“But it’s different when we’re falling in love. We’re vulnerable.”
Selena stared at her. “You think I’m falling in love?”
“I know it.” Ace grinned. “For the record, once I actually met him, I liked him a lot. He’ll be good for you.”
“Is it crazy that I just want to be near him? I love our morning workouts, but I don’t want to be away from him. I crave touching him.”
Ace laughed. “So go do that!”
“No. I don’t want to seem weak and clingy.”
“I cling to Val.”
“More like he clings to you.”
“True, which I love.”
“No, I’m not going to dump my routine. I already feel as if he’s turned everything upside down. I need some normalcy.”
“Right. So let’s get to it. I’ve already got ten minutes on you. You need to catch up.”
Selena showered after her workout. She considered drying her hair and putting on some makeup, but she resented anything that put time between now and when she could see Bastion again.
She sat on the edge of her bed, shocked at how far she’d lost her way since the night before. Bastion was in her every thought, either a memory from the night before or anticipation of when she’d see him again.
Never had she ever felt anything like this.
And even as she tried to suppress her feelings for him, her heart hammered nervously as she left her room. She jogged down the back staircase. She wondered how she should greet him. Cautiously, as all her other teammates would? Joyfully, like a lover would? Were they ready to bring their relationship to the attention of all the others?
A movement in the shadows caught her attention; Hawk was coming out of the gym building. He looked preoccupied. She hadn’t realized the boys were back at the house—they didn’t come up every weekend. Maybe this was one of their long weekends. She almost wished they weren’t here. Today was an important day for both teams. She wanted to protect their new alliance from any threats.
That thought brought her up short. Since when had she considered Hawk a threat? True, he’d been acting oddly of late, but did that make him a threat?
Moving through his enemy’s stronghold, hidden inside one of its beloved members, was a special kind of thrill for Brett. Possessing the kid had been easy. The poor thing had been so hollow inside that there was lots of room.
Brett knew that Hawk loved the people here but didn’t especially like being in their house. Every shortcoming the kid focused on strengthened Brett’s hold on him.
It was time for breakfast, a meal the kids typically—though not always, Brett had learned—ate separately from the adults. Brett was discovering so much about the household layout, the team’s routines, how they all interacted.
Such sickening harmony. It would be a win just to fuck that all up.
An easy win.
Hawk looked up and saw a woman coming down the back stairs.
Everything inside Brett shrank inward, then exploded in a fireball of fury. He couldn’t believe he was seeing what he was. It was her, Selena Irving, his prime enemy. Finally. She’d been gone from the premises for so long.
She was the hellspawn who’d wrecked his life. The woman who’d caused his fall from grace and cast him into a life of exile and hell.
“’Sup, Hawk?” she asked. “You look like you’ve never seen me before.”
Brett, still reeling from his emotional reaction, kept Hawk from answering. Selena moved off the last step and came toward him, concern in her eyes, an emotion she might feel for Hawk but she’d never feel for Brett.
Nor he for her.
She had destroyed him.
Unmitigated rage poured through Brett’s astral body and seeped into Hawk. Instinct alone drove Brett to grab Selena’s neck and slam her against a wall.
Selena pushed her hands between Hawk’s elbows and shoved them apart as she kicked the side of his knee, dropping him to the floor. She caught and bent his hand up behind him. Holding him facedown on the floor, she leaned over him and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
Brett forced Hawk to chuckle. The sound came out choked. “I thought I could take you.”
“Well, you can’t. You’ve been slacking in your training. Work harder. And never push me against a wall.” Selena leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “A woman never forgets and rarely forgives, so don’t do it again, no matter what wrongheaded notion you had.”
Hawk tried to nod. “My bad, Sel. I won’t.”
Brett felt Selena release his pet. He made Hawk sit up so he could watch his enemy walk away. Selena had grown strong in the time since they’d first met, and yet he could tell what had happened haunted her still.
A woman never forgets and rarely forgives.
That had to mean she hadn’t forgotten him. He certainly hadn’t forgiven her. While she apparently had had a life of quality despite their history, Brett had not.
Hawk’s first task as Brett’s pet would be to even that score.
Selena felt oddly rattled after leaving Hawk behind. He’d never behaved like that before. Maybe school life was changing him. Maybe he wasn’t adjusting well to being away from the pride. Maybe the social structure imposed by the community college they attended was rubbing him the wrong way.
Whatever it was, she decided to put some distance between the two of them. She touched her hand to her throat, remembering his very strong grip as he’d slammed her against the wall. Another man had done that, long, long ago. She looked at the thin scar near her thumb, rubbing it to quiet the memory.
Suddenly, Bastion was there, in the foyer outside the big living room, his face full of worry. He wore one of Russ’s crisp white aprons. She stared at it while he pulled her into his arms.
“What happened?” he asked quietly.
Selena realized she was leaning into him, drawing from his strength, her arms folded between them. So much for wondering when the right time would be to come out to their team. Everyone was watching them.
“Nothing,” she said, finally marshaling the strength to look at him.
