by Rena Marks
Covet’s purple eyes shone with a glassy, amethyst hue of unshed tears. And then Blaze encircled them into his arms, and it seemed the entire dining room went a little quiet.
She gave them their moment and then broke the emotion with some gentle humor. “What’s a human girl gotta do for some attention around here?”
Reson guffawed. “Milady, let me help you get seated. Cov and I will have to instruct our witless brother on how to care for a gal.”
She liked that he included Covet, making him feel normal in knowing how to care for the opposite sex when he didn’t have a relationship like the other two. She could tell Covet felt good about it, also. Blaze smiled at her.
“I’ll shower you with so much attention tonight you’ll be begging for me to get back to the guys.”
It was her turn to laugh.
One of the teens came out to take their order and brought drinks. They sat comfortably around the table while they waited for the food to be brought out.
Covet seemed comfortable enough to talk about Reson’s relationship. He was doing so great Irina couldn’t imagine this was the same person who’d come to her because she was single and he hated the mated couples.
“How’s Grace?” he asked.
“Done.” Reson’s voice was quiet as he answered. There was a finality in his tone that made them all somber.
“What happened?” Blaze asked.
“She didn’t want the same kind of relationship. She said she enjoyed her freedom too much to tie it to me.” He shrugged. “I can’t say I blame her. I was so wrapped up in her, I guess I smothered her.”
“Did you love her?” Irina asked.
“I—I cared about her. The sex was hot.”
“Just the fact that you couldn’t answer with yes means she may not have been for you,” Irina said.
“We all know Blaze knew immediately you were the one.”
Covet laughed. “We had to distract you that first day in his apartment so he wouldn’t look like a bumbling idiot.”
“You were good wingmen,” she said. “He had my eye from day one.”
“Is that what you want?” Covet asked Reson.
“If it happens, fine. My relationship with Grace was fine, too. It just didn’t work for her.”
“What about you, Covet?” Blaze asked. “Do you want a relationship?”
The table grew quiet, even Reson looked toward him for the answer.
“I honestly don’t know. I’m not attracted to females. But I’m not attracted to males.”
“Your hormones may have something to do with that,” Irina said. “It could be that your body is waiting for the female to bring the right pheromones to you. Once you know, you’ll know.”
“Like I did,” Blaze said, placing his hand over Irina’s. “One look, and I knew she was mine. The battle was convincing her.”
“Maybe the three of us can get back to working together. We can volunteer for the gates or the fields,” Reson said.
“Covet needs something not too strenuous right now,” Irina said. “While his body adjusts to the organ shifts.”
“We can meet up in the morning and figure it out,” Blaze suggested. “Like old times.”
“I’d like that.”
They all smiled at Covet’s statement.
* * * * *
Blaze left the apartment early to meet with his guys. She hoped the relationship between the three of them would stay firm—especially if Covet’s health worsened or if Reson found another woman to shower attentions on. It was a perfect time to focus on work. She slipped into the office early, working the early morning on her Procreation Program and then treating her two morning appointments. Then she delved into her tests with Covet, opening her office door for some fresh air.
“Amazing job on figuring out what’s going on with Covet,” Robyn said, sipping a mug of coffee from her doorway. The rich scent filled the air as the steam curled from the cup.
“I haven’t figured out the entire problem yet,” Irina admitted, leaning back in her chair and stretching. It was a breakthrough to find out he needed both male and female pheromones, but why she still wasn’t sure. He produced his own, of course, in small quantities. But for some unknown reason, he needed much larger doses lately. Massive doses.
Could that be the reason why he was suddenly okay with continuing the friendship with his two buddies? Especially knowing of the relationship between her and Blaze? She longed for a coworker to talk to like she had in the past when she was a student serving an internship.
“There are facilities on Theta Eight that study the endocrine system.”
“I’m well aware.”
