Soldier

Altered Destinies 5

Soldier Jenna is a soldier. From an early age, she's been told to try harder, work longer, and be stronger, so she can't explain the emotion that draws her to the operating theater where her twin girls died during an emergency Caesarean. But an overheard conversation leads her to believe that her girls are actually alive. She knows she has to find them. Zane and Rick are special agents for the government. They've been assigned to watch Jason's old apartment just in case Jenna returns. When Jenna actually turns up, she's suffering several bullet wounds. Desperately, they work to save her, unable to explain the instant emotional connection. When she finally recovers and Zane and Rick are tasked to protect her and her girls, can they convince a woman who has never known love that they want more than just a little fun?

Note: Each book in the Altered Destinies series is a stand-alone and can be read out of sequence. Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Romantic Suspense Length: 24,698 words

SOLDIER Altered Destinies 5

Abby Blake

MENAGE EVERLASTING

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

SOLDIER Copyright © 2011 by Abby Blake E-book ISBN: 1-61034-387-5 First E-book Publication: May 2011 Cover design by Les Byerley All art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

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DEDICATION For Rusty

SOLDIER Altered Destinies 5 ABBY BLAKE Copyright © 2011

Prologue Jenna eased around the corner and into the stairwell, her movements silent and her focus intent. Careful to shield her presence from other telepaths and empaths in the building, she slowly made her way to the medical wing of the facility. She hadn’t been here for a very long time, not since she’d been rushed in for an emergency caesarean and woken hours later to learn her babies hadn’t survived. Jenna wasn’t sure why she needed to be here tonight. She just knew that something drew her here. Something called to her in a way nothing else had in seven long years. Maybe she was finally coming to terms with losing her twin girls. She listened intently, concentrating on searching the area with her mind as well as her eyes. Many people in this facility, including her, were able to shield their emotions. Long considered impossible, Jenna had developed the talent soon after being injected with a routine vitamin shot the Professor had designed. He’d seemed inordinately pleased that she’d developed the talent, and Jenna had often wondered just what the vitamin shot had really contained. The Professor had seemed far too smug for the addition to her skills to have been an accident.

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After making sure that she was alone, Jenna stood beside the operating table, staring down at the place where she had last felt happy. She’d spent the last seven years training and honing her skills, but despite her achievements, she’d felt hollow inside. The only time she’d even felt alive had been when she’d tracked down her brother Jason. Stupid moron thought he could switch sides in this war. And that’s what it was—a war—the next generation of human evolution fighting to bring peace to a world gone mad. At least with an advanced human in charge, things would be better for everyone. Heaven knew the disasters inferior species had wrought on this planet. The only hope for peace were the advanced humans being trained right here in this facility and others like it all over the world. But tonight Jenna grieved for a future lost, for the children she’d never met and, even with her advanced telepathic skills, had barely known. Tears misted her eyes, and for a moment, the soldier within growled disgust at her weakness, but a noise down the hallway froze all thoughts. “I don’t care what you have to do.” The Professor’s voice was angry, very angry. “Find the twins and bring them back.” Twins? “Kara and Hailey are the most advanced children we’ve managed to breed. We already know their potential. They are more valuable than you could ever understand.” “What about Dana’s child? Should we continue the search for her?” “No,” the old man growled. “They have proven too resourceful. We jeopardize everything we’ve worked for if we continue to clash with the government unnecessarily.” Jenna held her breath as the men passed by the operating theatre without coming through the door. Her mind raced with questions. The twins? They couldn’t be her girls. They’d died at birth. Surely, the Professor wouldn’t have lied about something so important. She

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shook her head sharply as doubts crowded her mind. She hadn’t trusted the old man in a very long time. She spun on her heel, her gaze bouncing around the room until she found the computer she sought. Sparing but a moment to consider the consequences if she was caught, Jenna booted up the computer and set to work hacking into her own medical files.

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Chapter One Zane shifted in his seat, the cool leather and soft cushion seeming neither cool nor soft after four hours of surveillance. He sensed the same discomfort and impatience in his partner. “How long do they expect us to sit here waiting for something to happen?” Rick growled as he also shifted in the cramped space of the car. “Until the boss decides otherwise,” Zane answered tiredly. Normally he enjoyed rattling Rick’s long-fused temper, but today his own seemed so close to breaking that they might end up in more than their usual good-natured argument. Zane flexed his fists at the thought of swinging just a few punches at his partner and best friend. He was sure Rick would enjoy the release of steam as much as he would, but they had a job to do, and explaining to the boss that they missed their target because they were busy pounding each other into the ground was not high on his list of things to do in this lifetime. “She wouldn’t come back here. Jenna’s a soldier. She’d know The Agency would move Jason immediately. She was already suspicious about his healing skills. No way would she risk coming back here. She’d have to know it’s a trap.” “If I have learned one thing about Davies since he took over,” Zane said as he adjusted in his seat again, “it’s to never question why he does something. The man is right too often for it not to be some freaky extrasensory skill at work.” Rick nodded his head in agreement. Precognitive skills weren’t uncommon amongst the agents working for The Agency, but most saw only thirty seconds or less into the future. Considering Davies’

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success in predicting the whereabouts of the rogues, Zane was beginning to wonder if Davies’ skills were far more advanced. Considering that Theresa and her siblings Dana, Alana, and Jason seemed to be rewriting the record books every other day, it was definitely something to consider. “Do you believe the rumor about Jason being able to heal injuries with his telekinetic skills?” Rick shook his head as he answered. “I don’t know, but considering Dana’s recovery, I’m guessing it’s true. If you take into account the way Davies moved him into The Agency medical division soon after and how we’re still watching Jason’s former address five months later, I’d say it’s a pretty fair assumption.” Zane nodded in agreement as he swept the area with his empathic senses. He felt the harried emotions of the young mother struggling to hold on to a toddler in the middle of a tantrum, the calm determination of a young man probably on his way to an important business meeting, and the excitement of a group of children on a school excursion. Their teacher seemed subdued, tired, or maybe bored. He glanced at the figure draped in a heavy coat limping slowly toward the front door of the apartments, and it took a moment to realize he couldn’t sense the person at all. He shook his head, doubting his own eyes, and was ridiculously relieved when Rick glanced at him and said, “I don’t sense him either.” One hand on the door handle, Zane checked the safety on his handgun with the other. They moved together, their teamwork smooth from years of practice. Zane circled to the left, Rick on the right, both of them heading toward the figure who’d just reached the doorway. It seemed to take the person great effort to force the heavy glass door open, but he managed to slip through, and it closed with a loud thunk. Still moving stealthily, Zane approached the door and leaned on the handle to gain entry, momentarily confused when it failed to open.

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“He locked it,” he growled as he rummaged through his pockets to find the key, losing precious time. Not being able to sense the guy meant they relied on their eyes and ears, and Zane’s eyes were telling him the guy had just stumbled into the elevator. “Damn,” Rick swore. “If he’s not going up to Jason’s apartment, we’re definitely going to lose him.” Zane found the key, crammed it into the lock, and heaved the door open. They pushed through quickly, bypassed the elevator, and hit the stairs. Seven flights wasn’t really a workout to either of them, so they made it in pretty good time. Quietly slipping through the doorway to the seventh floor, Rick took the lead, their mission now to apprehend the human they could not sense. The only people they’d ever encountered who couldn’t be sensed by extrasensory skills were rogues working for the same people who’d held Theresa’s mother, Lydia, against her will for thirty years. Rick and Zane couldn’t take any chances. If this person was here, it was a very good chance lives were in danger. As they approached the corner that would take them to Jason’s former apartment, Rick stopped when they both heard a low moan. Zane couldn’t sense anyone, but there was definitely someone there. Rick stole a glance around the corner and then moved quickly. Zane followed close behind as Rick aimed his gun at the person slouched against the doorway. Another low moan of pain filled the hallway. The woman struggled to lift her head, her matted hair covering her face as she cried in agony. “Jase, I need your help.” She seemed to lose consciousness before she managed to see either of them. “Shit, that’s Jenna,” Rick said as he held his gun pointed at the still form and grabbed his cell phone from his pocket. Zane resisted the urge to step forward and assess her injuries. Jenna had pulled this stunt before, and the outcome could’ve been a lot worse if Jason had trusted the injuries he’d seen.

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“Caleb,” Rick said into the phone. “Jenna finally turned up, but by the looks of her, she needs an ambulance.” Zane only half-listened to the conversation, his own empathic skills straining to determine any information from the woman in front of them. To the naked eye, she certainly seemed severely injured, but if Zane had learned one thing from his years working for The Agency, things were rarely what they seemed. As Rick ended the phone call, he nodded his agreement to Zane and then stood back so that he could get a good aim at Jenna without needing to shoot through his partner. Zane moved cautiously toward her prone form, but lost all sense of reality when he saw the bullet wounds. Jenna was literally soaked in her own blood. A quick look suggested that she had been shot several times in the back and shoulder, the type of injuries one would get when running away from someone with a gun. Or maybe several someones. Rick had dialed the phone again even before Zane had thought the words. “Caleb, send Jason.” He nodded in agitation. “I realize the risk, but without him Jenna is not going to make it. Send him now.”

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Chapter Two Several hours later Rick was still covered in Jenna’s blood. He and Zane had spent too many heart-wrenching minutes trying to stem the flow of blood from Jenna’s multiple wounds. She’d stopped breathing more than once, and only their medic training had been the difference between life and death. How the woman had even managed to make it all the way to Jason’s apartment with such serious injuries was a complete mystery. Rick understood the value of mental toughness, but even he couldn’t imagine traveling so far with so many bullet wounds. Jenna was truly an extraordinary human being, and if Cody’s report had any truth to it, she was also a very dangerous human being. But at the moment, she was just a woman hovering between life and death. Jason had finally arrived and sealed the bullet wounds, but her blood loss had damaged her heart. At this very moment, Jason continued to repair her heart so that the blood transfusions could work successfully. Even with all his skills—skills that proved the rumors true—there was still a chance Jenna could die. Rick shook his head, wondering why the possible death of one woman he’d never known, a woman who was essentially the enemy, would affect him so greatly. Zane slid down the wall to sit beside him. “You feel it, too,” he said. It wasn’t a question. They knew each other well enough to know what the other was thinking, feeling. Zane closed his eyes tiredly and leaned his head back against the wall. They sat silently for a long time. Finally, Jason came through the doorway and stood in front of them. Rick struggled to his feet,

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confused by the lethargy he felt. Zane looked up tiredly but stayed where he was. “She’s okay. I’ve sedated her, but she should be back to her normal, dangerous self when she wakes up. How about you two? Any injuries?” “No,” Zane said, answering for both of them. “It’s all her blood, not ours.” “I’ve sent a sample to the lab. I’ll let you know if there’s anything to be concerned about, but considering she’s lived her entire life under the rogues’ control, I’m fairly confident she’s disease-free. Next time use your first aid kits, please. The gloves and resuscitation kits are to protect you from serious diseases. You took an unnecessary risk today.” Rick nodded his head in agreement even though he didn’t feel the same way. If they’d delayed, even just a few minutes, Jenna would’ve died, of that he was certain. Normally, he would’ve followed protocols, but saving Jenna had just seemed too important. Jason turned to leave, but then turned back to say something. Rick didn’t know Jason very well, but the guy seemed to hesitate, like he chose his words carefully. “Thank you for saving her. Even after everything that has happened, she is still my sister.” “Can we see her?” The words popped out of his mouth before he could bite them back. Jason studied him closely, a puzzled expression on his face, but he nodded. “I’ll show you where she is.” **** Jenna struggled to move. An invisible force held her still as her children were torn from her arms. She heard their screams, their terror, even though she couldn’t see through the surrounding fog. The noise seemed to come from all around, and she wriggled harder, trying to break her invisible bonds, trying to twist around in a vain attempt to locate the sounds. Her girls were here, held by an unknown

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captor. She tried to call for them, but her voice sounded weak in the fog, a bare whisper, and she gasped for air as she thrashed against the force holding her immobile. She sensed two people, not her daughters or her daughters’ abductor, but someone else. She searched the fog, trying to see them, trying to tell friend from foe. “Save my babies,” she whimpered. “Please.” She’d never begged in her life, but she’d beg for her girls, beg for them to be returned, but she couldn’t find them, couldn’t see who’d taken them. Panic twisted her gut as the people moved closer. She could barely see them, but they were both covered in blood, her blood. She screamed as they came closer, terrified that they would kill her before she could rescue her babies. “No, please. Please just let me save them. Let me save my girls. Then I don’t care if you kill me. Just please save my babies.” **** Zane approached the bed apprehensively. Even sedated, Jenna thrashed around in the throes of a nightmare, her terror nearly palpable. She mumbled incoherently, her movements and voice slowed by the sedative, but no less agonizing. She called for her babies, for her girls to be saved, and it bought him to his knees. Zane smoothed his hand over her arm, almost jumping in surprise when she latched on to him with a strength he hadn’t expected. Her eyes flew open for a moment, her focus seemingly faulty. “Please,” she whispered. “Please save my babies.” He glanced over the bed to see Rick on the other side, his hand also crushed by hers in a death grip. Rick lifted his other hand to her brow, pushing the strands of hair away from her eyes as he uttered soothing noises.

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“It’s okay, Jenna. We’ll find your babies. We’ll keep them safe while you rest.” She seemed to react to his reassurance for a moment. Her body lost the tense, rigid hold, and it looked like she might finally rest, but her emotions spiked and her eyes flew open again. Her panicked gaze bounced around the room, her hand squeezing Zane’s tighter even as she moved away from him. When she realized Rick held the other hand, she moved back into the middle of the bed, still looking panicked, still looking terrified. Jason came into the room, and she seemed to become even more agitated, her manner urgent, her plea heartfelt. “Jase,” she said, her voice a croaky whisper. “Jason, I’m so sorry. Please, I need help. They lied to me, and I need help, and I had nowhere else to go. Please help me.” “Jenna, we’ve done this dance before. Last time you threatened to kill me. Why would I help you now?” His voice was matter-of-fact, not unkind or cruel, just calm and very reasonable. “Your injuries should’ve killed you this time. You gambled your life just to find out if the rumors about me are true.” She shook her head in denial. “No. No, it wasn’t like that. They lied to me. They told me they died, but they lied to me.” Jenna shook all over now, her body vibrating with agitation. “They have them, and I need to find them. I’ve got to find them.” Her voice rose with her hysteria, her chest lifting and falling rapidly as she gasped for air. Jason stepped closer just as Jenna gagged like she was choking and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. “Damn,” he swore as he placed his hands over her heart. “What the hell did they do to her?” He seemed to concentrate a while, sweat beading on his forehead as he worked. Slowly Jenna’s breathing became less labored, and color returned to her features. Jason turned as a familiar woman entered the room and handed him a syringe full of medication. “Thanks, Bec,” he said as he pushed the contents into Jenna’s IV line.

