Dashing devil 5 bold beg.., p.45
Dashing Devil 5: Bold Beginnings, page 45
The man pursed his lips as he regarded his team’s Captain. “You have a surprising knack for managing delicate situations with finesse."
Boyd nodded appreciatively but kept his gaze on the crowd, making sure no remnants of the confrontation lingered.
"Thank you, Director," Boyd replied as quietly as he could manage. "I try to keep things under control as much as possible. We can't afford unnecessary distractions, especially with what we have planned. That’s why we had to address the obvious outlier as quickly as possible. He had three potential targets on my team: Hopewing, Tinker, and myself. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable having our group go their separate ways until he was properly controlled. Plus, this had the added bonus of taking Victory Seeker out of play.”
Boyd didn’t bother hiding the grin that turned up the corners of his lips. “It will be much harder for my old Mentor to cultivate connections and shape opinion when he has to babysit a man-child who is having a fit."
“Yes, I imagine it will be,” Director Davis said gravely. He continued after a short bark of a laugh, “Ha! I don’t have to imagine how that is going right now. Have I told you I did a stint as a Handler? It only lasted for a few years because that’s how long my Hero lasted. Unfortunately, he was much more like Archangel than yourself—too much ego and not enough sense.”
The older man shook his head and glanced at the demon at his side. “There was a time when I thought you were much the same. This is the third time, however, that you have proved me wrong. I suppose I will need to adjust my perception of you.”
"I appreciate your flexibility in handling these matters," Boyd replied quietly, his tone reflecting his genuine appreciation. "And thank you for placing your trust in my judgment. The safety and cohesion of my team are, and always will be, my top priorities. Now, I believe you had some people you wanted to show us off to?"
“Indeed. I have many compatriots who will be even more excited to meet you after that spectacle, especially once I admit to them that it was a bit of theater you planned in advance.” Davis’s pleased smile made another appearance. “Don’t worry. It shouldn’t take too long; then, you can get on with your evening and enjoy the amenities with your fiancées. At least until the next stage of your plan begins.”
Boyd returned Davis’s smile with a satisfied smirk. “Don’t worry, Director. I’ll enjoy that part almost as much.”
Chapter 47
After approximately thirty minutes of talking with powerful individuals who mostly wanted to express their admiration for what Boyd and his team had achieved in such a short time, he and his loves finally had the freedom to move about as they pleased. This meant that phase two of his gala plan could begin more or less on schedule.
They continued to move together as a group for a little while longer, allowing those who wished to meet them as a team to approach while they made the rounds. Silvie, ever the social butterfly, was a natural at charming the guests into approaching her and her team. She had a unique way of making people feel comfortable and accepted, even if they were total strangers.
Hope’s aura aided her floating friend’s efforts, drawing the men in the room in with the sense of purity she exuded. Tinker was her usual shy self, which was extra endearing when surrounded by her confident team and disarmed those she engaged with. Raev allowed her vixen to show through, finding opportune moments for a joke or two. Mindy maintained her emotionless mask and did not engage much; she was busy listening in on the thoughts of any who should have focused more on their mental defense training.
Each woman eagerly took every chance they could to flaunt the sparkling diamonds on their finger. Their eyes glimmered with excitement and love as they gushed about their recent engagement and the man they would soon call husband. Silvie, Hope, and Raev took the lead as they shared details about their future plans. It was a scene straight out of a fairytale, where every princess had found her prince charming and was ready to start their happily ever after.
Boyd's job required him to strike a delicate balance between exuding confidence and staying humble. He brushed off compliments and downplayed heroic acts, treating them as routine tasks that he would gladly perform again if it were necessary. Whenever possible, he returned compliments about whatever the person he was addressing had achieved using knowledge Mindy provided or gained through the research he had done in preparation for speaking with those in attendance.
