"It's hard to say. They live for the ETF like I do."

"But you ..." She hesitated and looked deeply into his eyes, as if she were searching for something. "You want this? You want to help give us more freedom and ... and play house?"

Bronse couldn't count how many times he'd berated himself for how awkwardly and how badly he'd managed his emotions the last time they'd been together, and hearing her toss his snidely spoken words back up between them only made him feel like more of an a.s.s.

"I see the potential," he explained to her. "I can see me and mine training you and yours and one day making a unit out of us that would be close to unstoppable. Vivienne could break into any electronic lock, could shut down power to installations we needed to penetrate, or could cripple malignant computing systems. Ophelia, once she's old enough, would save lives in a way that Jet never could. Kith could read ready status and enemy intentions before we breached a structure. And you. We would know what could go wrong on a mission long before it even happened. It all makes for an edge that any soldier would kill for."

"And Devan?"

Devan perhaps had more potential than any of them. She had proven herself to have the power of charming any person or animal she came into contact with. She could coax them into thinking anything, into doing anything, just with the power of her mind and voice. Her only limitation was that it wore her out considerably, and she was very young and frail. But she would grow stronger with age and could be groomed to be the soldier that the IM desperately wanted her to be. Whether her shy nature made it right for her would be another story entirely. There were still a lot of open-ended questions, but it was the infinite possibilities of application that so intrigued Bronse and his superiors.

"We have years before we have to worry about Devan being in the field. Right now, I'm worried about her getting a chance to be a kid. To go to school and make friends. To feel normal as much as she can while being above the norm."

Rave sighed and closed her weary eyes, leaning toward him but realizing she couldn't risk touching him. Any hint of the personal between them and Bronse could be yanked away from her. She hated the idea of that more than she hated not being able to touch him. He was protecting her Chosen Ones much better than she was. He had all their best interests at heart-that much was clear. And he had been so right when he told her she would be like a fish out of water in this environment. She was so out of place, so off her mark here, that she hadn't been able to think the way he had. Bronse had forced the IM to stop looking at them as lab rats and remember that they were people. It was something she should have done herself but had been too overwhelmed to think of on her own.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am," she whispered to him soft and fast. "I can't tell you how it's killing me that I can't touch you and show you my grat.i.tude."

The heated statement made Bronse swallow visibly, and his fingers slowly curled into fists. It was so d.a.m.n hard not to touch her! There she stood, looking pale and tired and all the more alluring and irresistible for it. His gaze fell to her full mouth, the one he wanted so badly to taste just then, and his fists became all the tighter.

"Soon," he promised her.

"You hope," she countered. "You have to see if your team will do this."

"I'm going to do that now. But I know my team, Ravenna. I know how much they love a challenge. How excited they are when things get hairy and scary. I also know they got attached to you and yours very quickly. They don't want to see anything happen to any of you."

"Then go talk to them. If you want to put my mind at ease, come back to me with their answer to all of this. The sooner I know we're going to be protected by you, the better I will feel. The sooner they let us free of this laboratory environment, the better it will be for the children. Especially for Kith. I think he might like the idea of living free of me and the others. It might give him the sense of adulthood he's always biting and clawing for."

"I hope you're right. The IM isn't going to put up with his att.i.tude much longer."

"I'll have a talk with him."

"Maybe it shouldn't be you," Bronse countered. "Maybe Lasher or Ender would be the better choice."

"Maybe you're right." They both knew that Kith wasn't in any humor to listen to Bronse, so neither of them suggested it. "Tell me, whatever happened to the admiral who was trying to kill you? Did he ever explain why? Is he incarcerated for his crimes?"

Bronse's mouth thinned to a compressed line. Just the look on his face gave her the answer to her question. "No. Someone tipped him off. As careful as we were, someone leaked a warning to him and now he's off the grid, out there in s.p.a.ce somewhere doing who knows what. But the IM is hot on his heels, I a.s.sure you. They'll catch him and then they'll lock him away for a good long time while they pick his brain for the names of any co-conspirators."

