Chapter 11

Blue eyed Vengeance nervously as he drove her to her house. He didn't feel the need to fill the silence with chatter, and she couldn't help feeling like she should. She wondered if she had overstepped her bounds, if she shouldn't have put her hands on him at the school.

She peeked up at his face. He didn't look angry.

"Which house is yours?" he asked, looking at her briefly when they turned down the residential street.

"The yellow one," she answered quickly. Her heart was hammering and her palms were getting sweaty. She wondered if he would let her down nicely. Maybe he had taken her home so he could let her know he wasn't interested in her away from other people. She knew that New Species had excellent hearing; he was probably just trying to be considerate.

Vengeance parked the golf cart and before Blue could ease out of her seat, he was there, reaching a hand out to her.

She took it and noticed his eyebrows drawn together.

"Why are you frightened?" he asked, "I won't hurt you."

Blue shook her head quickly, "I'm not frightened," she replied, not wanting him to get the wrong impression, "I'm just nervous."

"Why?" he asked, genuinely.

Blue took a deep breath and started walking to her door, "Did I embarrass you?" she asked, "I shouldn't have hung all over you like that. I won't do it again."

Vengeance stopped her by gently grasping her arm and pulling her toward him, "Do you not want to touch me?" he asked, "Do you want me to stop touching you?"

"No!" Blue answered, loudly and quickly, before blushing.

"No," she corrected, lowering her voice, "I wanted to touch you and I like how it feels when you touch me."

Vengeance smiled, "Then we feel the same, Blue. May I come inside?" he asked formally.

Blue nodded, moving to open the door, but before she could grasp the knob the door swung open.

"Hello Vengeance," Breeze said lightly, "Hello Blue."

"Hello Breeze," Vengeance answered carefully.

Blue looked between the two of them as they stared unblinkingly at each other. She cleared her throat, "Is Asher asleep?"

Breeze finally blinked and looked at Blue, "He is. I let him fall asleep on the couch. He is very warm when he falls asleep and I enjoyed cuddling him."

Blue laughed, "It's the best, isn't it?"

Breeze nodded, "I will babysit anytime you would like me to." She took a step out the door, looking Vengeance up and down, "You can drive me home, Vengeance."

Blue was surprised by a surge of jealousy, "Vengeance was actually coming in, Breeze," she said, raising her chin and trying to stop the flood of heat that was speeding up her neck toward her face.

Breeze smiled, "Oh. He was?"

Blue struggled to keep her composure, but nodded.

"In that case," Breeze said stepping through the door, "I'll drive myself home." She gave them both knowing smiles and jumped in the cart that Vengeance had driven.

Blue felt Vengeance staring down at her, so she squared her shoulders and looked up, "Come in," she said, trying to keep the tremble from her voice.

Chapter 12

Blue was an interesting human, Vengeance thought. She was a jumble of emotions and she seemed to swing wildly between one and another. He smiled to himself when he remembered the scent of her jealousy after Breeze had asked him for a ride home.

That was good.

He followed Blue up the stairs and into the house. Through the dimly lit entryway, he could make out a couch and a small lump lying on it.

"I need to put him to bed," Blue said to Vengeance, moving toward the couch.

"Let me," Vengeance said, following her, and leaning down to gather Asher into his arms. The child hardly stirred as Vengeance cradled him to his chest, his weight negligible. Asher suddenly sighed, and cuddled closer to Vengeance, who couldn't help pressing his lips against his silky head. A different sort of protective instinct stirred inside Vengeance when he held Asher. Some wild part of him recognized Asher as completely dependent on him, in a way that no one else had ever been.

"This way," Blue whispered, leading the way to a bedroom and pulling back the covers on the bed.

Vengeance carefully laid Asher between the sheets, before tucking them around his small body. The boy's face was rosy and flushed. His lips were slightly pursed and he lay in exactly the same position that Vengeance had placed him. He let his hand trail over the boy's forehead and pushed the hair out of his face. Blue leaned over him and kissed his head before doing the same. She stepped back and Vengeance followed her out of the room, closing the door tightly behind him.

Blue waited for him, her hands clasped nervously in front of her, "Can I get you something to drink?" she asked, "A soda or something?"

