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  “If your daughter comes in right now, I’m telling her we’re playing doctor and leaving you to explain what that means,” she said before turning and lifting her arm over her head.

  He touched her shoulder and closed his eyes. The scan took no time at all, and when he was done, he opened his eyes and smiled. “You’re good. I’d still like to look for myself, though.”

  “Go for it.”

  He lifted the loose fitting sweater, exposing her ribcage and the tiny incision he’d had to make between her ribs. “It looks good.”

  “See? I told you!” she said with glee.

  “Then you won’t mind if I test for tenderness.”

  He didn’t give her a chance to respond before carefully pressing his fingers to the spot. If it hurt, she had no chance of noticing. All Ciara could feel was the heat of his touch and her body’s response. Her pulse raced as sparks of awareness danced over her skin. Her nipples tightened, suddenly aching to be touched. She forgot to breathe, only realizing it when Vance withdrew his hand with a concerned murmur.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked.

  “No.” She tugged the sweater back down and clamped her arms across her chest to hide any evidence of her arousal.

  “I thought I heard your breath catch, and I know your heart rate increased, I could sense it. Are you sure it’s not still tender?”

  Heat flushed her cheeks as her body betrayed her for the second time in under a minute. “You did, but it wasn’t because it hurt. Trust me, I’m fine, and this examination is over.”

  His handsome features softened into a smug grin. “I see. In that case, I declare you cleared for active duty. I’ll let Dane know he’s going on a field trip this afternoon. You should have a few changes of clothes delivered by then so you won’t have to go out there barefoot and in borrowed gear.”

  “Thank you,” she said, her cheeks still hot.

  He cupped a hand under her chin and gently tipped her face up until her gaze met his. “Welcome to my world. I haven’t been able to catch my breath around you since we met.”

  With that, he turned and walked back to the food console to retrieve his freshly brewed cup of coffee. Ciara grabbed her mug and took a long drink, ignoring the heat as she struggled to figure out what had happened. If he wanted her, why hadn’t he kissed her? Any other man would have. Instead, he’d given her space. Normally, it’s what she would have wanted, but now that she had it, she wasn’t so sure.

  “Has anyone told you that you’re a very confusing man?” she asked as she went to refill her mug.

  He blinked at her, then burst out laughing. “You’d be the first one to think so. If you ask Dane, he’ll tell you I’m as predictable as a lunar orbit.”

  “Well, he’s wrong.”

  Golden-brown eyes glittered with amusement as he lifted his mug toward her in a toast. “You’re welcome to stay as long as it takes for you to figure us out.”

  “That could take the rest of my life,” she said, aware she may not be staying that long. She had a life to rebuild. Vance and Dane had a daughter to raise, and likely soon, they’d find another chosen and start adding to their family again. They had different goals and very different lives. Whatever this was, it wasn’t going to be forever.

  But it might be nice…for a little while.

  * * * *

  “We’re nearly there,” Ciara announced as a familiar outcropping of rock rose into sight. Normally, it took several bone-jarring hours to travel from Fort Saken to Black Springs, but she’d never made the journey in anything as nice or as modern as the transpo Dane had borrowed from the motor pool. Soft seats, purified air, and a powerful engine that had hurtled them across the distance in almost half the usual time. She and Dane had talked most of the way. She’d regaled him with stories of life in the badlands, and he’d entertained her with stories of what it was like to be an Alliance officer. She’d especially liked hearing about living onboard the space cruisers, travelling between the stars. She’d been to the moon once with her family, the only time Ciara had ever been off-planet. When she was young, she’d always planned to save up and go somewhere exotic someday, maybe the infamous New Vega. It wasn’t likely to happen any time soon, though. Off-world trips required plenty of credits, and that was something she didn’t have much of.

  Dane gestured ahead of them to the bleak landscape, pulling her out of her thoughts. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact people actually live out here. There’s nothing around but rocks and scrub. It’s like something out of a nightmare.”

  “That’s my home you’re talking about,” she reminded him.

  He was silent for a heartbeat, then asked, “Why do you live out here? What made you choose this life?”

  “It wasn’t one thing that led me here. When I left home, I didn’t have a destination in mind. One thing led to another until I woke up one morning and discovered I was running a clinic and had people relying on me. I’m not like you, Dane, my life didn’t turn out anything like I thought it would.”

  Dane barked with laughter. “Sweetheart, what gave you the impression this was the life I expected to have? I thought I’d be fucking dead by now, or maybe sharing a cell with my father. He’s on Mars, by the way, and will be for the rest of his life. You might be a rebel now, but I promise you your pedigree is a hell of a lot more impressive than mine.”

  “Your dad’s a criminal?”

  “And my mother was an addict. Maybe she still is, I have no idea.” He shrugged. “I woke up one morning and she was gone. After that, I was on my own. I decided to follow in my father’s footsteps and started stealing. I was pretty good, too. Then I got cocky, tried to steal a transpo and got caught red-handed. I wasn’t registered, so no one had any real idea how old I was, but they sent me for testing anyway. By some miracle, I actually scored high enough to be accepted for elite training.”

