by Bonnie Vanak
“Melissa. Why are you here?”
The last thing he needed was a visit from his sometime girlfriend.
“Everyone’s talking about the admiral’s birthday ball next week. All the top D.C. politicians will be there. I thought I’d shop for a new gown and came to see if you needed your dress whites dry-cleaned.”
Silence hung in the air.
“Of course you received an invitation,” she prompted.
“Yes.” It was somewhere in the pile of mail he’d tossed aside.
Relief flickered on her face. “Then you’ll need a proper escort. Someone experienced in political and military protocol.”
Of course. Melissa was skilled in navigating through those murky waters. She enjoyed rubbing shoulders with powerful movers and shakers.
Today she wore a dress that accented her slender figure and thin shoulders. At his silence, she sidled up to him, and ran a hand up his chest. “Darling, I haven’t seen you in forever. I miss you.”
“You saw me in the hospital. For about five minutes.” Dale removed her hand.
She actually pouted. “And you so ill, not able to stand company. What was I to do?”
Stay with me, he thought. Keira would have. Keira, with her stubbornness, refusing to let his gruffness drive her off.
Melissa trailed her manicured hand down his chest. “I was a bad girl for running off and leaving you alone. Let me make it up to you, Dale.”
Melissa liked parties and money and wearing designer dresses. Keira wore wild lime prints with pink-and-orange flowers, gauzy material that floated around her long legs. Keira didn’t pin her hair up in a tight bun and fasten it with jeweled clips like Melissa, but let it flow wild and free, like a horse’s mane.
A soft meow sounded beneath the credenza.
Robyn. He’d forgotten about her. Dale turned to the credenza. “Kitty, please come out. It’s okay now.”
Finally, Robyn, still in cat form, crawled out. Dale scooped her into his arms and she began to purr.
“You don’t own a cat.” Melissa looked more bewildered.
The ensign looked at her and hissed.
“Melissa, I’m busy. I’ll call you later.”
Then, because she was right, he did need an escort to the ball, he gave her a quick kiss on her cheek.
When Melissa left his office, he set Robyn down on the floor. “Ensign Robyn Lees, shift back now. That’s an order.”
When she did, clothing herself through magick, he aimed her a stern look. “Shape-shifting on the compound without permission or in nonemergency cases is expressly prohibited. I need every man and woman on this team alert and aware. We cannot allow norms to know what we are. From now on, there will be no shifting. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
He gave a rueful smile. “And that goes for myself, as well. No displays of power. I apologize for that.”
“It probably was the coffee, sir. Does taste like bilge water.”
He nodded. “Call my house and tell my housekeeper to bring over the manila envelope I left on the kitchen counter. You may meet her at the gate. She doesn’t have security clearance. I need those forms ASAP.”
Robyn left, returning a while later with another cup of coffee. He sipped and sighed with relief. Finally.
The ensign lingered before his desk, her blue eyes sparking with mischief.
“What is it?”
“I called your house, sir, and asked your housekeeper to bring the envelope, exactly as you instructed.”
Dale set the mug down on his cluttered desk. “And?”
“I’d rather not say what she told me.”
“Tell me exactly what Miss Solomon said.”
“She said she’s not driving to the base. As for your report, you can kiss her floral-print nonregulation ass.”
Leather creaked as Dale leaned back in his chair. An unfamiliar tickle began in his throat, and spread. He threw back his head and released a loud bark of laughter.
Gods, it felt so good to laugh again!
Ensign Lees smiled. “She was very nice and asked if anything happened. And I told her you got a little short-tempered.”
Dale stopped laughing. Damn.
“She said you were in a bad mood and if I made the hazelnut coffee with the pinch of ginseng she sent with you a few days ago, you wouldn’t be such a bear. The ginseng gives you balance. It’s in the coffee she makes for you each morning. When she makes it.”
Dale stopped laughing and sniffed his coffee. “I’ll be damned,” he murmured.