Vengeance took a step forward. He didn't want a drink; he wanted to claim his mate. He shook his head and stepped into Blue's body. Her head tilted way back to look at him, but she didn't move away.

Vengeance didn't know how to go about seducing a human, so he decided to be direct, "I want you," he said.

Blue's eyes widened and Vengeance's nostrils flared as he took in the scent of her arousal, tipping his head toward hers. Blue put her hands on his chest, leaning her weight against him and standing up on her tip toes. Her eyes fluttered closed. Vengeance bent his knees further to dip his head and gently pressed his lips to hers.

Her breath rushed from between her lips, sweet smelling and addictive. Vengeance growled low in his throat and opened his mouth to hers, sweeping in his tongue to get more of her taste. Blue moaned in response, moving her hands to his arms and grasping them tightly. Vengeance continued to plunder her mouth and Blue gasped against his as he nibbled her lower lip.

He pulled back to look at her face. Her skin was flushed and dewy looking, her eyes, when they opened, were heavy lidded, the pupils dilated widely.

Vengeance scanned her face, moving his hand from her lower back to trace her lips and eyebrows. He stopped at a small white scar along her brow and another one near her lip. He noticed other smaller, nearly undetectable, scars marring her skin. Blue's eyes lost the relaxed look she had a moment before, and he felt her tense under his fingertips as she realized what he was marking.

She went to step away from him, but he stopped her, "What are these?" he asked. Now that he had found them, he was surprised by how many there were, almost like freckles. If his entire being hadn't been so focused on her, he would never have seen them.

Blue looked down and away from Vengeance. He put his hand under her chin, the other firmly at her back, "Blue," he asked, "What are these?"

Bits of information he had gathered about her through the evening were clicking into place: a human and her son who would stay at Reservation for an undetermined amount of time; her terror when the public official recognized her.

"Blue," he said, his voice deeper and more intense than he intended it, "Did someone hurt you?"

She reached her hand up to stop Vengeance's fingers, "Do you," she had to stop and start again, "Do you want to sit down?"

Vengeance led her past the sofa where Asher had been sleeping, following her scent into a bedroom. He sat on the human sized bed and pulled her into his arms, surprising her and causing her to emit a tiny squeak when he shifted his body to cover her.

"Tell me," he said, staring down at her.

Blue looked up at him, wide-eyed, "Um, this is really close," she admitted.

"I find that I want to watch you closely," Vengeance explained, "And I like the feel of you beneath me." He pressed his hips against hers and her eyes closed as she bit her lip.

She took a deep breath before opening her eyes again, "My ex-husband," she said, watching him just as closely as he watched her, "hurt me. Asher and I are hiding from him. I don't want him to ever find us. We are safe, here on Reservation, as safe as we will ever be."

Rage filled Vengeance. He reached up a hand to cup Blue's head. She was so tiny it almost fit in his palm. The idea of someone hurting someone as impossibly fragile as Blue made him want to roar. As it was, he couldn't keep the angry growl from escaping his throat.

"I was given an amazing opportunity," Blue said, "I never thought I'd be able to teach again, to give Asher a normal life, but I can do that here." She watched him intently and reached up to hold his face in both of her hands.

"I met you," she said wondrously, "In the space of a day, my entire life has changed for the better."

Vengeance closed his eyes, soaking in the feel of her skin against his, trying to curb the desire to destroy, rend, and tear.

"Was that man," Vengeance asked, "the one at the school? Was that your husband?"

Blue shook her head quickly, "No," she said, "but it's someone who knows him. He'll learn that I'm here. I'm just lucky that Asher had already left by that time. I don't know what I'd do…" she trailed off.

"I will protect you," Vengeance said fiercely, "You and Asher. You are mine. Mine to protect. No one will take you from me."

"Vengeance" Blue said, in disbelief, "You don't have to protect us. We're not your responsibility."

Vengeance tugged lightly on Blue's hair when she tried to turn her face away from him, "No," he corrected, "You are. You are my mate. I claim you and I claim Asher as my own."

Blue shook her head.

"Do you not feel the same?" Vengeance asked, "I could smell your arousal."

Blue's face flushed, "That's not it…" she started.

"Then what?" Vengeance asked, "I would take care of you both. I would be a good mate."

