Dreamer (12 page)

Men and women dressed in black suits walked back and forth
with a purpose, sometimes alone and other times in groups of two or three. As
Lance led them past, Shan got some curious glances as they took in her yoga
pants and black leather jacket. There were statues and pictures of different
Egyptian gods and goddesses on the walls as well as hieroglyphics inscribed on
the crown molding.

They took a hard right, and Lance opened up one of the
double doors before them. Inside was a gigantic gymnasium, at least two stories
high and filled with good-natured shouts and laughter. It held all kinds of
gymnastic equipment and weights, and ropes hung from the ceiling. An impressive
rack of practice swords, spears, and staffs at the far back wall gleamed
beneath the bright lights. The most interesting part of the room was the
ceiling. Painted black, it had fiber optic stars and lights that made it look
like a slowly rotating night sky.

There were people, mostly men, but also some buff-looking
women, working out with the weights. More guards were doing some impressive,
and limber, stunts on a balance beam.

The back portion of the gym was dominated a huge blue square
of exercise mats. A group of around twenty people were using those mats for
sparring. They were all barefoot and wearing loose white cotton pants. The men
were bare-chested for the most part, while the women wore different colored
T-shirts or sports bras. They were all intent on their sparring, and Shan held
her breath a couple times as a fist connected to a shoulder or a foot hit a
stomach with enough force to knock the other person on their back.

If Devon thought she was going to spar with him, he was
high.

Lance brought them up to the edge of the mat. A tall
brunette with amazing abs, in a mint green sports bra, broke off from her
sparring to come over and speak with them. She gave Shan a quick up and down
look, but there was no censure or catty judgment in her dark eyes. It was
somehow...professional. Not an ounce of fat jiggled on her body as she rocked
back and forth on her toes in a stretch.

Shan felt short and out of shape next to her. The woman's
voice was unexpectedly sweet as she said, “Hi, I'm Captain Nancy Holly, but you
can just call me Holly. You must be Shan.”

“That's me,” Shan said with a shy smile. Holly was
physically intimidating, but something about her dark eyes made you feel as
though she could see every lie you ever said or even thought of saying. Shan
bet lots of people underestimated Holly, failing to see past her bright smile
to the intelligent mind beneath.

“I'm the Captain of the Guard for the Temple of Bes. Captain
King told me you're going to be working out with us today. I'm going to help
you get warmed up,” Holly said with a friendly smile.

“Thanks. I've never really done anything like this before.”
Her eyes grew wide as a man came sailing behind Holly, thrown from another part
of the mat.

Holly stretched her arms behind her back. “Well you’re in good
hands. I teach a beginning level women’s self-defense class at my dojo.” She
turned to Lance. “I'll take it from here.”

Lance left them with a nod as Shan took off her jacket and
shoes and placed them against the wall where the other guards had their towels
and gear. Lots of guards gave her curious looks, but she didn't know if it was
because she was new or because of her blue-streaked hair. Shifting nervously
from foot to foot, Shan asked, “What style of fighting will we be doing?”

“Dirty, we are going to teach you how to fight dirty,” Holly
said with a serious expression. The smiling woman of moments ago was gone, and
a warrior who was not to be messed with stood in her place.

Shan glanced around the room at the group of people
sparring. “Is that the style they're learning?”

Holly shook her head. “No, they are doing everything from
ancient forms of martial arts to Marine hand-to-hand combat. We do whatever
works. It doesn't have to look pretty, and it doesn't have to be perfect. It
just has to annihilate our opponent.”

Holly walked around her in a circle, asking her to touch her
toes and kick as high as she could to test her flexibility.

Nodding to herself, Holly said, “Okay, pretty much everyone
is going to be bigger than you, no offense meant.” Holly gave Shan a grin. “But
size is far from everything, like the story of David and Goliath. I'm going to
teach you to use your size to an advantage. To be faster and to use pressure
points, to be like a mouse wiggling out of a tiger's paws.” That sounded like a
pretty apt description of her relationship with Devon, and Shan had to stifle a
snicker. “Let's get warmed up first. I don't want you crippled on your first
day because you didn't stretch out. We will start out with pushups.”

Inwardly, Shan groaned. She had never been good at doing
pushups in gym class in high school and had scarcely done more than a dozen
since. They started out with a set of twenty, and Shan's arms protested every
single one. She understood now why the men didn't wear shirts. The gym was
warm, and even that little bit of exercise made her sweat.

Next, they did a series of stretches, which she did better
than the pushups. Daisy liked yoga, and she dragged Shan to a class every now
and then.

