Dashing Devil Omnibus 1: Books 1-3, page 73
Boyd held up his hands, palms out. He had no idea what Daisy’s Power was, just that she glowed brighter than Silvie when he’d examined her under his Black Flame vision. Boyd had learned the lesson that sometimes discretion was the better part of valor.
“I agree with Daisy, one hundred percent. You should think it over carefully. I will still happily sponsor Daisy for a safer job,” he said.
“See, even Dashing Devil says we should think it over,” Daisy insisted. “Now say your goodbyes, it will be lunchtime before we get home with everyone out in the streets.”
“Oh, you could stay for lunch,” Silvie chirped with excitement. “I’m sure Boyd wouldn’t mind cooking for two more.”
“Thank you, but no.” Daisy shook her head, making her hair shift and the colors in it mix and swirl more rapidly. “I will think about your offer, but just want to get home and change, and maybe take a shower.”
“We could fly you. We could get you home in a snap,” Silvie offered with the persistence of a salesperson about to lose a big commission.
Daisy cracked a smile but shook her head again. “I don’t know what exactly your game is, but I recognize a player. The harder you push, the more I suspect you are hiding something.”
Boyd’s already high estimation of Daisy rose significantly. Not only was she sharp enough to see right through Silvie, but she was also confident enough to call the S-ranked Hero on her bullshit.
Silvie sighed, “Fine. Think about it… please? I think we need someone like you around.”
“What does that mean?” Daisy looked skeptical. “There are plenty of people who can cook and clean for you.”
Silvie glanced at Boyd out of the side of her eye, and he sensed her concern. Boyd got the impression she was about to test the water on not hiding her intentions from him. She took a deep breath before focusing back on Daisy.
“Neither Boyd nor I have any family. The same goes for our fifth member, who will be joining us tomorrow. It also applies to the person I hope would be our sixth member. Well, unless you become the sixth member, in which case the seventh.”
Daisy considered Silvie’s words with a sad frown. Her face showed honest remorse, but her words were tinted with some confusion “I hear it’s getting more and more common for Heroes to be orphans raised in those centers. I’m sorry you went through that. I don’t understand what it has to do with me, though.”
Her reaction and words confused Boyd.
“I’m trying to build more than a team, here.” Silvie glanced Boyd’s way as she explained herself. So far, she hadn’t said anything to upset him—well, to upset him more. “I want to build a family. I don’t know you well, but I think you would fill a role we are missing. One we need.”
“Miss Silver, you don’t know me at all. I am going to take my brother home now. I will consider your offer, that is all I am willing to promise at this time,” Daisy said sternly as she took Connor by the shoulders and started to guide him toward the exit.
As she shoved the unwilling boy forward, she smiled politely and said with much brighter tones, “It was a pleasure meeting you all. Thank you again, Mr.… err, Boyd. For scaring those men off and taking us here. It would have taken days for my wing to heal on its own. Say goodbye, Connor.”
“But, Sis,” Connor groaned, “the tour…”
“Another time. I’m sure they are busy,” Daisy admonished, still herding Connor to the door as he resisted her efforts.
“Boyd! Help!” Connor called, trying once more to shove past Daisy who must have at least F-ranked strength. She handled him too easily, given their similar sizes. Daisy’s iridescent hair fanned out, creating a blur in the air, under the speed with which she snapped her head around to glare at Boyd.
Boyd just raised his hands to chest level, palms out again, and replied, “Still on her side. Sorry, buddy. Get home safe, we will set up a tour for another day. I’m on call and can’t do anything fun today, anyway. Call me if you need me in the meantime, especially if it’s for something like what happened today.”
Daisy’s glare softened at his response, and she mouthed a silent ‘thank you’.
Connor deflated and stopped shoving back against Daisy. “Fine, but don’t forget you promised me a tour!” he called out with childlike determination.
“I won’t. Good-bye, Connor. It was a pleasure meeting you, Daisy.” Boyd smiled and waved as Daisy finally got Connor through the lobby door.
