Opposing Forces

Opposing Forces by Adrianna Dane Amber Quill Press www.amberquill.com Copyright ©2008 by Adrianna Dane NOTICE: This ...

Author: Dane Adrianna

8 downloads 712 Views 328KB Size Report

This content was uploaded by our users and we assume good faith they have the permission to share this book. If you own the copyright to this book and it is wrongfully on our website, we offer a simple DMCA procedure to remove your content from our site. Start by pressing the button below!
Report copyright / DMCA form

DOWNLOAD PDF

Opposing Forces by Adrianna Dane

Amber Quill Press www.amberquill.com

Copyright ©2008 by Adrianna Dane

NOTICE: This eBook is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution to any person via email, floppy disk, network, print out, or any other means is a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines and/or imprisonment. This notice overrides the Adobe Reader permissions which are erroneous. This eBook cannot be legally lent or given to others. This eBook is displayed using 100% recycled electrons.

Distributed by Fictionwise.com

2


CONTENTS Also By Adrianna Dane CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 10 CHAPTER 11 Adrianna Dane Amber Quill's Rewards Program ****

3


OPPOSING FORCES By ADRIANNA DANE **** Amber Quill Press, LLC www.amberquill.com

4


Also By Adrianna Dane An Acquired Taste Carnal Carnivale The Exile: Carved In Memory The Exile: A Seductive Tale Hidden Impact I Want Mariposa Soul No Choice Primal Magic: Swan's Lake Sea Sentinel: From The Waters Sully's Heart Unicorn Craving A View To Possession 5


[Back to Table of Contents]

6


CHAPTER 1 Paz sat cross-legged on the ground, a balance of nature and man surrounding him. He drew on the quiet solitude of the solarium, the curve of the domed glass, the scent of living beings, the artificial light reminiscent of the sun casting its glow upon him. This space was so far distanced from his own Native American beginnings there were times when it took a significant amount of concentration to draw the light from his spirit. Since the accident, his powers of concentration were sometimes fractured, nothing like what they had been before. His scarred right hand gripped the charm he held and he focused his energy on the curved claw he always carried with him. He'd found it in the darkness, clutched it to him, praying to the spirits to release him. And when he had finally emerged, the razor-eyed raptor had been there, waiting. The hawk had saved his life. The silver glimmer in the predator's eye had kept him focused through the months of reconstructive surgery. It was the only thing that had bound him to the earth in those agonizing days that had turned into long, tortuous months. That was partially true. There was also the memory of Nikki. His fiery lover. But the Greek lover he'd known was gone, destroyed in the same accident in which Paz had been maimed. And the void of his departure from Paz's life left a huge hole inside Paz's soul that could never be filled. 7


Holding out his hand, Paz released the charm, at the same time inhaling the thick plumes of woodsy smoke from the small pyre in the grate, drawing it deep into his lungs. The bony claw circled in the air, faster and faster. Close enough to touch, the hawk with pale silver eyes glared back at him. "Why are you here?" he asked the hawk. The bird cocked its head, but there was no response forthcoming. Paz didn't really expect one, knowing the answer must come from inside himself. He felt a pressure building around his heart and he gasped with surprise at the intense pain. He drew in a deep agonizing breath. It had been a long time since he'd felt such a powerful sensation. The scar tissue covering his body left little room to experience much of any sensation below his shoulders. There were times when he wondered why he'd been left alive. The vision of the hawk faded and finally disappeared. The whirling claw finally dropped to the ground. He felt a presence behind him and he turned to look over his shoulder. Paz noted the apologetic look on the young man's face. Paz rose to his feet with fluid motion, belying the look of a scarred and wounded man, and turned. A feat of mind over body as Paz suppressed the pain the action caused. "What is it, Douglas?" He'd perfected the easy movement of a whole man and sauntered across the sacred space of the solarium toward the exit, his steps soundless in the soft moccasins he had made himself while recuperating from his injuries. Douglas pushed his wire-rimmed glasses back up along the bridge of his nose and stepped away from the doorway. 8


"There's a message from Silver Command, doctor. It's hawk-coded." The last was said in a hushed voice of concern. Hawk-coded was not a good indication. Only the highest level security was used for communication of utmost urgency. Paz cupped Douglas's face with a hand that experienced little sensation of pleasure or pain. But he saw by the look in his assistant's eyes that the gesture served the purpose he'd hoped, a connection that eased some of the worry away. The look of strain softened. Douglas Ashe had been sent to assist Paz with his research two years ago. He knew Paz's secret, knew more about Paz Jones probably than anyone else on earth at the moment. Their relationship had not started out as an easy one. Douglas had a secret as well, one he didn't realize that Paz already knew. It didn't matter. When the time was right it would be revealed one way or the other. His own personal safety wasn't something that concerned him these days. Paz had cut himself off from human contact, focusing his attentions on helping others and on his research. Regeneration of the human body was an area he'd worked on closely with Nikki. Now Nikki was gone. Douglas had been sent to him because he had some skill in the area of Nanomedicine and, in particular, the groundbreaking work in molecular nanotechnology and the creation of nanorobots introduced into the body to facilitate repair and restructure. Douglas's successes had already exceeded the results of Paz's own research on limb regeneration and deep wound healing. 9


But even more, Douglas's presence had drawn Paz out of his self-imposed exile. He'd somehow dug beneath the scarred surface of the man who now, from the neck down, looked more like a monster. For the first few months he'd quietly assisted Paz with his experiments, offering only a comment here and there on adjustments. Paz had slowly developed a respect for the amazing mind of his young assistant and his abilities at working with nanotechnology. But it was one particular creation that had changed the nature of their relationship. Something that had given Paz back a sense of his own humanness and the ability to experience at least some form of pleasure in his own life again. And it offered him some element of hope for the future. Nothing could ever completely fill the void of his lost lover, Nikki, but Douglas's quiet acceptance of who he was now, gave him something different than he'd had before. Something real and solid. It anchored his humanness. "Whatever it is, I'll take care of it. You don't need to worry." He took the pile of clothing that Douglas held in his arms and began to quickly dress. "You'll have to leave, won't you? But it's not ready yet." Paz stopped to look at him as he fastened his jeans. He never prevaricated with his young, innocent lover. There was no place for pretense in his life—not here, in this place. Everything was stripped down to its barest, essential honesty. "I'll read the message and then we'll see. How close is it?" Douglas was working on a new prototype for the gloves Silverhawk wore when he was called to do justice. 10


"I-I don't know. You can't try it before it's ready. It could be suicide." Silverhawk and Paz Jones were two parts of the same person. Silverhawk was the one with superpower and strength, a being who could save lives, and destroy evil. It was the suit and determination that gave Silverhawk power. And the mysticism of the beliefs of Paz's ancestors. His near death experience and the silver eye of the hawk had saved Paz, and always watched over him. It was Douglas's expertise that had made the suit better than even Paz's own experimentation had ever done. Douglas was gifted far beyond what Paz or Nikki had ever accomplished. Paz assumed it was in his genes, knowing who his father was. Please the spirits that no harm would ever come to him, and that Douglas was strong enough to handle his gift of intelligence. Paz didn't think he could stand to lose another lover the way he had lost Nikki. He couldn't survive that again. Once dressed, he strode down the corridor to the main part of the underground facility toward his office. The blaring red "urgent" message flashed on the terminal screen. Walking around the desk, he sat at the terminal. He hit the return key and the security box appeared on the screen. He entered his code word. A screen opened that looked like actual chicken scratches etched into the monitor. It was a language developed for top-level security, one he'd designed himself after a three-day fast and meditation. He knew it as well as he knew how to speak his own language. He read the message and then deleted it. 11


Steele has taken Zeus. Four small words that could shatter the fragile boundaries of Paz's world. He'd known it would come to this one day, but he'd really hoped that Steele's rational mind would triumph over his mutant side. Steele and the other Rogue Avengers he'd aligned himself with walked that narrow line between good and evil, bending the rules but never quite breaking them. It was a way of life that could so easily make them targets for the Silver Saviors requiring their confinement, if not total elimination. Up until now, Paz had managed to steer clear of confrontation with Steele. It was for the best. But this time, he'd gone too far. Paz would have to be the one to retrieve Zeus from Steele before all hell broke loose. Silver Command knew Silverhawk was the only one who had any chance in hell of reining in the mutant. But after all these years, could he do it? Would any part of Steele's memory recall what two young lovers had shared? Or had Zeus obliterated that as well? Paz swung around in the chair and spotted Douglas hovering at the door. "I'm going to need the modified gloves. Now." "But I told you, they're not—" Paz swung out of the chair and away from the computer terminal, surging to his feet. "I know they haven't been tested. But it can't wait. They will have to work. Steele's loose and it's the only chance I'll have of controlling him long enough to try to get through to him." 12


He and Douglas stared at each other for long, tense moments. He realized Douglas wanted to argue with him on this. But he also saw in his eyes that Douglas recognized the futility of it. His shoulders sagged and Paz knew he'd get what he wanted. "All right, I'll make the necessary modifications. But I can't guarantee anything. And if it doesn't work, he could kill you. You realize that." Paz nodded. "Yes, I know. But I have to try." [Back to Table of Contents]

