by C. M. Owens
“This is a central location. It would be faster to get anywhere in our region from here than anywhere else in our division. Clay will want you to stay,” Hale asserts.
“Clay doesn’t always get his way.”
“He’s still the commander. Don’t forget who calls the shots,” he cautions.
My eyes narrow when I take a step closer, my teeth chomped tightly together.
“I call the shots where I’m concerned. He can tell me I can’t come with them, but he can’t tell me not to go home,” I hiss through my fury, and the walls threaten to rumble beneath my sudden rage.
“Easy,” he almost whispers, and his arm slides around my waist in an effort to distract me from my fuming state.
“Don’t touch me,” I growl with my animalistic traits bearing themselves.
“Don’t make me remind you how I used to break you free from these trances,” he seduces, and then I feel the dropping sensation in my lower extremities as the throbbing becomes a pounding inside me.
“Don’t do this, please,” I whisper as his lips almost touch mine.
“It’s hard not to when I still want you as badly as I do.”
His lips graze mine before guilt slaps my face, and I spin out of his arms just in time to avoid the passion trying to escape from his mouth to mine.
“If I’m going to be here for a week, then we need ground rules. I’m engaged,” I snark.
“You used to be engaged to me. We both know that’s one promise you don’t mind breaking.”
“The only time I’ve ever broken such a promise is when I realized that I was never going to be important enough to deserve that person’s attention, devotion, or presence,” I retort.
“Is that really what you think? You had every ounce of my attention at all times, and there’s never been any person more devoted to anyone than what I have been to you - even now. As for my presence, Brazen doesn’t seem to be around as much as I was,” he admonishes.
“He’s here every time I need him,” I snip, and then I storm away once again.
“Please stop fighting with me,” Hale sighs when he catches back up.
This fucking place is a labyrinth. I have no idea where in the hell I’m going, and everything looks exactly the same no matter what hallway I turn down.
“I’m not fighting with you. I’m just fighting you. Leave. Me. Alone. Please. Let’s be professionals on a job - not exes in an awkward situation,” I almost plead.
“I’m not willing to lose my only opportunity in three years to remind you how good we are together. No one has ever had what we had, and I’m not going to stop until you come back to me,” he softly releases.
His gentle words pull me in, bringing my eyes to meet his. His tie dangles close to my hand, and I want to use it to bind my hands and let him have his way with me the second those eyes try to control mine.
“We were good. I’m not denying that, but I’m in love with someone else now. Just let me be happy,” I beg.
He takes a step toward me, and I feel the wall against my back just before I feel his hips pinning me down.
“I’ll stop coming after you when I believe you. Until those eyes stop wanting me, I’m going to be relentless in every possible way,” he smolders out, and then the back of his hand slides down my cheek until he tilts my head up to force my eyes into his once again.
His lips move to be almost on mine, and then the chuckling sound of students draws our attention.
“Let’s get to work,” I shudder out, and then I slip out of his grasp when the moment is iced.
Fuck. Day one is starting out with the promise of failure.
Why can’t I get him out of my mind? Brazen and I don’t have that drive-you-mad passion, but what we have is incredible. I can’t sacrifice it to be with someone I had insanely hot sex with. I loved Hale with everything in me, and it took me a year to pick up the pieces of that devastating breakup. I’d still be struggling if it hadn’t been for my full blood.
Brazen was my savior in a time when I needed saving the most. He showed me how different love could be. There doesn’t have to be so much push and pull. There’s not a closet packed full of lies and broken promises. He’s always there when I need him, and he never stops reminding me how much he loves me.
“Good morning,” Hale chirps when he walks into the class full of eager newbies.
“Good morning, Captain Banner,” they answer in unison.
I stare out at the gallant training facility in front of us, and the enormous circle drawn out in red on the concrete floor gives me a shiver as the adrenaline pumps through me.
“As you all learned yesterday, your gifts are to be used only when there aren’t any options left. Today, you’ll learn how to go head to head with your adversary because that’s how most fights are won,” Hale says with sexy authority, and I turn to smirk at him as he struts toward me.
“If your assailant has a gift, then you push them to find out how strong it is. If your assailant doesn’t have a gift, get ready to kick their ass,” he says with his badass tone.
Oh damn.
“So, who would like to go first?” Hale asks, but no one is willing to step forward to join me in the ring.
Hale smirks at a smug guy standing on the end with more muscle than brain, and then he deliberately eases over to him.
“I think you should show us how you would take down Ms. Crush,” Hale dares, and the guy lets out a bit of a laugh.
“Something funny?” Hale asks.
“I can’t fight a girl,” the Neanderthal scoffs.
