Chapter Eight
When Bruno woke in the morning, his first thoughts were of Amy. Her hair tickled his cheek, and he swallowed as he remembered their lovemaking. His cock pressed against her thigh. She hmm’d as he stroked his hand down her back, and then she rolled over on top of him, warm and sweet. Sunlight fell across her blonde hair, lighting her with early golden light. She looked like a goddess. He tightened his arms around her hips.
“Still sleeping,” she mumbled with her eyes closed, but her legs opened as she straddled him.
Wet heat pressed into his groin. Bruno half smiled, half groaned as he kissed her temple. “If you are sleeping, I am dreaming, darling.” Her body felt like heat and comfort and blazing arousal.
She groaned. “Not a dream.” She tilted her hips, and his morning erection slipped into her body. “You’re too big to be a dream.”
Bruno’s breath hitched, and his hands tightened on her hips. “Oh hell, Amy.” Arousal flared through them both. He felt her mind waking up, and then he put a finger down over her clit and gently rubbed circles. She trembled. “You’re awake now,” he murmured, rocking his hips. “Yes?”
She huffed, then pushed up onto her elbows. “You’re hard as a rock.” She splayed her hands on his chest.
“And you’re soft, and hot, and delicious.” He rubbed harder as their arousal spiraled together.
She sat up, pushing him further inside. “I can’t get enough of you,” she said, eyes closed and her head thrown back.
Bruno looked up the length of her body, then plucked her nipples. Her eyes flew open. The silver streaks in her irises nearly glowed. She bit her lip. He’d never seen anything so beautiful. “Fuck me, Amy.”
She nodded, and clenched her inner muscles.
Bruno growled, hips slamming up into her. “Hold on,” he gritted out.
Amy fell forward, and he rolled them until she was on her back. “Perfect,” he muttered, plunging into her sweet, hot pussy. She slung her legs around his waist, and he grabbed her arms, pinning them above her head. “Let go for me, Amy.”
She shook her head. “I need more.” Her eyes closed, and she pushed up into him. “Please.”
Bruno slid a hand down and pinched her clit. Amy arched her back and cried out. Her orgasm rocketed through him, and he slammed into her one last time as he went over the edge. Her emotions threaded through his as their bond tightened. When the last of the pleasure finally eased through him, he tucked her into his arms. He never wanted to let go. How did such a small slip of a girl wiggle her way into his soul? He sighed. Pairing. Fate. It does not matter. She is here now.
“Wow,” she said, voice hushed. “Is it always like this?”
“It is never like this,” Bruno murmured.
“All your walls are down.” Amy slid her hand down his arm. “I can feel how happy you are.”
He twisted their fingers together. “You’ve made me happy, darling.”
She smiled against his arm. Bruno sighed, and then he began rebuilding his mental armor.
“So soon?” Amy asked.
“We have a difficult day ahead of us,” he murmured, wishing he could stop time. He wanted to spend every waking moment savoring her, but the Spiders and his responsibilities dictated his actions.
“I understand.” Amy sat up and ran a hand through her hair. “You realize I have only yesterday’s clothes to wear, right? I don’t really want to meet a bunch of important people wearing a dirty t-shirt.”
“No worries.” Bruno sat up with her. He lifted her hand and kissed the back. “I will have my assistant Eileen take you shopping.”
“Do we have time for that?”
“Yes.” Bruno helped her out of bed.
She made a face as she looked down at herself. “Wow. I’m a mess.” She touched her face. “I probably have mascara running down my cheeks, too.”
“You do not.” Bruno kissed her. “You’re beautiful.” He shrugged. “Besides, no one would dare say a word about how you look, regardless of your clothing or lack of cosmetics. Your worth is not measured by your body, but by your mind.”
Amy stared at him. “That’s very enlightened of you.”
