Dashing devil 4 shadowed.., p.11
Dashing Devil 4: Shadowed Savior, page 11
Tinker started to pull away from him before she registered what she had said. “Oh no!” she gasped, scooting forward to hug him with both her arms and her legs. “That was so mean, I’m sooo sorry.”
Boyd chuckled and kissed the top of her head, “I don’t need to cuddle after every time, but yeah—I like cuddles. But don’t worry, you didn’t offend me.”
He wrapped her up in his arms and wings for a hug. “We have a lot of work to do and I’ll let you get to it, but you have to promise me to wash up, first. That was amazing and we both got really excited.” Boyd nodded to her still open romper. “And your chest is a little messy, plus… you got really wet.”
“Ahhh!” Tinker buried her face in his chest and he was certain he physically felt her face heating up. “Did you have to say it out loud?”
Boyd let himself laugh softly. “Only because I know you would totally just button up your romper and get back to work—if I let you.”
“Fine, I promise already. Okay?” Tink whined into his chest.
Boyd pulled her face up to give her another kiss and murmured, “Thank you, Tink, that was a wonderful little break. I’ll see you at lunch, which should be in about an hour.”
“Yeah, th-thank you. That was… um… it was really nice. The thrusters should be ready not long after lunch,” Tinker responded as he set her down. She immediately pulled her romper closed and began buttoning it up.
Boyd took a mental image of the process before standing. “Don’t forget to check in with Laura. She prepared a special tailored drug cocktail for the numbing agent and said she’d help you with a dispersal system.”
“Really?” Tinker blinked. “That will help—a lot. I might even be done by lunchtime.”
“Good, I’ll be able to start training this afternoon,” Boyd smiled down at her, mentally solidifying the majority of their plans.
Chapter 12
After spending another hour fleshing out plan C and running the field team through it enough times to have the basics memorized, they broke for lunch. Everyone gathered at the largest table on the top tier in the Great Room and Tinker once again found herself dragged into Boyd’s lap. His other self had pouted at him for a while after their separation, so the big man appeased that part of himself by holding her firmly against his chest and occasionally leaning down to nuzzle her head some more.
She didn’t complain. Boyd was pleasantly surprised to see that Tinker had changed again, this time into a different pair of comfy-looking fuzzy pink pajama pants and a silky soft pink tank-top—though she’d again foregone a bra. He enjoyed both how soft her outfit felt against his skin… and the amazing view he saw whenever he looked down.
In contrast to the rather minimal clothing Boyd’s women wore, Daisy was in a pair of slacks and a conservative blouse. He’d figured out that she mostly wore the wardrobe she’d had from her waitressing job when not in her private quarters. She only came out of her room to cook, to serve their meals, and somewhat begrudgingly to join the team for those meals.
Daisy sat at the far-left end of the table, leaving an empty seat between her and Mindy who sat to Boyd’s left. He noted that Obie was coiled around her shoulder and arm once more, though it lazily stared at him. He would have to get used to being watched by a living tattoo.
‘You’ll grow accustomed to each other pretty quickly, I’m sure,’ Mindy assured him. ‘She’s already curious whether or not you’ll let her ride you. She likes warmer people, and she can tell you’re warm.’
Boyd wouldn’t be opposed to the idea, not being afraid of snakes or anything, as long as Mindy could assure him that it would be safe.
‘We’ll build up to that,’ she assured him. ‘You still make each other a little nervous.’
He could feel a smile that didn’t show on her face in his thoughts. He nodded and smiled at their goth mind reader before turning his head and scanning over Silvie, Raev, and Laura who sat to his right. Laura had also changed, replacing her scrubs with a pair of snug-fitting jeans and a tank top that showed arms as finely muscled as Silvie’s. And given that she didn’t possess a physical Power, as far as he could tell, he knew that represented a lot of hard work in the gym. While he was starting to think she was Powered, he didn’t think she had Powered strength or physical abilities—at least she didn’t move like it.
