Her Insatiable Dark Heroes

by Her Insatiable Dark Heroes (lit)

The copter vibrated, vicious as a mad dog, the pilot attempting to shake him off. Zotorro strained fiercely, his entire body in motion as he tried to rip the pod away. Sweat poured into his eyes, and soon ran down his arms. His muscles burned as if blazing pikes had been driven into his flesh, the agony worse by the moment. Gritting his teeth, he fought the wildly shaking copter and kept up his twisting force. With the first tiny slippage, he bore down harder, shouting with the pain of his tearing muscles.

  Moment by tiny moment, he turned the pod, ripping away the metal fabric at the same time. Slowly his body become like a wheel spoke, whirling beneath the copter and, finally, spinning at super speed. Meanwhile, the copter rotated rapidly to counter his efforts. Feeling the pod give and begin to come loose, he jerked downward while jetting his body away.

  Like a trophy he held the energy pod up while sailing backwards to the edge of the dome hole. Sparing a glance in case there was another Superhero, he hurled the head-sized pod at one of the Super Bads. Not waiting to see the result, he whipped back around.

  Spearing his body, Zotorro dodged the rapid-fire blasts coming from the copter’s front turret. He blurred toward one of the three blades. His weight alone clinging to the blade could throw the small machine off balance, giving him a shot at the kill.

  Just as he caught hold of the fast-whirling blade, hanging on with both arms as his brain spun to sloshing mush, a brilliant flash of orange fire enveloped him. Wendy!

  Chapter Twenty

  Superheroine Firestorm

  Heaving himself upwards, he draped his body over the blistering-hot blade. “Flame them again, princess,” he shouted at the top of his lungs, not knowing if she heard him, since his words were lost in the whirring rotation. God be with us, he prayed. He hoped like fuckin’ hell she didn’t allow herself to become a target. Somehow he had to cripple the copter enough to bring it down before she was harmed.

  Flare after flare of her flames exploded around him, a blazing, horrendous furnace. When the blades slowed, he desperately grabbed one of the red-hot turrets, jack-knifing his body onto the blade. Every ligament, tendon and muscle stretched like rubber bands as Zotorro struggled to hang on and stop the rotation of the blades.

  The copter sank fast, despite the jets of air striking the floor, the pilot desperately doing everything to continue flying. Of course, the air sucked up Wendy’s flames, creating an inferno that looked like it towered through the dome’s hole. With a jarring thump, the copter hit the floor. Zotorro plunged his fist through the thick melting glass of the windshield to reach inside the cockpit. Finding one of the control sticks, he tore it out. Leaping down, he seized every control apparatus he could find, furiously ripping and throwing machinery parts. Next he hauled out the screaming pilot, who was on fire from head to toe. Pity caused him to swiftly end the hybrid man’s existence, then let the ravenous flames feed on him. He was one of the elite’s slaves, bred to his duties as a superior pilot.

  “Zotorro!” Wendy anxiously yelled his name.

  “It’s okay,” he shouted over his shoulder.

  “They’re here,” she yelled. “Your brothers.”

  Drafts of cold air suddenly spiraled around him. Quickly, he witnessed the circling flight of his brothers, drawing in the night air. Following their created whirlwind, he gazed upwards. Wendy’s bonfire was lifted through the dome’s hole. With no fuel, the fireball lessened, eventually extinguishing itself in the night sky.

  “Holy hell.” Wendy moved toward him, her gaze trained on the semi-wrecked copter. “What’s that?”

  “Bullet copter.” Zotorro wrapped one arm around her, pulling her close. “It’s designed to kill those of us with superpowers.” Just the feel of her anchored him. Carefully, he searched for any sign they were still under attack while silently thanking the Divine she was unharmed and with him.

  “It was so dark I couldn’t tell what was going on, exactly. I could see your naked hide glistening.” Turning, she flung her arms around his middle, hugging him like all get out.

  “Good thing you can’t burn me up to a crisp.”

  “Good damn thing,” she retorted, a sass to her tone. Craning her neck, she asked, “What kind of big-ass machine kicked a hole in the dome?”

  “Super-tronic plasma guns. I don’t know how many.”