If it had been Amanda here, she might be aware that Irina had studied at the United Matschessi Medical Program. She might also be aware that it was the reason why Irina came to Xenia. Her life as she knew it had ended when Ralph’s did, and studying the endocrine system had been a distraction afterward.
“They’re having their world-renowned conference this weekend. I can get you in.”
“How?” The conference usually sold out years in advance.
Robyn smiled. “You forget I’m a hacker.”
“Oh.” Irina did forget. It had been pretty shocking to find out exactly who she was. Eve, the teenage girl who had developed their self-repairing court system. Robyn was brilliant, of course. But she couldn’t imagine how she managed both personas.
“I can slip you a couple of Pax and Steele’s new inventions. A camera. Microphone. Things of that sort. Hack their cameras, bypass their alarms. At some point, you can slip into their lab and test any samples you wish. I’ll delete all records afterward, but you’ll have a couple hours of having the best equipment and research at your fingertips.”
“They’ll be watching me every minute.”
“They’ll be focused on what you bring to the table. Your very own un-scary, very-human, sexy Xeno Sapien. Blaze. But with his easygoing personality and beautiful wings, which make him look like a forbidden angel, he’ll have women salivating. He’ll distract the crowds and you can slip away.”
“Will he want to go?” The outside could be a scary place for Xeno Sapiens.
“With you? Of course. I’m not sending him for just a romp in the hay.” Robyn smiled as Irina’s cheeks pinked. “His purpose will be as your guard. Security from us won’t be allowed otherwise. And I’m not sending you in unprotected.”
The idea of having the cutting edge labs at her disposal. Was it truly possible to sneak her in?
Robyn leaned in. “I can do it, Irina. And with the gadgets our guys have developed…well, let’s have you take a look for yourself. You’ll feel more confident.” She made a motion with her arm out toward the hallway and then entered the office to sit across from her. After a few minutes, the father of her child, Steele, came in.
He nodded at her and leaned down to kiss Robyn.
“You’d like to see some of the latest things we’ve come up with?”
Irina nodded.
“Eyeglasses made of a special polymer. The plastics won’t allow interference from radio waves. So if Robyn crashes their electrical system, or hacks into their computer system, your glasses will still work. The lenses are special—not only will you have night vision, but the outside lenses function as cameras, enabling Robyn to see all that you do. She’ll be able to guide you safely through darkened or even unfamiliar buildings by scanning the blueprints on her end.”
“Wow,” she murmured.
“This wristwatch is a telecommunicator. But instead of having to wear an earpiece or read a message like a text, one press of the button will allow communication to echo inside your head. You’ll be instantly telepathic with the person on the other end.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Robyn grinned at her. “I told you we could do this.”
Steele produced another small disc. “A door lock. It jams the system, and no one can enter a room that you’re in. Useful to have while you sleep a
t night.” He grabbed another device. “This piece is a glass manipulator. I’ve studied the motel the conference is in. If this is placed against a window, it will melt the glass without heat. You’ll be able to jump through, temporarily suspended. Then, when the other side releases, you’ll fall through, leaving the original side intact. They’ll never be able to tell you left the room.”
“Until I smash on the sidewalk?”
Steele gave a small grin. “If Blaze is with you, there’s no way to smash. Plus, I have something else, though I’m not sure if we’re sending it. It’s experimental.” He rummaged through the bag of tricks and pulled something out. “This is to be used only in an emergency like if Blaze isn’t around and you’re forced to jump off a building. We haven’t tested them enough to know if they’re failsafe.” He pulled out a simple black leather vest. It looked like something a member of a hovercycle club would wear. “Normally you would not be able to bring these into the city. But since they don’t have any precedence of Xeno Sapiens visiting, they will think it’s clothing.”
“Why wouldn’t you be allowed to bring a vest into the floating city?” Irina asked.
“It’s a rocket launcher,” Robyn explained. “A jet pack. Steele and Pax managed to make the rockets so flat they’re hiding inside the vest. They also have a minimal amount of heat, which is tempered inside the heat resistant treated fabric of the leather.”