Daisy had tried her hand at Old Earth Greek food today and served chicken souvlaki wraps with a side of marinaded potatoes and a fairly large Mediterranean Platter. It wasn’t his favorite flavor pallet, but the hummus and falafel were a good source of protein—which would be needed for the vigorous training he was about to begin.
“Here you go, Sweetie and Darling,” Silvie bubbled as she set plates down in front of Tinker and Boyd. She’d pointed out that they couldn’t serve themselves without Boyd shifting Tinker about, so had offered to get them what they wanted.
Boyd was fairly hungry, so was quick to grab a falafel, dip it in some tzatziki, and pop it into his mouth. “Yummm…” he hummed around the bite, it tasted different from his attempts at making them.
“Did you substitute scallions for onions?” he asked Daisy after considering the difference and swallowing.
“Uh… yeah.” Daisy faced forward and looked down at her plate, which caused most of her face to disappear behind the curtain of her brightly colored, iridescent hair. The soap-bubble swirls of color in her eyes and hair usually shifted rather slowly—so slowly that they were just barely noticeable, if you watched her closely. It lent the young woman an ethereal and changeable appearance that was magnified by the large fairy wings that extended from her back.
Similar hues of pinks, blues, greens, and yellows—as well as combinations of all four—swirled through her wings, shifting much more noticeably. She usually kept her wings folded when not in use, so that they formed something of a half skirt behind her.
“I saw it recommended as an alternative,” she explained, “so thought I would try it. Is it good?”
“It’s great for not meat,” Raev answered, having eaten her own falafel already. She was the only woman Boyd had met who could eat as quickly and as much as he could. “I like it. I don’t know if it was the scallions, or whatever, but it was good.”
Boyd smiled warmly at Raev, who winked one of her sparkling emerald eyes at him. He had noticed that Daisy reacted better to compliments from Raev, so he had asked her to build the young woman up with them, whenever it was appropriate. The fairy-featured Changed woman seemed to take anything compliments that Boyd, Silvie, or Mindy gave her as an attempt to butter her up.
“Yeah?” Daisy asked skeptically, cutting a falafel into quarters before taking a bite. Her pink lips pursed as she slowly chewed before the corners dropped into a frown when she swallowed.
“I think you should go a little lighter on the garlic when substituting scallions for the onions,” Boyd rumbled carefully. “It tastes pretty good as it is, but the tzatziki is perfect and helps balance out the garlic. You should try it with the tzatziki before passing judgment.” Boyd took a bite of one of the two large wraps Silvie had plated for him and watched as Daisy took another bite of falafel with the creamy sauce that helped dull the slightly too-garlicky bite of falafel.
She gave a small nod and her lips quirked up into a small smirk after swallowing. Daisy glanced his way, her bright eyes resting on his face for only a moment before turning to Raev. She said softly, “Thanks, both of you. I’ll try to use less garlic next time.”
While she didn’t take direct compliments from him well, she did seem to appreciate his constructive criticism. That being the case, Boyd always tried to find at least one small way for her to improve a dish with every meal. Fortunately, there were almost always small tweaks that could be made to any recipe, so it was easy to recommend those tweaks in a complimentary way.
“You’re welcome,” Boyd rumbled. “And your marinade for the chicken was spot on, by the way. It’s easy to make it too oily, but this came out great.”
“Yeah, these wraps are freaking good,” Raev agreed, having already downed half of her wrap, in addition to a second falafel.
Boyd had stopped wondering where the food went and instead had started pondering how she managed to eat so quickly without getting anything on her face.
“They’re right, buttercup,” Silvie bubbled, beaming at the small fairy-featured Changed woman. “The chicken souvlaki from the food court is always a little oily, like Boyd said. These are much better.”
“Ew,” Daisy’s nose crinkled, “don’t call me buttercup.”
“Aww,” Silvie pouted sweetly, “I thought you might like that one because it was another kind of flower.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not exactly happy with being named after a flower in the first place,” Daisy’s high voice and expression were resigned rather than combative.
