Severed Bonds

by R S Penney

Opening the door exposed him to a warm and muggy night where the purple moon sat low in the eastern sky. A tiny white cottage with a gabled roof was nestled into a gap in the trees that ran alongside the highway.

  With a few cautious steps forward, Jack craned his neck and felt his brow furrow. “This is where she wants to meet?” he mumbled to himself. “If these are Slade's new diggs, then you gotta admire his downward mobility.”

  He started up the driveway.

  A robotic voice came through the car's exterior speaker, and the headlights flashed. “Shall I remain, sir?” it asked.

  “Remain,” Jack said. “For now.”

  Cautiously, he made his way around the cottage to find a patio where lit candles in glass jars sat on a glass table. An oval-shaped pool was lit by bright floodlights so that the waters within seemed to glow a deep turquoise.

  And there was Anna.

  She stood on the patio in denim shorts and a white t-shirt with mesh sleeves. The warm smile on her face told him that everything would be all right. “Hey, gorgeous,” she said. “I'm really glad you could join me.”

  “Hey,” Jack said. “What's all this?”

  “Step in time.”

  Grinning sheepishly, Jack closed his eyes and nodded to her. “Oh, you know I have to respect anyone who makes a Marry Poppins reference,” he said. “But you didn't really answer my question.”

  Standing a mere three feet away, Anna offered a shrug of her shoulders and smiled down at herself as if she couldn't find the will to meet his gaze. “I figured it was time for me to explain why I was so mean to you.”

  “And the cottage?”

  Anna stepped forward, taking his hands, and she stood on her toes to brush his lips with hers. “I wanted some time alone with you,” she said softly. “Just you and me with no interruptions.”

  He lifted his forearm and tapped a few commands into his multi-tool, ordering the car to return to the city. A few days alone with Anna sounded…perfect. Of course, he was completely unprepared for it. Only one set of clothes, no shampoo or razors. Oh hell! All of that could wait!

  There was only one thing on his mind. He wanted an answer to the question that had been gnawing at him for weeks. Why had his best friend pushed him away so hard? “So…” he said. “You were gonna tell me about what happened?”

  “I will,” she promised. “First, let's go swimming.”

  With a wheeze of laughter, Jack hung his head and rubbed his brow with the back of his fist. “You wanna go swimming,” he mumbled. “Maybe you didn't notice, An, but I didn't show up with swim trunks.”

  Biting her lip, Anna nodded as she thought it over. “How convenient for me!” she teased. “Why it's almost like I planned it that way!”

  She turned her back on him, grabbed the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it up over her head. Holy crap…Was this really happening? But what about the answer to his question? It had been driving him crazy!

  Jack felt his mouth drop open, then blinked and gave his head a shake. “Don't pass up a good thing, Hunter.” He pulled his own t-shirt off and tossed the damn thing aside. “You can get your answer later.”

  In less than a minute, he was popping up from underwater, dark hair matted against his brow as he shook his head. Despite himself, Jack couldn't help but feel just a little bit shy. He had never done anything like this.

  Anna swam toward him with an impish grin on her face, her white hair left loose to fall past the nape of her neck. She splashed him playfully, and he flinched when the water got in his eyes.

  Before he could even think of retaliation, Anna was slipping her arms around his neck, rising up to kiss him. “Hey, you,” she whispered. “So, I have to lodge a complaint. If I had known my boyfriend was this good-looking, I would have insisted on sexy fun times a long time ago.”

  “You have a tattoo of a daisy on your hip,” he blurted.

  “You didn't know?”

  Jack pressed his lips to her forehead, then pulled back and touched his nose to the spot he had kissed. “It's pretty hot,” he murmured. “And I think I'm starting to realize that there's still a lot I don't know about you.”

  “And there always will be,” she said. “Just full of mysteries here. Unravel one, and you only find another.”

  “Maybe that's why I find you so irresistible.”

  She pushed him back until he was pressed against the wall, then wrapped her arms around him and trembled in his embrace. “Okay,” she said with resolution in her voice. “I'm ready to tell you everything.”

  “You wanted to go skinny dipping so we could have a long talk?”

  Anna drew in a shuddering breath, and he instinctively pulled her close, trailing his fingertips over the soft skin of her back. “I wanted to be vulnerable with you,” she said. “I wanted to…Oh, it's stupid.”

  Brushing a lock of wet hair off her cheek, he tucked it behind her ear. “No, it isn't,” Jack insisted. “Just take your time. I'm right here.”