There were plenty of Heroes in attendance, including two that came as a surprise. They weren’t given Hero names before he left the PAC, but Ghost Cat and Lightningcoil out of Wildvine Haven could only be the other Changed he had grown up with. Boyd didn’t recognize the town or the Hero’s names and had looked them up. He found the town, it was mostly a research facility in a tropical rain forest that exported some natural resources to cover their expenses, but there was nothing on the Heroes who had somehow earned invites to this prestigious event.
“Shelia, Daryl, it’s good to see you both!”
Boyd finally allowed himself a genuine smile as he made his way over to two familiar faces in the Grand Ballroom. He now understood why Mindy had signaled for him to head to this corner of the room, where the pair were being given a wide berth by the other guests.
He shook Daryl’s hand as the man replied, “Boyd! It’s been a while, but we’ve kept up with your recent exploits. I knew you were destined for big things, but I never imagined this,” he gestured to the room at large.
Daryl looked sharp in a blue tuxedo jacket and white shirt, the colors complimenting the mostly green scales of the twenty feet of tail coiled under the snake-man’s torso. His mop of brown hair had been tamed for the evening and sat above serpentine eyes and a fanged smile.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Shelia purred as Boyd pulled her into a short, friendly hug instead of a handshake.
The bipedal black cat, who had always been graceful and poised, looked radiant in her simple black dress that clung to her slender frame like a second skin. Feline green eyes sparkled as brightly as her pointed teeth when she grinned as she stepped back, then scanned him up and down.
“You look… different,” she took another step back and rested a hand on Daryl’s arm, her tail swaying back and forth behind her as she cast him a nervous glance.
“Don’t worry, my love,” Daryl said with a rueful chuckle as he shook his head before turning an understanding smile on Shelia. “It’s okay to look, just no more touching and certainly no dancing. Even I can see that he somehow got hotter.”
His friend turned a playful scowl on Boyd. “Seriously man, did you find yourself a flesh shaper or something? You know it was overkill, right? You pissed off just about every guy in the PAC because whenever you walked into a room, every girl looked your way and got all dreamy eyed.”
Boyd felt his cheeks heating. “No visits to a flesh shaper.” He resisted the urge to rub the back of his head and undo the hard work Mindy had put in on taming his longer hair. “Just a side effect of my Power. I didn’t choose it, as far as I can tell, but the gold eyes are pretty cool, right?”
“Yess they are,” Daryl said with a hissing laugh. “Just do me a favor and don’t stare into Shelia’s eyes for too long.”
“Can do,” Boyd chuckled.
“Anywayyyy,” Shelia cut in as her facial fur bushed out a little in her equivalent of a blush, “I always figured if any of us were going to make it big, it would be Boyd. Even after his Change, he just had that Hero feel to him.”
“I know, right?” Silvie bubbled as she floated over to exchange brief hugs with the pair who were apparently a couple now. “I always tried to tell him, but he just scowled at me,” she added with a bell-like giggle. “I’m so happy to see you two! I heard you are married now, how was the wedding?”
“You two got married?” Hope sounded both incredibly happy and surprised as she glided forward to claim short hugs of her own. “Please accept my belated congratulations! It’s wonderful to see you both looking so happy and healthy.”
“Yess,” Daryl let out a laugh that caused him to hiss the word a second time, something he used to get flustered about if it happened by accident. It didn’t seem to bother him now. “I have to thank you again, Mindy. Getting me assigned to Wildvine Haven with Shelia was the best thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“You’ve thanked me enough already, Daryl,” Mindy smiled back at the snake man as she walked up, but didn’t approach for a hug. “And don’t you start either, Shelia. All I did was pull a few strings when the opportunity arose.”
Boyd knew that his darkest love carried a lot of guilt for those she was unable to save. Part of why he was so happy to see these two was because part of merging with his gestalt meant realizing certain hard truths that he had hidden from himself. Many of the children he had grown up with hadn’t survived their time in the PAC. But that was particularly true for those like him, the Changed.
Mindy had advised him that Silvie wasn’t ready to know that he’d figured it out, believing that she had protected him from it. He tried not to think about it too much. It was just another stack of weights on a scale that he would one day balance.
