by Sydney Addae
“I enjoy my time with you,” Mélange said, her voice soft. “I miss you during the day while you’re at work.”
Renee giggled and then covered her mouth. Cheeks aflame, she stared at the younger Asian woman, whose steady attention crept into her broken heart, watering and healing the cracks. “I know what you mean.”
Unable to break into the happy dance her heart demanded over finding someone she could see as a partner and equal, she smiled as Mélange continued to stare at her.
“Let me help clear the table,” Renee said, wanting the night to move along. She had classes tomorrow and couldn’t stay the night, but the weekend would arrive soon enough.
Mélange rose, impressing Renee with her grace. So perfect. So controlled. So meticulous.
“Nonsense, you’re my special guest.” She winked at Renee. “Have a seat in the living area, I won’t be long.” Mélange placed the dishes on a serving cart and wheeled them into the kitchen.
Arguing wouldn’t change anything. Renee had offered out of courtesy, and Mélange’s answer had been the same this time as the last.
She entered the living room, looked at the black and white abstract pictures on the wall. They looked expensive but left her feeling cold. The whole room, done in black and white, chrome and white leather, seemed distant, as if a visitor inhabited the place. Mélange had lived here for two years, but nothing personal appeared anywhere to differentiate this room from a furniture showroom.
If they ever lived together, the blending of their tastes would be interesting. Good lord, I’m moving way too fast. We’ve only been dating a week and a half. Slow down.
Renee sat on the soft leather sofa and crossed her legs, wondering if she was ready to start over again. Mandy’s departure had broken her heart in so many pieces, there were days she’d been tempted to call her just to hear her voice again. Mélange, with her long silky black hair, adorable smile and constant attention, probably would too, but she kept the specter of loneliness from Renee’s door.
Damn, I’m getting too old for this. Her sister would laugh and say Renee just hit her peak at 38. But Jasmine had a house full of kids and a husband who looked at her as if she were the only person in his world. That’s what I want, someone who only sees me when she walks into a room.
“Hey, what’s got you frowning? Am I not taking good care of you?” Mélange knelt on the floor next to Renee’s leg and looked up at her. “Are you okay?” She took Renee’s right hand and massaged it.
“Yes…that feels great. Where’d you learn how to do that?”
Mélange smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
In the silence Renee grew concerned. There was a lot she didn’t know about her new lover.
“I took classes a long time ago and never forgot.” Mélange’s voice sounded distant.
“You learned in China?”
Mélange laughed. “I have lived in China for short periods over the years, but I was born in Los Angeles. My parents are buried there.”
“Any siblings?” Renee didn’t want Mélange to stop talking, this was the first time she’d shared this much personal information.
“No. At least none that I know of. I grew up in foster homes all over the place, so if there were more of us, I never knew them.” She shrugged as if that type thing was common and not a big deal.
Renee couldn’t imagine life without her sister Jasmine, and her mom, Victoria. “My dad died a while back. It was really hard,” Renee said to break the silence.
Mélange nodded and continued up her arm with the massage.
“What happened to your last relationship? Is it over?” Renee asked, wanting to know more.
Mélange stopped kneading Renee’s arm. Her eyes darkened to chips of coal. Lines bracketed her mouth as though it pained her to admit it. “Yes, it’s over. Please, I don’t want to talk about it, not right now. But I’m free to be with you.”
“Okay, but in all honesty, I can’t go much further with you without knowing what happened. Sorry. I just can’t. Trust comes in degrees, and it seems we’ve both had our hearts broken recently.” Renee pulled her arm free. “I can’t jump into anything blindly. We have to be open and honest with each other, or this won’t work.” The pained look in Mélange’s eyes disturbed her. Secrets causing such a strong reaction meant road bumps later when Renee’s heart was too involved to use common sense.
No thanks.
Mélange sat next to Renee, taking her hand and stared at it for a long time. “Your hands are soft and unsoiled. They’ve never done anything that you’d be ashamed of. They are clean, like your heart.” She met Renee’s startled gaze. “What you want, what you need from me, I’ll give you. Please, give me time. As you said, trust is built, layer by layer, like a wall. When constructed correctly, it offers shelter from any storm.”