"Meanwhile those who conspired with him could be right here," she conjectured. "Anywhere. Looking for a moment when your back is open to them." She bit her lip right before her hands reached out for his neck and heart, but he caught her by her wrists and stopped her.

"No," he said firmly. "You've done enough for one day. You'll have to trust that I can take care of myself without any warning from you. We talked about this, remember? My life is always in danger. Trust me to know how to protect what is precious to me." He drew the knuckles of one captured hand to the brief touch of his lips. "That includes protecting you and those you care about."

"You've already done that," she noted. "You've gotten us a normal home. You have no idea what it means to me that you've done this for us."

But as soon as she could, as soon as there were no cameras watching them and waiting for them to expose themselves, she would show him a great many things. And she made certain that the promise of that was clear in her eyes.

"Okay," he breathed in a voice no better than a growl, "I need you to stop looking at me that way or this will all go to h.e.l.l right here and now."

"I'm sorry," she whispered fast and hot as they both tried to get closer to each other without moving an inch. "I cannot help myself. I find myself missing you. Missing your warmth against me. Missing the feel of you inside me."

And just like that, in a flash of inner fire, he was hard for her. She couldn't possibly know, he thought heatedly, just how much self-control it was taking to keep from touching her. The smell of her, those gentle drifts of Ayalya spice, were intoxicating to a belly empty of the feel and taste of her.

"I feel the same," he said hoa.r.s.ely. But it wasn't until he saw the relief in her expression that he realized she hadn't been sure of that. As separation had stretched between them, she had doubted the continuation of his pa.s.sions for her.

Of course. He had worked very hard at trying to cut her away, reminding her that his life allowed no place for a relationship with a woman. There had been no real rea.s.surances. All she had had was her own confidence. And now that she was worn out, that confidence had also become worn.

"Don't you doubt that," he said swiftly and heatedly as he bent his forehead to hers, nearly touching them together. "Never doubt the power of how much I crave you. Both physically and ... and emotionally."

The confession brought her eyes swiftly to his. She was searching him again to see if he was telling her the truth. Or perhaps she didn't trust her own perceptions. It didn't help that he couldn't follow any of it with a physical demonstration. The frustration of that was gnawing at his stomach and his patience, so he shook his head at her.

"I'll explain once we're out of lockdown. Okay? Let me go find the crew and get a handle on the way they feel about all of this. I can't do this without them. I don't think I can trust anyone else to be that close to you all. I have to convince the crew that the wait will be worth it in the long run."

"I know you can do it," she said with confidence. "You're one of the strongest leaders I have ever met, and I have a great deal of faith in you."

As Bronse forced himself to leave without kissing her the way he wanted to, he hoped like h.e.l.l that she was right.

Bronse didn't bother going to Lasher first. Of all of his crew, he knew that Lasher would be able to see the long term best. Plus, Masin had developed a real soft spot for little Ophelia. He was always in the observation booth when they were testing her, and he always made sure that she was in his sight line when they were simply hanging around and playing their bodyguards. While in lockdown, the danger was minimal, but once the Chosen Ones were put in the general population, things would become infinitely more edgy. Especially where Ophelia was concerned. She wasn't any good at hiding what she could do. She couldn't bear to see someone hurt and then just stand around pretending there was nothing she could do about it. No doubt Lasher would take strong point when it came to her protection. Even more so when she eventually worked her way into doing field a.s.signments. Seeing her as a little sister in need of looking after, Lasher would gladly take the downtime and the transfer out of being First Active.

Bronse's problem would come from his pilot and his ordnance man. Justice was least happy when she was grounded. She liked to have a stick in her hands and craved flying in and out of tight spots. There would be little of that at first if she took on this new detail. Frankly, Bronse couldn't see any reason why she would want to purposely ground herself. No more than he could see Ender being happy with nothing or no one to blow up.

He decided to speak with them together, alone.

