by Bianca D’Arc
He punctuated his words with hard thrusts of his hips, distracting her. But his message was clear. She had to believe. She had to. These men—and their love—were the only things that mattered in her life anymore. All the years she’d lived to this point were gone in the blink of an eye. Irrelevant.
“Oh, Michael!” He moved so forcefully, she thought she felt the Earth itself move beneath their straining bodies. He moved almost violently within her, but she felt no pain, no apprehension. What she did feel was a reawakening of the amazing pleasure David had given her—just as intense, but slightly different in flavor.
As she rose with Michael, her senses were flooded with his masculine scent, his hardness, his almost animalistic need, all focused on her. It was a heady feeling and one that drove her closer to the edge. With short, sharp digs, he set her on fire so that she cried out on every deep pulsing thrust.
“Michael!” She screamed his name as she came, feeling him tense a moment later and spurt within her.
She blacked out for a time and hours later, when she woke, it was with a smile on her face.
Out of the dream and back in their cell, the cousins spoke telepathically as they lay in their lonely beds.
“It’s no good, Dave. I’m afraid for her. She’s so unprepared to deal with her new emotions. If her people find out, she’s toast.”
“We just have to help her as best we can and have faith that there are other people involved now who have more power than we do. Harry will keep an eye out for her. He promised.”
“I know, but I’m not entirely sure about the kid yet. I mean, he’s one of them.”
“I hear you, cousin. But he’s also half human and was raised by humans. I think his loyalties are on our side.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Me too, cuz. Me too.”
Jaci blushed as she walked into Mike and Dave’s cell the next day. Memories of the night before were clear in her sparkling eyes. Michael loved the flush of excitement he knew their shared dreams had put in her cheeks. She was so breathtakingly beautiful.
A tall woman, she was still shorter than he and his cousin. She fit between them as if she were made to do so. She had a body that didn’t quit and a sharp mind that both men liked. In fact, she was perfect for them.
She shut off the monitor and walked straight into Dave’s arms. Well, he’d been standing closer. Mike would be sure to be right next to the damn monitor next time. He wanted the kiss she was giving to his cousin. Tomorrow it would be his turn to go first.
“How are you, sweetheart?” Dave asked her when he let her up for air.
“Still scared, but doing better. I believe the emotions are starting to integrate better inside my mind and I’m better able to hide my reactions the longer I practice at it.”
Dave laid his hands on her temples and Mike felt the slight surge of energy that always accompanied the use of Dave’s mindhealing power. He gave her a small jolt of healing energy, but she stepped back.
“Don’t do it, David. I don’t want you to be weakened on my account. I’m feeling much better. I assure you.”
“Please, sweetheart. Let me do this for you. I want to give you every chance of succeeding and this is the only thing I can really do for you while I’m stuck down here in this cell.”
Her face reflected her compassion. She was such a beautiful woman, inside and out, even if her emotions had only been awakened a short time before. She’d always been nice, but now that her inner core was free, she was blossoming into a kind, sympathetic and considerate woman.
She hesitated and Dave moved closer to her. “Let me give this to you. Just a touch to be sure you’re in balance.”
“Only a small amount, David. I’m serious. I don’t want you drained from helping me. I can handle things much better now, thanks to your earlier help.”
Dave took that as permission and touched her temples again. Once again, Mike felt the pop of his cousin’s energy—a much larger blast this time. Dave was giving her a lot more of his energy than she realized. Good thing he was such a deft touch with that rare power he wielded.
Dave finished the burst of treatment with a kiss, probably to distract Jaci. He pulled back and sought Mike’s eyes. Mike knew it was his turn to distract their woman while Dave took a moment to recover.
Mike stepped up behind her, whirling her around into his arms. He dipped his head, enjoying her dazed expression as he claimed the kiss he’d wanted since the moment she walked into the room. He was vaguely aware of Dave sinking down into a chair. Mike knew he’d need a minute to regain his balance after shooting so much of his power into Jaci’s healing, so he let the kiss go on until they were both breathing hard.
When he pulled back, he still didn’t let her go. A glance over her shoulder told him Dave was still sitting, but looking a lot less pale. Another few seconds should see him back on his feet.
“You have something for us, Jaci? That data crystal Caleb gave you?”
“Oh!” She pulled one hand from around his neck and released the catch of her shirt. “I put it in here.”
“Never thought I’d wish I were a data crystal. What a nice hiding place.” His teasing words elicited a small smile as she put two fingers into her cleavage.
Alvian women didn’t wear bras, per se, but they did have a formfitting garment that served the same purpose. Jaci pulled the crystal out from between her breasts and handed it to him. It was warm from her body, and he couldn’t resist lowering his mouth to place a few nibbling kisses on her cleavage before she closed up shop.
He hated to see her creamy flesh covered up, but the clock was ticking. They only had a few more moments before the cameras would have to be switched back on.
“You should pop that into the viewer now while the monitor is off. Don’t let them see you putting it in or taking it out. You’re not supposed to have any crystals at all, but Hara assured me this one was undetectable without physical inspection. He got it from Chief Engineer Davin himself and there is no better crystallographer on the planet.”