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Zane had known Bec when she was a field agent but hadn’t seen her since she’d been shot. Her recovery had taken over a year, but instead of going back into the field, she and Cody had surprised everybody by joining the medical staff and studying to be doctors. Bec stood back out of the way, but it was obvious by the emotions emanating from her that she was concerned for Jason’s safety and very, very angry with Jenna. Jason checked Jenna once more and then turned to pull Bec into his arms. He held her as he turned back to Zane and Rick. “Has Jenna said anything? Do you have any idea who they are?” “She was calling for her babies. Saying that they stole her babies,” Rick said. Jason looked at Rick and then back at Jenna, a look of concern creasing his face. Bec stepped forward, placed her hands over Jenna’s abdomen, and closed her eyes briefly. She nodded when she looked back at Jason. Frustrated at the private dialogue between the two doctors and confused as hell why Bec would somehow know something about Jenna without actually giving her a physical exam, and forgetting that he had no actual right to know Jenna’s medical history, Zane exploded. “So what’s the damn answer? Has she been pregnant? Does she have babies we need to rescue?” His temper kept flaring despite his efforts to control it. “Why the fuck would she let herself get shot several times in the back if she wasn’t trying to escape and find her babies?” Jenna squeezed his hand. Even in her sedated state, she somehow gave him permission to know the answers, and he leaned away from the bed toward Jason. He didn’t know what sort of skills besides healing Jason possessed, but he was willing to risk his wrath to get some answers. If Jenna had babies out there that needed rescuing, he and Rick were getting the assignment, and no pansy-ass, geek doctor was going to get in their way.

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He didn’t quite realize he was growling the words out loud until Jason titled his head to the side and looked at him questioningly. Bec had moved a step back, and Jason stood his ground, waiting for Zane to attack. Hell, he had no idea what was going on in his brain. It didn’t make any sense. He’d never been affected like this by any woman. Why this woman? Why now? What had changed? “She’s in our heads,” Rick sent telepathically, and Zane turned to see his partner trying to dislodge the grip Jenna had on his hand. “She’s sedated! How the fuck can she be influencing our actions?” Zane twisted his arm, her grip quite painful as he pulled against her hold. Relief swept through him as both he and Rick finally pried themselves free. Immediately, he felt more like himself, more in control, less frantic. He could still feel Jenna’s desperation to rescue her children, but it was easily discerned from his own feelings. The fact that he still wanted the assignment was not entirely surprising. Stolen children was a major problem—anyone’s children, not just Jenna’s. “Sit down,” Jason ordered in a very authoritative voice. Zane sat in the chair, far from Jenna’s reach, and held his head in his hands. He had no idea just how Jason fit into The Agency, but considering who his sisters were, it was a good chance that if he wasn’t actually highly placed himself, he certainly knew people who were. All Zane needed was to get fired. He loved his job. This was where he felt most comfortable, where he could do the most good. Jason smiled kindly as he placed his hand over Zane’s forehead. “You know I have to put this incident in my report to Caleb, but I have no intention of blaming you for that outburst. It’s more than obvious that Jenna has some influence over people she touches, though at this stage we can’t be certain if it’s all people or just you and Rick.” “Thanks,” Zane mumbled, grateful for the understanding but still conflicted over his feelings for Jenna. If she could influence his

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thoughts, then what was real? What wasn’t? How the hell could he trust anything that went through his own brain?

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Chapter Three Rick shook his head sharply. He had no idea how he’d finally figured out that Jenna was influencing his thoughts. It had only been Zane’s uncharacteristic outburst that had finally made him see things clearly. “I’ve never heard of someone capable of manipulating people’s thoughts and emotions,” Zane said. Rick noticed Zane’s hand trembled slightly. The loss of control over his own actions had affected him deeply. No one liked being forced to do something, and Jenna’s skill seemed the most dangerous they’d ever come across. “I know of one empath who can affect the emotions of others. And even then, it’s more of a suggestion than any real influence over their decisions. Jenna seems to have the same skill, just more advanced,” Jason said quietly. “How do we protect ourselves from that?” Rick wanted to say so much more, demand answers right now, but he held his emotions together and waited with a thin veneer of patience for an answer. “I’m not sure you can,” Jason said as he shook his head slowly. “We need to figure out if she can affect everyone or just you two.” “Why would you think it could be just us she affects?” “Because Theresa can only use her skill to influence her husbands. Fortunately, Caleb and Ethan are both strong telepaths and empaths, so they can easily discern her influence from their own decisions. I don’t believe she’s ever actually tried to use it deliberately.” “Whoa, back up a minute,” Rick said, his confusion growing with every word Jason uttered. “Why would you think Zane and I would be the ones she can influence?”

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“You already show a connection to her. You feel drawn to her in ways you’ve never felt with another woman.” He said the words in a matter-of-fact tone, like a typical scientist, with complete disregard for the actual people and real emotions involved. Rick wanted to explode and could feel Zane’s temper heating up. “Of course we have a fucking connection. We just saved her life. Of course we feel a responsibility toward her.” Even as Rick shouted the words, he knew in his heart that the connection to Jenna was more than that. Saving her life had been part of their job. Hanging around the hospital waiting to find out if she’d make it, holding her hand while she screamed through her nightmares, simply wasn’t. They were going above and beyond for this case, and he couldn’t really explain why. Jason just watched him, no expression on his face, until Rick ranted himself out and sat down beside Zane. “I need to make a couple of phone calls. In the meanwhile, I want you both to clean up. Put all of your clothes and shoes in these bags. There’s a shower over there. Scrub, wash, rinse, scrub again. Make sure you get every drop of Jenna’s blood off you. I’ll get one of the nurses to grab you a set of hospital scrubs each. I want to make sure that if Jenna’s influence is somehow connected to her blood, that we at least have that under control. Agreed?” Rick saw Zane nod the same time he did. It had been a long time since he’d felt so vulnerable, and perversely, he was at least relieved to have his partner in the same boat. Somehow, with a lifetime of friendship to fall back on, it was good to know someone understood exactly how he was feeling. **** Jenna struggled toward consciousness. The fog felt thicker, heavier, but somehow she had to find her way through. Her babies

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needed her. Finally, she managed to open her eyes against the harsh light and strange antiseptic smell. Hospital? She gasped as memories crashed over her—the gunshots, the intense pain, the desperate journey to Jason’s home, the exhaustion, and finally the black fog that had held her prisoner. She moved carefully, almost surprised to have woken at all. She had only a vague recollection of reaching the apartment before she was overwhelmed by the pain and blood loss. Moving cautiously, Jenna flexed her arms and tried to shift slightly in the hopes of identifying how badly she was injured. She ground her back teeth together, determined not to cry out at the pain she knew would follow. She almost cried out at the lack of pain, at the feeling of never having been shot. Had she dreamed it? Was this another of the Professor’s experiments? Where the hell was she? “You’re in a hospital, Jenna.” The calm, quiet voice came from her left, and she quickly swung her head in that direction, a little shocked to hear a woman’s voice. None of the Professor’s assistants were women. It was almost like looking into a mirror. What the fuck? Next time the Professor came near her she was going to tear him apart with her bare hands. What sort of experiment could he be running that would make her imagine that she’d been shot or that her babies had survived their birth even though she knew otherwise? Why would she be seeing her own face on another woman? “Jenna,” the woman said kindly. “I know this must be pretty strange. I remember how I felt when Gabe and Rafe finally rescued me.” “Rescued? Rescued from what? Who the fuck are you?” “I am the reason you’re not strapped down to that bed. Stop being such a bitch and listen to what I have to say.” Wow, it wasn’t just like looking in a mirror. It was almost like listening to a recording, too. Every inflection, every facial movement was exactly the same. Had

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the Professor perfected cloning now? She knew he’d considered it but didn’t think he’d made too much progress in that field. “Are we calm yet?” the woman asked in such a smug, arrogant voice that Jenna wanted to leap up and hit her. Damn, wouldn’t that be interesting? Right now, she was essentially contemplating beating the shit out of herself. The Professor had outdone himself this time, and as soon as he walked through that door, he was going to understand what it felt like to have his world pulled out from under him. Fucking egghead. “No, I’m not fucking calm. I’m fucking pissed. Where is he? The Professor has gone too far this time, and I would like to lodge a formal fucking protest with my fists.” A cynical laugh came from the clone-woman sitting beside her. “Trust me, sister, I would happily hold that bastard down while you did it, but you’re in an Agency hospital. Jason saved your life, despite the fact that you threatened his only a few months ago.” “Jason?” Jenna shook her head in disbelief. “I really was shot? This isn’t another experiment?” The woman’s face seemed to soften a little, and she smiled sadly. “Yes, Jenna. You had several bullet wounds when Rick and Zane caught up with you. If it wasn’t for them, you would’ve died before Jason reached you.” Jenna’s headache was fast making itself known. Hell, if she really had been shot, then that meant that everything else had really happened, too. She sat up quickly as panic hit her hard. “My girls, my babies, I have to find them. I have to save them. They told me they died at birth, but the Professor stole them from me. They’re alive, and I need to find them.” “We know.” The hard masculine voice came from the doorway of the room. Jason stood there, a neutral expression on his face. “You look better than you did a few hours ago.” He stepped to the bed and held her wrist as he looked at his watch. “You’ll need to take it easy for a few days. You lost a lot of blood, and despite the transfusions, you’ll need time for your body to recover fully.”

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“H–how long have I been here?” This was getting confusing, well, more confusing anyway. “Clone-girl here says I was shot, but I don’t feel any pain. I don’t even feel any stiffness. How the hell can I get shot and not have any injur...” She trailed off as the truth hit her smack bang in the face. “The Professor was right? You can heal with your touch? Holy fuck! That is one hell of a handy skill.” A quiet laugh escaped his otherwise professional exterior. “Thank you, I think. Unfortunately, now that you know about it, we’re not quite sure what to do with you. What do you think, clone-girl?” He turned a brilliant smile on the woman sitting beside her. “I think,” she said with a mock growl, “that my name is Alana, and as to what we should do with my twin sister, I have no idea. Gabe tells me that Caleb and Davies have been in discussions for the last couple of hours. Problem is the only law you broke was to threaten this guy’s life, and since he seems unwilling to press charges, we have a big problem.” “Unwilling?” “Yes, for some dumbass reason, our big brother has decided you deserve a second chance. Personally, I reckon you are too far gone to be rehabilitated.” Jenna turned her attention to Jason. If he was willing to not press charges, then maybe he was her best chance to get help to find her girls. “Jason, I really am sorry. I had no reason to not believe the Professor. I’ve known him my entire life. I didn’t think he would ever lie to me, but then I found my medical records and read all the experiments they’d done without my knowledge.” She fought back the tears even as the words tumbled from her mouth. “About how they artificially inseminated me like I was some type of breeding cow, and then stole my girls and told me they were dead.” “We know,” Alana said quietly. “They did similar things to me. Jason is the only reason I’m free. The only reason my children aren’t being subjected to the Professor’s brand of sadism.”

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“You have children?” Jenna asked inanely. “Yes, which brings me to why we are here. How much do you know about our mother?” “Our mother? Nothing.” She rolled her eyes. Her mother was the last thing she wanted to discuss. “I want to find my children,” she demanded, her anger spiking again. “I don’t give a shit about a woman who abandoned me before I was old enough to remember her.” “That’s just it. She didn’t abandon us. Until a few years ago, Mom didn’t even know we existed. The Professor stole her eggs and made babies without her knowledge or consent. Kind of like what he did to us.” “Us? As in he experimented on you, too?” “Yes.” “Yeah, well, I still don’t give a shit. I want to find my daughters, and then I’m going as far away as I need to keep them safe. Now either you can help me, or you can get the fuck out of my way.” She levered herself off the bed, trying to pull the drip from her arm, but then she froze. She couldn’t move, couldn’t talk. Hell, she couldn’t even roll her eyes. Mentally she screamed at Jason and Alana, but even her telepathic voice stalled when a new woman walked into the room. “Jenna, you will calm down, or I will keep you immobile for the rest of the day. Your choice, sister dear. Calm or frozen? What will it be?” Oh, for fuck’s sake, just what she needed—another sister! Jenna really wanted to leap off the bed and pound the woman into the ground, but since that didn’t currently seem to be an option, she tried to rein in her temper. “Good,” the woman said, coming closer to the bed. Jenna felt herself released from the telekinetic hold and carefully moved back onto the bed. Faced with the sort of power emanating from the new

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arrival, she figured it may be prudent to listen to what the woman had to say. “Jenna,” Alana said in an anxious whisper. “Theresa and I are here to help you. We know where your daughters are.” Excitement drilled through Jenna’s heart at the same moment that dread engulfed her. If these women could locate her daughters, it was quite likely she’d need their help. That was assuming, of course, that they were the good guys in all this. Jenna had lived all her life reading reports about the way these people subverted freedom of choice and basic human rights. How could they be better than the Professor? But then again, could they be any worse? “We can help you get them back, but we need to be sure that you aren’t working for or under the influence of the Professor. We won’t let the girls be experimented on anymore.” The new woman— Theresa?—reached over and placed her hand over Jenna’s. “We are your family, Jenna. We will help you, but we need to be certain.” Theresa squeezed her hand for a moment longer and then turned and left the room. Jason said, “I’ll be back in a little while. There’s a buzzer beside the bed if you need anything.” The last part sounded a bit strange. If she needed Jason, or anyone for that matter, all she had to do was call them telepathically. Except...her telepathy didn’t seem to be working. “What the hell have you done to me?” Alana glanced around the room, looking as if she was hoping someone else would answer this question. Too bad she was the only one left in the room. “We...um...turned off your telepathy temporarily so that you wouldn’t be able to call to the Professor and disclose our whereabouts.” “How the fuck did you do that?” She was more confused than offended, and maybe even a little relieved. At least she knew she wouldn’t accidentally call the Professor. After all, the guy did just try to kill her.