"You don't know me, Vengeance," Blue said, "You can't be sure you want me."

Vengeance shook his head, "I know what I want," he said, "I want you."

Blue smiled, biting the inside of her cheek as she tried to stop the smile from spreading, "I want you too," she admitted, "but we may need to go slower."

Vengeance frowned, and Blue answered quickly, "I just don't want to confuse Asher. It's only been him and me for his whole life."

Vengeance smiled, "And now I will be here. He will understand. I will explain. Trust me."

For some reason, Blue believed him. Vengeance was clear and concise, and she had a feeling that he would explain things in a way that Asher would understand.

"Okay," she answered, taking the leap.

Vengeance's face broke out into a smile and he threw his head back and laughed, "Okay?" he asked in disbelief.

"Okay," Blue responded, "If you're sure, I'm all in. I'm old enough to know what I want."

"And you want me?" Vengeance said seriously.

Blue nodded shyly, "I want you," she whispered.

Vengeance dropped his head to hers, kissing her deeply. His tongue stroked the sides of hers, and when he pulled his head back to look at her face, she followed him, keeping her lips on his and sucking on his tongue. He felt her hands leave his face and pull his shirt from his pants, running her hands along his ribs and along his back. He felt her press her hands along his back, trying to pull his body against her. He smiled into their kiss and let his body press harder into hers.

Vengeance moved his hands to her waist and down to her knee. He pulled her leg up, opening her to him. He gathered the dress and pulled it to her waist before sitting up and tearing the shirt off his body. He wrestled with the button on his pants and shucked them off, along with his shoes and socks before rolling back onto Blue.

"Wait!" she said breathlessly.

Vengeance growled against her mouth, "Blue…" he said warningly.

She giggled against his mouth and pushed at his shoulders with her hands, "I want to see you," she said.

He allowed her to push him onto his back, propping his head on his arm. Blue kneeled next to him. Her eyes followed the line of his body. He watched her chest rise and fall. She met his eyes and reached down to her waist to unbuckle the black belt there. She pulled her hair to the side before turning around and looking back at him over her shoulder, "Unzip me?" she asked, biting her lip.

Chapter 13

Blue hoped that Vengeance couldn't see how nervous she was. His body was amazing, hard and ridged, strong, and just… perfect.

Blue had been working hard to support herself and Asher, and her body was definitely not in the same category that his was.

It was as if he could sense her lack of self confidence. "You're beautiful," she heard him whisper, and then she felt his lips press into her shoulder as he unzipped her dress. He turned her so he could draw it over her hips and down her legs, catching the edge of her panties and pulling them with the dress.

He stared at her fiercely, and if Blue hadn't been so turned on, she may have been a little bit afraid.

He growled and stared at her core, "I want to eat you up," he said, and put his face against her, breathing in deeply. Blue's head fell back, suddenly too heavy for her neck to support. She felt him kiss the inside of her thigh. His hand pushing first one, and then the other apart in order to make room for his shoulders.

In all her life, Blue had never felt the way she did now. She was on fire, hot and wet and barely able to breathe. When Vengeance took a long swipe at her with his strong tongue, she nearly came off the bed. She felt him chuckle as he continue to lick and nip at her. Her hands moved down to his short locks and she threaded her fingers through his hair. She lifted her head up to watch him, seeing his head bob and dip as he nuzzled and licked at her pussy.

She felt his fingers probe her; first one and then another before they hooked and curled inside her. A rush of heat swamped her, pooling low and flooding her. Vengeance growled in response and she felt his tongue lap at her before his lips moved to back to the button of nerves. He sucked her into his mouth and Blue cried out before covering her mouth and muffling her cries. Her thighs shook and trembled and she fell apart, then coalesced and reformed into someone different than she'd been before.

She opened her eyes as she felt the world spin. Vengeance rolled her onto her stomach, before hauling her up, back to front, and running his hand down her body. His fingertips dipped into her pussy again, swiping at moisture and spreading it up to her clit before rubbing it around and around. Blue moaned and pressed harder into Vengeance. She felt his erection against her bottom, hard and hot. Vengeance's other hand moved across her chest, his fingers pulling and rolling her nipples. Her head dropped back against his chest as her breath came more and more quickly. Blue reached back, gripping Vengeance's neck and pulling his head forward so she could fasten her mouth on his. She could taste herself on his tongue, and it made her wild. She bit at his lower lip and sucked at his tongue.

