Rose couldn’t help but smile. They were so young, but yet shouldered so much. Most shifters on the outside were grateful, but they really had no idea, did they?
Helen stood up and moved to the arm of the recliner. “What did you teach at Harvard, Rose?”
“Mostly Japanese history and some Asian politics.”
“Asia is so fascinating. I took Japanese my freshman year in college for the language requirement. It was so challenging. I spent more time studying that than any other subject that year.”
Rose nodded. “It’s not easy for me either. I’ve been in the states since I was ten. I can still speak it, but I’ve lost a lot of my ability to write it.”
“That reminds me. Christian and Rory need tutors. I can work with Rory in reading and writing, but Christian’s science is too advanced for me. And Rory also needs math and Spanish. Any takers?” Evy looked from face to face hopefully.
Helen smiled. “I can help Christian in science.”
“Thanks, Helen. I know how busy you are. He only has one topic left. He would have graduated in a couple of months. It’s a shame for him not to finish. This way, if he doesn’t go through a second transition, I can help him get his credits.”
“You know, I can tutor Rory in all three subjects if you like, Evy. Your hands are pretty full.”
“Oh, my God. You’re an angel, Rose. Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
“I’ll help Rory with her Spanish.”
“Awesome, Adriana. I was hoping you’d say that. Thanks so much, ladies. I’m not sure what we’ll do if we take more kids in, but this will help a lot.”
The thought of teaching again was so invigorating that Rose could hardly help herself. “The residents will have phased, so they’ll mostly be twelfth graders. That’s an age I can work with. We can set up a schedule and I’ll take them in groups, if need be.”
“Oh, that’s perfect, Rose. I think between the rest of us, we can cover the languages.”
Baby Maya began to cry and half the room started to get up.
Adriana motioned for everyone to sit down. “It’s okay, girls. Have a seat and prepare yourselves.”
The females all looked from one to the other as Adriana called into the next room.
Without warning, the offspring materialized in the play pen in the corner next to Helen, who jumped. “Holy shit.”
“Yep. Richard thinks it’s adorable. I’m having a nervous breakdown. Maybe if I could gleam.”
Ana put her arms around her. “I’ve got your back, mama.”
“So do I,” Evy chimed in.
Rose stood up to go over to the baby and all of a sudden the room did a complete flip flop. Luckily, Ana was fast.
“I’ve got her.” The warrior actually picked her up and carried her to what looked like a smudge of a couch.
Then Helen was at her side. “Ana, my kit.”
Moments later, out of nowhere, the most offensive odor imaginable hit her nostrils. “Oh!”
“Sorry, honey. Do you remember what happened?”
Rose looked at all of the concerned faces surrounding her. “I just felt so dizzy.”
Helen took her wrist and felt her forehead. “You nearly passed out. How do you feel now?”
“Better, I guess.”
“I think I’ll have you come down with me to the ward for a bit. Just in case. Alright?”
“Do you really think that’s necessary?”
The surgeon shook her head. “No, not necessary. Just smart.”
Ana helped Rose stand and handed Helen her bag. “I’ll bring you ladies some salad in a few minutes, Helen.”
“Thanks, m’dear. We’ll see you all later.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
X flew down the back stairs and darted down the compound’s main corridor. He would have gleamed, but at the moment his brain couldn’t seem to remember how. He pushed through the swinging door of the medical ward. His mate was lying on one of the beds watching Ellen on TV.
He softly touched the side of her face. “Hey, are you alright?”
“I’m okay.”
Helen came out of her office. “She fainted, X. She checks out. I just wanted to keep an eye on her for a bit.”
“You fainted, Rosie?”
“More like half fainted.” She smiled up at him.
“Honestly, X. With the week she’s had, it’s not that surprising.”
No problem. Now if he could just be treated for a coronary. “Can I take her down to our room?”
“Sure. Just make sure you two lovebirds actually rest tonight. I was newly mated once.”
