She realized why she hadn't bitten him or any of his friends. It wasn't because she knew for certain they weren't Whitney's men. She didn't know that. It was Ezekiel. He was already imprinted in her somewhere deep. The men were his. Under his protection. She didn't want to kill him or them--so she'd given them another chance--a chance she didn't believe they deserved at the time.
Ezekiel framed her face with both hands and bent his head toward her. His features were gentle. Almost tender. Taking her breath away. "And what happens if I don't get back, baby?" His voice turned her heart over. "That's a real possibility every time I go out. What happens to you if you're sitting in a cell unable to protect yourself?"
As if at a great distance she heard Mordichai gasp. Gino swore softly.
"I'll manage. Come on." She tugged at his shirt, trying to get him to move back in the direction of the laboratory. She hated that she was putting him at odds with his team members. Most of all, she didn't want to see what would happen if all that energy building inside of Ezekiel was let loose. Did they know? Why provoke him if they did? She knew that power was enormous. Lethal. Once it rose to the surface, how did he get rid of it?
"I'll get her out," Mordichai said, his voice almost as gentle as his brother's. "I see what she is to you. You have to know I'd protect her."
"And what happens if you don't come back either?" Ezekiel raised his head and all hint of softness was gone.
Bellisia stroked her hand over his chest, rubbed in little soothing circles trying to keep the dark energy pulsing in his body from spilling out. His skin was hot right through the material of his shirt. She felt him coiled tight inside, like a spring about to snap. She didn't want to be anywhere in the vicinity if he did let go.
"Zeke," Gino said, conceding with a sigh. "We get it. All of us."
The wind stirred again, and this time it brought the scent of spice and smoke. "Ezekiel." The female voice was authoritative without being the least bit abrasive. "You bring that child to me this instant."
The moment he heard the voice, Ezekiel leaned his head down even more and took ownership of Bellisia's mouth. His lips coaxed hers and she opened her mouth, helpless to do anything but give him everything he wanted. Even with his teammates looking on.
His mouth was scorching hot and turned aggressive immediately until every trace of gentleness was gone and she felt his nature rising toward hers. Power mixed with possession poured into her. It was dark and ugly and very, very scary. Terrifying even. Yet she couldn't pull away. At the same time, there was something beautiful and real about the way his mouth moved over hers, and his tongue stroked caresses all the while she absorbed that very dangerous energy.
How could she be safe taking in all that power and need for action and dominance? He short-circuited her brain every single time he kissed her, but it was there, working at the back of her mind, and the moment he lifted his head, his peculiar gold eyes searching hers, she knew.
With a small cry, she tried to tear herself out of his hold, but he was fast and strong. Her instincts for self-preservation were so strong she actually lunged toward him, venom rising, the faint blue rings moving up under her skin, but at the last moment she turned her face away from him and spat out the venom.
"He paired us." It was an accusation, although she knew he couldn't have known either. She had wanted her attraction to Ezekiel to be real, to have one thing in her life that hadn't been tainted by Whitney. Just one.
Whitney had found a way, using pheromones, to program his male soldiers with his female soldiers. His vision had been a two-person team that could work together in the field. The couple had to be compatible psychically and physically, their gifts complementing each other. Whitney had abandoned his plan, finding he didn't want to give up the female soldiers he'd used for his experiments, he wanted babies to work with. When they were away from him, he lost control of his creations.
"I should have known. I couldn't kill you when I had the chance." She whispered the admission, her eyes meeting his.
Ezekiel stepped closer to her, one arm a bar across her back, pulling her body tightly against his so that she felt the hard length of him, the urgency of his need. "He can pair us physically, Bellisia, but no way can he do so emotionally. That's where he goes wrong. He doesn't have emotions. He's a cold bastard who can cut up children without batting an eyelash. He doesn't feel, so he doesn't understand feelings. Maybe I went looking for you because the wind was coming my way and I caught your scent. Hell, all I remember is looking across the square and seeing you. I can describe every single detail of that moment. He couldn't possibly make that happen."
