said anything?”
“Because he’s human and they think differently than we do.” Lily shrugged. “Because he knew you felt guilty over killing him. Guilty enough to play his doting nurse for over a year.”
“He was a rather frustrating patient. Always fending off my attempts to bathe him.”
Lily outright laughed. “Because he was probably trying to hide an explosive erection half the time.”
“What?” Tempest blinked. “Do you think so?”
“Yeah. I really do. Next time he mentions the arrangement just raise your eyebrow in that cocky Tempest way and say, ‘Yeah, big boy? What of it?’ or something like that. Use your own words of course,” Lily said.
Tempest snorted. “I should hope so. I would never call him big boy.”
“Ung!” Kaden snapped.
“Well, unless it is you, big boy,” Tempest winked.
Lily began cleaning up the picnic mess. “I’m going to get little silver-skin out of the sun. Want to come over to my place?”
She was making great strides with this friendship.
“I will pass. I must get to my own place to shower,” she said. “However, I enjoyed our chat. Perhaps I will meet you again the next time you babysit?”
“It doesn’t have to wait,” Lily said, folding the last blanket and stuffing it into the bag. “You can call me whenever you wish, Tempest.” She picked up Kaden, who puckered for a kiss.
Tempest felt her heart melt a little as she kissed the tiny silver bow-lips.