His female flushed.
X nodded. “Scout’s honor.”
“Alright. Go ahead and take her. Order dinner in. Maybe check her vitals here and there.”
“Will do. Thanks, Helen.”
X scooped her up into his arms.
His mate grinned up at him. “Did you know baby Maya can gleam already?”
He couldn’t suppress a relieved smile. “Let’s go, you.”
Dimitri walked with Ana down Marlborough Street, passing one Victorian brownstone after another. They crossed Dartmouth and he checked his watch. It was late and Back Bay was quiet for the most part. Except, of course, for the ones they hunted. Weeknights were the best days of the week and today was Wednesday. Less civilians and more frankenfuckers. Perfect.
“Do you see that?”
He nodded. One of those odd groupings of rogues was up ahead. There were three of them. Ana felt sure that Victrixa would never allow something like that. Too paranoid. Her theory was that the scientist had been selling rogues to Batiste on his own. Finding out for sure was key. They needed to know if she was actually working with the drug lord or not. “You know, maybe it’s time for some reconnaissance.”
“It’s worth a shot. After you, bro.”
He gleamed to the top of one of the brownstones and his partner followed. Together they walked quietly from building to building, using the condos’ connected rooftops. They listened to the conversation below them as they went. They couldn’t have asked for a better sitch. The rogues never veered off the street, allowing them to listen in for blocks. They’d just gleamed across Exeter to the next row of brownstones when Dimitri’s Spidey sense went off. Sure enough, he could pick up on a slight clicking sound off to the left. They were being photographed. Whoever it was, he hoped they were getting his good side.
He put his arm around his partner’s back and mouthed, keep moving. It was a shifter’s k’ul, but it was coming from another nearby rooftop. He glanced at the buildings on the other side of the street. Maybe it was just an insomniac civilian working in their rooftop garden. And then he saw her. She was crouched down along the dormer window of the Victorian across the street, mini cam in hand.
Well, well, well. Ekaterina Spanov in the flesh. “Viktor’s hottie is directly across the street.”
“Want me to go?”
“No. This is our problem. I’ll meet you back at my condo. No more than an hour.”
“Fine. Just don’t underestimate her.”
With that, he gleamed across Marlborough and materialized right by where he’d seen her. She’d already started scaling the roof toward the top. Dimitri launched himself forward and grabbed onto her boot, but she’d latched onto the roof’s ridge.
“Aw, come on now. That’s just rude.”
He managed to get her turned around and holy fuck. It was like seeing a ghost or some shit. She looked exactly as she had in his dream. At that moment, she gave her leg a yank and it slipped from his hand.
“So, we meet at last, Dimitri Ivanovovich.”
“I didn’t realize I was in such high demand, Ekaterina Spanovovna.”
“Not so high, but your brother is another matter.”
“Yeah, why is that again? I’m much better looking. This is over, female. Done.”
She raised an eyebrow. “On the contrary, it has hardly begun.”
She turned
and slid down the other side of the roof. Dimitri hopped up onto the ridge and watched her as she made her way down the Exeter side of the building using the recessed windows. Wait, his big brother was running from a Bond girl? As she was just about to land on the sidewalk, he gleamed down behind her.
He clapped his gloved hands. “Well done. Very Hollywood. Do you always do your own stunts?”
She swung her leg around behind her and he hopped over it, grabbing her arm and wrenching it behind her back. Suddenly, something burned into his hand and he let go all at once. “Fuck!”
The female ran up the street, slipped her leg over the seat of what looked like a classic Ducati, and shot off. Dimitri gleamed out and materialized in the living area of his condo at Midtown. His partner was sitting on the couch playing remote roulette with her feet on the coffee table.
Ana craned her neck around and smiled. “Wow, D. Twenty whole minutes. Impressive.”
He held up the palm of his hand. “I’m fine, fuck you very much.”
“Lemme guess. You underestimated her.” She shook her head and walked over. “Males.”