“I'm going to do a mix of Wing Chun and Gyokko Ryu with you,
Shan. They are martial arts that are geared more toward fighting a larger
opponent and using pressure points.”

“Sounds good to me.” She could have suggested that Shan
practice the Macarena in the Kermit the Frog style, and it would have made as
much sense.

Holly nodded, her bangs sticking to her forehead with sweat.
“Okay, let's get started, and don't forget to tell me to chill if you need it.
The point is to work you out, not cripple you.”

They worked through basic handholds and blocks for the next
half-hour, the crowd around them changing as people came and went. There was a
sense of friendship among the guards and lots of boasting and laughter. There
was also a lot of sparring to see who the top dog was. More among the men than
the women.

Curious eyes watched her, but no one came to interrupt
Holly's work. Shan was glad. She actually found the workout really enjoyable.
The moves were flowing and beautiful, and they soothed both her mind and her
body. She felt tension she didn't know was there drain out of her as she
practiced her blocks and chops in endlessly repeating patterns.

Both she and Holly had worked up a good sweat, and Holly was
practically beaming at how well she was doing.

“Stop showing off, Shan,” Devon's voice boomed from across
the room. Shan missed a block and got whacked in the thigh.

He was shirtless and small gold nipple rings on his muscled
chest glinted in the light. Delicious, fantastic, amazing, there weren't enough
words in the world to describe how good he looked. An intricate tattoo of a
stylized bull's head and hieroglyphics wrapped around one big arm. She had
never seen anything like it before. The tattoo gleamed like liquid ink.

She noticed how everyone around them stopped what they were
doing. They all watched Devon and an equally built man with skin the color of
dark chocolate walk across the gym to the practice mats. Both men seemed to
move with a slinking grace, and something about the dark-skinned man's
features, with his tilted eyes and high cheekbones, made her think of a cat.
When he got a good look at her, he did a double take and stared. Devon glanced
back over his shoulder, and the dark-skinned man picked up his pace.

They stopped at the edge of the mat, and the crowd behind
her bowed to them. She followed suit, and the two men bowed in return. Both
were wearing the same loose fitting pants as the other men, their feet bare. Up
close she noticed Devon's chest and stomach were totally smooth and hairless.
The dark-skinned man with his cat eyes was a little less muscular and had a
dusting of hair on his chest. He continued to watch her closely, and she
fidgeted on the mat.

Devon turned to the rest of the sparring group. “Continue
with your practice. We're here to observe.” At his words, the crowd of people
returned to their sparring with new intensity, obviously trying to impress and
please the two men. Devon gave Shan an impassive look. “I hope Shan has been
worthy of your instruction, Holly.”

Holly nodded and smiled at Shan. “She is actually quite
good, King. With practice, she might even be formidable.”

Shan ducked her head and grinned at the woman. “Thanks.”

Devon studied her, and the dark-skinned man returned her
smile. “Shan, can you join us for a moment, please.”

Holly waved as Shan and the two men walked across the room
to the edge of a row of stadium seats. When the dark-skinned man turned around,
she saw that he had a huge tattoo over the span of his back. It was the profile
of a lion-headed man with a bow in his hand. The tattoo was done in an unusual
ink that made it look like bronze metal instead of bronze ink. It looked
fantastic against his dark skin, like a living jewel. She wondered if it was a
Chosen thing.

Turning to Shan, Devon said, “Shan, this is Malik Jensen. In
addition to being a Captain of the Temple Guard, he is also a Chosen of
Apedemak, a Nubian War God. Malik, this is Shan, my student and the reason I
was late this morning.”

The way he said the last part was heavily suggestive, and
Shan shot him a dirty look.

Malik laughed as Shan glared at Devon and then held out his
hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Shan. Anyone who can annoy Devon is a friend of
mine. And, might I add, we are lucky to have such a beauty join our ranks.”

Shan gave Malik a beaming smile, conscious of Devon watching
them with a glower. “Devon is like an itch that you just can't scratch...like
herpes, but more annoying. Thank you for the compliment. I don't feel very
beautiful at the moment, just sweaty.”

Malik howled with laughter as Devon growled at Shan then
said, “Oh, you two are going to be fun together. If I may, Shan, it is
traditional to lower your shields so we can get a sense for each other's aura.
It will help identify you in the future so Malik will be able to know who you
are by your psychic scent without even having to see you.”

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Shan said with a blush. She lowered her
shields and squinted, looking at Malik's energy. It was a burning orange with
the same golden streaks as Devon's aura. Malik's psychic energy reminded her of
musk and patchouli. His energy gave a slight caress over her, and Shan
shivered. The stroke of his energy felt like fur running over her skin.