Vengeance's hand moved faster against her clit, and Blue could feel another orgasm rising quickly.

"Please," she told him, "I want to feel you inside me."

Vengeance groaned, moving quickly. With a hand against her back he pushed her over until she was on all fours. She felt his big body cover hers and wrap around her protectively. One hand held his body up while the other moved to grip his cock and position it. The head probed between her legs, pushing forward slowly but inexorably. Blue's hips rotated and she moaned.

Vengeance's lips pressed against her shoulder; he nipped and licked. Blue thrust herself back against him, desperate to have all of him inside her.

"Blue!" Vengeance called out as he seated himself fully inside her.

Chapter 14

Blue was so tight, Vengeance knew he had one, maybe two thrusts before he was done. He moved his hand to her clit and began to rub it firmly. Blue thrust against him, trying to get him to move.

"God, Blue!" he groaned, "You're too much."

Blue's head dropped as she pushed herself back against him, "Slow down!" he said, but she didn't listen.

She swiveled her hips, and Vengeance lost control. His mouth clamped down on her shoulder and he began to pump into her. He felt her tighten even more and then they both exploded. Vengeance's roar was muffled against her shoulder and Blue dropped her head into a pillow as she cried out. He swelled even more as he spurted into her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rolled them to their sides, pulling Blue's body against his. He looked at her shoulder, realizing he had broken the skin and began to lick at it.

Blue giggled, and tried to look back at him, "What are you doing?" she asked.

Vengeance was angry at himself, "I lost control and I bit you," he said.

"You did?" Blue asked, trying to look. She attempted to pull away from him, but he tightened his arm around her warningly.

"What is it?" she asked.

Vengeance sighed, "I'm canine," he said, "I swell up at the end of sex and can't leave your body immediately."

Blue laid her head on Vengeance's arm, "Really?" she said.

Vengeance continued to clean her wound, "Yes," he answered, "really."

Blue's hand reached behind her to pull his ass more tightly against her hips, "I like that," she said, and then yawned broadly.

"Go to sleep, Blue," he said quietly.

"I'm just gonna close my eyes for a minute," she answered tiredly.

Vengeance chuckled, curling his body tightly around his mate, before closing his eyes himself.

Chapter 15

"Mommmy," a voice whispered loudly.

Blue opened her eyes and blinked quickly, trying to focus on the face inches from hers.

"Morning, baby," she said, smiling sleepily before remembering what had happened the night before. She sat up abruptly keeping a sheet against her chest.

"Mommy," Asher said, "I need cinnamon rolls."

Blue looked around the bedroom. No Vengeance. She saw a note folded on the pillow next to her and smiled.

"Okay," she answered, "I'll be up in a second." Asher nodded, wish granted, and left. Blue reached out for the note and read it quickly.

Blue- I had to go to the Wild Zone early this morning. I will be back for you and Asher this afternoon. -Vengeance

Blue smiled to herself, and put the note back on her bed. She got out gingerly and stretched, wincing at new aches and pains. She quickly threw on shorts and a t-shirt before running into the kitchen. Asher sat on the couch with his ipad, watching cartoons and giggling. She preheated the oven, started the coffee maker, and wandered around in a daze.

"How many minutes, Mommy?" Asher called.

"Fifteen," she answered.

"Five!" he called back.

"Honey," she said, walking into the living room and meeting his frustrated gaze, "cinnamon rolls aren't cooked after five minutes."

Asher sighed and went back to his iPad, "Fine," he allowed.

The coffee maker beeped in the kitchen and Blue went in to get a cup. She yawned and cupped her hands around the warm mug, allowing her mind to wander back to the night. Vengeance had woken her two more times during the night. Her hand reached back to rub her neck and she winced when she accidentally brushed the healing bite on her shoulder.

She was just putting cinnamon rolls in the oven, when her phone rang. It took her a minute to locate it; a landline positioned near the entrance to the house.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Blue?" a voice replied, "It's Jacob. How are you doing?"

"Fine, Jacob," she said, "You?"