Silvie had tried several nicknames that Daisy had shot down since they’d come to the base.
“Your name is both pretty and suits you.” Mindy entered the conversation—likely addressing a thought the young woman had about it not being suitable, if Boyd had to guess. “Daisies are one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, so they symbolize new beginnings and fresh starts… something you have earned and deserve.”
Daisy turned to face the taller woman, lips pursed together and dipping towards a frown.
“They also have anti-inflammatory properties and were once used in healing poultices,” Mindy continued, “which were early attempts at medicine back on Old Earth. Thanks for that tidbit, Laura,” she nodded to the nurse, “giving credit where credit is due.”
“Heh, no problem,” Laura laughed and then shook her head. “Thanks for the credit, though I don’t think I would have shared that bit of random trivia with the group.”
“Fun facts are fun,” Mindy smiled and then shrugged. “No one here will complain if you want to share any that come to you. Boyd and Tinker particularly enjoy them, although Boyd knew that one from his field medicine training.”
Having a mind reader around was already paying off in spades when it came to addressing insecurities and miscommunication amongst the team. Laura’s brows rose and her pale green eyes moved toward him,
Boyd shrugged, “It’s a moot point, seeing as they don’t grow naturally in the Wild Lands—although a variant of them took off and became an invasive Powered species in some areas after someone planted seeds from Old Earth. Those… don’t really look like daisies and should not be used medicinally.” He smirked. “Unless you need to melt flesh and bone, I suppose.”
“Huh.” Laura smiled and then nodded to Mindy. “Fun facts are fun… thanks.”
“No problem,” Mindy smiled at their trauma nurse before turning back to Daisy. “I mentioned a daisy’s medical properties when Laura thought of them because they are also associated with healing and well-being. You are very good at looking after people, which is why I think your name is fitting.”
Daisy watched Mindy carefully for a moment, deciding how to react. “You suck,” she said, though she smiled as she said it. She continued brightly, “You’re being kind, so thank you for that, but I hate you getting in my head like that. If you weren’t so nice, it would be easy to hate you.”
“Kuh-he,” Mindy let out her signature little laugh and then returned Daisy’s smile. “I can only assure you that I am committed to doing no harm with my Power.”
She pursed her lips, switching her gaze to Boyd. “But I’m done holding my tongue when I can help. Imagine if everyone around you was whispering their thoughts out loud all the time. Everyone thinks negative things about themselves—like you just did. You’ve had friends that spoke poorly about themselves, before… did you hold your tongue and let them put themselves down?”
Daisy’s eyes moved up the wall behind Mindy as she thought about it. “Alright,” she allowed after a moment, “I see your point. But, we aren’t friends.”
“Eh… I’d like us to be friends.” Mindy shrugged. “Either way, you’re one of seven people who are currently whispering into my mind almost all the time. Speaking of which…” Mindy pushed her chair back and stood.
Boyd raised an eyebrow as she walked around the table and came to stand behind him.
She shoved his wings open a bit so she could rest her hands on his shoulders, squeezing his traps. “You can come down, Sinoe. I think it will be fine if you sit at the far end of the table.”
Boyd felt Mindy send her purple mist into his mind to help him control his response to the recently widowed nymph’s aura. He didn’t know the exact details, but his experience with it matched the descriptions he had been given regarding his own aura—except that Sinoe was either unwilling or unable to learn the control he had worked for in his youth.
That floral scent of Sinoe’s filled his nose a moment later, Mindy either unable or not wanting to block it out completely. A warm sensation built up in his core, base arousal without a clear source. His other self metaphysically sat up and started paying attention within the confines of his wood slat room.
Sinoe came down the stairs closest to the table from the hallway tier. She immediately became the center of Boyd’s suddenly very narrow focus. Mindy dialed the effect back quickly, but Boyd had no issues with controlling his own aura this time.
‘It was mostly a defensive reaction the first time,’ Mindy explained. ‘Your other self responded in kind when he detected the effect of her aura.’
