Dashing Devil Omnibus 1: Books 1-3, page 82
“You can’t push yourself past your limits!” Tink snapped. “That’s so messed up. They are limits, by definition. I can’t believe…” Tinker looked more angry than upset or concerned, which Boyd could handle.
Suddenly, a look of horror crept over her hazel eyes and doll-like face. “How… how young were you… when they started?”
Boyd scratched the back of his neck. “The PAC Hero training program is classified. I can’t answer you… you should already know that Tink.”
Boyd frowned. He didn’t like not being able to address what was upsetting his teammate—or actively keeping secrets, for that matter. Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time for a heart to heart.
“I’m sorry, Tinker. I know you are upset but we are on a schedule. You said there’s still something you need me to get from your old rooms, right? Let’s go get it. We can talk more about this later, but we need to get moving.”
“Yeah…” The petite woman dragged a hand down her face. “And now I know why the training is classified. Fuck...” Tinker swore softly, as if no one was meant to hear. “I knew about the testing of your Enhancement Power, but at least you were an adult what that happened. Sorry… you’re right, this is not the time. That’s just… What they did to you wasn’t right. I hope you understand that, Boyd.” With that, she turned and walked the last few steps to the stairs. “Okay, let’s go.”
Boyd contemplated her words as he walked behind her, ultimately deciding that she just didn’t understand. The Authority had warned him things like this might happen, which he was sure was part of why his training had been classified. It was part and parcel of what it took to become a Hero, but sometimes that was hard for others to understand.
Tinker had never wanted to be a Hero, so she never got into that mindset. If he hadn’t been trained and tested in the way he was, he wouldn’t know what he could push through. Hell, he might have stayed down any number of times in his fight against Omega Ray.
He didn’t. He got up until he didn’t need to anymore. That’s what it meant to be a Hero.
Chapter 4
The Authority had kept humanity alive on a very hostile world for a thousand years. Their main tool, both sword and shield in this task, was their Heroes. They knew what was needed from their Heroes and how to train them to be the best that they could possibly be.
If it took having his bones broken, his skin cut and burned, and his organs subjected to various forms of radiation or acid… so be it. It didn’t matter that some of his earliest memories had been of such tests. Starting early in a Hero’s career just made the pain that much more familiar, that much easier to tolerate.
Besides, he’d learned how to block out the pain with his Power pretty quickly. By the time Boyd decided not to think about it until he could explain it to the others, they’d reached the living room where Raev waited for them. Tinker walked past her through the arch into the kitchen and on into the hall beyond the pantry that led to the elevator.
Raev’s fiery hair was pulled up in a high ponytail today, it was nearly as fluffy and long as her three tails. She wore dark, tight-fitting blue jeans with a forest-green tank top. It showed off her moderately sized though pert chest and athletically slim waist. The tight jeans clung to her splendidly long legs and wide hips.
She was built for speed and grace, which he’d experienced this morning. Her sometimes predatory but currently warm smile and emerald eyes were a welcome reprieve from the less-than-pleasant topic of his conversation with Tinker.
Boyd returned Raev’s smile as he started to follow Tinker down the hall—until she fanned her three fluffy foxy tails out in his path to stop him. They pressed against his chest and abdomen, and he regretted wearing a dress shirt and slacks when he couldn’t feel them against his skin.
With Boyd’s seven-and-a-half-foot height, things like a peck on the cheek quickly became complicated. Raev’s feet were also a little different from normal, part of her Change, so she was always on her toes. She couldn’t stand taller than her just shy of six-foot height by rising up on tippy toe. The most logical thing would have been for him to bend down to his partner’s level for such expressions of affection, but that assumed that all parties involved were normal humans.
Instead of floating up to him, like the shorter but gravity ignoring Silvie did, Raev had taken to using her D-Rank Strength and his shoulders or wing joints as a handhold to pull herself up. She climbed him to peck his cheek and whispered into his ear. “Don’t worry so much, Big Guy.”
The pointer and middle finger of the hand she wasn’t using to support her weight pressed against his forehead gently, smoothing a crease he didn’t realize had formed. “Tinker isn’t upset in a bad way; this is a good upset.”
Boyd might have questioned how she’d heard the conversation from the far end of the hall but the fox ears that protruded from her red hair explained that. Instead, he asked another question, “Good upset?”
“Mmmhmm.” She nuzzled her cheek against his before kissing it one more time and dropping back to the floor. “It’s the kind of upset that shows someone cares.” The kitsune bent down, tails fanning out to help her keep her balance, and picked up her overnight bag, ready to go.
“Ah,” Boyd breathed. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
Tinker was an amazing person—in just a few days she’d completely revolutionized his Power use. Being able to imbue weapons with his Black Flame was a game-changer. His claws or fists worked in a pinch, sure, but weapons not only increased his reach but opened up the possibility of ranged attacks.
Given that his Black Flame was most effective against Energy Manipulators, closing the distance to use his hands was often a risky endeavor in the best circumstances. Of course, the shield Tinker had made for him helped make it a little less risky for him to get in close. He spent a moment pondering how different his fight with Omega Ray would have gone if he’d had his sword and shield.