“Well, call me crazy, but I didn’t expect to get shot with a goddamn toothpick.”
His partner took a gander at his palm. “Looks like she got you with a Berloque.”
“Wha…?”
“It’s a tiny pistol. She probably had it on her keychain. Let me just get that out and give it a quick cleaning.”
He drew his brows together. “Did you say on her keychain?”
“Yep. She used it to startle you. I told you to be careful. She’s a spy, D. We come equipped with all kinds of shit and we don’t fight in the same way. It was pretty clever, actually.”
A moment later, she held up the offending metal with a pair of tweezers.
“Lovely.”
His partner cleaned it and left it without a bandage. “Anything else of note?”
“I think she drove off on a Ducati.”
“Really? Not my style, but I’m sure it does the job. She definitely knew who you were?”
“She used my name.”
“Well, that doesn’t necessarily mean she was sure.”
“At least, not until I answered her.”
Ana rolled her eyes. “You’re an idiot.”
He grinned. “Yeah, but you love me anyway.”
“Which makes me an idiot. Let’s motor.”
Troy stood on the back patio and looked up at whatever stars weren’t obscured by the lights of the city. He took one final drag off his last ever cigarette and looked at it for a moment. Since he’d been with Evy, he hadn’t even smoked every day. With the baby comin’, it was time to quit for good. Which was just as well. He flicked the butt with his fingers and was just about to go inside when he noticed his mate as she walked to the pond and sat down on the bench alongside it. He watched her for a moment, wonderin’ whether or not she needed some alone time. Aw, fuck it. He opened himself up to her and let her emotions enter him briefly. It was announcement enough. She turned and patted the bench next to her. She didn’t even seemed pissed that he’d done it, which actually worried him a little.
He walked up behind her and swung his legs over the back of the bench. “Hey, babe.”
“Hey.”
“Sorry about the quickie. I thought maybe you might wanna be alone.”
“No, it’s fine.”
He brushed the back of her hair with his hand. “Got an awful lot on your mind these days. Is it the baby?”
“No. I mean, I think he was just trying to protect me. So far his power is passive, like mine. It just took me awhile to realize it. I’m sure it’ll work itself out. Speaking of powers, can I ask you something?”
“Course.”
“When you pick up on someone’s emotions, like that time with James, for instance. How do you decide when to keep it to yourself and when not to?”
He thought for a moment, picking up a rock and skipping it several times along the surface of the water. “Well, with James, I watched and waited to see what came next. I knew I wasn’t the only one who was looking out for him and noticing the changes in him. That helped. Then, after we got into it in the workout room, I decided it was time to step in.”
“But what if it was too late?”
“Did you have a vision about someone, babe?”
She nodded.
“Can you tell me who it is?”
She looked down at her lap. “It’s Rose.”
Ah. She didn’t want to invade the female’s privacy, but he knew she felt a very strong loyalty toward X. Shit.
“I mean, on the one hand, I don’t want to upset Rose. She’s barely been here a week and she really likes it here. Plus, I already read something by mistake and had to apologize. I mean, she’s such a good person. I know she wouldn’t keep anything from X if she thought it would hurt him.”
Aw, man. His female had seen something from Rose’s past. No wonder she was stressin’ about Xavier. “Maybe they’ve already talked about it, Ev.”
“Yeah, I thought of that, too. But maybe not.”
She started to tremble and he suggested they head inside. They took hands and gleamed into their bedroom. Troy picked up her favorite quilt and wrapped it around her shoulders before they sat on the bed. “How did this vision happen?”
“You know how I usually check on your duty to be sure you’ll be safe? Well, she was nervous about X. You know, first time and all. So I offered to read X’s night for her. That’s when her past came up.”
“That happened to me a lot when I was gettin’ used to my power. Finally, I went to see Richard about it. He said that a lot of that stuff is just noise. It happens a lot early on. Unless something else has happened.” His mate’s face fell and he caught it by her chin. “Ev?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Okay, how ’bout this. Keep your eye out and if you decide you should talk to them, we’ll go together.”