His smile dropped into an angry scowl as he turned to face Silvie as soon as they were out of sight. Boyd had listened politely throughout the conversation, only inserting himself when necessary. He did this for two reasons—the first was because he didn’t wish to discourage Silvie’s progress. At least she was not hiding her attempts from him. The second was because Daisy seemed more than capable of handling herself. He got the impression she was someone who wouldn’t accept an unneeded or unwelcomed rescue with good cheer.
Inside, he was disappointed with Silvie for making the attempt at all.
That disappointment had only grown as the conversation had continued. He wouldn’t call what he was feeling towards her now anger, but it was close enough that he didn’t like it. He didn’t want to be angry at the woman he loved, but she had crossed a line this time—a line she needs to apologize for before he would be able to dismiss this ugly feeling he had for her.
The worst part was that he could tell she didn’t even know she’d crossed a line. She would feel differently if she did. Instead, she just felt disappointed, like the conversation hadn’t gone the way she’d wanted it to.
Silvie sighed as she turned to face him. But when she saw his expression, a flash of worry shot through her. She didn’t know what had upset him, but she could tell she’d slipped up somehow.
“I’m sorry, I just… she’s just…”
“You were inconsiderate and stepped way out of line,” Boyd growled his response. “Put yourself in that young woman’s shoes for five seconds. We are helping her because some scumbag is trying to pressure her into selling her body. What kind of message did you just send her? That she can have this cushy job with great benefits as long as she is willing to let me fuck her? That’s how I’m looking at it, if I’m her.”
Boyd could feel the spark of realization followed by a stream of regret flow through Silvie. “Oh… shoot.” She looked at the door with a frown.
Boyd knew Silvie didn’t mean to make her feel that way. He was also all but certain that Silvie’s high-pressure tactics did just that. “Yeah… shoot,” Boyd grunted and let out a slow sigh. “In the future, back off after the first ‘no’. You got the same sexual harassment training as I did.”
Feeling how upset Silvie was made it difficult for him to stay mad at her. “Go apologize, then meet me and Raev back in the suite.” He knew it was the only way she would feel better. But more than that, it was the only thing that would let him feel better about her actions.
Silvie blurred through the short distance that separated them, pecked him on the lips, then blurred away through the door.
Chapter 41
Daisy corralled Connor down the hall as quickly as she could. She needed to get the heck out of there—she had no idea what was going on anymore. Too much was happening too quickly. She had no idea how she’d managed to stay firm throughout that encounter. She was pretty much an F-ranked outside of her home, and any one of those people could have squashed her.
She’d bluffed her way clear, though, and had no idea what to make of her second encounter with Dashing Devil. It seemed he’d been pissed at Silver for offering her the job, like he was adamantly against the idea—which, for some reason made her want to do it.
Was that the game? Was he that good? Had he used some sort of reverse psychology on her? Maybe he had Silver look like the bad guy so he could ride in and play the role of the white knight.
The elevator was just ahead of them. They just had to get home, and then Daisy and Connor would be safe. And then maybe, just maybe, she would read the damn contract.
“Daisy, Connor, wait just a moment!” the bubbly-sweet voice of Silver called out as Daisy pressed the button. They were so close. The doors swung open immediately and she began to shove Connor inside the elevator.
“Sis, wait, Silver is calling us,” he tried to fight her off, but Daisy did have F-ranked strength and toughness, and though he might almost be her size already, she would probably always be stronger.
“Dai…err… Miss Baker, please let me apologize for how I handled that,” Silver said from directly behind her.
Right, what was Daisy thinking. She was trying to run away from freaking Silver… as if that had worked out for anyone in the city for the last half a year.
Daisy had to turn around in the elevator to press the button anyway, so made sure to put the steel back in her spine before turning to face the sparkling deceiver. “Miss Silver, we just want to go home…”
“I know, and I won’t stop you,” Silver patted the air placatingly with a sad-looking frown. Her big blue eyes made it look sincere.