  Zion dived downward, landing neatly before them. “Five of those energy-suckers beamed through the shield, then seared that hole.” He gave Zotorro half a grin. “Another Tale of the Swashbuckling Superhero,” he teased. “Only this time you really did save all our asses.”

  “Omygawd, that’s right.” Wendy gave excited little hops, her lush curves rubbing against him. “I remember. That was how you got your older—” she gazed pointedly at Zion, “brothers to let you enter the sacred boy-only tree house.”

  “He would regale us with stories about the Swashbuckling Superhero.” Zavier settled down beside them, his gaze glinting fondly with the memories.

  “Was the Swashbuckling Superhero ever completely buck naked?” Wendy ribbed.

  “Only once, as I recall.” Zent joined them, an enormous grin plastered on his face. “We stole his clothes at the cliff swimming hole. It was all a plot because Nella was climbing up the path, planning to jump into the pool. Well, little brother here had a crush on her. To spare her the shock of his naked body, he jumped off the cliff into the pool to a chorus of screams from three other girls. Only it turns out Nella’s little sister followed her, and had gone into the water before anyone could stop her. To make a long story short, Zotorro rescued her from drowning.”

  “And we all got into trouble,” Zion added.

  Zavier clapped Zottoro’s shoulder. “Mother pounded on our butts. And Dad wouldn’t let us play sports for a week. And Swashbuckling Superhero, here, got the royal treatment all week from everyone.”

  “You never told me that.” Wendy tweaked his cheek and smiled widely.

  “This Superhero had an extra surge of swashbuckle added to his naked body.” Zotorro reminded them all of the fact that every time they took her, their powers were increased, if only fractionally.

  At once, all of their gazes fastened on her intently.

  “Our Wendy,” Zavier praised softly. He shoved long strands of her hair back.

  “You make us stronger.” It was clear by the way Zent spoke he didn’t mean only their superpowers. He touched her cheek tenderly.

  Zion gently caught Wendy’s hand, placing a gallant kiss on the back of it. “Zotorro, why don’t you take Wendy down to the kitchen while we take care of things here?”

  Wendy balked, as Zotorro began to turn them around. “Why this humongous attack?” Focused on his three brothers, she gazed from one to the other.

  Zavier’s brow lowered, his eyes darkening ominously.

  “What is it?” Zotorro demanded.

  “A minute before the dome was attacked, we received a warning.” Zion’s gaze flickered over Wendy’s face, his concern obvious. “It seems certain members of the Black Force Elite concluded we needed to be destroyed now.”

  “Before we grew greater in abilities and strength,” Zent finished. His gaze had also darkened significantly.

  “Because of me.” Wendy’s tone dared them all to disagree with that truth.

  “As a team we are stronger with you.” Zotorro slid his hand up to the nape of her neck. Caressing, he cupped, turning her so she faced him. “We will only become stronger and more bonded. That is a direct threat to the Black Force Elite.”

  “Mowzolinn wasn’t behind this monstrous full-force attack, was he?” Zent asked.

  “No,” Zion answered. “None of his energy signatures showed. Later, I’ll analyze what I gathered so we can focus on a plan to eliminate that faction of the Black Force Elite.”

  “The super-tronic scream that disabled us wasn’t healthy for the bio machine, either,” Zavier added. “He dissolved into a puddle of slimy goo.”

  “Someone, or someones, knew we’d gotten too close,” Wendy co
ncluded.

  Zion gave a nod. “Too close. And we were becoming more and more super powerful.”

  “The attack was well-executed. Deadly.” Zavier intensely observed Wendy’s face. “However, it was set up within a short time frame.”

  “Or they would have had more bullet copters strategically placed,” Zotorro agreed.

  “It’s over for now,” Zent reassured her, his stance easy, his smile laconic. “We’ll find out who to go after and kick their ugly butts to kingdom come.”

  “For now, the Super Bads and the Black Force Elite are all gone. All defeated.” Zion grinned at Wendy. “I promise.”

  “Come on, princess, we were rudely interrupted.” Gently fondling the back of her neck, Zotorro turned her toward the main exit.

  “You need a shower or a bath,” she reminded as if he’d simply forgotten.

  Zotorro laughed, harder and louder than he had in ages. He continued walking her out of the dome room. His soul felt unfettered. Because of her. “A quick shower. And I’ll even dress for the occasion.”