“Do you want me to drive to your house and get the envelope, sir?”
“I’ll get it myself at lunch. Go round up my men. Training session at oh-eight-hundred.”
As she started to leave, he saluted her with the mug. “Thank you, Ensign Lees.”
Without batting an eyelash, the ensign meowed. “You’re welcome, sir.”
* * *
The morning training session with the portable, dry, chem-fire packs hadn’t gone well. He’d pushed and pushed his SEALs, but only Sully, with his powers of teleportation, had successfully defeated the flames in the chamber. Dakota, Dallas and Renegade, all Draicon werewolves, sustained minor burns and even J.T., with his powers of telekinesis, had failed.
Greg, the new guy, had shifted into a tiger and actually charged the flames in a foolhardy show of bravado. Greg was still trying to prove himself to the team and Dale had to reel in his leash.
The half-bred demon training them had extensive knowledge of fire demons. Thad was patient. But Dale was not. He needed his men ready to deploy. All SEALs on the Phoenix Force had to become expert in defeating the flames before the other SEALs under his command could use the chamber.
After losing a SEAL to a fire demon in Afghanistan, he never wanted the team to be caught off guard. Adam was still an aching spot in his gut.
Exhausted, Dale drove home for lunch, intending to pick up his forms and then head back to base for a stale sandwich. Part of him itched to see if Keira had continued to defy him. He longed to have her banter with him, drive away the thick darkness clogging his emotions.
The house was quiet when he walked in and slammed the door behind him. Dale entered the kitchen and found Keira pulling a roast from the oven.
The savory smells of beef and wine sauce teased his nostrils. His stomach issued an approving growl.
She turned, face flushed from the heat. “Great timing. Lunch is almost ready.”
Dale narrowed his eyes. “I’m only here to pick up my report.”
“And why waste a good meal as long as you’re here?” She gestured to a place setting on the table. “Sit down. This won’t take long.”
Because he was starved, and it smelled good, he sat. Dale looked around the sparkling kitchen. “You did as I asked. Good.”
He was partly disappointed she’d not defied him. For some reason, he liked sparring with her. It invigorated him and he enjoyed seeing the spark in her eyes.
“Don’t look in the guest bathroom.” With an impish grin, she began slicing the beef.
Dale went into the guest bathroom down the hall. All seemed normal. He pushed back the shower curtain.
All the dishes from the kitchen sink were neatly piled in the bathtub.
Laughter tickled his throat. He snorted and then shut the curtain, assuming his most severe look as he returned to the kitchen and began to eat.
“Like your new bathroom decor?” Keira winked as she spooned vegetables onto his plate.
Damn, this woman was going to get the best of him yet.
He cut the meat, marveling at the luxury of having a hot lunch. It was tender and flavored with spices. Suddenly famished, he ate in a hurry. Keira brought him a cup of hot tea and joined him.
Wiping his mouth with the linen napkin, he nodded. “Thanks. I haven’t had such a delicious lunch in ages.”
She gestured to the white bandage on his left arm.
“What happened?”
“Small b
urn. Training session.”
“I’d hate to see what happens when you’re out of training.”
He sipped his tea. “It’s why we train. We’re SEALs. If my men slack on their training, they become ineffective. The more training, the better they’re equipped and less likely they are to die.”
Her gaze grew troubled. “Have you ever lost a SEAL?”
Dale set down the teacup. “Yes. Remember I told you about this.”
“I’m sorry. What was his name?”
Under the rules of ST 21, they were not to mention those who’d passed. Their team was top secret and the public could not know details. But a hollow ache settled in his chest as he thought of Adam.
Keira touched his arm gently. “You said you’re going to scrub my memories when I leave your employ, so why not talk about him now?”
And so he found himself talking about Adam and the shifter’s incredible bravery, his wit and how important he’d been to the team. She listened, not interrupting, and her gaze didn’t wander in boredom as Melissa’s would have.
