Beast's Beauty: A Xeno Sapiens Novel (Genetically Altered Humans Book 4) Read online

  “Eccentric?” Sunny asked.

  “People with money are eccentric. It’s cool to be eccentric. People who are poor are weird. Weird is scorned.”

  “So the words mean the same thing, but one is cool and one isn’t?”

  “Yep,” Heather said cheerfully. “And we’re going to make these two cool as beans. People will fight over their rarely released work.”

  “Maybe one day you can talk them into releasing a few pieces. Eventually, they’re going to fill up Xenia with all their stuff,” Sunny said.

  During this time, Beast had been staring under the loveseat. He stooped, squatting low as if he could see something that wasn’t there.

  “What are you doing?” Heather asked in a bewildered tone.

  “Looking for something red and lacy.”

  “I have it,” Sunny gritted out. “Jett and Brax found it and returned it to me.”

  Beast broke into a huge smile. “Glad you have it back. I forgot about it until just now, until I was thinking fondly of this spot…”

  “Come, Heather,” Sunny said, pulling her arm into hers and glaring at Beast, who was waggling his brows suggestively. “Let’s go see the twins’ den. I’m sure Brax and Jett won’t mind you seeing their house.”

  She heard another rustling of leaves in the distance and was sure the brothers were nearby watching. Heather glanced around nervously as the trees canopied, blocking the sun and darkening the area. “Will I need to come out this way by myself every day?”

  “Yes, but if you want an escort, one of us can bring you. There is nothing to fear on Xenia. There is no wildlife on this side of the establishment, and none of the Xeno Sapiens would ever harm you. The humans are all employed by us and completely trustworthy,” Beast said.

  Surprisingly, Heather didn’t seem comforted by the statement that the humans were trustworthy.

  “Old fears linger,” Heather said warily. “I’d never be able to walk alone at night on the outside.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” Sunny assured her. “Until then, someone can walk you.” She stopped abruptly in front of their cave-like structure. “Here it is.”

  Heather looked around. “Here? Where?”

  “This…hill. See how the vines cover the entrance?”

  “Oh, goddess,” Heather said. “It’s camouflaged. How fascinating.” She ran her fingers over the covered door.

  Beast rapped on it. “Hello?”

  There was no response, so he pushed the door open. “Jett? Brax?”

  “Looks like they’re not home.”

  Heather’s face fell.

  “I’m sure they won’t mind us looking around,” Sunny said, and watched the eager look erupt across her features again.

  Stepping over the threshold was like entering another world. The interior was completely dark, save for a few areas that glowed softly from mineral stones. Beast stepped inside and lit a large candle in the center of the room. There was one skylight that was tunneled all the way up to the top of the hill, but a covering had been placed over it. Beast released the catch, and natural sunlight spilled into the den. As her eyes adjusted, Sunny realized it was calm and serene inside. She’d always avoided their den, likening it to the underground laboratories, but it was nothing like those. She should have known better.

  Giant lounge pillows decorated a sunken area with a long, beautifully crafted table on short legs that sat in the center. The legs were sculpted of round balls. The brothers used the table as a desk of sorts as drawings of projects decorated the smooth surface. Soft, cuddly fabrics were folded into a woven basket, probably for lounging on the pillows during chillier evenings.

  “There’s not a whole lot to clean,” Heather said. “Especially if they eat in the main area.”

  Sunny shrugged. “You’ll make them a meal once a week. They’ll appreciate that.”

  Heather peeked around the corner. “They have separate bedrooms. Bigger pillows the size of mattresses! So cool. And each has a bathroom. At least I can spend some time cleaning there. Oh, wow, you should see the art on these walls. Metallic paint that plays on the shadows of the room. They come alive!” Her voice was giddy as she wandered into the room.

  “They have dishes to clean,” Beast said unnecessarily, looking at the glass cabinet doors in the kitchen that showed neatly stacked bowls in delicate, white china.

  “Seriously?” Sunny hissed.

  “What? I’m pointing out there’s plenty of work here for her.” He smiled widely. “I’m sure she’ll like it.”