Bruno frowned. “I am over two hundred years old. That is enough time to get over the petty absurdities that humans insist are important.” He strode over to the pillar and tapped a command on the surface. “I’ve alerted the others that we will meet in forty-five minutes.” He turned back to Amy. “We should wash up and eat breakfast.”
She nodded slowly. “Even after seeing all of your memories, you still surprise me, Bruno.”
He went still. There was one secret he still held from her. He hoped she’d never have reason to discover it. He hoped they died together, in battle if necessary. He didn’t think he could bear watching her brilliant mind decay into mush, and he certainly didn’t want her to see that happen to him.
“Bruno? You okay?” Amy walked over and put a hand on his arm. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
He shook his head. “I am fine.” He forced a smile. “Let’s bathe, and then we will see what we can do about the rest of this day.”
****
“We are all here, Bruno,” Greyson said. His wife, Eva, stood by his side.
“I still think it would’ve been easier if we’d met in person,” Isaac said, rubbing his eyes. “It’s not difficult to travel to each other’s Stronghold anymore, thanks to Solomon’s transporter tech.”
Bruno shook his head. “The viewer will suffice. We have to deploy the shield net, and that will be easier from our own Strongholds.” He paused, eyeing his youngest brother. “Besides, you are exhausted, Isaac. And I am sure Saige is tired, too. After we deploy the shield, you need to rest.”
“I’m not so tired that I can’t deal,” Saige said, hands on her hips.
“I’m really glad you’re okay, Saige,” Amy said, standing at Bruno’s side. She leaned into him.
Bruno put an arm around her shoulders, ignoring Greyson’s raised eyebrows. He enjoyed having her at his side more than he’d expected. His brothers would accept her, just as he’d accepted their paired mates.
Saige shifted her attention to her best friend. “And I’m really glad you met Bruno, Amy.” She grinned. “When I asked our fearless leader to switch out the shield rings for me, I did not expect him to take you home with him.”
Bruno felt Amy’s embarrassment, and had to suppress a smile.
“I didn’t expect that either,” Amy said, smiling crookedly. “This is your fault, you know.” She pointed at her friend. “And I’m going to make you pay. Somehow.”
Saige smirked.
“We can have a fun family picnic after the Spiders are eradicated,” Solomon said, tapping on his interface. His attention, as usual, was split between the meeting and whatever programs he was running. “My diagnostic says that the Spiders are still stretched out beyond the heliosphere, fortunately. We have a few days to plan our strategy.”
“There is no strategy. We deploy the shield. The Spiders die. The end,” Greyson said.
“Will it be that easy?” his wife, Eva, asked. She had her hand on Greyson’s arm, seemingly holding him back.
Bruno knew she was the only thing that kept his brother from ending the meeting. Greyson preferred action rather than a lot of talk. “We hope it will be that easy, but if it’s not, we will be ready to fight.” Beside him, he sensed Amy’s uneasiness. He felt the same. She knew their options were limited. They all knew.
“The net is ready to deploy. Greyson and Eva worked through the night to get the rest of the anchors to me.” Isaac glanced at his wife. “How are things on your end?”
For the first time, Lucy looked up at the viewer. “Finished.” She let out a breath. “The anchors are hovering, and will head out to the magnetosphere within the hour. We can activate them before they reach their final positions.” She ran a hand over her neck. Solomon rubbed her shoulders, and she leaned against him. “I’ll be happy when this is over.”
Bruno knew she was tired. It couldn’t be helped. “If we are all ready, let us do this.” He took Amy’s hand and let his walls thin, wincing as the minds in the city around him pressed against his empathic gift.
“We sent a few test anchors out earlier, Bruno,” Solomon said, tapping commands onto his interface. “We thought it would be prudent to have a preliminary shield set up so we could gather data.”
“Where did you send it?” Bruno couldn’t fault his brother’s meticulousness.
“It’s just beyond Saturn. It’s not anchored to a planet, so it will fail almost immediately, but it will give us information we might need.”
“That’s a good idea,” Amy murmured.