They met in Ender's quarters. When Bronse arrived, his type A team was pacing the floor trying to suss out why they'd been selected for a chat with the boss.

"I'll get straight to the point," Bronse said as soon as the doors hissed shut at his back. "I want to resign the team from First Active status."

"What?" the exclamation was twofold, Justice and Ender equally shocked and bordering on indignant.

"Hear me out," Bronse requested. "At any time, no matter what I want to do or your superiors want to do, keep in mind that this is strictly volunteer. If you don't want to do this, you can resign from my team and hook on to another." The suggestion drew frowns across both their faces. They'd been a team for a very long time now. They worked together as smooth as gla.s.s, trusted one another implicitly, and knew one another inside and out. It was hard to conceive of breaking up something that worked that well. "We've been offered a very unique opportunity," Bronse continued. "Spec Ops is going to need a crack team to work in conjunction with the Chosen Ones in the field, and we're the ones they want. Missions will be way out there on the edge, just like we've always done, but this time we might be tackling objectives that will not succeed unless we have a Chosen One with us. When I say we'll be working out on the edge, I mean that-as of right now-even command has no idea just how far all of this can go. The possibilities are endless.

"That being said, you know how raw and untrained the Chosen Ones are. They aren't truly militia yet. There's a lot of work to be done before they reach that point. If we take this gig, we'd be responsible for getting them to mission-ready status, and we'd be responsible for their day-to-day well-being. That means we'll be down, possibly for months. You might say we'll be some hard-core, glorified babysitters. And that means both on and off duty. We'll be living, breathing, and saturated with Chosen Ones each and every cycle that goes by."

Bronse shifted his shoulders, shrugging back the weight of the tension he was carrying as he tried to gauge their faces. "You don't have to tell me your answer right now, but I expect one by next cycle. I want you to think on it, to truly understand just how boring this could be from time to time for people like us. But I also hope you consider the long haul, when boring will go out the window and we'll be cranking missions again like never before. Everything will change, and I want us to be at the front of it."

There. He'd said his piece. The rest would be up to them.

"Any questions?" he offered up.

"Just one," Justice said, her strong hands settling on her hips, and her feet braced hard apart. "Are you sure you're not doing this because you're hot for Ravenna? Because I don't want to be dragged along if this is all about chasing a pretty face, sir."

It was a fair question, Bronse thought. One he had been asking himself over and over again lately. Would he be doing any of this if he hadn't gotten swept away by the way Rave made him feel? Was he making clear and proper choices for his team, or were they shaded by cravings that had no place in military decisions?

"Ravenna is a very special woman who has, I admit, a very powerful effect on me," he said slowly and carefully. "I won't stand here and tell you that my desires where she is concerned are not coloring my choices, because I know that they are. But what drives me is less about s.e.x and l.u.s.t and more about who she is and what she and the others can do. She's a strong leader with control over the most powerful people I have ever met, but she needs help. She needs us to protect them and guide them into this way of living that we take so much pleasure in. They need us. The bra.s.s needs us. I don't know about you, but as long as I get to do my job, all the rest of it is just gravy." He sighed. "I hope that's some kind of answer for you. It's the best one I have."

Justice pursed her lips as she mulled that over. "Well, at least you didn't try to convince me that one had nothing to do with the other. The day my commander starts to lie to himself is the day I find a new commander."

"I'm in."

Ender said it so suddenly and so casually that Bronse didn't think he'd heard him right. That must have been reflected in his expression because Ender chuckled and repeated himself. "I said I'm in. I'm always down for some training and teaching. And I can see what our future missions are going to be like. First Active will no longer be first on the toughest jobs, as I see it. Sticking with the Chosen Ones now is how we get to be the real deal and don't find ourselves suddenly obsolete."

"Well, I don't think ETF will ever be obsolete, but I do see it changing," Bronse agreed. "Are you sure you don't want to think about it?"

"No," Justice spoke up. "Ender's right. I'm not convinced that those kids have it in them to run with the big boys, but I'd be stupid not to take the time to find out only to end up getting left behind. Just make sure I get some stick time every now and then though."

