| |
––––––––
SHAWN:
HE’D LOVED THAT woman since the first day he met her. It was obvious back then that she preferred Jason to him, but that was okay. Shawn was used to sitting back and being patient. It was admittedly more difficult as his love for her grew. There was nothing as torturous as watching the one you love pine after another.
It was painful...and a relief to have Jason fall head over hills for their little charge, Lily. She’d been forced to grow up nearly overnight and along with her growth spurt grew Jason’s heart. Jason had no time left to nurture the much feistier Tempest.
Oh, Tempest felt the pain, and for that, Shawn’s heart broke. It was one more rejection in her life—but Shawn could hardly tell her he’d never allow her to be rejected again. Instead, again he waited. Waited for her delicate heart to mend, trained her to focus on her control and—magically, slowly, naturally—she turned to him.
Those early days had been bliss. He was sure she’d gotten over her infatuation with Jason. Awareness charged between Shawn and Tempest instead. They were focused on each other; he teaching her control and how to not hurt others, she focusing on not hurting him. He had no idea what had happened with Lily and Tempest in the ring that fateful day—he’d just known that Lily had reverted to her teenage mind. After one knew Lily, you could tell. Her facial expressions changed, becoming sullen. Her tone changed, a bit whiny and immature.
He wasn’t sure what she’d said to Tempest to cause a bloodfest. All he knew was he had to protect Tempest at all costs. No one understood her like he did. Tempest was harsh and explosive—so she didn’t have to feel. She loved hard and it was easier to keep others at arm’s length rather than hurt them. He knew if she didn’t maintain control with Lily, she’d regret it for the rest of her life. For that reason alone, he pulled her away from the teenage girl trapped in the body of a woman. The girl that Tempest protected without anyone realizing.
He didn’t count on her control snapping just as her dead weight dropped onto him. From that point on, he remembered nothing.
Nothing save waking in the hospital and being told he’d died. That Lily and Tempest had held onto his soul while the doctors repaired his broken body with some kind of magical surge of Xeno Sapien powers. Later, Lily had told him that it was Tempest who’d sacrificed the most—allowing Lily to break her bones into the holes she’d plunged into his vital organs, plugging the blood flow until the doctors could repair. It was enormous pain to her.
And his sweet woman never once complained. Never once let on that her pain wasn’t relieved until she had word that he’d live. Only then had she allowed them to plunge her into the pain relief of a coma.
But this setback of her control did more damage than he could have imagined. She was obsessive when she woke, at his side constantly. Not that he minded a fussy nursemaid. He wanted to kiss her delectable lips when she pursed them, thinking he may overstrain his “weak” human body. Despite the fact, he didn’t miss how her eyes trailed over his form—his obscenely bulging “human” muscles. Not once did she mention the pact she’d suggested—no, promised—the same day he died.
To relieve their sexual tension by fucking.
It was a dream come true. He finally had the means to show her how he was the only man for her. But as of now? She deliberately forgot the arrangement. He waited, patiently, for a sign. Any sign. None was forthcoming.
It took months for her to break from her obsessive mode at caring for him. And now that she had, it was time. It was time to take control again—and make her face the relationship she’d put on a back burner.
Because frankly, Shawn’s patience was at the end. There was no more waiting.
IT DIDN’T MATTER THAT Tempest didn’t show up for training today. He knew he’d see her during patrol. It was inevitable; he was the boss. He’d call in Beast and Sunny for extra hands—and he’d use his time to paste himself to her side.
She was gonna face this. She was his and as soon as she realized it, the better off they’d be.
“Sam! Blaze.” He called out. “East wall, today. Trance. Adam. I’ll take you two on the south side. Trance, do me a favor and contact Beast. Get him to Sunny’s side. North wall.”
“Right away, boss.” Trance was a Xeno Sapien and would contact Beast telepathically. Damn convenient way to communicate.
“Hey, boss, are we training after work at the pits?” Adam asked.
“That depends on Tempest.” Shawn’s voice was grim. It quieted any further questions because everyone—every single person here—knew how volatile Tempest was since Shawn’s recovery. He cleared his throat. “If I’m not there, Jason will be.”
Adam gave a quick nod and then she was there.
She dressed no differently than the rest of patrol. A sleek, black suit—built-in protective shields at the chest and back. A helmet, designed to cool and protect the head as they walked the higher temperatures upon the walls. Knee-length, black boots designed to cushion the foot and ankles; relieve stress on the knees. But something about her—the more vulnerable way she walked, perhaps, something signified it was Tempest approaching.
“Where is Sunny?” she snapped. “She is the one who should be here to patrol the front wall.”
“Change of plans,” he snapped back, putting himself immediately into reminding her he was boss. “Sunny is paired with her mate. North wall.” He deliberately used the words her mate, instead of Beast. To remind Tempest she had no claims to the woman she’d insist was her partner. Today, he was her partner. “You’re with me.” He kept his voice professional. “West gate. Let’s go.”
He kept the pace brisk as they strode to lockboxes to grab hover boards from just inside the inner gate—magnetized to the inner wall. If anyone were ever to manage to steal a hover, it wouldn’t work with the positive charge on the outside edge of the wall. Hovers were installed when it was realized that a Xeno Sapien could jump from the wall—but needed a hand up again. The boards were convenient for that. They pulled from horizontal slots in the bottom of the wall—and were slapped in place at the top. Each night the chutes were demagnetized and the thin boards dropped back down to the lower slots inside the wall.