Solomon looked at her. “Thank you, sister.” He touched the corner of his eye.
Bruno felt Amy’s surprise as she returned the gesture. She hadn’t expected the others to accept her so easily, but he could’ve told her that he and his brothers were pragmatic at heart. Any paired mate who could help them protect Earth would be accepted, no questions asked. “Are we ready, then?”
Everyone nodded. Beside him, he felt Amy slowly lower her barriers. Her face grew pinched. He turned and tucked her into his body with both arms, offering support as the minds of the city pressed in on her. When he glanced up, he saw Greyson looking at her sympathetically.
“Putting your Stronghold into a city was an act of madness,” Greyson said. “Senility is likely not far behind.”
Bruno quickly suppressed the shock that rushed through him. He does not know. He is merely teasing, he told himself, struggling to keep his surging emotions from impacting Amy. Greyson didn’t know about the dementia. He sensed Amy’s confusion and sent a wave of reassurance to her.
“Hush.” Eva poked her paired mate.
Greyson grimaced, then captured Eva’s hand and tucked it around his waist. “We should begin.”
Bruno nodded.
“What do I do?” Amy asked him, very quietly.
“Focus your energy. When Solomon gives us the signal, push the energy into the pillar.” He demonstrated by placing his hands flat on the surface. “The Stronghold net will take care of the rest.”
She nodded.
Solomon looked up. “I’ve initiated the program. We can begin when you’re ready. Just say the word.”
Bruno looked at his brothers and their mates. Everyone was focused on him. It was time. “We are the protectors of Earth. This is our purpose. It is time.” He reached out and pressed his palms to the pillar. “Begin.” Beside him, Amy copied his movements. He took a deep breath, then let it out, and with it, he began feeding energy to the Stronghold net.
“Most of the time, our life energy powers the Stronghold net, and it requires nothing extra from us. It is automatic. When we need to power technology for a specific purpose, we contribute additional energy to the task,” he explained to Amy.
She nodded, and he sensed her concentrating. “I can feel my energy moving through me and into the pillar. It feels very strange.”
Bruno nodded, even as he gathered more of his own energy and fed it to the pillar. “This ability is part of what the mutation in our DNA activated. Conscious control of our basic metabolism and energy output.”
Amy made a face. “This feels weird.”
“Uncomfortable,” Eva said.
“Prickly,” Saige added.
“Exhausting,” Lucy said, her voice low and tired.
Amy nodded. “Yeah, but we have no choice.”
Bruno felt her weariness in his bones.
“We’re almost finished,” Solomon said, gaze flicking to his diagnostic window. “Yes. That’s it.” He relaxed and removed his hands.
Saige swayed, and Bruno saw Isaac grab her before she could fall. “Are you okay?”
Saige nodded, wiping at her eyes. “Yeah. It’s just … we had to boost the starship’s fuel with energy, and now this.”
Bruno glanced at his brother. Isaac didn’t look much better than Saige. “Eat something, and then go to bed.”
Isaac grimaced. “That’s the plan.” He touched his eye. “Signing off. Peace out, brothers and sisters.”
“I’ll call you in a few days,” Saige said to Amy, and then she, too, touched her eye. Their window blinked out.
Amy leaned against Bruno. “They’ll be okay, right?”
“I will check in on them this afternoon,” Eva said.
Bruno nodded his support. “Thank you. You’re the best healer of all of us.”
Eva shrugged. “I can spare some more energy, but they have to heal themselves. You know that.”
“I know.”
“Get some rest, Bruno. You look like you spent the night working,” Greyson said, touching the corner of his eye. Their window blinked out.
“He’s always so polite and easygoing,” Solomon said, eyes twinkling.
“Oh, like you weren’t horribly cranky the other day?” Lucy asked.
Solomon lifted a shoulder. “I guess we all have our moments.” He lifted a finger to his eye. “Have a good one, brother. Don’t let him work you too hard, Amy.” His window blinked out.