13


CHAPTER 2 Steele gazed down with dispassionate eyes at the quivering Dr. Zeus. Bound to the chair at the center of the rubble that had once been a part of a thriving research laboratory on the island of Crete, Steele reached out to touch the gray-streaked brown hair of the man he'd once thought of as his mentor. What a long ago day that seemed. Another life which had been ripped away from him. When he touched his hair, the doctor cringed and glanced up with a panicked expression. "You don't like my touch, doctor? Not quite human enough for you maybe?" He curled the iron hard armor of his fingers around a lock of hair and tugged backward. The man whimpered. Steele enjoyed the sounds of his victim's fear. How long he had waited to have him right where he was? How many nights had he dreamed and planned what he'd do when he finally had him beneath his control? The cowering man sitting before him had masterminded the explosion that had destroyed over one hundred lives, just to get what he wanted. Four of them he'd harvested from the debris to use as lab rats. Steel-jawed, mutant animals that had turned on him in the end. Zeus had underestimated the effects of free will the test subjects had managed to hang on to. Somehow, beyond all rationality, they'd retained a speck of humanity the good doctor hadn't anticipated would remain. Strength and superpowers given to them by the doctor had been turned against him before he could do harm to any 14


others. Four former humans who had loved and lived, turned into human machines for the doctor's whim. Steele looked down at his mirror-bright hand as it fisted in the doctor's hair. Metal fused to bone, wires scored through his anatomy powered by special computer chips created by Zeus's new team of scientists. Each of them different, each of them rogues who defied laws, yet fought for the weak, destroying those who preyed on others. Justice was a joke. There was no real justice. He and the others had appointed themselves equalizers and nothing more. Leave justice to the white knights who still believed laws and morality could save men. Not when there were men like Zeus to corrupt and destroy. And laws that refused to annihilate such demented men. Steele checked his internal clock, a time bomb ticking away inside his head, put there by Zeus and his team of torturers. There was no longer any glimmer of feeling in the left side of his body. Everything he touched translated into base code and was interpreted by a brain that had been altered to process the information efficiently. What feeling he retained in the right side of his body was muted by the left— like tasting week-old stale beer. Yet there was still that glimmer of humanity in his brain that kept him from going completely over the edge. And the ache of love and how it had felt to be held by the man who'd meant more to him than life itself. He could no longer feel those sensations, but he could remember how it had felt when he'd been human. When he had dreams and shared 15


pleasure. When the slightest touch of a breath made his passion soar. His gaze pinioned the man in the chair. Knowing he still lived because the law wouldn't put him to death. Knowing how high a price Steele and the others had paid for his power-hungry superintelligent madness had slowly been eating at him over the years until he couldn't bear the memories any longer. This was one mission he'd taken upon himself. He knew the price he'd pay for killing Zeus. It was a line he'd crossed knowing where it would end. The only way it could end. "Why, Zeus? Why me? Why didn't you just let me die?" The cold blue eyes of the doctor returned his gaze. Emotionless. The same look he'd always given him, just before another agonizing operation was to commence that would take away just a little bit more of Steele's humanity. Ice ran through the bastard's veins, nothing more, nothing less. "You could have been a perfect blend of man and machine. Why you? Because of your fire. There's a furnace inside you that burned to be so much more than what you were. Look at you now. Look at what I made you. You're a god, don't you realize that? You have the ability to command men, to make them yield to you." "My God, is that what you thought I wanted? Damn you, I never wanted this. Where's happiness in all your grand plans? All you've harvested is anger and rage. There's nothing left of my heart and soul. I want to be human and look what you've 16


made me? I can't ever be what I once was. I can't ever have what I truly wanted." "Power and money can give you anything you want." The doctor leaned forward, the aura of madness lighting up his face. "Anything you want. I can help you get it." A shrewd look entered his eyes. "Even—" Steele whirled away and smashed his steel fist against the remnants of a blackened rock wall, shattering it. "Don't you dare say his name," he shouted at the doctor as he pivoted back around to tower over him. "No more chances. Today you die." Steele held his metal arm out and concentrated. The glaze of energy began to surge along the length. Blue fire, like a propane flame, engulfed the length. He turned his head to look at the doctor, a cold smile on his face. He wanted him to suffer. The doctor had gone a shade of white, paler than the thick clouds filling the blue sky above. Oh yes, he knew what was coming next. "Let's see how you like pain, doctor. How much you can take. You've certainly been more than willing to give it, haven't you?" "You know he'll come after you, Steele. He'll destroy you. He can't afford to let the past stop him. You cross the line, he'll have no choice. Do you really want to make him live knowing your blood is on his hands? He has a finer sense of justice than you do. It will ruin him." "He always did have a softer heart than I did. But then you knew that, didn't you? It's why you took me instead. You saw 17


what I always tried to hide. And you thought you could build on that and make me your pawn. But it backfired didn't it?" "Not if you do what you plan to do. You kill me, you make everything I did worthwhile. Because once you cross and feel that power, there won't be any going back. And if he doesn't destroy you, you'll have to destroy him." Steele arced his flaming arm back. He felt the heat of the blast burn through him; the power surged, jumping the wires inside his body, magnifying the energy. The blue flame lived and traveled along his arm to ball in his palm. He studied the doctor. His feet. He'd start with his feet and work his way up his body slowly. He wanted the doctor to feel every moment of anguish, just as he'd made Steele feel it, right up until the moment when all feeling changed and translated into binary numbers, ripping an important part away from him forever. But that anguish of knowing, just before the end, that's what he wanted to draw out of the doctor. He wanted to hear him scream. He wanted him to beg. Again and again and again. He wanted it to wash him clean of the memories. Of the possibilities that no longer existed. Steele leaned forward and drove his flaming fist forward, intent to begin the slow torture for the madman who had made him what he was. [Back to Table of Contents]

18


CHAPTER 3 It wasn't easy remembering the bittersweet moments with a past lover you might have to one day destroy. Today was no different. Paz picked up the frame with the charred photograph he couldn't bear to destroy. He brushed a scarred finger over the glass, tracing the devilish smile on the face of the darkskinned man with the rebellious glint in his Mediterranean blue eyes. That day had to have been one of the most perfect days of his life. There would never be another like it. **** The sun had been hot and scorching, the sea such a shade of blue it made one want to cry with its beauty. And when Nikki had shucked his briefs, and all that bronzed, tantalizing flesh was revealed for Paz's delectation, it was more than any man could be expected to resist. Nikki's sparkling white grin dared Paz to bare it all. "Come on, Paz. There's no one around. Get a little daring." How could he resist? His cock lengthened, hardened as he pushed his briefs off his hips and stepped out of them. The white sand sifted between his toes, soft, seductive, and warm. Someone might see them. Nikki had often told him no one would care. Not here. Not in this part of Greece. Everyone bathed naked. No one would know or care what they did. He guessed he had to trust him. No, he wanted to 19


trust him, whether he was right or not. Being with Nikki made Paz want to be bad. So, so bad. Paz joined Nikki at the water's edge. The bubbly white foam lapped at his bare toes, which sank into the cool, wet sand. The glare of light danced over the blue horizon, the warm rays searching for him, stroking across his hot skin. And then he felt a hand grip his ass. Nikki moved behind him and wrapped his arms around Paz's waist, and then closed a hand around his burgeoning cock. "This is paradise, sweetheart," he murmured into Paz's ear, then nipped the lobe with his teeth as his hand possessively stroked along his rigid length. Paz leaned back against his lover, allowing his hands to work his body. It was so much more intense beneath the hot blaze of the Grecian sun. His blood seemed to simmer as it flowed through his body, pooling in his groin. Nikki cupped his balls. "We'll swim, and then we'll go over there by those rocks where no one can see. The blankets are all ready for us. I want to make love to you all afternoon. We deserve to celebrate a little, don't you think? That final test was a success. Even Dr. Zeus was pleased with the results." All Paz could do was gulp and nod his head. The pleasure that erupted beneath Nikki's powerful hands was so fierce Paz was afraid he was going to burst. It was his way to allow himself to respond to the rhythms of the earth, but when Nikki touched him it was as though the earth opened wider to embrace them both. It had been like that from the first meeting. Coming from different parts of the 20


planet, both of them brought to this place to meet, to embrace, to work, and to love. He turned in Nikki's arms and possessed his mouth. Nikki's hand cupped his ass, kneading and squeezing, Nikki's cock sliding against Paz's erection, pre-ejaculate oozing, sweat dripping. He pulled Nikki closer, consumed his tongue what seemed like halfway down his throat. Oh, God, he loved the taste of the man. It was long heated moments later that Nikki lifted his head to look at Paz and grin. He licked his lips as though savoring the last taste of their intense passion. "A quick swim and then I want to really taste you, lover." Grabbing Paz's hand, they ran toward the water and dove in. Nikki swam like a fish, diving and leaping, long, powerful strokes that carried him to the rocks and back to Paz again and again. He constantly teased Paz until Paz was almost at the point of shattering. One minute he'd be at the rocks and then the next beneath the water, Paz's cock stuffed in his mouth, sucking. Paz pumping his hips, reaching for him. And then he'd be gone once again, like a smart, slippery fish, quite knowledgeable in the ways of humans. Much later, they swam together toward the rocks, leaving the water hand in hand, hurrying toward the nest Nikki had built for them. Dropping to the blanket, their appetites for each other now ravenous, Nikki turned and took Paz's dick into his mouth, sucking him deeply. Positioned as he was, Nikki's cock knocked at his lips and he opened willingly, inviting the huge member inside to nestle there, sucking and swirling his tongue over the heated, silky 21


flesh. It surged and stretched, and as Paz's own cock filled Nikki's mouth, Paz relaxed his throat, his mind swirling with erotic images as they sucked and fondled, stroked and caressed until they were practically one body, like an octopus using its tentacles to stroke its own body, fucking itself, pleasure and surging desire with one mind, one instinct. The sound of the surf was muted, but when the powerful climax surged, it was magnified as they both spurted cum at the same time. Nikki's semen shot into Paz's mouth. He swallowed burst after burst of his lover's cum, sucking him dry. His own climax was just as intense, and when it was over, they collapsed onto the blanket, breathless and gasping. Laughing with the pleasures of life and of being so in love. They fell asleep in each other's arms, lulled by the surf and the replete passion. Paz awoke to Nikki's hands stroking over his body, reawakening his flaccid passion. Nikki held up a bottle and there was that glimmer in his eyes. "What is it?" Paz asked him with slurred words, still groggy from sleep. But something was beginning to happen. His body had begun to tingle strangely. And it wasn't at all unpleasant. "Something I've been working on. You're going to like it. Nobody else knows about it. I made it for us." Paz bucked his hips as his cock throbbed quickly to life beneath Nikki's ministrations. "God, what is it?" He couldn't stop the mini-quakes shuddering through him. He wanted to fuck and he needed it now. It felt like his whole body was opened and ready, every orifice waiting to be speared and filled. Needing to fill Nikki. "An aphrodisiac. Something new. Do you like it?" 22


