Page 79 of Cunning Revenge

After riding out that high for as long as he could, Voodoo collapsed down against her, pinning her to the bed, but making sure his much larger body didn't crush hers. She gave a contented sigh and nuzzled her face against his neck, her lips dropping soft kisses to his skin, and he drank them in, relishing every one of them.

Over the last couple of weeks, his girl had changed a lot. Her confidence grew as she began to accept her place there, and she was forging bonds with all of his teammates and their partners. She smiled moreoften, laughed, contributed to conversations when they were all together, and helped cook meals now that she was up and about.

More than that, she was beginning to assimilate into the Prey family as a whole. Youngest sibling Dove was beginning to spend more time with her husband, helping run Prey Security’s K9 unit, making her job as chief financial officer harder for her to do. With Indigo’s background in accounting, Eagle had reached out and asked if she would be interested in doing some more training and then helping to take over some of Dove’s workload.

She’d burst into tears when he asked her, but since he was getting much better at telling when she was crying sad tears or happy tears, he’d known immediately that they were the good kind. Maybe he was starting to work on his own insecurities as well. Not be constantly on guard against failure.

So now she’d been spending a couple of hours each day studying, and he loved the spark of joy and excitement that it put in her eyes. Everything was going better than he could have hoped for in their budding relationship.

Almost.

Dr. Gardner was still out there, wounded or dead, but until they had a body, they would have to assume alive. So long as the man lived, there was no way any of them could completely move on.

Would the scientist’s death mean they suddenly started living normal lives?

No.

They were still different, still battled anger, even if for most of them that had diluted now they’d found love, but it still existed, and they still had enhanced skills that meant they needed to be careful, to protect themselves.

So logistically speaking, nothing would change. All of them wanted to stay there, where they felt safe, but knowing that they’d gotten their revenge, that the man who had played God with their lives without telling them the truth about his plans was no longer living would give them peace of mind. It would free them, leaving them to focus on the future instead of the past. Revenge might not be as all-consuming as it had been a few months ago when they started on this plan, but he stillburned with a need to punish Dr. Gardner for what the man had done to Indigo. That drove him now more than wanting to punish the scientist for his own pain and suffering.

“Ready for breakfast?” he asked. He and his team should already be up and have already started on a morning training session, but things had changed, and even though they still worked out every day, four of them now started their day with sex rather than running and weights.

“Mmhmm,” Indigo said with a nod. “I like my mornings just like this.”

As he climbed off her and took her hand, tugging her up with him, he didn't have to ask to know why. He knew how her days had started as a child, no breakfast, dirty clothes yanked on to cover her bruised body, and a long walk to school regardless of the weather. He knew how her days had started when she was married, too. Up early to put herself together with full makeup and hair done, the house scrubbed top to bottom, and a full breakfast she wasn't allowed to eat laid out on the table.

Now her days started however the hell she wanted them to, but food and pampering were always part of it.

When Indigo reached for one of his T-shirts and pulled it on, Voodoo couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride and possessiveness. Something about seeing your girl dressed in your clothes was a real turn on. If he couldn’t keep her naked twenty-four-seven, and really, he didn't want to with so many other people in the house, then this was the next best thing.

Hand in hand, they headed downstairs, and he wasn't surprised when he heard voices coming from the kitchen. They weren't the only couple in the house to start their day working up an appetite, nor were they the only ones usually up early. Old habits die hard, and even if the workout wasn't the first thing they did each morning, he and his teammates still woke early. They just stayed in bed a little longer.

“Ugh, I can't wait for summer to come back,” Rose’s voice filtered through from the kitchen as they approached.

“Me too,” Cassandra quickly agreed. “It’s gorgeous out here in the summer, and this year I'm going to go swimming in the river.”

“It’s been a long time since I've enjoyed the sun,” Whitney added, alittle hesitantly. While she was settling in, accepting that they accepted her, they all knew she was still struggling with the knowledge that even though it wasn't what she’d intended, she was responsible for the beginnings of the drug that had changed all their lives.

“You’ll get as much sun as you want,” Blade growled in response.

Whitney giggled. “Too bad we don’t get year-round sunshine out here.”

Beside him, Indigo suddenly stiffened, her entire body going tense, and since he wasn't expecting it, anxiety hit him hard and fast.

“What's wrong?” he demanded, obviously louder than he’d intended because the hall suddenly filled with people, all attention focused on Indigo, who had gone pale.

“I remembered something … the comment about sunshine … I'm sorry, I didn't think of it before …” she stammered.

“It’s okay, honey,” he soothed, clasping her shoulders and kneading gently. “What did you remember?”

“The first time he came to visit the lab after I was taken there,” she explained. “Dr. Gardner was there for hours, days maybe, it was hard to tell time without windows. He directed everything that was done to me. I remember he was surprised but excited that I wasn't dead yet. Then, when he was ready to leave, I saw a glimpse of sunshine and tried to look behind him to the doors to see it. He noticed and laughed. Told me to enjoy my time indoors while he was going home to enjoy year-round island sunshine. I know it’s not a huge amount to go on, but Dr. Gardner lives on some island where it’s almost always sunny.”