Brotherhood ~ Chapter 6

Mira?! I called out but no, no – that was in the dream.  Or had I voiced it?  Blinking, I raised myself up on one elbow, looking around the campsite.  If I had spoken out from the depths of my sleep then no one was around to hear it.

Yawning, I now sat up – or tried to, at any rate.  Not successful on the first attempt either, I dismally took note.  You’re still a wreck, Commander, I complained to myself as I released a weighted sigh.  I had healed well enough, and was mobile, thank you Gracious God Above for Your Favor.  However, it was upon rising from long periods of immobility when I would painfully be reminded that I was not yet one hundred percent.  Soreness and stiffness were to be part of my life for the immediate future and I just had to deal.  And so the mid-morning nap I had taken did little to refresh me, instead just giving my muscles an excuse to go on strike.

I didn’t know what else to do, however.  Choices for activities were somewhat limited at present.  It was either workout, nap or be with Sierra and the latter, although infinitely more pleasurable, would have driven me out of my mind that day.  To be so close to the alluring creature was sheer torture – a good kind of torture, but torture none the less.  However, to act on a single one of my impulses in regards to the woman would get me my neck snapped by Aidan.

And so I had opted for a nap – but that didn’t turn out much better for I had dreamt of Mira.  A woman long dead whom I had greatly loved, and with whom I shared an incredible relationship, one which had been driven by an otherworldly chemistry.

A chemistry never forgotten, one that had surfaced again to present itself in interactions with Sierra.  I could feel it.  It was no wonder I could hardly control myself when I was around her!  Some officer and a gentleman I was, I considered in dismay.  When I was near her?  I certainly harbored little desire to be either.

And my brother, knowing full-well that I was always on, was deriving sick pleasure from my discomfiture.

You’ll get yours, Aidan, I inwardly grumbled.  The lifelong brotherly warfare in which we had both readily engaged had not ended when the world had – it carried right on over into this brave new frontier.

Lucky me.

The nap, besides making me feel stiff as a board, had done little to assuage my mounting lust.  If I had a serious death wish then I would just throw caution to the wind and take the woman.  This, of course, would just be giving Aidan a hand-crafted excuse to remove me from this world.  Even though I was his brother I was not so certain that he would draw the line at fealty when it came to me messing with his woman.  Oh, yeah – the Assassin would off me no problemo.

Not like he didn’t already have a multitude of reasons to want me out of the picture – but I needed him and he needed me.  Thus the tightrope we walked together, trying to throw each other out of balance at every opportunity, though.

Just to make things interesting, of course, for a world with so few women had become a decidedly boring place.

As if to tempt me into sealing my own Fate, however, my brother was leaving me alone with Sierra more and more often.

Ever cruel, that brother of mine.  And crueler yet the charade we carried on in Sierra’s presence – that we didn’t know each other from Adam, as it were.  Sierra was no imbecile!  The woman had been trying to puzzle out the mystery of Aidan and me, and I was of the mind she had more than just a clue that we damned well knew each other.

Whatever.

I knew quite a bit about her too, now – and what an eye opener that had been!  Of course I had presence of mind to have myself tagged before setting out to join Aidan and this mystery woman.  Not as a precaution to save my life if I crossed paths with trouble, but rather so my compatriots could track me.  Eric and Greg were never far from hand, which was one reason why Aidan had stepped up his patrols.  We were being tailed by the good guys but Aidan did not view the AFA in such a fashion, and even less the Blackguard.  His contempt for my AFA brethren he wore on his sleeve for all to see.  If he and his bloodthirsty Brothers from The Order could have snuffed out the AFA, then they most certainly would have done so by now.

Not yet, not today – in the future, however?

Who could foretell.