“It’s a test model, and we made it based on a Xeno Sapien’s size.” Steele eyed her smaller figure disparagingly. “There’s no time to cut it down. The lesser amount of fabric could catch fire with the power of the rockets.”
“Maybe we should send Reson, too,” Robyn said. “If something goes wrong while Blaze is distracting the crowds, he always has his wings to get away. If Reson is wearing the jet pack, he can get Irina away in an emergency. We just make sure he’s nearby when she’s pulling info out of the labs and Blaze is distracting crowds.”
Steele nodded. “Plus, it’ll call less attention to Irina traveling with a single male. We want to keep any relationships under wraps while on the outside. There are too many hate groups. So traveling with two Xeno Sapiens makes it look like a couple of body guards, not a lover.”
“So Blaze and I have to pretend there’s nothing between us?”
Steele nodded. “It’s safer that way. The world knew of Robyn and I, but we were never alone on the outside. You will be. The security team is unable to get clearance for the conference. They can be stationed near the airport as it’s a public place. But they can’t get to you in an emergency.”
“Let me think about it.” Irina wanted to talk to Blaze, to see if he was okay with pretending there was nothing between them.
“No time,” Robyn said, checking her watch. “Amanda just commed. Covet has been sedated in Medbay. He collapsed from the pain of his organs lifting even higher into his chest cavity. Blaze and Reson brought him in.”
It never dawned on Irina to wait for Steele to pack up his gadgets. She rushed from her office and headed toward Medbay. Blaze and Reson waited in the hall, peering through the glass of Covet’s room, which Amanda left open for them.
“Are you guys okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine. Make sure he is,” Blaze said.
She nodded, giving him a quick peck to the lips. She squeezed Reson’s hand and left them. Amanda was in the room with Covet, studying his scans.
“What happened?”
“According to the scans you’d just done on him, it looks like things are getting aggressive. His body seized, and everything moved into his chest cavity. Considering how sensitive the liver is, that’s gotta cause some temper issues.” Amanda winced.
Irina looked at the scans along with her. “Holy shit, aggressive is a mild word.” Everything had been shoved up where his heart normally resided. Whatever the hell hid beneath the thickened muscle of his abdomen had done this, but the scanner still showed blank below the bottom of his ribs. “No wonder he was in pain.”
“Agony. It scared the shit out of the rest of the guys. If Blaze hadn’t been there with him, he probably would have fallen off the gates.”
“Just when they were getting their relationship back together, I’m going to have to take him off work duty.”
“Any ideas on how to treat him?”
“We leave him sedated for a few days. In the meantime, I’m heading over to the Matschessi Medical facilities to test in their state of the art labs with all of their invaluable research at my fingertips. Hopefully, when I get back we’ll have the answer.”
She looked over her shoulder at Reson and Blaze. Steele was with them, the three were in an animated conversation.
Robyn entered the room. “You’ll decide to go to the conference?”
She nodded. “Already decided.”
“Steele is explaining to those two how to use the devices. Everything will be fine, Irina. We’ll figure this out.”
By the time she headed out of the room, Reson and Steele were gone. Blaze stood by himself, waiting for her.
They made their way to her apartment. He’d brought over more and more items to her place, and it seemed natural that they were together there. He brought his arm around her shoulders, bringing her close to him as they walked.
“Thank you for agreeing to go to the outside to help Covet. I know you probably don’t want to mingle with some of those people. You knew a lot of them from before, right?”
“Yes, I know the crowd. No, I’m not looking forward to it, but thankfully I have you and Reson to distract me. I’m more upset that you and I will have to pretend there’s nothing between us, Blaze. That isn’t healthy for a new relationship.”
“We can do this. I get to sleep in bed with you at night.”