She moistened her dry lips. She desperately needed water, but she needed his reassurance more. At the same time, it was all too much to take in. Whitney's pairing them. The hidden weapon inside of him. So dark and scary. The energy Ezekiel was capable of manipulating was dangerous.
The water lapped at the pier, calling to her. Night owls chimed in. Not too far away, an alligator slid from the bank into the water.
"Do they know about you?" She tilted her chin at him, challenging him. What government in their right minds would let him go walking around if they knew?
He shook his head and pressed his mouth against her ear. "Only you know. I took that chance and put my life in your hands because you were putting your life in mine. It was only fair."
His lips brushed her ear with every word--sweet, hot strokes that she swore involved his tongue. Each brush sent shivers down her spine. "That cage is looking more inviting by the minute."
"Ezekiel. Bring that child to me," Nonny persisted.
The creak of her chair indicated she had stood up. Soft footfalls on the porch and the sound of her pipe hitting the bannister told Bellisia the woman stood at the top of the stairs.
"She's not a child, Nonny," Ezekiel said. "And I'm working on convincing her."
There was a small silence. "Son, if you haven't got her convinced by now, you're not half the man I think you are. Bring your woman to me."
"Zeke, she means business," Mordichai warned. He sounded a little nervous.
Bellisia risked a glance his way and realized the GhostWalkers were still surrounding them. She'd all but forgotten they were there. It was their stillness. She could imagine insects and lizards crawling right over them, not realizing they were human. They'd also gone from combative and hostile to protective. She didn't know what had caused the difference, but even Gino was on board. They were clearly guarding the couple rather than guarding the compound against her.
"Don't get him in trouble with Nonny," Rubin advised.
"Cut through the bullshit," Gino added. "You aren't going to turn him down, because someone has to look after the lug. I don't know what you know about him that we don't, but it sounds like you're meant for each other. Just get over there to Nonny before she decides to quit cooking for us."
Bellisia shook her head, a little bit stunned. The big, badass GhostWalkers were afraid of an eighty-year-old woman--or more precisely, their stomachs were. "I have to decide in two seconds? How did you go from 'lock her up now, you're insane to be with her' to 'Bellisia, just accept the man and get on with it'?" What had caused their sudden about-face? They were all in with her relationship with Ezekiel now that they knew Whitney had paired them.
"They think with their stomachs," Ezekiel said, glaring at them. "Don't push her around like that."
"It's more than our stomachs, ma'am." Mordichai pushed a hand through his hair, somewhere between agitation, amusement and absolute seriousness. "Although I'll admit that may have a small amount to do with it. It's Zeke. That's all I can say. It's Zeke."
Ezekiel pressed Bellisia closer to him, keeping her small body sheltered by his. She was scared. So much had happened so fast. And she was exhausted. She knew Ezekiel had to be as well. She couldn't imagine how much longer he could stay on his feet or even what was keeping him upright. He had to have a will of iron.
He swayed, and she tilted her chin to
look up at his face, examining the lines of strain there.
"You're frowning, baby. I find it very sexy when you frown and that's not a good thing right now."
"Ezekiel, you need to lie down." Her hand tightened in his shirt as she took a better grip on him.
"You have more compassion in your little finger than I do in my entire body. I couldn't help testing my theory."
"Your theory? You mean almost falling on your face to see what I'd do?"
He nodded, his eyes going to a beautiful Florentine gold. "You have no idea what you are to me, do you?"
She couldn't hide the fine tremor that went through her, so light she hoped he didn't catch it. She wasn't nearly as confident as she was trying to make him believe. "No, but then right now, I think you've been a little oxygen-deprived, so who knows what you're thinking."
"Being a smart man, I'm not going to let you find out just what that is, sweetheart. You already have me tied up in knots. I can't afford for you to ever figure out that you'll always have the upper hand."