Bastion touched her neck, then gave her a hard look. When Hawk came in the room, Bastion’s hold on her eased as he sent the boy a narrow-eyed glare.
Selena fisted his apron. “Don’t. Please. I dealt with it.”
Bastion froze everyone in the area. “I know what he did. There are repercussions for harming my woman.”
“He’s a kid. His life is all mixed up right now. Cut him some slack. He challenged me and failed. That’s punishment enough.”
Bastion shook his head. He went to where Hawk stood in his trance and sniffed the boy. He closed his eyes, then shook his head again. “I don’t like it. Something’s not right.” When he returned to Selena, he unfroze everyone.
“What isn’t right?” Selena asked.
“I don’t know. Stay away from Hawk.”
She nodded. “I’ve been doing that.”
Bastion kissed her cheek and took a long moment to stare into her eyes. “I’ll just finish with the guys, then come out to join you. Grab a cup of coffee for me, oui?”
“Oui.” Selena laughed. When she headed toward the buffet, she sent an uneasy glance around at everyone’s shocked faces. At first, she thought they were upset because Bastion had just tranced them, but then she realized it was because she and he had just shared a private conversation—while holding each other.
“What?” she asked them, throwing her arms wide as if to show she had nothing to hide. Everyone on her team had paired up with their loves over the last whirlwind year. Surely they wouldn’t begrudge her finding her own love.
But maybe they did. Maybe they still felt Bastion and his Legion were enemies, and she was therefore a rat.
That made her sad. Her shoulders slumped.
Ace giggled, then gave a little clap. “We’re happy for you, that’s all,” she said.
“I think the mighty Selena Irving has fallen,” Val said.
&nb
sp; At that, the women she used to guard hurried over to give her hugs. “We’re happy for you,” Mandy said.
“Never doubt that we’re with you, whatever you choose,” Ivy said.
“You’ve always been there for us,” Fiona added.
“The guys just don’t know what this all means,” Eddie said. “They don’t want to lose you.”
“They aren’t going to,” Selena said.
“You’re with a guy from another team,” Remi said. “Something is going to have to change to facilitate that.”
“Maybe.” Selena looked at the circle of women she’d protected for most of a year, and though she’d often longed for a more challenging assignment, she was saddened to think the future might take her from them.
“You do you, Selena,” Hope said. “The rest will work out.”
“Things do seem to work out here,” Wynn said, “even when it all seems lost.”
“You’re important to us,” Addy said. “We all want you to be happy. And it looks like Bastion is a wonderful fit for you.”
Val pushed his way into the circle of women and gave Selena a brotherly sideways hug. “What they said.” He smiled at her, then stepped back to put an arm around Ace.
Selena blinked tears away. She hated crying, hated appearing weak. “Thanks, guys. You mean the world to me too. I don’t want anything to change, but—”
“Change is the only constant in our lives,” Owen said, wrapping an arm around Addy.
“Eh, bien!” Bastion roared, taking everyone’s attention from Selena, which she totally needed. “We have a feast! Eat! We men need our strength for our training.” He looked at her and Ace, then added, “And the little girls, too.” Selena gave him a furious glare, which he answered with a wink. He looked at his watch. “We have less than an hour to prepare ourselves, so begin.”
29
Selena was nervous as she waited for the rest of Bastion’s crew to arrive. Shortly after breakfast, the house had cleared out. Lion and Hawk took Fiona back to Colorado. Usually, they would have stayed the weekend. She wondered if, after that weirdness with Hawk, Bastion had compelled them to go. The rest of the kids had left for their schools here in town. The women had gone to their different jobs. Maybe Owen had asked everyone to make themselves scarce.
It was for the best. Less chances for complications. At some point soon, the team was going to have to address the future they were facing with their families. Selena wondered if they could find a way to continue in the fight against the Omnis without having to take the human modifications.
A knock came at the front door. Max crossed the room to open it, then stood back to let Liege and Acier in. Owen joined them in the crowded foyer. “Would you and your team care for something to eat? Coffee?”
Liege took a moment to answer. “No, thank you. We’re ready to get to work.”
Owen gestured toward the hallway that led through the main portion of the house and out to the gym building. “We’ll be in here. I wasn’t certain what to expect from today’s session. If we need a different setup going forward, we can put that together.”
“It’s fine,” Liege said. “Today will be more of a demonstration than actual training. You need to know what you’re up against before we can break it down into actionable segments.”
Selena watched Liege pace in front of the group, his hands clasped behind his back. Sometimes he eyeballed an individual; sometimes he stared at the ground. Guerre and Acier kept to the right of the group. Bastion was on the left, close to Selena. He seemed nervous about how this would go, but she had the clear sense that Liege’s men trusted him implicitly.
Liege stopped mid-pace. Still with his hands behind his back, he looked over the group. “Four of us were together in the same camp where we were trained in how to use our new mutant skills—and recruited to fight in the resistance. Acier’s journey into life as a mutant was different from ours. But one thing is the same. What we were before being changed…who we were, what our lives were like, all changed after we became mutants. Telling you about those lives is unimportant, because the people that lived them are dead. Before we begin, I need to know about Santo.”