“Boyd pointed out what I’d done as soon as you left. I hadn’t even thought of what that might have sounded like, so I really do just want to apologize properly. Would it be okay if I rode down with you? These elevators are really quick, it won’t take a minute.”
Daisy studied her for a moment and saw zero sign of the manipulator she’d been talking to a moment ago. This Silver looked more like a puppy who had recently been spanked for chewing a shoe or something. It might be another manipulation, but it didn’t feel like one.
“You gotta let her, Sis,” Connor whined sadly. Her sad face had clearly worked on him—even if it was fake.
“Fine,” Daisy sighed.
“Thank you so much!”
Silver walked into the elevator, which seemed odd to Daisy because she’d always floated in literally every piece of footage that she’d seen of the Hero. Daisy was under the impression that she rarely touched the ground. Silver pressed the button for the lobby and turned to face Daisy with a sincere expression.
“Let me start off by saying I am sorry for being so inconsiderate… because I was,” she admitted.
Her voice was still bright, but bubbled much less than Daisy thought she was capable of.
“I was pushing too hard, and offered something as a perk that you likely thought was an implied job responsibility, given your situation. I didn’t even think of it that way, so when Boyd pointed it out…” The Hero scuffed her boot on the floor of the elevator, wincing. “I’m really, really sorry. I didn’t mean to make you think that… or feel that way.”
Daisy blinked, wondering what the heck was wrong with this woman. “Why would you bring it up at all, then?”
“I really did mean it as a perk.” Silver blew out a long sigh. “Boyd is just… the best man any woman could ever hope for. You’re the first woman I’ve offered it up to who wasn’t immediately interested—and that’s without the stuff I can’t tell you about because you don’t have a clearance.”
“You’re serious?” Daisy blinked again.
“Mhmm,” Silver nodded but maintained her serious demeanor. “I know it’s hard to take my word for it, but Boyd never lies unless he absolutely has to. He doesn’t like that I offered you a job with us. He doesn’t want to endanger you—which is why your Power is great because your safety won’t be an argument he could use to dismiss you once he figures out he could, as The Devoted’s Captain.”
“So… he really isn’t interested in me?” Daisy wasn’t sure how to take that. She was surprised at the pang of disappointment she felt; she sure didn’t want it to be there.
“Nope,” Silver shook her head. “But that would probably change if you put even a little effort into it… which is what I meant by a little extra work. There's a lot to it, but Boyd is currently very resistant to the idea of… oops. We’re here.”
The doors to the elevator slid open on The Tower’s lobby, which was currently bustling with activity after the Diamond Claw attack. There was a large group of people waiting for the elevator, so Daisy didn’t have a lot of time to think.
“I want to talk to Boyd privately before I make a decision,” Daisy stated as she guided Connor forward.
“Oh? Sure. Not a problem. I’ll have his handler add you as a contact, just call Dashing Devil and it will go through… though he really doesn’t like that name,” Silver said just loud enough for her to hear.
Daisy pushed Connor forward as he called out, “Bye, Silver! I’ll talk her into it!”
His big sister sighed. “I’ll call him a bit later, then. Goodbye.”
“It was nice to meet you!” Silver said as the elevator doors closed. Even though a crowd was waiting, none were brave enough to step into the elevator with the city's most prominent Hero.
Daisy ushered Connor forward through the crowd. She would read the contract and have a conversation with the devil. If anything was out of place or even looked a little suspicious, she would move with Connor to a different city.
***
Boyd turned to Raev, who exuded discomfort mixed with regret across their Bond similar to Silvie’s. “Did you get pushy before I showed up or something?”
“What?” Raev asked, tilting her head with one ear perked and the other cocked in a gesture Boyd was coming to associate with confusion.
“You feel bad,” Boyd explained.
“Oh… still not used to the Bond.” Raev smiled and he sensed a wave of affection roll down to him.