Bruno let out a harsh breath, and then slowly raised his mental wall again. The sharp cacophony of the humans around him receded, soothing his headache.
“Your head hurts again?” Amy asked, frowning up at him.
“It is nothing,” Bruno said, pulling out his cell phone. He had no time to worry about a mild headache. He texted Eileen. “I’ve let my assistant know we’re ready for her.”
Amy sighed. “Duty calls.”
Bruno nodded. “Yes.”
She hugged him, then stepped back before he could return the embrace. “I hope she likes me.”
She squared her shoulders, and Bruno felt her create a similar mental wall. Her worry and tiredness faded to dullness.
“You know you don’t have to hide from me,” he said, drawing her close. He kissed her lightly.
“I know, but I also need to get through my day without my mind feeling like it’s being scraped open and pricked with a million needles.”
He winced. “Your description is uncomfortably accurate.” Before he could say anything else, the elevator dinged open.
“Bruno, I thought you were taking some time off? Yet here you are, only a couple of days later, working like usual,” Eileen said, striding into the apartment with her usual clipboard. When her eyes landed on Amy, she stopped. “Oh. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You did not interrupt.” Bruno had to smile at the flicker of surprise on his assistant’s face. “Eileen, this is Amy.”
Eileen smiled automatically, and then her smile widened as her gaze went to Amy’s finger where Bruno’s ring resided. “I am very pleased to meet you, Amy Day.”
****
Amy blinked. How does she know that Bruno and I are together?
“I’ve worked with Bruno for a long time,” Eileen said kindly, as if she could read Amy’s mind. She nodded towards the ring. “And I’ve only seen that ring one other time.”
Amy ran her thumb over the cool metal. “When?”
Eileen chuckled. “A few days ago, when he first pulled it out. I had no idea each of the Sentries had one until then.”
Amy smiled at the woman’s easy explanation. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Eileen.” She held out her hand. She may as well start off the way she meant to go on: professional, friendly, and forthright.
Eileen shook her hand, and then turned to Bruno. “I’ve set up the meeting with the President. We got lucky. He’s here in New York, and he’ll be by around two o’clock. That should give me enough time to go with Amy to Macy’s.”
“Macy’s?” Amy stepped back. “That sounds like it will take a lot of time. And money.” Mentally she added up the money in her checking account, and winced internally. She could not afford designer clothes.
“Obviously, since this is Sentry business, our communal fund will pay for your clothes,” Bruno murmured.
Amy sent him a pulse of relief. She felt his amusement, and struggled not to blush. She was young, yes, but she knew her way around a clothing store.
“We’re only a few blocks away from the store. Do you know what clothes you’ll be needing?” Eileen asked.
“Yes,” Amy replied, not elaborating. She didn’t feel like getting into her history as a diplomat’s daughter. She knew exactly what to buy, and how much it would cost. She glanced at Bruno.
“Here.” Bruno handed her a credit card.
Amy debated refusing, but only for a moment. The Sentries were wealthy, and if she was going to help Bruno with his duties, she’d need the wardrobe that went with the job.
“Don’t worry about the cost,” he told her.
“I won’t,” Amy told him, amused.
He flashed her a smile. “Take a cab. It’ll be less obvious that way.”
Amy rolled her eyes. “Yes, sir.”
Bruno laughed. “You know what you need.” He leaned down and kissed her lightly.
She nodded. “Unfortunately.” She glanced around, wondering when this had become her life. “I never thought I’d be doing this sort of thing as an adult. I hope things don’t spiral down into a disaster.”
“It will not.” Bruno’s expression darkened. “I will not let anything happen to you.”
Amy rolled her shoulders uncomfortably, thinking about her father’s death. The commandos who’d stormed the embassy had never been caught. The small Middle Eastern country where her Dad had been negotiating a cease-fire was filled to the brim with warring factions. She sighed. Unless Bruno had another vision, there was no way either of them could predict what would happen. “What are you going to do while we’re out?”