"I'm sure we can work that out," Bronse said with a grin that he couldn't suppress. He hadn't expected this. Granted, he knew how strong the team was, but adrenaline junkies faced with not getting their fix? It was a tough call to make. "All right. I'm going to talk to Lasher and Jet, but I have a feeling they'll be on board too."

"Are you kidding?" Justice teased with a laugh. "You and Lasher have boy crushes on each other. I don't think you'll ever do anything apart."

"That'll be enough of that," Bronse warned.

But he was grinning ear to ear.

"Here's how I see this," Lasher said as they looked down at the schematic of the housing level. "Four living units, two on one side of the corridor and two directly across. That gives us this entire corridor to ourselves here on a dead end. It puts us in the general population but keeps us separated enough that we can watch one another's backs. Bronse and Rave will live here with Devan. Ender will live here with Kith and Fallon. I'm going to be here with Ophelia and Vivienne, and Justice will be here with Domino."

Ravenna smiled and coyly hip-checked Lasher. "Ophelia wouldn't let you stick her with Justice, huh?"

Masin smiled, well aware that he deserved teasing for caving to Ophelia's big teary eyes and incessant begging. It was no secret by now that Ophelia had a terrible crush on him, idolizing him to the stars. But that was okay, he thought. Let her have a crush. It was a normal thing for a girl her age, and the Great Being knew she needed a good dose of normal. Besides, he wanted Ophelia where he could keep a very close eye on her. Everyone knew that she would be the hardest to control when it came to concealing her abilities.

The other weak point in this setup was Kith. He'd grown more and more sullen as time had ticked on, even the news of coming out of lockdown having no effect on his mood. The kid was in serious need of direction and discipline, and Ender was just the soldier to give it to him.

"Ready to become a father figure to the biggest pain in the a.s.s on the station?" Masin asked Ender over the table.

"I'm ready. I'd like to see him try to start his c.r.a.p with me. I'll rig his door with a paint grenade." The harmless grenades were used in training exercises and blew out paint in a wide circle to represent explosive force and shrapnel discharge. They made a huge mess but would get the message across. "Besides, we're going to start him in base training tomorrow. He'll be too worn out at the end of the day to cause much trouble."

"Good," Bronse said. "We'll work in a shift schedule. One of us will have to sacrifice their day cycle and be awake during the night to keep an ear out on the hallways."

"I'll do it," Justice said. "You'll be busy watching over the group during the day. Besides, you have a kid on school scheduling. Leave me to do night shift. Domino can take care of himself during the day when he's with his trainers or the docs. Ender needs to be on deck when Kith is out of training to keep the kid in check, so I'm the best choice."

"Sounds like a plan. So," Bronse turned to Ravenna and grinned, "wanna go play in the real world?"

"Very much so! I'll get the others!"

They left lockdown as a group and made it to their new quarters without a single incident. Everyone split up to settle in, leaving Bronse alone with Devan and, for the first time in nearly three weeks, Ravenna.

"Devan, go find your room," he encouraged her, pointing through the front room to the back hallway. The young girl squeaked with excitement and ran for her room. Bronse waited until he heard the door hiss shut, and then he shot across the room to grab hold of Rave.

They were in a clinch instantly, each desperately grasping at the other as they kissed. It was as though they'd been drowning for a long time, and the moment their lips touched, it was like coming up for a much-needed gasp of air.

Ravenna felt more needed in that moment than she had ever been needed by her collection of Chosen Ones. Her heart pounded beneath her breast as his hands ran fast and hungry up the long length of her back, leaving chills of satisfaction in their wake. How had she ever managed not to touch him for all of this time? How had she survived those brutally long nights outside of his bed? She'd barely had time to be with him to start with, but she had become a fast and thorough addict.

"Bronse," she murmured over and over again, wishing she could climb inside of him and, even more, wishing he would climb inside of her. But they knew that Devan would soon be back, and what they really wanted would have to wait until the young girl was in bed and asleep.

