Dashing Devil Omnibus 2: Books 4-6, page 131
“So that’s where those went.”
On Laura’s bedside table were two small statuettes. One was of her in a white lab coat with black garters showing as she held up a large nerve stim, and the other was of Boyd with his arms spread wide and head thrown back in a roar. They were the white king and black rook of the chess set Tinker had made for Boyd.
Several pieces had ‘gone missing’ over the first few weeks after Tinker had made it for him, almost always in pairs—one of which was always a Boyd figurine. His little inventor hadn’t ever complained about having to make replacements, but where the missing chess pieces had gone off to—or who had taken them from his study where Boyd kept the chess set—had remained a mystery.
“So, you are the one who’s been stealing my chess pieces.” He grinned down at her.
“I only have those two,” Laura defended herself quickly and then continued with an innocent expression. “You will need to look elsewhere for any other pieces that went missing… though a little birdy told me Silvie has a full set of the pawns.”
He snorted. That sounded like Silvie. She’d probably asked Tinker to make three or four sets that he’d probably find if he dared peek at her fangirl room where she stored any and all memorabilia of him she could find.
Laura sighed wistfully. “I suppose you can have these back, now that I have the real thing.”
“You can keep them.”
Boyd shook his head as he carried her over to the bed and pulled the covers and sheet back with his tail. It was a smart bed like all the others, so even if it was smaller than he was used to, he was sure sleep wouldn’t be too hard to find. “Tinker already made replacements. Now, how do you sleep?”
“Normally on my side,” Laura replied with a soft smile as he laid her down. “And… normally in the nude.”
“Nudity is encouraged.” Boyd grinned. “Mind if I play big spoon since you’re a side sleeper?” He liked being the big spoon, but slept on his back most nights for optimal cuddling with his many bed mates.
It was just one of the sacrifices he made for the women he loved.
“That sounds lovely,” Laura said as she worked her yoga pants, thong, and tank top off. She smiled at his wandering eyes for a moment before laying down, trying to leave room for him lay down behind her.
Boyd slipped one muscular arm around Laura’s waist as she settled into a comfortable position on her side while sinking the other into the smart bed under her pillow. The warmth of her body against his felt comforting.
“System, lights off,” Laura called out as they leaned into one another. More softly, she said, “Boyd, thank you for being here with me tonight.”
Boyd tightened his hold around her, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of her head. “Always, Laura. We are in this together… forever. I’m not letting you go now that you’re mine.”
Chapter 20
The big demon woke still curled around his newest love’s muscular form. He didn’t want to leave her to wake up alone, so spent some time going over the events of the prior day and sorting through his thoughts and emotions. While he did, he practiced a simple technique that Mindy had taught him, of trying to put a more positive spin on things. She’d called it looking for the silver lining.
It helped, a little.
He couldn’t forgive himself for his part in causing the deaths of those kids, but reminded himself that he could only do his best—and that his best would be better in the future. Unfortunately, time traveling Powered were vanishingly rare. Boyd suspected any that had the Power likely just found a better time to live in. That, or they were killed by some ungodly threat while looking for that utopian era.
Either way, he wouldn’t find anyone who could change yesterday’s events.
All he could do was to move forward and bear the burden in a way that honored those he carried it for—just like he’d told Laura. Eventually, his newest love stirred, waking enough to realize he was there beside her. She nestled back into him, throwing her arm over his chest and gently squeezing in a gesture he knew was meant to serve as a hug.
“Good morning,” she murmured softly. “At least I think it’s morning. It feels early… is it still night?”
“Early morning,” Boyd replied, his voice husky in an attempt to keep his volume low. “I don’t sleep much.”
“Mhmm,” Laura confirmed her understanding before clearing some of the sleep from her voice before continuing. “Ehem… I was warned that you would probably be gone when I woke most mornings.”
“I don’t like to laze about, but I had some thinking to do and here seemed a good place to do it,” Boyd replied softly. “You have a calming presence, even when asleep.”
“Heh, thanks.”
The corners of her lips turned upwards in a sleepy smile as the brunette turned her head to look at him. Her pale green eyes, still hazy from sleep, held a certain vulnerability that tugged at Boyd’s heartstrings. He could tell she wouldn’t stay awake for long, but he didn’t want to leave her side just yet.
“Don’t feel like you have to stay,” she murmured, her voice soft and gentle. “I’m used to waking up on my own.” She paused before adding, “Unless you need some company? I could get up with you, if that’s the case.”
Boyd leaned in to capture her lips in a tender morning kiss, demonstrating his appreciation. “No, lover, I’ll be fine. I think I will stay here for a bit longer, if that’s all right.” He brushed back a strand of her hair with the back of his fingers. “This is nice.”
“Please do,” she smiled at him. “The others weren’t lying when they said Powered cuddling is a thing… it’s certainly one of your abilities. I don’t think I’ve ever slept so well.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” He grinned. “Now back to sleep with you. Sweet dreams.”
With those words he sent her what peace and comfort he could along their Bond, speeding her return to those dreams before she woke too much to lapse easily back into more rest. Laura snuggled back into him one more time before he felt her drift back into dream land.