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“I...um...” “Leave her alone. She doesn’t know how they did it. She just knows they did.” The man who entered the room was beautiful. Handsome didn’t quite describe the golden good looks and sexiest blue eyes she’d ever seen, but the words “eye-catching” and “jawdropping” certainly flitted through her brain. The man beside him, though also good-looking, paled in comparison. Trouble was, the second guy exuded such amazing confidence and power as he walked forward that Jenna couldn’t decide who to look at first. Both men called to her in ways she didn’t really understand. The man who’d spoken moved to the edge of the bed, lifted her hand to his lips, and kissed it in a corny yet heart-melting action. How could one man make her want to roll her eyes and fall for him all in one silly move? “I’m Rick. This is Zane. Do you remember us?” She shook her head a couple of times before scattered images partially coalesced in her brain. “You found me?” “Yes, they saved your life,” Alana butted in. “And they are the only reason you were still breathing when Jason got there.” “Th–Thank you,” she stuttered. Really, what should she say to a person who saved her life? Jenna was raised as a soldier. She didn’t feel pain, didn’t deal with emotions. She got angry—that’s how she made it through each day. She chewed the inside of her lip as she tried to think of anything else to say, so it took a moment to realize that even though both men were smiling at her, the emotions coming off them were pure anger. “Why did you save me if you hate me so fucking much? What? Did you think I was her when you saved me? Saved the wrong fucking twin, eh? That really must’ve put a black mark against your names.”

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“Jenna, enough.” The voice was so commanding, so familiar, and so comforting all in one low tone that she closed her mouth and turned her eyes to Zane. What she saw there made her angry. She didn’t need sympathy or compassion. She wanted her daughters, and nobody, not even this well-built, good-looking guy was going to sidetrack her from her mission. She blinked rapidly to clear her wavering vision. Stupid emotions. “Baby, we’ll help you get your girls back, but first you have to trust us.” Rick still held her hand, and he lifted his other one to push her hair away from her eyes. “Why should I trust people who hate me?” It was supposed to sound cocky and arrogant, but somehow it came out soft and pathetic, almost like she wanted them to like her. Hell, she wanted to growl in frustration. “Jenna, we don’t hate you. We’re angry at the fact that someone tried to kill you. We’re angry that your girls were stolen from you, and we’re a little pissed that somehow you manipulated our emotions earlier, but we’re not angry at you.” “Manipulated what? How?”

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Chapter Four She said it with such open confusion and honesty that Rick was inclined to believe she really had no idea what she’d done or how she’d done it. Of course, this was Jenna, the woman who’d sliced her own leg open to try and get Jason to use his healing skills. Anyone fanatical enough to do that shouldn’t be trusted easily. “Jenna, do you really expect us to believe that you don’t know?” Alana stood as she asked the question, her hands landing on her hips as she blew out an annoyed breath. “I don’t expect you to believe anything! I don’t give a flying fuck what you believe. Why are you even here? What? Are you waiting for a sisterly hug? Gonna be my BFF now?” Rick almost laughed as he sensed the swell of anger that pulsed through Alana. He’d heard that Gabe and Rafe had their hands full with their young wife, but he’d never seen the woman in action. His respect for the two men went a whole lot higher as he wondered how he and Zane should handle the coming explosion. But somehow, Alana managed to rein in her explosive temper and sighed loudly. “When you’re ready to listen, I’ll come back.” “And tell me what exactly?” Jenna sneered. Honestly, the woman was starting to worry him. Did she even have a nice side? Alana walked all the way to the door before she turned to reply sweetly. “Where your daughters are, of course.” ****

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Holy hell, didn’t that prompt a reaction. Jenna was almost off the bed before Zane could grab her and haul her back. She fought him every inch, swinging punches and kicking as hard as she could. Lucky for him she was barefoot, or those delicate feet might’ve been far more painful. She continued to kick out, thrashing around until Zane very literally climbed on top of her and used his full weight to pin her to the bed. Thankfully, he could also feel Rick using his telekinetic skills to stop her from throwing him off. They already knew she had rather advanced telekinesis. He just hoped the chlorpromazine drip was keeping that under control as well. Finally, she stopped moving, almost as if she finally registered where Zane actually was. He managed to hold his hips away from her pelvis, not willing to frighten her or cause a misunderstanding. He only wanted to restrain her, not attack her. “Princess, you need to calm down. Rick and I will help you, but we can’t do that if Jason has to sedate you again.” She seemed to deflate as the fight drained out of her, and a part of him wanted to pull her close. The saner, less foolhardy side of him understood the danger. “Now, I’m going to climb off the bed and go speak to Alana, but you need to promise me you’ll stay calm. We can’t get information and deal with your tantrums at the same time.” Her eyes still blazed murder, but she closed the lids and nodded slowly. Zane levered himself away from her, careful to avoid accidentally touching her intimately. He needed her to trust him, but throwing sexual attraction into the mix would cause all sorts of problems. He called Alana telepathically as he headed for the door. ****

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“Why would you help me?” Rick was a little surprised by the question. He’d spent most of the day wondering where to start looking for her girls, not considering if they should. “Because you need help,” he answered quietly. “I don’t need help. I don’t need anybody. I just want to find my girls and disappear.” “Baby, we can help find your girls and keep you all safe.” She closed her eyes, and for the first time since this all began, he sensed her fear. She’d managed to hide it behind her anger, bury it beneath layers of bravado, but at that very moment, he felt her fear and understood her reactions. She’d been kept helpless—even with all her skills—by people who didn’t give a damn who they hurt, so she needed her anger to feel in charge of the situation, and he wasn’t about to take it away from her. “Okay, how about this. Zane and I will work with you to find your daughters, help you set up a safe house, and be around if you ever do need us.” She nodded, her eyes still closed, and he sensed that she was very close to crying. He grabbed her hand again, pulled it into his left, and chafed the cold skin with the right. Something inside him demanded that he help her. He hesitated, worrying that she may be influencing his decisions again, but then realized the decisions were the ones he would make even without her influence. **** Jenna closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall. She’d been alone for so long it seemed impossible that there would be anyone willing to help her just because she needed it. But here she was, not only alive, but being offered assistance, genuine assistance, not the type that came from her ability to implant ideas. Her fingers curled inside his warm hands as she struggled to hold on to her anger.

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She knew that she wouldn’t gamble her girls’ safety on her own stupid pride, but she couldn’t—wouldn’t—find the words to tell him. Truth was, she needed help to find her girls, help to get them to safety, and help to keep them that way. She had no idea how she was going to support them once she found them. She just knew she had to find them. “Jenna.” Zane called her attention as he walked back into the room. “Your girls are safe. They were rescued about six months ago from a rogue facility up north.” “Where are they now?” she demanded, trying to sit up again. “That’s the part Alana was trying to tell you.” “What the fuck does that bitch have to do with anything? Why does she know where my daughters are, and why didn’t she tell me that first?” “Princess, you practically threw her out of the room. She sat here for hours waiting for you to wake up. She was really angry when you attacked Jason, so even he’s surprised that she turned up to talk to you in person.” Jenna wasn’t sure what to make of that. Like all of her skills, her empathic senses seemed dulled, not up to par, and she’d only sensed hostility from the other woman. Could she have missed something important? “Jenna, Alana is your identical twin sister. We suspected as much, but Jason did a DNA test just to be sure. It came back a perfect match.” “So we share DNA, so what? Doesn’t mean I have to like her.” “Well,” he said as he chuckled quietly, “I suppose that’s true, but you might find what she has to say quite interesting.” She wasn’t in the mood for twenty questions. She just wanted answers, and then she wanted out of there. “Just tell me what she wanted to say.” “I wanted to tell you personally”—Alana’s angry voice sounded from the doorway—“that I have your daughters.”

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“You what? How? Why? Give them back to me right this fucking instant or you will regret the day you were born.” “Jenna, stop talking. Seriously, woman, you are going to talk yourself into the biggest hole, deeper than you can dig yourself out of.” When he had her attention, Zane held her chin and whispered. “Alana is here to introduce you to your girls, not keep them away from you.” “She is?” It still didn’t seem possible. Why would these people want to help her? She was their enemy, wasn’t she? Her telepathic block must’ve been faulty, too, because he answered her unspoken thoughts. “No, princess, you’re as much a victim of the Professor’s schemes as your girls are. Alana and your sisters can help you. You just have to be willing to accept it.” “I can have my girls back?” She couldn’t deny the excitement unfurling in her chest. She’d lived without them for seven long years, had only known they were alive for less than a week, but she felt like she could take her first full breath in a very long time. “It’s a little more complicated than that,” Alana said quietly. Jenna was about to explode, but Zane’s hand covered her mouth before the words could escape. “When Theresa rescued them, we did DNA tests, and that showed me as their mother. We knew there was a chance that you and I were identical twins, and considering the facts that we had at the time, it was more likely that they were your daughters. They were too old to have been mine. They would’ve been conceived almost a year before I was taken by them.” “Taken? As in abducted and experimented on?” Alana nodded, absently rubbing her wrist. “Yes, experimented on and worse. For six years, they held me against my will. Jason got me out, but not before they’d implanted me with an unknown embryo.” “Embryo? Whose baby is it?” “She’s my baby. It doesn’t matter who the biological parents are. I carried her. I birthed her. She’s my baby.” Jenna sensed a whole lot

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more to the story than what Alana was saying, but for once, she kept her mouth shut. Although that may have had something to do with the fact that Zane had left his hand over her mouth and currently caressed her lips and jawline with his slightly calloused fingers. “I’ve been raising Kara and Hailey as if they were my own, but I always suspected that they were your children in a genetic sense. What we didn’t know was whether you carried them yourself of if they were given to a surrogate to birth.” “They’re mine. They’re mine.” She could feel her emotions boiling close to the surface, but she couldn’t call them back. She shook as the words tumbled uncensored from her lips. “I carried them to eight months, and then the Professor said they died when they did an emergency caesarean. He told me it was better that I didn’t see the corpses. God, I thought he was being kind. I trusted him to keep me and my girls safe. Fuck, how useless am I?” The tears did come then. All the years she’d lived in the compound, learning, training—it was all lies. Was anything she knew true? Rick was already running his hand soothingly up and down her arm. Zane stood over her, forced her to look and him, and said very quietly, “We are here for you, princess. Whatever you need.” “I need my girls.” Alana moved closer to the bed. “I’ll set that up, but you need to be patient. They’re only just now beginning to adjust to their new lives. We need to be able to do this without upsetting them.” Jenna nodded. As much as she wanted to grab her girls and run, she wouldn’t upset them. She needed to meet them, even if it was under Alana’s terms. “Whatever it takes,” she said decisively.

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Chapter Five Rick breathed a little easier. He hadn’t felt Jenna try to influence him or Zane throughout the entire conversation. Jason was monitoring him from the next room, so he felt fairly certain that his own conclusions were accurate. Either Jenna’s skill had kicked in accidentally when she was semi-conscious or she chose not to use it at this point. Whatever the reason, Rick was really glad that the emotions he felt were his own and not some projection from Jenna. Strange how much a part of him wanted to deny the feelings that she stirred. He was attracted to everything about this woman. Her looks, her personality, even her anger. How was that even possible? Was he a closet masochist? Did he enjoy the feeling of having his balls in danger every moment that he spent with her? He watched in amazement as Alana moved forward, placed a soft kiss on her sister’s cheek, and whispered, “Welcome to the family.” **** Zane smiled as he watched Jenna try to hide her agitation. It had taken three long days to set this up. Three days of sitting in the hospital listening and watching some of the most spectacular tantrums he’d even seen. Once they’d removed the chlorpromazine drip, she’d been even wilder. Zane had found himself needing to physically restrain her so many times that he and Rick had taken turns lying beside her on the bed and holding her spoon-fashion. Ironically, that was when she seemed calmest and the only time she seemed to welcome anyone’s touch.

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“Girls, this is my sister, Jenna,” Alana said to the two young girls as she and Jenna walked into a playroom ahead of him. The two girls, so much like their mother, looked up with identical smiles on their faces. “Hello, Jenna. Did you come to play with us?” Jenna looked a little uncomfortable as the girls grabbed a hand each and dragged her toward the toys on the play mat. “We’ve got dolls and board games and computers and a train set but the train set is for boys and we’re not boys so we don’t usually play with it but we’ll play with it if you want to play trains because we want to play whatever you want to play.” “Kara, honey. Maybe you should let Jenna find a seat before you overwhelm her with games.” Zane couldn’t hide his amusement. He was still trying to understand how Kara could say so many words without taking a single breath when the child in question ran and grabbed his hand also. “Who are you? Did you come to play with us, too? Do you want to join us for a tea party? Jenna is going to have tea with us, aren’t you, Jenna? And Alana always stays for a cup of tea if she can, but sometimes she has to go look after the baby because she’s only little and needs to get her diaper changed and stuff like that.” He wasn’t used to children, had never spent much time with any of them, but this little darling sure made his head spin. “Ah, sure,” he answered, feeling well out of his depth. Right at that moment, he would rather face down a dozen rogue agents with sub-machine guns than deal with the unknown social rules of a little girl’s tea party, but one look at the hope on this young child’s face had him caving to her demands. She continued to chatter nonstop while she set up the small table and poured imaginary tea into the smallest plastic cups he’d ever seen. He glanced over to see Jenna sitting cross-legged on the floor just as Hailey moved shyly toward her. He didn’t hear the question that Hailey asked, but saw Jenna nod a moment before Hailey sat on

