Macy crept out the back door and curled up in the corner of an old porch swing. The sun was setting and she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She wanted to focus on the mission at hand and figure out what was going on out here, but her thoughts kept returning to Jackson and to his alter-ego. To her complete horror, her mind also kept dragging Natasha into focus and torturing her with images of the detestable bitch kissing Jackson.

She drew a long breath and let it out slowly. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek faster than she could catch it. She cursed at it angrily and pulled her compact out to try to smooth out the track it left down her flawless skin. Before she could even flip it open, another one rolled down the other side and she let out a squeak of annoyance. 

Macy did not like being unsure of herself. She detested having to question her own perception of how things were. She loved Jackson. She was absolutely positive that he loved her. However, things had changed so drastically for both of them in such a short amount of time that she was left with the sense that he had become a stranger to her. Suddenly she didn't feel that she knew him anymore.

For the past year it had been just the two of them, for the most part. They were together almost every waking moment. Then practically overnight they had become surrounded by other people. His sister. The vigilante team they had once been trying to apprehend. Natasha, a woman hell-bent on getting way too close to Jackson for Macy's comfort. Well, it was his other side that she wanted, but that was where Macy was stuck.

Is Jackson Wolfe and Father Time the same person? she asked herself for the hundredth time. Even if they aren't, would it be okay with me if a relationship sprung up between his alter-ego and another woman?

She shook her head and gazed at the brightly colored ribbons of sky on the horizon. The sun had just slipped all the way out of view and the colorful display it left behind was a thing of magnificent beauty.

Suddenly she felt very small and insignificant. She stared at the fire-emblazoned sky and wondered just how little she actually was. How unimportant her predicaments were in the entire scheme of things. Her arms instinctively wrapped around herself as she tried not to feel swallowed by the vastness of the wide open sky. Her tears were forgotten and her mind boggled at the possibilities.

A footstep behind her yanked her out of her reveries and she whirled her head to find Jackson standing there gazing out at the sunset. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jeans and he was wearing a button down shirt that he hadn't bothered to button. Macy noticed that his hair was damp. She could smell his soap and cleanliness from where she sat and fought the urge to breathe him in.

"Jackson, darling, you really shouldn't sneak up like that. You'll stop my heart!" she lectured, more in an attempt to conceal her emotions than because she was really annoyed.

"You seemed so lost in thought I didn't want to disturb you." he replied, softly.

She looked up at him and her heart pounded in her chest. She felt drawn to Jackson like a moth to a flame. She always had. There was something about him that made her feel... well, secure. Safe. More than that. He caused a tingling feeling just below her tummy and he often made her feel like giggling. All of those wonderful feelings dissipated with the presence of her new arch-nemesis, the Raven.

"Well, you may as well sit down." She patted the seat next to her.

He walked over and sat down on the swing, leaning forward with his forearms on his knees. His hooded eyes still gazed out at the last of the brilliant colors of the sunset. They were beginning to fade.

"It's beautiful here, isn't it?" Macy asked, breaking the silence that had engulfed them.

Jackson turned to look at her. "It's different than what we're used to. That's for sure."

"Are... did you get all unpacked and settled in?"

"Yep. Shower works great. How about you?"

She sighed and turned her big, blue eyes back toward the darkening sky. "I unpacked and washed up. I'll take a nice bath later. I think it'll be fun sharing that big, king-sized bed with Natalie. We can girl-talk. It'll be like a slumber party!"

Jackson grinned at her. He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. "Sounds like a party I might just have to crash."

Macy's mouth formed into a perfect "O". "Jackson Wolfe, you will do no such thing!" she chirped at him, punching him in the arm.

He leaned back and draped his arm over the back of the swing behind her. His face grew serious and his eyes roamed hers. She began to squirm under his calculating inspection. She kept her eyes toward the sky, but then couldn't help herself and looked back up at him. As soon as her eyes met his, they were locked there. She felt like she couldn't move. Couldn't look away. Her tummy started doing flips and her mouth started to go dry.

"Come here," he purred, tilting his head up and back a tiny bit.

"But... I don't... What are...?” She couldn't force her tongue to form a complete sentence.

Suddenly he moved his arm from the back of the swing to around her waist and gave a little pull. She squeaked as she was drawn up against him and then she shivered when his face became buried in her neck. His warm breath sent chills over her entire body and she felt like she was melting.

"Jackson, I..."

"Shh." He placed two fingers over her lips and she was silent again.

His steel-gray eyes roamed down her face and landed where his fingers had been. Before she could say anything more, he was kissing her. She couldn't stop it. She didn't even want to. His tongue flicked in and out between her parted lips. Then she leaned into him and sealed her mouth to his, drinking in his sweet taste. Her entire body warmed, the sensation first spreading outward all the way to her fingertips and toes and then it washed back inward until it gathered in the center of her, the tingling heat concentrating below her stomach and between her thighs.