Malik gave her a warm smile. He was actually very handsome
in an exotic way. “Your psychic scent is delicious. You smell like jasmine and
honey. Your energy feels like a warm spring wind with a hint of silk sheets,
sleek and soft.”

Shan's cheeks warmed, and she tried to regain her footing.
Between Devon and Malik, she was totally overwhelmed. Maybe she was supposed to
compliment his aura as well. “Thank you, Malik. You smell like musk and
patchouli, and your energy feels like fur rubbing across my skin.”

Devon narrowed his eyes at Malik. “If you're done rubbing
your fur all over her, we need to get to work.”

Malik grinned at Devon then turned to Shan. “If you ever
need any private lessons, please let me know. Just call the front desk, and
they will connect you to me, or you can leave a message on my machine. I'll get
right back to you. I would love to train you.” His topaz-brown eyes held hers, and
she looked away from the intensity of his gaze.

Devon stepped in between them. “I'm sure I can provide her
with whatever she needs.”

“I don't know. She seems like a handful,” Malik said as he
looked over his shoulder at Shan with a wink, laughing as she blushed.

Devon clenched his hands into fists as Shan said, “So, what
do we do now? I need to get home soon so I can start getting ready for the
cosplay meet.”

Shifting so he was further blocking Malik, Devon said, “Yes.
I wanted to—”

Malik stroked his chin with a speculative look. “The cosplay
event at the Washington Center?”

“Yeah.” Shan bit back a smile at Devon's scowl. “I make
jewelry, and I'll have a booth there.”

“Beautiful and artistic?” Malik slid around Devon. “You are
a treasure.”

Devon narrowed his eyes at her and licked his lower lip.
Shan was reminded of the feel of his body on hers this morning when he’d
wrestled her out of her bed. She looked back up at his eyes, and he smirked.
“Let's go, Shan.”

They made their way back across the gym to where the other
guards were still sparring. The guards were all ages and skin colors, all fit
and deadly in their own ways. They made a space on the central mat as Devon
stood in a wide-legged stance and motioned to Shan. He was wearing his superior
smirk, and everything about his language spoke of arrogance.

Shan took a deep breath and tried not to show him how much
he intimidated her. If she didn't know he wouldn't hurt her, she would be very
scared right now.

Devon beckoned her. “Don't be scared, Shan.”

“I'm not scared,” she lied. “I don't want to hurt you.”

Malik snickered from behind them, and she circled Devon.
Attacking him was like attacking a brick wall. She rushed him, and he easily
pinned her arms, holding her close. His breath stroked against her. “Don't look
at what you plan on targeting. I saw you staring at my shoulder and knew that
was where you were going to strike.”

Struggling against him, she growled and tried to kick at his
shin. While his overconfidence annoyed her, his tight hold on her body made her
want to purr.

Devon dropped her and stepped back. “We'll start with
something basic. If someone grabs you, I want you to be able to break away.”

Glowering at him, she wanted to claw that arrogant smirk off
his sinfully handsome face. The fact that her body wanted Devon to throw her
down on the mat and take her pissed her off even more. “You mean so I can keep
over-muscled assholes from dragging me out of bed at an ungodly hour?”

His lips twitched, and behind him, a group of people close
enough to hear stared at her. She shifted uncomfortably beneath their looks of
disbelief. Tilting her chin up, she gave Devon a challenging glare.

Instead of being angry, his amusement deepened, and his teal
eyes sparkled with suppressed mirth. “No, you'll never be able to dominate me.”
He stepped closer and lowered his voice, his posture turning predatory. “I will
always wear the leather pants in our relationship.”

His words burned, and her shields melted until she stood
before him, utterly exposed. Desire, hot and sweet like melted caramel, swirled
through her so thick she swore she could taste it. Unconsciously, her hips
shifted, and she slowly licked her lips. Gods, he was magnificent. Everything
about him called to her, and she locked her gaze on his nipple rings.

“Uh, Shan...” Devon began to back away, and dimly she heard
Malik telling everyone to step back, way back.

Tilting her head down to watch him through her eyelashes,
then shifted her shoulders slightly so her nipples pressed against the thin
cloth of her T-shirt. Taking another step backward, Devon held up his hands.
“Shan, this isn't a good idea.”

“Oh, I think it's a wonderful idea.” The words came out in a
sensual purr, and those close enough to hear shivered and stepped back farther.
With a feline roll of her hips, she stalked toward him. “Are you afraid of me,
Devon?”