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Jenna’s lap and gave her a big cuddle. Jenna looked as uncomfortable as he felt, but she wrapped her arms around the little girl and held on tight. That’s when Kara finally stopped talking. After her constant chattering, the silence was almost eerie as she walked over to Jenna, waited for Hailey to move over a little, and then squeezed onto Jenna’s lap also. Both girls seemed to listen to Jenna’s heartbeat for a moment, and then Kara looked up and said to her sister, “You’re right.” “Right about what, Kara?” Alana asked, her voice sounding tight and strained. “Jenna sounds like our mommy.” She said the words slowly like she was trying to figure it out in her head. “But the Professor said our mommy died when we were born.” “Alana, why would Jenna sound like our mommy?” Hailey asked quietly, her soft voice carrying clearly to all the adults in the room. Zane could feel Jenna’s conflicting emotions. She wanted desperately to tell them who she was, but she also wanted to avoid causing more pain. The look of anxiety and longing on her face twisted his heart, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her at that moment. Finally Alana spoke. “Hailey, Kara. Come here for a moment.” The girls reluctantly climbed off Jenna’s lap, and Zane moved closer to Jenna. She turned to look at him but held herself rigid. He was tired of her holding herself apart from the rest of the world and reacted before he could change his mind. He lifted her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her from behind, cradling her body against his own. “It’s going to be okay,” he said telepathically. Alana sat on the ground with the girls sitting in front of her. “Girls, Jenna is your mommy. She didn’t die. The Professor lied to you.” Zane held tighter as he felt relief, excitement, and absolute

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terror roar through Jenna’s mind. She stood frozen in his arms as the girls reacted. Hailey nodded with a wisdom well beyond her years, but Kara started chattering excitedly. “So she is our Mommy? Where’s she been? Does she know any good games? Can she stay here with us?” Alana nodded happily, a big smile spreading across her face. “Maybe we should ask Jenna what she wants to do first. The Professor lied to her, too, so she only found out a few days ago that you two were okay.” Kara was on her feet and running to Jenna before the final word left Alana’s mouth. She bounced on the spot, her enthusiasm contagious. “Can we play a game now? We’ve got cards and dolls and...” Kara cut off her barrage of words as Hailey stepped up beside her. Hailey’s expression was so serious that for a moment Zane worried that she was about to hurl accusations at her mother. Instead, her lips quivered just a little and she twisted her fingers together as she asked quietly, “Would it be okay if I call you mommy? I’ve missed you so much.” Zane let Jenna slip from his grasp as she fell to her knees and hugged the little girl close. After a moment, she grabbed Kara as well and rocked them back and forth. “I would really like that,” Jenna said brokenly. He could hear the tears in her voice, feel the relief as it swelled inside her, and wanted nothing more than to wrap all three in his arms and keep them safe. **** “How did it go?” Rick asked as Jenna and Zane walked through the door. “Good,” Jenna said quietly as she walked past him toward her room. Zane looked concerned by her reaction but said nothing as she left the room.

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“Good how?” Rick asked impatiently. He hated being left in the dark, and the emotions he could feel emanating from both Jenna and Zane were confusing. “Good, as in the girls recognized their mother and spent the entire afternoon climbing all over her and demanding her attention.” Rick nodded but could feel his temper starting to boil. The girls happily accepting their mother didn’t explain the fear and sorrow he felt from Jenna. Zane must’ve sensed his growing unease because he motioned for Rick to follow him into the kitchen. He filled up the coffee pot as he explained. “The girls are amazing. Kara talks nonstop, and Hailey is practically the opposite, but they recognized Jenna from her heartbeat. At least we think it was her heartbeat. Those two seem to have extrasensory skills far beyond that of the rest of us. They may be more powerful than Theresa.” Rick whistled softly. More powerful than Theresa? That was pretty powerful, and in the hands of children, the possibilities for disaster were unending. Zane continued talking, a strange smile on his face. “They were so happy to see her. For days we’ve been worried that Jenna’s presence would be overwhelming for the kids, and it turns out it was the other way around.” “Is Jenna okay?” “I’m not sure, to be honest. She’s been coping with so many intense emotions today that I can feel the anger, the need to be in control, fighting back to the surface.” “So what do we do?” “You feed me, asshole.” Rick almost reached for his gun. He wasn’t used to anyone being able to sneak up on him, and for some reason, he kept forgetting that Jenna had the skill to hide from his empathic senses. “Jenna...uh...food...sure. What would you like?” “How the hell would I know? Just feed me already,” she said with a growl in her voice.

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When Davies had assigned them to protect Jenna, everyone had been surprised, even Jason. The fact that Jenna had the ability to manipulate them both seemed a risky setup, but Davies had assured them that it was the best solution. So now, here they stood in their own kitchen with their houseguest staring at them and about to explode in a fit of temper. Strange how much that turned him on. “I’ll order pizza. Any preferences?” Zane asked cheerfully. Jenna sneered at him, but he just laughed and left the room. “Rough day, baby?” “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Define rough day. Did I get shot at? No. Did I get to shoot anyone? No. So it wasn’t a rough fucking day.” She stalked closer to him and said in a soft voice. “Do I want to shoot someone? Hell, yeah. Give me a fucking gun.” Rick fought to hide his smile. Even in full-blown temper, she was beautiful—her cheeks flushed pink, her full lips drawn tight, her eyes sparkling as she yelled her discontent. Considering the type of damage Jenna could do with only her telekinetic power, Rick felt comfortable that she was just using the words to let off steam. If she was really serious about hurting someone, he wasn’t entirely sure he’d be able to stop her. With his empathic skills, he felt her anger growing, but it was the fear just below the surface that concerned him. Something had really rattled her today, and as both her assigned protector and friend, he wanted to help. “Jenna, baby,” he said as he pulled her closer. She resisted for a short moment, threw a few halfhearted punches, but gradually let him haul her into a tight embrace. “Talk to me. Why are you so upset? I want to help, but you’ve got to give me something to work with here. Is it the girls?” “No,” she said in a quiet voice, “the girls are wonderful. Smart, intelligent, beautiful, talented. Alana has done an amazing job with them. Less than six months since they were rescued from the rogues

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and already they’re happy, amazing children. The girls are great. It’s their worthless mother we need to worry about.” “Jenna, you’re not worthless.” “You sure about that? I’ve got no money, no job, no assets. I don’t even own the clothes I’m wearing. No future, no past, and no clue. Yep, I’m a real catch. How can I be anyone’s mother? I have spent my entire life training for war, not even realizing I was on the wrong side.” Rick pulled her closer as he felt her anguish grow. “Jenna, listen to me. It’s going to take some time to find your feet, but you have a lot more to offer than you realize. What happened with the girls?” “They remembered me even though they’d never actually met me.” “That’s wonderful. It’ll make it a lot easier to get to know them.” She shook her head sadly even as he said the words. “They’re better off where they are. I don’t know the first fucking thing about being a parent. I never even knew my own parents. What the fuck do I know about raising kids?” “Baby, that just proves you’re going to be a great parent. You’re already thinking what is best for them, not what’s best for you. That’s the way good parents think. You’re going to be fine.” “Really?” she asked softly. She pulled out of his embrace to look him in this eye as he nodded. “Really,” he confirmed. “Well, okay then,” she said as her eyes darted around the room, clearly uncomfortable with her moment of vulnerability. “So...um...what’s for dinner? Are you going to fucking feed me or what?” **** Zane stayed out of the room long enough for Rick to use that natural charm of his to soothe the distraught woman. Now that she

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was back to fine form, he felt happy enough to interrupt. “Dinner will be delivered in twenty-seven minutes or we get it half price,” he said cheerfully as he entered the room. “So what am I going to do for the next twenty-seven minutes?” “Anything you want, princess. I was planning to relax in front of the TV. I just bought the latest action flick on DVD. Want to join me?” “Ah, sure. Just one question—what the hell is an ‘action flick’?” “Oh, princess,” he said as he slung his arm around her shoulders. “You have a whole world of movies just waiting to be explored, and I’m just the guy to show you.”

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Chapter Six Several gooey, cheesy, greasy slices of pizza later, Jenna watched what must’ve been the four hundredth explosion in an hour. Is this really what people did with their spare time? It wasn’t even believable. She’d never known a car that would explode from the impact of a single gunshot, even if you did manage to hit the gas tank. Jenna moved, trying to find a comfortable spot as her stomach threatened revolt. She hadn’t consumed that much grease in a single meal in her whole life, and it didn’t seem to be agreeing with her system. She rubbed her abdomen, praying that the queasy feeling would go away quickly. “You okay, baby?” Rick and Zane were sitting on either end of the large couch, and by their insistence, she sat in the middle. Rick leaned over and placed his hand over her forehead. “You’re looking a little green. You’ve never eaten pizza before, have you?” She shook her head but quickly stilled when the movement jostled her protesting stomach. Zane grabbed the remote, paused the movie, and leaned in to press a small kiss to her forehead before he left the room. Rick moved closer, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and settled her head against his upper chest. She closed her eyes gratefully. “Here, chew on these,” Zane said as pressed a couple of large tablets into her hand. “What are they?”

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“Antacids. They’ll help with the queasy, burning feeling.” Zane also pressed a cold, wet washcloth to her face. “Looks like pizza is off the menu.” “Yes,” she mumbled around the tablets. They tasted almost like chalk, but at least it was masking the still greasy feeling in her mouth. Soon, she was starting to feel just a little better, and she wiggled to get more comfortable against Rick. It had been a very long time since she’d voluntarily let anyone touch her, but with these men it felt right. With both Rick and Zane, it felt right. She opened her mouth to tell Zane he could turn the movie back on, but the loudest burp she’d ever heard escaped her mouth instead. Horribly embarrassed but thankfully feeling better, she turned her face into Rick’s chest and tried not to die from humiliation. When Zane and Rick laughed, she couldn’t help but join in. “I guess that means you’re feeling better, princess.” “Yes,” she said as Rick wrapped his arms around her a pulled her closer. “You can start the movie again if you like.” As the movie and all its ridiculous stunts filled the room again, Jenna maneuvered so that she lay across the sofa, her head on Rick’s thigh. Zane pulled her feet onto his lap and began massaging the instep on her left foot. It felt so wonderful that she closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the sensations. Rick ran his fingers through her hair, the slightly calloused pads abrading the skin near her temples. She sighed as her muscles relaxed for the first time in a very long time. **** “I think she’s asleep,” Rick said as the movie finished and Zane turned off the television. Zane moved back to the couch, smoothed some hair away from Jenna’s face, and said the most serious thing Rick had ever heard leave the guy’s mouth. “How did she become so important, so quickly?”

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“I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Rick said quietly. “Trouble is, which one of us steps back? Or do we both stay close and wait for her to choose?” “I don’t know,” Zane said quietly. “I keep thinking of her sisters. Every one of them has two husbands. What if it’s something genetic, like a biological imperative that she has two mates? I hadn’t exactly planned to have my partner fucking the same woman I’m falling for.” “It’s not my first choice either, asshole. You are not the person I planned to wake up to every morning.” “So what the hell do we do about it?” Zane asked, sounding exasperated. “You both take me to bed and fuck me until none of us can walk straight.” That raspy voice had all his blood traveling south. “Baby, are you sure? “Of course I’m sure. I want you both, and you both want me. What’s to think about?” She pushed herself into a sitting position and flicked her gaze from one to the other. “Who’s going to go first? Should we toss a coin or something?” Oh, hell that didn’t feel right. He and Zane were talking about commitment and forever—something neither of them had ever considered before—and the woman was talking about a quick, fun fuck. He glanced at Zane but didn’t really need to see his partner to know he was thinking the same thing. “Princess, if we take you to bed, it will be together. All or nothing, understand?” “Sure, whatever,” she said dismissively. “Which room do you want to use?” Rick could feel Zane’s anger starting to boil. Zane stepped forward, lifted Jenna off the couch, and crushed her to him. He slid his hand through her hair and gripped the back of her head as he angled her for his kiss. The kiss was savage, a harsh melding of lips

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and teeth and tongue as he sought to dominate her thoughts. She kissed him back just as forcefully, wriggling against his body as if she wished to get closer, much closer. Gradually, Zane changed his tactics, gentling the kiss, sipping at her lips, running his tongue against hers. She whimpered as he kept her immobilized, forcing her to accept the tender assault on her senses. He held her carefully as he ran a hand slowly up and down her back. Rick felt his cock swell as he watched his partner make slow love to their woman. No matter what Jenna thought this was, they both knew better. She’d never known love, that much was obvious, but he and Zane would make sure she understood that this wasn’t casual, wasn’t random, that it meant something more than two—or in this case three—people coming together. Jenna whimpered again as Zane broke the kiss and turned her around. He pressed his front to her back as his hands swept over her stomach and the undersides of her breasts. Rick stepped forward, cradled her face in his hands, and kissed her softly. “Baby, are you sure this is what you want?” She stared at him, her eyes glazed with passion as she nodded. Rick felt inordinately pleased that she hadn’t made a smart-ass remark. He kissed her again, more deeply this time, his lips brushing over hers as his tongue traced the line of her lips. She tried to pull him closer, but he held himself away, determined to show her his enjoyment in just being with her like this. Her hands fumbled at his belt, trying to undo the buckle, but he covered them with his own and whispered, “We have a long time to get to know each other. No need to rush.” Zane bent and lifted her into his arms. “Which room?” he asked as he headed down the hallway. “Mine,” Rick replied quickly, not stopping to wonder why he would feel the need to claim her for the first time in his own room. He walked in just as Zane put Jenna on her feet and started undoing the

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buttons on her shirt. She tried to lift the material over her head, but Zane stilled her hands. “I’m going to do this my way, princess. Link your hands,” he said as he grabbed her wrists and pushed them against her lower back. “Now, keep them there.” She nodded warily and cast a glance around the room. Rick lounged against the doorframe as he watched Zane slowly reveal her creamy skin. Zane pressed a kiss to her soft flesh and unhurriedly undid one button at a time. As he pushed the material apart, he wrapped an arm around her middle, pulled her closer and tilted her breasts toward his mouth. The nipple stood taut against the lace fabric of her bra. Rick adjusted his cock, the hard rod pressing insistently against the denim of his jeans as he tried to slow his breathing. He’d never thought of himself as a voyeur, but his excitement ramped higher when Zane closed his teeth around her straining nipple and bit down hard. Jenna yelped and tried to move her hands, but Zane held them securely in his. Desire filled the room as Rick felt her pleasure swell through her. Her knees seemed wobbly, and a look from Zane had him stepping up behind her to hold her steady. Rick quickly removed her shirt and bra and then held her close as Zane licked and suckled her breasts. She tilted her head back, and Rick couldn’t resist the urge to capture her lips with his own. He feasted on her mouth as Zane lowered to his knees and drove her crazy with teeth and tongue. The rasp of a zipper sounded loud in the quiet room, their heavy breathing the only other noise. Rick’s blood pressure raised another notch as he felt Zane dragging her jeans and panties down her legs. He lifted her feet one at a time, removed the material, and threw it carelessly across the room. Rick dropped his hands to her hips when he realized that Zane had pressed his mouth to her abdomen and worked his way lower. He caressed the soft skin as Zane pushed her legs wider, and Rick broke