"Good, good," he answered, "Justice and I want to meet with you later today. We'd like to discuss the terms of your position, your responsibilities, and then some general things related to New Species."

"Sounds good," Blue replied, "I'll ask Breeze to babysit again," she said thinking out loud.

"Or Flame," Jacob responded, "He really seemed to get a kick out of Asher."

"How do I get their number?" Blue asked Jacob, while looking around the kitchen, "I don't see a phone book…"

"Just dial 0," Jacob told her, "They'll give you their number."

"Okay," Blue said, "I'll see you later."

Jacob paused, "You're really okay?" he asked.

"Really, Jacob," Blue answered, "I haven't been this good in a long time."

"All right then," Jacob replied, "See you later."

Blue hung up and grabbed her coffee before sitting next to Asher.

"Cinnamon rolls, Mommy," he reminded, not looking up from the ipad.

Blue kissed his head, "Wait for the buzzer, dude."

After Asher had eaten his fill of cinnamon rolls, Blue decided that they would explore the school. She was dying to see what it looked like during the day. She had called Breeze, who couldn't babysit, and then Flame, who could, and agreed to stop by.

Asher dressed himself quickly, if not quite accurately. He wore rainboots, shorts, and his pajama top that was decorated with an "s" for superman and a detachable cape.

The drive from the school to their house hadn't been too long, and with Asher on his scooter, Blue assumed their walk wouldn't take too long. Unfortunately, she had forgotten about the various diggers and bulldozers, so their route had more exploring and stopping than she had initially planned.

It seemed like the school had been built close to the human sector of Reservation, but with enough land between it to act as a buffer. The school was beautiful. It was two levels, built out of grey brick and seemed to blend in with the surrounding environment. The outside was perfectly landscaped, but in such a way that it seemed to be an extension of the nearby forest. Blue and Asher followed the sidewalk around the school instead of going inside. The back of the building was as landscaped as the front, though Blue noticed only one entrance to the school. She was surprised to see a new playground in back. It had high climbing walls, ropes, tire swings, and slides. She was surprised by the height of the climbing walls, but she saw that the ground was covered in soft recycled tire pieces, so any fall would likely be cushioned.

Asher's scooter was thrown to the side, as he charged for the climbing wall. Before Blue could gather her wits, he had made it to the top and was down the twisty slide.

"Did you see me?" Asher asked when he got to the bottom.

"I did," Blue answered, "Be careful going up."

"Okay, Mommy," he answered.

Asher made it up and down one more time before he decided he needed Blue to go with him. She climbed up after him and slid down behind him, chased him around the playground, and finally ended up pushing him on the tire swing. She was watching him spin around and around in circles when she felt a small tug on her shirt.

She looked down and saw a boy a bit taller and broader than Asher next to her, "Can you push me too?"

Blue blinked when she realized who she was seeing. The boy had a slightly flattened nose and wide cheekbones. He was New Species. A New Species child. He waited for her to answer, but glanced anxiously at the swing, "Of course," she answered, moving to stop the swing, recovering from her surprise.

"Do you need help getting on…" but by the time she had posed the question, the boy had managed to jump up onto the swing and situate himself next to Asher.

"Hi!" Asher said, smiling happily at his new friend.

"Hi!" the boy answered.

"Push us high, Mommy!" Asher called out.

"Okay!" she answered and grabbed the swing, getting momentum and running them in circles before releasing the tire. She looked around the playground and didn't see any other adults. She mentally shrugged and went back to pushing the boys, laughing along with them when they screeched and giggled.

Asher and the boy, who said his name was Sal, would have played with each other all day, if they hadn't needed to eat.

"I'm not hungry!" Asher started to whine, clearly both hungry and tired.

"Come on, buddy," Blue said, walking to his scooter, "We need to scoot home and have lunch, and then Flame is coming over."

Asher dipped his head, and looked dejected in the way only a boy who is torn from his new best friend can look, "Can Sal come?"

"Maybe Sal will be here tomorrow," Blue answered, "We can meet Sal's Mommy and ask her." It was a ploy that had worked before when new best friends had to be abandoned at parks.

Asher followed Blue toward the front of the school, and called back sadly, "Bye Sal!" but he was nowhere to be seen.