  “What do you mean, they didn’t know how old you were. Didn’t you tell them?”

  He shook his head. “I was about eight when my mom vanished, and by then my dad was already a guest of the Mars penal system. I lost count of the years, and by the time they caught me, I had no idea how old I was. My DNA eventually led them to my father, and he told them when I was born. It was one of the few times in my life he’s actually done something to help me.”

  Dane wasn’t sure how Ciara would react to his little confession. He hadn’t meant to tell her like this. Fuck, he hadn’t thought about telling her at all. It was far too soon for soul baring revelations.

  “Let me get this straight. I was raised by an Alliance sanctioned triad with all the trappings of a typical family while you were raised on the fringes of society with minimal support. So how the hell did you end up an elite while I’m stitching up rebels out here in the middle of nowhere?” she asked, amusement tugging the corners of her mouth up into a grin.

  “Fuck if I know. My best guess is fate has a twisted sense of humor.”

  She chuckled softly and nodded. “I’ll go with that explanation until I find a better one.”

  They drove in silence for a few minutes. When Dane glanced over at Ciara again, she was sitting straight up, her hands clenched into fists in her lap. “Are you okay?” he asked, concerned at the tension radiating from her body.

  “I’m okay. Just…I know it’s going to be hard to see what’s left of my home.”

  “If you need to talk about it, we’re here for you. You lost friends and your home. Trust me, I know it’s not good to keep that stuff bottled up.”

  “Why, because you’re at peace with what happened to you?”

  He burst out laughing. “Fuck no. I know about the fallout because Vance thinks I haven’t dealt with my past and is on my ass about it. He cites papers and studies and leaves articles on the breakfast table with the important passages underlined.”

  “No way.”

  “Uh huh. He went for grief counselling after we lost Christine. I wouldn’t go
.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

  “Christine? Was that the name of your chosen?”

  “It was her name, yeah.” He scrubbed the back of his neck with one hand, aware he’d sent the conversation into a minefield.

  “What happened to her? Alayna said something about an accident.”

  “She was killed in a shuttle accident not long after Annie was born. We were all tired and sleep deprived from taking care of Annie. Christine went to get something from the store and never made it home. I don’t even remember what it was we’d run out of. It bothers me that I can’t remember. Vance and I both wonder if one of us had gone, maybe she’d still be alive.”

  “Neither of you could have known. Some things are meant to be. I’m sorry, though. That must have been terrible for you both.”

  “I never want to go through anything like that again. It was the worst time of my life.” He swung the transpo around a low outcropping of rock and found himself staring at a grim expanse of rubble and wreckage. This had to be what was left of Black Springs.

  Ciara made a soft sound of dismay. She was leaning forward to the limit of the seatbelt, her eyes riveted on the scene ahead. “Stop. Please. Stop right here.”

  She was tearing at her seatbelt before he touched the brake, and by the time the transpo rolled to a stop, she had the door open and was hopping out. He stayed in the vehicle, aware she needed to be alone while she dealt with the truth of what had happened to her home. It was gone, along with most of the town. Looking at the extent of the damage, Dane found it hard to believe anyone had survived the devastation. But Ciara had, and she’d saved two other lives in the process. She was the strongest person he’d ever met. Even in her grief, she stood tall. At that moment, he felt himself fall a little bit in love with her, and he knew he’d do all he could to keep her in their lives.

  ***

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Ciara stared at the remains of what had once been her home and fought the urge to cry. In the minutes after the earthquake had hit, she’d been too busy freeing herself and then looking for survivors to really absorb how total the destruction had been. There were a few buildings still standing, but the walls listed at drunken angles, and the roofs were caved in or sagging. It was obvious they were too unstable to ever be occupied again. The others had tried to tell her, but she’d had to see it for herself. Black Springs was gone.

  She wrapped her arms around herself and took a few steps forward, stopping when she spotted people working in the rubble. Her initial spike of outrage at the thought of looters going through the remains of her home faded when she saw they were all wearing Alliance uniforms. They were soldiers from Fort Saken. Dane had mentioned there were several teams working to bring down the unsafe structures so they wouldn’t pose a danger to anyone.

  The wind came up, the cold, damp air heavy with the promise of rain. Ciara huddled into her new jacket, grateful for the warmth of her new clothes. She was working on plans to pay them back for all their kindness and generosity. It wasn’t in her nature to accept help without offering something in return, even if all she could give them was her time. She could watch Annie, and while they had the nicest food console she’d ever seen, there were a few recipes she knew that weren’t part of its programming. At least, not yet. And if she was lucky today, she’d have some credits again. Now she could pay back everyone who had helped her.

  Behind her, a door slammed shut, warning her that Dane was out of the transpo. She appreciated that he’d given her a few minutes alone, especially when she’d basically bolted from the still-moving vehicle like she was on fire.

  “Welcome to Black Springs,” she deadpanned, pointing to the devastation ahead.

  “I’m sure it looked better before the earthquake.”

  “Honestly, it was never much to look at, but it was home. I’m going to miss it.”