Paz couldn't stop his body from shuddering and responding to the slick oil that now covered his whole body. It felt like even his asshole was quaking, open and closed, seeking a cock to fill it. "You've got to fuck me, now." "Patience, lover." He leaned down to press a kiss to Paz's lips, but Paz needed so much more. "I used it on myself the other night," Nikki whispered, "just to test it out before I used it on you. I wanted it to be a surprise. I've been so hot for you ever since then, it's been painful not to take you before this. But I want us both to appreciate the effects. To enjoy them to the fullest. That's why I've waited. For today. I want us to have all the time in the world to share the experience. No one else will ever know its secret. Just you and me, baby." Paz couldn't stop his hips from moving, or his dick from engorging. He was a hawk in the sky and watched his own gyrating body as he circled over head. Whatever was occurring was turning into some mystical experience he couldn't begin to define. He felt his spirit lifting away, soaring as his body continued to seek relief. "Nikki," he screamed. He saw them from the sky, his own bronzed body glistening. He watched as Nikki applied the oil to himself and then turned away from Paz. He knelt against the rocks, braced his hands just above his head and arched his back. The split of his ass opened, revealing the burning hole Paz needed to penetrate with the force of a surging, stormy whirlpool. He felt his penis perk quickly to attention, zeroing in on his target. 23


"Now, Paz. I'm ready now. Fuck me for all you're worth. Because then I'm going to do the same to you. God, yes, do it now." Paz lifted to his knees and came up behind Nikki. He touched the enflamed tip of his cock to the small puckered entrance, which seemed to part of its own volition, swallowing the head of Paz's prick, sucking him deep inside Nikki's hole. It gloved him so perfectly, surrounded him completely, claimed him as only a lover can do. The slick oil coated them both, made the ride fast and deep, hard and powerful. To Paz it was a mystical moment like nothing he would ever experience again as he thrust into his lover time and time again, sweat rolling from his body and he couldn't stop. It went on and on, his thick muscles quivering with the intensity and drive. And when he came it was more forceful than a powerful tidal wave as it swamped and drown him. It felt like cum spilled into Nikki's rectum for hours rather than mere seconds, burst after burst. Paz felt his heart pounding in his chest, mirroring the spasms of his prick, until it was finally over and he collapsed with a groan against Nikki's wet back. "That was ... God, I don't have words for it." He felt like a used up rag with not an ounce of strength left in which to pull his flaccid dick from inside the sweet, slick tunnel of his lover. Finally, he eased from inside him and fell back onto the blanket. Nikki came over him and began to feather his chest with kisses that turned into him suckling his tits, reviving him. He 24


felt Nikki's hard length against him and his own lust began to build once again. Carefully, Nikki turned him over and brought him up on all fours. "My turn, baby. I'm so ready to fuck you, sweetheart. So damned ready." Paz felt a finger test his hot, puckered entrance and he shuddered beneath the light touch, so ready to be invaded by the fat, rigid dick of his partner. He thrust his ass in the air and spread his legs. He licked his lips and smiled in anticipation of the reaming he was about to get. And then he felt the broad tip of Nikki's glans pierce his entrance and he gasped and adjusted. But Paz was surprised to find his own body doing odd things at the breach. Is this what had happened to Nikki when he'd fucked him not moments ago? It was as though his hole opened and sucked at Nikki's cock of its own accord. His body took complete control, rocking against Nikki. But Nikki's body wasn't waiting, and he thrust deep inside Paz's dark chasm again and again. He fucked him slow and hard for a very long time. The rutting sounds of hot, male sex and the slapping of wet flesh overrode the soft, gentle lapping of the waves against the sand. There was nothing but Nikki and Paz, Nikki surrounded by Paz, and then, once again Paz surrounding Nikki. Screams of completion, of pleasure, of lust, that went on for hours and hours as the sun set and the moon rose in its rapt glory to gaze down upon the two naked young men wrapped within the coupling passion of their youth and innocence. **** 25


Paz closed his eyes and set the old, yellowed photograph back onto the nightstand. Those young men, those worthy, rutting cocks were no more. Not after the accident that changed everything. Even that bottled passion couldn't help them now. Not with the scarred and ruined bodies that remained. But something had helped Paz. Rather someone. If only he could get Steele to listen to him. Maybe there could be a chance for them. Not like before. They would never have that again. But just maybe, Silverhawk could save Steele from his own inner demons. Much as Douglas had revived the soul of Paz. [Back to Table of Contents]

26


CHAPTER 4 Paz looked up as Douglas walked into the bedroom carrying a pair of silver gloves. He carefully set them on the bed and then turned to look at Paz. "I can't guarantee they're going to work the way you want them to. I've tested them against metal, but still ... Steele is an unknown. I can't account for what changes may have taken place with his body chemistry factored in. He's an unknown." Paz picked them up and turned them over in his hands. There was no definable difference in their texture from what they were before. He stripped off his clothes and walked over to the section of wall that contained the hidden closet. He tapped in the combination and then pressed a button. The panel silently slid open to reveal the shiny silver suit hanging inside. He reached up and pulled it off the hook. "Be careful, Silverhawk. He's not the man you once knew." Paz turned his head to look into Douglas's worried expression. It always surprised him when he never saw disgust in Douglas's expression for the scar tissue riddling his body. From the shoulders down, not an inch of smooth flesh existed. He qualified that thought as he stared down at the silky smooth flesh of his reshaped cock. Although it wasn't really his, now was it? But neither was it artificial. Douglas certainly possessed a gift for creation. It even contained the nerve endings more intense than an actual human appendage had 27


been. Maybe it compensated for the minimal feeling he had in the larger portion of his body. Douglas had given him a sense of his manhood he'd been certain was lost to him forever. He owed his young lover a great deal for that alone. A little consideration would not be amiss at the moment. Paz strode back toward the bed. And to Douglas. As much as his thoughts were centered on Steele at the moment, Douglas needed assurance as well. He set the suit onto the bed next to the gloves, and turned to cup Douglas's square jaw. His skin was smooth and he smelled of aftershave. Thank God Paz had at least retained his sense of smell. He liked Douglas's spicy aftershave. He leaned forward and kissed him, taking his time as he savored the taste of the handsome man. Studious and sweet. Douglas closed his eyes and Paz carefully removed his glasses and placed them on the bed. Then he deepened the kiss. Douglas's arms curved around Paz's shoulders, pulling him close. When Paz broke the kiss, Douglas leaned his head against Paz's broad, scarred chest. "I know you still love him," he murmured. He leaned up to place a tender kiss on the cleft of his chin. "But don't trust him. He's unstable. You can't trust any of them." "He won't kill me, Douglas. But I have to stop him. Zeus has information that we need. He should have been secure in Maxsec. That facility is supposed to be impregnable. Even Steele shouldn't have been able to burn his way inside. While I'm gone, confer with the warden and find out what happened." 28


Douglas looked up at him. "You want me to handle it?" Paz almost smiled at the shocked look on Douglas's face. "I trust you'll do it right." "You're trying to keep me busy so I won't miss you. So I won't worry." Paz looked into his eyes and brushed the pad of his thumb across his lips. "I think you'll worry anyway." Douglas's passion was so quiet next to the surging memories of Nikki. Nikki had been volatile, like a stormy sea, and Douglas like a deep, calm mountain lake. Paz had been fortunate to have two such men in his life. But now it was Steele who demanded his attention. He couldn't afford to have his focus diverted. Zeus's whereabouts had to be discovered before Steele did something that could not be repaired. Paz released Douglas. "I have to get ready." He turned and picked up the silver suit with the hawk emblazoned across the front and stepped into it. He pulled the hood up, positioned the half-mask and then secured the suit by pulling the zip up to just below his chin. The path disappeared into invisibility almost immediately. Nanobots at work. He sat on the bed and pulled on the calf-hugging, pliable fringed white boots and then he turned to the gloves. He looked at Douglas as he pulled them on. As usual, they fit snugly to his skin, just as the suit and boots did, almost melding with his flesh. It was as though he wore nothing at all and that he was weightless. Within seconds after donning the second glove he began to feel the power radiate through him. He prepared himself for 29


the return of sensations throughout his body, attuning him to every breath of air that he came into contact with. He looked at Douglas, saw him differently, saw the small electrons and molecules that made up the man. He confirmed Douglas's make up and now had the ability to determine his exact points of vulnerabilities. With one finger he could have killed the man in front of him, that's how much superior power and knowledge was now at his command. And he hated the idea that it was his to control. He'd never wanted it, but someone had to take what Zeus had made and turn it to the good of humanity. This was his burden to carry and no one else's. The other three members of the Silver Saviors were in possession of similar suits, but none of them exhibited the exact same power. The suits drew on the unique abilities of each of them. Paz had a certain inherent kenetic ability that was magnified by the effects of his suit. He could levitate and fly, send bolts of lightning across distances. He saw the make up of physical human anatomy and could sense a human's vulnerabilities in order to defuse them quickly. But Steele was another matter entirely. Hidden beneath the armor plate of his left side, he was protected from Silverhawk's disruption. Too many wires interlaced through his body, plating protected vulnerable human anatomy such as his heart and brain. So Paz and Douglas, knowing that one day a different power might be needed to control Steele if he jumped the fence, altered the Silverhawk gloves in order to create a magnetic field strong enough to disarm Steele if the need should arise. It might not be perfected, had never been tried, 30