“You’re probably right. I doubt there will be much of a fight,” Hale murmurs very misleadingly. He offers me a secretive wink before adding, “But this wasn’t a request. When a captain tells you to do something, your reply should begin with ‘yes’ and end with ‘Sir,’ understood?” he admonishes, and then he has to stifle his grin when the brooding beast of a man nods vigorously before snapping into a salute.
“Y…yes, Sir,” he stammers out.
“Good. Now, stop making Ms. Crush wait,” Hale scolds with a playful air, and the newbie stumbles into the concrete circle to do as instructed.
“Whenever you’re ready, big boy,” I taunt, and the guy charges me with timid hesitance weighing him down.
I trip him up almost too easily, and then I slam his head down to crack the concrete once he’s in the process of falling. He shakes it off, and then leaps to his feet a little less hesitant about fighting a girl. He charges me again, and I grab him by the throat before whirling him out of the ring. He slams into the wall across the room, and he crumbles to the floor like a humbled, limp rag when he realizes his foolish assumption has proven to be his downfall.
“Does anyone know what lesson we just learned?” Hale says with a menacing and adoring smirk while staring directly into my eyes.
“Never underestimate your opponent, Sir,” one eager newbie barks.
“Exactly. Now who wants to see Ms. Crush and me show you how a real fight should look?” he smolders out, and it’s all I can do not to let my knees falter.
They all have to stifle again as he blurs across the room to me. He grabs me at the waist before I realize the fight is underway, and then I feel the wall cracking behind my back when his body forces me into it.
“The attacker has to stay inside the ring,” I caution, and his breath pours into my mouth from his dangerously close proximity.
“It’s been a while. I must have forgotten,” he says with blistering heat, and our heated touch is enough to bring me into a head rush.
“Let me remind you,” I seduce, and then I shove him off me while slamming him into the floor.
He starts laughing for a minute, and then he shakes his head while acting as if he’s throwing in the towel after our brief fight.
“I suppose we should end this while it’s still appropriate for viewing,” he salaciously offers, and I beam with embarrassment.
Everyone gets a good chuckle, and he waves his
hand to the young ones.
“Pair up and work on your skills,” he murmurs with a snicker, and then he stalks over toward me.
“Couldn’t handle the heat?” I playfully snark.
“I couldn’t handle your lips being so close to mine without contact. This is damn near torture,” he freely offers.
“Don’t,” I warn, seriousness mixed with dread rising back to my tone.
“Don’t what? Tell you the truth? I thought that was what you wanted from me.”
“It was… three years ago. It’s too late now. Stop trying to act as if we’re going to pick back up where we left off. It’s not going to happen. I’m not ever going to leave Brazen. He’s good for me.”
“The week isn’t over yet,” he smolders, and I know I’m in so much trouble if this game of chase continues.
“It will be soon enough,” I retort, and then I break free from his entrapping gaze.
“You still love me,” he announces out as I walk away.
I know. I wish I didn’t.
“One week. Just let me make it through one week, and then we can both get on with our lives,” I choke out, tears trying to stain my eyes, and I almost blur out of the room to escape him.
One week.
“Ms. Crush?” a timid human asks.
“Yes?” I say with an insidious and exhausted tone before even looking at her.
“Captain Banner has requested your company in his quarters for breakfast,” she murmurs with too much of a chipper tone.
“Tell Hale I’m in the process of packing. I’ll be leaving in an hour because the week I promised is over,” I almost growl.
I finally turn to see it’s Wendy, the giggly human smitten with my old hybrid - the sad little thing posing as his assistant to stay closer to her crush. She fidgets awkwardly, and then her eyes reveal a grimace.
“I’m really sorry, Ms. Crush, but he was rather insistent. He told me to remind you of his rank versus yours,” she very hesitantly babbles.
“Tell Captain Banner he can send the firing squad after me if he likes, but I’m not obliging him in a breakfast farewell,” I snarl out, and the sad little girl sinks down even farther.
“I could lose my job if I come back without you,” she mutters.
I roll my eyes in exasperation, and I hand her my bags while stalking toward the door.
“Finish packing for me. As soon as breakfast ends, I’m leaving,” I assert.
“Yes ma’am.”
Hale is such an egotistical son of a bitch. I guess he really hasn’t changed as much as I thought. It’s a damn good thing I’m getting out of here. This whole game of cat and mouse has gotten too intense. His lips have almost touched mine far too many times, and his touch has lingered even after he’s no longer around. I’m ill, tired, and I’m going to fuck Brazen to death when I see him.
“What do you want?” I bark as soon as I barge into his room, and my anger flees the moment I see a picture of us sitting proudly on the table beside the door.
