Dashing Devil Omnibus 1: Books 1-3, page 101
“Ah, what’s happening?” Tinker asked.
“Eating contest,” Mindy explained.
As if her words were the signal to start, they both grabbed their slice at the same time. Raev got her slice up to her mouth quicker and took the first bite, not having to worry about someone in her lap, but Boyd swallowed half of his slice with only two chews. The other half went next while Raev stared, mouth frozen mid chew.
“That can’t be good for you,” Mindy sighed.
Silvie let out a matching sigh. “No… he’s fine. I tried to get a doctor to tell him not to eat that quick when we were kids. Most learn by getting a stomachache, ya’know? Apparently, it’s perfectly fine for him. Part of his healing or something. At least he doesn’t do it often.”
After swallowing her bite, Raev let out her own sigh. “Okay, so no speed eating contests with Boyd… got it. Literally not needing to chew counts as an unfair advantage.”
Tinker just let out a giggle as he leaned back in his seat and pulled her against him.
“I expected to be more shy about affection,” she admitted.
He sensed a near giddiness radiating off of their newly formed Bond. She obviously liked being in his lap.
“Me, too,” Boyd agreed—not that he’s complaining. He would have held her there anyway. She needed it.
“You’re both exceptionally stressed,” Mindy inserted. “Both of you are acting differently than normal. Not that I’m discouraging the affection you are showing each other. It’s good for both of you. Of course, I did warn Boyd that now isn’t a good time to be making decisions about who to kiss. Just like with me, there are things you should probably know about Tinker before committing to bringing her into your life.”
“Hey!” Boyd started, his other hand coming up protectively over Tinker.
“No, she’s right,” Tinker said. “There are things you should know about me that I’m not ready to tell you. Silvie said that they won’t phase you, but…” Her voice faded off.
“It really won’t phase him,” Mindy assured her.
The combination of Silvie’s and Mindy’s support confirmed that whatever it was, it wouldn’t be a big deal to Boyd.
“It is something you shouldn’t tell him until you are ready, though,” Mindy continued. “Silvie and I were aware of it before keeping you on the short list, so you don’t have to worry about our reactions. I think you forget that everyone else at this table has been training to be Heroes since childhood. The ‘danger’…” Mindy uses air-quotes, as well, “that your secret brings really doesn’t qualify as danger in our eyes. I’m sure the same will hold true for Raev.”
“But…” Tinker started to explain, then seemed to think better of speaking, and her voice faded away again.
“It’s okay,” Mindy smiled. “It is a big deal to you. Which is why you should only share it when you are ready. I’m sorry that you didn’t have the opportunity with Silvie or I… but hey, now you can talk to us about it if you want.”
Tinker nodded but was otherwise silent.
“Now,” Mindy squared her shoulders, which automatically drew Boyd’s eyes, “awkward segue time. Is it time to share what we can, or time to nap? I could pass you the information in your sleep, Boyd, if you think that would be easier. I want to remove that compulsion anyway—assuming you don’t mind me joining your nap.”
“I would like to know what you can tell me, then I would like you to join the nap,” Boyd said.
He felt a little anxiety start to build in Tinker. He gave her another reassuring squeeze and just looked at Mindy. She could take his answer from his thoughts—of course he wanted her there. He would be all over her if Tinker didn’t need him right now.
He wanted to cling to her, having just gotten her back after she’d been stolen away. He’d missed her terribly during the years they’d been kept apart. She should probably be grateful that he wasn’t being more insistent about reforming their bond and continuing straight on into turning that bond into devotion.
‘Oh my!’ was all Mindy could say.
Boyd lifted the glass of water that he’d been drinking to finish it off. It was important to stay hydrated, after all.
Chapter 24
“Should we use the big couch or one of Boyd’s beds?” Silvie asked in her bright and cheery way.
Boyd turned his head as he choked, not wanting to spit up on Tinker even more than he hadn’t wanted to drop food on her. After a few coughs, during which Tinker clung to his arm as if worried he might crush her, he gasped out, “One of?!”