"How could I see you every single day and yet feel like I was missing you?" he demanded of her. "It was making me crazy." He brushed hot fingers down the side of her neck, turning them over her shoulder and stroking through the thin material of her militia uniform shirt. Every one of the Chosen Ones of majority age was now required to wear one. Not just because it helped them to blend in, but because they were official members of the militia and it was the required dress. "Have I told you how s.e.xy you look in uniform?" he asked her with a low, predatory growl.

"I can't look half as good as you do," she countered, drawing him down for an even deeper kiss.

"Wow. Guys, you're burning my impressionable brain!"

They broke apart at Devan's tease, each of them coloring guiltily. But she waved it off with a bouncing hug for each of them.

"That's okay. I'll get used to it," she said happily. "I love my room! It's much bigger than the one at the temple, and the bed is great. There are clothes in there and everything!" She made a face. "And there's a VidPad that has the name of a school etched into it."

"Ah. Your schoolbooks have arrived. You have a bit of catching up to do, so you might want to start reading tonight. You'll start attending cla.s.ses tomorrow," Bronse said.

Devan shuddered delicately. "I'm not looking forward to this. I was always schooled with the village children. I grew up with them. I don't know anything about how to make new friends."

"You'll learn," Bronse a.s.sured her. "Don't worry about it. You're a bright and funny girl. People are going to love that about you. You'll have new friends in no time."

"Just because you say it doesn't always make it true," the young girl said gravely, the pearl of wisdom telling him that her trust for him had grown, but she wasn't yet willing to believe his word as law. Bronse didn't mind. It just made her more clever than before in his eyes.

"We'll just have to wait and see then, won't we?"

She shrugged. "Sure." Then she hopped back off to her bedroom. Just before she stepped through the door, she said, "Oh, I'm going to try a bunch of clothes on in here. Then do some reading. I don't expect I'll come out for a good long while."

Then she disappeared through the door. Bronse and Rave looked at each other.

"Did she just give us permission to have s.e.x?" he asked.

"Yes." Ravenna giggled. "She thinks she's being clever."

Bronse narrowed darkening eyes on Ravenna. "I think she's brilliant."

Rave stepped back when he stepped forward. "It's the middle of the day cycle!"

"So?" His look was positively predatory. He reached out to snag her wrist in his hand and continued to advance for every step she retreated.

"But Devan-"

"You heard her. She'll be busy." He grinned, teeth gleaming between his lips.

"What if one of the others comes to the door?" she persisted.

"If any of them are less savvy than a fourteen-year-old girl, they deserve to be ignored." He leapt forward and grabbed her, making her squeal as he scooped her up over his shoulder and began to march for the hallway.

"Bronse! Put me down!" She laughed, squirming under the hand that patted her upturned bottom.

"Just as soon as I get my bed underneath you."

It was three nights after that when Ravenna woke to a noise in the outer room. Devan had taken to getting up for nighttime snacks, so she didn't think anything of it as she slid out from under Bronse's arm and slipped on a robe. She left their bedroom and walked through the darkness to the living area. She thought it odd that no lights were on-until she reached for the panel that would turn them on and felt someone grab her wrist.

She was spun around so hard that her arm was shoved up her back as she was pushed into a wall. Every tendon protested as they resisted the impossible position. She opened her mouth to yell for Bronse, but the muzzle of a laser pistol shoved up under the point of her chin made the scream die in her throat.

"One sound," she heard a man whisper between the tight clench of teeth, "and I'll kill everyone I find in this house."

Afraid for Devan and Bronse, she nodded her acquiescence.

"Good girl," he said softly. "Now tell me where I can find Chapel and I'll leave you be."

Ravenna knew instantly that it was a lie. Whether she was reading him or not, she didn't know, but every instinct screamed a warning that she could not and should not believe a single word that came out of his mouth. Who was this person? Was there random crime on a s.p.a.ce station like this?