She needed him to prove that he could dominate her not only
physically but also mentally and that he was strong enough to protect her. Part
of her mind pointed out that she wasn’t acting normal, but with all the
hormones surging through her she really didn’t care. She felt good, really
good, and touching Devon would only make her feel better.

He stopped in his tracks, and his big shoulders twitched.
“Stop now, Shan. You don't know what you're doing.”

The rough timbre of his voice stroked between her legs like
a touch. Faintly, she could smell his psychic scent leaking into the air. Dark
and warm, she wanted to wrap it around her body. “Are you man enough to stop
me?”

That got exactly the reaction she wanted, and he grabbed
her, lifting her and pinning her arms to her sides. “Do not test me,” he
growled, his face inches from hers.

His words flipped a switch in her psyche, and she wrapped
her legs around his waist. The pupils of his eyes grew wide and the ridges of
his abdomen rubbed against her hot and wet pussy. “Why? Will you punish me,
make me beg for forgiveness?”

With a muttered curse, he loosened his grip and shifted her
ever so slightly on his stomach. “Yes.”

That one simple word, the utter truth in his eyes, undid
her. She went pliant in his grasp, eyes half closed with pleasure as his
shields crashed fully down and his aura stroked against her. His hands cupped
her bottom and squeezed slightly, making her arch against him with a gasp as
his energy filled her. It was like he was touching her everywhere at once with
whisper light caresses and her deep, throaty moan would have embarrassed her if
she could think beyond her need.

Drowning in spice, enveloped in his essence, she laced her
hands behind his head and arched back further, grinding her sensitive pussy
against him. Their energies caressed and moved against each other, and she
could see hints of her rose-pink aura wrapping around his in fantastical
patterns. The more their auras intertwined the closer she felt to Devon until
she felt as if she were sinking into him, somehow absorbing the heart of who he
was. Time slowed, and each beat of her heart became an eternity. So much
strength, so much power focused solely on her. Flexing her fingers, she
examined the rock-solid muscles at the back of his neck.

Firm hands grabbed her arms and tugged her back, breaking
the sensual trance. Startled, she loosened her grip and tightened her legs. She
didn't want to go anywhere. Who was trying to take her away from him?

Devon held her closer and growled with a sound that should
not be able to come out of human lips. “Mine.”

“Maybe,” a male voice said from behind her. Turning her
head, she found Malik trying to ease her out of Devon's grip.

“Mine,” Devon repeated again and bared his teeth. His grip
on her bottom turned punishing, and she sighed in response.

Holly appeared over her shoulder. “Malik, let me take her.”

“No,” Malik said, his voice also deepening to a growl.

The smell of Malik’s psychic scent stroked against her, cool
against Devon's heat. Her aura tasted him, somehow reaching out and stroking
against his rapidly lowering shields. His essence was different than Devon's,
earthier. Cool breeze and that soft stroke like fur against her body.

“Enough,” Devon growled out.

He blew his breath against her face, somehow dispersing
Mailk’s psychic scent. Suddenly free of their overwhelming energies swirling
around her, the desire pulled back enough for her to see the worry on the faces
of the nearby guards. Embarrassment burned hot enough to cool her passion, and
she loosened her grip on Devon's back.

“Devon, put me down.” He turned his snarl to her, and her
heart sped in her chest. More beast than man looked at her out of those eyes.
Going on instinct, she said, “Please. Holly will take care of me.”

With that, he glanced at Holly and examined her from head to
toe. His grip loosened, and Shan slid down the front of his body. It took all
her willpower to step away from him. Sweat covered Devon, and she had a random
desire to lick it off his neck and see what he tasted like.

Malik shifted next to her and went to put his arm around her
shoulders. Before he could touch her, Devon was on him with a snarl and had
tossed Malik across the mat. The other man snarled and it sounded so much like
a roaring lion that Shan stumbled as Holly dragged her away.

Twisting midair, Malik landed with the grace of a cat and
growled back at Devon. Holly pulled her away from the circling men, practically
running with her now. Word spread quickly that the captains were going to spar,
and people began to pour into the gym. Soon all the places along the stands and
the edges of the mat were occupied.

Once they were safely away from the men circling each other
on the mat, Holly made a point of handing Shan a bottle of water and a towel.
Glancing back at the men, Shan noticed each had relaxed marginally now that she
was no longer near them. Shan chugged the bottle of water and walked around in
a circle to cool down, ignoring the speculative looks from the members of the
Temple Guard. If she wasn't so worried about Devon being hurt, she would be
beet-red with embarrassment right now for her actions in front of all these
strangers. Obviously her aura had gotten away from her again and she focused on
mentally picturing her rose mist freezing. As soon as her shields were back in
place she turned back to the mat, the men still sizing each other up.