Boyd’s gaze followed the gentle rise and fall of Laura’s chest as her breathing slowed, her body melting against his in a perfect fit. He couldn't help but smile as he wrapped one arm around her, holding her close and feeling the warmth of their bodies radiating between them.
With each inhale and exhale, Boyd could feel himself becoming calmer and more centered, his mind clearing of all worries and distractions. He closed his eyes and let himself be consumed by the soothing rhythm of her breathing, relishing the moment with a woman he cherished. Eventually, though, his brain spun up, dragging him out of the present and into the many what-ifs that plagued his life.
Being a Hero was all about dealing with the what-ifs that might come along with Powered beings, so they were never far from his mind. He could keep them at bay for a time, but not for hours. It was one of the reasons why sitting idle didn’t agree with him.
Boyd slowly extracted himself from Laura and her bed, careful not to jostle her. He then sent a good morning to the Mindy in his head who was awake whenever he was. She gave him a warm smile from under the purple sheets she covered herself with when she wasn’t teasing him with her sinful curves. Of course, with the way the silk sheets clung to her, it was only moderately better than the skimpiest lingerie she likely wore underneath them.
‘You could join me for some mental cuddling and find out what’s under the sheets,’ she purred at him, her warm smile matching the promise that burned in her amethyst eyes.
Boyd paused as he slipped his shorts on, seriously considering it. He didn’t think he could fully enjoy it until he’d checked the reports that came in overnight.
‘I can wait for a little while.’ Mindy’s warm smile returned instantly. ‘But Raev will be getting up soon to share a surprise with you.’
Boyd slipped out of Laura’s suite as he pondered what sort of surprise required waking up early. Raev wasn’t lazy or slow to rise, but she typically took advantage of every chance she could to sleep in. He knew better than to press Mindy for more information—a surprise was a surprise.
He briefly wondered if she could at least tell him how long he had for his morning routine.
‘I don’t know what time it is, but she set an alarm for six,’ Mindy offered, apparently not having access to his internal clock. ‘She’ll keep you busy until breakfast.’
That gave Boyd a bit less than an hour-and-a-half to do what he normally spent two hours on. He stepped into the elevator and toggled the button for the main floor, preparing to dash for his shower. The new timetable didn’t have nearly enough room in it for his usual deep dive on the reports that came in overnight on the previous day’s events. He would barely have time to skim them—which he suspected was intentional.
Mindy let out a long sigh, sitting up while holding the deep purple sheets close to cover herself. ‘Davis called me when you were with Laura in the gym. You’ve been ordered to take a mental health day. Royce encouraged it and so did I—the Director wasn’t hard to convince. You won’t have access to your usual reports, but Royce promised to give you a call later this morning to fill you in on what he thinks you need to know.’
Boyd grunted, then relaxed, strolling out of the elevator when the doors opened at a much more sedate pace. He had plenty of time for his shower… in fact, he might just take a bath. To avoid waking his loves, he took the long way around to use the secondary entrance to the massive bathing chamber from the hallway lined with the girls’ individual suites.
They still had a lot of empty rooms.
They really should be looking into expanding the team and support staff, but they’d had great public image momentum and had been too busy maintaining it to worry about growth. Yesterday was, at the very least, a stutter in their upward trajectory. Changing things up and bringing in some fresh faces might help get them back on track.
The truth was, the Devoted were severely understaffed for the scope they aimed to take on. They had their triad with Silver, Hopewing, and himself. Each covered the others’ weaknesses, and they complemented each other well. No issues there.
The quality of their support staff was also excellent. Raev, Mindy, and Trainee—who really needed to hurry up and get assigned or have the press give her a name—complimented one another. Once they had some more experience working together, they would easily be able to address much higher Ranked threats.
That was to say nothing of the synergy that would occur when they were supporting the Triad directly.
Raev’s strength lay in her toughness and exceptional skills in short-range combat, making her a formidable ally in any close-quarters confrontation. Her illusions increased her general utility, and she used them fluidly to aid in getting in close as well as to avoid taking damage.
Laura, although still learning the ropes, showed promise in holding her ground. But it was her unique Power that had the potential to turn the tides of battle drastically when fighting up close. As for Mindy, her Mental Powers not only excelled in gathering crucial information but also had the capacity to skyrocket her usefulness exponentially if she managed to touch one of their adversaries, unlocking a whole new level of strategic advantage for their team.
But there were still gaps—gaps which had been made obvious in yesterday’s events. Another mid to long range combat specialist or combat support would have led to a very different outcome yesterday, but that wasn’t all they needed. They also needed help on the sneakier side of things, and another front-rank brawler would be useful, too.
Once Tinker was ready—because he had accepted that his squishy little inventor was bound and determined to join them in the field—she would fill some of those gaps. She wouldn’t be ready for some time, though. And that still left them at only four trained field and one combat support.
A Regional Response Team normally had at least six field and combat support specialists to ensure they could cover a wide range of scenarios. Tinker wasn’t exactly taking a stealthy approach, although she had mentioned researching photon-based active-camouflage at one point. Laura could move well, but didn’t have a natural instinct for stealth. She could blend in with a crowd and move through restricted areas by looking like she belonged, but completely evading detection wasn’t a part of her skill set.