She kept up with him as they shot around the inner gate to the west wall boundary. His radio sounded inside his helmet.
“Permission requested to relieve Eclipse and Veneer,” Adam said.
“Permission granted,” Shawn said, hitting a button to mark the time. It would enable them a visual image of the guards who patrolled. Another safety precaution since Sunny had been kidnapped right from the gates. Her kidnapping had traumatized Tempest and he would never again allow that to happen. In fact, the only time she was able to relax while Sunny worked is if she—or Beast—was partnered with Sunny.
She was much more sensitive than she ever let on.
The hover boards raised them level to the wall, where the two guards who were getting off duty approached. One was human, one was Xeno Sapien. With a nod to the Xeno, he jumped from the wall at the same time Shawn stepped from his hover board, landing on the wall in a smooth move. It kept the weight count on the edge of the wall exactly the same. Two guards on the wall at all times. Their DNA signatures calculated each person’s individual weight and he knew exactly who was on duty, unless two people weighed the same. But then again, he’d know that fact, too.
Sam, the other human on the wall, nodded at Tempest and held out his hand to her. She grunted and gripped his shoulder instead, stepping off the hover board with her right foot as he stepped onto it with his right. As she leapt off the board, he stepped up, switching places with her in one smooth, practiced move. With another nod to Shawn, he zoomed down the wall on the hover board to join his partner. It was a shame humans couldn’t jump the distance, but they compensated with the hovers.
Shawn clicked the change of personnel into his computer tracker.
“Beast. Sunny. Report.”
“Permission to relieve Beta Team,” Beast’s voice said.
“Granted.”
Another click.
“Permission to relieve Crescent Team,” Blaze said.
“Granted.”
The last click, and the shift change was complete. With the computer counts readjusted to the new height and weight level recordings, each patrolling member’s vitals would be monitored.
He and Tempest scouted the general surroundings and then began to walk down the wall. Sometimes partners worked in teams, patrolling down the wall at the same time. She was uncharacteristically quiet.
“Talk to me.” His voice was commanding because authority was what Tempest would listen to.
She sighed. “What do you wish to know?”
“Are you attending sparring tonight?”
“No.”
It was like pulling teeth to get further information out of her.
“Why not?”
“I am not ready after our last sparring. I wish to focus on other aspects of my life.”
Damn if her voice didn’t sound all hoity-toity. He suppressed a grin.
“What will you be doing instead?”
“I shall call a friend over and have me time.”
“For what purpose?”
“I am sure it will relieve stress, just like sparring does. But I wish to explore other venues of relief and test their effectiveness against sparring.
Oh, because his precious girl thought she could replace sparring—and him—easily and effectively.
“Good luck with your friendship test,” he said easily.
“Th—thank you.” Her voice sounded a little unsure, as if there was a catch she expected from him. There would be, all right. She had no idea.
He continued to walk ahead of her on the wall. Technically, she could walk alongside him, but it might cause touching and he knew she hung back for a reason.
“Shawn?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“Tomorrow’s my day off—”
Did she seriously think he wasn’t aware of her schedule?
“Yeah.”
“I thought I’d volunteer to work patrol. There’s that dance tomorrow night and I thought others might have requested the time off to attend. I wouldn’t attend the dance anyway—”
“No.”
He waited for it...
“No?” The confusion in her voice was priceless. He allowed himself a smirk because she couldn’t see from behind him anyway.
“No.”
Pause.
“Why?” There it was—the slight surliness, the beginning of aggression.
“Because if you want overtime, I’ll give you overtime. But it’s not going to be on the wall. I’m attending the dance to keep the order. You’ll be my partner.”
She could take that any way she wanted. It sounded slightly like work—and slightly like a date. Especially after the secret simmering between them. He could almost feel the confusion coming off her in waves.
“But—”
“No buts,” he snapped. “I need to see you maintain yourself in a different environment. A different set of rules. It’s easy to be standoffish and in control when you’re on top of a rock wall.” He stopped suddenly, turning around to face her. “And right now, we’re not even on the side of the wall where there are inhabitants. Control is easy to maintain, is it not?”
She acknowledged with a brief nod. “Perhaps.”
“It will be more difficult when you’re among your peers. Dressed in party clothes instead of a rubberized cat suit.” Though, her cat suit looked better than any of the suits the men wore. “When they’re having fun and laughing, and having too much to drink. How do you remain in control then?”
“I’ll figure it out.” She bit her lip and he wanted to nibble on it himself.
“And I’ll be there to make sure.”
She looked as if she was about to protest.
“Consider it more training, my pretty.”
“You’re going to have to stop calling me that.” She frowned at him.
“I’ve called you that since the first day I saw you. Why would I stop now?”
“Because...well, because...” she had a hard time hinting at their agreement.
“Because it means something different now that I know we were supposed to be happily fucking by now? Or are you worried others might know?”
“Because it’s frivolous and unnecessary since we are not fucking,” she said clearly.
“Then the remedy is to fuck?”
“What? No! Of course, not.”
“Well, my pretty,” he leaned in so his breath mingled with hers. “Figure out why we made the pact.”
