right through.
If this was the great lesson she needed to learn, she was certainly going to be a huge disappointment. Again.
“Nikki, come on over,” Winter hollered across the deck. “Sky is briefing us on what they know about Omega Corporation.” Thank you, Winter! Raven wanted to say. He’d wanted to call Nikki over to the group for the last several minutes, but knew she’d reject the offer if it came from him.
She’d avoided the pack of Halflings sitting in a circle near the center of the boat, choosing instead to scrub a clean railing and oil a glistening teakwood deck. Will’s lesson had left her intrigued, amazed, and determined—and all of those things left Raven unable to concentrate on the conversation. It didn’t help that sweat clung to the edges of Nikki’s hairline, making his fingers itch to touch the moist strands and brush them from her face.
Every now and then those light brown eyes of hers would meander to the small globe of faith Will had left floating above the railing at the front of the ship. Her eyes would narrow and that methodical mind of hers he loved would go to work.
She crossed the deck at Winter’s words, and Raven caught a blast of Nikki’s scent—life and promise. He breathed her essence, filling his lungs again and again. Man, she looked good with her long hair loose and scattered by the breeze, skin glowing in response to the sun, and her face alive. Really alive. Like the day she took him to Arkansas on the back of her motorcycle. Nikki was freedom. Freedom needed to be protected. Nurtured, even. And he was up to the task. One thing he wouldn’t do was let Mace put her in a cage. Because Nikki—brave as she was, the girl who watched as four hell hounds attacked her—was also scared to death when it came to heart stuff. He’d be careful, something that didn’t come to him naturally. But he would win—something that did come to him naturally.
“Have a seat, Freedom,” he said, sliding a couple inches toward Glimmer. The circle of Halflings looked over at him, but several bodies scooted to make room for Nikki.
“Freedom?” Nikki echoed, wrinkling her nose. “Yeah. New nickname for you.”
She shot him a biting look and sat on the other side of Glimmer, forcing the whole group to shift again.
But just before she blinked away her frustration, Raven saw a moment of approval splash across her face.
Unintended, no doubt. But still. Her scent shifted his direction when the wind changed. He tried not to look obvious as he took it in. Like life, like everything he should be entitled to.
Like everything he would one day have. He’d give her time.
But it wouldn’t hurt to hurry things along every now and then. “Ocean and the crew sunk two boats loaded with titanium.
What we didn’t know is Ocean thinks they are connected to Omega Corporation,” Mace said. He’d acted nonchalant during the exchange between Raven and Nikki, but a note of irritation threaded his words. Good.
Nikki’s brow furrowed. “So, Omega is studying electromagnetic pulses, they are possibly doing genetic testing, and now this? Oh yeah, and my name was on one of their computers.” Vegan crossed her legs and stretched back until her weight rested on her palms. “Not possibly doing genetic testing, Nikki. They’re bringing a whole new batch of genetic scientists. And don’t forget, we’ve seen the horses at the laboratory in Arkansas. No normal horses look like that. So, we have proof of what they’ve done. Just no information on what they plan. Or how, and if, you’re involved.”
“Dr. Richmond might know,” Nikki said.
Raven tried to drag his attention from Nikki to the task at hand. Difficult, but not impossible. “I don’t know if he can give us answers on the computer records, but when I went to Richmond’s house, he was working on a DNA splicing project.” Vegan nodded. “And we know he worked with the horses when he was a scientist for Omega, but that
If this was the great lesson she needed to learn, she was certainly going to be a huge disappointment. Again.
“Nikki, come on over,” Winter hollered across the deck. “Sky is briefing us on what they know about Omega Corporation.” Thank you, Winter! Raven wanted to say. He’d wanted to call Nikki over to the group for the last several minutes, but knew she’d reject the offer if it came from him.
She’d avoided the pack of Halflings sitting in a circle near the center of the boat, choosing instead to scrub a clean railing and oil a glistening teakwood deck. Will’s lesson had left her intrigued, amazed, and determined—and all of those things left Raven unable to concentrate on the conversation. It didn’t help that sweat clung to the edges of Nikki’s hairline, making his fingers itch to touch the moist strands and brush them from her face.
Every now and then those light brown eyes of hers would meander to the small globe of faith Will had left floating above the railing at the front of the ship. Her eyes would narrow and that methodical mind of hers he loved would go to work.
She crossed the deck at Winter’s words, and Raven caught a blast of Nikki’s scent—life and promise. He breathed her essence, filling his lungs again and again. Man, she looked good with her long hair loose and scattered by the breeze, skin glowing in response to the sun, and her face alive. Really alive. Like the day she took him to Arkansas on the back of her motorcycle. Nikki was freedom. Freedom needed to be protected. Nurtured, even. And he was up to the task. One thing he wouldn’t do was let Mace put her in a cage. Because Nikki—brave as she was, the girl who watched as four hell hounds attacked her—was also scared to death when it came to heart stuff. He’d be careful, something that didn’t come to him naturally. But he would win—something that did come to him naturally.
“Have a seat, Freedom,” he said, sliding a couple inches toward Glimmer. The circle of Halflings looked over at him, but several bodies scooted to make room for Nikki.
“Freedom?” Nikki echoed, wrinkling her nose. “Yeah. New nickname for you.”
She shot him a biting look and sat on the other side of Glimmer, forcing the whole group to shift again.
But just before she blinked away her frustration, Raven saw a moment of approval splash across her face.
Unintended, no doubt. But still. Her scent shifted his direction when the wind changed. He tried not to look obvious as he took it in. Like life, like everything he should be entitled to.
Like everything he would one day have. He’d give her time.
But it wouldn’t hurt to hurry things along every now and then. “Ocean and the crew sunk two boats loaded with titanium.
What we didn’t know is Ocean thinks they are connected to Omega Corporation,” Mace said. He’d acted nonchalant during the exchange between Raven and Nikki, but a note of irritation threaded his words. Good.
Nikki’s brow furrowed. “So, Omega is studying electromagnetic pulses, they are possibly doing genetic testing, and now this? Oh yeah, and my name was on one of their computers.” Vegan crossed her legs and stretched back until her weight rested on her palms. “Not possibly doing genetic testing, Nikki. They’re bringing a whole new batch of genetic scientists. And don’t forget, we’ve seen the horses at the laboratory in Arkansas. No normal horses look like that. So, we have proof of what they’ve done. Just no information on what they plan. Or how, and if, you’re involved.”
“Dr. Richmond might know,” Nikki said.
Raven tried to drag his attention from Nikki to the task at hand. Difficult, but not impossible. “I don’t know if he can give us answers on the computer records, but when I went to Richmond’s house, he was working on a DNA splicing project.” Vegan nodded. “And we know he worked with the horses when he was a scientist for Omega, but that
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