but magnetic fields were one vulnerability of Steele's that they had to adapt for their own use. He was too unstable for them not to prepare, just in case. Like now. And Douglas had a certain knowledge about Zeus's research that none of the rest of them had. Which made it quite plausible that the newly-enhanced gloves would work. Douglas brought Paz the white leather control bands and attached each one to his forearms beneath the flaps of the glove. "Which one controls the magnetic force?" "The blue panel. You can engage it from either panel. I wanted to be certain there was a back up, just in case." Douglas's grip tightened on Paz's wrist as though he could stop him from leaving. Paz placed a gloved hand over Douglas's. "I have to go. I will be back." Douglas looked up at him. "I know." He released a long breath. "I have something else for you. Just in case." Paz looked at him questioningly. "Something else?" Douglas pulled a black velvet pouch from his pocket and upended it. Silverhawk's eyes opened wide. "Why?" Douglas placed the opened steel cock ring into his hand and closed his fingers over it. "Because you love him. And maybe, if you give him this, he may be able to see past all his anger." Paz accepted the ring and placed it into a hidden compartment on the armband. "Thank you, Douglas. I don't deserve you. You always act so selflessly. Remember, no matter what happens, I love you, too." 31


Douglas nodded. "I know. If you can save him, you will. I just wanted you to have every resource to make that happen. But don't take chances." Silverhawk went to the other wall and pressed a button. A door slid open. The elevator would take him to the surface where he would take to the sky. He had a feeling he knew exactly where he'd find his target. Steele was about to meet his destiny, one way or the other. [Back to Table of Contents]

32


CHAPTER 5 "Stop. Steele, don't do it." For a moment he hesitated at the words spoken from behind him in a voice he remembered so well. It was one that filled his dreams. And his nightmares. He tried to ignore it and moved his hand closer to the doctor's leg, letting him feel the first kiss of flame. The doctor screamed and frantically tried to get away. "Nikki, don't do it." Suddenly, worlds collided with the invocation of that name. No. He would not remember. He could not. He had to finish the deed. Or die trying. Just as the flame was about to engulf the doctor, within the blink of an eye Steele found himself flattened against the bearing wall—the only one left in this ruined place. His steel hand was imprisoned against the wall by a blue laser of light and he couldn't move the whole of the left side of his body. "No," Steele screamed. "You can't stop me." Silverhawk strode to him, a blur of motion and then he was standing in front of him. His calm eyes were something Steele would never forget. But neither of them were the men they once were. Both had been forced down different paths. And today might just be the day that one destroyed the other. Steele raged when he saw the other three Silver Saviors swiftly enter the destroyed lab. Silverhawk turned toward them, still keeping one hand pointed at Steele, leveling the 33


blue laser to hold him fast. The beam had fanned out to encompass the whole left side of Steele. Whatever he was using held the angry mutant fast to the wall. "Get Zeus back to Maxsec and make sure he stays there this time. I'll handle Steele." The Saviors accomplished the deed of unchaining the doctor, cuffing him, and then quickly escorted him out of the rubble. Silverhawk turned back to Steele. "Now you and I have some unfinished business. You crossed a line, Nikki. We couldn't let this go. You knew it would come to this." Steele glared at him. He finally stopped struggling against the hold of the blue laser that kept him clamped to the wall. "You shouldn't have interfered. Zeus doesn't deserve to live and you know that. You know what he's done. And he won't hesitate to do it again. Your damned Maxsec compound isn't going to hold him. You always were too naïve for your own good." "Why, Nikki? Why didn't you ask for help once you got free of him? Why didn't you come to me?" "Look at me, damn you. Look at what he made me." He slumped against the wall. Why did he keep fighting? Steele wasn't even sure himself. If only he knew how to end it. He wasn't a man any longer. Not really. He was more machine. Even these last years of trying to tread the right side of the law, it was a struggle every day to follow the rules. To allow the process of equalizing to be enough to keep him going. He would never have justice for what had been done to him and the others. For all the people Zeus had killed in the process. 34


It wasn't enough for Steele. Not any longer. He couldn't stand the solitude, the knowledge that he could never know love again such as he'd once had with Paz. Paz had gone on to do great things, to accomplish and retain his spiritual ties. Steele followed all the news and knew exactly how Silverhawk had risen above what had happened. If only Steele could have done the same. But he hadn't. And Steele had been left with nothing but being drowned by the ashes of his life. "Do you think he did any less to me?" Silverhawk yanked down the tab of the zipper with one hand, exposing his lacerated chest. "You aren't the only one he destroyed." Steele watched the deep rise and fall of Silverhawk's broad chest and then his eyes dropped lower. And lower. And widened. "Not everything was destroyed," he finally mused. Memories shot through him. Long dormant feelings that he'd buried in order to go on. "Some of your appendages survived amazingly well." And then he turned his head away. It didn't matter, not anymore. Because he couldn't respond. He was no longer a man with those kinds of feelings or desires. At least he tried to tell himself that. He saw something flare in Silverhawk's eyes. "Not everything is what it appears, Steele. There are ways to heal, and then there are ways to heal. Some are better than others." "Let me loose," Steele growled. "I won't try to kill you." "You'll listen to what I have to say?" 35


Steele shrugged. "Do I have any other choice?" He looked at Silverhawk. "You've never come for me before. Why?" Silverhawk's gaze shifted away. "There was work to do. And you seemed to be doing just fine without me. You bent the law but you never crossed it before." His gaze returned to study Steele. "Until today. Why now? Why did you go after him now when you could have done it any time over the years?" Steele pretended nonchalance. He'd learned to hide a lot over the years. "Maybe I'd waited long enough. Maybe I finally wanted to force your hand." "Is that what your antics have been about all these years? Why you still play the rebel even now when you have the power to help people? I'll never understand you, Nikki." "You never did," he murmured and a wave of sadness suddenly consumed him. Zeus had obviously seen something in Nikki that Paz had never understood. That darker part of his nature had drawn the interest of the doctor. He wished it wasn't a part of him, but he was tired of fighting its claim. He watched Silverhawk flick back the cuff of his glove and expose an arm panel beneath. Suddenly Steele was no longer attached to the wall. He stumbled and dropped to his knees. He looked up at Silverhawk, who towered above him. Silver suit sliced open, a cock that sprang up proudly and enticingly. The man towering over him ripped off his hood and mask and suddenly it took Steele back. A long way to the night of the explosion. To another time when he was on his knees. 36


Paz peeled off his gloves and arm panels and allowed the suit to fall away, frothing like silver foam around his feet, baring himself to Steele. Offering his vulnerability. He reached out to touch the fluid metal of Steele's left shoulder. Steele flinched away, but didn't rise to his feet. "I remember a time when you enjoyed being on your knees like this. And when I enjoyed having you there." Steele bowed his head. "I remember it as well. But I don't want to. It hurts to remember. It makes it worse." Silverhawk cupped his face and forced Steele to look at him. "What if it doesn't have to be this way? What if we can have some of what we once shared? Just differently. Do you remember our last night together? How perfect it was? What if we could be a team like that again?" Steele fought the memory. He'd tried not to think about it. It was too tied up with pleasure and pain, love and horror. Nightmares that never left him alone. But Paz was right. There'd been so much love and passion that night. And then it had all turned to ashes because of one man's demented greed for power. But before that, in their apartment, it had been a celebration of spirit and pleasure that had driven him over the edge time and time again. What did Silverhawk have in mind that he would torture him with those memories now? "You have Zeus, why don't you just go? You've apparently found my weakness and can control me on your whim. You've proven you're the better ... man." "But that's just it, isn't it? Neither one of us is just a man any longer. And that's something we have to learn to live 37


with. We can do it alone or try to find a balance together. You're choice, Steele." [Back to Table of Contents]

38


CHAPTER 6 Steele didn't want to remember, but he couldn't help himself. He recalled their bodies, the perfection of human flesh which he had always taken for granted. He remembered the high they'd been on after the meeting with Dr. Zeus, who had praised their part in the detailed work on the metallurgical analysis of the odd material they'd discovered on the beach the previous month. He'd told them it was a breakthrough and its components would lead to major changes in reconstructive surgery. Neither of them had been quite sure what the doctor had in mind, but they were both stoked by his praise for their part in the recent studies. By the time Nikki and Paz had left Dr. Zeus's office, they were so shot with adrenaline they never even made it back to their apartment before the sizzling heat of sexual need overpowered them. They managed to make it to the elevator before Nikki ripped Paz's shirt open and drew a tight little tit into his mouth. His hands had worked at the speed of light at the opening to his pants as he'd released the nipple and quickly dropped to his knees. He couldn't wait to have Nikki in his mouth, to taste him, to suck him deep. He'd looked up at Paz as he pushed his jeans and underwear down over his hips, and grinned. "We're gods, Paz, fucking gods. Can you imagine the breakthroughs we're going to be part of? Everyone will know our names. Everyone in the whole fucking world." And then he sucked Paz's dick into his 39


mouth, heard the other man's groan, felt his hands in his hair, encouraging him to take him deeper still. Nikki had never felt so full of possibilities as he had at that moment. He'd felt indestructible. His work was praised by their mentor, he had his lover groaning beneath his mouth and there was nothing he couldn't do. The best decision he'd ever made was in coming to Crete. But he'd followed the career of Dr. Zeus for years, from high school, all through college, and when the chance for an internship at the doctor's top secret facility on Crete had come, there'd been no way he wouldn't apply for a choice spot. At that time sex had played a very small role in the plans Nikki had for himself. And then he'd met the quiet, enigmatic, and mystical Paz Jones. So different from himself, so attractive, and they'd been drawn to each other almost from the first day. Opposites that couldn't keep their hands off each other. Colleagues, whose minds had meshed so perfectly in the laboratory, even when they disagreed, the sexual sparks that flew between them only fed the passion. Paz was the type of man who liked to move slowly, to study each and every intricate part of a problem before settling on a solution. And then rethinking it before committing. He was the one who meditated before proceeding, whose spirituality Nikki had always admired, but had never been able to understand completely. Yet Paz had always had a way of diving through the turmoil and surging emotions that was Nikki Lozakis and reaching the heart and soul of the lover lurking beneath his drive to succeed. 40


