Dominated By Desire

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Dominated By Desire Page 18

by Barbara Donlon Bradley


  “My heart.”

  She was waiting for the anger and frustration to come out but it was all he said before he realized other people were standing around, including the family doctor and his mother. As she went off with the doctor she heard Storm shout at his mother. “I hope the council is happy about that little leak, they could have gotten her killed.”

  That wasn’t a conversation she wanted to hear more of so she was glad to be heading into another area.

  “I heard you broke the medical scanner.”

  “Not on purpose, doctor.” She sat on the table he pointed to. “I just had a little mishap.”

  “So I see. A dislocated shoulder, two broken ribs and three bruised ones isn’t little to me.” He eased her uniform to one side so he could check the device on her ribs. “What happened?”

  “Got the raw end of a fall.” She tried to make light of it.

  “You and your mate will be the end of me yet. The scrapes he used to get into.” The doctor shook his head. “Your shoulder is repaired, but the ribs are going to take a little longer. I’d like you to stay here tonight. Make sure nothing goes wrong.”

  “What can go wrong with a few broken ribs? I’ve done worse and never had to spend the night in the medcenter.”

  “You fell how many feet?” He resealed her suit. “There is no evidence of a concussion but I have had stranger things happen over the years. I have learned to not always trust my equipment.”

  “Storm won’t be happy.”

  “He normally isn’t too happy with me so I’m not going to be too upset about it.” He gestured to a small room toward the back of the area. “You’ll be comfortable back there and your mate can join you. As long as he behaves.”

  “Who behaves?” asked Storm.

  She didn’t hear him come into the room. Lately she had been sensing his presence long before she actually saw him, but not this time. Must have been the medication.

  “You. She is to stay here to rest. Let her body heal.”

  “And what makes you think I won’t let that happen?” He tried to put on an innocent act but she saw right through it.

  “I am your doctor.”

  “As long as she is one hundred percent healed. I have plans for her.” At least his humor was back. Yelling at his mother must have done some good for him.

  “Good. Then you’ll behave yourself.” He looked at Heather. “You know where to go. Bring him with you or he’ll be in my hair all night long.” She grinned as she took Storm’s hand. “I do believe your wonderful charm doesn’t work on the doctor.”

  “He’s known me too long. He brought me into this world.”

  “That explains so much.” She climbed into the bed. “It also explains why he gave us such a small bed. There is no room for you.”

  “There is if I want to be your mattress.” He winked at her. “But the bed would then pick up both our readings and drive him crazy.”

  “Something I think you’d enjoy doing.” She shifted and sucked in her breath then she felt a slight pain in her side. Storm just about jumped on her with worry. She had to touch his arm to stop him. “Shouldn’t have done that.”He touched her face. “You okay?”

  “Fine.” She pressed her check into his hand. “It doesn’t hurt that bad.

  Just need to move the right way.”

  The doctor popped his head into the room. “Rest or I’ll separate you two.”“Yes, doctor.” She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. “So did you have a good talk with your mom?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “Your whole attitude changed since we got home.” She yawned and snuggled against the pillows. “I thought you were angry at me earlier.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “You...gave me...that look.” And she nodded off.

  Storm moved the moment she drifted off. “There is no reason for you to keep her.”

  “Her readings are changing again.” He pulled up the image of her DNA strand. “And I’m not quite sure how to read it anymore.”

  “What do you mean?” Storm stared at the screen.

  “The information is no longer loading for me. The program might be deciphering the information but I’m not getting any new data. It’s like it doesn’t want me to know what she is. Something is blocking me from being able to finish the strand.” He turned the screen off. “Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary between the two of you?”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know.” The doctor scratched his head. “Something you don’t have with anyone else. I know you’ve been trained to keep everything to yourselves for her protection but I have been here with you all your life. I need you to trust I have both of your best interest at heart.” Storm remained silent. What could he tell the doctor? Then Storm suddenly looked at the room she slept in. He felt her distress. Ignoring the doctor he hurried into the room.

  Heather was caught in a dream. He watched as she moved in the bed, like she had her hands tied. She screamed his name and shot up into a sitting position. He was beside her, pulling her into his arms in seconds.

  He held her shaking form, trying to calm her down. “Heather, it’s okay.

  You’re safe.”

  “Storm?” Her hands touched his face. “Oh, thank God. It was horrible.

  It was a trap. He used me to lure you in and, and he killed you.”

  “It was only a dream.”

  She was panicky as she continued. “It seemed so real. The whole place was dark, like I was in a cave or something. He had me secured to a big metal bed. He wanted something from me but he never told me what it was.

  His first goal was to make sure you wouldn’t be able to stop him. He didn’t want any interference and he knew you would be coming to save me.”

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know.” She looked up at him with a tear streaked face. “I never saw his face. But he knew things about us.” She grabbed his arms to make him look at her. “About me.”

  She wasn’t acting like it was a dream. She was too lucid. Her fear real.