  “Guys!” Heather called out excitedly from the bedroom. “This is seriously cool! Their bathrooms are just a toilet and sink, so I went exploring for the shower or tub. Guess what I found?”

  Giving each other a curious look, Sunny and Beast followed to the back of the den where her voice trailed. Inside the cavern was a small opening in the back wall that led to a primitive hot spring area. It was hot and muggy in the small bathing cavern.

  Beast whistled. “Well, no wonder they claimed this den. All you need to do is grab a towel to take with you.”

  “Right? And I found a clothes washer in the kitchen, but no dryer.”

  “Mmm,” Sunny said. “We have perma-dry closets in the bedrooms. Robyn insisted on the technology. You hang your wet clothing on the special areas and close the door and presto. They’re dried and pressed instantly. Something is always at your fingertips within your closet.”

  “I’ve heard about that,” Heather said. “Here on Earth-Ground, Gramma always had a clothesline. She sometimes had to sit outside to wait for our clothes to dry in the sun with a shotgun to make sure no one helped themselves.” She laughed. “But that was when we lived at some of our dumpier places. We never stayed too long in those areas.”

  She gave a short laugh that didn’t seem humorous.

  “Well, I imagine we need to get you back,” Sunny said. “Before they start the next session without you.”

  Surprisingly, Heather’s face fell. “Yes, I guess I need to make a decision.”

  It seemed odd that making such an easy decision wouldn’t make her deliriously happy.

  * * * * *

  Heather was safely back with the group of humans in the main hub when Sunny and Beast headed down the front steps.

  Up ahead, Sam approached with Shawn. “Beast! I hear you’d like to help out with security?”

  “Yes. Since Sunny will be returning to patrol the gates in a month, I thought I’d get some training under my belt and work there, too.”

  Shawn looked eager. “I can start training you tomorrow. It’s a slightly different job, but at least you wouldn’t be gone all day. Just a few hours.”

  “What’s the new job?”

  Shawn grimaced. “Investigations. Not fun, I know. We’ll be inside a lot of the time and assisting Dr. Eric with“—he looked at Sunny and sighed—“the dried-up carcass. And let me warn you, Dr. Eric isn’t the most fun of scientists. He’s weirdly fascinated with the way the body continues to dry. I’m rather excited about the drying aspect. It means it smells less. But he’s getting frantic because it means there will be less to uncover when it’s completely dusted.”

  “On a lighter note, we may have to get out to seek the supplies that he needs. And since you’ll be involved, we’ll get to take the invisi-car.”

  Sam laughed. “That thing’s amazing.”

  “Will I still be on the same shift when Sunny returns to work?”

  Shawn grinned. “Of course. We wouldn’t dare try to take your Sunny time. Why would we want to break up beauty and the beast?”

  Beast growled. “Don’t call my girl a beast.”

  Sam laughed. “We all know who has unrivaled beauty, right, Shawn?”

  But Shawn was off, staring in the distance as he thought.

  “Really? Are you pining after your own beauty?”

  To their amusement, he turned pink. “Of course not!”

  “Really?” Sunny said softly, knowing he thought of Tem
pest. “Because I think that would be wonderful.”

  He grinned. “She feels bad for killing me. I shouldn’t take advantage of that.”

  “Why not?” Beast asked. “You are a weak human. You need any advantage you can get.”

  Shawn snorted. “Well, she’ll be on gate duty tomorrow. Be sure to come by for the lunch break,” Shawn said to Sunny. “You can wander off with Beast, and I’ll have to escort Tempest.”

  “Win-win all around.” Sunny smiled.

  “We’ll let you two enjoy your evening together. See you tomorrow,” Shawn said, as Sam waved.

  “Are you sure you’re ready for me to leave you for a couple of hours?” Beast asked as they began walking home.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said.

  “It’s just that…I wondered if it would bring back bad memories since you’re returning to the same area.”

  “There aren’t any bad memories. I learned from the experience. I regret killing someone, but I also regret allowing myself to be tricked. Mostly, I regret hurting you.”

