Midnight Unseen

by D McEntire

  Tank scrubbed his face with his hands. Returning to his room was not something he wanted to do. He didn't want to disturb Sonya, but most of all he didn't want to see the beautiful woman in his bed and not be able to do anything about it.

  On a long exhale, Tank headed for Trigg's room. He needed a shirt. Trigg was a little smaller in the chest area, but he decided he'd make do with whatever his brother provided. The shoes and socks thing didn't matter. He wasn't planning on going anywhere for awhile. Especially during daylight.

  Tank stopped outside Trigg and Robyn's door and wondered what he'd been thinking. Morning was still in full swing, and he had no doubt the two were deep in the daytime sleep, where he wished he was at the moment.

  Tank strolled down the stairs and into the laundry room. Luck was on his side this morning, he thought. Robyn had finished a load of wash and a couple of Trigg's T-shirts lay in the dryer.

  Pulling one out, he slipped it over his head, wincing at the small sounds of ripping fabric as it settled over his massive chest. He was going to have to remember not to make any sudden movements or the shirt would be history.

  Nerves and nether-regions somewhat calmer, Tank chose to forego the shower.

  The living room felt a thousand miles away, and his feet were dragging through sand to get there. As soon as he made it to the couch, Tank collapsed face down on the cushions. The daytime lethargy combined with the blood loss from sating Sonya's need to complete the conversion took hold of his body and sucked him into the abyss of deep sleep.

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  Chapter Eight

  Si felt a tug on his shirt, but his mind urged him to ignore it. Turning on his side, he hoped to move away from whatever tried to interrupt his peaceful sleep.

  The next moment fingers attempted to pry open one of his eyelids.

  "Ow!" he hissed. Wet fingers poking his eyelids didn't feel very pleasant, nor was being awakened in such a manner. Si sat up slowly and wiped at his soggy eye. After blinking several times to clear his sleep clouded vision, he scowled at his sister.

  "Mya, what did you do that for?" he growled, but she only stared at him, unfazed at his grumpiness. When she gave him a funny grin, he couldn't help but smile. He loved her dearly. She was all the family he had.

  Si scooted around until he faced his little sister. "Are you hungry?" When she nodded vigorously, he felt his own stomach growl. "Yeah, me too."

  Although they'd both been fed well last night after their baths, having had little to eat for the last several days had their appetites running rampant. He was thankful Robyn had pulled out all of the stops, feeding them everything from pepperoni pizza to chocolate chip cookies. He and his sister had eaten until they'd been so tired and full he'd thought he'd conk out on his plate.

  After wiping the pizza sauce and chocolate from their hands and faces, Trigg and Vane had carried them to Trigg's room where a pallet had been made on the floor beside the bed.

  Si stretched his neck and peered over the side of the bed. He could see Trigg and Robyn fast asleep with Trigg's arm draped over Robyn's waist. Turning back to Mya, Si pressed a finger to his lips to tell her to stay quiet, then pushed aside the covers and stood. Grasping his sister's hand, he escorted her out the bedroom and gently closed the door behind them.

  Still holding Mya's hand, Si stood in the hallway outside the bedroom a moment, finding closed doors in every direction.

  "I wonder which room is Sonya's?" he whispered.

  Mya sucked her thumb while holding on to Si with her other hand. She looked at him then pointed the forefinger of her thumb-sucking hand at one of the doors. With a shrug, Si decided to follow her choice. He didn't question his little sister, she just seemed to know things.

  Pressing his ear to the door Mya had indicated, he heard nothing. Slowly, he turned the knob and pushed it open.

  Si's eyes went wide in amazement. An African motif filled the room. Stepping inside, Si released Mya's hand so he could take it in.

  Several masks hung from the walls. Some resembled people while others scared him. The spooky ones with painted faces and mouths looked as though they growled in anger, he thought.

  A quick glance at the bed, showed Sonya, and since she didn't move, he knew her to be fast asleep.

  Mya pointed at the black panther skin on the floor at the foot of the huge bed, and before he could stop her, she made a small squeal, ran to it and plopped herself on top the fur, sprawling as if lying on the animal's back. Her cheek pillowed its head while she hugged it tightly.