After bringing Paz off in the elevator, they'd practically run to their apartment, needing to be alone together. Once the news was out on their recent discovery, there would probably be few moments of solitude for them to be together. Dr. Zeus was a man who drove those who worked under him past the point of exhaustion until he got the answers he wanted. He was a genius, and Paz and Nikki both thanked their destinies every day that they were allowed to be a part of his unique operations. Hardly making it to the apartment, their lips feeding from each other, clothes scattered through the hallway, Paz dragged Nikki into the kitchen and pushed him face forward over the kitchen table. Nikki remembered the excitement of not knowing what Paz was going to do him. He loved the sexual inventiveness of the man. Apparently, Zeus's excitement had even bled past Paz's calm exterior. The man was racing around the kitchen like a man possessed. Nikki watched him from his position spread across the table. "This could be the last night we get together for a long time, lover. I'm going to make it memorable," Paz said as he pulled stuff from the cupboards and refrigerator. He set the items he'd pulled out onto the counter and then turned back to Nikki, studying him. "Hmmm. Not quite right." Walking over, he flipped him onto his back. Paz liked cooking and the kitchen was decked out for a chef, the butcher's block table at the center of the room, sturdy and long enough to spread Nikki out with his legs bent at the knees. 41


Paz spread Nikki's legs. They draped over the edge of the table at wide angles, displaying his cock rising from the nest of dark, curling hairs as the centerpiece of whatever he was planning to do. "Yes, that's much better." "Well, you better get on with it." Nikki thrust his hips lewdly. The tip of his distended cock glistened beneath the fluorescent illumination above the table. As he watched, Paz donned his white chef's hat, the one he liked to use when he was in the midst of creating his sensuous delicacies. Nikki had to wonder exactly what was in his mind tonight. Yet he stayed on the table and watched as Nikki moved around the kitchen, content to watch his lover. As though Nikki had spoken the question out loud, Paz turned to answer him. "Why, I see some very succulent meat for binding tonight. Juicy and fat, stuffed full of delicious cream. I don't want to lose any of that tasty juice before we're ready. But I need the right binding for such a ... large shank of meat." Nikki's cock perked at Paz's words. "You aren't going to do what I think you are." Paz offered him that mystical smile of his. The man ran deep that was for sure. He sauntered over to the other side of the counter. Nikki noted his hard cock swinging delectably between his legs. He squatted and began to rummage beneath the cupboards, pans and trays clanging together. Nikki loved the way his firm ass split as he rummaged beneath the cupboards and his own dick spasmed, leaking his juice, in anticipation of feeling Paz's hole swallowing his rigid 42


meat. And then Paz came up triumphantly, holding a length of coiled hemp rope. "I knew it was in there somewhere. He turned to smile devilishly at Nikki as though sizing him up. "We used this the last time we picnicked on the beach. Remember?" Oh, yes, Nikki remembered that night quite well. They'd dug for clams and then dug a pit. The rope had been used to hang a blanket to protect them from being seen by the casual passer by. Paz always was concerned about having sex in public view. Now he apparently had another use in mind for that length of rope they'd used. Grabbing a serrated knife from the counter, he walked over to Nikki. Without delay, he bound Nikki's arms and legs to the table quite efficiently. Nikki remembered being a little uncertain about the extent of Paz's play that night. They'd never played with bondage before. He'd looked up at Paz. "You sure about this?" Paz leaned down and kissed him, driving his tongue deep inside his mouth. The sexy kiss left Nikki breathless and eager for the fun to begin. Paz smiled when he raised his head. "Anticipation is half the fun. And for once, I like having you beneath my total control. You aren't a man who likes losing control are you, Nikki?' Paz seemed to know him well after all the weeks they'd been together. No one had ever gotten beneath Nikki's skin enough to discover what lay buried inside. But Paz was different. "What next?" Nikki asked breathlessly. 43


Paz moved down the table with the last length of rope. He set it next to Nikki's hips and then walked back to the sink. Nikki watched as he wet a washcloth and then returned to Nikki. The cloth was warm and wet against Nikki's skin and he leaned back and closed his eyes, the stroking of the warm, moist cloth pulled at his scrotum, and Paz's soft, seductive voice lulled him. "That's it, sweetie, show me your jewels, don't hide that sweet package. Yes, that's it." His fingers stroked between Nikki's testicles and Nikki thrust his hips, wanting to feel Nikki's hands stroking up and down his throbbing cock, needing to be touched. And then his eyelids flashed up as he felt the weight of the rope binding his balls, wrapping around and between, and then circling the base of his cock again and again. The need to explode rode him fast and hard, but it wasn't going to happen. He lifted his head just in time to see Paz tie off the rope and step away from the table, apparently admiring his handiwork. "Jesus, Paz, what are you doing to me? I feel like a trussed up turkey." "But you look so much more delectable than a simple turkey. Every good chef knows the binding has to be firm enough to serve a very specific purpose in controlling the succulent meat. But not so tight that all the savory juices are squeezed out before you're ready. You're my man, my main course, and I'm going to season you to perfection, honey." 44


It had been excruciating and delicious. Nikki's passion and need had known no bounds that night. As Paz had poured the melted butter over his body, as he'd crushed dark chocolate and drizzled the warmed, liquid confection over his body, he'd begged like he'd never done before. His cock had grown fat and red, his testicles bulged and he'd squirmed and screamed when Paz had coated the distended globes with sweet honey, panting and soaring, yet bound to the table, lust driving him into a frenzied sea of desire. The man was a demented chef worthy of Willie Wonka, taking as much time as he needed to create the perfect erotic man-delicacy in Nikki for his delectation, driving Nikki to the brink of sanity. Drenching him in a maelstrom of sexual need, knowing he'd do whatever Paz wanted in order to obtain relief. Swirling cherries in the sauce coating Nikki's glistening chest, Paz popped one in his mouth and then suckled at Nikki's tits, drawing them out into tight buds, pulling a long, drawn-out moan from Nikki's throat. When Paz had lightly flicked his tongue over Nikki's bulging glans, it had almost brought Nikki off the table. "You're a meal for a king, Nikki Lozakis." "Then eat me, dammit," Nikki cried out. He heard Paz chuckle softly. And he did exactly as Nikki begged for. He licked and lapped at his male dessert buffet until every speck of buttery chocolate and honey was cleaned from his body. And then he unwrapped his cock and balls, slowly, stroking lightly. 45


Nikki remembered hearing the rope hit the floor, but when Paz's mouth sucked his cock deep into his moist, hot mouth, it was a matter of half a breath before he exploded, filling Paz's mouth with blasts of cum that seemed to go one for long, mind-blowing minutes. "I love you," he screamed out as he bucked beneath the attentions of his lover. "I love you." And then the world went black. And nothing was ever the same again. [Back to Table of Contents]

46


CHAPTER 7 Paz saw the devastation in Nikki's face. Now was not the time to push his ex-lover. What came next he needed to work out for himself. Yanking up his suit, yet not zipping it, he walked a little way from him to give Nikki some space to mourn all that they'd found, and lost, that night. His cock rode long and hard, displayed and tempting. He wanted Nikki to think about that. Paz wanted him to want that cock. He turned away to look out at the vast, deep blue sea. So many memories of what two young, naïve researchers thought the world held for them. That night they'd both thought their futures were assured and it was safe to declare their love. They'd been invincible. How fragile was the ground they teetered on. It had suffocated the men they were and turned them both into something inhuman. But what came next was what they made of it. They still had the ability to shape their own destinies and that was something he had to get through to Nikki, the man he'd once thought he'd wanted to share the rest of his life with. "I was trapped beneath that rubble, in the darkness, for days," Nikki said in a low voice. Paz exhaled a deep breath. "I know. I thought you were dead. I thought I was dead. I wanted to die. I still smell the stench of my own burning flesh. It never goes away completely." Paz stiffened as he felt a disturbance in the air. Suddenly, he lunged to the side, dropped and rolled as a blast of blue 47


flame burned a hole in the wall he'd been standing next to. He whirled around on Nikki, angry at himself for letting his guard down too far. This man was not the lover he'd trusted and enjoyed all those years ago. He was a dangerous renegade with powers he had no interest in commanding for the forces of justice. And Paz had left his power gloves and panel lying next to him across the room. Fool! His memories made him weak and vulnerable. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he raged at Nikki. "Why did you come here? Just to dredge up old memories that are worthless now?" Nikki surged to his feet and stalked back and forth across the room. Paz was surprised to see there was no stiffness in his gait, that the metal half of his body moved with just as much fluidity as living flesh. He wanted to know so much more about what had been done to Nikki. Not just because he was still a scientist, but because it had wrought changes in his lover he wanted to understand. He wanted to heal him more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life. "Let me help you, Nikki. I can, you know." Nikki whirled on him. "Why? Why now?" Slowly, Paz rose to his feet. "I don't think you were ready before. And maybe now you are. You needed to work out some of that anger." He walked toward the hurting man across the room and stopped in front of him. "I brought up the memories because I wanted you to remember what we had. To remember the emotion we shared, the love we found. It's the only thing that may save you." He cupped his face 48