  “Do you remember the night when I fought Slade behind that dingy old motel?” she asked. “You were taking care of me after I received a serious beat down. I felt so useless, and there you were, making everything better. And I kissed you.”

  “I remember.”

  “When I kissed you that night,” she went on, “I realized that I had been denying my feelings for months. I came back to Earth because I wanted to be with you. Yes, it was a high-profile assignment, and yes, it did advance my career. But it wasn't my only option. I never let myself admit it. I guess I thought that indulging the hopeless romantic in me was childish.”

  Anna shivered in his arms.

  His heart ached for her, but all he could do was hold her close with his hand on the back of her head. Every instinct inside him wanted to keep her warm and safe. “I'm right here,” Jack whispered. “It's okay.”

  “I guess I thought I had all the time in the world,” Anna murmured. “But then you were with Gabi, and I thought I'd lost you…So, I did the 'mature' thing. I went on a date with someone else.

  “Bradley was sweet and kind and adorkable in a way that I couldn't resist. And at first, it didn't matter that I wasn't head over heels in love, because who expects to be in love on the very first date? I told myself that I would fall in love gradually, that everything would fall into place…but it didn't. As time went on, I did feel genuine affection for him. Maybe even love! But it wasn't the kind of love that makes you want to spend your life with someone. So, when Bradley started talking about moving to Leyria…”

  She sniffled, tears glistening on her cheeks, and then leaned in close to nuzzle his shoulder. “I broke a man's heart,” Anna whimpered. “Because I couldn't be honest with myself. I'm a screw-up, Jack!”

  “No, you're not.”

  “Yes, I am!”

  Cupping her face with both hands, Jack kissed her on the lips. “You're not a screw-up, Anna,” he whispered, touching his nose to hers. “This is just life. I did the same thing. I thought you hated me; so, I let myself sleep with Cassi because I thought I could force myself to move on.”

  “I'm so sorry.”

  “And then there was Gabi,” he said. “She knew she didn't love me, but she stuck around for months because she thought she owed it to me to try. And when it fell apart, we both got hurt. But Gabi's not a bad person, and I'm not a bad person, and you're not a bad person, Anna. You're a good person. A wonderful person! And I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  For a little while, Jack just held her, gently running fingers through her hair. Her body relaxed, and he knew that her pain was fading. “I love you,” he whispered again. It felt so good to say it. “Is it all right if I ask a question?”

  “Yes! Of course!”

  “I'm still not clear on why you lashed out at me.”

  Backing away from him, Anna let out a breath. She looked up at him with serious blue eyes, blinking slowly. “Because you loved me,” she said. “I hated myself, and you loved me. I could feel it.”


  “So, you pushed me away.”

  “I didn't want to be loved,” she said. “I wanted to be punished.”

  Jack took a moment to let that sink in. It had never occurred to him that guilt might have been the thing that kept her away. Maybe it was because he had Anna on a bit of a pedestal. “I'm really glad you told me.”

  Anna swam toward him like a shark on the hunt, her devilish grin setting his blood on fire. “So,” she said. “Would you like to spend a few days alone with me? Just the two of us with no distractions?”

  Red-cheeked, Jack shut his eyes and nodded to her. “That sounds lovely,” he said. “But I don't have toothpaste or shampoo or-”

  “I took care of everything, love.”

  “Someone has to feed Spock.”

  Anna smooched him on the nose and laughed. “Melissa happened to mention that you gave Harry biometric access to your apartment,” she said. “And Harry said that he would be happy to look in on your cat.”

  “Okay,” Jack said. “But I only have one set of clothes.”

  With a throaty growl, Anna wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, and he was suddenly reminded of the fact that they were both naked. “Are you really dumb enough to think you're gonna need clothes?”

  “I might be dumb enough to think that.”

  “Ugh…Why do I always fall for the thick-headed ones?”

  Anna woke to the warm caress of sunlight on her skin and the knowledge that she was perfectly, completely safe. It was a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time. Not since that night, five years ago, when she and Jack had shared a bed for the first time.

  Her cheek was mashed against the pillow, her eyes shut tight as strands of hair fell over her face. Bit by bit, consciousness seeped into her mind until she just couldn't stay still any more.

  When she opened her eyes, she was delighted to see that Jack was still sound asleep beside her, his breathing slow and steady. She couldn't help herself. She snuggled up with her arm around his tummy, resting her head on his chest.