Then again, if he hadn’t let his anger drive him and had opened with his Black Flame power, those initial punches might have pulped the former Hero’s skull. He hadn’t even thought to try to use his Black Flames until partway through the fight due to his desperate rage. He would have to watch out for that.
Then, she’d made a suit for Raev that nearly quadrupled the regeneration rate of her Fox Fire, giving her more potential uses of her primary offensive ability in any given fight. Tinker was a genius, plain a simple. She’d already proved a tremendous benefit to their team.
Plus, she was cute as hell.
Her diminutive stature was growing on him, although he was slightly concerned about the logistics of the two of them getting physical. She was just over half his height, and he weighed as much as seven and a half times as much as she did. He’d done the math after seeing her weight listed in her file. Why she wasn’t deterred by their size difference, he couldn’t say. It was clear it didn’t seem to faze her.
When Silvie and Raev had started whispering the possibilities that their size differences opened up, he began to find their height differential less and less concerning. It didn’t help that his little brain seized control at that moment and a memory of how all three women had looked in the large hot tub on the suite’s balcony yesterday jumped front and center.
Silvie and Raev could have competed on an equal footing in a scandalous swimwear contest. Silvie’s had at first appeared modest, but only for a moment. It was a white one piece that covered more than her Hero Suit. When she got in the water, though, it became nearly transparent and clung to her skin.
Boyd had considered asking her to change, but Tinker hadn’t commented on it or seemed uncomfortable, so he’d let it be. Plus, it was really fucking hot—especially with her sun bronzed skin and femininely muscular body. You couldn’t quite see the details of what was considered polite to cover, but it was a near thing.
Raev went in a different direction. To her credit, her swimwear selection wasn’t transparent at all. Whoever had made it must have been running low on fabric, though. It was a two-piece, made up of a web of thin black straps connected by gold rings. Her nipples and womanhood had been covered by the only pieces of solid fabric in the suit—which were rather cute little fox head emblems.
Her tails were what really impressed him in the big hot tub. They drank in the water and fluffed up instead of clinging to the bone beneath. When she’d brushed them over him under the water, it had felt like the most luxurious sponge bath Boyd could imagine. Even Tinker partook in what Silvie called ‘the ultimate softness’ after some convincing—something Raev seemed to enjoy greatly. She’d made Tinker apologize to the tail she had pulled a small clump of hairs from as payment.
Tinker had worn the most modest swimsuit of the three ladies—but it was still a rather daring bikini. Predictably, it had been pink. Though petite in stature, Tinker was built a lot like Silvie. Their resident genius was a natural bombshell—just more than a foot shorter and slimmer than his well-toned childhood love.
She was also the fairest of them, her skin turning a distinctly pink hue as she shyly walked out in her swimsuit with Raev symbolically herding her towards the hot tub. Her blush only deepened once they’d slipped into the hot water. After a bit, it was clear the heat was having an effect on her.
The normally shy and demure woman began to openly—if awkwardly—flirt with him, joining in with Raev and Silvie. A lot of her flirtatious remarks focused on his size. If he had to guess, he’d say the difference was more of a draw than a deterrent for her. It quickly became clear how badly she wanted a relationship with him. Equally clear was how nervous she was that a single miss-step might cause him to send her away.
Of course, he’d never do such a thing. Boyd continued to try to make it clear that she’d earned a permanent place on the team on her merits alone. It was becoming clear to him that she wasn’t comforted by his words—that wasn’t what she wanted to confirm her place. She wanted him.
It was endearing and difficult to discourage. But he didn’t want to strip her of her free will like he’d done to Silvie and Raev. His original fear of forcing a woman whom he could not have feelings for to love him forever was evaporating. As far as Boyd could determine, he’d quickly fallen in love with Raev, though he’d only known her for a few days. He cared as much for her as he did for Silvie, a woman he’d grown up with and who he’d cared for most of his life.
Maybe he and Raev were just extremely compatible, but that felt like a bit of a stretch to him. It was far more likely that his Power affected him as much as it affected her, if not more. The same thing would likely happen with Tinker.
That meant he was only four orgasms away from being in love with any woman as he was with either of the women he shared a Bond with—Devotion, they had started calling it.
He still hesitated, though not as much as he thought he should. He’d agreed to take her on a date readily enough, after all. Boyd had no intention of backing out on that promise, either. It was a good thing she’d wanted a stay-in date. It would have been difficult to make reservations out in the Wild Lands.
He’d checked to confirm that what he needed to make linguine carbonara went out with the shipment Silvie had taken with her. That was when he’d realized he hadn’t just accepted a date with Tinker, he was looking forward to it. Which felt… wrong.
Partly because that was the path that led to eventually stripping her of her free will. It was also a little because he was worried he might hurt her, given their size difference, but also emotionally through forming their Bond. It hadn’t been pleasant for every woman he’d had sex with.
But mostly, he hesitated because he wasn’t supposed to be forming this many personal attachments. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t supposed to form any real personal attachments—it went counter to every warning he had been given growing up.
Every attachment a Hero had was a vulnerability. The most a Hero should allow themselves were casual friendships amongst their team. Even that was primarily encouraged because the public responded better to teams that appeared to be friendly with each other.