“Why?” Val asked.
Selena felt a wave of tension wash through her. Santo was a touchy subject among her team.
“I understand you believe he’s dead.” Liege looked at Ace. “Tell me how that happened.”
Ace sent Owen a glance, seeking permission. Owen nodded.
“I killed him,” Val said.
“No, I did,” Greer said.
“It was my fault,” Angel said.
Before more of the team could lie, Liege held up a hand. “Only one person fought him that night. And never mind the details.” He looked at Ace. “I can see the fight is still active in your memory.”
“I wanted him dead,” Ace said, her soft voice unwavering. “I’d earned the right to kill him, but during our fight, I changed my mind. I wanted him to just stop his tricks, turn himself over to the FBI. Surrender. He fell on a spike during our fight. He’ll never face his crimes because he chose the coward’s way out.”
Liege nodded. “Without a doubt, Santo is a first-class bastard. He’s also brilliant and doggedly focused. He told me in the training camps that he already knew about the details of his own death.” Liege walked over to stand in front of Ace. “You fought valiantly that day, even with a broken arm.”
Selena frowned at Bastion. Perhaps he’d told Liege that little detail, as it had happened shortly before he’d begun stalking all of them at Blade’s.
I did not tell him that, Bastion responded. He is pulling the info he needs from her own mind.
How is that possible? Selena asked.
I can read only limited thoughts from you, things you think urgently and clearly. Liege can read everything from everyone—if they are not shielding themselves from him.
“Santo is not dead,” Liege said. “He’s hidden himself somewhere in South America. I have sent one of my men for him.” He looked around at the group. “And as for the rest of you, lies only delay progress. I appreciate that you wanted to protect one of your own, but don’t do it again or there will be repercussions.”
“Don’t threaten my team, or this experiment of yours is done,” Owen warned him.
“I have to be able to trust them. What’s coming is so much worse than what you’ve yet faced.” Liege sent a glance around at the group. “Let’s have a demonstration. Bastion, step forward.”
Bastion did as requested, standing near Liege, facing the group.
“On my word, you will throw your knives at Bastion,” Liege ordered Selena and her team.
Selena gasped, but Bastion only smiled at her. “Don’t worry, mon amour. They will not cause me harm.”
Well, I’m not participating in this exercise.
“Selena, you will participate in this or you will be punished,” Liege said.
“Fuck you, Liege. Not doin’ it.”
She is full of balls and courage, is she not? Bastion said to his team.
Acier busted out laughing. Selena, yield to Liege. Do it if only to ease your own rage. Not one of us in this room can best him.
“And fuck you, Acier.”
“Go!” Liege shouted. Bastion took off at a run. Knives shot toward him along the way, but not one hit its mark…because Bastion had never moved from his spot in front of Liege.
Selena watched the shocked realization hit her friends. Their knives still hung in the air along a line that would have been lethal shots at his chest, neck, and eyes—had he been in the vicinity of their weapons.
Liege looked from the line of knives to Selena. As if motored on their own, the knives reversed course and returned to their prospective owners, hilt-first.
Selena felt a compulsion hit her, forcing her to step forward, stopping only feet from Liege.
Liege’s brown eyes glowed a dim orange. “You disobeyed a direct order.”
Selena did not shy away from Liege’
s fury. “Give me an ethical order, and I will comply. Order me to harm one of my own, and I will always fail.”
“You think you have a choice in any of this? Any of it? Not anymore. Throw your weapon at Bastion.”
Selena fought the urge to follow that order, an urge that was fast becoming a compulsion. She withdrew her knife from its holster, fighting herself, instinct against need. It was as if a hidden hand moved hers. She ground her teeth, every ounce of her strength focused on resisting. She managed to open her hand enough to let the knife slip through, but that force made her fingers close around the two-sided blade. The guys behind her gasped, but none were able to move forward to help her. It didn’t matter; this was her against herself—they couldn’t help.
With her right hand disabled, her left took over. Against her will, against everything she held sacred, her left hand sent the knife shooting toward Bastion. At the last second, Liege’s hand shot between the blade and Bastion, letting the blade sink into the flesh of his palm. He reached over and slowly pulled it free, then handed it to Bastion to hold.
It seemed the fight had taken minutes, but when she had her own mobility again, she realized it was only seconds. She threw a punch at Liege’s jaw. It was like hitting a slab of granite.
He grabbed her hand with his wounded one and squeezed their palms together. You are Legion.
Selena shook her head. Her lips bared her clenched teeth. “Like I said before, fuck you.”
Liege’s brows went up. Bastion laughed. “No, my love, you must mean fuck me, not him. You will learn, I hope.”
Liege nodded toward Guerre. The healer gently took hold of Selena’s wounded hand and clasped it between his. The throbbing pain stopped. Comforting heat slipped into her aching wounds. As she watched, an orange light seemed to emanate from Guerre’s hands into hers. After a few moments, he took his hands away. Not only was her hand no longer bloody, it was no longer wounded.
Bastion: O-Men: Liege’s Legion Page 27