She pressed against him as tightly as she could manage and he encircled her with his arms, drawing her even closer. There was nothing else except him. His breath. His warmth. His body. His mouth. His hands roaming her body. She felt like she would drown and it would be ecstasy.

Just as she was ready to crawl up onto his lap, a loud fluttering sound broke through her barrier to the outside world. Way too soon, he was pulling away from her. She let out a soft moan when his mouth left hers.

"What do we have here?" Macy's body stiffened and she opened her eyes. Of course! She was hardly able to believe her luck as she turned to see Natasha standing there. She gasped in horror when she saw that the woman was completely nude.

Jumping to her feet in front of Jackson, Macy screeched. "Get in the house and put clothes on!" She pointed toward the door. "Your bag is upstairs in the master suite to the right."

Natasha laughed her throaty, evil laugh. "What's the matter, Detective? Afraid your boyfriend will like what he sees a little too much?"

Macy sprang at her and Jackson shot out his arm and caught her around the waist, pulling her back onto his lap. Thankfully he kept his eyes on her as he held onto her like she were an infant, strong against her furious struggles to be free of him in order to claw out the very eyes of that smug, horrid bitch.

"Let me go, Jackson Wolfe!" she growled like a little cat. "I'm going to kill that stupid..."

"Settle down," he purred into her ear. His face was buried in her hair and she knew his eyes were closed tight. She chanced a look back in Natasha's direction and struggled a bit harder to find her gazing down at her with an expression of triumph. Then the naked brunette winked at her and sauntered to the back door, disappearing inside.

Macy finally stopped struggling. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she fought to calm her frazzled nerves. Jackson loosened his grip on her and she hopped to her feet and straightened her clothes. She patted her hair, composing herself. Then she turned toward the door and without so much as looking at him, she said, "Good night, Jackson. I'm going to bathe and then go to bed."

She walked as quickly into the house as possible, doing her best to avoid anyone else and fighting hard to swallow the tears that had sprung to the backs of her eyes.

It was too much. She wanted nothing to do with any of it.

........................

Following behind Gideon, Serena stepped over another branch and ducked to avoid more overhead brambles. Where was he taking her? She knew her Master had operations going on that she didn't know about and frankly, until recently, she had considered anything he hadn't told her about to be none of her business. Now she was beginning to wonder just exactly what he kept hidden from her. Mostly because of his recent obsession with someone coming to challenge him. She wanted to know what he was doing to cause people to seek him out and cause him harm.

Her feet made little sound and she was careful to clear her way as quietly as possible. She had a natural instinct for stealth. Not that it would have done her any good, as Gideon crashed noisily ahead of her through the marshy vegetation. Every so often his foot would sink into a foot or so of leaf and moss covered water and he would let out a chain of curses. 

"Not far now," he called over his shoulder. They had turned off a remote dirt road at least a mile back. The overgrown trail they were following was obviously rarely used. It had been a surprise to her when suddenly Gideon had veered off the road into the brush and trees. She would never have noticed there was a trail at all.

Finally they stepped out into a clearing. There was a tall gate with a chain-link fence that ran to either side as far as she could see. It seemed to disappear off into the forest. Gideon pressed a button on a speaker box below a security camera. He looked up at it and held up his I.D. so that whoever was looking at them could see it.

After a second, the gate clicked and swung inward, allowing them to step through into a dirt yard. There was a low building that also ran as far to the right and left as she could see. It was dark, but her vision was extremely sharp, her hearing even sharper.

She stood still with her head cocked to the side, listening.

"What are you doing? Let's go!" Gideon said, impatiently.

"I... I hear strange sounds coming from in there..."

"Yeah? Well, that isn't surprising." He shook his head and proceeded to what appeared to be the front door. He looked up at another camera without pulling his I.D. out and the door made a soft clicking sound. He pushed it open and stepped inside. She cautiously followed, looking around. They were in a small foyer area and there were doors leading off of it in front of them and to either side.

"Left wing, right wing, and main lab and office area," Gideon nodded to each door as he spoke.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"It's where the Master's wards are kept for observation and testing."

"Wards?"

"People he takes in who have super human abilities." He glanced at her. "People like you."

"Are they here by choice?"

He smirked at her. "Sure they are."

She stared at him for a moment and then nodded her head. "Lead the way, please."