My face greets all of his guests? He probably just set it there for me to see. Conniving bastard.
“That was the day you said you’d marry me,” he softly inserts while walking over to me.
“I know when it was, Hale. I don’t know why you felt it necessary to put it out before forcing me to come here,” I mumble.
“I didn’t. It’s been everywhere I’ve been since the day you left me. I always make sure to put it directly by the door so that whatever place I’m living in feels a little more like home. That’s what you are to me - home,” he says much too sincerely, and my eyes water fiercely.
“Stop it. You don’t have the right to do this to me. It took me a fucking year to move on and longer than that to get over you. You don’t get to make me feel guilty after all the shit you put me through,” I cry.
“Hey. Whoa. I wasn’t trying to make you feel guilty, and I sure as hell wasn’t trying to make you cry. I swear I was just trying to tell you the truth about the damn picture. I told you, I’m playing it completely honest with you.”
He takes a deep breath as I glare at him, and he shifts his weight uncomfortably as if he’s trying to figure out how to proceed.
It’s too late for honesty, damn it. Too fucking late!
He sighs out while clasping his hands behind his head, and then he continues with, “I didn’t call you here to hash out our fucked up relationship. I called you to tell you Clay contacted me via messenger to say they were coming back to Seminole in three days. You can leave - as you intend to - but then you’ll have to come right back. It takes at least eight hours to drive from Javeline to here, so I think you should just stay. We’ll debrief, they’ll rest for a couple of days, and then they’ll head back out,” he says very informatively.
“I’ll just drive back. Then I’ll leave the second they do,” I grumble, and I start to walk back out the door when his phone rings.
He sighs before answering, and I linger accidentally while trying to find out who is calling him.
I’m so fucking nosy.
“Captain Banner,” he answers.
“Sir, this is Corporal James Verlon. We’ve got a situation in Hensen, and our United officers are taking fire,” the man panics, and my heart almost drops to the floor as I stare into Hale’s terrified eyes.
“Commander Jude and the others, what’s their status?” Hale prompts.
“They’ve been hit hard. These people have uranium dipped bullets and other weapons built for the demise of our stronger kinds. We’re trying to get to them, but we’re outgunned, Sir. They’re cut off from communication any other way, leaving you in charge, Sir. They don’t have shelter. Right now the only thing protecting them from the hailing uranium bullets is a small, natural bunker. They’re running low on ammo, and we can’t get close enough to supply them with more. We don’t have much time either, Sir.”
“I’ve already sent a message to the three nearest armies, and they’ll be there within three hours. I’m on my way right now,” Hale asserts, and he grabs his keys before swishing by me in a blur.
“I’m coming with you,” I blare from behind.
“No you’re not. It’s too dangerous,” he counters, and we’re outside within a blink.
He races over to a convertible, and I flash over to the blood bank.
“I’m going with or without you,” I snap, and I break the door free from its hinges when I feel the locked resistance.
“What the hell are you doing?” he barks.
“They’re going to be hurt. They’ll need blood to heal,” I explain.
“They’ll have blood there.”
“If they’ve got our weapons, they won’t have enough blood to go around by the time we get there,” I counter.
He lets out a dramatic huff and starts aiding me in my fervent attempt to fill the trunk of his convertible. I don’t give him another second to argue before he slams it into drive, and I jump in the passenger seat.
“I don’t want you coming,” he growls.
“I really don’t give a fuck. They don’t have shelter, and the atmosphere’s timer is ticking. The sky will lose its tint and be in full glow for an hour in less than forty-five minutes. The armies are three hours out. The fight will be over with by then. We can be at Hensen in less than forty minutes if you drive the way I remember you driving. I’m not letting Brazen turn to ash just because you don’t want me coming,” I bark.
“I can still drive, baby, but five minutes is all we’ll have to get them out of there,” he worries.
“Five minutes is all I’ll need,” I murmur as the demons within me start to howl.
My human half has never held me back the way it does the rest of our kind. I’m stronger, faster, and damn near impossible to stop when I’m pissed. Right now, I’d register a full blown fifteen on a scale of one to ten.
“What happens if you-”
“I haven’t done that since before you left. My emotions are in check,” I interrupt, quickly haltin
g his concerns.
“What if something has happened to Brazen? Will you be okay then?” he continues.
I take a deep, steadying breath before answering, “Then you’ll have to bring me down before I hurt someone.”
He doesn’t breathe another word. I think he was basically asking for permission to do what only he can. The demons of my past, the monster inside me, and the daily struggle just to live is constantly taking its toll on me. If anything happens to Brazen, they’ll all collide at once.