  Si shook his head. He wasn't going to say anything to his sister. He could tell she enjoyed herself and it pleased him to see her playing again, something she hadn't done since their parents had died. Besides, he told himself, she seemed to be doing her best to play quietly.

  Turning away from his sister, Si caught sight of carved wooden animals atop a dresser. Gingerly picking up a lion, his mouth formed an O as he turned it this way and that, marveling at its flowing mane. He ran the tip of his finger along the sharp looking teeth behind peeled back lips, which created a ferocious snarl.

  Robyn stirred from sleep and felt the weight of Trigg's arm around her waist. She smiled. The heat of his body snuggled against hers when she awoke was a nice way to start the day...or rather late afternoon.

  Her joy was abruptly interrupted, quickly dousing her smile. The room felt empty. All the while she'd been sleeping on some level her subconscious had been aware of the children's presence.

  Robyn's eyes snapped open. Leaning over the side of the bed, she found what she'd sensed upon awakening. Si and Mya were gone.

  About to go jump into panic mode, her mind reined in the paranoia. With no windows to let in daylight and all doors locked during the daytime, the children should be safe.

  After taking a few, deep breaths to calm herself, Robyn threw her legs over the side of the bed. When she went to stand, a strong arm snaked around her waist and pulled her down onto the tangled blankets.

  "And where do you think you're going?" Trigg growled seductively in her ear. As always, his voice sent chills over her body. She inwardly marveled at how a mere glance at him made her go weak in the knees.

  Robyn giggled. "Stop, Trigg. The kids are gone. I'm going to find them. Maybe they're hungry."

  Trigg snorted. "Hungry? You shoved enough food down them last night to plug an elephant."

  Robyn punched his biceps, and Trigg winced, feigning injury. She leaned in and kissed the spot, then slowly ran her tongue over it, making him groan. When he relaxed, she leapt from the bed, laughing.

  "You'll pay later for teasing me this early in the afternoon."

  His rueful grin made her laugh again as she donned her robe.

  "Ooo, I'm so scared." Robyn snickered as she walked to the door. Glancing over her shoulder, she playfully stuck out her tongue.

  "Don't show it unless you plan to use it, sweetheart," he growled in a low, predatory voice.

  Robyn caught the unmistakable change of expression on Trigg's face and the darkening of his eyes. With him getting turned on by their play, she knew if she didn't hightail it out of the room now, she'd be tied up, literally, for the next hour at least.

  With a flash of speed, Robyn bolted for the door, still chuckling as she closed it behind her. A soft thud on the other side told her Trigg had leapt from the bed to catch her. She'd escaped by mere seconds.

  A small sound caught her attention. Robyn glanced at the door to Tank's bedroom to find it slightly open, just enough for two small bodies to slip inside. Suddenly, her heart jumped. Sonya and the change.

  Pictures of all sorts of things children should certainly never see flashed in her mind. One was of Sonya feeding from Tank. She didn't question Tank's honor and knew he'd do everything within his power to fulfill Sonya's need for blood to complete the change, but in doing so he'd be subjected to a highly aroused woman in the process. Definitely wouldn't be anywhere near PG rated.

  Robyn beat feet to Ta
nk's door and slowly opened it further. What she saw inside the room amazed and delighted her. Not only was Sonya resting peacefully in the bed--alone--Si and Mya were having fun. Gone was the sorrow and wariness she'd seen on their faces and in their eyes the night before, replaced by joy and peace found within a child's imagination. They obviously pretended to be deep in the jungle on their own little safari.

  While Mya tamed the mighty black panther she rode, Si arranged wooden animals as if the hungry lion readied himself to attack.

  Robyn hated to break up their fun, but Sonya needed her rest, and she didn't want the children's playing to disturb her. Stepping further into the room, she tried to get their attention. "Psst."

  At first, they didn't seem to hear her. "Psst. Si. Mya," she said a little above a whisper.

  When both pairs of eyes snapped to the doorway, Robyn noticed the look of fear had returned. They relaxed upon seeing Robyn's comforting smile. Robyn placed her finger over her lips and hoped the two got the hint not to break out into full-blown chatterboxes about all the neat stuff they'd discovered until she'd gotten them out of the room.

