by Rena Marks
“With your eyes open, of course,” Tempest said. Poor Leah would probably walk into a wall, dumb as she was. Her new friend was pretty, she’d give her that. But not the brightest sun in the sky. After all, she’d taken abuse for years.
The others stared pointedly at her.
“What?” Sheesh, what did they expect now?
But Leah stood and walked slowly across the room, warily looking around her as if she expected someone to jump from the corners.
She followed her, putting herself in Leah’s mind. Afraid of every noise, every shadow in the dark. Expecting a man to jump out and attack with his fists.
Tempest stopped abruptly, straightening her body into her own stance. That was it.
“Temp?” Lily asked. Even Leah turned to see what she was doing.
“I just figured it out,” Tempest said. “I didn’t understand the difference between strong and weak. I thought Shawn was weak for being a human. And then when I was ready to give him a chance, I thought he was weak for dying. And it occurred to me as I was trying to be in Leah’s head that I was afraid of a big, strong man beating me. But he isn’t strong, is he? A man who beats his wife is the one who is weak.”
“Yes,” Sunny said. “Beast isn’t strong for having physical strength. He’s strong because Robyn taught him how to hide how much strength he had. She taught him how to think instead of react. When you and he fought in captivity, he was strong for holding out until he could hold out no more.” She spoke quickly, as if aware that Tempest seemed to be shutting down with the mention of her lover Beastly’s name. “But you resented yourself, too, Temp. You resented yourself for what you thought was weakness—for not being able to save others for the horrors that we faced. You can’t keep punishing yourself for not keeping us safe. Becoming a living bomb to kill the attackers isn’t a gift. It was a horribly painful experience—and then you were forced to watch violations anyway. So forgive my friend Tempest. She isn’t weak. She’s wonderful.”
“Yes,” Lily whispered, and then repeated. “Forgive my friend Tempest. She’s the sweetest woman I know. She deserves the best. She deserves my friend Shawn.”
They were serious. Her friends did love her, just as she had kept arguing with everyone over. This proved it. A brief nod and Tempest said, “I shall try to remember to be kinder to myself.”
“Well, it’s about goddamn time,” Lily said. “Now, back to walking like Leah.”
Leah walked and Tempest walked alongside her. The other ladies offered suggestions here and there, but mostly compliments.
Huh. This was easier than learning to walk sexy on high heels, that was for sure.
The office at the front gate felt claustrophobic with all the huge men already inside. But this was necessary—Trance needed Leah safe. She had no idea yet, but he’d be gently courting her. And Shawn needed Tempest safe. There was no doubt she could take care of herself. He didn’t even lose faith that she’d lose control and snap her bones off in the man who was Leah’s ex. He just needed her in his apartment, in his life, in his arms.
And they were nearly there.
“Here’s Shawn,” Beast said, making room for him to enter.
The office was easily ten degrees hotter with all the men inside. The air conditioner couldn’t keep up and the bulletproof windows were impossible to open.
“Okay, here’s the game plan,” Renegade said. “Tempest will dress as Leah. She’ll walk through the camp, head straight to Leah’s cabin and prepare for bed. He’ll be watching because he’s out of time. The policy’s expiration date hits in ten days—along with the divorce date. A double whammy, even if he could get enough money together to string along the policy for another month, he’s still out because she filed for divorce. So he’s out there, watching and waiting for her. He knows he got the wrong woman last night. He’ll be more careful tonight.”
“Maybe we need to tell a couple of people at camp to keep an eye on each other at all times? And then casually mention that the woman who works as the Xenia cook will be getting off late so they don’t have to watch for her,” Jason said.
“Great idea,” Renegade said. He listened for a bit and then interpreted his telepathic conversation for the humans. “Sunny says Tempest is coming along great. She has Leah’s mannerisms down pat.”
Shawn felt so proud of her. He knew she could do it. Now he just had to get her ensconced in his apartment—in every aspect of his life—before she realized what hit her.
Because he intended for her to owe him orgasms for the rest of their lives.
Chapter Thirteen
THE CAMP WAS EERILY quiet as Tempest walked down the path. She hunkered down, concentrating on being Leah. On pretending she was constantly nervous inside, wary as a scared rabbit. In a hurry to reach the safety of her cabin, but yet cautious enough to not call attention to herself.
A twig breaking behind her made her jump, just as it would have Leah. She was so far in her Leah personality, it was easy to have her reactions. If she had been Tempest, a twig breaking would have made her turn around and confront the person in the shadows. But not Leah. Leah would scuttle faster, head hunkered down so as not to anger the person who wanted to beat her.
She didn’t sense any of her patrol members around. The Xeno Sapien members had agreed not to use a telepathic link so it wouldn’t distract Tempest from her Leah persona. No matter what, she was going to make Shawn proud.
Tempest was somewhat disappointed when she reached Leah’s cabin. No one had jumped out to attack her…and she halfway wanted it. She even fumbled a bit at the door, hoping to give the wife-beater a chance to jump inside and confront her. But he did not and once inside the cabin, she locked the door as instructed. She turned on the inner light. The windows were blacked out when there was dark outside and light inside, so she couldn’t even spy on what was going on out there.