At any rate, my being tailed turned to his advantage since I was able, via my brother, to get word to Eric.  In turn, Eric was able to pass along to me, again via Aidan, my PDA, which I had not taken with me at the onset.  However, there was just too much research I needed to conduct on our female traveling companion.  Once I had my PDA in hand, and a small device which vibrated in my pocket to alert me to wi-fi hot spots secreted here and there trhoughout this region of the desert, then I was back in business.  All I needed to do was conceal use of my PDA from Sierra – easy enough to do, since Aidan was more than obliging to preoccupy her while I got connected.  He was no less curious than I to ferret out the secrets of this hot little Latina number.

And when the information came pouring in from the internet on our steamy traveling companion, my first thought was – what a tool God had sent us!  However, in the same breath I had suspicions.  Her skills would be a windfall beyond belief – it was almost as if someone had purposely placed her squarely in our path.

Such a windfall truly smacked of espionage, though, but I did not get a sense from the woman that she was untrue, or concealing anything of importance from either Aidan or myself.  Needless to say, there was much to work out when it came to Sierra.

No simple woman, indeed.

Running a hand over my face I let it linger there for a moment.  Great – I felt a headache coming on.  Just what I did not need.  Well, stop your whining, O’Reilly – just get your ass up and go do something.

This naturally meant seeking out Sierra since I had already worked out once that day and had had my fill of that.  Working out in a different capacity, however, would have been greatly welcome – but Aidan had no intent of sharing Sierra with me.  The only thing worse than fighting the temptation of Sierra was that of being alone much of the time.  And admittedly, I was very much a social creature at heart.  Guilty as charged – I was human whereas my brother?  Well, the jury was still out on whether or not he even qualified as human, for he most certainly was not humane.

Standing up, and none too gracefully at that, I went to go take a leak – first things first, after all, I laughed to myself.  Afterwards I had some water and then washed up.  Once those necessities were out of the way, I started my search – one not long or hard.  Sierra had become my self-professed guardian and so never strayed very far from me.  Not only had she done a first rate job with my physical therapy, but she also did an excellent job of keeping Aidan and I from throttling each other.  The peacemaker she most certainly had become – but I was of a mind that she wearied of playing the part.

The woman wanted me, I wanted her – it should not have been so damned complicated!  It was what it was, however – and nothing about Sierra was uncomplicated.

My brother had been right about one thing, though – the woman sure the hell had not been wandering alone in this desert for seven years.  By her appearance, one would think her to be a casual weekend hiker.  It made no sense.  Granted, she was a beaner and people of her ethnicity seemed to weather the elements better than, say, us Irishmen – but still.

Just another absent piece of the puzzle, a puzzle I was determined to work out come hell or high water.

What also made little sense was that Sierra was a woman of no pretenses.  She truly believed that she had wandered alone all that time, wholly unaware that there was a world around her with people in it.  Granted, a greatly reduced population was the current state of the planet, but to have not heard some sound or seen some indication of civilization?  In an entire seven years?  Almost impossible to fathom.

No lies, no deceptions – she was true and honest.  So unlike Aidan and myself who lied through our teeth to her on a daily basis.  Scratch that.  I lied whereas Aidan just kept his mouth shut.

No matter – time was quickly running out and for all our differences, Aidan and I, in one thing we were of like mind.  To spare this woman from falling into the hands of the wrong party – namely the Blackguard.  She had been found on their turf and by agreement any females found within their borders were to become property of the Blackguard.  I had to hand it to Aidan – he was doing an excellent job of keeping us from unfriendly eyes but that could only continue just so long.  To spare Sierra, unfortunately, she would have to come out of the closet, so to speak, and be reintroduced to the world at large.

How to do this and not lose her to the wrong parties?  I almost had this worked out in my mind.  However, I needed Aidan’s backing and he was decidedly ignoring me as of late.

That was going to have to change – and soon.

In the meantime, I had time to kill this day and so decided to torture myself by being with the gorgeous, sultry, diminutive Latina beauty.

It was not long before I found her.  The woman was down by a dry seasonal river.  Apparently she had done a little gathering for there she sat, scraping the spines off some prickly pear cactus pads.  Practiced, measure strokes, her actions were almost absent in nature – like she’d performed the same task time without count.  So natural and easy were the motions of her hands.  Maybe she had been alone for a very long time, even if she did not look like it.  The creature was so appealing that I often found myself hot under the collar merely thinking about her.