Renee released a sigh and bent forward, pulling Mélange close by the back of her neck. “When you say stuff like that…it makes so much sense.” They stared into each other’s eyes. “Okay. Let’s see where this goes.”
Mélange brushed her lips against hers. “I’m yours.”
Renee smiled and sat back on the sofa. “Just so you know, I’m on standby to fly to West Virginia. Talked to my mom today and she swears she’ll give birth to those babies by tomorrow.”
Mélange’s hand tightened around hers and then released it to play with strands of Renee’s long, wavy hair. “Your mom is 62?”
Smiling at how outrageous that sounded, Renee nodded.
“You are fortunate to have such a large and loving family. She’s having more than one?”
“Mama says there’s four tucked inside her belly. At her baby shower two weeks ago, she was huge. So it’s possible.”
“And she lives with your sister and her husband, the man you say is a grouch?”
Renee’s cheeks warmed. Silas was a grouch, but he loved Jasmine and the kids. She couldn’t ask for more than that. “He has his moments. But yes, mama and her husband live with them. It’s a huge place, lots of room for my nieces, nephews, and grand-nephews to play.” She chuckled thinking of Adam, Jackie, David, and Renee, her namesake and artist extraordinaire. “They’ll be starting pre-school any day now. You should see them, so excited and acting grown up. They’re not that old, barely three but they… they don’t seem like it. Smart and big for their ages, my sister’s smart to start them early.” She shook her head remembering her conversation with her nieces and nephews earlier. Each child wanted to show off their school supplies, even Sarita, their close friend, pushed her way to the front of the monitor, holding her book bag.
“I’m sure they’re a handful. Your sister must be proud,” Mélange said in a soft, thoughtful tone.
“Well, they never give me any trouble, but that’s because I don’t live with them.” She laughed.
Mélange curled a long strand around her finger and gently tugged. “They’re lucky to have an aunt who loves them and brags on them as you do. It’s refreshing and gives me hope for mankind.”
Pleased, Renee’s grin widened. As an anthropologist, she loved the fact Mélange had traveled all over the world in her former job as a flight attendant. They talked long hours regarding various cultures and the downward spiral of society.
“I know I talk about them all the time, but they really are super smart for their ages and so cute. You saw their pictures.” She had shown Mélange her photo album of her nieces and nephews the last time they were at her home.
“Yes, and you’re right, they are beautiful and handsome. Your sister is pretty, but I prefer you.” She leaned forward and placed a kiss on Renee’s cheek. “I promised if you would eat dinner and spend some time with me tonight, I would not keep you past nine. It’s five minutes to nine, and if you need to go …?” She looked at Renee with a question in her eyes.
The reminder about work knocked the sizzle from her libido. With all the time she had taken off and needed to take again, she couldn’t afford to miss a day. Since she enjoyed teaching, she believed i
n offering her best to her students and demanded they do the same.
“You’re right, I need to get moving.” Renee stood and extended her hand. Smiling, Mélange accepted the assistance and came to her feet. A few inches shorter than Renee’s 5’7”, Mélange wrapped her arm around Renee’s waist, and they walked toward the door where she’d left her purse and jacket.
Hand in hand, they walked to her car in a comfortable silence.
“I’ll send a text when I reach home,” Renee said.
“Thank you for remembering, I didn’t want to mention it again. I don’t want you to see my concern and affection for you as clingy or needy.”
Bending forward, Renee kissed her.
When they broke for air, Renee smiled. “I like it.”
Waving, she entered her car and drove away, leaving Mélange standing in the driveway with a peculiar smile on her face.
Chapter 3
“Welcome to the compound and KnightForce,” Silas said, looking at the 75 men who made the final list. “I’ve changed the dates to start this training for a variety of reasons, most importantly, I needed to be sure you’d carry out my wishes and were qualified to wear my name and my crest. Congratulations, you made the first draft.” The men cheered as he looked over the bunch.