“Thanks for that, my male.”
“Hey, guess what, female? Smoke-free as of ten minutes ago.”
“No way.” She grinned. “That’s great. I’m proud of you.”
“Yeah, ’cept now I think I’m getting a waffle craving instead.”
His mate swatted him with a pillow before he leaned back against the rest and brought her down to join him.
CHAPTER TWENTY
X poured himself some coffee from the early breakfast table and started to prepare some tea and a bagel for Rose. She’d still been out cold when he’d gotten out of the shower, which was good. She clearly needed it. Helen was right. Sleep hadn’t even made the top five this week, which had gone something like sex, sex, food, water, more sex.
His boy walked in and cracked a smile. “Mornin’, Hoss. How goes mated life?”
“About two extra cups of coffee going, you dig?”
His partner barked a laugh. “I figured as much. Hey, can you make a little time for the Vette this week?”
“Hell, yes. I always have time for her. Everything okay?”
“Yup. Just some questions.”
Diesel walked in with a plate of Mary’s pancakes. “Mornin’, boys.”
X grinned. “Damn, those look good, Dies.”
“Eyes off the goods, my friend.”
Troy took a sip of Joe. “Hey, while I’ve got you two. I’ve noticed the females have been spending more time out back since it started warming up. I mean, we got offspring gleamin’ and shit.”
X nodded.
The brother stopped eating. “Who’s gleaming?”
Troy shoved the last of his bagel in his mouth and rolled his eyes.
Diesel dropped his fork. “Maya’s gleaming? Whoa.”
“Exactly. I know we have the electrified fence and security cameras, but is there anything else we should be doing?”
X nodded at his partner. “We’ll look into it this afternoon.”
“Thanks, guys. I’ll check you at dinner.”
Diesel watched him
walk out. “When the fuck did he grow up?”
“Real fast, my man. Real fast.”
Reyn paced in front of Richard’s TV, stopping only to watch Maya gleam across the room before starting up again. “The Olympics? Have they lost their fucking minds?”
“Reyn, it’s in ten years for Chrissake. Sit.”
He sat on the couch and ran his hand threw his hair. Richard had a good point. They didn’t even know if there would be a Boston in ten years. Jesus, he needed to calm the fuck down. Since Akina had left, his adrenaline was on ten at all times. He could barely make it through the morning news anymore.
“Look, I think we’re going to have to send Ana and Pax back in.”
The HNBIC shook his head.
“What other choice do we have? We need to know where Victrixa is at with this thing. We’re not even sure what her relationship is to Batiste. Look, Ana is the best there is and she’s been training Pax for weeks.”
“His ability to clone doesn’t protect her from her own high profile with Toltec.”
“I hear what you’re saying. But rescuing Adriana was very different from what we’re asking them to do undercover. Come on, Reyn. This is Ana. This is what she excels at.”
Reyn nodded. “You’re right. Let’s get them in here before dinner and give them the deets.”
James looked in the bathroom mirror and started to take his facial piercings out one at a time. He was just about to take out the barbell in his tongue when he stopped. Maybe he’d leave that one in. A slight smile crept onto his face as the events of the last thirty-six hours came back to him. You’d think it’d be the sweaty moments that would stand out. Not that it wasn’t amazing, but the time they’d spent afterward—laughing, kissing, holding each other. He never thought he could be so happy. No. It wasn’t happiness. It was joy. Pure joy.
He turned on the shower and stepped under the hot water. He shook out his hair and started to shampoo it. An NB’s hair grew so damn fast. He’d been dying it once a week just to keep up. He had no idea how females dealt with that shit. What a PIA, especially with hair as thick as his. He was looking forward to cutting the black off the ends and just being auburn again.
Fatal Call (New Breed Novels Book 4) Page 13