“Mhmm. Well, they are all pretty much your beds, but I was talking about the three in your rooms,” Silvie explained as if a single person having three beds was a common occurrence.
“Why?” It was the main question that came to Boyd’s mind.
“You have a small one, for nice intimate one-on-one encounters—for when you want a night or some time with just one of us. That one is about the size of our bed back in Glorith.”
Their bed back in Glorith was big enough for Boyd and at least four Silvie’s. She’d measured it one night. Boyd wasn’t sure that qualified as ‘small’.
“Then there is the medium one. That’ll probably be the main bed we all sleep in. It’s about three times as big as the small one... big enough for all six of us.”
Boyd re-counted really quick to be sure; six didn’t sound right. Silvie and Raev were a given. Of course he should probably start counting Tinker, too. And he had no reason, nor the will. to deny Mindy. Then him.
“Five,” Boyd corrected her.
“Six,” Silvie insisted, meeting his eyes with a challenge.
Boyd glanced around to count again, came up with five, and frowned his confusion at her.
Her challenging eyes narrowed into a glare. “You had better stop forgetting about her.”
Boyd’s first thought about who ‘her’ might be was Daisy, mostly due to proximity. But he’d honestly believed Silvie was at least taking a wait and see approach, there.
If it wasn’t Daisy, who could it be? He didn’t think she’d had her eye set on Laura, already. At the same time, he could feel her getting a little mad at him—which meant that the ‘her’ he had forgotten was someone important.
It dawned on him, and he felt his heart skip a beat at the prospect. “I know Hopewing…”
“Hope,” Silvie interrupted him. “She wants you to go back to calling her Hope.”
Boyd swallowed. “I know Hope wants to join us, but didn’t you say she’s considered vital to her posting? It doesn’t seem likely that we’ll get a transfer approved with her already being an S-Ranked.”
He didn’t dare consider even the possibility of actually having Hope, but his other self certainly could. His Changed Mind stirred as Hope entered his thoughts, roiling in protest of what his other self considered an insufficient excuse put forth by Boyd.
Silvie’s light pink lower lip stuck out in a pout. “It doesn’t even sound like you want her to join us.”
“Oh, he does,” Mindy defended him. “He really does. There is something… Huh, there are two things holding him back. Which brings us around to something we should have already discussed before I go any further.”
She paused to meet everyone’s eyes at the table. “Everyone is aware that I will be reading your thoughts, right? Until Boyd Enhances me, I don’t have much choice in the matter. I strictly adhere to the Principle of Privacy, though. This means that, unless someone gives me permission to share pertinent information at my discretion, I won’t say a thing.”
“You have mine,” Boyd agreed immediately.
This was one of the reasons he was excited to have Mindy around—another way to balance the Bond and make sure communication stayed open and honest. His Bond told him feelings and he could often glean some of the meaning behind them, with effort. Reading actual conscious thoughts, though, was a different thing altogether.
Plus, it went both ways. Mindy would be able to tell his women things he wasn’t able to put into words, but they should know. Sometimes saying things out loud was a challenge for the person that needed to say it, but a minor thing for the person that needed to hear it. Alternatively, sometimes you really needed to hear something and while the person you needed to hear it from thought it, it didn’t occur to them to say it.
Having a mind reader around could tidy that stuff right up.
“Thank you.” Mindy offered Boyd a smile before turning to the others. “Silvie already gave me her permission, too.” She turned to Tinker.
“Tinker, in the interest of honesty, I shared some of what you were thinking with Boyd earlier when he needed to be reassured that you were okay… before you formed the Bond. It’s that type of thing that I’m offering. For example, Boyd is looking forward to cuddling with you just as much as anyone.”
“Can you give me an example of something about me you would share if you had my permission?” Raev asked.
Mindy didn’t speak out loud, but one of Raev’s fox ears twitched as she listened to the thoughts that were being sent to her.