“Hey, Chiquita” I called to her, offering up the best smile I could possibly muster and was greatly rewarded.  Pausing mid-stroke with her knife, she now looked up at me and returned the smile in kind and then some.  Patting the ground beside her, she invited me to take a load off.  I could think of another load I’d like to do something with, I considered with great frustration, but would settle for sitting next to her.

My discomfort was not lost on Sierra – at least my stiff muscles, at any rate, if not my cock.  Winching as I lowered myself, the woman looked to me with concern.  She now set aside her work, then immediately motioning to me – nurse Sierra to the rescue, I fondly considered.

“C’mon Collin – let me see that leg” the woman ordered and so suppressing a grin of amusement, I allowed her to lay hands on my thigh, which was where I had taken the worst of the bashes from the rockslide, but luckily it was not the bone which had broken.  So cute the woman was when she would get bossy, I considered – but I most certainly would not mind bossing her around in return.

Maybe today might be the day.

Dream on, Commander.

With much appreciated relief, I openly sighed – her fingers knew which muscles to knead and just how deep and how long.  It felt like heaven but hell began to intrude because, per usual, the sexual tension between us began to escalate.  Deep and long is what I wanted to do with her, that much I did know, if nothing else.

Before I took leave of my senses, I now quickly scrambled to my feet, stalking off several paces as I made grave attempt to rein in my lust, which was threatening to break loose like a stampede.

“Sorry” I mumbled in apology as I now turned round to face her and was pleased to see that I wasn’t the only one who was hot and bothered.  The question was, if she wanted me as badly I as wanted her – then, what was stopping the woman?  Was she truly afraid of Aidan?  Or did she instead just need for me to make the first move?

And with that consideration in mind I strode right back over to her.  Dropping to my knees, which was a painful proposition, I now took the woman’s face in my hands and then kissed her.  The ensuing flood of emotions dragged me under its tow, as it did her, much to my delight.  I suddenly remembered what there was to live for in this world, besides eternally chasing the rank of Elite-General.  Granted, women were a scarcity and although I had been in contact with quite a few since the apocalypse, never in such a capacity as with Sierra.  This was different, it was of my own volition and she so tugged at my heart.

Short lived was the kiss, to my extreme disappointment.  Before either of us could let it get beyond the point of no return, Sierra pressed a hand to my chest, forcibly repelling me.

“Collin, please” she implored and for a moment I could have interpreted her words as permission for me to take her, but I knew better than that.  With women, often times yes meant no, no meant yes, but not in this instance.  And so tightly shutting my eyes as I groaned as I bowed my head, counting to ten.

“How does he manage to hold your heart?” I asked in a low voice, not understanding one iota how she could be so devoted to a man that she, in essence, barely knew.  Now glancing up at her, I saw the woman was biting her lip, not in consideration of an answer, but rather in reconsideration of putting a stop to my advance.  Or so I was of a mind.

“I… feel a certain amount of… loyalty… towards Aidan” was her conditional response.  Not undivided loyalty, but only loyalty by a certain degree.

I could work with that.  So she was not shutting the door – this was positive.

“I’d say I understand, Sierra – but I really don’t” I returned with an apologetic shrug.  Settling back on my heels, I knelt there, in pain, palms to thighs, searching her eyes.  “Far be it from me to make judgments,” I slowly began, “but the man acts like he owns you.  Is that why you are reluctant?  Are you afraid of what he might do?  To you?  To me?” I put to her.  No beating around the bush for what would have been the point?

“Yes and no, Collin” Sierra honestly replied, but now she stood up, turning her back on me.  She was warring with herself! I thought with elation.  I could really work with that and so I followed suit, although getting to my feet so quickly brought me pain but right then I just didn’t give a shit.

Closing the distance between us, I came to a stop behind her, placing my hands on her shoulders and the woman actually shuddered in response.  Aw, damn it, Commander – just this once can’t you just ditch the officer and a gentleman bit? I pleaded with myself.  I was coming pretty damned close to that, as well as pretty damned close to coming – period.