and moved closer. "You're stronger and a better man than you think you are. You'd never have been able to resist Zeus when he did what he did to you otherwise. I know you're worth saving, that you can turn those powers to the good. I'm here because I know the man you were meant to be, damn it." Nikki dropped to his knees, head bowed, shoulders hunched. "I can't forgive, Paz. I don't have it in me. I'm not like you. I don't have that spiritual nexus to dive into to save me." Paz joined him on the floor. "Is that what you think? That's is so easy for me to forgive and to move on? After I was rescued it took a long time for me to heal from the ravages of the explosion. I buried myself in an underground lab and kept to myself. I was filled with so much rage I was afraid of what I'd do if anyone came near me. I communicated by phone, by email, but never in person. I was too afraid of what I'd do. I suffocated everything inside me that was anything close to spiritual. I buried myself alive. And I mourned for you. I didn't want you to see what I was." He felt Nikki stiffen beneath his hold. Paz had always tried to submerge his memories of Nikki—they hurt too much. But today, he had to lay them bare. Something told him that today would be the turning point. He would either get through to Nikki or he'd be lost to him forever. "You mourned me?" Paz nodded. "There were nights I missed you so badly. Nights when I fantasized about you. But I wasn't a man any 49


longer—at least that's how I felt. And then something happened that changed everything." "What?" He was taking a chance by revealing the complete truth to Nikki. A huge gamble that Nikki would never understand. "Douglas Ashe walked into my facility. Silver Command sent him to 'assist' me is what they called it. But I knew it was more than that. They were certain I'd lost whatever sanity I'd managed to retain after the explosion. They figured I was unstable and sent a guard dog to watch over me." Paz couldn't quite read the look in Nikki's expression. "So you found a new lover to replace me." Paz shook his head. "It wasn't like that. I couldn't ... I couldn't make love. Not the way you and I shared. Maybe that was part of the problem. Between the scarring and the impotence, I didn't feel human anymore and I couldn't figure out why I had lived." "And how did this Douglas change that?" "Douglas is a brilliant young researcher. And I won't deny that I was attracted to him. I'd been alone for so long without any human connection. He didn't look at me, at the scars, like they disgusted him and he couldn't get away fast enough. I hadn't expected that. He's the one who helped create and refine the Silverhawk suit and equipment. And something else." Paz picked up one of the silver arm panels. Locating the hidden compartment, he pulled out the cock ring. "This." He held it out to Nikki. Nikki took it from him. "What is it?" 50


Paz reached for the front of Nikki's black leather pants and undid them. "Let me show you a little magic. Because I have a feeling you've had the same issues I have. This could change your perspective." [Back to Table of Contents]

51


CHAPTER 8 Nikki placed his hands over Paz's. He didn't want Paz to see what was left of his manhood. There was nothing there to tempt a man, especially an ex-lover who had once enjoyed the full passion of his rigid length. It would be too much for Nikki to have Paz see what Zeus had thought unworthy of his surgical attentions and left it an appendage simply used to relieve waste and never again to be used as an instrument to provide and receive pleasure. It probably shouldn't matter so much, but it did. People assumed that those with super powers had super bodies and everything worked with ultra-powerful performance. What would they say if they knew the cracks in the humanity beneath all the hype? But then, people didn't really want to know that those they counted on to save the world couldn't even save themselves when it came right down to it. "Leave it, Paz." His hands tightened on Paz's fingers. "Not this time, Nikki. I'm not going to see anything that will change my opinion of you." He looked across at him as he spread the front of Nikki's pants wide and shoved them down over his hips. Nikki closed his eyes, afraid to see the look of pity in his ex-lover's eyes. It was hardly worth a momentary glance. There wasn't much left to actually see. The rest of him was muscle and steel, a force to be reckoned with that left grown men quaking, superhuman abilities that left women 52


starry-eyed and breathless, and a few men in the same state as well. Yes, he could protect, he could equalize, using force and powers he'd never wanted. And once it was over, he could go home alone, yearning for just a speck of the human warmth he'd once shared with Paz. And knowing that part of his humanity was gone forever. It's one of the reasons he'd never gone to Paz once he'd realized he was alive. He didn't want him to know and to pity him. "Not too bad. You should have seen mine before Douglas did his magic." Nikki's head shot up. "What are you talking about? Your package is just as gorgeous as it always was. That's no limp mound of mush filling your pants. And I bet Douglas sure appreciates it. I know I did." Paz reached down to cup his rigid cock and heavy balls. Nikki balled his hands into fists to stop from reaching out to touch him. "You have no idea what the fire did to me, Nikki." He held up the cock ring. "This changed everything. Doesn't look like much, does it? But Douglas knows how to make magic. With some science thrown in. Let me show you what it can do. Will you let me at least show you?" Nikki tossed his head back and forth, afraid to believe there could be any hope. That he might have any chance of bringing back some kind of normality to his life. It couldn't be possible. And then he looked into Paz's eyes. He saw the man he had fallen in love with so long ago. The youth and energy that had spread through everything they 53


had done from the lab to the beach, from socializing to bedding. The handsome maturity he now possessed. The quiet certainty in his gaze had Nikki nodding his head. Suddenly he had to believe there might be a chance. Just as he had trusted him that night when he'd bound him with the rope, he had to trust him now. Even more importantly was the surprising knowledge that Paz still wanted him. Not just to track him down to stop him from going completely rogue with his powers, but as a man who had once loved him. "All right, Paz. I doubt it will do any good. But in the name of old time's sake, give it a shot." Paz grinned. "Get naked, old friend, and we'll let these sex bots have their way with you." Nikki's eyebrows shot up. "Sex bots?" "Well, nanorobots actually, locked into the ring. Remember how we dabbled in the regenerative powers of salamanders back when we started research with Dr. Zeus? We'd even gone a step further, but we never got it quite right. I think, however, Douglas has hit on something. I have to admit I was shocked when it actually worked on me. He hasn't been able to do anything with the scarring yet on the rest of my body, but he's working on it. So we call this little group of robots his sex bots because they brought me back bigger," he grinned lustfully, "and stronger than before." Nikki rose to his feet. He yanked off his black leather boots and the tight fitting black leather pants. He still couldn't bring himself to look down at the limp appendage that Paz was about to work his magic on. Every time he saw it, it reminded 54


him of how much he'd lost. How much Zeus had taken away from him. He looked down at Paz, whose cock was jutting straight up away from his body. He was right, it did look longer and so damn big, broad and rosy. Nikki was certain he could almost see blood pumping and engorging from the root just above the heavy bag of testicles to the mushroomed glans getting it ready for him. "Is it always like that? I mean, does it ever get soft?" Paz shook his head. "Not much anymore. I've had to make ... accommodations." He looked at Nikki and his eyes had gone dark. It was a look Nikki remembered from their long nights on the beach. "Touch it, Nikki. Touch me like you used to. I've missed you so much." "What about Douglas?" He couldn't help it, he had to ask. "Douglas is a good man. He only wants to help. He has his own demons that he thinks I don't know about, but he's damn talented. He deserves a whole lot more than he asks for. I really want you to meet him." And then again he asked, "Touch me, Nikki." Finally, Nikki did as he asked, and, God, it was like coming home when he smoothed the fingers of his human hand over the hot surface of Paz's burgeoning prick. Tears spurted from his eyes and then suddenly he felt arms wrapped around him, supporting him, and his head was pressed against Paz's chest. The sobs wouldn't quit, spilling out from years of selfdenial and loneliness. 55


Hands smoothed along his back and he reached out to embrace the only man he'd ever loved. "It's all right, Nikki, it's going to be all right. We're together again. And somehow we'll make this work. Trust me." Nikki wanted to trust so damn much. The aching loneliness he'd lived with these last few years finally broke apart inside him and he clung tighter to the lover he'd been parted from for so long. [Back to Table of Contents]