“Oh, stuff like that? Yeah, go for it. Actually, wait. I’ll do it myself after this,” Raev said after a moment.
“Not always like that,” Mindy shook her head. “That’s just what came to mind because she really needs to hear it. If you give me permission, I will share what I think needs to be said or what needs to be heard. I can’t promise you will always want to have the thoughts shared, but I will promise to always tell the truth and only to share your thoughts with good intentions. I’ll also never lie about sharing something. Never deny it if I have.”
“Eh,” Raev shrugged, “I don’t know why I’m bothering to ask questions. If Boyd trusts you, I trust you.”
“You asked because you thought someone should.” Mindy smiled at her. “All of you should know that Boyd isn’t doing well. His other self is using up a lot of his attention continuously blocking the compulsion to turn us all in.”
She turned to face Boyd. “You need to nap soon.”
He was starting to feel pretty drowsy. The closest approximation he had to the mental strain he felt, was the days he’d spent completing sixteen hours of verbal and written tests. Tinker was nice and warm in his lap, too. Her little body felt good there, so he was content.
Mindy looked at Tinker. “Tinker, I think it would be particularly good for you if you agree.”
“Um…” She seemed unsure.
Testing their bond, Boyd found a real mess. The very idea terrified Tinker. He got the impression that she had a lot of thoughts she didn’t want to share.
While he didn’t want her to feel pressured, he wanted her to be supported. Mindy could support as well as she could pamper—which meant second only to him. He might have been her student in the topic once, but he felt he’d mastered both to the point of surpassing her.
He leaned in, folding down over Tinker and raising his knees to lift her up a little. His wings slid forward to cover them and his other arm came up to wrap around her chest. He hugged her firmly, but without squeezing.
Step one, reduce sensory input. On to step two, reducing pressure.
“You don’t have to agree,” he murmured in her ear. “Mindy will respect your privacy outside of extreme situations.”
Now for the nudge.
“That said, she will only share the things that matter… the things that will help us understand you. She’ll bring us closer by making communication easier.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Tinker whispered back.
Boyd could feel the anxiety that was building up start draining away.
“Because it’s not.” Boyd smiled and nudged her head with his cheek. Along with exhaustion, he was feeling fairly affectionate.
“As someone who once dated her when I wasn’t interested in dating anyone, I can tell you the level of understanding she’s offering isn’t something to underestimate—just like you said about the Bond. She’s offering to share that understanding with the people around you, including the man who intends to become your lover.”
Tinker let out the cutest little gasp that made him want to push for more. He held back though, surprised when his Changed Mind…
‘I’m cutting you slack because you are having a day, but OTHER SELF!’ Mindy corrected him again.
Boyd sent her what he hoped was the mental equivalent to a tongue sticking out.
‘Kuh-he, you little shit. After your nap, I’m not letting that slide.’
Boyd mentally sighed and picked the thought back up. He was surprised his other self didn’t pitch a fit when he didn’t press for more.
It sent a disappointed thought his way, as if Boyd was the one in the wrong for assuming such a thing about him. It essentially scolded him about it not being the right time. Much like Mindy, the first time around with Tinker needed the appropriate build up. That way, when the time finally came, she would be in just the right mood, and he could take her fully.
Boyd blinked at the thoughts. He’d been assuming that part of him was more interested in instant gratification.
‘He’s a part of you, just a little more primal,’ Mindy explained.
Boyd shook the thoughts away and refocused on Tinker. “Yes, I have every intention of becoming your lover… when the time is right. When you’re ready. I don’t want you to think that’s dependent on you letting Mindy share your thoughts, though,” he rumbled softly.
Tinker’s anxiety had been replaced with a swirl of excitement.
“She really likes helping people,” Boyd explained. “She feels it is her responsibility to do so, given her Power.”
“O-okay,” she breathed.
“Are you sure? You don’t have to decide now,” Boyd nudged her head with his cheek again. She sort of leaned into this one. He wasn’t sure why he was doing it, but she seemed to like it.