He grimaced. “I’m going put together a brief outline of the situation and the Sentries’ protection plan.” He glanced at Eileen. “You sent your family to Solomon’s Stronghold?”
She nodded. “I hate to see them go, but you said it’s the safest place for them. Good thing Martha was home visiting, otherwise I’d be a wreck worrying about her at college.”
“It’s the safest place,” Amy said. From Bruno’s memories, she recalled the bunker that Solomon had built into the mountain beneath his tower. Of all the Strongholds, his was the most secure.
Eileen eyed her, then nodded. “I suppose you would know.”
Amy flushed. Did Eileen know about the memory sharing?
“Now, let’s get lunch, and then we’ll head to the store,” Eileen said briskly. She handed Bruno her clipboard. “I highlighted the times for the security search, and detailed a list of talking points for you, in case the President goes off topic.”
“He is not going to go off topic. We’re dealing with an alien invasion,” Bruno said, reading through the list.
“You know as well as I do how he is,” Eileen said dryly.
Amy snorted. Their current President could be a very difficult man. She remembered her father cursing him years ago when the man was just a senator. “We should leave before the Secret Service gets here. They’ll trap us on this floor and we’ll never escape,” she said, remembering how onerous security preparations could be.
Eileen raised her eyebrows. “You know about that?”
“My father was a diplomat for many years before he died,” Amy said briefly.
Eileen’s expression twisted into sympathy. “I’m sorry.”
“No worries,” Amy said, heading to the elevator. “It was a long time ago.” She hit the button for the ground floor.
Bruno caught the doors just before they closed. “Be careful,” he said, leaning in to kiss her.
Amy’s face went hot. From what she remembered of his interviews, and the memories he’d shared with her, Bruno was not a demonstrative man. Far from it, in fact. And yet here he is, kissing me in front of his assistant. She nodded, not trusting her voice. Every time he touched her, she wanted more, and now wasn’t the time or the place. She touched a palm to his cheek, savoring the feel of him, and then moved back into the elevator. Bruno’s intense blue eyes stared into her as the doors closed.
“He’s different with you,” Eileen said quietly.
Amy lifted a shoulder. “How so?” She eyed the woman’s perfectly coiffed hair and clean-cut pantsuit. Eileen looked like the kind of woman Amy needed to be, but she sensed the woman’s inherent kindness. That eased her embarrassment considerably.
Eileen smiled kindly. “He seems calmer. More relaxed. He’s been winding himself tighter and tighter the last few years. Almost as if he’s been waiting for something terrible to happen.”
Amy thought about the Spiders bearing down on their planet. “Maybe it’s not me. Maybe it’s because the disaster he worried about is upon us. We can fight, and hopefully we’ll survive, but there’s no more waiting. The swarm is coming,” she said, voice hushed. “Sometimes waiting is the worst part.”
Eileen lost her smile. “I’d already forgotten about the Spiders.” She looked down at her feet. “I’m so used to organizing things, and setting up meetings, that I sometimes forget that Bruno is the one who must figure out what to do to protect the entire planet. His life extends way beyond diplomatic meetings.”
“And it doesn’t seem real,” Amy offered.
Eileen nodded. “Exactly.” She pressed her lips together.
Amy felt bad, and she sensed the woman’s sudden worry. “It’ll be okay. The Sentries will do everything they can to protect Earth. And your family is safe. My mom is out in the middle of the ocean somewhere, on her first vacation in years.” Impulsively, she reached out and touched Eileen’s hand. A surge of fear rocketed up through her arm, and Amy almost winced, but then she remembered to shore up her mental wall. The emotion faded to a muted roar, and she let out a careful breath. “We’ll do everything we can. I promise. None of us wants to see our planet die.”
“I know.” Eileen clutched her tightly. “Thank you.”