They needed at least one other person who could move with Raev, but preferably two—to cover as many bases as possible. At least one of those stealth types needed to be a mid to long range attacker, just like the other needed decent resistances. This meant Boyd either had to rapidly expand his harem, or it was time he considered outsourcing.
Then he conveniently remembered Shelia and Daryl—or as they were known by their Hero monikers, Ghost Cat and Lightningcoil. Daryl boasted an A-ranking, both for his lightning based mid to long range attack as well as his strength and resistance. That long tail of his made him nimble in all sorts of environments, giving him B-Ranked agility and C-Ranked speed.
Back in the day, A-Ranked Boyd had more than a few close spars with him in the PAC. Daryl had coiled around and shocked him at the same time. It had sucked.
Boyd chuckled, because it had sucked more for Daryl when Boyd returned the pain ten-fold with his Mental Domination. Of course, Daryl had trained the shit out of his mental resistance and came back tougher every time, until that no longer became an option and Boyd had to ensure he retained his mobility.
Meanwhile, Ghost Cat, or Shelia as he had known her, had B-Ranked strength, resistance, and agility. That was to say nothing of her primary Power to become a literal shadow. As a shadow, she could move at B-Ranked speeds and could wiggle through cracks like only a two-dimensional shadow could.
They were both Changed, both attractive in their own way, and he knew them much better than any other candidates. Best of all, given their joint training in the Wildlands in their youth, Boyd, Silvie, and Hope had experience working with them. The couple was an obvious choice when it came down to it, and he expected they would be thrilled at the offer.
Suddenly he stopped. Dammit all! Boyd let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Chapter 21
‘Stop,’ he rumbled into Mindy’s room in his head. ‘That was smoothly done, but I don’t know that they would be happy to join us. They seemed to enjoy what they were doing and where they were. It sounded like a nice life. I don’t want to thrust them into the spotlight with The Devoted if they are enjoying the quiet life out in Wildvine Haven.’
‘You could ask them to find out,’ Mindy offered sweetly, batting her lashes at him and looking innocent as could be. ‘But I can assure you, Daryl and Sheila would be more than happy to join The Devoted.’
Boyd scrunched up his nose. ‘See? I knew there was a reason I didn’t like that name. Outsourcing... the name loses its meaning when you bring outsiders into it.’
‘Kuh-h!’ She giggled and shook her head. ‘You don’t need to think about it so much. Calling ourselves The Devoted because we are all devoted to you once our Bonds are permanent isn’t public knowledge… and never has to be. As far as the public is concerned, we are ‘Devoted’ to them. We can make it clear that Shelia and Daryl are their own couple, as well.’
‘Fine… I’ll send them a message,’ Boyd agreed. Then he sent her a mental scowl. ‘But calming my reaction to finding out I’m currently blind to what’s going on in the world was toeing the line.’
‘I know, and I apologize.’ Mindy gave him a sad, closed lip smile. ‘Would you like to hear my justification?’
‘Yes.’ Boyd accepted the offer.
This was the system they had. She could step in where she thought it was necessary, but if she went too far, he didn’t hesitate to call her on it. This was how they were finding the boundaries of… well, of whatever this mental symbiotic relationship was.
She would have told him about the way she’d influenced him within three hours, if he didn’t notice it himself. And they would then have discussed if it was a good or marginal decision to influence him. So far, they hadn’t had to discuss any negative uses.
‘You would have been angry. And while you certainly have the right to be angry… it wouldn’t change anything—not with Director Davis’s orders,’ Mindy explained. ‘So, I chose to save you from some impotent anger in order to keep our mental health day going smoothly. But,’ she concluded, ‘if you still think I pushed too far, I can let you feel it now… if you wish.’
‘No, it’s fine,’ Boyd grumbled. ‘How long has Daryl and Shelia joining the team been a part of your plan?’ He asked the question mostly to tease her, but he couldn’t discount the possibility that Mindy had helped them get their current position at Wildvine Haven with it in mind.
‘Kuh-he! I can’t blame you for thinking that, not in this case… but you’re still a little shit.’ Mindy smiled at him as she shook her head. ‘To answer your question, since only a few minutes ago—when you had the idea. I just sort of pushed it to the front of your mind and held it there for a moment because I think it’s one of your better ideas.’
‘As opposed to my bad ideas?’ He raised an eyebrow, wondering what ideas she’d subtly guided his attention away from and left on the cutting room floor.
‘Eh… there are a few prospects you’ve reviewed, but none you were particularly excited about.’ Even at his slow stroll, Boyd was almost to the secondary entrance to their waterpark-sized bath chamber. ‘Of course, we also still need a Porter, and the only one who keeps coming to mind is…’
Instead of naming her, Mindy provided him a mental image of Stepper—the gorgeous dark skinned Changed with a wild mane of even darker hair and bright ocean blue eyes. The tips of her long, pointed ears stuck out of those midnight curls, adding to her sharp-featured beauty.