“No, um. I’m just worried about… well, a lot of things,” Tinker whispered back.
“She won’t be sharing your every thought,” Boyd rumbled softly into her ear. “Just the important ones. Like, if you don’t like something but are too afraid to say so, or you want something but are too nervous to ask for it. She knows everyone's thoughts, so she knows how and when to bring stuff like that up.”
“Oh.”
Boyd felt her opinion shift. He couldn’t be sure, because he hadn’t had a lot of time with their Bond yet, but it felt like she had been going to agree just because he wanted her to—which he was not okay with. Now, though, it felt like she was beginning to like the idea.
“That actually sounds really nice.”
“Mhmm,” Boyd murmured. “It’s like the Bond, but better in some ways.”
“Okay. I’ll try it, at least. Will she stop if… oh. Right. Still in my head.” Tinker chuckled a little awkwardly. “Yeah, good idea. Thank you, and yes.”
Tinker nestled back into him while Boyd wondered what that last exchange included. Her mind was rapidly settling down, and he would like to learn that trick.
‘I just reminded her she can use the tool that blocks me out if she ever feels like she needs some privacy.’ Mindy spoke into his mind to fill him in. ‘I would recommend you keep an eye on that though. Technology like that is controlled for a good reason. Don’t let her use it for more than two hours per day.”
Boyd kept Tinker within his wings and arms for another minute before easing his knees back down and unfolding from around her.
Silvie was wearing a wide, happy grin. “That was adorable.”
He could feel Tinker’s embarrassment beginning to rise again and decided she’d had a hard enough day, so shifted attention away from her.
Jumping on the proverbial grenade, Boyd turned back to Mindy and asked, “So what’s holding me back from accepting Hope?”
“Oh!” Silvie exclaimed, his distraction obviously having worked. “Right,” she asked, tone blending excitement with impatience, “how do we fix that?”
“Oh, right. Hmm… well, this will actually be a good example of what my help looks like.” Mindy looked around the women at the table before her deep purple eyes settled on Boyd. “Ready?”
When he nodded, she continued. “The first is fairly simple. Boyd has put her on a pedestal—which isn’t entirely his fault. He is not the only one with an aura effect, after all.”
This was the first Boyd was hearing anything about that.
“Oh? You never told him?” Mindy asked Silvie with a laugh.
“Uhhh... No, I guess I never did get around to that. Oops!” Silvie laughed while looking anywhere but at him.
He gave her a look for another moment but turned back to Mindy before his silver-haired lover started doing something completely obvious, like whistling tunelessly.
Mindy just curled her dark pouty lips in a smirk and shook her head in amusement before filling him in. “It took a while to figure out because, well… men. But it turned out Hope has a Power similar to Boyd’s aura. It only effects men, but it subtly nudges them to view her without fault—to ignore or explain away anything negative about her. Boyd, do you remember how I told you about Mary Sue characters in the media? That’s an old Earth term, pretty much what Silvie pretends to be for the public.”
Boyd did, vaguely.
“Well, it does that. She could stab a random person in the gut because she was bored and any male near her would find a way to justify it in their head unless they knew to fight it.”
Raev let out a barked laugh, the first he’d heard of the kind. “Oh, wow, the angel girl can literally do no wrong.”
“I know.” Silvie rolled her eyes, folding her arms under her chest. “So not fair. She doesn’t even use it for anything fun.”
“There’s no way that wouldn’t have been detected early.” Boyd frowned.
“Why not?” Mindy raised one of her thin dark eyebrows. “It’s not like she ever acted out, or did anything wrong. She just wouldn’t get in trouble with the group because pretty much all the disciplinarian Mentors were male. The kids just assumed it was because she was a goodie-two-shoes.”
Mindy snorted. “And she was with you and Silvie. Two A-ranked and an S-ranked group didn’t get picked on or hazed. Whenever there was violence, Boyd always took care of it while Silvie protected the S-ranked shield generator. He got in all the trouble for the three of you.”