56


CHAPTER 9 Silently, Paz thanked Douglas for creating the second cock ring and giving it to him before he left. He could only hope it worked as well for Nikki as it had for him. Just as he was about to close the ring around the root of Nikki's cock, Nikki's molten hand enclosed Paz's wrist. Paz looked up at him questioningly. "Why are you doing this for me? Steele has been nothing but a thorn in the Silver Saviors' side from the start." "From the moment we heard about Steele and became aware of the Rogues, anything that happens where Steele is involved, Silverhawk gets the first alert. No one touches Steele but Silverhawk. No matter what. I've just been waiting for the right time to come and get you. Now let me get this fastened." Nikki removed his hand and Paz linked the metal ring. And then he touched a tiny button at the base of the ring. He heard a gasp from Nikki. "What the fuck?" A blue sheath rose up to encompass Nikki's cock. At first it was transparent and then it turned into a solidly-formed representation of a thick, mighty penis. His gaze widened and he looked at Paz. "What's happening? It feels ... odd. Should I be sensing something? Geez, it's the oddest feeling." Paz nodded. "Yeah, I know. Once the ring was sealed shut, I pressed a button which released the bots enclosed in the ring. It will take time, but the regeneration will begin. The 57


protective covering allows them to do their work uninterrupted. Once the regeneration is complete, the ring will release of its own accord and the protective sheath will collapse. Paz leaned forward and planted a kiss on Nikki's lips. He couldn't help himself. "Come home with me, Nikki." "I don't know. So much has happened. I can't just leave the other Rogues hanging out there. They'll get themselves into a heap of bad trouble." "Like you didn't manage to do that all by yourself. Would you have really killed him, Nikki?" Paz couldn't help asking. He simply couldn't believe Nikki would totally turn his back on the law. "I honestly don't know. When I finally had Zeus in my hands, all I could think of was destroying him. There were over a hundred people employed at this facility. Only a few of us lived. And all of us scarred. How can we honestly allow him to live knowing he'd do it again given half the chance? He doesn't value human life one iota." Paz cupped his face. "We have to be better than him. A lot better. He's only one and there are so many others. Evil has a voracious appetite. It's no longer a question of wanting to rule the world, they want the universe. Do you know how many dimensional rifts have been opened in the last couple of years? How many times we've been close to combating something that has leapt into our world or one of our own that we've had to track beyond our own dimension? We need to remain strong to fight what's out there. We need each 58


other. It's getting worse and we need all the help we can get. I want you by my side." "You think your friend, Douglas, would want me to barge in on your little nest?" Using both hands, Paz shoved Nikki to the floor and rose over him. "Douglas knows exactly how I feel about you. I didn't ask for the cock ring, he offered it to me. For you." Paz leaned down and claimed Nikki's mouth, possessing it and wedging his tongue deep inside. Nikki had always been the dominant one, always in control, always so sure of himself. It felt odd to realize he now was the one who was so unsure. Whenever Nikki entered a room everyone turned and looked, everyone listened. Yet now Paz had come into his own. And he rather enjoyed this dominant role. Dark passion surged through Paz for the man beneath him. It wasn't just a cock, an appendage, that turned him on, it was the complete man. It wasn't just outside beauty as they'd once taken for granted, it was the essence inside that had drawn them together. And if it took the rest of his life, Paz meant to show Nikki the truth of that knowledge even if he had to remind him each and every day. He lifted his head and looked down at Nikki, whose face and human flesh had turned rosy hot. He brushed a hand over the left side of his face and shoulder. "It isn't what I thought it would be." Nikki looked up at him. "What did you expect?" Nikki licked his passion-swollen lips. He reached up to cup Paz's face and draw him down for more drugging kisses. "I want more of 59


you. Most of the time I see things in binary code, but with you. God, it's so different. It's sizzling code that hits me deeper than I thought was possible. Even now you have a way of burrowing beneath all the machinery and softwarecontrolled sensations and finding your way to my soul." He opened his mouth and fused his lips to Paz's. Paz rubbed his body against Nikki's, wanting to feel more. He shrugged off the silver suit and Nikki helped him. It irritated him that he had to separate in order to remove his boots and shrug out of the uniform completely. "You know your buddies might come back. Those other little birdies, to see what happened to you." Paz smiled. "They know better. No one's going to bother us. They wouldn't dare." "Ah, the almighty Silverhawk has spoken, I assume." "Got that right." Finally divested of his clothing, he came back over to Nikki and looked into his face. "I have very little actual feeling in the rest of my body. All except my cock. But just knowing that my body touches yours is enough for now. Does it disgust you?" "Nothing about you can disgust me, baby. Half my body has no feeling at all. The metal is fluid, but it doesn't have nerve endings. Better than armor though." Paz saw him try to smile, but he knew the pain. "We make quite a pair, don't we? Superheroes ... what a bunch of crock. More like super-scarred." "Hold me, Paz. Just hold me for a little while." Paz's arms went around him and they lay like that for a long time. 60


"Do you remember the beach?" Paz finally murmured as the sun began to set. "Which time?" "With the oil you brewed up. Damn that was hot." Nikki chuckled. "Yeah, I remember. Too bad I lost that recipe." "I've still got it. Let's go home, Nikki." [Back to Table of Contents]

61


CHAPTER 10 Paz walked back into his apartment, his hand firmly clasping Nikki's. He was almost afraid to let him go, that he might disappear if he did so. "Nice place," Nikki said as they entered the apartment. "I've got to get out of this uniform." "You're back," a voice called from a doorway to the left. "I was beginning to wonder—" The words cut off. Paz whirled toward the office door to see Douglas standing there, a look of shock on his face. "I've brought someone home with me." Paz suddenly felt rather foolish at stating the obvious. His grip tightened on Nikki's hand. "Maybe I should—" Paz cut Nikki off. "No, I want you here. This is where you belong." The words were firm and meant to elicit no discussion. He looked at Douglas. "I think you knew I'd be bringing him home with me if there was any chance at all. Or you wouldn't have given me the cock ring." This was going to be a very delicate situation. One current lover, one past lover that he fully hoped would be willing to re-ignite the relationship that had come so close to being destroyed. Paz didn't want to see either of them hurt. Nor did he want either of these men to leave. They both filled important voids in his life.

62


"I think we all need to sit down to talk." He really needed a shower and had to get out of the silver uniform that needed a good cleaning after the events of the day. Both of the other men followed his lead as he walked into the living area. Only then did he release Nikki's hand. Suddenly he felt bereft without that connection and he tried to shake the feeling off. "None of this is going to be easy," he began. "I'm going to try to be as honest as I can. Every day I go out there," he waved a hand in the air, "to try to help. To use what knowledge and the damn powers the gods have seen fit to gift me with, to help those less fortunate." He looked at both men, who watched him silently, allowing him to have his say. "But I still have nightmares." He turned to Douglas. "You came to me when I was at my lowest and you gave me hope that there was more to life than what I did out there. You made me want to try again." He cupped his package and smiled. "And you gave me back something very personal because you loved me. Even when I couldn't love myself any longer and my spirit was at its lowest. You gave me the peace I needed." Paz turned to Nikki. "And, Nikki, the love of my life. I thought you were lost forever. I need you more than I need to breathe. It felt like I'd lost another appendage when I thought you were dead. But I didn't want to force you. Not when I looked like this." He gazed from one to the other, not really being able to read their thoughts in their expressions. "Can we try to make this work? I need you both. So much. 63


Together I know we can accomplish amazing feats. And maybe save a little of the world along the way." He waited. Afraid of what their answers would be. He didn't want to go back to being as alone as he had been before. Suddenly, as though both men were of one mind, they rose and moved to Paz, kneeling to either side of him. "I love you, Paz. I've loved you from that first instant we met all those years ago. I couldn't face you with what Zeus had done to me. I'll try to make this work." Nikki leaned over and claimed his lips in a searing kiss that offered promise. His human hand linked with Paz's scarred right hand. That pressure was enough to lend emotional strength to Paz as he turned to face Douglas. Douglas's soft brown gaze locked with Paz's. He licked his lips and Paz knew he was nervous. And he knew why. "I-I've loved you for a long time, Paz. Even before I arrived at the facility. B-but before I commit to this relationship, there are things you need to know. About me and who I am. Stuff I haven't told you. And I think it's time to clear the air. You may not want me once you hear what I have to say." Paz cupped his handsome, studious face. "I already know, Douglas. I know the truth." "No—no, that's not possible." "Douglas, you aren't your father. Don't you think I can see that? Yes, you have his amazing mind, but you aren't twisted like him." Douglas gasped and rocked back on his heels. "But how could you know about ... him?" 64


"That you are Zeus's son?" It wasn't just when he wore the silver suit that he could see inside a person. It certainly magnified his abilities, but by no means defined him. "I just know. I've known since you arrived. You came to try to make amends for what he did. You've always thought of yourself as a sacrificial offering. It's one of the reasons you work so hard and are so dedicated. You want to right what he's done. But it goes further than that, doesn't it, Douglas?" Douglas nodded. "I didn't expect to fall in love with you quite so hard. It was all twisted before I came here. I learned everything I could about you and that's when I started to fall in love with you. Meeting you has changed everything. And it's weighed on me all this time, knowing what my father did to you and keeping the secret. I wanted to make you whole again. I wanted to give you back your life—the one he took away. But now I want to help people, too. Just like you do." Within that look, Paz saw a bit of hero worship and it made him slightly uncomfortable. "I'm just a man, Douglas, with a few extra gifts thrown in. Don't put me on a pedestal. It's too easy to topple over." He grabbed his hand and then held their locked fists up to the air. "Together we can change the world." He looked at his lovers. He pulled them up onto the couch to either side of him and wrapped his arms around them. Life would be so full. First he kissed Nikki and then he kissed Douglas. "Let's go to bed." [Back to Table of Contents] 65


CHAPTER 11 Within an hour, the cock ring surrounding the root of Nikki's penis shattered. He hadn't realized it at first as he was busy reacquainting himself with Paz's huge appendage. His attention was drawn to new sensations as Douglas's firm hand wrapped around his own newly regenerated cock. For a moment, he lifted his head. Douglas looked up at him and grinned. "It's perfect. Hell, you've got a work of art here. Who knew? You never know what those little bots will do when you set them loose. How does it feel?" Paz sat up to also gaze down at Nikki's stiff erection and his gaze widened. "Wow. They really try to blend in don't they?" First Nikki looked at Paz and then at Douglas, whose hand was slowly working up and down Nikki's amazing new penis. He actually had honest, real sensation in the newly revitalized prick. Paz brushed a finger over the broad head and Nikki shuddered. "Oh, yeah, it feels great. Wow." Paz reached out to flick a scarred finger beneath the hood and Nikki almost jumped out of his skin as electrical currents raced through his body and up to wash through his brain, bypassing the hard-wiring incorporated by Zeus. He dropped his head back and his eyelids fluttered closed. Having two men so attentive to his body was thrilling to say the least. Especially considering how long he'd gone without such intimate attention. He wanted to savor every minute. 66