Boyd figured it was a result of accurately guessing how she’d felt, even though he cheated to do it.
“No… Well, maybe a little. Mostly Silvie asked me a few leading questions about some stuff, and I answered honestly. I had to keep it PG with the kid here, though.” She gave him a wink. “I feel bad because there was a moment when I thought ‘hey maybe this isn’t the best time for this’, but I didn’t want to go against Silvie.”
“Ah, feeling guilty because you didn’t stop her?” Boyd asked, opening one wing and using it to guide Raev towards the exit. He took his time, not wanting to catch Silvie or the siblings at the elevators.
“A little… I guess.” She shrugged her small shoulders, but Boyd could tell that wasn’t everything based on how her emotions roiled.
“What is it, really?” Boyd asked as he held the door open for Raev. He scanned the hall beyond, confirming that the other three had left.
Raev slid past him, brushing her soft tails across his front as she passed him. “Well, love is new to me. I guess seeing that… it made me realize it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I remember thinking that I could never be mad at you, and you probably couldn’t get really mad at me. It was nice…” Her voice trailed off and she sighed.
“Now,” she continued, “I’ve seen you argue with Silvie, and she was really pissed when she saw how hurt you got fighting Omega Ray. I guess it just made me realize there is a honeymoon phase to every relationship, and at some point, it will end.”
Boyd considered her words and paid attention to the uncertainty she was feeling. He didn’t want her to feel that way, so he stepped up beside her and coiled his tail around one of her tails again. “You know that little spat is done, right?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” Raev tilted her head to the side as Boyd pressed the button to summon the elevator. They didn’t have to wait long, though.
Boyd remembered reading something about there being hundreds of cars utilizing advanced internal gravitics to ensure that wait times for the elevators were always less than a minute. Most of the time only a few dozen cars were active, but in emergencies like today’s, all of them activated so as to allow a prompt evacuation of the hundred and seventy-five floor building.
As they stepped inside the elevator and Boyd selected the floor for their suite, he responded, “I’m done being mad at Silvie. She felt bad and wanted to apologize as soon as she realized her mistake. She won’t hold a grudge or be upset that I got mad at her. The fight is over.”
He gave her tail a gentle squeeze with his own. “If she does something like it again, we’ll settle it in a similar manner. We don’t really fight, as much as we just disagree sometimes. We’ve only had a real relationship for a year, but I don’t see that changing. We are both big enough to own up to when we are wrong,” Boyd finished with a shrug.
“Right, I forgot… the Bond.” Raev’s emotions settled into a much more pleasant sense of contentment.
Boyd sensed the mischievous thrill that ran through her just before a matching smirk came to her lips. “Of course, you were wrong about the pace to set with me. Are you big enough of a man to own up to that?”
Boyd knew it was a trap, and refused to blindly step into it. Thinking fast, he decided the best way to protect himself was to use a qualifier followed by a deflection. “Yes, but every woman is different. I feel like I owned up pretty well once I realized what kind of woman you are.”
Too late, Boyd realized his mistake.
“Oh?” Raev purred, but with a dangerous edge to it. “And just what kind of woman am I?”
Luckily, Boyd could sense her amusement, so he didn’t feel the need to backpedal in an attempt to extract his foot from his mouth. He still chose a safe answer. “The kind I love.”
He wrapped a wing around her and pulled her a bit closer.
Raev let out another of her velvet chuckles. “Good answer. You’ve earned a prize.”
She jumped up to wrap her arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to hers. The kiss was slow and sensuous. Hopping back down, her dreamy smile turned into a frown as Boyd felt a knot of worry surface across their Bond.
“You are going to move too slow for Tinker,” Raev said. “She isn’t a first date kind of girl… but she is a third date gal. You will drive her insane if you make her wait months. I like her, Boyd, and Silvie and I both want her to stick around. But if you aren't going to be ready for months, it would be better to cut her loose—and soon—for her own emotional and mental health.”
