bChapter /bb281 /b

    Hacker

    I spent a very enjoyable evening with Wendyst night. We worked hard and she’s an amazing assistant. She never onceined, band /bbshe /bseemed to enjoy working with me as much enjoyed working with her.

    I tested the waters a bit while we were working, just to see if she is open to something developing between us. Every chance I got, I’d btouch /bher. It might have been a casual touch of my hand against hers, putting my hand on her back as I moved around her, or leaning closer bto /bher when she was showing me something. But every time, every single time I touched her or got close to her, her heartbeat would increaseb, /bband /b

    her breath would hitch.

    By the time I called it quits for the night, her cheeks had a permanent pink hue, and her sweet iscent /iof caramel apples was driving me insane.

    Hijack calledst night, wanting to get together this eekend to go over a project we’re working on together. Since I know he can find me anyway and probably already has, I told him that I was in Cyra’s and Striker’s pack working on their security system.

    He’d been quiet for a beat. “Isn’t Sphinx in Striker’s pack this weekend?”

    “Yes. She’s helping me assess the security, orck of security as it turns out,” I say.

    “I see. I’m surprised you didn’t ask for my help. It seems like a big project.”

    “I have Sphinx, and her little sister Yana is a techy in the making. We should keep our eye on her.”

    “Mmhmm. Well, let me know if you need anything.”

    “Will do.”

    I hung up knowing I wouldn’t call him even if I do need help. This opportunity to spend face–to–face time with Wendy alone is priceless.

    I wanted to spar with Wendy this morning, but as expected, her father pulled her aside to spar with her. I’m not surprised. Her family is very protective of her. They’re very protective of each other. I respect that. If anything or anyone came after my family, I’d destroy them.

    But while I respect his intentions, I think his methods are keeping his daughter from making progress. They’re afraid of hurting her, so they don’t push her. I’m not afraid of hurting her. She’s stronger than she realizes and that’s where she needs to push past her own fear. She needs to regain the confidence she lost in herself when she nearly died.

    Over breakfast, I tell Wendy and Yana about my ns for the day. “I need to see the packnds, all of them so we can decide where toy cable. We need to connect the two packs‘ security systems and that’s the way to do it.”

    Just before we finish eating, Alpha Warren growls out loud. Everyone goes quiet and we wait until his eyes refocus.

    “Dad?” Wendy asks.

    “Cyra’s uncle and cousin are here.”

    I wasn’t privy to what happened, I just know the conversation between them yesterday wasn’t good.

    We wait while he informs Cyra and Striker that they’re here.

    “Are you sending them away?” Wade asks.

    “No, Cyra wants to meet with them and see what they want,” he says.

    “Do you want to stay and make sure everything is okay?” I ask Wendy and Yana.

    “I do. I want to meet the asshat who thought it was okay to be a total douchebag to my sister–inw,” Yana says. She was bhere /bbwhen /bthe call urred, so she heard more about what happened than Wendy and I did.

    “I’ll take you around,” Wendy says. I can feel her body vibrating with excitement that it will just be the two of us again. I’d already bnned /bto make that happen. The training field is in between the packs and it’s a perfect ce for me to get her to spar without anyone else bwatching/bbi. /i/bNow, I won’t need to keep Yana busy elsewhere.

    “I’ll catch up to the two of youter,” she

    “Yep, have fun intimidating the asshat,” I say,

    kling as Wendy and I walk out. We do a tour of the packhouse and i point out where we can

    connect the cables. I may be interested in spending time with Wendy, but this is a job, and I take that seriously. I have a reputation to maintain and my job with the Council is dependent on me continuing to deliver what I promise, and remaining truthful and ethical in my

    work.

    As we begin walking toward the second packhouse, I see SUVS driving up to the packhouse.

    “I guess Striker and Cyra are allowing them onto their packnds,” I say.

    “That’s a bit surprising based on what I heard yesterday,” Wendy says.

    I make notes on my tablet about where on the property I want toy the cable as we walk. But when we get to the training field, I stop, setting

    it aside.

    “Okay, time for some sparring.”

    “Really Jude? Do we have to?” she asks me. I love that she uses my real name when we’re like this. She’s careful about using my codename in front of others, but alone, she uses my birthname.

    “Yes, really, Wendy, we have to.”

    She huffsb, /bbut I ignore her. More than anyone outside of her family, I know how much she struggles with this.

    I get into a defensive stance. “Show me what you’ve got, Sphinx.”

    She sighs again, then takes an offensive stance andes at me. I can tell she’s testing me, seeing how strong I am, but she doesn’t have to worry. I may be a tech guy, but the Academy still trains us to be in the field so that on the asion we do have to go out, we can defend ourselves and don’t be a liability to the squads.

    I let her adjust to my fighting strength and when she really startsing at me, I start pushing back. This is where she freezes on the sparring field. It’s that first or second hit that puts her back into that trauma mode,

    I tag her ionce/i, spinning around, ready ifor /iher to stop. She impresses me bying right back for me. This time, I tag her a little bit harder and that’s when she steps back.

    “I can’t,” she says.

    “Yes, you can,” I tell her.

    She shakes her head and I can see the memoriesing back, the fear filling her eyes.

    “You’re going to get hurt if you don’t fight back, Wendy,” I say to heri. /i

    b“/bI can’t,” she whispers.

    b19:48/b′′ bFTI/b, 15 bAug /b|

    b“/bYes, you can: Get ready,” I growl. This is where her family backs off, This is where I’m going to push her forward.

    She doesn’t move. I go at her anyway, pulling my punch so I don’t hurt her too badly, but enough to make it impactful

    “Ow! That hurt!” she growls.

    “Then you’d better fight back,” I say, getting back into an offensive position.

    “You don’t understand!” she yells.

    Ie at her again, tagging her again, a little harder this time.

    “What don’t I understand?” I ask. I can see she’s getting angry. Good, anger burns off fear.

    “You don’t know what it was like!”

    “You’re right, I don’t. What I do know is that if you make it to the Academy and you have ito /igo iout /ion a job with one of the squads, you’re ba /bliability, and I can’t allow that on my team,” I say, swinging my leg at her head.

    I have enough control that my foot connects, but doesn’t push through. I stand with my leg against her face until she pushes it away.

    “Stop it!” she snarls.

    “Make me,” I growl back. This time I don’t get into a stance, I just swing my leg out and knock her off her feet. Shends hard, but she’s up again in an instant.

    “I said stop!” she snarls, leaping at me.

    Shees hard and fast, the adrenaline of the pain of my hits and her fall coupled with the emotional hurt that I’m pushing her is making her strong and very fast. It takes all of my training to block and parry with her. She still gets in her shotsb, /bsome that will sting for a couple of hours, but in the end, I finally get iher /ipinned to the ground, her arms over her head, my body covering hers.

    Both of us are panting with the effort of our sparring.

    “THAT’S the Sphinx I was looking for. I knew you had it in you. You just needed someone to push you,” I say. Her eyes are still zing with her anger, her chest is pressing against mine as both of us gasp for air.

    As I watch her, something shifts in the air around us. The angry fire in her eyes is reced with the fire of desire.

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    biAD /i/b

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