Captured Desire

by Tasha Winters

  “Because of all the stress it puts on her, but she did all right in the exam room with me.”

  “One on one. When she’s in a room full of chaotic emotions, if she doesn’t have a strong handle on her own feelings it can be disastrous. The strong overwhelming feelings of terror, and pain, both physical and mental, can be devastating. Add to that the uncertainty of their decisions and it can tear an empath up inside unless they have learned how to control it.”

  “You’re saying you haven’t seen this much control in her?”

  Ethan shook his head. “I’m not saying she doesn’t have any control because by virtue of the fact that she’s had this her whole life she’s had to learn some coping mechanisms, but she needs more. And I agree there’s something else going on that we have no idea about. I can’t tell whether it’s the events that have happened in her life recently, combined with her abilities to connect with a room full of hurting people, or what. At least I don’t know yet.”

  “I want to take her home, as well, but there’s a problem. She’s under the impression that Sterling is setting things up to take her to the compound tomorrow. Something about Maya wanting to see her. That’s all she knew, so that’s all I got. I thought I might call him before it gets too late. I’ll pray his wife’s too pregnant for them to be fooling around tonight.” Wilder laughed and was joined by Ethan.

  “Better you than me, man. I’d pray Sterling or Zander answers. Because Pax is moody when his family time is interrupted.”

  “Pax is moody over just about everything. You have to admire his wife. She puts up with him without any trouble.”

  “That’s love, right there,” said Ethan.

  Ethan

  After a long evening, Amara finally fell asleep. As the men were leaving the center, they looked in on the women through the monitor. They found their woman, as they were now thinking of her, in the throes of a violent nightmare. Ethan walked in alone to see if he could help her fall back to sleep. He finally tried some sleep-inducing hypnosis techniques, suggesting she sleep dreamlessly. That, together with the pain meds still in her system, seemed to help because she eventually, in a half drowsy state, snuggled into his lap unexpectedly and fell asleep. Ethan was loath to leave her at the center, but they had a little drive to get home and she would likely sleep the night.

  Each man felt the pull of Amara after working with her all night. Could she be their future wife? Could this be the one they’d been waiting for? Was she too damaged to be able to help others on a continual basis? Would it continually retraumatize her? That’s something they could not do even if she had the ability to meet all their needs.

  And then of course there was the trio lovemaking desires they had. They did, on occasion, triple team to bring a woman pleasure. Many women would be intimidated by three substantial men in their lives. He didn’t care if all she did was stay home and love them. It would be enough. But would they be enough, or rather too much, for her? Should they simply see if she could work with the women?

  In his musings, Ethan was absently twisting his ring, as was his habit when trying to puzzle out a solution to a problem. Becoming aware of the sensitivity of the skin beneath brought him out of his thoughts.

  They left the message with the staff that they would be back the next day and wanted Amara and the four new women transferred to Restoration House. They would work with them there. So, at the end of the week, the new residents would be transferred to their facility to join the others in various stages of healing.

  Wilder said as he climbed in the vehicle, “We don’t have to go home. It’s late so we are staying at Ambrose House tonight. I also asked Sterling if, instead of him, that we take Amara home tomorrow. He said Maya wanted to see her, talk to her. Evidently, she has had a few dreams of Amara and thinks there is evil near her. Besides, girl talk might help her settle.”

  Ethan remained quiet. Finn, on the other hand, was Finn and always impatient. “I don’t understand all that predictive dreaming or anything but if Maya can help us keep Amara safe, I’m all for it for a few days, but I want her home.”

  “Agreed,” said Wilder.

  Ethan nodded. “We’ll arrange things at the House and then bring them home.”

  After they had left the center, the men stayed in San Antonio and went to the monthly Ambrose meeting the next morning. There was some concern because Finn had researched Amara’s background and couldn’t find her.

  “Are we sure we have Amara’s name and home, right?” asked Finn.

  “Yes, that’s what she told them at the immigration intake and the women’s center, why?” asked Wilder.

  “Because she doesn’t exist.”

  “Excuse me? Doesn’t exist where?”

  “Anywhere. I mean I cannot find her in any databases. I have even catalogued the births on her island for the last thirty years. I’ve run her picture through image recognition, regression, and even reconstruction with associated persons, and there are some hits, but not with the last name Finau and not her.”

  “Let’s run her DNA, her prints, and all other identification that is standard.” Wilder seemed more anxious than Ethan thought he should.

  “What are you thinking, Wilder?” Ethan asked.

  “I’m worried that she arrived to us fresh from another time, like Maya. There was talk that Sterling’s wife was not the only time-walker, you know. There are many.”

  “Why don’t we just ask her?”

  The silence was full of the new concern. The fear was that she was there for a reason and not only because she was severely beaten more than once. No, regardless of why and how she was here, it was a good thing that they had Amara. The immigration center, where more abuses could take place if she were turned loose there without them to watch over her, was never going to be an option.

  Just thinking that someone had abused her, a group of someone’s, multiple times, elicited intense emotions within them. Finn voiced his. “I’m devising how I will extract retribution on those who harmed Amara.”