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the kiss and glanced over her shoulder. Her nipples stood red and proud, her breasts swollen and lush from Zane’s attention. Zane pushed them both toward the bed and sent Rick telepathic instructions of what he wanted him to do. Smiling, he did as Zane asked, hoping that he wouldn’t end up with a permanent zipper mark against his aching cock. **** Jenna couldn’t really believe this was happening. She’d planned on fucking both of them, but not like this. Never like this. Sex was supposed to be a release of tension. Just two bodies scratching a mutual itch, but this was something more, far more. Rick held her close as Zane worshipped her body. Her nipples ached to be touched, her legs felt like jelly, and Zane was about to do something she’d never imagined before. Rick moved backward, carefully supporting her as her legs wobbled. Slowly, he lowered to the edge of the bed, lifted her onto his lap and arranged her so that her most intimate parts were exposed for Zane’s eyes. Zane leaned forward and kissed her slowly, sensuously. Her heart rate increased as she felt his hands smooth along the side of her thighs, pushing her legs wider apart. The cool air hit her already moist labia, and she gasped as she felt another pulse of moisture drip from her. Zane’s nostrils flared as he smelled her arousal, and she lowered her eyes in embarrassment. A gentle hand lifted her chin until she was looking him directly in the eye. “Never hide from us, princess. We want to see and feel and taste every moment with you.” Wide-eyed, she nodded. How could he make her feel so cherished, so special, when she sat in another man’s lap with her legs spread like some sort of sinful offering? Zane kissed her again and then lowered his head to her thighs. He licked a path up to her clit, flicking the

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swollen nub with the tip before traveling back down and pressing his tongue inside her. Rick moved his hands higher, cupping her breasts, squeezing the sensitive flesh as she groaned with the twin sensations. Zane pushed her thighs open even wider as his thumbs caressed her labia and held her open so he could lick her like ice cream. She screamed as he pressed both thumbs into her dripping pussy and latched on to her swollen clit, flicking it with his tongue and biting gently with his teeth. She bucked wildly as Rick held her, squeezing her nipples hard. Her arms still trapped between them, Zane’s thumbs pushed deep in her pussy, liquid heat racing through her blood—she gasped, panted, screamed as orgasm took her, every muscle shaking violently, wave after wave of sensation skittering through her. They both continued caressing her, despite her gasping protests, until a second more powerful release tore through her. Jenna gulped great, heaving breaths as their movements finally slowed. She didn’t even realize she was crying until Rick lifted her to sit sideways on his lap and cradled her close to his body. He rocked her back and forth as unfamiliar emotions swept through her and she continued to cry. She felt Zane’s hand on the back of her head, his strong fingers massaging gently. “Baby, did we hurt you?” Rick’s voice sounded so unsure, so unRick-like that she wanted desperately to reassure him, explain that she had no idea why she was crying, but as she tried to speak, another sob escaped. She could feel their confusion with her empathic skills, but the harder she tried to explain, the harder she cried. Rick lifted her into the middle of the bed, curled up behind her, and held her close.

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Chapter Seven Confusion and panic snuck into Zane’s head. He’d never had a woman react quite like this. Jason had assured him that Jenna was fully healed from her injuries, so he was fairly certain they hadn’t hurt her in any physical sense. He stood beside the couple on the bed, a moment of uncharacteristic indecision holding him immobile. Frustrated by the lack of explanation and angry that he felt so unlike his usual confident self, he slid onto the bed and settled himself so that he could look the woman in the eye. She still sobbed, more quietly now. He lifted his hand to caress her cheek, smearing the salty wetness away from her eye. He spoke a single word, “Explain.” He sensed Rick’s surprise at his forceful tone, but at this moment, he was more concerned about the woman crying in Rick’s arms than what his partner thought. She took a big, shuddering breath and tried to speak. Falteringly the words finally made it from her lips—two of the last words he ever expected Jenna to say to him—“I’m sorry.” “Sorry for what, princess?” He smoothed the hair away from her eyes but tapped her chin when she closed them. “Look at me. Sorry for what?” “Sorry...for crying. Sorry for being a bitch. Sorry for everything.” “Don’t ever apologize for crying. We know the life you’ve led. We can’t even begin to imagine how tough things have been for you. Talk, yell, rant if you want, but never, ever apologize for crying.” She nodded against Rick’s arm. “Well, sorry for being a bitch then.”

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“Hey, I like it when you’re a bitch. Turns me on.” She smiled, as Zane hoped she would. “Is it always like this? So intense? So amazing?” “No, only with you,” he answered honestly. He could feel Rick’s skepticism, but he didn’t care. Zane may be well known for his revolving-door romances, but he knew in his heart that there was something very different about this woman. “Sleep now. We can talk more when you’ve had some rest.” He watched as she wriggled closer to Rick, twisted her head to kiss his jaw, and then snuggled down and closed her eyes. Zane lay down beside her, his eyes connecting with Rick’s before he closed them. Somehow, it seemed right to be here in Rick’s bed with the woman they were both falling for sleeping between them. **** Jenna woke surrounded by hard, male muscles. Fully clothed, hard, male muscles. She blinked a few times but needed to rub her eyes before she could open them properly. In front of her, Zane slept in the most uncomfortable position she could ever imagine. A quick look over her shoulder suggested that Rick hadn’t fared much better. Sometime after she’d fallen asleep, one of them had turned on the bedside light and thrown a blanket over her. She stared at Zane. The man was an enigma. At times he was so domineering and confident that she wanted to lash out at him. Yet at other moments, he’d been so supportive she had trouble remembering that he was the same person. He was confident and powerful, yet today she’d sensed a vulnerability that hinted at a far deeper personality than he presented to the world. She wiggled around, careful not to wake either of them, and then gently pushed Rick until he was lying on his back. He groaned quietly but didn’t wake. She admired his face. Dark eyelashes rested again the tanned skin, his mouth soft, his breathing slow and even. He really

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was a very beautiful man, but he was also charming and caring and seemingly unaware of his own appeal. They’d both been amazing tonight. They’d not only taken care of her and given her a truer understanding of what an orgasm really was, but had protected and soothed her afterward, despite their own rather obvious discomfort. An idea blossomed in her head, and she took a deep breath, wondering if she had the guts to try it. Twisting awkwardly, she reached for the snap on Rick’s jeans, finally managing to undo them without disturbing him. Slowly she traced the shape of his penis through his underwear, watching in fascination as it grew under her touch. “Why don’t you taste him,” Zane’s amused voice asked telepathically. She glanced over to find him wide awake and watching her closely. “I’ve never done it before,” she said worriedly. He just smiled and sent telepathically, “About time you learned then. Reach in and lift his cock out of his underwear.” She did as he instructed, fumbling a little as she pushed the elastic waistband out of the way. “Now wrap your fingers firmly around him and slide your hand up and down a few times.” She wrapped her hand around Rick’s warm flesh, noticing how hard he was under the velvet soft skin. She felt Zane lift her onto her knees. “Lean forward and lick the pre-cum from the tip.” She leaned over and, holding Rick’s cock steady in her fist, licked across the slightly rougher skin on the mushroom-shaped head. She rolled the flavor around her mouth, surprised that she actually liked the taste. Rick groaned in his sleep, his hips lifting slightly off the bed. She leaned over, licked the head again, and then took him into her mouth. Zane groaned behind her at the same time that Rick bucked off the bed, forcing his cock deeper into her mouth. She gagged slightly but managed to control her response long enough to suction her lips and lick the drop of cum that coated the tip again. “Good girl,” Zane sent

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telepathically at the same time that Rick appeared to wake up. Rick groaned and lifted his hips again, a sleepy hand tangling in her hair as he moaned his approval. “Oh, Jenna, that feels fantastic.” Jenna suctioned her mouth again, sucking him deeper into her throat, determined to give Rick the best...um—“blow job,” Zane supplied telepathically—that he’d ever had. She doubled her efforts, gripping his cock in her fist and taking as much as she could into her mouth. Rick began lifting his hips rhythmically, pushing his cock deeper. “Relax your throat. Let him in all the way.” She did as Zane instructed, slowly releasing her grip and letting Rick push farther into her throat. “Good girl,” Zane said out loud as his hands roamed over her hips, ass, and thighs. She practically wiggled at the praise, but gasped as he pushed a finger deep into her dripping pussy. She could feel her own juices gliding down her thighs. Hell, if giving a blow job was this exciting, how amazing would it feel to have Zane fucking her while she did it. “Do you want to find out?” “Yes,” she sent telepathically as Rick gripped her hair and held her still so he could pump into her mouth. The bed dipped as Zane left the room, but he was back quickly, and a box of condoms landed beside her. She could hear his fast movements as he stripped off his clothes, sheathed himself with a condom, and climbed back onto the bed. “Can’t wait,” he mumbled aloud as he held her hips in an intense grip and pushed his cock deep into her body in one long stroke. She gasped and swallowed around Rick’s cock, and then all hell broke loose. Rick held her head tight as he pumped into the back of her throat, his rhythm off, his movements forceful. Zane withdrew and slammed back into her pussy over and over. She could feel an orgasm building

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in her body, the sensations as overwhelming as they were last night. She felt heat swell from her groin, the tingle spreading through her veins as she shook frantically with her approaching release. Hot cum hit the back of her throat the same time that Zane’s clever fingers found her clit and squeezed. She screamed around Rick’s cock in her mouth as Zane rode her orgasm to his own release. She swallowed convulsively as more and more cum coated her tongue, Rick’s hand gentling in her hair as she pulled away and licked his softening cock. Zane fell forward onto her back, his sweaty chest plastered to her skin. He held her that way, his face pressed against her as they all fought to catch their breath. “That was fucking amazing,” Rick whispered.

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Chapter Eight “Good morning, princess,” Zane said. She looked adorable, her hair mussed, her eyes sleepy. She scowled at him, told him to get the fuck out of the way so she could use the bathroom, and pushed past him like she was a professional football player. God, he loved that. Whoa. Love? Well, it was probably too soon for the L-word, but he knew that he’d never been happier, and he knew Rick well enough to know his best friend felt the same. And, well, their princess was rude, grumpy, and a danger to a man’s ego, but they saw the true woman, the personality she tried to hide, peek through the façade from time to time. It was always there when she was with her girls. They’d fallen into a comfortable rhythm. For the past three weeks, he and Rick had spent their days protecting and helping her as she got to know her daughters and their nights exploring her amazing body. A month ago, he couldn’t have imagined the type of relationship he now found himself in, but today he couldn’t imagine not having it. He leaned against the wall so that he would be the first thing she’d see after leaving the bathroom. He heard the shower turn on and considered joining her, but hauled in his rampant thoughts. They had the whole day together, and he wasn’t about to rush things. She finished in the shower in record time. Every other woman he’d ever known had taken forever in the bathroom drying, fluffing, painting, but not Jenna. She washed quickly with maximum efficiency, pulled her golden brown hair into a braid, and didn’t bother with makeup. She may have been a free woman now, but she still thought and acted like a soldier.

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Like today for example. The girls were scheduled to go on a school excursion to the zoo. Alana had made sure that Jenna knew she was welcome to join the kids, but Jenna had assessed the risk, calculated that the girls were safer in public without her, and declined the invitation. No amount of planning and reassurance from Zane and Rick that they would keep her and her daughters safe had swayed her decision. Remove the emotions of the situation and Zane was inclined to agree with her. It was risky. If the girls were seen in public with her, anyone watching Jenna would find Hailey and Kara. And Jenna had warned them that it was Hailey and Kara the Professor really wanted. She came out of the bathroom with a soft towel wrapped around her and glanced up at Zane in surprise before scowling at him again. “What do you want?” “I have a gift for you.” “A gift?” She said it with such childlike excitement that he wished he’d used another word. It wasn’t exactly a gift for her, but rather something that would benefit all three of them. He wasn’t sure that a purple butt plug would quite fit her idea of a gift. “Um...sort of,” he said hesitantly. “Dickhead,” Rick’s smug voice said inside his head. “Lucky for you I picked up that present we ordered. Bring her into the kitchen. We’ll give it to her now.” Trying not to be obvious about the sigh of relief, Zane reached for Jenna’s arm and entwined his fingers through hers. She smiled just a little as they walked into the kitchen. “Mmm, almost perfect, but maybe you should lose the towel, too.” Zane watched her smile grow wider as she pulled the towel apart and dropped it to the floor. She stood in front of them, without a hint of embarrassment on her face. He supposed the fact that they’d been exploring every inch of her body for the last three weeks might have had something to do with her confidence.

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“Beautiful,” Rick said as he stepped forward and ran his knuckles down the side of her face. “Zane and I thought you might like this.” He handed her the small, rectangular jeweler’s box and stepped back to let her open it. Zane could feel her emotions spiking wildly. She bounced between excitement and gratitude and confusion and of course the ever present anger. Slowly she opened the box, tears filling her eyes before she managed to blink them back. She lifted the long chain from the box and held it up to admire. Attached to the chain was an old fashioned, heart-shaped locket, the type that opened up and could hold two photos inside. “We can’t put the girls’ photos inside until we’re sure you’re all safe, but we thought that the locket would be a way to carry them close to your heart.” Zane smiled as Rick said the exact right words. Thank God he had Rick’s sweet-talking charm to back him up here. Zane was pretty sure he would’ve thrown the box at her and fumbled his way through a few poorly considered words. Rick managed to say the things Zane felt, but in a more effective way. The chain was long enough to lift over her head, and when she put it on, the locket nestled perfectly between her breasts. He’d never wanted any woman more than the beauty standing naked in his kitchen, wearing only the gift he and Rick had given her. “Bend over the back of the sofa.” The husky words startled her almost as much as they surprised him. Rick laughed quietly and winked at her when she hesitated. Zane held his hand out to her, his dominant side rising to the fore, but relief washed through him as she put her hand in his and let him lead her to the couch. He positioned her where he wanted her, her ass pointing high in the air, her face pressed against the seat part of the sofa, her hands supporting the rest of her weight. Rick moved to sit on the sofa beside her. He ran a soothing hand up and down the column of her spine as he explained what Zane was about to do. She seemed a little anxious, but she nodded slowly and

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relaxed as Rick continued to whisper to her and ran his hand soothingly up and down her spine. Soon Zane could see and smell her arousal pulse from her pussy. He placed a hand on her back, essentially holding her still as he pressed three fingers straight into her dripping channel. She gasped at the sudden invasion, but her slippery flesh flexed around him, and more of her juices slicked his fingers. He pumped them into her several times, her hips lifting slightly to push back onto his hand. He smacked her thigh loudly as she tried to wriggle closer to his touch. “Stay still,” he ordered. “We don’t want to hurt you, princess.” She growled her frustration and tried to kick out at him, but he expected the move and easily blocked it. He pinned her legs to the back of the couch with his knees. Rick moved to hold her immobile as Zane pulled his fingers from her pussy and inserted one slippery digit into her anus. She stopped fighting him as he pushed past the tight ring of muscle. He slid the finger in and out slowly, enjoying the sounds she made and the way her ass clenched with each stroke. “Two now,” he warned her as he pressed another finger deep into her ass. She swore as he stretched her, and he smacked her ass lightly. “No more swearing, princess. It’s not very nice.” He laughed as she used every swear word he’d ever known and maybe a couple that were new to him. “Baby, he’s right. Maybe we should find something more interesting for you to do with that mouth.”