  Jack stirred, of course, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close. She was almost sad to wake him, but the sensation of him lightly trailing his fingertips over her back was just too delicious.

  She was safe.

  All this time, she had been afraid to be vulnerable, afraid to let anyone see the hot mess of complicated emotions that was Leana Delnara Lenai. A part of her had been sure that, after the way she had treated him, there was no way that Jack could want her. But he just put his arms around her, and just like that, she was safe again. “How did you sleep?” Jack whispered.

  Anna felt a smile that she didn't even try to stop. “Like a baby,” she answered. “I don't think I've slept that well in years.”

  Jack kissed the top of her head. “Good.”

  She rolled over so that she was lying on top of him. The sight of him gazing up at her with those gorgeous blue eyes almost made her giggle. Before she knew it, she was running fingers through his hair. “You were wonderful, by the way.”

  It didn't surprise her when Jack blushed and turned his head so he wouldn't have to look at her. The doofus never did learn how to take a compliment. “Uh…Thanks,” he said sheepishly.

  “You made me feel beautiful.”

  “Well, you are beautiful.”

  Grinning, Anna leaned in close to nuzzle the side of his neck. “No,” she whispered. “I mean that you made me feel like I was the only one who could turn you on like that. And that was so hot.”

  She squeaked when Jack forcefully rolled her onto her back, and then he was on top of her, braced on extended arms and smiling down at her. By the hunger in his stare…Anna knew that he was fighting the urge to take her right then and there, and she really wanted him to give in. “You are the only one who can turn me on like that.”

  “Really?”

  He didn't answer with words; he answered her in the best way imaginable. It was different with Jack, sweet and tender but passionate at the same time. For a little while there, the rest of the world just fell away, and there was nothing in her universe but this man that she loved with all her heart.

  When it was over, she was snuggled up with her head on Jack's chest while he ran his fingers through her hair. She let herself have a quick little nap, but the sun was well and truly up now, and her body wanted to be awake.

  Pushing herself up, Anna grunted. “So, you were saying?” Bleakness…where had that rasp in her voice come from? “About me turning you on?”

  Jack was lying there with a lazy smile on his face, laughing at her persistence. “All right,” he said. “But you have to promise not to get mad if I mention other women.”

  “I promise.”

  He sat up, gently cupped her face with both hands and then kissed her forehead. “I usually don't initiate sex,” he said. “Gabi and Cassi often had to seduce me. But with you, it's different I mean I liked sex before, but I didn't crave it.”

  “I'm having a hard time believing that.”

  “It's true.”

  Holding him close, Anna buried her nose in his shoulder and sighed when she felt his hands on her back. “Last night,” she murmured. “You woke me up twice because you couldn't keep your hands off me.”

  “That's what I'm trying to tell you!” he protested. “I'm not usually like that! You just…You bring something out of me. And it's not just your body – which is magnificent, by the way – it's…It's everything about you. Your smile, your bravery, the way you don't take crap from anyone. The way you tell me off when I'm wrong. The way that you own yourself.”

  Anna was crying now, sniffling as she tried to stop the flow of tears. That just made Jack hold her tighter and even rock her from side to side a little. “It's okay, my love,” he whispered. “Everything's okay.”

  “I don't deserve you,” Anna mumbled. “After everything I said to you…I promise I will never hurt you ag-”

  Before she could finish that sentence, Jack used two fingers to tilt her face up so she could look into his eyes. The intensity she saw there made her pause. “No,” he said. “I don't want that promise from you.

  “I don't want you to be the person who never hurts me because that person doesn't exist. I just want you to be Anna: the kind, intelligent, impulsive, hot-tempered woman I fell in love with. And I want you to trust me to love you even when you're at your worst. Can you do that?”

  She rose up to kiss his lips. The way he pulled her closer, breathing hard, almost made her want to giggle. Jack really couldn't get enough of her. “I can do that,” she said when she finally broke the kiss.

  Closing his eyes, Jack nodded slowly. “Good.” Hearing a touch of breathlessness in his voice was very satisfying. “And I'm sorry for waking you up.”

  “That's not something you have to apologize for.”

  “Okay.”

  “It's not,” she assured him. “Now, come on. I am going to make you some banana pancakes.”

  The End of the Seventh Book of the Justice Keepers Saga

  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 keeperssaga@gmail.com />
  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)

  Dark Designs

  Thank you for taking time to read Severed Bonds. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.