  “Tell me what you saw and heard.”

  “I was strapped to a table. My hands tied above my head.” She paused as she tried to maintain control. Tears streamed down her face.

  Storm placed his hand on her heart. He could feel the fast erratic pace.

  “Relax. I’m here with you now.”

  She nodded gulping for air. “I have never been so frightened. I was in an old building. There were cobwebs and skittering sounds like it housed animals that had suddenly been disturbed. Lights hung over the bed so I couldn’t see as well as I wished. There was someone else but I couldn’t see who it was.”

  “He hated you so much, Storm, you can’t go after him.” She grabbed his shirt. “Promise me you won’t let him get the upper hand.”

  “You are my heart and I will never do anything that would put you in danger.” That seemed to mollify her. She leaned into him, wanting to hear his heart beat steadily as she shook off the last of the dream.

  The doctor signaled to him and Storm tried to leave Heather’s side for a moment but she wouldn’t have anything to do with it. He had to wait for her to relax enough to doze off again so he could find out what the doctor wanted.

  “She was a bit frantic after that dream.”

  “The dream seemed real to her.” Storm wasn’t sure what he was getting at. “Are you sure it was a dream?” The doctor held up his hand before Strom could argue with him. “Let me tell you what I noticed this evening.

  You were aware that she was caught in something that frightened her long before she made a sound. You were there at her side before she woke up.

  Then she described something that was a lot more detailed than most dreams.

  I only wish to ask you to try something. I don’t care if you tell me or not but if you two are noticing a clairvoyance developing between you, develop it as much as you can. Test it, see what grows from it. It could help you later.” The docto
r turned around and walked away then. His words made Storm wonder what he knew.

  Chapter 13

  Heather sat up quickly when she realized she wasn’t in her room with Storm. Then it came back. She touched her ribs to find them completely healed. Her shoulder moved with ease. Looking to her left, she found Storm with his eyes closed. He looked so uncomfortable in the chair.

  Her heart skipped a beat at how he reacted to her dream last night. Even though he didn’t believe she had seen the future he knew whatever she had experienced affected her and wanted to help her calm down. Right now he guarded her against whatever he could stop.

  Too bad it wasn’t the dreams.

  He didn’t know she had dreams like last night before. That they were warnings to protect her. Each one she had saved her life somehow, although she couldn’t say that for everyone involved. Many times when the dream started to unveil in real time someone ended up dying in her place, but that was at the beginning when she didn’t really know how to interpret them.

  Now she did. But that was the first time she had ever feared for someone else’s life like that. Normally it was only about her.

  She needed to get back to their room and meditate, more of the dream would come to her when she relaxed and opened her mind.

  “I see you’re awake.” Storm stretched in the chair and sat up.

  “Yes.” She swung her legs off the bed and stood. “Did you sleep well?”

  “No, but I’m not the one to worry about.” He stood. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” She smiled up at him as his hand touched her face. “But we do need to talk about the dream.”

  She saw a fleeting look of concern cross his face.

  “I agree, but we have an appointment.” He gave the doctor a smile as he ushered her out the door.

  “If you don’t mind, Storm, I’d like to make sure everything is healed before you take off with her.” He ran a quick scan and nodded. He unsealed her suit and removed the small metal device from her ribs. “You are fine now, but let me know if you have any trouble.”

  Heather nodded. Storm took her arm again and practically dragged her out the door.

  “You don’t trust anyone do you?”

  “They knew too much about the mission, Heather.” He kept his voice slow so only she could hear him. “They knew which bike you’d be riding, when we were taking off, our course and destination. Information I didn’t give one person. Was it out there to be learned if you knew who to go to, probably, but they had to work to get that information and that worries me.”

  “Because they did?’

  “Exactly.” He contacted everyone to meet back at the transport. “You’re going to be stuck in that uniform a little longer.”

  “I know.” She brushed her hands against the material. “Very durable outfit.”

  “They’ve been known to stand up against a lot of firepower, but I don’t want you to test it.”

  “Promise.” She followed him as fast as she could, but found his long legs kept widening the distance between them. He would notice from time to time and stop to give her a chance to catch up.

  “Want me to carry you?”

  “No.” She tried to look indignant but knew the smile on her face belied any frown she might have tried to muster. “Look, I might not be as tall as you people are but I can keep up. Right now you are just pushing too hard.” He took her elbow and slowed his pace enough so she could keep up without doing a mad dash.

  “You’re afraid.” She said it so matter-of-factly.

  “What?” He looked around to make sure no one heard her. “I fear for your life, my heart. They’ve tried to kill you now.”

  “But what if that wasn’t the goal?”

  “Your dream?” He looked down at her.

  “Yes. I have impressions of emotions, bits and pieces of conversations that are running together. I need to sit down and analyze it better. See if I can make some sense of it all.” The transport loomed in front of them. “Didn’t realize that thing was so big.”

  “Holds a full battalion for our missions, plus the backup crews running communications and weapons.” He banged on the hull. “This is my home away from home.”