She laughed. “As long as you mess up the one in your room like it’s been slept in.” she sobered. “Seriously, this weekend is necessary to see what I can come up with. I’m missing something with Covet, and hopefully this conference can help. If it causes a bit of discomfort with me, so be it. Hell, Covet is sedated to deal with his discomfort right now.”
“He knows you’re doing all you can.”
“I just need you to know I love you.”
“I need you to know that even though you haven’t formally agreed, everyone considers you my lifemate anyway.”
She laughed, but sobered when his lips found hers.
Chapter Nine
The hotel where the conference was held bustled with attendees. Thankfully, Theta Eight had enough of the snooty types of people that they weren’t inclined to stare and point at the Xeno Sapiens. Of course they were curious and looked, but at least the upper class wasn’t crass about it.
“Hmm. As you get friendlier with people, I’d suggest taking your shirt off and showing your wings,” Irina whispered.
“Next time get a girlfriend who doesn’t try to pimp you out,” Reson whispered above her head to Blaze, making her grin.
“A girl’s gotta make a living, and he’s so sexy,” she whispered. “Stick with me, and you’ll get a cut.”
“Dr. Irina Mescar? I have your badge for you.” The man in the suit brought it to her directly, which said he was curious about her companions. She certainly wasn’t important enough for someone to hand deliver to.
“Thank you,” she said, looking at his nametag.
“I’m James Matschessi. This is my baby.” He swept his arm around the lobby. “My own beloved conference. I’m glad you were able to make it.”
“So am I.” Irina smiled at him. “The waiting list was four years long.”
“I know. I’d like to have conferences more often than every five years, but I’d lose a lot of the detail if that happened.”
Irina was sure he’d also lose a lot of the profit, but she smiled anyway.
“These are my bodyguards, Blaze and Reson. Thank you for the special permission to allow them to attend with me.”
“Of course.” He nodded at Blaze and Reson. “We understand the n
ecessity, of course. Choosing to live on Xenia during these times was a brave move for you. I’d love if you could make time to have lunch with me. A personal recount of the daily life within the new city would be fascinating.”
“I’d like that,” she said, ignoring Blaze as the head of the conference flirted. She couldn’t afford to see if he was hurt or jealous. Jealousy she could deal with, but hurt feelings? She’d toss the whole excursion aside to save him that. “We check out Monday, but I’m sure I can extend my stay to make a lunch on that day. You’ll be wrapping up the conference then.”
“My only regret is having to wait the weekend with such a lovely woman waiting on me.” He bowed, kissing her hand. The earpiece he wore cackled a bit. He looked a bit irritated as he fidgeted with it. “If you’ll excuse me?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll look forward to visiting later when you’re all checked in.”
She smiled again, making it seem warm. “As do I.”
Once he left, she spoke but avoided looking at the men. “Let’s take our luggage to our suite and get started, shall we?”
* * * * *
When they reached their suite, Reson scanned the room for cameras. Finding one located in the artfully arranged silk flowers in the living room, he calmly went to the kitchen and retrieved a glass of water.
“What are you doing?” Blaze asked with amusement.
“I don’t want these flowers to die.”
Irina jumped in. “Oh, hon, those aren’t nat—”
He poured the glass over all, hearing the popping and fizzing of the stem that contained the camera.
“Well, something smells like it short-circuited,” Irina grinned.
“Oops. I guess you’re not supposed to water silk flowers? My bad.”
“You feel free to explore this bold new world, sunshine. You can’t be expected to know what flowers are watered on a floating city.”
“Are you sneaking down to the facilities tonight?” Reson asked.
“No, I think they’ll be expecting something tonight. Instead, I’d like to wait for tomorrow afternoon. Blaze has aroused the curiosity of many people. This time, during a break of a large lecture, maybe he can draw out a crowd? Show them your wings bursting forth, explain how it was first discovered, stuff like that? Keep them visiting and Reson and I will slip away and down to the labs.”