“We’ll never be able to thank you enough,” Shelia smiled her toothy grin. “Who knows what would have happened to us if you hadn’t pulled those strings? You sent us to a good place where we are safe to be ourselves. There aren’t many like it.”
“That is something The Devoted are trying to change,” Boyd said with a warm smile.
“We noticed.” Daryl grinned back at him. “The interview after you killed the Last Dragon made it obvious. Then, you kept it up in that subtly pointed way you have in all the follow-up interviews and the lead-up to your duel with that pompous ass.”
“The things he was saying about you made me so mad.” Shelia scowled, her tail lashing the air behind he. “None of it made a lick of sense to anyone who knew you. If we weren’t supposed to keep a low profile out in the Haven, I would have done an interview to refute his accusations.”
“No need, but thank you for the sentiment,” Raev purred as she stepped forward. “I’m Raev, or Kitsune, by the way, since the Big Guy forgot to introduce us. This is Tinker.” She gestured to the smaller woman who waved from where she half hid behind Boyd, her social battery running low after exchanging pleasantries with way too many people for her introverted self.
“We know.” Shelia laughed and grinned. “You’re almost as big of a deal as Boyd to us Changed right now. But it’s nice to meet you in person. Nice to meet you too, Tinker.” She winked at the petite woman. “You look like you’re about done with all these people. I heard you don’t like crowds much. Would you like to sit in the nice quiet corner the scary snake man and cat woman have created?”
Boyd flashed a grin at Mindy when she sent, ‘I’ll sit with Tinker until it is my turn to dance with you, as we planned. This way, others are less likely to approach us. I’m glad to see I was right to think that you would trust these two.’
He hadn’t wanted his inventor to be left by herself. Even if Archangel couldn’t approach her any more, there were other Bells in attendance. Granny had warned him that they would take every opportunity to get to him through her. Mindy wasn’t the biggest fan of crowds, either—mostly because she didn’t like touching strangers. Besides, most of their enemies would know that her Power let her read minds, and having her sit quietly in a corner instead of mingling might get some of them to relax and drop their mental defenses.
“Um, sure, that would be great,” Tinker admitted. “Thank you.”
“What is it like at Wildvine Haven?” Boyd asked as the group moved to secure a table in the corner the couple had apparently claimed. There were very few tables elsewhere with open seats, and this one would sit at least eight. The presence of the two Changed allowed them to claim some prime real estate uncontested.
“It’s awesome,” Daryl answered as he slithered along. “We get occasional incursions into the dome, but there are next to no Powered Criminal events. Had one of the researcher’s teenagers try to rob the commissary, but his C-Rank speed couldn’t outrun my lightning. Other than that, they send us out into the jungle to gather samples and resources. We can go out as much as we want as long as a few of us stay in the dome in case of an incursion.”
Boyd frowned, not liking that a trained Hero’s life was being risked gathering resources in the hostile environment of the Wilds. Then the rest of Daryl’s statement sank in.
“You go out as much as you ‘want’?” He infused the word the incredulity it deserved. A jungle was the last place he would want to go. The diversity of flora and fauna found in a rainforest biome meant all sorts of Powered things that could kill you—many of them small enough that you had to constantly pay attention to where to put each step or what you might touch.
“Yeah, it’s great.” Surprisingly, Daryl’s grin didn’t look sarcastic at all.
The big demon gaped at the snake man and his expression must have amused Shelia, because she snickered and turned to Mindy. “He doesn’t know yet, does he?”
“No.” Mindy shook her head. “Not because we are keeping it from him, just because he’s had a lot going on since we would have been able to go out. He got things started a lot quicker than we were expecting once we removed the leash they had on him, so we just haven’t had the chance. We should be able to sometime soon, though.”
Mindy sensed Boyd’s curiosity across their Bond and noted the concerned thoughts swirling in his mind. She turned a warm smile his way. “It’s nothing you need to know about tonight, it’s just a quirk of the Wild Lands. It will have to remain a mystery for a little bit longer.”