Cautiously pressing myself up against her back, I leaned forward to bury my face in her neck.  The woman’s scent absolutely sent me, so much so that I dared to go one further and tenderly kissed her neck.

That’s as far as I got.  Sierra now abruptly pulled away, with a groan no less, as she then turned round to look at me.

“Not without your permission” I assured her, lest she think the worst of me as I now stuffed my hands in my pockets – if I didn’t then I’d throttle myself I was in such a state.  So close! I thought in exasperated frustration.  “Look, Sierra – Aidan is not your master, even if he treats you like you were his and his alone.  Why would you allow this situation to persist?  Especially in light of the way you and I feel about each other” I voiced my assumption, which was not incorrect.  With an aggravated sigh, she just looked down at the ground.

“I just want to keep the peace” the woman finally confessed after a space of time, now looking up to me with beseeching eyes.  “We left behind a violent world” was her curt reminder.  “I don’t want the same plaguing us here.”  If she only knew, I thought with a sinking feeling.

“Hum – well, that I can certainly understand,” I openly accepted, “but to let yourself become a prisoner of one man?  What’s worse, eh?” I posed, trying to make her see the flaw in her logic.

“I know Collin, I know” Sierra then snipped in return.  “I… can’t be around you right now” she decided and with that the woman then fled the scene, leaving me standing there with a huge smile on my face.  Sure, I was frustrated beyond all reason, but she had just confirmed all my suppositions.

It was only a matter of time and she would be mine.  In whole or in part, it did not matter.  She reciprocated my feelings and this set my heart to soaring.

Confirmation in hand, I would not wait much longer to call Aidan out on the carpet.

Once I became fully rehabilitated, this was when I knew it would be time to find new direction for our little threesome.  In essence I had done as my superiors commanded of me – forged a stronger relationship with my brother during this time spent in isolation with him.  I wasn’t sure if it could truly be construed as stronger, but my unfortunate accident had meant spending more time with Aidan, like as not, even if it wasn’t quality time.

And not long after my encounter with Sierra that day, opportunity finally presented itself to remind Aidan just who was in charge there.  As well as who needed whom more – me or him.

One day while Sierra was preoccupied with tanning, I decided to force Aidan’s hand.  The woman had a natural tan so I often wondered why she felt a need to lay out in the sun – but who was I to argue?  When she thought there was no one about, little by little the clothes started to come off.

I was of the mind that Sierra knew she was being watched – and by me, no less.  The woman was driving me straight out of my mind with desire.  Payback was a bitch and should she ever consent to having relations with me?  Well – it would be then that I intended to settle the score, demanding payment in full plus every single penny of accrued interest.

Intercepting Aidan after he had returned from his hunt, I strode right up to him, taking hold of his arm.  If looks could have killed, well – needless to say the man was less than pleased by the level of my directness.

“A talk, if you would – please” I requested, but it was no request.  Holding my eyes for several protracted moments, Aidan then nodded once.  After setting aside his kill and bow, we then retreated some distance away, out of sight and sound.

“It would do you good to hunt once in a while” Aidan suggested, and in all sincerity no less.

“What?  And deprive you of your pleasure?  That of killing?” I shot back with a flick of my hand.  Ok, two seconds into it and already I was on the defensive.

“It would help strengthen your arm” he explained with his usual flawless logic.  My brother – Mr. Spock come again, I considered in warped amusement.  Compassion towards his own brother was not one of Aidan’s finer points, of course.  The man couldn’t care less about my physical state of being – I knew it, he knew it.  Aidan subscribed to the what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger Way of being, after all.

Which was no joke for that most certainly was a Way of The Brotherhood.  Just one of countless hundreds, no less.

Ignoring his remark, I forged ahead.

“The time has come to hit the road” was my decision.  Now taking up an adversarial stance, I folded my arms across my chest, waiting for his volley.  “We can’t stay out here forever, brother.”