  He appeared at her side, the bulk of his jacket making him seem even larger than normal. He towered over her like all elites did, but Dane didn’t use his size to intimidate. Something he and Vance had in common. In the last two days, she hadn’t even heard them raise their voice to Annie.

  “Which building was your clinic?” he asked.

  She pointed to her former home. “The pile of rubble at the end there. I took cover under a table near the corner that’s still partially standing. It’s why I survived. If the full weight of the roof had come down on top of me, I’d be buried with the others.” Ciara turned to gesture to a small, carefully fenced off area the residents used as a graveyard. There were a number of freshly dug graves inside the fence. A raised pile of dirt and a hand written placard was all that remained of people she’d seen every day. She intended to visit every one of them before she left today.

  “Do you want to see if there’s anything we can salvage? I’ll help anyway I can.”

  “How much can you lift using your telekinesis? If I wanted to get to what was buried under the back wall, could you help clear the debris?”

  “Not a problem. What’s back there?” he asked.

  “My living quarters. There are a few personal items I might be able to retrieve. They were in a box under my cot. They’re probably still intact, but Alayna said the building was too unstable for any of the men her bonded sent to get to that area. I can see why they couldn’t, but I was hoping you could do better.”

  “I can, but you’ll need to stay close while I do it. If things start to collapse, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  “I’d rather never be trapped under a building again. It wasn’t pleasant.” The truth was, the first few days she’d been at the medical center she’d had nightmares that she was back in her clinic again, buried under the rubble, alone in the dark. The nightmares had faded now, but she’d taken to sleeping with a light on, so if she woke up, it wasn’t pitch black.

  Dane simply nodded in understanding. “Hop back in the transpo, and we’ll head in. I’ll let the others know what we’re going to do and tell them they need to stay clear.”

  By the time the transpo was parked, several of the men on-site were gathered nearby, curious to see who the new arrivals were. As Dane stepped out, all four men snapped to attention and saluted, thumping their fists to their chest in perfect synch.

  “Sir! We weren’t notified anyone from the base was coming out here today,” said one of men, still standing ramrod stiff.

  “At ease. You weren’t notified because I’m not here in an official capacity. This is Ciara Fanning. She ran the clinic here. We’re going to be retrieving some personal items from the building in the southeast corner of town. I’ll need everyone to stay out of the area while I clear a path.”

  The officer quirked a brow in confusion. “Sir? You intend on clearing the area yourself? Alone? As an engineer, I’d advise against that. None of those buildings are stable or safe to enter.”

  One of the others chuckled softly. “Dave, that’s Director Foster. He’s a telek. I’ve heard about you, sir. We going to get a demonstration of your abilities?”

  Dane grinned. “You are. I haven’t tried anything like this in a while, though, so you’re all sworn to secrecy if I screw this up.”

  Dane waited while the four men standing nearby contacted the rest of their team and advised them what was about to happen. He tried to recall if he’d met any of them before, but none of them looked familiar. It wasn’t surprising, really. Dane hadn’t been here long enough to meet even a fraction of the men and women on base. It didn’t help that he and Vance didn’t spend much time socializing with their fellow officers. Raising Annie took precedence over drinking beers and swapping tales.

  It was one of the reasons they’d happily accepted Colin and Nikolai’s invitation to transfer to Fort Saken. Having friends nearby to help was a welcome idea, and Annie’s godfathers had provided support and at least some semblance of a social life.

  Once everyone was clear, he moved into position about twenty feet fro
m Ciara’s former clinic. She walked beside him, her eyes on the wreckage of what had been her home.

  “You can really do this?” she asked, gesturing to the remains of the building in front of him. “I mean, it’s not going to hurt you or anything, right?”

  It pleased him more than it should, knowing she was worried about him. He reached out and brushed his fingers across the back of her hand. “I know my limits, angel. I’ll be fine.”

  When she turned her hand and interlaced their fingers, it was all he could do not to cheer. Instead, he tightened his grip on her hand, anchoring her to his side. Then, he started shifting the debris.

  It took longer than he expected to untangle the wreckage. The chunks of the building were entangled with each other and had to be worked free in a certain order. By the time he was done, the autumn wind had leeched the warmth from his body. The only part of him still warm was the hand holding Ciara’s. “That should do it. I’ll stay here and if anything shifts, I can pull you to safety. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she said but didn’t move. After a few seconds, she tugged at her hand and laughed. “If I’m going over there, you need to let go of me.”

  “I’m not really keen on that part of the plan, but if I have to…” He turned to face her and lifted her hand to place a light kiss on her knuckles before finally letting go. “Be careful. If I bring you back with so much as a scratch, Vance will blame me for not taking proper care of you.”

  “You two have taken wonderful care of me. I can’t thank you enough,” she said, then gave him a wave and started picking her way carefully through the debris.

  Dane stayed where he was, keeping an eye on her as she dug through the remains of her house. A crunch of a boot on rock and a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye told him he was about to have company.

  “You stopped my men from working so one rebel can retrieve a few personal belongings, sir?” a male voice asked in a tone bordering on being insubordinate without crossing the line.