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Chapter Nine Jenna couldn’t hide the heat that swelled through her at the idea. She thought he was going to lift her up and feed her his cock, so the feeling of a rubber ball shape pressed against her mouth was rather shocking. She tried to hold her jaw shut, but Rick managed to get it past her teeth before she could put up any real resistance. He tightened the buckle behind her head and then grabbed her hands and held them together before she could manage to reach it. She laid her head back down to consider her next move. “Good girl,” Zane said as she stopped fighting. God, how could two little words mean so much to her? She’d never been praised, not even as a child. It had always been run faster, be smarter, work harder. At the time, she’d believed it had made her a better soldier, but now, now, she wasn’t so sure. If two words of praise from someone she loved and respected could melt her into a pliable puddle of nonresistance, how much different could her life have been? She flexed her lips around the ball gag as she realized the words she’d used to describe Zane. Did she love him? Did she love Rick? Really, she had no comparison. If wanting to be with them all the time, trusting them to protect both her body and her heart, then yes, she loved them. A hard slap on her ass bought her back to the present. “Concentrate, princess.” “Fuck off,” she sent telepathically, but couldn’t hide the smile in her voice. Another sharp slap against her ass had her gasping for breath at the same time that her pussy tingled and orgasm beckoned. Zane

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scissored the fingers in her ass, stretching her sensitive flesh even more before removing them completely. “This is just a small plug, but it’ll help the muscles relax and give you an idea of what it will be like when we both fuck you at the same time.” She moaned. Even though he wasn’t touching her, her ass and pussy muscles pulsed in anticipation. Something cold and slippery dripped onto her ass, and then his fingers were back, spreading the lubricant around and inside her anus. “Okay, princess. I want you to take a deep breath and then breathe out slowly.” She did as he instructed, her ass throbbing as he pressed something hard and round into her back passage. Her skin burned a little as the object grew wider, and she fought against Rick’s hold as the plug kept pushing slowly into her ass. Just as she was about to scream telepathically, the plug narrowed and her muscles closed around it to hold it tight inside her. She sucked air through her nose and chewed on the ball gag as incredible sensations traveled up and down her legs, into her pussy and ass, and up through her chest. Her entire body felt swollen, tense, ready to explode. Her breasts rubbed against the fabric of the sofa, her nipples aching deliciously as Zane pushed her down with more force. He lifted her up and maneuvered her pliant lower half until her swollen clit mashed against the fabric. One tap on the butt plug and she was flying. Every muscle shook as heat pulsed from her ass and pussy and burned through the rest of her body. Wave after wave of rippling sensation bounced through her, zapping her strength, erasing her thoughts. She dragged in air, her chest heaving, her body quivering as she tried to slow down her racing heart. Jenna had no idea how long she stayed draped over the sofa like a limp noodle, but she barely noticed when Zane bent to inspect the plug’s placement or when he lifted her into his arms and cradled her close. He undid the ball gag, kissed her forehead tenderly, and

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whispered the two words guaranteed to worm their way into her heart, “Good girl.” He lowered her into Rick’s embrace where he still sat on the couch. “You rest while I get you some breakfast. You need to regain your strength so you can enjoy all the things Rick and I have planned for today.” She snuggled into Rick’s arms, feeling exhausted, thoroughly loved, and cherished. She couldn’t ever remember feeling this way. She felt warm and safe and happy. She was almost asleep when Rick whispered the words, “I love you.” **** It was the strangest feeling. Basically, he’d just held his woman down while his best friend had bought her to a bone-melting, earthshattering climax, and he couldn’t be happier. She snuggled into his arms, and he’d never felt more complete. His cock ached where it pressed against the rigid denim of his jeans, but still he was happy just to hold her like this. She’d quickly become the center of his universe, and he couldn’t imagine a life without her or Zane. “I love you,” popped out of his mouth before he could call it back. Lucky for him, she’d fallen asleep. He had no idea what her reaction would be to such sappy sentiment, and he was feeling too good to want to deal with another tantrum right now. He lifted the silver locket from where it nestled between her beautiful breasts. He and Zane had really wanted to put a photo of each of her girls inside but knew it was too dangerous. If Jenna was ever abducted again, the locket would prove she knew where her girls were. He didn’t even want to think what the Professor would do to force her to reveal their whereabouts. She sighed softly against his chest, and he moved a stray lock of hair away from her eyes as he admired her features. Too often, when she was awake, she wore her characteristic scowl, but relaxed in

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sleep, she was even more beautiful. He traced a finger over the line of her lips. They were thin and suited the shape of her face perfectly, but whenever he saw them, he thought of how beautiful they looked wrapped around his cock and how red and swollen they’d become the day she’d insisted on kneeling at their feet and sucking them both off. She’d alternated between using her hands and mouth on them both, and he’d never been more turned on or come so hard in his life. Watching her suck his best friend’s cock should’ve been uncomfortable, but somehow sharing her with the man who’d known him practically his entire life just seemed right. Zane sauntered into the room, a tray of food and coffee in his hands. “Asleep?” he asked. Rick nodded minutely, trying not to wake her. “Come on, princess. Wake up.” Zane wrapped his hand around her closest ankle and tickled the bottom of her foot. She kicked out at him in her sleep and growled, “Fuck off.” The loud sound of a hand smacking her thigh surprised all three of them. Rick blinked in astonishment as he registered the sting on his hand. He soothed over the area, embarrassed and confused by his reaction. Zane just smiled. “See, princess, even Rick wants you to control that potty mouth.” She grumbled something, but Rick felt her desire growing as he massaged the spot he’d smacked. “Coffee first,” Zane laughed as he turned back to the tray. Rick tried not to laugh as she poked her tongue out at Zane behind his back. “I’ll make sure you pay for that later,” Zane said happily, obviously realizing what she was up to. “How do you do that?” she asked, suddenly serious. She wiggled to sit up straighter but winced and moaned, probably from the movement of the butt plug. “Do what, princess?” Zane asked as he handed her a cup of coffee.

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“Read my thoughts and emotions. I’ve never met someone capable of intercepting my thoughts without my direct permission. How is it that you and Rick can do something no one else can? Not even Alana can get into my brain without my permission.” Rick could practically hear the cogs turning in Zane’s head. That’s when he realized that he could read Zane far easier these days than he used to. “I’m not sure, princess. Lately my telepathic and empathic skills seem stronger. I’ve always been pretty average with both, but since meeting you, they seem better, more attuned somehow.” Rick nodded his agreement. He’d felt the same thing, but it wasn’t until that very moment that he realized he could sense Jenna very clearly. “Baby, are you still using your skills to hide from our senses?” She nodded as she said, “It’s something I need to consciously switch off, not the other way around. It takes a lot for me to deliberately reverse that particular skill.” He felt her sorrow, like she felt she was somehow letting them down, and he pulled her closer as he tried to explain his observation. “Jenna, baby, I can sense you. I only just realized it, but even with your skill in place, I can sense you now.” “You can?” she asked with a frown. “Do you think maybe the ability is wearing off? “I don’t know,” Rick said as he rolled the information around in his mind. “It’s possible, I suppose, especially if your theory about the Professor’s vitamin injection is correct. But maybe spending time with you is boosting our skills. I read a report a while ago where Caleb suggested that his and Ethan’s skills had grown since they’d met Theresa. He’d observed similar outcomes with Dana’s partners.” He ran his hand slowly up and down her spine. “Maybe there is a connection between the three of us that somehow overrides your cloaking skill.”

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She giggled against his chest. “Cloaking skill? Just like in that scifi movie you made me watch?” She wriggled on his lap, and he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head as she said, “Now if I can figure out how to raise my shields...” “Nuh-uh, no shield-raising here, princess. I like you completely accessible.” Zane smoothed a hand up her thighs, and she shivered as he brushed against the soft curls at their apex. “Breakfast,” he ordered with a suggestive wink. “You need your strength.”

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Chapter Ten Several hours later, she screamed as another orgasm hit her. She’d been licked, sucked, spanked, and finger-fucked into some of the most intense sensations she’d ever felt. Right now, she was stretched across Zane’s bed, her wrists and ankles secured to the bedpost with soft leather cuffs. Her ass still throbbed from the spanking Zane had given her when she’d scoffed at his boast that he could make her orgasm just by tanning her hide. Turns out she’d been wrong, but to make sure she remembered, he’d coached Rick through her second spanking orgasm. Rick had been hesitant at first, but he’d quickly found a workable rhythm while Zane pressed her upper body against the mattress and increased the feeling of no control. She never would have guessed that a type of helplessness would make her feel more cherished, more loved, and safer than she’d ever known, but here she was, orgasm slamming through her as her bonds held her still and her men watched. They both wore that smug expression now, and she realized she loved it. She’d happily spend the rest of her life with a sore ass if she could make them smile like that all the time. She watched through half-closed lids as they unbuckled the restraints and rubbed her wrists and ankles. Rick climbed onto the bed and stretched out beside her. He drew circles around her nipples as he watched her expression. She could feel his hard cock resting against her leg, and she wriggled around enough to make him moan. “How are you feeling, baby?” “Thoroughly fu...um...loved,” she said with a smile on her face.

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“Too sore to let me love you?” She smiled wider, wondering if he’d given much thought to his choice of words. “Never,” she whispered sincerely. Zane stood beside the bed and trailed a hand down her abdomen and pressed two fingers into her pussy. She undulated against the mattress, her exhausted body moving quickly back toward orgasm. “We’re both going to take turns fu...” He bit off his own words and smiled devilishly at her. “Take turns making love to you, but we’re going to leave the butt plug in so that you can get an idea what it would be like with both of us penetrating you at the same time.” “Let us know if anything feels uncomfortable or too painful. We don’t want to hurt you,” Rick said seriously as he rolled a condom onto his thick erection. She nodded, her breath catching as Rick rolled onto his back and dragged her over the top of him. Her knees felt like jelly, but he held her by the hips and guided her throbbing pussy over the tip of his cock. Slowly he lowered her onto his stiff member. She gasped at the stretch, his cock suddenly feeling much bigger than it had before. “It’s the plug,” Zane whispered in her ear. “It makes everything tighter.” She nodded her understanding and had a moment of panic as she slid further down Rick’s rigid shaft. He held her steady, stopping her downward momentum until she caught her breath and nodded for him to continue. Her ass throbbed around the base of the butt plug, the muscle clenching rhythmically as Rick pushed his full length into her. The feeling was incredible. Everything, every touch, every slide, every movement felt magnified. He’d lifted her hips and had barely moved her when she felt the beginning of her release pound through her. He groaned as her muscles gripped him tighter, and he began lifting and lowering her faster and harder against him. She tried to help him, tried to lift herself, but he pounded her harder, his groan loud in her ears as her orgasm whipped through her and milked his

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cock. He held her to him, grinding her clit against his pelvis as he pulsed hot seed into her body. She collapsed against him at the same moment she felt Zane move behind her and lift her hips. Rick’s spent cock fell from her a moment before Zane penetrated her with one long, smooth thrust. She screamed as another orgasm pulled all the muscles tight in her pelvis. He pounded her hard and fast as Rick leaned up and captured her lips in a devastating kiss. Another release seemed to follow the first, and she panted and moaned as Zane fucked her boneless body. He lifted her to a kneeling position as he continued to pump into her. “One more,” he ordered. She’d barely groaned a protest when he grabbed the butt plug and wiggled the base. Brilliant colors burst behind her eyelids as her body went into meltdown. She barely stayed conscious long enough to feel his cock pulse as he found his own release. He pulled out of her slowly, every small slide an exquisite pain. “I’ll be back in a minute, princess.” She fell forward onto Rick, and he cuddled her close. A few minutes later, Zane came back into the room, slid onto the bed behind her, and pushed her knees higher under her own body. She gasped as her overused muscles groaned in protest. “I’m going to take the plug out now. Relax, and push back as I pull it out.” Relaxing wasn’t hard when all your bones had apparently dissolved, but she somehow found the energy to push a little as he eased the largest part past her anal muscles. It slipped out easily after that, and the sensation was so intense Jenna was pretty sure that she would’ve had another orgasm if she hadn’t been so very thoroughly exhausted. It felt strange to let him clean her with the washcloth, but it also felt incredibly intimate, like this was something a man who loved her would do.

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Zane left the room again but was back quickly. He climbed onto the bed and stretched out beside her as Rick moved away and headed for the bathroom. “That was incredible,” she whispered. “Yes, we make a pretty good team,” he said as he pulled her against him. “Although I doubt you’re going to sit properly for a few days. Between the spanking, the plug, and the very thorough loving, I reckon you might want a day off, or maybe some ice.” She laughed at his silliness, certain that she would be fine. Her ass cheeks and thighs had already stopped stinging, and her pussy had grown quite used to the attentions of two virile men in the past three weeks. Her ass twitched slightly as she thought of the plug, but she knew the feeling would pass quickly. “What did I miss?” Rick asked as he walked back into the room. “Just commenting on our incredible teamwork,” Jenna said happily. “That’s true,” he said as he made seemingly deliberate eye contact with Zane. “So how about we make it permanent?” “Make what permanent?” she asked curiously. “Us,” Zane said. “The three of us together, like a real relationship.” “This isn’t a real relationship?” she asked, confused. She knew they were trying to say something important, but she wasn’t getting it. “This is a real relationship,” Rick said, his voice deep and reassuring. “So real that we think the three of us should make a commitment. Like Alana and Gabe and Rafe.” “You want to get married? They both grinned at the way she squawked the question. “Yes, we thought you could marry me, and Zane can be your bit on the side.” Zane laughed at Rick’s banter and then made his own suggestion.