  The floor lowered so they could walk up the gangplank into the belly of the ship. He led her to a large oblong table.

  “I don’t know how much time you need but I’ll try to leave you alone so you can meditate.”

  She nodded and sat in the first chair to her right. Clearing her mind, she brought up the strongest emotion she felt when she woke from it. Her fear for Storm’s life. She wasn’t sure why the man in the dream hated Storm so much. Had he hinted to it? Said something she needed to isolate to find?

  The voice was distorted so she couldn’t recognize it, but she was sure it was male. It was in the way he talked to her about her and her relationship with Storm. He was jealous of their relationship. But why? She never had a real relationship before this. Never had anyone tell her that someone was interested in her for anything other than sex. So she didn’t understand what he would be so jealous of. He had her at that time and Storm didn’t. It didn’t make sense.

  She could see a woman wanting to do this, but a woman wouldn’t keep her alive. Get rid of the competition.

  Voices came from the background, letting her know some of the team had started to arrive. Too bad. She felt she was getting somewhere.

  She smiled as they came and joined her at the table. They were concerned for her, hoping she was feeling better.

  Once everyone had arrived Storm sat next to her. The fact that one chair next to her had remained empty hadn’t gone unnoticed.

  “We’re going back to the site.” Storm brought up a three dimensional image of the forest area. “The data collected yesterday has been analyzed and loaded into the handhelds in front of each of you.”

  “You think we missed something?”

  “I’m hoping.” Storm crossed his arms. “You were very thorough in your search, but we didn’t have Heather’s eye witness report to help us pinpoint more details that could have been overlooked.” She wasn’t sure what she could add to their findings. Everything happened so fast.

  The ship landed in the same clearing and the bikes, minus Heather’s, were brought out. “Now, did anyone pay attention to the lineup?”

  “Not really.”

  “Who went to what bike? And in what order.”

  They all walked to the bike they used. Storm made notes on his handheld before walking to the new bike where Heather’s would have sat. “We ride together.”

  He climbed on first then slid back so she could climb in front.

  “You know it would have been easier if you let me get on first.” She had to swing her legs over the front of the machine to get seated properly.

  Once she nestled against him, Storm fired it up. They put on their helmets and set the seals.

  “I know, but this way I can get a little extra contact since I haven’t been able to touch you in almost twenty four hours.”

  “Is this going to be another up against the door because you couldn’t wait times?” She said it like it was a common occurrence.

  “I have only done that to you once.” He wrapped his arm around her as the bike took off. “And if you keep rubbing that derriere against me like that it might.”

  “You’re the one who had me move up front so you get to suffer.”

  “Um, sir. Your mike is open.”

  He laughed as Heather’s head dropped. It figured everyone heard that.

  “Take us to where the drones started.” The laughter still laced his voice.

  She took control of the bike and headed in the direction she had gone before. Looking at the readings she got the bike to follow the exact flight she programmed into it the day before. “The drones started here.” She pressed the popup screen to start a clock.

  “That goes with the ones we had set up.” He touched the screen a few times as well and new information joined the clock
she had started. It showed how many drones were released, the intervals of each release and the location they came from. “The goal was to outrun them.”

  “Right. There were three behind me.” She waited until she passed a certain spot. A lot of it was all visual for her. The information had been streaming in her helmet but she hadn’t really focused on the data. She touched the screen again, starting a second clock and showing the location of where the other drones had come from. “Then I started noticing them coming from in front of me to the left.”

  “That’s about the time your bike started to show signs of acting up. Did you follow your coordinates all the way?”

  “Yes. I had to adjust altitude a little to avoid the second set of drones which might have shown up as erratic behavior but I stuck to the path.” Storm steered the bike to where the trajectory put the weapons at. He turned off the bike and walked around. “Did you see or hear anything out of the ordinary?”

  “Besides missiles coming at me?” She couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “No. Everyone had already moved beyond my line of sight and I was trying to catch up.”

  “How did that happen?” He gave her a serious look that showed his displeasure at that bit of information.

  “No one knew. I didn’t even notice the bike wasn’t working at its full capacity until the missiles started coming at me and I couldn’t dodge them the way I should have. Until now I thought it had something to do with your plan to down the bike later.” She pulled her helmet off. “Oh, and I had never flown one so was checking everything out before I took off. That put me a little behind everyone.”

  “When you checked the bike did you notice anything out of the ordinary?”

  “No.” But did she? She needed a few moments to think.

  Everyone else landed in the same area.

  “You know what to look for.” Storm pulled his helmet off as well and walked around the perimeter. She wasn’t sure what he was looking for.

  Heather walked back through when she approached the bike. There was no one around the bike which should have caught her attention. Normally there was a technician standing by. She went through the check points she had been given and everything was in the proper perimeter but if she had paid attention she would have noticed all the items she was to check were on the low end of the spectrum. Heather let Storm know what she remembered.

 

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