  “You do?”

  “Of course, Beast,” she said softly. “I’d do anything to take that back. To wipe that look of hurt from your eyes.”

  He was quiet the rest of the walk home.

  * * * * *

  Beast left Sunny sleeping the next morning, knowing she would be by to share lunch with him. He found Shawn in the forensics wing of medbay where Dr. Eric was engrossed with speaking into a small microphone.

  “He’s compiling a report,” Shawn said, steering him toward a glass container that housed the remains of the human Sunny had dusted.

  “This is him?” Beast asked, whistling under his breath. The sheer force of her power was magnificent. Half the body had crumbled with movement and was housed in a glass coffin.

  “It is,” Shawn said softly.

  “How in the hell can he compile any reports with this mess?”

  “He used a computer laser to comb through the dust without disturbing it. There is one area near the head that shows a fragment which may be whole. Dr. Eric would like to search that area for a piece to extract DNA.”

  “Are you two ready?” Dr. Eric asked, approaching from behind them.

  “We are,” Shawn said. “What would you like us to do?”

  “See these pictures?” Onto a hologram, Dr. Eric pulled a series of slides that showed the ashes at different angles, sliced with the laser. “In this area, which was the face, we have a molar that was buried. The actual tooth no longer exists, but in the very center is the tiniest sliver that may not be completely dissolved. That’s what we’ll test. But”—Dr. Eric looked at Beast—“your girlfriend’s power is incredible. It seems that when we rifle through the ash, it spreads and contaminates anything around it. Which is how the entire body is decomposing quickly. So, for this experiment, I’ll have one of you hold a bowl of preservative near me so when I do retrieve the fragment, I can drop it in. The other one of you will be my second set of eyes. I’ll have you wear the virtual reality glasses, which plugs you into the computer-generated images of the slices of dust, and read to me the degrees that I’ll need to move left or right. While I’ll still wear the other set of VR glasses, I’ll only be able to see from the front angle. It wouldn’t be a problem except,” he grimaced. “Every time I go in, even with the smallest needle, which is the circumference of a strand of hair, everything around me collapses. It’s tedious.”

  He wasn’t exaggerating as they soon found out.

  With a grin, Shawn took the job of holding the preservative liquid, leaving Beast to place the VR glasses on his face. The image he received was of a grid, with lines across his vision like graph paper. The computer had scripts of instructions that rolled across the screen.

  Dr. Field slowly inserted the micro-fine needle, and Beast watched as if he was there.

  “Two degrees right,” Beast said as the instructions rolled across his view.

  Dr. Field moved the needle.

  “Now in three notches.”

  Dr. Field cursed under his breath as dust crumbled.

  “Okay, back up one degree,” Beast said. “Let’s try again.”

  Hours later, Beast stretched his neck just as Dr. Field yelled. “By God, I think I have it!”

  Beast tore off his goggles, but it was impossible to see the fragment with the naked eye. He blinked a few times, but Dr. Eric held the piece under a magnifying glass. Very slowly he moved it toward the preservative held under the needle by Shawn where he dunked the tip of the needle into the liquid.

  “I think that’s it,” he said excitedly. “Now, if the two of you can get that off to the counter over there—” His voice dropped off as the entire body crumbled within the glass box.

  “Oh, no,” Shawn breathed.

  “There it goes,” Beast said, at the same time.

  “I seriously hope that sample was enough,” Dr. Eric said. “Or we may never be able to confirm the identity of this guy. And with confirmation comes the ability to trace family members.”

  “How long until you find something out?” Shawn asked.

  Dr. Eric shrugged and then winced, grimacing as he rotated the sore muscles in his shoulders and neck. “A few hours? I’ll start processing it now. It’s nearly lunchtime if you two want to get on with that. I won’t need you for the rest of the day, but you’re welcome to stop by later to see if it’s a workable sample.”

  “We’ll do that, doc. Thanks,” Shawn said.

  He and Beast made their way outside to the mess hall. “What do you think about telling Sunny what we’ve been doing?”