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“On second thought,” Zane said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “You should marry me, and Rick can be the guy who fills in when I can’t be there.” She shook her head, a million problems crowding her brain as she thought about a future for the three of them. It was so complicated it made her head spin, and she hadn’t yet recovered fully from all the mind-blowing orgasms they’d given her. “How about we discuss this in the morning?” she asked quietly. “Nope,” Zane said as he lifted her up and placed her so that she sat leaning against the headboard. “Explain now. Why don’t you want to marry us?” “I do want to marry you, but can’t you see how horribly complicated things are going to get?” “No, baby,” Rick said quietly. “Everything’s going to work out fine. You’ll see.” They both wriggled into comfortable positions on the bed and then grabbed her ankles and pulled until she was lying between them. “Go to sleep, princess. We have four hours before we have dinner with the girls and Alana and her family.” “But…” “No buts,” he ordered sternly. “Sleep.” When she went to open her mouth again, he warned, “Don’t make me get the ball gag.” She smiled as he closed his eyes. Rick’s eyes were closed, too. Conversation over? Not fucking likely. **** Jenna woke a few hours later as warm hands caressed her all over. She moaned as a tongue laved her nipple at the same time that her legs were pushed wide and gentle fingers massaged her clit. “Look who’s awake,” Zane said with a happy grin. Rick hummed against her breast, suckling the sensitive tip until she lifted off the bed, begging for more. “Did you sleep well, princess?”

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Was Zane for real? Who wanted to talk about sleep when desire was warming her all over? “F–fine,” she said brokenly as Zane smiled at her and sank his finger deep into her pussy at the same time. Rick released her breast and lifted to press a soft kiss to her lips. “Are you sore, baby?” She smiled at his concern, but shook her head. “I’m fine.” “Excellent,” Zane said as he pushed a second finger deep into her pussy. She lifted off the bed, gasping as Rick’s fingers joined Zane’s. Both men finger-fucked her as she writhed breathlessly on the bed. “We were hoping,” Rick said as his slick fingers slid from her pussy and pressed against the tight pucker of her ass, “that we could convince you to marry us.” “And how do you plan to do that?” she asked breathlessly a moment before Rick sank both fingers deep into her ass. “By making sure,” Zane said as he finger-fucked her harder, “that you know how well we can take care of you.” She knew he meant take care of her in more general terms, but right now, right this moment, the only thing she wanted was them to take care of her orgasm. Zane smiled as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. “We want to make love to you at the same time.” Rick scissored his fingers in her ass, derailing every thought she had in her head. Liquid heat flowed through her as they finger-fucked her together, mimicking the pleasure they promised. “Yes,” she managed to force past her teeth. The sensations were so intense that she could barely imagine how she’d survive, but she couldn’t even consider calling a halt now. Zane rolled onto his back, and they stopped their slow torture to help her into position. As soon as she straddled Zane’s hips, he lifted up and pressed his cock against the slippery lips of her pussy. Gently he pushed her onto his erection as Rick caressed the globes of her ass. “So beautiful,” he mumbled as Zane impaled her on his dick.

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She heard the snap of the lube bottle being opened and a moment later felt the cold gel touch her skin. She shivered slightly as Rick carefully prepared her, stretching and relaxing the muscles as Zane held her still and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. She squeaked an involuntary, frightened noise when she felt Rick press the head of his cock against her back hole. “Shh…baby, we’ll take care of you,” Rick said as he held still, his dick poised at her back entrance. He caressed her spine and shoulders with his warm hands until she relaxed. “Push out. Push against me, baby.” She did as he instructed, amazed at how different it felt as he slid into her tight passage. Zane groaned then lifted slightly to press a kiss to her lips. “I love you,” he whispered. Tears misted her eyes as she kissed him back, the incredible feeling of belonging, of being one with her men, taking her by surprise. “I love you, too,” Rick said on a deep moan as he started to pull out again. She nodded, words impossible as Zane lifted her slightly to pull his cock from her pussy and Rick slid back into her ass. Slowly they loved her, proving without words that she was precious to them. She closed her eyes as tingling sensations began deep in her womb. Her clit throbbed, swelling and begging for their touch, yet still they loved her slowly. She growled and tried to speed up the pace, but they held her still, caging her between their big bodies. In and out, over and over, they slid into her body in turn. Heat spread through her middle, her muscles tightening as her desire wound higher. She almost screamed when gentle fingers finally touched her clit, pressing and massaging the needy bud. Heat built rapidly, swirling in her gut, her love for these two men creating a tempest deep within. She felt Zane and Rick’s emotions surround her, engulf her, and finally understood the depth of their love for her. “Come for us,” Zane growled.

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Her entire body started to shake, liquid heat pooling in her belly as electricity raced through her. She cried out, breathless, as her orgasm burst and her men sped up. They pounded into her over and over and over, her climax continuing to swirl through her as she felt their rhythm falter. They both cried out as they reached their own peaks. Breathing hard, his arms shaking with the effort to hold his weight off her back, Rick pressed a soft kiss to her neck. “Please marry us, baby,” he said in a soft whisper. She nodded, unable to deny that the three of them belonged together. Zane grinned and pressed his lips to hers once more. She snuggled into his embrace, uncertain how a marriage between the three of them would work. The only thing she knew for sure was that she would never willingly walk away from these incredible men. **** “Something’s different,” Alana said as she looked closely at Jenna. Jenna tried not to look horrified, but she must’ve failed because Alana gave her a look of concern before stepping forward to hug her. Jenna didn’t exactly cringe away from the contact, but she still felt incredibly uncomfortable with displays of affection. “Did they hurt you?” Alana asked as Rafe and Gabe entered the room, obviously in response to her summons. “No,” she said in a croaky voice. “No, they didn’t hurt me.” Gabe and Rafe flanked either side as Alana continued to look at her critically. “What then? It’s incredibly frustrating not being able to sense my twin sister’s emotions, but even without them, I know something is off. Explain right now, or...or…” She hesitated, obviously searching for a threat that might have some effect on Jenna. “Or I’ll call Theresa.”

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Jenna rolled her eyes. She’d only met Theresa once. She’d felt her power, sensed just how incredible the woman’s skills were, but she wasn’t exactly frightened of her. Alana stomped her foot in obvious frustration. “She’s on edge because we asked her to marry us.” Rick’s calm voice penetrated the tension, and she groaned out loud. She didn’t want to discuss this, didn’t want to involve everyone else. Alana turned to stare at Rick. “So why isn’t she happy?” “She thinks life will be too complicated with two husbands.” “Phhht,” Alana dismissed. “Far more advantages than problems.” She winked conspiratorially, hugged Jenna again, and then left the room. Rafe lifted her chin to look in her eyes. “They’re good men.” She nodded as he kissed her cheek. Gabe hugged her quickly, and then they both left the room as well, leaving her alone with her men. “See,” Zane said smugly. “Your family loves us, so now you’ve got to marry us.” She smiled at his faulty logic but nodded her head. “Yes, I’ll marry you, both of you.” She wanted to say more, but two recently bathed, excited little girls raced into the room and started to tell her all about the zoo. Rick wrapped his arm around her waist, and Zane held her hand and the five of them sat on the sofa to discuss the various animals the girls had seen that day.

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Chapter Eleven “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this!” “Oh, stop griping. You look beautiful. And Kara and Hailey look adorable in their pink dresses. Now quit fussing so I can make sure the hem is right.” Alana moved around the flared skirt, shaking and fluffing so that the material sat as it should. Jenna barely recognized the woman who looked back at her from her reflection. Her usual braid was gone, replaced by gentle golden-brown waves that framed her face. She wore makeup for the first time in her life and found it a little startling every time she looked in the mirror. Her eyes had never seemed so striking or her cheekbones as high as they did right now. The dress was a gorgeous creation of lace and satin in a creamy ivory color and made Jenna feel more feminine than she had in her entire life. “I think we’re ready. Just let me grab the flowers from the fridge and we’ll be okay to go. Stay right here.” Jenna really wanted to swear, but she held her tongue and nodded her assent. **** “What do you mean she’s gone?” Zane’s anxiety kicked sky-high when he realized Alana was talking to both her husbands telepathically. He’d never been able to eavesdrop on a conversation before, but he was too worried about Jenna to think about it now. “What do you mean she’s gone?” he asked Gabe in a much louder voice.

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“We’re not sure,” Gabe said calmly. “Alana said they were fully dressed and she went to get the flowers, and when she got back, all three were gone.” “The girls are gone, too?” Rick’s voice was also filled with alarm. This could not be happening. This was absolutely not happening! The last six months had been the best of their lives. Jenna fit perfectly into their home and having the girls move in with them had been wonderful for them all. She’d been so happy. Why would she leave now? As his panic receded a little and he could think more clearly, Zane remembered that he and Rick could always sense where their woman was, and he closed his eyes to concentrate on finding her. Panic gripped him anew as he realized he couldn’t sense her at all. He called to her telepathically, but she didn’t answer. They were less than five miles away from the house. Even in a car, she couldn’t have gotten out of range fast enough for them not to sense her. Was she cloaking her presence? Why? Caleb and Ethan approached from the guest area where everyone had been waiting in the garden for the bride to arrive. Hell, the last thing he needed was his bosses breathing down his neck. The woman he loved and the children he’d begun to think of as his own were gone, and he had no fucking idea why. “Sit-rep,” Caleb said to Gabe. “Jenna, Kara, and Hailey are missing.” “Can you sense them?” Caleb asked Rick and Zane. “No,” Rick replied angrily, confirming Zane’s worst fears. They’d only recently been able to truly sense the girls, so he’d hoped it was just his skill that was faulty, but if Rick couldn’t sense them either... “Is it possible that she’s just overwhelmed?” “No,” Zane denied angrily. “She loves us. She wouldn’t leave without a damn good reason.”

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“Zane.” Jason’s quiet voice interrupted his tirade. “She is capable of manipulating people’s thoughts and emotions. It is possible that she set this up to get the girls back for the Professor?” Zane had a great deal of respect for his future brother-in-law, but at this moment he could happily rip his head off. “No,” he ground out, anger pumping through him at the idea that Jenna could plot and plan and fool everyone for so long. Rick stepped forward aggressively. “She’s in trouble. My daughters are in danger, and you are standing here wondering if Jenna planned this. Are you fucking crazy? They need our help, and you’re doing fuck all.” Zane turned to Rick, recognizing his own emotions in Rick’s violent words. “Rick, we’ll go after them, but we need information,” Caleb said calmly. “We have no idea where they are or where they are headed, and we need to know who the enemy is here.” “Jenna is not the fucking enemy. She’s my wife—even without the damn ceremony—she’s our wife. Rick and I are going after her with or without your help.” Zane turned away angrily. He heard the telepathic communication between Caleb and Ethan, but it was so fast and cryptic that he couldn’t interpret its meaning. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ethan nod and then turn to Rick and Zane. “Let’s go save your family,” he said simply. **** Jenna woke with a blinding headache. Where the hell was she? “Hello, Jenna. So nice to have you home.” She didn’t need to turn around to know who owned that voice. Dread skittered down her spine as she tried to clear the fog from her brain. Her girls? Where were the girls? “They’re safe,” the Professor said smugly. “And if you’re a good mommy and follow orders, they’ll stay that way.” She shook her head in confusion. “Don’t test me, Jenna. You know what I’m capable of.”

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She nodded her understanding even as she tried to sense her daughters’ whereabouts. “Don’t go wasting your time. I injected them with my vitamin formula as soon as they got here. No one can sense them now. Not even me.” She wanted to rip the arrogant smile right off the bastard’s face, but she reined in her temper. She had to stay calm if she wanted a chance to rescue her girls. “Nothing to say? My, my, domestic bliss certainly took a shine off that wonderfully caustic personality of yours.” “Where are they?” she asked calmly, still trying to sense them herself. “Close. They can even see you.” He pointed to a surveillance camera over his left shoulder. “Wave to your girls, Mommy. Let them know you’re okay.” She tried to plaster a smile on her face, but it felt stiff and unconvincing. She knew she wouldn’t fool her girls at all, but she almost cried out loud as Hailey’s soft voice entered her head. “We’re okay, Mommy. He said he’d kill you if we tried to leave.” Careful to make sure her thoughts were shielded from the Professor, Jenna sent a telepathic reply to her clever young daughter at the same time that she spoke aloud to the Professor. “Why am I here? Last time I saw you I left with three bullets in my back.” “Hailey, you and Kara need to call for help. Zane and Rick will come for you. Don’t worry about me. Just get yourselves to safety.” She heard Kara’s telepathic sob, but Hailey answered, “I love you, Mommy. Rick and Zane will rescue you, too.” “I know they will, honey. Stay together. Be safe.” The Professor laughed at her “bullets in the back” comment, and too late, she realized that she may have confirmed the rumors about Jason’s healing ability. “You seem to have recovered remarkably well for someone so close to death. Must’ve left some ugly scars. They should serve to remind you what happens to lab rats who try to leave the maze.”