“Why not?  Sierra did a good job of it for seven years” was his cool retort.

“You don’t believe that anymore than I do, so – cut the shit” I snapped out of impatience.  “Regardless where she came from, it is where she will be going to that is of concern, for us both,” I now changed tack, backing off somewhat, “and for Sierra as well.  We want the same thing for her, even though we each have a different means in mind.  However, both you and I understand that she is not what is most important here” I felt a need to remind him of our mission – not that of The Order or the AFA, or even of the Blackguard, for that matter.  We had an objective wholly are own.

“There’s more than one road” Aidan brought to mind something else I knew all too well.  However, it was imperative that each of our respective camps, as well as the Blackguard, were none the wiser to our mutual clandestine collusion.  Our public faces need remain intact.

“Yeah, there sure is – for all things, no less,” I agreed, “which again brings to mind your death grip on Sierra.”

“Is that what this is about?  My little brother not being able to get his rocks off?” my brother quite plainly presumed to which I leveled him a rather dark look.

“Since you put it that way” I grunted for that, in essence, was the long and short of it.  And in my case, long indeed, and wide as well, I considered with a lewd and inward chuckle.  “Really, brother – have you no compassion for the woman?”

“On the contrary – I have plenty” was his counter.  “I would spare her misery and sorrow, which will be the order of the day if she gets involved with my overly confident fraternal twin brother.”

“Well, you might want to rethink that logic” I now suddenly growled in anger.  “She tires of playing peacemaker, Aidan.  The woman feels if she was to engage me then that will incite a war between you and I.”

“Observant” was my brother’s arid commentary, trying my patience and so to mask my growing impatience I started to walk in a circle around him.

“Yes, well, be that as it may…” I began but then changed topics.  I would revisit that one later, the one of my getting it on with his possession.  “She is just the tool we need to break into the old DoD database” I put forth.

“Don’t you find it slightly… curious… that just such a tool should haplessly stumble across our paths?” he posed.

“More than curious, actually, given the timing – however, the woman is true.  She speaks Truth, and so – what am I to think?” I defended.  “God does work in mysterious ways, after all – agreed?”  To this Aidan slowly nodded.  If we were on the same page about nothing else then at least we were when it came to the Almighty.

“Even if the circumstances are hard to swallow” Aidan added and I could not argue with him there.  “What do you propose we do?”

“What we had originally designed – except that now Kevin will have a fellow hacker to assist him in his efforts” I offered and with this my brother grew still.  So, my decision did not set well with him, then.  I hadn’t expected it to, but I was calling the shots.  After all, the AFA was essentially in control of this Post-Time world – I had a bigger stick to shake, and better toys which meant superior technology.  If my brother and I were to reach our ultimate goal, then along the way we had to utilize the organization which offered the most perks.

It was always nice to have something to wave in Aidan’s face – and especially pleasing since he despised the AFA.

“And don’t even consider trying to spirit Sierra away to parts unknown” I now warned him.  “We’ll be all over you like white-on-rice.”

“Who?  You and your Blackguard friends?” Aidan actually laughed at me.  He didn’t like the Blackguard any more than he did the AFA – but they were another useful tool in our search.  “I hope you’ve formulated a plan, brother – one false step, if the wrong parties suspect that we have deceived them…” my brother trailed off, leaving the thought unfinished and so I understood – implicitly.  I needed no one to paint that grisly picture for me.  Having my guts wrapped around a tree was not how I wanted to make my exit from God’s World.  This was the reason I had not insisted on the continuance of our mission – I needed a plan.  It was formulation of said plan which had subdued my urge to get a move on, not the fact that my superiors felt I needed to spend more quality time with my cutthroat brother.

Eric and Greg were carrying out what would be required behind the scenes to make my bid a success.  To cut ourselves free of the Blackguard and not have to hand over the woman.  However, this was taking time to put into place.  I had complete trust in my officers, however, and absolute faith that they could pull it off.  After all, they were not only my subordinates, but also my comrades, as well as staunch friends.  If anyone could make it happen, then it would be Jonesy and Brains.