  As she held their hands and ushered them into the hallway, Mya pointed over her shoulder at the panther.

  "Yes. I saw. You sure did teach that bad ol' panther a lesson."

  Their excited whispers made Robyn smile, happy to see the sparkle return to their eyes.

  Once outside the bedroom, she closed the door, leaving Sonya to rest peacefully.

  "We weren't trying to wake Sonya," Si said earnestly. His voice held a hint of wariness as if they'd been caught doing something wrong. Robyn spoke quickly to squash the thought.

  "I know, sweetie. Sonya's still tired from being sick. We need to let her rest until she feels better. I bet you two are hungry."

  Both small heads bobbed in agreement. Bending to their level, Robyn tapped her finger to her chin as if in contemplation. She glanced at Si, then Mya.

  Mya's gaze was focused on her--blue eyes framed by dark lashes. The child was beautiful, Robyn thought. But, right now, Mya was a comical sight.

  Last night, after she'd been given a warm bath, Robyn had slipped the only thing she could think of over the small child, which had been one of her shirts. Mya had giggled and grinned when Robyn had pointed out how her little feet had disappeared beneath the length of the shirt. To keep her from getting them caught in the fabric and tripping, Robyn had pulled the shirt up on each side and knotted it.

  Si also had to don one of Robyn's T-shirts since all of the Watcher's shirts could fit five of the boy inside. Robyn had made a point not to grab one too girly. She'd figured at ten he'd definitely know the difference and wouldn't have been happy. At just the right height, his shirt hadn't needed to be knotted at the sides.

  Robyn allowed her face to light up as if she'd thought of something extra special. "You guys like pancakes?"

  Heads bobbed enthusiastically once again. "All right. Pancakes it is." With outstretched hands, she waited as the children placed theirs in hers, then led them down the stairs and into the kitchen. Pulling out a chair, she gently planted Mya in front of the table. Si bounded up to one of the other chairs and plopped himself on the seat.

  "Can we have chocolate chip pancakes?" he asked, his eyes wide with hope.

  Robyn laughed. "Sure. Why not?"

  Mya looked dwarfed sitting in the kitchen chair, Robyn mused. She wished she had a highchair. Finishing the thought, an alternative popped into her head.

  "You two stay put. I'm going to get Mya a nice pillow to sit on."

  Mya grinned behind her thumb. The innocence on the child's face was enough to make a person melt, Robyn thought as she set off into the living room to retrieve a pillow.

  Just as she stepped into the room she noticed Tank lying face down on the couch, and by the muffled snore, she knew he was asleep. Though a little concerned at finding him like this, she couldn't help the grin spreading across her face at the sight.

  Being the blood donor during a conversion was draining, not to mention highly erotic. Robyn shook her head, and she found herself with an added sense of respect for the Cell's CO. Despite the torture it must have been to control the urges she had no doubt he'd experienced, he had undertaken the task of assisting the poor woman through the ordeal. She believed, just as Kern had said he would, he'd upheld his honor not to give in to those urges.

  When she reached the couch and took in Tank's form, she wasn't surprised to see the bite mark on his neck. She shifted to the side to see if any covered his wrists.

  "Nosey, aren't we?"

  Robyn jumped. So intent on checking Tank over, she hadn't heard Trigg come down the stairs. Ignoring the amused look on her mate's face, she scowled.

  "So not funny," she whispered sharply. Lifting the throw cover resting on the top of the couch, she laid it over Tank.

  If he wasn't so close to his mate and knew how deeply she loved him, he probably would have been jealous of her tenderness and concern for his CO, Trigg thought to himself. Robyn was his everything and he had no doubt in his mind she felt the same.

  He watched her bend and grab one of the pillows Tank had obviously tossed from the couch. When she straightened, she stood on tiptoes and gave him a soft, loving kiss. He felt the connection clear to his toes and wanted to throw her over his shoulder and cart her ass, as well as every other part of her, up to their bedroom.

  "Mya's eyeballs are the only thing reaching the table when she's sitting in one of the chairs. I think this will help, that is if she doesn't slide off," Robyn explained holding up the pillow.