  Ethan knew that while Finn had loved his mercenary days, he understood violence wasn’t the way to settle a dispute, usually. Ethan wondered how quickly that would change if his woman was in danger.

  “But you forget, this isn’t a dispute but a clear act of criminal behavior.” He tended to be more proactive than Ethan. Ethan could psychoanalyze it. However, Finn would take him, or them, apart limb by limb and then drop the dismembered body off with Wilder to put them back together. Just thinking about how Finn would do that, gave them all some relief and satisfaction even though Finn wouldn’t perform the act.

  Concerning the lack of information on Amara, with the digital records being as universally completed as they were now, it was unlikely that she wasn’t on any database unless something they had never considered had happened. Besides, Amara was intelligent, well-educated, and did not seem put off by her environment even though it was obvious hers was different, it wasn’t profoundly so.

  He, Wilder, and Finn, sat at the luncheon table with Sterling, Zander, and Paxton. Not only did the men want to discuss how long Amara would stay at the compound, but they also wanted to set up a meeting time to privately discuss the whole situation. Finn mentioned his inability to find Amara to the three scientists from the compound over their Ambrose luncheon and were immediately silenced with the promise to speak privately later.

  Sterling said, “We will do a video chat when we get back to the compound. We can discuss things then. I know you have questions but here is never the right place.”

  That only added more mystery and concern to the matter, but the Restoration House men had great respect for those at the Compound and changed the subject. They agreed to pick Amara up at the end of the week. They would talk with the other men in the hopes of coming away with a better understanding and a clearer path to their next decisions.

  The Ambrose meeting went on to discuss some of the new projects the society had either initiated or joined anonymously. Ethan and al
l the other members knew what that meant. Ambrose society did not take credit for any of the advances that they financed or made in the effort for world peace and prosperity, but their power and influence was incredible. Ethan imagined the Society was the most powerful single entity influencing the world. Likely had been for several centuries. He listened to the speaker.

  “After conferring with scientists around the world, we can reverse the damage and recover from the huge loss of males in the war. One method that some feel is agreeable, but is an ethical decision, is genetic preselection. Carry only the males to term. Another method would be for women to volunteer to be inseminated and carry male embryos to term and we will have families ready to adopt and raise the children.”

  The speaker fielded a few questions before continuing.

  “With any or all of those options open to whomever wishes to participate, there will be some compensations, so no one is financially burdened because of their sacrifice.”

  “This program would be voluntary, I assume,” an attendee said.

  “In all areas of this project, the participants would be voluntary.”

  Another member asked, “How long will you need to put these remedial measures in place?”

  “Mathematically, it is estimated that we can replenish the male population in two years. After which time, the natural process will be resumed without interference and in one generation, the balance should have been restored. And remember, this is just conversation today. We have not decided on a course of action or even lined out Ambrose’s part in any adjustment measures.”

  “One question,” said Ethan after a quiet conversation amongst those at his table. “Knowing the way our brains work, are you at all worried about the potential psychological changes society will assume in an endeavor such as this?”

  “How so?” asked the speaker.

  “Follow my logic a moment. Say we encourage a preselection and that it favors male progeny. That begins to change the general thinking into male priority. From there the hierarchy of need and relevance slips in, as it must, to choose a male child over female. The beginning purpose is lost behind the current expectation: males are preferable to females thereby lessening the female worth. If we are not extremely diligent, we will find our population imbalanced again- flipped the other way. Only, we will have a world who, once again, believes females are a lesser being.”

  “Knowing that propensity of thought in advance, we would put safeguards into place to avoid that eventuality.”

  “And if you are unable to stave off the trend, we are quickly back to male superiority, for it will be assumed they must be superior to have been the chosen gender. Now, in that world, women are treated worse, valued less, wanted less. Then it becomes a breeding issue and an equality issue that has gotten out of hand. Our next projected endeavor will be to free women. Again. Obviously, I have my reservations.”

  “I believe you have it wrong, Doctor Glasman. This is only for one generation of offspring.”

  “The technology is there, it simply has been something that appealed to a few select individuals, egocentric enough and rich enough to make use of it. Your proposal will change all of that if opened to the general population. I would recommend, for the reasons I and many others stated earlier that you make this a quiet project, with as few as possible in the reproductive pool. Not announce it, keep it as a medical trial with strong monitoring.”

  “Thank you, doctor. Your insights will be added to the project suggestions to consider when we outline the implementation.”

  “That Ambrose has not yet decided to participate in,” Ethan reminded the room.

  “Mm, yes, you are correct.”

  Ethan looked as though he wanted to add something else, but Sterling cleared his throat. Clearly, this wasn’t the time to continue the discussion and Ethan was grateful for the reminder. He simply nodded in understanding to the speaker and leaned back in faux relaxation as though all his reservations had been addressed. They hadn’t but there would be another day for further discussion in a more private setting. Wilder would have his hands full while sitting on that committee.