Mordichai groaned. Gino shook his head. Rubin made a sound like a dying dog. Ezekiel took a step toward the porch and Nonny. "I've got to get you to the verandah and Nonny before these clowns have you running. That woman up there is going to be my greatest advocate and ally. You just remember that she's wise and these men are just wiseasses."
She would have laughed if she hadn't been so nervous. The men were pretty funny together.
"Zeke, a call came in from Stennis just a few minutes ago," Gino said, his voice low. She could have sworn he projected it straight at Ezekiel so the wind couldn't carry the sound anywhere but where he directed it. "That's why we all were looking for you and found you out of bed. Indonesia sent a warning that two of their soldiers were found dead, two who were supposed to have come here to train. There was evidence to show that someone had made molds of their faces."
"What about the other four soldiers? How could they not know?" Ezekiel continued to move Bellisia toward the house. She'd been far less nervous surrounded by the GhostWalkers. The closer they were to the porch and Nonny, the more she trembled no matter how hard she tried to control it.
"Baby," he whispered softly. "It's going to be okay." He paused for a moment, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. "She's going to like you."
How did he know? Nonny was the most important one there. She knew Ezekiel would never admit it, but he considered her his mother and grandmother all rolled into one. She heard it in his voice when he spoke of her. She saw it in his body language whenever he was close to her. She knew nothing of his life, but she would bet her next paycheck that Ezekiel's own mother wasn't alive.
"The Indonesians were suspicious something was wrong. Their teammates were acting strange and kept to themselves, very unlike either man. They contacted their superiors and an investigation ensued," Gino continued. "That's when the bodies were found. We were told immediately."
"But too late," Mordichai said. "You could have been killed."
"Fortunately, Bellisia followed us." Ezekiel tugged at her when her feet stopped moving forward.
They were very close to the house. A few more feet and he'd have her up the stairs and in Nonny's company. That would be the defining moment. Nonny would either like her or not. If she didn't . . .
"You probably could have escaped on your own," she objected, trying to stall for time as well as give him his due. "I saw you were awake and planning something."
"I would have taken out the two in the cabin, but I wouldn't have been able to get out of the marsh. I was too weak. I'm a doctor, so I knew my physical condition was extremely compromised. My mind had become a little fuzzy and I was dizzy and nauseous. I wouldn't have been able to make it through the mercenaries or get off before the explosives had been set off, not without you."
He hadn't stopped moving, and he had her all the way up the steps. Then they were standing in front of Nonny. She pressed a hand to her churning stomach. She was not going to throw up on Nonny's shoes.
"Bellisia, this is Grace Fontenot, Wyatt's grandmother. She's graciously allowed all of us to stay here. Grace, this is Bellisia Adams. Her friends call her Bella."
He sounded so proud, as if he was introducing someone very special to his grandmother. She tried to smile but she just couldn't. She'd never had a mother or grandmother either. She didn't know what having that would be like. She only knew what she'd witnessed these past few weeks watching them all. Nonny was extraordinary with all of them. She was well loved and deservedly so. Bellisia desperately wanted the woman to like her, to look at her the way she did the men and Pepper, Cayenne and the three little girls. As family. Family had a meaning now and it was all wrapped up in this woman.
The faded blue eyes moved over her slowly with great care. Bellisia felt as if those eyes saw right into her, saw every bad thing she'd ever done as a child--and she'd done plenty. She'd been one of the defiant ones. She doubted if Whitney would have kept her if she hadn't been so good at her job. It wasn't as if he had very many like her. In fact, to her knowledge she was the only one with her gifts.
She'd been healthy, so he'd performed several experiments on her, and her body hadn't rejected the things he'd done genetically. He had put extra guards on her dormitory because she was very, very good at escaping. She liked to see how close to his personal sleeping quarters she could get before she got caught. When he finally realized what she was doing, he'd begun putting her in a cell at night. She trained hard and liked the physical training, but she also stirred up trouble, talking about subjects that he'd forbidden to the other girls.