And now that she could mentally be Tempest again, she was impatient. She was in an impossibly tiny, one room cabin that housed a bed and nothing else. Not even a bathroom. There were community restrooms for the masses to use. She was in Leah’s clothing and for the first time, she realized how she’d gotten used to her own protective gear. Even knowing she didn’t need the weaponry attached to the pouch on her back, it was comforting to know it was there. Now, it felt like she was missing a vital part of herself.
All she had was her telepathic communication, which she couldn’t use on the outside. She just wished Shawn had it. When they were on duty they could communicate with the comm systems, but she wasn’t allowed to have it now. They were afraid she’d be tempted to talk to Shawn and have their voices heard. But now that she was on the inside, the telepathic links should be fine.
Beastly? Is Shawn safe?
Of course. The male can kick ass. You know this.
I expect you to watch over him.
Shawn can watch over me because you are distracting my mission.
You can multitask. That is why I picked you to communicate with.
Pax cut in, sounding somewhat insulted in her mind. Seriously? You think he’s the best multitasker? I have a shitload of personalities inside me.
Okay, then, truth is I figured he owed me because I am best friends with Sunny. So I reached out to him first.
She reached out to me because I am the shit. Beast sounded smug. She would ignore that in order to grasp any information from them.
Anyway, what is going on? Any sign of the wife-beater?
Not yet. There are a couple people milling about here and there.
She waited a few minutes until boredom made her reach out again.
Being homeless is miserable. This is basically just a bunk to sleep in.
Did you think the humans have it better in their tents? Renegade said.
She couldn’t believe she had thought Leah was a weak human. The poor thing had struggled so much.
Beastly?
Yeah.
Does Shawn look sexy in his combative gear?
There
was a pause.
Don’t answer her.
Ignore her.
We don’t all want to hear it.
Stand down, Beast. I’m serious.
Steele’s voice was the last warning. Robyn will hear about this.
But Beast’s thoughts blasted into her skull. He’s sexy as hell, Tempest. The leather clutches his muscular ass just right. In fact, I’m about to lean over and place my claws tantalizingly on his shoulder. Suggestively, you know? Too see if he takes the bait.
Fuck. Didn’t we tell him not to respond?
She’s gonna explode.
Does he ever listen?
Tempest smiled. That would be funny. She could imagine Shawn’s response. He’d be rather cool, she decided. He’d just turn to Beast, raise an eyebrow, and then focus on his mission again.
Tempest, heads up, Beast said in her mind. A male is approaching the cabin. Doors locked.
Her heart raced. This was it. This had to be Leah’s husband. What were the chances she could draw him inside and kick his ass? She winced. They’d warned her not to. If a door was open, a drone could fly inside and record the happenings.
All thought stopped as the cabin lit up in a ball of flames.
Chapter Fourteen
Shawn:
HIS HEART ABOUT stopped when the tiny home burst into flames with Tempest locked inside.
They’d been about ready to nab the man that had been lurking around the cabin, never realizing he poured an accelerant on the grounds until someone got a whiff of the smell. By the time they’d issued a warning, it was too late. Brock Ciregna flicked a match from his fingers.
With a roar, Shawn leapt to his feet. He was barely aware of Pax handing him one of the new fire retardant capes that he’d been carrying around ever since his own mate was burned in an attack. Barely aware of the Xeno Sapiens rushing Brock, who howled as he was taken down. Barely aware of all the other people in the camp waking and screaming in terror through the curling smoke.
All he was aware of was getting to Tempest. While he had his protective gear on, she was dressed in nothing but flimsy, flammable clothing. He barged full force toward the cabin, bursting through the front door, splintering the wood frame all around him. The flames roared in behind him with the sudden influx of oxygen. In one move, he shook out the blanket and covered her, picking her up and tucking her against his body.
The cabin had so much black smoke inside, it was impossible to see, to breathe, to think. It was their self-preservation only rolling through his limbs. The heat was cooking them alive. With the flames roaring all around, it was impossible to hear. He wouldn’t have even known if she was conscious except for the fact that she seemed to move, huddling closer against him as he ran. The burning flames licked at his cheeks and he tucked his chin. Protected underneath the blanket, Tempest raised hers and they touched foreheads, which would have been sweet if they hadn’t been running for their lives.
Once he was a safe distance away, he dropped to his knees, lifting the blanket to check her.
She sucked in clean air and wheezed, gasping as she choked black filth from her lungs. Her gorgeous face was covered in soot—probably much like his own.
“Shawn?” Her voice was barely there, instead sounding raspy and gravelly.
“Baby, are you hurt? Anywhere?”
Her shoes were hot as he worked them off her feet, checking her for burns. He ripped the blouse from her body, but she seemed fine there, too.
“He’s gonna strip her naked,” Beast said from behind him.
It made him aware of what he was doing and he tucked the blanket around her, reassured that she didn’t have raw burns on her body.
“I’m fine,” she throat-whispered. “You?”
“Fine. My gear protected me. When the flames built up around us, I tucked my face into the blanket to run out.”