“Yeah – got that plan just about sewed up” I informed Aidan in response to his remark about the Blackguard.  Stroking my chin in thought as I held his eyes, my brother did not appear at all swayed.  “All will be in place, so not to worry, big brother” I now assured him after a moment’s consideration but clearly he wasn’t about to take my word for it.  Truth be known?  I wasn’t totally sure either, at least not one hundred and ten percent – but as they say, never let ‘em see you sweat.

Fuck Aidan, I now decided – I was going to start actively calling the shots and if he didn’t like it?  Then tough shit.  However, I knew I needed my brother to be on board or this plan was going to fall flat on its face.  He was the joker in my deck of cards, I was forced to admit.

“Do you have my back, brother?” I wanted to know, a genuine plea for support.  Aidan was probably the most talented assassin who had ever lived – the fact that he was Head of Assassins for The Order alone spoke to his extreme skill.  His efficiency in killing with nothing more than his own hands was a scary thing to behold.  Quick and without pain – and with no more care or thought than if he had just swatted a fly.

Correction – he would spare a fly any day.  However, he would not hesitate to commit the slaughter of a fellow human, and without a second consideration, much less even having had a first.

The latter part is what gave me the willies about my brother, if anyone should care to know.

“You want assurance of my aid?  In what – employment of my skills, or endangering Sierra?” he asked in a low voice, one full of menace and so now a need for extreme caution on my part.

“The woman is in danger with or without us” I tersely brought to mind for him.  “Although, I’d venture to guess that she is safer with us, even if our mission is fraught with danger.  We will be traveling where few ever tread – courtesy of your skill, of course” I tacked on, tossing a scrap to his ego.  My brother knew the desert southwest like the back of his hand – he trod paths that even the goats didn’t know to  exist.  “We can keep her safe enough, I dare say.”

Aidan only considered me at length but notably withheld opinion.

“And then what?” he wanted to know.  “You cannot secret her out here in the desert forever.”  Good point, one I was hoping to postpone until a later conversation.  We’d be on opposite sides of the coin for that particular topic.

As we had been with just about everything else in our lives.

And it would be a cold day in Lucifer’s hell that I would see her handed over to The Order.

Aidan would feel the very same about her going to the AFA.

The Truth of the matter was, however, technically – The Order would be a safer haven, I was forced to admit.  Their warriors were the most formidable – hands down.  However, that was no place you’d ever catch me – alive or dead.  Their ideals were just far too radical for this old Army warhorse.

“Premature” I now abruptly hissed, making a chopping motion with my hand.  “You better than anyone should know that we cannot see how all paths will end.  We can at least see down the road a bit, and perhaps around the first bend.  That will have to suffice.

“The first hurdle will be the Blackguard – but not for long” I speculated, now leaving behind the topic of whose property Sierra would eventually become.  “It had been a dangerous game you were playing out here, Aidan.  It is perhaps my fault – I never should have agreed to let you prepare the woman for return to civilization.  I should have ordered you to bring her back, and straight away.  Your thought was, and is, to buy time, but that time has just run out.”  Aidan needed reminding, it was obvious, that when he was in my court then I was King, and not the other way around.   And the time had finally come to refresh his memory.

“Agreed” Aidan relented and then dropped his eyes, bowing his head.  Oh, sure, big brother – hide in plain sight why don’t you?

“It is the only way for now, until Sierra’s ultimate fate can be decided” I reasoned, now crossing over to my brother to place a hand on his shoulder.  For all Aidan was and was not, for all he had ever done to me throughout the course of my life, the man was still my brother and I did greatly love him.

I wasn’t sure the same could be said of him for me however, or so was my dismal consideration of his lack of reciprocation.

“We are the masters of our own destinies, you and I – yet we have little time to work what we must” was my grave assessment.  “I think we both understand, however, that you need the AFA’s resources more than I need those of The Order – but I do need you, Aidan, personally, if nothing else.”  Aidan did not answer, instead with subtle movement of the fingers on one hand he signed to me that we were not alone.