  “Not yet,” Beast murmured. Up in the distance, he saw Sunny and Tempest together, laughing as they waited for them on the front steps of the building. Tempest was in uniform while Sunny looked utterly gorgeous in a skirt that showed lots of leg and a lace tank top that emphasized the strong, lean muscles of her arms and shoulders, and the swell of golden skin at her chest. They looked up and waved. “I don’t want to get her hopes up and then find out it was all for nothing because the sample’s too small, and there’s nothing left of the body but collapsed dust.”

  “Understood,” Shawn said under his breath, waving back at the women. “Ladies, you both look lovely,” he said, as they approached. “Tempest, would you mind fixing a plate and coming with me? I thought maybe we could have a working lunch.”

  “Of course,” she murmured. “Sunny, I will see you tomorrow. Beast-ly, you are lucky to have her.”

  With a snicker, Shawn carted her away.

  “Did she just call me Beastly?”

  “Yes,” Sunny said. “You’re getting closer to your name. You know once she refers to you by your name, you’ve been accepted in her book. I wouldn’t mind Shawn’s snickering,” she said earnestly. “You know it took months for him? He was called human.” She laughed.

  “I shall remind him of that,” Beast said, taking her arm and escorting her to the food.

  Chapter Nine

  Robyn sat with Sunny in the main hub. “Tuesdays are hard,” she said, watching the hologram screen to see the shuttle approach from the main gates. “I hardly get to see Kaden since we’re keeping him under wraps.”

  “I thought we could trust the humans we hired?” It had been a month since they had been accepted as employees of the city. A month since Beast had been training for the security detail for a few hours each day.

  “We can. But that secret is…huge. I want to give it some time, you know? Before we allow anyone other than our own inhabitants of Xenia to find out about my son. I want to make sure we know each and every single person.”

  “How are the humans working out?”

  “It’s only been a few weeks, but so far so good. They’re slowly getting used to things. So far everyone has been trustworthy. There are no items missing, nor bits of information being leaked.”

  “How about Heather? She chose the twins.”

  Robyn shrugged. “She seems fine with things. She still hasn’t
met Jett or Brax and doesn’t seem to find that odd. I’m not sure why they’re in hiding. I ought to find out, now that I’m thinking about it.”

  “Yes,” Sunny murmured. “They were entranced with the idea of having a human come to Xenia. I can’t imagine why they still haven’t shown themselves to her.”

  “Someone has been walking her through the woods every day. I think Beast is taking her today since he’s driving the shuttle from the gate. Unless she agrees she can make her way herself.”

  “I’ll bet they hide in the woods and watch as someone walks her through. Maybe I’ll see if I can find them.”

  “Before you leave, Sunny. I’d like to talk to you about whether you’re ready to return to work…”

  “I am. It’s scheduled for tomorrow,” Sunny said. “Beast has completed his training and will start full time also.”

  “What about coming across the spot where you killed Mike?” This time, Robyn didn’t mince words.

  Sunny winced. “I’ve come to grips with it. He wasn’t an honorable man and intended to do harm to me. Though unintentional, I did harm to him first. I can’t dwell on it.” The thought worried her more than she let on, but she also knew she couldn’t let it stop her.

  “Good. But you really should explore the area with someone first.”

  “Sunny! My friend!” Tempest turned the corner, Shawn in tow. They were both sweaty like they’d just come from working out. Tempest wrapped her arms around her.

  “I haven’t seen you in so long.”

  “You’ll see me tomorrow,” Sunny said, hugging her back briefly. “I’m back on the gates with B shift.”

  “And Beast has finished his training so it will be perfect. I will be on the opposite side, but if you need me—”

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  “Robyn says you may have flashbacks.”

  Sunny gulped. It was something she’d thought of.

  “I was going to tell her myself,” Robyn said drily. “Perhaps have her exercise controlling her power. Not that I don’t think you have control, Sunny. I just thought that exercising it would teach you how it feels to use it.”

  Sunny nodded.