  “How unbelievably thoughtful of you.” She tossed her tresses like his fiery princess, yet allowed him to control her stride beside him. “How the donkey’s eyeball are they going to repair the dome?”

  “Sand, secret ingredients and just the gleams from their eyes,” he crooned in a silly imitation of a torch singer. “We’ve had to repair it two other times,” he continued on a more serious note, before she could ask.

  “Oh.” She paused for an instant. “You four are full of surprises. That I will admit to, my Swashbuckling Superhero.”

  Zotorro spun before her, unable to resist. “Am I your Swashbuckling Superhero?”

  “Doesn’t every princess need one? Nay, require one to meet all of her rescuing—”

  “Her rescuing needs,” he finished.

  Seizing her waist, Zotorro swooped down, kissing her sweet sassy mouth. Together, their lips moved sumptuously, then lingered. Once their mouths finally parted, she touched his face delicately, then traced over his cheekbone.

  “Yes. You are my Swashbuckling Superhero.” Her eyes glimmered, soft as the sky over the ocean, as the sky had once been.

  He gathered her close, holding her the way he’d dreamed of holding her each and every day. “A princess always needs her own Swashbuckling Superhero,” he rasped, low and dark.

  “I can’t leave you,” she sweetly whispered. Her fingertips trailed along his jaw, feeling magical and soft as feathers. “I can’t leave all four of you.” Her eyes seemed to fill with miniature diamonds, but they were her tears. “I love all of you. I couldn’t stand it if something happened and I wasn’t here to...”

  “Rescue us,” he finished at her silence. Drawn like a magnet, Zotorro let his nose touch hers, nuzzling tenderly.

  “Yes.” The sound of her answer was carried on the rush of her breath and soared straight inside his heart. Her eyelids fell closed, as if too heavy to remain open. “Yes,” she repeated. “I do love all of you. But I’m not putting up with all of you bossing me around,” she warned sternly. Yet her eyelids didn’t open.

  Zotorro wasn’t about to argue with her. Or tell her they would continue training her, just as they would continue loving her. No matter what the future held. “Want to scrub my back?”

  She scowled, but only weakly. “I wouldn’t get one scrub in if you’re twirling at super speed.”

  “True, my princess. Come on.” Pivoting beside her, he took her hand, moving them towards his domain.

  “I was so frightened I’d never see you again. That,” she paused, gripping his hand tightly, “I could lose all of you. Or some of you.”

  “How did you know where I was?”

  “After that unbelievably horrid sound stopped and I could think clearly again, I saw an image of you in my mind, battling something in the dome room. All alone. I couldn’t tell who or what it was. I only knew I had to get to you, and use my flame. Then, when I got there,” she pulled in a large shaky breath, “I panicked. All I could think to do was burn everything to a crispy cinder, except you.”

  “Count me grateful.” Zotorro squeezed her hand gently. His love for her felt like it poured from his hand into hers. “How did it feel to be that powerful?”

  “After my initial fear, I felt like a warrioress. Then, when it seemed to be working, it was wondrous. Although at one point everything felt utterly unreal. Surreal.” She sidled closer against him, her hand stroking his arm. “I kept shooting blazing explosions from my palms. Determined,” she mused to herself. “I felt completely determined. The best, though, was when I knew you were okay.”

  “My superheroine,” he praised, yet kept his tone light.

  She expelled a derisive breath. “Certain as rotten hell, you four will think of reasons not to let me be a superheroine. An honest-to-goodness superheroine.”

  “It will take time, Wendy.”

  “I’ll just have to keep rescuing your handsome, steely-muscled butts.”

  Grinning at her saucily tossed words, Zotorro drew her inside his domain. “Go through my closet. Choose whatever you want. I’ll be back in a super-flash.” Pressing a fast kiss to her cheek, he let go of her hand and half-blurred toward his bath facility.

  It took longer for the water to gurgle up and spray over him than it did for him to whirl and use the friction to clean himself. Stepping out of the booth, he picked up a large drying cloth, rubbing away the moisture. It would give Wendy some time if he used the cloth instead of whirling himself dry. It also gave him the chance to lessen his fight hormones, plus let his body repair.