Much to the dismay of Tyrese and Angus, Silas required more in-depth investigations into the lives of the initial candidates to weed out anyone who had problems with half-breeds. Asia had worked long hours finding suitable replacements for three trainees who had made incendiary remarks about half-breeds in the past, and were dismissed from the program.
Silas then required they expand the training and include physical training so the candidates had an opportunity to see what half-breeds could do. Tyrese and Tyrone both expressed a willingness to participate. This group was in for a nice surprise.
When the noise died down, he waved toward Jasmine. Smiling, she accepted his hand. Radiant in a rust orange, cap sleeved maxi-dress[ii] that cupped her breasts and caressed her small waist before falling gracefully down her legs, she exuded sexy confidence.
He kissed her. Then he gazed into her light brown eyes, pleased to see that dazed, hungry look. “Soon, Sweet Bitch.” He stroked her long hair away from her face and wrapped his arm around her waist.
“As you know, I’ve been around a long time. With the combining of our Nation, full-bloods and half-breeds, my task of leading the Nation has grown harder. Millions have been added to the ranks at a speed the Alphas simply can’t handle. I’ve created two new divisions to assist me and the Alphas. One is the Half-Breed Registrar. You should’ve read about that in your packets this afternoon. And the other is KnightForce. KnightForce’s main goal is to represent me and my presence in such a way the Alphas are comfortable releasing a portion of their duties to an outside team. They’ve never been able to do that before.” He paused and looked at the earnest faces watching him.
“At the end of this week, you’ll pass my final inspection and travel to your assigned area, or you’ll be sent home. If you’re sent home, you won’t be allowed to work as a beta for any of my Alphas. So my advice to you is to give it your all so you can stay connected.”
“Yes, Sir,” they shouted.
“Loud aren’t they?” Jasmine smiled.
“Of course, they’re wolves.” He waved them back into their seats and they quieted. “Before I introduce you to the captains of KnightForce, stand on your feet and welcome my mate, Jasmine Knight, La Patroness.”
She squeezed his waist while smiling and waving. “And here I thought you wanted sex tonight.”
“Sex, no. I’m going to love you so hard, they’ll hear you scream my name in the tunnels.”
She coughed. “Wolfie, you know that’s impossible, but I’ll let you try.”
“Just so you know,” he said in a somber tone looking at the trainees. “Some things in the pack I overlook and forgive. But disrespect my mate, fuck over my pups, and I will kill you.”
No one moved or spoke for a few seconds.
“Well that certainly killed the mood. You should warn them that I pack a mean punch and will gut them like fish if they mess with my kids.”
“Nope. That’s the only warning they get. If they cross the line, I will gut their asses.”
“Mean, Wolfie. Sexy.” She pinched his waist.
“Now that you all have been warned, sit back down, and meet your captains. Tyrese, Asia and Angus. You will address them as Sir or Ma’am, they report directly to me and are my private Swords of Vengeance and Security. I trust each one implicitly.”
“Do you want to say anything?” He squeezed her waist.
“Good luck, I hope you all make it. We’re counting on you!” Jasmine said to the crowd. They stood clapping as she and Silas left the room.
Asia, Angus, and Tyrese stood in front to the men and waited for them to settle down. Inhaling, Asia picked up on the testosterone. They’d need to knock them down a bit before they could really get started.
Angus stepped up. “At the end of the training, three awards will be given. The first will be awarded to the person we feel has been the most helpful to his fellow team members. Second will be for the person who wins the physical competition. Third will be the Frogs Memorial Award, our highest honor for the person who we feel embodies the spirit of Frogs a pack member who spent his life in service to La Patron. Everything you do is monitored, so learn and absorb as much as you can in a short amount of time.”