“What's wrong with them?” she whispered to Holly.

Holly whispered in her ear, “I think we are going to have a
pissing contest over who gets to try to get a date out of you.”

Shan blushed and whispered back, “You must be mistaken.
Devon and I are like oil and water, and Malik just met me. Besides, as
good-looking as they are, they must have women crawling all over them.”

Holly grinned. “Oh, they do. Neither is lacking in company.
But I saw Malik watching you with Devon, and he was quite attentive. They both
serve War Gods, and that makes them more territorial than the average male...a lot
more territorial. Your actions out there triggered Devon's instincts, and he
views Malik's interruption as a challenge to his claim on you.”

“Are you kidding me?” Shan held her face in her hands. “Are
they going to start peeing everywhere and marking their territory?”

Holly laughed softly. “No. But they will try to impress you
and seduce you. And each will be a tad...overprotective until you choose one
over the other. They can't help it. It's who they are.”

“Shit.” Shan groaned. How could Devon get any more
overprotective than he already was? Would he even let her out of his sight long
enough to use the bathroom?

She flinched when Malik's fist connected with Devon's
stomach in a hard whack. It was almost like watching them dance, each move met
with a block, each punch and kick a flowing advance that never seemed to begin
or end. Their muscles flexed as they moved, a wonderful display of masculine
power that challenged the solidity of her shields. She wished Daisy was here to
see this. She would no doubt love this display of testosterone and male beauty.
Even more, she would love the fact that Shan was at the center of it.

Round and round the men went, their breath coming hard and
sweat rolling down their backs. The special tattoos gleamed in the light as their
bodies clashed and broke apart in moves almost too quick to see. They came
together in a wrestling hold, and Malik said something to Devon that made him
bare his teeth and say, “Mine.”

Snarling back, Malik said, “No, she's mine.”

Holly
was right. They are having a pissing contest,
Shan thought with disgust. They
were fighting it out like she was some blushing damsel in distress who would
ride off into the sunset with the winner. What was wrong with her? Why did she
always fall for overbearing assholes who tried to own her? Well, they were both
smoking crack if they thought they got to decide who she did or didn’t, date.

Shan purposely turned her back on the men. “Do you think
they would notice if I left?”

Holly laughed behind her hand. “Maybe. If they get too
carried away, we can sneak off and enjoy the hot baths.”

“Hot baths?”

“Yeah. Huge soaking tubs filled with mineral water blessed
to sooth overworked bodies.”

That sounded absolutely divine. “Care to show me where that
hot soaking tub is?”

Holly laughed softly and motioned to another tall woman with
her short hair held back by a white cloth headband. “Of course.” Turning to the
other woman, she said, “This is April, a Temple Guard to Bast. April, this is
Shan. We're having a testosterone overload here. Let's go hit the showers and
relax.”

April smiled. She was pretty in a girl-next-door way. “Nice
to meet you, Shan. You've certainly made our morning interesting. But, yes, I
agree the testosterone is getting a little thick.”

Together the three of them walked toward a set of doors with
an ankh over them at the end of the gym.

****

At first, Devon didn't even notice she was no longer
watching them. He was too intent on putting Malik's face into the mat. Then an
absence filled him, like something was missing from his body. How had he grown
so attached to her so quickly? Was it part of being a mentor?

He tried to find her while he dodged cross chops from Malik.
Panic seized his heart for a moment before he noticed that Holly was missing as
well. “She's gone,” Devon said to Malik as he forced him back with a series of
kicks.

“What?” Malik asked as he tried to get Devon into a
chokehold.

“Shan. She's gone.” He flipped Malik off.

“Shit,” Malik said as he stood and bowed.

Devon bowed back, and together they went off the mats to a
round of applause. Different Temple Guards came up to them to congratulate them
on the fight and comment on different moves they used. He was actually a tad
embarrassed at his public territorial display over Shan, but it was better now
that everyone knew he was staking his claim on the curvy Asian woman.

Devon was trying to get out of a conversation with an eager
group of guards when Malik walked up and pulled him away. “She went into the
baths with Holly and April. No one has seen her come out yet.”

Before Devon could go look for her, he cringed as he noticed
General Miller heading toward them with a thunderous look on his face. Tall,
with the body of a much younger man, the Chosen of Egyptian War God Onuris did
not look happy.

“What the fuck is wrong with you two?” General Miller
snarled. “I'm sitting in my office, trying to figure out how to keep more of
our people from dying, and I get word that you two dipshits are trying to kill
each other. While some girl that came in with you, Captain King, is putting off
enough sexual energy to raise the dead.”