Page 31 of Dark Flame

“He knew we saw and heard him. It’s all he wanted,” said Valentina. “He was trying to make amends. I felt his sadness, his pain. It was overwhelming. He was sorry.”

Kane nodded and cursed under his breath, looking out over the valley. Frost covered the foliage, and the glistening crystals covered the rooftops of the finished cabins below. Winter would be on them soon enough. He would not risk their lives chasing the woman now.

“We’ll find a way to repay Groome. I’m not sure how or what that looks like, but we’ll figure it out,” said Kane. “For now, I think we should be grateful that he had a change of heart concerning all of this. If he decided to work with Karena, our outlook would be very different right now.”

Aislinn pulled on the Army sweatshirt of Kane’s that was now her favorite. She kissed his cheek, her soft hands gripping his forearms. The scars on his face never gave her pause or notice anymore. She loved him because of those scars because he was brave enough to survive.

Kane knew that Fiona could rid him of the scars, but somehow, he needed the reminder. It didn’t matter to Aislinn one way or another, but it mattered to Kane.

“I’m going to make some coffee and start breakfast. The others will be rising soon. Do we tell them?” she asked.

“No,” said Kane, kissing her back, “not yet.”

Aislinn nodded, and he waited for the nods of Spook and Valentina. With her violet eyes, she stared up at Spook and nodded, who gave a quick nod back at Kane.

“Alright then, let’s start some breakfast.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Flip watched as Nat moved along the frost-covered ridge with Nash. Although the ground was wet with frost and cold, it didn’t seem to matter to Nat. If she raised her hands to it, it caught fire.

Nash followed her, dousing the flames at once if there were any signs of it getting out of control. Ten cabins were under construction, with six completed, and the last thing they needed was for any of the completed structures to be damaged by fire.

Their little community was becoming a full-fledged city. Adam now had a fully functioning clinic with state-of-the-art medical equipment. Although his patients thus far were limited to the members of the group, he knew in time that news would reach the outlying communities, and he would have others visiting. They were okay with that, but the group always came first.

Along the main road, the clinic allowed easy access from the road by car for travelers or even those living in the nearby towns. However, there was no access to the site. You could barely see anything from the clinic other than the main cabin belonging to Uri and his family.

For the site, you had to access through a basement door that led out into the back gardens.

Adam and Fiona, Kane and Aislinn, Flip and Nat, Spook, Tom Cullen, and Ben all had completed homes. Flip was able to keep his high countertops. Although Nat was only five-feet-eight, she was tall enough that the extra heights weren’t difficult for her.

By noon, the land was cleared, and the construction crews would be able to begin on the next phases of housing. Griffin, Garrett, and Gable decided to build their home as one. As brothers, they rarely separated and felt it was important for their own health to remain close. They secretly hoped that if they ever met the women meant to be theirs, they would understand the siblings’ need for closeness.

Ivy and Regan were building a place together. The others wanted to stay close but weren’t sure if they would live together in pairs or groups as yet.

Nat looked up to see Valentina, Isobel, and Fiona coming down the path.

“Hi,” said Valentina in a chipper-sweet voice. Her personality matched her light appearance – the stunning violet eyes almost glowing in the sunlight.

“Hey, how are you guys?” said Nat.

“We’re all good. We needed a break and thought we would head into town and do some retail therapy. There’s not a lot to choose from, but with winter coming, we all need some warm weather gear.”

Nat looked at the three women and smiled. Fiona was stunning with her long, lean runner’s legs and fiery red ponytail. Valentina stood out to anyone who saw her with her violet eyes. But there was something about Isobel that made even women look twice.

She was average in height, a few inches shorter than Nat. She had dark, sable-colored hair, and her eyes were a strange shade of green. Nat knew that they were prosthetics, but still, she could see from those eyes. Somehow, someway she was able to have vision even through the prosthetics. None of that could compare to her curves. Luscious full curves that made men weak and women jealous.

Her waist was small with not an ounce of fat, her hips voluptuous and curving to a perfectly round bottom. Her breasts stood high and proud, the full mounds peaking seductively from the sweater she wore. Even Nat felt her attractiveness and sex appeal as a woman, and she wondered if Flip felt it too.

“Nat? Are you okay?” asked Isobel, cocking her head inquisitively. Valentina smiled at the other woman, knowing what was going through her head.

“Oh, yea, sorry, I was just thinking about something,” she replied, blushing, looking down at her feet.

“It felt like you were checking me out,” said Isobel with a grin.

“Damn,” muttered Nat. “I’m sorry, Isobel. That was rude of me, but, well, you’re really beautiful. I mean, all three of you are beautiful, but there’s something about your figure that makes me wish I had curves.”

Isobel let out a throaty, sexy laugh and threw back her head.

---