GOOD THING THE SUPPLIES Rome and Tanner had fetched earlier were a fire extinguisher, raincoats, gloves and an industrial-size bottle of Tylenol. Not to mention the supplies Rome had acquired when he’d left me in that “safe house” I burned down. Guns, guns and more guns. Large guns, small guns, guns that didn’t look like guns.

I’d never fired one before, but vowed to learn. If people were going to shoot at me, I was damn well going to shoot back. Dirty Harriet, that’s me.

Rather than practice with us, Lexis left for the city. The sooner she arrived to guard my dad, the better. Tanner, Rome and I trudged into the forest, not stopping until we reached a small clearing. We spent an hour practicing. I say “we” loosely. I practiced, Rome yelled and Tanner cracked jokes.

None of us had made any progress at that point, but at least they were the only witnesses to my… mishaps.

Sunlight glared overhead, heating the air, making it thick and sticky. The trees provided some shade, but it wasn’t enough. The heat, combined with Rome ’s snarls, put me on edge. The birds had stopped chirping and flown away. The insects had stopped singing and buzzing, opting for escape. Smart bugs.

“Concentrate this time,” Rome said. “Both of you,” he added, shooting Tanner a glower.

Tanner had his arm around my waist on the excuse that personal contact would help him read me, and I felt his muscles tense. “I was concentrating before, Agent Ass. We both were.”

“If you’re concentrating,” Rome said, “why the hell have I doused three fires, been hit with a dirt ball, endured a hailstorm and nearly had my balls frozen off? You’re supposed to tell her when her emotions are becoming too wild, Tanner, so she can learn when she needs to take the goddamn edge off them.”

Scowling, Tanner dropped his arm to his side and kicked a rock with the toe of his boot. “I’ve been trying, but I’m new at this, too. I don’t know when they’re wild enough to cause damage, and I don’t know when they’re too weak to do nothing.”

“Then learn together, damn it!”

“ Rome,” I said, hands on hips. No way would I allow him to talk to Tanner like that. “I’d like to speak with you privately.”

He stopped giving Tanner the evil eye long enough to stalk toward me. “What?”

We stood nose to nose. I glared up at him, strangely excited. Soot darkened his face, trailing black streaks down his cheeks. “What’s your problem? You’re making everyone miserable when you should be happy for me. For the first time, I formed a mound of dirt-the fourth element-with my mind.” Or rather, with my jealousy, the emotion that summoned the earth to me. But I didn’t mention that fact because I’d had to think of Lexis and Rome -gag-together. Eek. If I didn’t stop thinking this way, I’d form another dirt ball. Back to the conversation. “That should have put you in a stellar mood.”

His jaw muscles twitched, and he glanced away from me, scowling off into the distance. “I don’t like that Tanner has to put his hands on you.”

“What?” Of all the things I’d expected to hear, that wasn’t close by any means. Could shock kill a person? I think I’d just experienced a minideath. “He’s a kid. A horny kid, but a kid nonetheless.”

“So. He’s old enough to like it.”

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t stop the thrill that tingled along my skin. This strong, sexy man was jealous. About me. Me! “It’s not like he had his hand up my shirt. You’re being silly.” You wonderful thing, you. “You better treat him nicer or the moment I’m able, I’ll make sure you’re followed by a rain cloud for days.”

Quicker than the blink of an eye, his arms snaked around me, dragging me into his embrace. “I’ll feel better after I’ve made you mine.”

Despite the oppressive heat, I shivered. I licked my lips, unable to stop myself from imagining this fierce man stripping me down, laving his way over my entire body, then branding me with his scent, his taste, his touch.

“Oh, hell. Not this again.” Tanner moaned. “I thought we were on a time crunch here. Nowhere in the Kill the Bad Guys schedule did I see a make-out break. You’re soiling my innocence with all this romance crap.”

I brushed a gentle kiss against Rome ’s lips-lips that instantly softened and beckoned me to linger. “Settle down and behave,” I told him, ignoring Tanner. “We’re all hot, tired and cranky. If we finish practicing early and you’re a good boy, I might let you kiss me again.” Wait. No hard-core kissing. Stop forgetting.

His mouth curled in a small but genuine smile. “You’re going to be the death of me, you know that?”

God, I hoped not. My smile dissolved, the thought sobering me. In the coming days, he could be hurt or killed. By me. By someone else. I totally understood now why he and Lexis had offered themselves as guinea pigs when the prize was potential invincibility. Anything to protect your partner. “I’ll do better, too. I promise.”

Unaware of the complete change in my mood, he slapped my butt and turned to Tanner. Rome ’s eyes were lighter, his face more relaxed. “Sorry,” he said grudgingly. “Are you ready to try again?”

“Whatever, dude.” Tanner rolled his shoulders, sweat painting his shirt onto his skin. “Let’s get this over with so I can fill my undies with ice. Your balls might be freezing, but mine are melting off.”

“Places, everyone,” Rome said.

“We need to do something different,” I said. But what? Determined to succeed, I shut my eyes and forced myself to concentrate. In, out, I breathed, and I could hear Tanner doing the same. In. Out. He reached over and closed his hand around mine. His palm was smooth and possessed a quiet strength.

Because the mental thing had worked when I’d needed a Keep Out sign, I pictured our hands fused together. Connecting. Locking. Soon I felt my mind reaching out for his, probing for contact. I almost opened my eyes in surprise. I could feel myself trying to break down the mental door separating us.

“We’re melding,” Tanner said under his breath. “We’re melding. We’re actually meld-” As he spoke, I mentally pushed the rest of the way inside his mind. Suddenly he jerked, and I felt a jolt travel the length of my arm. “Shit,” he said. “Something just… broke inside me. I can really feel you. I can really feel your emotions.”

“Make it rain,” Rome commanded.

Rain. I let images of sad things float through my mind. Lost puppies. The homeless. Orphaned children. Soon I hoped to be able to do this instantly, to automatically draw on my emotions without thought or force. As for now, this was the best I could do. World hunger. The amount of fat grams in a Krispy Kreme.

“My God, Viper, your sadness level just spiked to thunderstorm proportions. I can actually feel the storm inside you.” Pride and shock laced Tanner’s voice.

Even as he spoke, thunder boomed. The clouds opened up and poured a deluge of rain over the forest, soaking the three of us. Cotton and denim became glued to my body. Wet hair streaked my temples and cheeks. Water droplets caught in my eyelashes.

“Bring it down,” Tanner said.

Bring it down, bring it down. I couldn’t do it, though. The sadness was there. Strong and indomitable. Then I felt something-someone-reach inside me and take most of the sadness away. It wasn’t Tanner, I knew that. The… essence was different, hotter. My eyelids popped open, and I met Rome ’s surprised stare.

“How did you do that?” I asked, at the same time Tanner said, “The storm is dying.”

The rain slowed to a gentle drizzle.

“Now,” Rome said with determination. “Make it stop.”

I tried to blank my mind completely, to allow myself to feel no emotion, but random thoughts stubbornly intruded. How had Rome swept through me, taking the heart of my sadness? What was my dad doing at this moment? When would I next eat one of those delicious but fattening Krispy Kremes? Did Rome think I looked like a drowned cat right now?