Boyd grunted and prepared to press for at least a hint, but then heard a small commotion created by something changing that distracted him. Scanning the room, he noted a group of live musicians gathering on the stage. That meant it was time for the dancing to start, which also meant that the little mystery would indeed have to wait.
With four lovers who wanted to dance, and one of them demanding as many rounds as possible, his dance card was full. Hope was on his arm in an instant and she guided him smoothly toward the dance floor. They had managed to learn what songs the musicians would play and what order they would be playing them in. They had even been able to make a few requests.
The dances would begin with ‘Air on the G String’ by Bach, so Hope and he would lead off with a simple, slow waltz. The showier stuff could wait until later when the guests, who were mostly older, grew tired and would clear the dance floor. It was a good thing stamina wasn’t a concern for him.
His loves would get to take turns, but at least they were kind enough to schedule him a bathroom break or a snack break—there wouldn’t be time for both. He was glad he’d eaten well for their early dinner. It might have been a good idea to hydrate a bit less, though.
Chapter 48
Boyd swirled and swayed with his serenely smiling angel to the gentle melody, their movements synchronized to the delicate interplay of strings. Hope's golden hair shimmered under the soft glow of the chandeliers, cascading down her back like a waterfall of sunlight. As Boyd twirled her across the dance floor, the silk of her dress rustled softly, mixing with the wonderful sound of her white feathers brushing against each other.
The music filled the air around them, wrapping them in a timeless embrace as they moved in perfect harmony. Boyd marveled at how effortlessly Hope floated in his arms, her eyes sparkling with joy and trust. Her large but delicate wings fluttered with each step, adding a magical quality to their dance. As they circled the room, other guests paused to watch, captivated by the celestial beauty of the angel and her demon companion.
With the last notes of Bach's melody fading away, Boyd dipped his lover and Hope gave Boyd a radiant smile as he pulled her back up. She pressed full lips to his cheek before gracefully stepping back to allow Boyd’s next dance partner to claim his attention. It was Silvie's turn now, and her eyes sparkled with mischief as she took Boyd's hand with a playful twirl.
The music shifted seamlessly as Mozart's ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’ filled the room with its lively tempo. Boyd led Silvie into a dance that they had choreographed using a courtly two-person minuet as the base. The end result was anything but courtly.
Silvie's shapely form moved with a sinuous grace that mesmerized Boyd as they glided across the dance floor, her movements were a breathtaking blend of elegance and sensuality. Her feet didn’t stay on the ground for long; she floated up in his arms and twirled through the air when he spun her away.
The golden gown she wore seemed to come alive with each movement, the tulle streaming from her wrists like liquid gold in midair and accentuating her every graceful motion. As the gravity defying Hero soared through the air like a celestial being, her body arched and twisted in ways that seemed impossible. Silvie's every motion was a tantalizing invitation, drawing Boyd deeper into their intimate dance.
As they danced, Silvie's hands roamed boldly over Boyd's muscular frame; her touch sent shivers down his spine. She pressed herself against him, her warmth seeping through the fabric of his suit as their bodies moved together in a sensual rhythm. Each step was a tantalizing tease that left Boyd yearning for more.
When the final notes began to play, he and his silver-haired lover positioned themselves off to one side of the polished dance floor for a grand flourish at the end that had Boyd throwing his love in the air before catching her as she sinuously wound her body all the way around his until she reached the floor hugging his leg. Raev stood at the ready nearby, a mischievous twinkle in her vibrant green eyes as she watched Boyd and Silvie's dance come to an end.
The music shifted once more, this time to the sensual notes of ‘La Cumparsita’ by Gerardo Matos Rodríguez. With a sultry smile, Raev smoothly stepped forward as Boyd gave Silvie a hand up. His kitsune’s emerald gown revealed more skin than any of his other loves, though it still hugged her curves in all the right places. Six fluffy fox tails swayed behind her with each movement in a mesmerizing dance of their own.