  Giddiness over her declaration of love for him, for all four of them, welled up, a fresh clear stream bubbling to the surface. Zotorro rejoiced. It was nearly worth the ruthless massive strike from the Black Force Elite, since it brought her closer to them, and opened her heart to the love they felt for her.

  Smiling like a man who possessed everything, Zotorro strolled inside his room-like closet. Studying her reflection, Wendy stood in front of a large mirror fragment he’d recovered from a tornado-hit building.

  “Isn’t this one of your favorite shirts?” She twirled toward him beautifully. “You wore it several times when you came to see me at the dance club.”

  “Yes.” He paused at her swift intake of breath.

  “Holy muscular flanks, Dark Hero.” She slanted her hip, planted her hand in a provocative manner, and then slowly smiled the way he adored, a brazen and beckoning temptress.

  “My reward for saving our hides from the bullet copter?” he bantered, and wondered when his voice had transformed to pure smoke.

  “No,” she answered, her tone a sultry lilt. “Your reward for whatever good thing you’re about to do for me.” She swayed toward him, the fluid material of his tan shirt clinging and adjusting to her enchantress curves. “And that doesn’t include Mr. Pop-up Skyscraper.”

  He grabbed her waist, bringing her flush against him and his pop-up. “Skyscraper?” he rasped roughly.

  “Why, as tall as this here penthouse.” She naughtily stroked him with her croon. “At least I know you must be in full recovery.”

  “Planning to use your considerable wiles as a dancing seductress to rule over us?”

  “That is the ulterior motive.” She rose up on her tiptoes. “Always,” she teased in his ear.

  “The word happiness doesn’t cover it, Wendy.” He passionately brushed his lips over her cheek.

  “Speaking of covering it. If you don’t, we’ll never get out of here.” She gave a sultry wiggle.

  “Mmmm, right. The skyscraper later. When I’ve recovered more fully and we know Zavier, Zent and Zion are completely okay.”

  He felt her small nod against the side of his face before he spun around and whipped into his casual gear. Not giving her a moment to move, he scooped her up, holding her high above his head for an instant. Capturing her in his cradling embrace, he purred, “To the dining room, my half-naked princess.”

  Zot
orro kept his travel speed much slower than usual, reveling in the feel of her. She had always been the woman for him, her body a sexy lovely fit against his frame. Now, as he carried her, she felt entirely luxurious, even more his delicate and lush dancing princess.

  “Wendy.” He set her on her feet next to one corner of the enormous dining table designed for elaborate corporate affairs.

  “Blueberries!” The sheer joy of her voice had him doing crazy flip-flops inside. “Oh, Zotorro, where did you find them? And chocolate syrup! Is it real?”

  “All real.” He chuckled and dipped his forefinger in the prized syrup. “Taste.” He touched the tip of her nose first, and then let her suck it off his finger. The instant she savored, shutting her eyes, he gently sucked the chocolate smudge off her pert nose.

  “Where?” she demanded, her voice effervescent.

  Zotorro dipped one of the fragile berries in the syrup. “Tongue,” he ordered. She obeyed, cupping her tongue around the chocolate-covered berry.

  Ever so slowly she tasted and chewed, then moaned sheer appreciation. Her face was pleasured radiance and Zotorro groaned within.

  “He raided the military compound in Sal Renego.” Zent spoke from the tall archway. “Without me.”

  Zotorro ignored his brother’s frown of disapproval, placing another syrupy blueberry on Wendy’s tongue. “In and out. Nary a scratch. Most of the personnel were on some kind of training mission.”

  “You were supposed to be doing fly-by surveillance only.” Zavier entered the room fresh from his own shower. His gaze swept over Wendy, making certain of her well-being.

  “Ah, give the kid a break.” Zion swaggered inside, a new gait Zotorro had never observed before. “He did just save all our asses. Nice heroic work, little brother.” Zion closed in rapidly, giving him a hearty clap on the back. “How about sharing?”

  “When did you have time to fly surveillance?” Wendy demanded. She plucked up her own blueberry. Dunking it, she popped it into her mouth, and relished the flavor, whimpering her enjoyment.

  Zent joined them in the circle the four of them made around Wendy. “That’s why you didn’t show up as blurring-fast at Wendy’s old place.”