Damian's Assassin

With a sinking feeling, Dusty understood Sofi's concern better. Darian was scared, unsure. He had no control of his own powers, and he'd not yet been tested in a confrontation with the man who enslaved him. Dusty didn't know if a few months of Darian having his own mind back were enough to erase thousands of years under the control of another.

He had a feeling the worst was going to happen, and the sense he wouldn't be the only one who died this weekend if he had to depend on Darian made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Toni, if at any time you feel the girls are in danger, evac the girls and then everyone else," Dusty said, turning to his XO.

Toni looked up with a frown. "You going somewhere, boss?"

"Not planning on it. Always good to have a backup plan." He glanced at his watch, suspecting where Bianca would be. "I'll be back."

He Traveled to the common area of the newbie barracks, where Bianca lay on her stomach across the couch in front of the TV. Jonny was sprawled on the floor in front of the TV, asleep.

"Hey," she murmured.

He sat across from her, elbows on his knees, watching her. She wore a T-shirt and shorts that revealed her shapely, soft legs.

"I'm mad at you," she said, narrowing her eyes. "You shouldn't have given Jonny a gun."

"He's a man now and a Natural," he replied.

"I don't like it."

"It's who he is."

She sat up and gazed at him, chewing her lip in a way he knew to be an indication that she was troubled.

"We'll teach him how to use it," he assured her, taking in her loose curls and large eyes.

"Something bad's going to happen, isn't it?" she asked.

"Why do you say that?"

"Someone told me."

"Maybe," he said. "You're safe, though. The first sign of trouble, you'll be evac'd."

"What about you? Are you safe?"

"I fight. It's what I do. I take a risk every time I go out."

Her frown deepened. She rose and approached, resting back on her heels in front of him, close enough for him to smell her musk and feel her heat. He touched her automatically, stroking the side of her face and tucking errant curls behind her ear.

"You came to say farewell, just in case," she assessed.

"Something like that."

He took her face in his hands and drew her to him, kissing her once again. She leaned into him, and he pulled her against him. The sense of peace and calm at his core returned as her energy flowed through him.