They walked down a corridor with doors leading off to either side. He stopped at one on the right and opened it. He stood to the side and gestured for her to enter. She walked past him into a large brightly lit room. There was a man in a lab coat standing in front of a computer. He was surrounded by machines and equipment of the likes that she had never seen before. There were a variety of scientific materials everywhere. It looked like a laboratory right out of a futuristic science fiction movie.

"What is all this stuff?" she asked, staring around her.

The man in the lab coat looked up and upon seeing them, stopped what he was doing and rushed over. "Well, well!" he said, his tone curious and excited. "You must be the dark angel I've heard so much about! Come. Come. Let me show you around. I am Dr. Nils, one of the head scientists here at the facility."

"I see. What is it that you are studying here, Dr. Nils?"

"Oh, my dear girl! We are doing revolutionary work here! We have made some of the most amazing break throughs the likes of which the rest of the world has never seen. It's all very exciting!"

She continued to look around at the strange machinery and equipment as she followed him across the huge room. He stopped at one machine and pulled out a small tray. There was a small dish on the tray with a liquid of some sort in it. He took it and turned to present it to her proudly.

"This, my dear, is one of my ongoing projects."

She stared at the little dish and then turned her golden eyes back up to his face. He was a seedy-looking little man and she didn't like his cold blue eyes or his mustache that wiggled when he spoke. It made her want to catch hold of it and rip it from his face.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It is a serum. It isn't finished yet, but what we are hoping to achieve is a serum that, when administered to someone with specific kinds of powers, it will make it possible to draw the source of those powers out into a vial. Then we will be able to study the source of these amazing abilities independently of the person who has them. Once we can do that, the sky is the limit!"

"What do you mean?" she wasn't sure she liked where he was going with this.

He stared at her, the smile frozen to his face. She stared back, unwavering.

"Don't... don't you have an imagination in that head of yours?" he finally asked. "There are so many paths we can take if we have the capability to 'bottle' the abilities of the gifted. We're almost there. We've successfully narrowed down the power source of most affinities. The serum is nearing perfection."

"Why do I hear crying children, Dr... Nils was it?"

"Yes. Nils," he replied, his excitement from earlier seeming to evaporate with each question she asked. "I don't hear anything."

"Of course you don't. You don't have the hearing capability that I do."

"Ah! Of course. Yes, you have extremely sensitive vision and hearing. Well! I think I've shown you enough for today. Gideon!"

Gideon, who had remained at the entrance, strode over to them. 

"You never answered my question," she spoke softly, but her tone was firm.

"Yes! Well, not everything can be learned in one day, my girl!" He pushed her toward the door, seeming in quite a hurry for her to be on her way.

"Done already?" Gideon looked a little surprised.

"Apparently Dr. Nils had different expectations for the questions I would ask."

She fixed the doctor with a steady glare and he fidgeted, uncomfortably.

"She's talking about crying kids and seems not to be able to grasp the potential of our work here. I'm not sure of the wisdom in bringing her here."

Gideon turned toward her with a raised eyebrow. She gazed back at him without speaking. After a moment, he nodded his head toward the door.

"Let's go," he said. Once they had stepped out into the corridor, he quietly said, "To be honest, he gives me the creeps, too. I don't like spending much time around the scientists."

He led her further down the hall to another door. He opened it to reveal what looked like a physical therapy room. There was exercise equipment and monitoring devices. No one was in there at the moment. It was too late for anyone to be doing any physical therapy. The room was huge.

"This is where the subjects exercise and strengthen their bodies after having surgery," he said.

"I see that. What kind of surgery goes on here?"

"All kinds. Anything from brain surgery to reconstructive to simple laser treatments. We have some of the most sought after surgeons in every specialty employed here. The Master hand picks everyone."

"What is the overall purpose of this place?" She kept her voice even and without emotion.

"Scientific research." He shrugged. "Advancement of knowledge about people with abilities that are considered super human."

"So... it was a lie, then. When the Master told me he rescues them from persecution?"

He stepped back into the corridor and she followed. After closing the door behind them, he turned and looked into her eyes. "Whatever the Master tells you, you don't question. You never question him. Never doubt him. Never disobey him. You know that. What he says and does is law. I wouldn't advise showing any kind of disapproval, if that is where you're headed."

"I merely want to know the truth. Whether or not I disapprove is of no significance."

"Right. Do yourself a favor and remember that."

"Is there more to show me?"

"There's a lot more. Why don't we walk over to the west wing? I'll show you some of the 'specimens' we have housed here."

She tried to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she followed him back up the corridor the way they had come.

(Comments? Please vote! If you are interested in a Kindle copy of the first book, or just want to support, I finally made it available. I would love to get some good reviews there. Hint. The link is in a message I posted to my profile comments section here on Wattpad. The first book has been changed quite a bit, so those who have read it already may want to get the completely edited version.)