He put their dirty dishes in the clean sink and washed them by hand. Keira left, returning with a first-aid kit. She gestured for him to sit at the table, took out bandages and ointment and then removed the hastily applied bandage he’d slapped on his arm.
“This is a real nasty burn.”
“I’ve had worse.” He didn’t want medics fussing over him, not now, when he was trying to prove to his team he was strong.
She uncapped the tube of antibiotic ointment and spread it over the burn. “I’m guessing that your body has an increased capacity to heal, since you’re a Primary Mage. But if you’re undernourished and your powers aren’t up to par, that will take longer, as well.”
As she finished bandaging his arm, he flexed his fingers. “Thanks. I had planned to bandage it better later, when my men weren’t around.”
“Why didn’t you want them to see you were hurt?”
“We all had a few minor burns. I’m their leader, and have to set an example.”
“You should think of yourself for a change. There’s nothing wrong with being a little selfish,” she said.
Dale shook his head. “Self-centered people have no place in the teams. SEALs function as a team, and we’re tighter than family. Brothers to the end.” He paused and thought of Adam. “I would die for my men, and they’d die the same for me. I rely on them.”
Keira rolled the bandages. “I believe the only person you can really rely on is yourself. People will let you down. I’ve always found it better to be self-sufficient.”
“You don’t believe in teamwork?”
“I believe in myself and my abilities. I’ve seen the results of teamwork when the team isn’t working to benefit anyone but themselves. Some use teamwork as an excuse to manipulate others.”
Then her expression tightened, something so unusual for her, Dale wondered what caused it. Who had hurt her so badly she didn’t want to get involved with anyone else?
“Who manipulated you?”
She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I’m not into teamwork. I fly solo. I’d rather fend for myself and watch my back.”
“My men watch my six, and I do the same for them. We’re tighter than family.”
Scowling, she packed the bandages back into the first-aid kit. “Very nice. Sounds like you’re all machines in the military. I’d rather be freethinking and individualist than a cog in a wheel like you are.”
Dale’s temper slipped a few notches. He kept his voice even. “SEALs learn to think for themselves, adapt and survive. My team is extremely flexible. They must be, to survive in terrain from the Arctic to the jungles of South America. Rules and discipline enable us to function as a unit and work together to defeat evil.”
Keira turned away, but not before he caught a glimpse of despair in her eyes. “Some evil is tougher to defeat than others. Sometimes I wonder if it can ever be defeated.”
He didn’t know where this was coming from. Dale touched her arm, wanting to offer reassurance and chase away her sadness. “Trust me, it can. That’s why my team exists, to do all we can to protect the innocent from being hurt.”
“Doesn’t always work, does it? Because the innocent sometimes get hurt along with the guilty. That’s life.”
His guts wrenched as he thought of Adam. “That’s why we have to be the best.”
She pushed away from the table and began to dry the dishes in the rack. “Go back to your team. But I’m warning you, if you don’t agree to the second session tonight, you’re going to be the cog in the wheel that breaks them.”
“I’m fine.” He pushed back his chair and stood behind her at the sink. The delicate scent of her floral shampoo filled his nostrils. He glanced down at her bare feet, with the toes painted a wild blue color.
So unconventional and free-spirited.
Keira turned, her green eyes narrowed. “You’re fine. So fine that your body can’t heal from a burn that should have healed by now. Your aura is filled with darkness and if you care so much about your almighty team, then you’ll work with me. Because the more time you spend avoiding me, and don’t deny you’ve been doing exactly that, the less time you’ll have to save yourself and them from a darkness you can’t even imagine. And then who’s going to save the world if you’re all dead?”
Dale went still. “My team has dealt with evil before.”
“Not like this.” She picked up the dish towel and began to wring it in her hands, her gaze focused on the sprigs of rosemary she’d placed on a crystal dish.