A Hero might be asked by The Authority to form false relationships, either romantic or platonic. Boyd had always considered such attachments to be false. A Hero should be prepared to sacrifice a team member—or be sacrificed by them—if the situation called for it.
It was hard, if not impossible, to have a real relationship in that situation.
It was another reason he hated the cost of his Enhancement. Boyd knew he couldn’t afford to Enhance anyone else. It had been proven twice over. He’d long known that he couldn’t sacrifice Silvie. When he’d sensed she was in danger, nothing else had mattered. Not Orders. Not staying hidden. Not his public image. Not even being a Hero.
All those went out the window when she’d been in serious danger—a window which he promptly jumped out of. He’d even quit The Heroes, something he’d never seriously considered doing at any point in his life. The thought hadn’t entered his head before then, no matter how hard the training was, or how much of an outcast he became.
He knew the same devotion now applied to Raev, which was even more worrisome. Raev was neither as strong nor as tough as Silvie. That increased the odds of her being in danger. Of course, she was also as tricky as the fox her gift borrowed some features from. She’d spent some time explaining the lore of her namesake the night before. It fit.
Thinking about it, he realized that maybe he wouldn’t need to worry about her as much as the less danger aware Silvie. To be fair, not a lot could hurt his silver-haired love these days, and that had been before her second Enhancement. They hadn’t gotten around to re-testing her durability since then.
She might be so resistant to damage now, that he didn’t need to worry about her anymore. She could be the kind of Hero who would survive the planet exploding out from under her at this point. He didn’t put it past her.
Boyd’s thoughts were interrupted by a flick to his chin.
“Okay, Mr. Broody-Face… I’ll admit it’s a good look on you, but we are on a schedule.” Raev smiled up at him as he shook his brooding thoughts away. The flick didn’t hurt. Raev probably could have punched him and not caused Boyd any real pain, given his own B-Ranked resistance.
“Right,” Boyd rumbled with a nod. “Let’s go.” He started walking again.
Tinker was almost at the elevator door when they turned down the hall.
“Let me guess what caused the haunted stare… you’re mad at yourself for developing feelings for me and Tinker?” Raev bumped her hip against his own as she stepped up to walk beside him.
Boyd blinked and looked down at her smirking face.
“Yeah.” She rolled her eyes. “Thought so. We’ve covered the ‘we are all Heroes, too’ argument already. You know we’ve each accepted the risk.”
She paused, her voice much softer when she continued. “I get how that doesn’t actually help, though. It didn’t help me, either. I completely freaked out when I realized you’d dropped me so you could go fight Omega Ray. It wasn’t anger as much as it was pure fear. I didn’t want to lose you. I wasn’t ready to care so deeply.”
Raev blew a raspberry. “I ignored orders that day, too. Did you know that?”
Boyd grunted. “That just proves my point. The Bond compromises not just me, but anyone I Enhance as well. What’s the point of Enhancing Heroes if it also interferes with their ability to do their job?”
“Hmm.” Raev considered his words, biting her lower lip as she worked through how to help him get beyond this sticking point. “Yeah, I see how you could take it that way, but you’re forgetting one thing, though.”
“Yeah?” he asked. “What’s that?”
“We won,” Raev retorted with her smooth as velvet laugh. “You made my illusions strong enough that I was able to distract that monster for a hell of a lot longer than I could have done before we Bonded. The extra two copies of me really upped my close-quarters game.”
Boyd’s brows crawled up his forehead.
“I didn’t know her back then,” Raev continued, “but could the Silvie from before your Enhancement have dragged Omega Ray to a mostly empty part of the city?”
“Probably not,” he admitted.
“We won because of your Enhancements.” The kitsune punctuated her statement by poking him in the chest. "We would have died pointlessly without them.”
“Omega Ray never would have come here if I wasn’t an Enhancer,” Boyd pointed out.
Raev rolled her bright emerald eyes, her natural eyeliner making them pop. “Yeah, and none of us would have Powers at all if we hadn’t fucked up our last world and come here a thousand years ago.” She gave him another poke.
Boyd scowled.
“What’s the point of what ifs?” she asked. “My grandma used to have a saying for what-ifs… ‘If ifs-and-buts were candied nuts, the whole damn world would be fat’.”
Boyd couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him.
“You were born an Enhancer, Boyd. You were targeted because of that.” She shook her head. “You couldn’t control being born. The city is just fortunate that you Enhanced two amazing women who had your back and helped you fight that asshole.”
She might have a point, he realized.
“Nothing to regret so far. I just hope you don’t come to regret not Enhancing more amazing women like Tinker faster when the next threat shows up—and we both know that some threat will come knocking.”
Boyd slowed. That was a fair point. He would be targeted again. Maybe Omega Ray had been the ace up the sleeve of whoever was after him, but Boyd had his doubts. The simple fact that whoever it was had another attack prepared just a day after Omega Ray had attacked made it unlikely.
If Silvie or Raev died protecting him because they didn’t have enough backup or the right equipment, Boyd would never forgive himself. Enhancing Tinker might give his team the edge they needed.