"Douglas, you do amazing work," he said just before another moan escaped his lips as he felt a pair of wet lips surround his throbbing dick. "Oh, yeah. Suck me, baby. Just like that. Oh, damn." He bucked beneath the onslaught. "I think I want to taste you, too," Paz said. Douglas allowed the prick to pop from his mouth. Paz cupped the back of his head and gave him a deep, passionate kiss as Nikki watched through slitted eyelids. And then his head dipped down. "It looks like a silver and marble tower. The veins seem to undulate beneath the surface." As Nikki watched, Paz flicked his tongue around the ridge and then sucked the gleaming head into his mouth. All Nikki could hear were throaty groans of pleasure as Paz licked and sucked his way along the steelhard length. Nikki dropped back onto the bed, enjoying the new sensations that surged through his body, all emanating from the soul of his cock. More sensation than he'd felt in a long, long time. And he didn't want it to end. Douglas climbed up beside Nikki. He brushed a hand over the molten metal left shoulder and skimmed down his arm. "Do you feel that when I touch you like this?" Nikki couldn't lie to him. He still had a hard time believing this young man was the mad doctor's son, but if Paz trusted him, he had to do so as well. His skill and knowledge had given something back to Nikki he'd never thought he'd ever have again. Nikki felt he owed the young man some measure of trust for that alone. 67


"No, not in the way you mean. It translates inside my brain into code. But it's not the human sensation of pleasure like I once enjoyed. Except for my cock," he amended. "For some reason sensation in that part of my anatomy translates into pure emotion." He shuddered at a particularly intense reaction to Paz's sucking action. "Oh, yeah, baby, keep doing whatever you're doing." He turned to look at Douglas. An expression of sadness crossed Douglas's face. "I'm sorry. I've been working on the skin reconstruction for Paz. But I'll make this," and he smoothed his hand along the metal armor, "a priority as well." Nikki shuddered once more as Paz drove his passions to new levels. He drew Douglas down to him and claimed his lips. Science talk later. Right now all he wanted to do was feel. He found he really enjoyed the attentions of two men and he wanted to give as much as he received. To both of them. Paz would always own his soul, but Douglas was fast carving a spot inside Nikki for himself. Moments later, Nikki was surging on the greatest orgasm he'd ever experienced and he screamed with the intensity of the bursts of cum that erupted from his amazing, new appendage. He collapsed back onto the bed, gasping for breath. Paz moved up beside him. Douglas moved down the bed to suckle at Paz's erection. His hand snuck out to enclose Nikki's still rigid cock.

68


Nikki felt power like he'd never felt before spreading through him. It was light and airy, filled with static and joy. He wanted to run and fly and love and fuck. He wanted it all. He turned to Paz and smiled. "I'm glad you came for me." Paz chuckled. "Well, that's a statement that could be interpreted a number of different ways." Nikki bucked beneath Douglas's attentions and then he heard Paz cry out as he came in Douglas's mouth. Paz pulled Douglas up and wedged him between Nikki and him. And then the two men began to suckle and stroke the young man's body. "He's sweet," Nikki said as he tugged a pert tit into his mouth. Paz turned his attention to Douglas's dick and Nikki heard the young man groan at the attention he was now receiving from both men. Each man grabbed for a thigh and spread Douglas, exposing his hard cock and heavy testicles. Paz dove for his glans and Nikki moved down to suck at his distended sac. It wasn't long before Douglas was crying out with his own orgasm. The three men wrapped their arms around each other in quiet contentment when a blaring alarm sounded and Paz jumped up from the bed. "Dammit, not now." Douglas sat up, a bit slower on reflexes. "What is it?" Paz strode over to the monitor and read the encrypted message. He sighed. "I have to go. There's been a breach in Quadrant 7. A rift of 4D. Stupid idiots." Nikki watched him race to the other side of the room and release a hidden door. He reached up to grab the suit inside. 69


"Wait. I'll come with you," Nikki said. Paz turned to grin at him. "Not this time, Steele. You need to be indoctrinated properly. We'll begin tomorrow. And we'll discuss the other Rogues and what to do about them. Silver Command should be able to come up with something that will keep them out of trouble. Today, stay with Douglas. I'm sure he needs to do a little more ... research ... to make certain everything is working properly." Paz rose to his full height in all his Silverhawk splendor. "I'll be back as soon as I can. These plurps from 4D usually don't require much. Just a bit of mopping up. Take care of each other while I'm gone. I love you both, you know. Don't ever forget that. And don't get into any trouble while I'm away." And then Silverhawk was gone. Off to save another day. Well, tomorrow, Steele would be reborn. And maybe this time Lady Justice would have her way as well. And it wouldn't just be about equalizing the world. Silverhawk could take care of himself. At least for today. Nikki turned back to Douglas. The young man was stretched out on the huge bed. He certainly was an enticing image. "You've given Paz a new lease on life, Nikki. I'm glad you came back. I've always known how much he loved you and how much he missed you." Nikki leaned down and spread himself over Douglas. "He loves you, too, Douglas. Now. Let's see if this new cock you've given me works as fine as it looks. This team of ours is going to move mountains, kid. You just wait and see." 70



71


Adrianna Dane Theresa Gallup uses the pen names of Tess Maynard and Adrianna Dane. Theresa has been writing since the age of 10. A legal secretary for 30 years, she is currently working on another erotic romance, as well as a full-length romantic mystery/suspense. She has been married for 30 years and has three grown children (a daughter and twin sons), and is a new grandmother. Writing as Tess Maynard, her first published short story appeared in the ezine, The Whispering Forest, in January of 2004. Writing as Adrianna Dane, where adding sensual heat to romance is her motto, Esmerelda's Secret was her first foray into the erotic romance genre. Having traveled and lived from the East Coast to the West Coast, Theresa receives inspiration for her stories from a variety of sources, including music and poetry, and her tastes are eclectic. For more information about current projects, visit Theresa's web sites at: www.tessmaynard.com or www.adriannadane.com **** Don't miss The Bounds Of Love, by J. M. Snyder, available at AmberAllure.com!

72


Vic Braunson has a special kind of problem—his lover, Matt DiLorenzo, somehow imbues him with enhanced superpowers every time they have sex. It's something Vic has learned to live with in the years they've been together, and something he won't let stand in the way of their relationship. Matt hates the powers, however, particularly when they put Vic in danger, but what can they do? When Vic stops an armed robbery at a local convenience store, his picture appears in the morning paper. Later that day, Matt receives a phone call at work from Jordan Dubrowski, a guy he knew in high school. Jordan was his first, in every way—it was through him that Matt discovered his ability to transfer superpowers to his lovers. Jordan had a taste of those powers, and after reading about Vic's role in the hold up, he's decided he wants those powers back. But Matt is in love ... and Vic won't let him go without a fight. Still, Jordan will stop at nothing to get what he thinks rightly belongs to him... **** Don't miss Vampyre Falls: Animal Heat, by Adrianna Dane, available at AmberHeat.com! Hot. Hard. Handsome. And dangerously ravenous—for Rainna Spaulding. 73


Rainna knows there's something different about Treynor Black and if she could just keep her hands off him for five seconds she might find out what it is. But five seconds in his company and she's overwhelmed by the most intensely lustful, searing heat she could imagine, and common sense is not on the menu. So what if he likes his meat rare and his rendezvous at midnight during a full moon? She could handle it. He had secrets, well so did she. And then she meets his brothers, Carson and Donovan. Talk about turning up the heat to scorching! Who were these brothers? Or maybe she should ask what were they? **** Don't miss Surrender's Edge, by Pepper Espinoza, available at AmberAllure.com! Geoffrey Kirk has been in love with his best friend, Nash, since almost the moment they met. Convinced that Nash would never return his feelings, he forced himself to move on, and fell for his assistant, Sunny. Despite his strong feelings, he never acted on them, and when he discovered Sunny and Nash together, he thought he lost his chance for happiness forever. Until Sunny and Nash make it clear that he hasn't lost anything ... and he still has a great deal to gain... **** 74



75


Amber Quill's Rewards Program For every ten books bought, receive one free! Visit all three of Amber Quill's web sites for our very latest releases!! **** AMBER HEAT EROTICA Gimme Fever!! Steamy, sensual genre fiction... www.AmberHeat.com **** AMBER ALLURE Where love is blind to gender... www.Amber-Allure.com **** 76


AMBER QUILL PRESS, LLC Quality Books, Print And Electronic Genre fiction at its best! www.AmberQuill.com

If you are connected to the Internet, take a moment to rate this eBook by going back to your bookshelf at www.fictionwise.com.

77

Opposing Forces

Education (Opposing Viewpoints Series)

The Internet: opposing viewpoints

Feminism: opposing viewpoints

Mental illness: opposing viewpoints

Biomedical ethics: opposing viewpoints

Welfare (Opposing Viewpoints)

Книга Opposing Forse

Child abuse: opposing viewpoints

Euthanasia: opposing viewpoints

AIDS: Opposing Viewpoints

Suicide: Opposing Viewpoints

Abortion: opposing viewpoints

Censorship: opposing viewpoints

Male female roles: opposing viewpoints

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Success Forces

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Opposing Forces

Education (Opposing Viewpoints Series)

The Internet: opposing viewpoints

Feminism: opposing viewpoints

Mental illness: opposing viewpoints

Biomedical ethics: opposing viewpoints

Welfare (Opposing Viewpoints)

Книга Opposing Forse

Child abuse: opposing viewpoints

Euthanasia: opposing viewpoints

AIDS: Opposing Viewpoints

Suicide: Opposing Viewpoints

Abortion: opposing viewpoints

Censorship: opposing viewpoints

Male female roles: opposing viewpoints

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Success Forces

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Irresistible Forces

Recommend Documents