Jaci followed him over to the viewer station and watched as he opened the crystal port and inserted the untraceable storage device Caleb had sent. He actually heard her sigh of relief as the crystal went into the machine and was hidden from view.
“We’ll take a look at this tonight, Jaci. Thanks for bringing it.”
“I want to help you.” She clutched at his hand, swiveling her attention between him and Dave. “Anything I can do, I’ll do.”
“I know, sweetheart.” He pulled her into hug, rubbing her shoulders to comfort her. “You’ve already done more than you’ll ever know, just by being you.”
“It’s not enough. It won’t be enough until you’re free to walk out of this prison.”
“Amen to that.” Dave walked up to them, touching her shoulder and drawing her attention. “We’re almost out of time for today.”
“I know. I wish we had more time. There’s never enough time with you both.”
Mike and Dave surrounded her with their warmth, enclosing her in a hug shared by all three.
“It is what it is, sweetheart. For now, we just have to deal with it.” Mike stepped back and let Dave take her in his arms.
“We all have to believe that the day will come—soon—when we can be together. Believe in it and it will happen, Jaci, my love.” Dave kissed her while Mike did the small chores Jaci usually did to keep their cell habitable.
“Who knows?” Mike tried to raise their spirits. “Maybe your precognitive friend Caleb O’Hara will have some good news for us once we get a look at that crystal.”
Dave drew back, giving another small pulse of energy to Jaci that she seemed unaware of, though it seemed to help her regain composure. Mike leaned in and gave her peck on the cheek, handing her the small items he’d collected for her while she’d been in Dave’s arms. All she’d have to do is switch the monitor back on and she could leave without anyone in the city above being the wiser about the emotio
nal upheavals taking place inside the cell and its inhabitants.
“We love you, Jaci. Just keep doing what you have to do to survive and like my cousin says, just believe in that love. Our people have a saying—love conquers all. And with love, we’ll conquer this situation. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but sometime soon we’ll be able to be together.”
Chapter Seven
Dave lay down on his bed, weary from giving Jaci so much of his energy in such short, intense bursts. He had to give her a boost to balance the turmoil in her mind—the new chemicals and synapses firing through her brain as emotions came on line. It was imperative she be able to handle the confusion of all the changes happening to her as smoothly as possible to avoid detection.
He lived in fear of her being caught by her people. She’d said they might kill her and would most certainly imprison her. Dave couldn’t let that happen. If a little fatigue was the price to pay for helping her keep it together enough to pass in her emotionless society, so be it. He’d rest up today and be ready to give her another treatment tomorrow. In the meantime, his cousin was busy at the viewer, reading the information Caleb had sent. He talked telepathically to Dave when he found interesting tidbits to pass on.
“Listen to this one, Dave. Caleb wrote that ‘People of many talents will gather around a blond giant named for Hickok, who is an angel in disguise.’”
“Hickock? Like Wild Bill Hickock?”
“Beats the hell outa me. Caleb goes on to say, ‘Former enemy, he’ll become the father of the resistance. Tell those who manage to escape to seek him out in the high places.’”
“So there’ll be an escape?”
“He says ‘Escape is possible, but not until two love days from now.’ I guess he didn’t want to give dates the aliens would be able to easily track down. There’s a lot of that kind of thing in here. Stuff humans would understand, but probably not the aliens.”
“Probably a wise move. But ‘love days’? You think he means Valentine’s Day—February fourteenth?”
“My thought exactly.”
“We’d better keep track of the calendar. We let that slip in the past few months.” Dave observed.
“Get this. ‘By twos and threes, captives will be given the chance to move south. Take it. Go south when offered and if you can’t get south, bide your time. The day will come. And when it does, seek refuge in the high places with our angel. By then, he’ll be ready to step into the role he’ll play for our future. Learn from him. Listen to him. And be ready to follow his lead when the time comes. Remember my boy too. He’ll help, though it won’t seem so. When the time comes, remember.’”
“So ‘his boy’ Harry’s got a bigger role to play. No surprise there.” Dave mused.
“This Wild Bill Hickok-angel guy sounds like he could be one of the aliens.”
“You mean that bit about being a former enemy? Could be. But maybe he was a jihadist or something. We are still in North America and Caleb’s frame of reference is American.”
“Yeah, you’ve got a point, but how about that ‘blond giant’ bit? To me that sounds like one of the Alvians. Not many Jihad Jamals fit that description.”
“Okay. I’ll give you that one. But it seems improbable.”
“Stranger things have happened. Like our very own blonde bombshell.”
“Got me there, cuz.”
Mike read more of the Book of Caleb—a title it had been given as a joke, but seemed like it fit too well not to stickbut Dave slid into sleep, unable to keep his eyes open after the draining healing a few hours before.
Sinclair Prime had a camp, of sorts, up in the high country overlooking the protected valley that housed the O’Hara ranch. They didn’t know he was here. Not yet. If all went well, they’d never know he’d appointed himself guardian spirit of their hidden valley. He owed them. They’d welcomed him when his own people would have ended his life without a second thought and absolutely no regret.