Tyrese stepped forward and morphed to his hybrid. Asia watched the startled looks on the faces of the candidates. And then he morphed to his largest hybrid. They stared at him in awe. Whispers flew across the room, no one moved. Tyrese returned to human. “I’m Tyrese. I’m a half-breed.” Eyes widened all over the room. Asia had agreed with Tyrese when he suggested shocking them with this display. Full-bloods assumed half-breeds were inferior, and that type of thinking would get everyone killed on the battlefield.
“Training days will be long, and brutal. La Patron has laid our task before us, and we,” Tyrese pointed to her and Angus, “don’t intend to fail. You fall behind on your studies and the physical challenge, you will be sent home early. We plan to spend our energies training KnightForce operatives, we will not waste time on those who aren’t cut out to make it.”
Asia stepped forward. “I’m Asia, mate of Hawke, mother of Damian and Sarita. And for the next week, I’m your living nightmare. Pass this training to La Patron’s satisfaction, and I’ll be your Captain.” She looked at her watch. “In 10 minutes it’ll be eight p.m. At exactly eight, every one of you should be in the gym, dressed in the uniforms you were assigned when you checked in. Dismissed.” She walked over to Tyrese and Angus. “Short and sweet, I like that.”
“Better to just show them,” Angus said as they walked toward the gym. A few candidates trailed behind them.
Asia wished she could communicate with Angus and Tyrese via their mental links, but couldn’t. For some reason known only to the Goddess, her links were limited to her mate and Jasmine. Times like these when they were surrounded by others, she wished she could join in on the discussion Tyrese and Angus were probably having right now. Instead, she waited for them to fill her in.
Tyrese waved over one of the candidates who had the foresight to wear his gold uniform beneath his clothes. He stopped stretching and walked over. Asia read his name tag, Ethan Mope, the former Marine with high military clearance, assigned to Alpha Jayden in Maryland. He and Tyrese shook hands.
“Read your file, impressive. I did a short tour oversees, but it was cut short,” Tyrese said.
La Patron chose Mope, a Native American full-blood from the Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma, to head the office in Maryland. Mopes, an unmatched hunter, spent 25 years in the Marines. Given enough time he always found his prey. Similar in height to Tyrese, Mope was around six foot three, just as wide as Tyrese across the chest, bronzed complexion, mahogany hair with a widow’s peak, and dark eyes with specks of ambe
r. Asia saw his ancestral pride in every step he took. He epitomized an old school warrior, possibly a chief of a tribe, and would make a great Alpha one day.
“I heard about that, it created a ripple through the ranks. Is it true, you and your twin are connected to that degree?” Mope asked.
Asia wondered how Mope knew and then remembered his clearance level.
Tyrese nodded. “He’ll be here later; we’ll give a demonstration so there are no surprises in the field.”
“After seeing you morph into baby Hulk, I’ll believe anything. Really looking forward to this week,” Mope said.
“Great,” Tyrese said. “Head over to that door and when I signal, lock it. Whoever’s late misses tonight and will need to petition La Patron to remain in the program.”
“Yes, Sir.” Mope jogged to the door, his long braid slapping his back as he moved.
Asia did a few stretches and looked at Angus, who stood to the side with his arms crossed and legs braced apart. Finished warming up, she looked at Tyrese, who stared at his watch.
Glancing across the room, she did a quick count, everyone sat on the floor in three different colored uniforms. Cheesy, Tyrese called it, but they couldn’t come up with another way to quickly separate the groups for training purposes. By her numbers, everyone made it back on time.
Tyrese motioned to Mope who locked the door and then sat on the floor with others dressed in the same gold color. Wolves, and full-blooded Alphas in particular, challenged authority; it was in their DNA, a part of what made them pack. Silas had reminded Asia and Angus of that when they wanted a short three-day class dealing with just paperwork and administration.
“If these Alpha trainees don’t believe you are Top Captain, able to physically put them in their place, their wolves will push them to rebel. Your first job is to show you’re Alpha to them,” Silas explained after expanding the training and including combat training. He stared at Asia. “Don’t kill anyone, hurt them, but not to the point they cannot serve.”
“Yes, Sir,” she agreed, and he smiled.