Boyd thought that was fair, but they would both need to be careful around one another. He told his other self that they would need to think things through before activating his aura. His other self didn’t seem to be interested in Boyd’s recommendation, though, as he was focused completely on the nearly naked woman.
Sinoe wore only strategically placed vines that barely covered the most sensitive parts of her lithe figure, clearly having no concerns about people seeing her clay-toned skin. Her shoulder-length chestnut-colored hair had yellow flowers sprouting out of it, although they looked a bit wilted today.
Boyd couldn’t be sure if that was an effect of losing her husband, or the night of heavy drinking she had done with Raev, trying to drown her sorrows. Her cut-garnet eyes locked onto him and thinned into a glare as she approached the far end of the table, though she did not sit.
“I do not wish to sit or to eat,” she stated, wrapping her slender arms over her abdomen.
She seemed to struggle to and then failed to pull her eyes away from Boyd. “I understand you are planning to kill the Last Dragon, I would like to be part of that effort.”
Boyd studied her for a moment. Her lips were set in a firm, determined line, and her shoulders were set. He had received extensive training in reading body language, all of which told him that she was prepared to argue with him. He saw no reason to make her.
“Okay,” Boyd agreed. “I understand that being in my company isn’t ideal for you right now, so I’ll put together a list of questions for Raev and send her by shortly to ask them. Please answer those honestly and to the best of your ability, and I’ll find a way for you to safely contribute.”
Sinoe’s gemstone eyes blinked twice, slowly. “Just like that? You aren’t going to make me convince you?”
“I’m convinced,” Boyd shrugged one shoulder. “I saw you pull enough stone out of a mountain to block one of its breath attacks, and that was after you were exhausted from doing the same nigh-impossible thing for several minutes on end. The plan just so happens to involve grounding the beast between two mountains.”
She frowned at him, apparently unable to decide whether she should take the easy win or still argue with him, for argument’s sake.
“We are ending a mythic terror here,” Boyd explained. “It’s an all-hands-on-deck operation and you’ve proven yourself more than capable of being able to assist.”
“Oh… well, then…” Sinoe’s brow crinkled in confusion, “then I’ll wait for Raev in my room.” She turned to walk away.
“I also think you have the right to be party to killing the monster that took your husband from you,” Boyd completed the explanation of his reasoning.
At this, Sinoe turned and met his gaze. Her eyes narrowed at him, but then she nodded. Part of him had expected her to ask and Boyd had already thought of several ways for her to assist—though the details depended on the specifics of her Power.
Before she could turn away again, he continued, “We recovered Silas’ bow. It survived the Last Dragon’s breath weapon, though it needs to be restrung. I believe it is sitting on a table on the tier below. If you would like, Raev can get it for you.”
Boyd felt a little bad about making an offer that would interrupt his kitsune’s meal, but he knew her well enough that he was sure she wouldn’t mind, under the circumstances.
“Thank you,” Sinoe’s response was a bit stiff, matching the set of her shoulders.
She did not turn around, but there was gratitude in her tone. “It meant a lot to Silas… Raev can bring it with the questions, though. I do not wish to interrupt your meal. I will leave now.”
And with that, she walked away.
Boyd found it impossible, even with Mindy’s assistance, to keep his eyes from locking on to her splendidly bare ass as it swayed away.
“Well,” Laura inserted with a snort, “I’ll take advantage of Boyd’s distracted state to say that I, too, would like to be part of the mission.”
Boyd blinked and dragged his eyes over to a smirking Laura. Her grin was wide, although her eyes contained a challenge. She seemed to think he might deny her, as well.
“Okay,” Boyd shrugged. “You can join Tinker on the ship…”
“On the Astral Osprey,” Silvie interjected. “Tinker suggested the name, but it’s an awesome name. Because an Osprey is bigger and better than a hawk, and her ship is a better version of the Night Hawk. So unless anybody objects, I think we should name the ship the Astral Osprey.”
When Silvie looked at Boyd, he got the impression he was the only one who hadn’t already been asked. Even Laura wore a knowing smirk.