Her purple fingers reached out to stroke his cheek. “You’re dirty.”
He laughed. “So are you. Can’t even see what color your body is. We’re gonna have to shower together.”
“Let’s cover up,” Jason murmured, tucking the blanket back over Tempest’s face. Shawn saw why—small, buzzing drones had arrived. The last thing they’d need was a shot of Tempest’s face instead of Leah’s.
“Here’s the hover craft,” Jason said. “Why don’t you get Leah to our hospital in Xenia to get her checked out? The rest of the team will wait here until the police arrive to take away the suspect.”
“Police?” Tempest said, her voice muffled inside the blanket. But she still sounded outraged. “He’s not dead?”
Jason fought a smile as he and Shawn met each other’s eyes. “No. He’ll be taken into custody and locked away for a very long time. You’re safe now, Leah,” he said pointedly.
They heard some mumbling under the blanket as Shawn lifted her and stepped into the hover craft. As soon as the doors were shut, he lifted the blanket from her face again. Someone tapped on the outside of the doors, and the vehicle lifted, speeding away on a pre-set route to the front gates.
“I can’t believe Beast didn’t accidentally squish the human,” Tempest snapped. “What else does he have that massive weight for? Now how am I going to explain to my friend that her husband still lives?”
“You tell her that his life is going to be much worse this way,” Shawn said. “Death would have been too easy. Now he’ll have to work in the mine fields and rock pits for the rest of his life to pay for his care in incarceration. And that’s not easy for a man who never worked a day in his life, instead living off his wife’s income.”
“Oh. That’s a very good point,” Tempest said.
His lips found hers and kissed her. She tasted smoky. And lovely. And she kissed him back so eagerly and unreserved. So like…Tempest.
“I wasn’t scared. I realize you are strong, Shawn. The strongest man I know—and that includes the Xeno Sapiens.”
“And I was beyond terrified. When I saw your cabin go up in flames around you, all I could think of was losing you.”
“I would have rejected you for being weak had our situations been reversed. Do you wish to reject me?”
“Of course not. I meant what I’ve been telling you. I love you.”
“Love means wanting to be with someone despite their weakness.”
He smiled. “Yeah. Because there are many forms of weakness and many forms of strength.”
“I have not been completely truthful with you,” she said. “I should have told you long ago that I fell in love with you.”
“I know you did. You’ve been fighting it since I died. And I’ve been waiting, my pretty. Waiting for you to fall as hard for me as I have for you.”
“So what do we do now?”
“We move in together. And we work on balancing out those orgasms.”
“I have lost track of who’s ahead.”
“Pretty sure it’s you,” he said. “You’ll have to make it up to me.”
Chapter Fifteen
Shawn:
Tempest chose to keep her apartment, which was fine by him. He packed his bags and a few personal belongings and gave up his quarters before she could think twice. He had her exactly where he wanted her. In love, in his bed, and in his arms, every night.
Life was wonderful, like fucking perfect. He was sure the birds chirped louder and he couldn’t help but smile more. She was off this morning—visiting Lily and Sunny and a couple of other women. Robyn. Amanda. Heather, the twins’ mom. There was some kind of excitement among them—Leah was showing them how to prepare hors d'oeuvres for upcoming parties. Ever since the dance, the women were sure parties were the latest rage.
But with both Tempest and Leah busy, it was the perfect time to visit with Trance. See how the arrangement with Leah was working out.
He headed straight over to his apartment. Trance opened straight away, inviting him inside. The first place he looked to was the sofa. Unless they put away any bedding Leah might have used, she didn’t seem to b
e sleeping on the sofa. His quarters still looked like a bachelor pad, even though it had just been a day. Hell, he’d been living with Tempest that long and her place already looked different. It looked like a combination of them.
“How’s Leah doing?” Shawn asked, sitting down.
Trance shrugged. “I thought she would be different now with her husband locked up. But she isn’t. She still flinches. She has nightmares. She’s not at peace. It might even be worse now that she knows for sure about the life insurance policy hanging over her head.”
“She’s been abused for years. It doesn’t go away overnight.”
“But she’s safe.” Trance winced. “Logically I knew that. I guess I just…banked on saving the day by helping to put her husband away. On giving her a place to stay. I thought she’d fall into my arms.”
“You wouldn’t want her that way. You’d want her whole. Healed. Able to make wise choices.” Yeah, he could be all wise himself now that Tempest had made the wisest choice of all.
“The problem is with her husband locked up, there’s no reason for her to stay with me. She can go back to the outside and wait for a spot to open in Xenia.”
“Has she mentioned leaving?”
“No. But it’s only a matter of time.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.” Trance’s eyes darted around the room for a moment. “Shawn, there’s a reason why I’m a loner. As soon as she finds out, she’ll be out of here.”
Shawn thought back. It was true. Trance never stayed with one person too long. Used to be, Shawn thought he was flighty. Flirty. But now he realized there was more to it than that.
“Tell me.”
“The more comfortable I feel with a person, the less likely I am able to control my subconscious.”
“Your dreams?” Shawn asked. “Tempest mentioned something about your power.”
