Page 22 of Dark Flame

“You were worth the risk,” she said, smiling.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“I can’t thank you enough for what you all did for Regan last night,” said Mary, sipping her hot coffee.

Ben stood ever vigilant in front of the porch railing, suddenly appointing himself as Mary’s personal bodyguard and protector.

“We take care of one another,” said Flip. “You’re part of our team now, and we won’t leave anyone behind.”

Mary nodded and stared at the young man sitting beside her. He was a mountain of a man. Imposing in every sense of the word. Kane, Adam, and Spook were tall, lean, with muscles built from physical fitness. David, Griffin, Garrett, and Gable were the same. Hawke and Nash were shorter but still lean and muscular.

But this man, this man was large naturally. More like a tree, wide and thick, grown that way by the grace of God. His dark hair and eyes made him look like a terrible storm rumbling toward you, but she sensed his sweet spirit and kind heart.

“Anything wrong?” asked Flip, staring straight but seeing the woman in his periphery. The intensity of her stare made him slightly uncomfortable, but he knew what she was doing – sizing him up… literally.

“No, sorry, it’s just you’re an impressive young man. Your size is, well, intimidating, to say the least,” she said, blushing slightly.

Flip laughed and nodded.

“Griffin, Garrett, and Gable are my big boys on the team. They work hard at it, though. You know what I mean? Their years in the military taught them to keep their bodies in peak condition. But they don’t look anything like you.”

Flip only nodded. There was no need to explain to her or anyone why he was so much larger than the average human was. Alice and Fan Cho gave him this body, and he was grateful every day that it served a purpose.

“You all look like you’ve been through quite a bit,” he said casually. He heard the door behind him open, and Nat stepped onto the porch. She kissed Flip on the cheek and then sat on his lap.

“We have indeed, but so have all of you. I’ve lived with my gifts for almost fifty years now. I learned very early on how to cover up my gifts, to keep quiet about them, although I have to say it was difficult controlling my own emotions sometimes when other’s emotions were flooding my brain.”

“But some of these people couldn’t do that. Think about David and Griffin, their running ability. As young men, they didn’t even realize how fast they were running until everyone pointed it out to them. It felt completely natural for them as little boys to run alongside a car traveling thirty-five miles per hour. In time they learned to keep foot races close, to not show their skills too much, but it was still highly suspicious and followed them around.”

“I know what that feels like,” said Flip. “I have superior strength along with the ability to move large objects just by thinking about where I want them placed.”

“I’m still working to control mine,” said Nat. “I-I’ve gotten better since Flip came into my life, but for a while there, anything that made me angry made the flames rise in my hands.”

Mary nodded, staring at the young woman.

“I can feel your love for him, you know,” she said quietly. “I don’t mean to; it’s not something I can turn off. Actually, I can feel the love you all have for one another. The respect. It’s not something I’m used to feeling. It’s why I knew we were doing the right thing by coming into your space. I knew that you wouldn’t turn us away.”

“Sounds like Spook. He can’t turn his off either, and I know the poor guy is nearly driven mad by it sometimes.” Flip thought of his friend and the constant barrage of noise hitting his body. Spook had been in a dark place once upon a time, and he was thrilled that the team pulled him out of it.

Ben walked toward the front porch. His salt and pepper hair cut high and tight, his rough, weathered face so ruggedly handsome. Mary felt the attraction and his emotions for her instantly and smiled at him.

Flip nudged Nat, and they both grinned at their friend.

“Ben, you need anything?” asked Flip in a teasing tone.

“Yea, for your big ass to jump off a cliff,” he growled. “I’m here to see if Miss Mary might want to take a walk with me.” He looked over at Mary and held out his big bear paw.

“It’s a beautiful morning.”

“A walk sounds lovely, Ben,” she said, taking his hand as she stepped off the porch. Flip grinned at Ben as they walked down the trail toward the valley.

“I think they’re cute,” said Nat.

“I think you’re cute,” said Flip, kissing her neck.

“Careful, big man, you might get burned.” Nat held up her hands in a teasing gesture, and Flip’s dark eyes stared straight into her crystal blue ones.

“Do your best, baby, but I’ll still come back for more.” She giggled as he nuzzled against her.

---