  Ambrose’s members were given access to all the latest technology, studies, and anything else that they needed to ensure the outcome in any given situation. The outcome that Ambrose had chosen. Ethan knew how it sounded but so far, in the efforts he had been a party to, they were outcomes he had agreed with. Stopping the killing by ending the war had enlisted key persons from Ambrose—around the world—to stage a coup of sorts on all governments behind the conflict and it had worked. Finn had been one of those key persons which is why, in part, he did not care for socializing. Actually, the fewer people the better.

  The banning of genetically altered food was beginning to see the fruit of its purpose, to reverse the devastating health complications that had manifested from genetic alterations. Paxton, sitting across the table from him, had been a leader in that movement. And there was so much more. Ethan was beginning to take a “leave nature as is” approach to many things.

  Ethan himself had been part of several Ambrose backed studies and later implementations involving psychological training and retraining. That was where he had met the men at the Compound. These men were participants of several studies involving paranormal mental activities such as mind reading, dream walking, suggestive therapy and a few others. These areas were interesting but relatively harmless in his eyes. He had an unease on this possible population resetting. The implications were dramatic.

  “Have you noticed that Amara has some unique abilities?” asked Wilder as he looked at his table mates.

  Zander looked around and then spoke in quiet undertones. “Not here. If you care at all for Amara, do not discuss her here. Ever. In any fashion.”

  The look on his friends’ faces communicated the real meaning. It wasn’t safe, even in an Ambrose environment, to be speaking about their woman. Something was really odd about the things surrounding their girl and it was fast approaching the time to figure it out.

  As soon as Amara arrived at the Compound, the men had discussed the mysteries surrounding her via video com. They had decided to see what they could glean from her before he, Finn, and Wilder picked her up. She was doing well at the compound, it would seem. Sterling joked about the ‘girl time’. They had all agreed Amara would stay until the end of the week.

  Ethan had had a conversation with Sterling earlier today when he was checking on Amara. Just her name coming across his internal radar jarred his insides like no other woman had ever been able to do. She’d begun video chats with the guys and him to get to know each other. Ethan tended to keep himself more separate than either Finn or Wilder. It wasn’t that he distrusted people, he actually was rather comfortable around them because he could read them with consistent accuracy.

  The reason he kept a distance from women, predominantly, was he was human. It hurt like hell when you invested emotionally in someone and it didn’t work out. He knew if he were talking to a client, he would rationalize everything with them and help them see that typically the old adage, “it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” was true. Man needed connection, short changing themselves when they were denied that bonding process. Besides, there were enough examples of successful relationships to belie any reasoning to avoid them. That’s what Ethan would tell a client, anyway.

  The problem with most people is they didn’t want to work at it. That wasn’t Ethan’s problem. Ethan worked too hard, consistently gave more than he should at times. When he was in, he was all in, but he was learning from his mistakes and knew he needed to make sure he didn’t suffocate her in his participation. Besides being the wrong way to approach a relationship, it was exhausting. Ethan just wasn’t sure he wanted to do it again after Karen had decided they were too secluded, too segregated, too controlling, and too many other too’s to remember.

  Amara was different, and Ethan couldn’t put his finger on it, but he was absolutely positive
she would work if they could convince her to stay. He wasn’t above using the needs of the other women to entice Amara to stay at Restoration House. Besides the physical healing, there was the need for security and to reset her thinking. He would do his damnedest to make this work.

  After several conversations with the Compound men and Amara, the trio agreed on their course of action. Several days later they were knocking on the Compound’s front gate.

  Finn

  Thankfully, Finn wasn’t driving, because all he could do was think about how life would change, how he hoped it would change, after today. All the way over to the Compound to talk with their colleagues and to pick up their girl, Finn couldn’t stop his thinking. He still hadn’t been able to find any trace of Amara. There were several hits on her physical characteristics and some DNA blending showed up, but it was slight. These people were related but he should have been able to find closer relatives than he’d found like maybe first cousins, parents, grandparents, siblings, but so far, nothing that close. Something was definitely not right, and he wasn’t happy about it. Time-walker seemed more and more feasible, but why? And how?

  His thoughts shifted to Amara herself. She was beautiful, and honest with determination. She was a bit sassy when they didn’t always see eye to eye, but that added to her attraction. He daydreamed of getting his hand on her pert bottom many times a day, and every time she had video chatted with him and the guys for the last week. She was less anxious by last night and was happy to talk for several hours before Wilder had said it was time she went to bed. Her protest that she wasn’t tired brought out Ethan’s structure loving traits. Between him and Wilder, Finn could sit back and allow them to be the heavies while he was the sympathetic boyfriend.

  Finn didn’t want to be her boyfriend—that was for the time you were trying to see if you meshed. Amara was his soulmate, and he had no intentions of practicing with her. He wanted her seriously, permanently, and immediately. It didn’t matter what had happened to her, they’d figure it out. Time to take their woman home, love her, claim her, then figure out what was going on with her. He knew things should go in a different order but sometimes a man couldn’t deny his gut feelings.