She bit her lip, thinking this woman probably knew when her grandsons had told her lies. She doubted if anything could get by Nonny. I can kill people when I bite them. She nearly blurted her secret out loud. That was how compelling Nonny was. How magic. You just wanted to confess every single bad thing about yourself. She kept biting her lip harder and harder, feeling a little faint.
"Call me Nonny, child. You're the one who brought me the black nightshade." She made it a statement. "Thank you for that. More, thank you for the warnin' that someone might be lookin' to kidnap or harm one of my grandson's friends. They're family to me now and I don' take kindly to anyone hurtin' them."
"You found the note?" Ezekiel asked. "She told me she left you a warning."
"Just today, underneath the plant. I haven't had time to transplant it, but it was droopin' in that box, so I put it in somethin' a little friendlier."
"I'd like to see that note, Nonny," Rubin said. "We'll need to keep it for evidence of Bellisia's innocence if we need to prove anything to anyone."
"This is a family matter." Nonny swept them all with her regal expression. "It stays in the family."
"We still have to see the note," Rubin insisted gently.
"I'll get it for you in the mornin'," Nonny complied.
"You're right about family, Nonny," Gino decreed.
"Ezekiel, you sit down in that rocker before you fall down." Nonny and Mordichai gave the order simultaneously.
"I know you'd like to talk with Bellisia, but I have to get some sleep, Nonny," Ezekiel said. "I have to get up early tomorrow and go to work. I'd like Bellisia to stay here with you and Pepper and the girls. It would be a huge favor to me."
"No need to call it a favor. She's yours. I can see it plain as day. That makes her mine." She looked around at the men sitting on the bannister and porch stairs. "Ours. Ezekiel is goin' to do whatever needs doin' and his woman will stay with me right where she belongs. We could use another warrior just in case someone makes their play for the triplets. No one is goin' to take my grandchildren. I'll take good care of your Bella, Ezekiel, although I suspect she doesn't need that."
Bellisia wanted to say she did. She wanted to say she needed care and knowledge, the kind that could build a family, but she only bit her lip harder, afraid if she opened her mouth she'd make a fool of herself. Ezekiel's arms slipped around her chest, right below her breast
s. He locked his hands there and pulled her back against him. He felt solid. Warm. Protective.
He bent his head so that his mouth was against her ear. "Stop biting your lip. You're going to draw blood soon."
Color swept up her neck to her face. She could only hope the darkness covered her blush as she closed the lips tightly, wincing a little, certain she may have actually bitten down hard enough to make her lip bleed. Great. She wanted to impress Nonny, not act like a terrified child. It didn't help that she was always so acutely aware of Ezekiel. His scent enveloped her. She felt every breath he took.
She didn't belong here. It was so far out of her comfort zone she didn't even know how to act. She was a woman trained for violence, for the shadows, not to stand so close to something bright and warm and beautiful. His arm pressed deeper into her skin as if he knew what she was thinking.
"Good night, everyone. We're heading to my room."
Nonny tried to look scandalized. "Don' you do anythin' I'll have to get the shotgun out for, Ezekiel."
"Unfortunately, Nonny, I'm not in the best of shape right now or I wouldn't be able to make that promise, but," he added hastily as her face darkened and her brows came together, "I give you my word as a gentleman Bellisia is safe with me."
Mordichai and Rubin made some noise that indicated they thought Ezekiel was hilarious. Bellisia found herself smiling as Ezekiel stepped in front of her, retaining possession of her hand so he could lead the way.
She wanted to see the house, but it was dark and silent. Ezekiel moved fast and unerringly through the hallway and down past a number of doors. He stopped in front of one toward the very end of the hall, opened it and stepped back to wave her through. She still couldn't believe she was there. Inside that home. A part of her was close to panicking. She'd never been inside anyone's home. She didn't know how to think or act.
"You're shaking, baby. There's no need for that. You're safe here."
She hoped everyone else was safe there as well. He let go of her hand, and she thought about clinging, but had far too much pride for that. She watched him sink down onto the bed, bending to unlace his boots. His face was nearly gray, but his hands were steady.