  Trigg chuckled at the image as he followed Robyn into the kitchen to find the children seated at the table, patiently waiting for breakfast.

  "We're having chocolate chip pancakes this morning," Robyn beamed.

  "Mmm. Sounds great. I'll have ten," Trigg said, his smile wide with teasing.

  Si laughed aloud, and Mya grinned once again, thumb still planted firmly in her mouth.

  The smell of pancakes floated up Tank's nostrils, making its way to his brain where it registered food being prepared. His brain awakened his stomach, which let out a fierce growl.

  Tank stirred on the couch, stretched languidly, then rolled onto his side. He soon discovered sleeping on the couch to be uncomfortable for his largely built, not to mention tall, frame.

  After pushing himself into a seated position, he scrubbed his face with his hands and let out a loud yawn.

  Several blinks helped him regain focus in his eyes. Lifting his nose, he inhaled the sweet smell of chocolate chip pancakes. Robyn's at it again, he mused.

  Tank stood and attempted to work out kinks in his neck and just about every other part of his body. Muscles screamed in agony from being cramped on the too-small-for-his-body couch.

  "I smell something good," Tank called from the living room as he prowled his way into the kitchen.

  The sight of the children seated at the kitchen table, their faces lowered as they plowed into plates of chocolate chip pancakes smothered in maple syrup, touched his heart. But, the expression on both Robyn's and Trigg's faces he found to be priceless. They seemed to glow with pride and love directed at Si and Mya.

  Si lifted his head and grinned. Sticky syrup oozed from the corners of his mouth. "Robyn fixes the best pancakes," he said enthusiastically.

  Mya continued to shovel huge bites of pancake into her mouth without missing a beat as she nodded in agreement. Each forkful seemed too big for her little mouth, but to his surprise she somehow managed.

  Trigg stood behind one of the chairs and forked up one pancake after another. Tank watched Si's eyes grow wide in amazement at how many the Watcher placed on his plate. When Robyn approached the table, she held the skillet high so as not to burn anyone and thumped Trigg playfully on the shoulder with the spatula.

  "Hey, save some for everyone else."

  Trigg laughed. "You can make more."

  Robyn rolled her eyes and pushed her mate out of the way with her
hip, then slid the pancakes off the skillet and onto the large platter in the middle of the table.

  "Now, be careful. These are hot," she warned the children.

  "Okay," Si answered around a mouthful of syrup-drenched pancake.

  Tank took a seat on the other side of the table and helped himself to several pancakes, but not nearly the amount Trigg had piled on his plate. Glancing at the warrior's mountain of food, he shook his head.

  Silence filled the kitchen, except for the smacking of Si's lips as he sucked syrup off his fingers.

  Mya watched her brother for a moment then began licking her fingers as well. Tank snorted at the girl mimicking her brother and almost choked on his mouthful of food.

  A half hour passed, and from the glazed look in the children's eyes, Tank figured they'd had their fill of pancakes. He swallowed the last bite on his plate as Robyn delicately wiped their hands and faces with a damp rag.

  "You two can go into the living room and watch cartoons if you want," she said, evidentially satisfied she'd gotten them clean enough.

  Intending to follow the children into the living room, Tank's chair scraped across the floor when he stood and placed his napkin on the table. Television remote in hand, he scanned through the channels to find a cartoon the two could watch. After settling upon one and noticing the room was a little chilly, he grabbed the throw cover and tucked it around their small bodies.

  "You're wonderful with the kids," Trigg whispered to Robyn, but Tank could hear their conversation.

  "They're so sweet. It just breaks my heart to think about what they've been through. The poor darlings."

  The sadness in Robyn's voice Tank heard loud and clear, and he had no doubt everyone in the Cell felt the same. He'd yet to know everything that had happened while the children and Sonya had been kept in the old sanatorium, but he was going to find out all he could.

  "What will happen to them?"

  Robyn's question broke into Tank's thoughts. What was going to happen to them? Since the children had been adopted, they obviously didn't have living relatives to claim them. He planned on having a personal conversation with Dr. Olivia. He had a few suggestions in mind.