His instincts went to full alert. “What are you talking about? What kind of demons have you dealt with? Who killed your family, Keira?”
“The worst kind. The kind that keep you alive when you beg to die.” Then her mouth compressed and she set down the dish towel. “Tonight. After dinner. Because the longer the darkness resides in you, the weaker you’ll become, and the more vulnerable.”
Dale clenched his teeth and released a breath slowly. “All right.”
He grabbed the manila envelope and started for the door. Damn it, he agreed only because he never wanted to put his men in jeopardy. Keira was right. He was endangering his team.
But now he had more questions than answers because this woman with her pixie smile and troubled eyes and sparkling blue toes was turning out to be more of an enigma than he bargained for.
He would do her healing session tonight.
And then a little grilling of his own, and have one of his men investigate her.
Keira Solomon was hiding a very large secret. And he’d find out exactly what it was.
Chapter 10
Six feet four inches of pure male sat on the massage table, his body rigid as steel.
Keira lined up the crystals on the side table, centering her own energy. Not only was she dealing with a stubborn man who blocked off all positive energy, but now her own feelings also came into play. Dale Curtis was a magnificent specimen of pure masculinity. Rugged and tough, yet compassionate and courageous. Long-dead female senses sparked to life around him.
Very dangerous. Every time she got feelings for a man, the man ended up becoming demon bait. Most died.
Others had been horribly wounded, and turned into shells of themselves.
She’d learned to shut down her emotions.
Every time the Centurions released her into the world, giving her money and the means to lure new men into their trap, Keira become more despondent. They wanted her to attract strong, courageous men they would force her to torture and then they’d steal their essence and become corporeal for a few days. A few days when they would roam the earth as men once more, only men with demonic powers. They stole vast amounts of money to live a lavish lifestyle, found women to either seduce or rape, and ate and drank in an orgy of gluttony.
So she refused, staying alone, never even talking with men in desperate hopes the Centurions would finally weaken enough for her to break free of their enslavement. Didn’t work
. On their own, they captured new victims for her to torment.
Keira couldn’t fight them when they triggered her wolf to attack, but she could fight them in human form by refusing their orders. She would not lure another innocent man into their grasp.
She learned to switch off desire like a spigot.
But now, faced with Dale Curtis, everything dormant charged back to life, like a drought-ridden meadow after a spring rain.
A tight black T-shirt hugged his muscular torso and arms. Faded jeans covered his long legs. His face was chiseled granite, carved by a master artisan, the cheekbones boasting of an aristocratic lineage, his startling gray eyes keen and yet soulful. He even smelled delicious, clean and outdoorsy, with a sprinkle of spices.
Dale had the sharp, intense focus that made her wonder what he’d be like, centering all that intensity on her in bed....
Touching him... Oh, yeah, she wanted to touch him. But she had to be professional and concentrate on her work.
“You can leave your shirt on as I do this.”
She turned on the portable CD player. Soothing piano music filled the room.
“What’s that?”
“A special playlist of music I made. Guaranteed to soothe scared dogs and cats, and scowling navy commanders.”
“I’m not scowling.”
She pointed to the mirrored wall. Dale looked at himself. “Okay, you made your point.”
“You can probably play all these songs. Maybe sometime you can play the piano for me.”
He folded his arms. “I haven’t played in a long time.”
Silently she made it a goal to coax him into opening the piano lid once more.
Keira lit a bundle of sage and smudged the room. Then she set down the sage onto a plate and picked up a crystal.
“The clear quartz crystal is ancient and sacred, and it makes the hidden transparent. Crystals have a natural vibration attuned to the earth, harmonizing with it, but also act as prisms, channeling white light from the sun’s rays. Elemental energy is very powerful.”
Her subject stared at the ceiling as if readying himself for more pain. Guilt squeezed her chest. She breathed in the sage and reminded herself of all the good things life had to offer and focused her energy on the pulsing clear quartz crystal.