The first being to test Mara 12’s new and improved gene therapy cocktail, he’d been unprepared for the emotions that nearly overtook him. Then he’d been sent out on one final mission—one final assassination in a long career of quick, deadly work. It had been too much. Sinclair Prime couldn’t bring himself to kill Chief Engineer Davin and had only winged him, knowingly giving his own life as forfeit. But Davin, and especially the astounding woman who was his resonance mate, had surprised him.
Not only had they forgiven him, but they’d offered him sanctuary and a chance to start anew. As far as the Alvians were concerned, he’d escaped, never to be seen again. Mara 12 and the High Council had no idea he’d been transported by Davin himself to the O’Hara ranch, high in the mountains of the northern continent.
Sinclair liked the wild terrain and the brisk weather. He loved snow and the lush land up here where humansand those with emotionscould roam free. He owed Davin, Callie and Rick his life. Literally. He figured a good way to begin to repay their astounding kindness was by keeping an eye on their relatives on the ranch down below.
There were children on the ranch who needed protecting. Sure, the humans were doing all right on their own and Justin O’Hara had some skills even Sinclair envied, but Sinclair had the high ground. As a sniper and assassin, the high ground was where he operated best and felt most comfortable.
He also had one other, top secret genetic modification that made him more comfortable up here than anywhere else on the planet, and he was finally free to use it as he wanted. Not as his masters directed. Sinclair was through being a puppet dancing when his strings were pulled. He answered to no man and lived what remained of his life according to his will and yes, his emotions.
Sinclair Prime, the top assassin for the Council, was no more. He did his best to pass for human these days, when it was absolutely necessary to have contact with the others living in this wild place. It had been Rick St. John who’d given Sinclair his new name, though it had started as a joke. Rick had decided, for no apparent reason, to call him Bill. And so Bill Sinclair had been born.
A hunter he’d met on a game trail across the ridgeline two days before asked him if he was the one folks were calling Wild Bill. Sinclair had no idea what such a moniker meant among humans, but only shrugged and let the hunter think whatever he liked.
Only a long time later, when the man was gone and the moonless night provided cover, did the man now known as Bill, take off his shirt and let his wings unfurl.
The whole city was buzzing with the news. Chief Engineer Davin was coming for a visit. The talented throwback was often the subject of gossip, and rarely left his engineering facility these days unless there was some major problem. The talk of his mating had spread through the Alvian population, and raised eyebrows. Many had watched the news feeds of his startling appearance before the High Council during the last big power outage. People were curious about him and intrigued that he had found a resonance mate among the Breeds.
That he was bringing his mate with him was even more interesting and many Alvians found themselves loitering on the path from the main shuttleport in order to catch a glimpse of the oddest of all Alvians. He stood out among his people for many reasons. First, he was a throwback, an aberration born with emotions unlike the vast majority of their race. Second, he was the most talented crystallographer in generations and had already accomplished engineering feats on this new planet that were legendary. Third, he had only recently defied the High Council with a dramatic display of anger, pride and outrage that hadn’t been seen in those hallowed chambers in generations. That he’d not only stood up to the Council, but stood up to them and won only added to his aura.
If all that weren’t enough, he’d confirmed his theory that Breeds could have the crystal gift. His legend had only increased when he claimed his mate in a raw crystal cavern, causing explosions on the power grid the likes of which had never been seen as they together overloaded the system with their joining. His Breed assistant’s healing of the fractured Council Crystal was something spoken
of in whispers.
Little was known about the private life of Chief Engineer Davin, but rumors ran wild about the fact that assistant, a Breed by the name of Rick St. John, now shared quarters with Davin and his Breed mate. Speculation was rife about this Breed male’s position in the household but Davin was saying nothing on the matter and so far Alvians had been too polite to ask him about it outright.
The three who disembarked from the small shuttle walked confidently down the halls of the northern city, destination firmly in mind. Ostensibly they were there to visit with Callie’s uncle, but each of them knew they were on a mission of mercy to help two human men and their poor, confused, Alvian resonance mate. They felt the stares of the people who tried to look as if they belonged loitering around the halls trying to catch a glimpse of them, but paid them no mind.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Rick St. John seemed to get a kick out of the Alvian curiosity seekers trying to figure out who he was. He chuckled as he held Callie’s left hand, Davin holding her right as they walked together as equals down the wide corridors.
Before too long they arrived at their destination, a large apartment on the upper level where Caleb O’Hara was housed. They didn’t even have to knock. Caleb had the door open and whisked them inside, wrapping his niece in a huge bear hug as he welcomed them all.
After a lengthy visit, Davin and Rick left Callie with her uncle and took a tour of the city. Davin led them eventually to the cells where he looked in on various prisoners. At this point Rick made a great show of recognizing Michael and David, stopping for a chat and introducing them to Davin. All of this was watched with mild interest on the monitors, though the Alvian scientists could have no way of knowing this meeting had been carefully choreographed for their benefit.
Rick caught up on old times with his supposed long-lost buddies and told them he’d been tested for crystal talent. The subject rolled around to Davin, who conveniently pulled a few crystals from his pocket and placed them before the two men just for laughs. To his apparent shock, they had a great deal of crystal gift.