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She nodded carefully, silently praying that he wouldn’t try to see the scars for himself. Thanks to Jason’s extraordinary gift, she had none. He’d even healed the ugly, ragged scar on her lower belly where the caesarean surgery had been done years earlier. “Well, I’m sure you’re keen to get settled. You’re going to be here for a long time, Jenna, so you may as well get used to it. Remember, your behavior will affect your girls. They’re safe for the moment. Don’t give me a reason to change that and we’ll all get along just fine.” He turned and left the room, the heavy metal door clanging closed with a sickening thud. It didn’t matter what happened to her. She had to make sure her daughters got to safety, and then she was shutting down the Professor and his facilities once and for all. **** Rick searched the house. There were no signs of a struggle, no sign of where they’d gone, and he was fast losing hope. If they didn’t know where they’d been taken, he had no way of rescuing them. Frustration ground him down, but a small, niggling sensation tickled the back of his brain. Almost immediately, he recognized it as Jenna when she first wakes from a heavy sleep. She had that lazy, confused feeling she usually had, but today it seemed darker, frightened. “She’s been unconscious,” Rick told the others as relief wriggled through him. Jason’s comment about Jenna being able to manipulate him and Zane had planted the smallest, ugliest seed of doubt in his mind. Her being unconscious when she disappeared proved Jason’s theory wrong and made Rick feel guilty for ever entertaining even the smallest amount of uncertainty. She loved him and Zane. She would never hurt them that way. He made telepathic contact with Zane, who was searching the garden for any signs of what happened. “I feel her, too, but it feels

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strange, like she’s injured or drugged. She’s not answering me either. Damn, come on, princess. Wake up and tell us where you are.” Rick kept trying to sense where Jenna was being held. He was concentrating so hard that the small voice of a child who’d never communicated telepathically with him before almost dropped him to his knees. “Hailey,” he sent telepathically, surprise and relief furring his voice. “Hailey, do you know where you are?” “Yes, but he has our mommy and said he would hurt her if we tried to leave.” “Hailey, is Kara with you?” “Yes, she doesn’t want Mommy to get hurt either, but Mommy said to call you and Zane ’cause you’ll come get us and then help Mommy.” “That’s right, honey,” Rick said as he ran an agitated hand through his messed up hair. He still wore the tuxedo he should’ve been married in by now. “Hailey, tell me where you are and then stay close to Kara. We’re coming to get you.” **** It wasn’t every day that military helicopters landed in the park next to the setup for a garden wedding, but then Zane figured this wasn’t exactly a run-of-the-mill day. Caleb had called in a huge favor from one of his contacts, and within fifteen minutes two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters touched down on the lawn while two more hovered in the sky. Rick and Zane climbed into the troop area to find seven heavily armored military personnel already onboard. “Turns out we’re not the only ones who want to shut down this particular terrorist,” Theresa yelled into his ear as she climbed onto the helicopter behind him. Zane was doing up the restraints just as Ethan hauled his massive

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frame onto the platform. He shook hands with one of the soldiers, checked Theresa’s restraint, and took his own seat. The helicopter lifted into the air, and then they were traveling faster than Zane had realized one of these things could go. “This is a military operation. Our job is to get Jenna, Hailey, and Kara to safety. Nothing more. The military will handle the rest,” Theresa said telepathically. “Understood?” Rick and Zane both nodded agreement. They’d save their family first and then think about revenge. Zane just hoped they could rescue the girls and get to Jenna before the Professor did anything to her. As the Black Hawk approached its destination, Zane kept trying to contact Jenna. He could feel her presence close by, but couldn’t pinpoint her location. And for some reason she still wasn’t answering his telepathic call.

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Chapter Twelve “Rick and Zane are here. They just landed in a big helicopter with lots of soldiers with them.” Hailey’s excited telepathic words filled her head. “Mommy, you need to move now. The Professor drugged you, so your telekinesis won’t work very well, but the room next to you is empty and unlocked. If you can get through the wall of your room, you can get out that way.” Jenna’s mind filled with a million questions. How did her daughter know these things? Where was she getting her information? “Mommy, go now!” a frightened young voice ordered. Uncertain how her daughter got her information but willing to trust her regardless, Jenna turned her telekinetic power against the wall. The panel wobbled slightly but didn’t budge. She was about to try kicking it out when she remembered the dainty, high-heeled sandals she was wearing. She glanced down at the lace and satin dress with its intricate beadwork and laughed quietly. For more than twenty years, she’d worn fatigues and army boots. It figured that the day she would truly need comfortable clothes and big boots would be the one day she went without them. She concentrated harder, trying to focus all of her energy on this one task. **** Rick, Zane, Ethan, and Theresa worked their way through the facility, careful to stay out of the military’s way as all hell broke

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loose. The staccato sound of automatic weapons fire filled the air, yet Rick’s only thought was to get to his daughters and keep them safe. “Wait, Rick,” a small voice said in his head. “There are three men with big guns on the other side of the door you’re about to open.” Rick glanced at the others, realizing that they’d heard Hailey’s warning, too. Ethan smiled confidently, nodded to Theresa, and stood back as she opened the door. Rick was ready to pull her back when the most amazing thing happened. Three armed men fired automatic weapons directly at her, but none hit. Every single bullet seemed to bounce off or be stopped by an invisible wall. “Shields?” Zane asked incredulously. “You’ve got fucking shields?” “Not exactly. I can push the air with my telekinesis, which creates friction that slows the bullets.” Theresa shrugged. “But I suppose the effect is the same.” A small movement of her hand and all three men went flying through the air. They hit the back wall quite hard. Still shaking their heads, Zane and Rick moved forward to search the men and relieve them of all their weapons. “We’re in here,” Kara’s excited voice called through the door off the left of the room. “There aren’t any guards in here, but there are two more coming down the hallway behind you,” Hailey sent telepathically. Ethan motioned for them to get the girls as he and Theresa turned and waited for more of the enemy to arrive. **** Jenna slammed her telekinesis into the wall over and over, almost crying in relief as the panel buckled enough for her to push her way through. She gathered the material of her wedding dress, trying hard

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to not damage the fabric. Silly as it seemed at the time, she didn’t want to ruin the only dress she’d ever owned. Making certain that her presence was hidden from anyone with empathic senses, Jenna opened the door quietly and peered into the empty hallway. She heard the Professor’s outraged voice as he approached her room from the left hallway. “Get her on the yacht. If I can’t have Kara and Hailey, then we’ll just have to make more babies,” he ordered angrily. Jenna lifted her skirt in a most unladylike manner and ran quickly in the opposite direction. “Left,” she heard her daughter’s soft voice say in her head. She turned down the left turn of the hallway, not checking first, just trusting her daughter to guide her to safety. “Two guards with little guns through the door in front of you. If you open the door hard enough, you should knock him out, but I think you might have to punch the other one.” Jenna smiled grimly as the familiar adrenaline flooded her system and she hit the door running. Just as her daughter predicted, the door hit the first guard hard in the face, sending him sprawling onto his back, the second guard raised his handgun and fired just as she stepped closer and punched him in the nose. She managed to grab his gun as he staggered backward, and she moved through the next door before she noticed the blood. **** Kara screamed in terror and started crying. Both girls had been quiet the whole time they’d smuggled them out of the facility to safety, so Kara’s cry was very much unexpected. “Kara?” Rick asked trying to hide his reaction to her distress. The last thing any of them needed was for him to fall apart now. He knew his wife was close, but he just couldn’t pinpoint exactly where. “A man shot Mommy.”

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“Are you sure?” It was a stupid fucking question. The girls had been right about everything so far, and there was no reason for them to exaggerate. “Kara, do you know where she is?” The little girl lifted her arm and pointed at a building outside of the facility the military was currently raiding. A quick nod from Ethan, and both he and Zane were running full pelt toward the plain brick building. **** Jenna pushed a fist against the small hole where the bullet had entered. She was pretty sure it had passed right through her abdomen and guessed that the wound on her back was far worse, but she continued moving forward. She was so close to escape, her daughters were safe, her husbands waited for her. No way was she going to fall down now. Somehow, the floor managed to hit her anyway. She struggled against the never-ending yards of lace of her dress as she pushed herself onto her knees and tried to stand. Her vision swam, and her head spun, but she dug deep for that core strength that had carried her through the last gunshot wound. The ridiculous urge to giggle crossed her mind. How many gunshot wounds was a person allowed to recover from? Was there some sort of cosmic counting system? She sure hoped not. “Mommy, lie down. Play dead.” Hailey’s panicked words penetrated her brain a moment before her legs gave out and dumped her on the floor again. Strange how much of a relief it was to do as her daughter asked. The door behind her burst open, and she heard the noise of several booted feet enter the room and then the Professor’s annoyed voice. “Is she alive?” She tried desperately to use her skill to manipulate their thoughts, but she was so tired, so unfocused, she wasn’t sure she managed.

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A hand pressed against her neck, moving several times before a rough, deep voice answered, “No, sir.” She wanted to sigh in relief, but a calloused hand patted her arm affectionately, and then the man moved away. It seemed obvious that he knew she was alive. So why did he lie? She tried not to breathe as the Professor barked out more orders. “Head back to the lab. Secure as many of the embryos as you can. Meet us on the yacht in five minutes.” Booted feet ran back the way they had come, but the Professor’s shuffling gait moved closer. “Such a shame,” he said wistfully. “She was my only daughter to show that level of potential.” Jenna tried not to vomit as the man left the room. The Professor was her father? **** Rick and Zane quickly climbed the simple chain-link fence, dropped to the ground and continued running. Hailey’s terrified voice yelled frantic directions as they got closer to Jenna. “Rick, the door is locked. Use your telekinesis to break it open.” He was already shaking his head, knowing his gift wasn’t strong enough when she yelled at him again. “Do it!” He concentrated all of his meager skill on the solid-looking door and almost laughed when it caved in easily, but the urge was quickly swallowed when he saw her. Collapsed on the floor, surrounded by white lace stained bright red with her blood, lay the woman who meant everything to him. He dropped to his knees, his shaking hand desperately searching for a pulse. “I knew you’d come,” she said quietly. “Baby, we’re going to get you out of here, but first we need to see how bad the wound is. I need to cut your dress away so we can stop the bleeding.” His hands fumbled even as he screamed telepathic

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orders to his boss. “Ethan, we need Jason now! Where the hell is he?” “Jason is about sixty seconds away. Just don’t let her bleed out.” Rick showed her the scissors as he rolled her carefully onto her side. She nodded, but he sensed her sadness at the damage to the beautiful dress she should’ve been married in. Right now, though, he didn’t give a fuck about some stupid dress. “It’s okay, princess,” Zane reassured her. “We’ll buy you another one. We still expect you to walk down that aisle to us. You hear me?” She grunted as Rick moved her onto her side. “This is going to hurt, baby. I’m sorry.” He cut the material away from the ragged wound in her side. Copious amounts of blood still poured from the wound, and that really worried him. “Jason, hurry. I think the bullet passed through her liver.” “I’m coming in the door now,” he said as the door they’d come through flew open. Zane raised his weapon, but quickly lowered it when he realized Jason was alone. “Hi, Sis,” Jason said as he laid his own weapon aside. “You’re going to have to stop doing this,” he said cheerfully as he poked and prodded the wounds with his gloved fingers. “I’m not sure I can fit you into my schedule next week, so it would be really helpful if you could avoid getting shot when I’m so busy.” He kept up the nonsense talk as he checked her over for other wounds. “Okay, Jenna, you know the drill,” he said as he stripped off the latex gloves. “Bit of heat, strange tingle, and then the pain is gone. You’ve lost a lot of blood again, so you’re going to need another transfusion. Looks like we’ll be spending some more quality time together.” He held his hands over the wound, barely touching the skin. The bleeding stopped almost immediately, and the skin knitted together in front of Rick’s eyes. Intellectually, Rick knew that Jason had this skill—Jenna was living proof—but seeing it was something else.

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“Okay, the bullet passed straight through, and I’ve repaired the damage, but I want one of your husbands to carry you. The last thing we need is for you to fall on your face.” “The lab,” she groaned as Rick moved to lift her. “The Professor has embryos stored in the lab. We need to stop them before he can get them.” “It’s okay,” Zane soothed. “Cody just reported that his team has detained two lab assistants carrying what seems to be a portable cryogenic chamber.” She nodded and promptly passed out. **** Three weeks later... She couldn’t believe how incredibly lucky she felt. Her daughters had blossomed in the last few weeks. Hailey wasn’t so silent and serious now that that she no longer felt the burden of responsibility for her sister’s welfare, and Kara had settled, no longer feeling the need to cover her sister’s quiet, distracted demeanor with noise. They both looked amazing in their new flower girl dresses— they’d insisted on blue this time—and Jenna felt like a princess in her own replacement wedding dress. It was exactly the same as the first one, and she was determined to get married before anything untoward happened to it. Rick and Zane stood in the room, their arms crossed over their chests as she went about the business of being the bride. They’d both insisted that this time they would protect her all the way to the altar and beyond. “You look beautiful,” Rick said as he pulled her into his arms. She wanted desperately to kiss him, but she really didn’t want Alana to have to fix her makeup again. Even though having Alana fuss over

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her, for both weddings, was quite nice, there was a limit to Jenna’s patience. “Remember how we promised you we’d take a long, relaxing honeymoon once the Professor was apprehended?” She nodded. Even though the military raids had managed to shut down three of the Professor’s major research facilities, they hadn’t been able to find the Professor. She’d seen no reason to tell anyone about the comment he’d made. Being related by genetics didn’t make that man her father. She saw no reason why her brother and sisters should know either. “How does three weeks on an Australian beach sound?” It sounded wonderful, and she looked forward to a time when her daughters were safe enough for them all to travel like a normal family—well, maybe not normal in the usual sense of the word—but it would be wonderful to take a vacation like most other families on the planet took for granted. It would be three glorious weeks loving her husbands and watching her daughters have new experiences and... “Wait, are you saying they caught the Professor?” Rick and Zane both smiled widely and nodded in unison. “We can go on a honeymoon right now?” “Well, I thought we should probably get the wedding done first,” Zane teased until she growled low in her throat. “But yes, the tickets are booked. We leave tomorrow.” She lifted her face to Rick’s, not caring that her lipstick would be ruined. She needed to kiss both her husbands right now. Rick kissed her passionately until Zane pulled her from his arms. He lifted her into the air and spun her in circles before kissing her like she was more important to him than breathing. “Baby,” Rick said, a laugh in his voice. “Are you wearing army boots?” She smiled. The sandals had been pretty but extremely uncomfortable, and, well, there were some mistakes a girl just didn’t make twice.

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THE END HTTP://WWW.ABBYBLAKE.WEBS.COM/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Abby Blake prefers to read or write romance over just about everything else—except maybe chocolate. Most days she can be found hurrying to do what needs to be done so that she can curl up with her laptop and her latest bunch of heroes.

Also by Abby Blake Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 1: Mikayla’s Men Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 2: Sweet Captivation Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 3: Wild Fascination Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 4: Keen Inclination Ménage Everlasting: Fire Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 1: Lost Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 2: Runner Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 3: Hidden Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 4: Stolen

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