Sierra, he clarified in sign.  To the south, watching.

Probably making sure we don’t kill each other, I just as subtly signed in return.  How long?

Long enough for you to make a pompous ass out of yourself, was his less than respectful response, one which garnered him a black look of reproach from me.

Ha-ha, I signed in return and then closing my eyes, I pinched the bridge of my nose, waiting.

“She’s gone now” Aidan informed me.

“Speaking of Sierra, you need to release her.  She is not your slave, Aidan – she is not your property” I made clear.

“She is free to do as she will” was his argument.

“Oh, sure – yes, of course she is” I returned, sarcasm more than evident in my tone of voice.  “You’ll be less than pleased to know that she wants me, Aidan – as I have also desired her!” I now barked, trying to keep my anger at bay but was sick and tired of having to stroke my brother.  During my convalescence it had been a necessary evil – but now that I was the picture of health once more, or at least close enough?  Off would come the gloves.

“As I said, she is free to do as she will” was his flat reiteration, one devoid of emotion.  Did he think I was deaf?

“Uh-huh – she is afraid of what that will mean to us, Aidan – all three of us” I spelled it out for the dolt.  “As she is worried right now about what our forced prudence is doing to she and me!”

“And she told you as much” he returned, extremely parched in his delivery.

“A kiss is like a picture, my dear brother – it evokes a thousand words if one,” I put to him, “and what a watercolor of emotions were painted out across the canvass with the stroke of that single kiss!  Of course, then the woman terminates said kiss, apologetically explaining that she feels a certain amount of loyalty towards you, which is why she won’t get it on with me.  Not absolute loyalty, mind you, but only by a certain degree.  Then Sierra abruptly states she cannot trust herself to be so close to me and beats a hasty retreat before she has an orgasm right on the spot” was my rather crass recounting of events.  “Am I painting a picture that even you can visualize, Aidan?  Or should I expound?”

“Enjoying yourself?” was his only response and yeah – I sure the hell was.  In my book, he had a shit load full of transgressions for which to make up, one namely from Pre-Time for the woman he had stolen right out from under my nose.

A woman he not only stole, but as a direct result lost her life.

Never forgive, never forget.

“As a matter of fact, yes – immensely.  And so, are you going to tell the poor creature that she is truly free to mate with whomever she wishes?” I wanted to know, rocking on my heels as I grinned, expectantly.  “Or should I?  I do believe she needs to hear this directly from your lips, however.  Along with your personal assurance that you are not going to pummel my ass into the ground should she decide to get cozy with me, that is.”

Aidan said nothing in return, though, only regarding me with a coldness of eye.  I was perhaps unwisely poking a stick at him, but the time had come to move forward.  In all things, no less – and not just our objective.  I had grown overly fond of Sierra during the past months.  Sex wasn’t the only thing I desired of her, although if it wound up being nothing more than this, then I would be ok with that, too.  However, the woman was a delightful creature – so full of life, so upbeat!  At least when she wasn’t under the weight of Aidan’s yoke, naturally.  Sierra knew how to brighten my day with a single glance.

And she was no dummy – of this much I was now unequivocally certain.

Anyone who, in Pre-Time, had hacked into the DoD database, not once but several times, was no airhead.  Beauty and brains in one package, it was like the woman was just almost too good to be true.

And herein lay more fuel to feed our suspicions.

In Time all will be revealed, I cautioned myself.  In the meantime, I just had to work with the puzzle pieces in my possession.  I could do little else.

Swallowing a large chunk of his pride, I knew, Aidan nodded once in acceptance of my mandate.

“I will speak with her” he finally agreed.

“Good!  No time like the present” I laughed with a huge grin.  “And you will have an audience.  Not to say that I don’t trust you, but…” I began, leaving the thought unfinished as I shrugged my shoulders.

Without another word, we now turned to head back towards camp.  To say that I was salivating with anticipation would have been the understatement of the century.

And not the least of which being that power was finally shifting back in my direction.