by R S Penney
She closed her eyes, sniffling as tears spilled over her cheeks. “Aiden,” she rasped. “Oh, I'm so sorry.”
But when she really thought about it, she realized that rejecting Aiden as a host was the right decision. His obsession with gaining a symbiont…his refusal to respect Melissa's boundaries. He couldn't be trusted to handle the power responsibly.
But that didn't mean he was a bad person!
Not everyone was cut out to be a Justice Keeper, but there were many things Aiden could do with the training he had received. Melissa was out of her chair in an instant and rushing to embrace him.
Aiden said nothing as he turned on his heel and walked out the door. She caught up with him in the hallway. With clenched fists, he paced through the corridor as if he meant to run over anyone in his path.
“Aiden,” she said, racing after him. “Aiden.”
He ignored her.
Melissa ran past him, spun around and put herself right in front of him. “Were you just going to take off?” she asked, her eyebrows shooting upward. “We should talk about it. You need support.”
Aiden's face was grim, his skin flushed, and there was sweat beading on his brow. “I don't need anything,” he said coldly. “Let me be. I want to be alone.”
“But-”
“I don't want you to see me like this! Not after this humiliation!”
“You shouldn't feel humiliated.”
He shouldered past her with a grunt. “Melissa,” he said, turning around and backing away while spreading his hands. “I've told you what I need. You asked me to respect your boundaries; so, now I'll ask you to do the same.”
She made no further protest as he stalked off down the corridor.
Her heart sank.
Rolling onto his back, Harry stared, open-mouthed, at the ceiling. He blinked once and focused on his breathing, pulling the blankets up over his bare chest. “Okay,” he said. “I think we're in trouble.”
Next to him, Sora pulled the covers over her head as if she were afraid to let Harry see her. That seemed a little redundant now, but he wasn't going to argue about it. “Yup,” was all she said.
The End of the Eighth Book of the Justice Keepers Saga
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About the Author
Richard S. Penney is a science-fiction author and futurist from Southern Ontario. He graduated from McMaster University with a degree in mathematics and statistics. Rich knew that he wanted to be a writer ever since he was a child, when he would act out complex stories with his action figures.
He has worked in a number of different fields, including banking, teaching and software QA.
In 2014, Rich published his first novel, Symbiosis, the first volume of the Justice Keepers Saga. The story was one that he had been planning to write ever since he was a teenager. The Desa Kincaid novels grew out of a tandem story that Rich started on Theoryland.com, a Wheel of Time discussion site.
Rich has been an environmental activist since his early twenties, and he has given talks on sustainability in Greece and Australia.
Contact the Author
Follow me on Twitter @Rich_Penney
E-mail me at [email protected]
You can check out my blog at rspenney.com
You can also visit the Justice Keepers Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/keeperssaga
Questions, comments and theories are welcome.
Books by the Author
Symbiosis (Justice Keepers Saga I)
Friction (Justice Keepers Saga II)
Entanglement (Justice Keepers Saga III)
Relativity (Justice Keepers Saga IV)
Evolution (Justice Keepers Saga V)
Dirty Mirror (Justice Keepers Saga VI)
Severed Bonds (Justice Keepers Saga VII)
Test Subjects (Justice Keepers Saga VIII)
Dark Designs
Desa Kincaid: Bounty Hunter
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