by Bianca D’Arc
Mutely, she nodded.
“You’re a bright girl, Jaci. Surely you knew what was in the skinpatch you gave me all those months ago?”
“The gene-altering agent.” He’d been the first to receive the experimental treatment, she now recalled, but after she’d given him the patch and instructed him on its application, she’d never seen him again. “It worked on you.”
“It did. As, I suspect, it worked on you too. What happened, Jaci? Did Mara 12 make you take the treatment? I always hated that bitch, even when I couldn’t really feel hatred. She played with our lives like a child with its toys.”
Jaci knew the moment of truth had arrived. It was time to come clean with this man—this soldier—who had always treated her well, even when he had no concept of emotion.
“Nothing so sinister, I’m afraid.” She shook her head at her own stupidity. “I accidentally dosed myself when I was preparing a new batch of skinpatches. I didn’t find it until the next day, after it had turned blue. It was stuck to my arm.”
“How long ago?”
“A few weeks.”
“And you’ve hidden your condition all this time?” He seemed impressed, which made her feel oddly better.
“I had help. Two of the human prisoners I tended were able to help me.”
“Are they the mates you spoke of?” Sinclair’s eyes narrowed yet his expression seemed almost…hopeful?
“Yes. David and Michael. Both have been moved to Chief Engineer Davin’s facility. Without them—” her voice cracked.
“I understand.” Sinclair Prime’s voice was soothing, the hand he put on her shoulder, comforting. After a moment, he moved his hand to her cheek, cocking his head as if listening. “It’s a shame we don’t Hum, Jaci. I always liked you best of all the girls they sent to me.”
She was surprised and touched by his words. “You were kind to me, Sinclair Prime. It was no ordeal to be with you as it was with some of the Primes they sent me to.”
“Hold on a minute,” the human male stepped up behind where Sinclair knelt at her side, his face full of curiosity. “Do you two know each other in the Biblical sense?”
“I don’t know what that means, but if you’re asking if we’ve been intimate, we have.” Jaci looked up at the man, puzzled by his words and his reaction. She didn’t like talking about her past, but it was a fact she could not deny. She’d serviced more than a few Primes as part of her duties in the past. Sinclair Prime had been the nicest of them—until her encounter with Grady Prime—but she’d not talk about that. “I had five Primes assigned in the collection unit while I was stationed there. I was only there for a few months.”
“How did you feel about it?” Sinclair Prime asked, shooting a look she couldn’t decipher to his companion.
“At the time it was just another duty. Of the five Primes I was assigned, you were by far, the most agreeable. You made certain I had some pleasure of the experience every time, Sinclair Prime, and for that I am thankful.”
Sinclair looked uncomfortable. “Please, Jaci, call me Bill. It’s my name now. Sinclair Prime is dead.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s a long story, but to put it as succinctly as possible, I was ordered to assassinate Chief Engineer Davin just after I’d taken the dose. As my emotions began to surface, I found I couldn’t kill him. I gave away my position and expected to be permanently sanctioned for my failure, but Davin and his new family took pity on me. I’ve been living in secret ever since. If the Alvians find me, I’ll be executed. I know too much.”
“And if the humans around here figure out he’s an alien, he’s just as dead,” the human male added. “So we call him Bill and watch his back.”
“You are a kind man,” Jaci said as she looked over Sinclair’s shoulder at his friend.
The man looked uncomfortable with her praise. “I owe him. Wild Bill here saved my life. The least I can do is help him fit in when we get around people.”
“But we don’t see many people. We live up here in the wilderness,” said Sinclair Prime—no, she must think of him as Bill.
“You are fugitives,” Jaci realized.
“Yes, ma’am.” The human male grinned. “My name is Sam, by the way. And I hear him calling you Jaci. Pretty name.”
“Thank you, Sam. And you, Bill.” She looked at the man she’d known as Sinclair Prime and saw the relief on his face. She thought she felt the beginnings of friendship too.
“I envy your mates, Jaci, as I envy you for having found them.” The sentiment touched her heart as Bill sat back, watching her. “Now we must decide what to do with you. It will be some time before your leg heals and our existence here is tentative at best. When they find the remains of your craft, they’ll search the area.”
“How do you know they haven’t found it already?”
“We put up some telltales—human tech—that should alert us when the crash site is disturbed without tipping our hand to the patrols. We have a bit more time yet, but I’d prefer to be cleared out of here before they start searching the woods in earnest. This cave is well hidden, but if I found it, they could too.”
“I understand,” Jaci didn’t like where this was heading. She was unable to walk and didn’t like the idea of being left behind, but she understood their reasons for wanting to stay hidden.
“No, Jaci.” Bill’s tone made her look up at him. “I don’t think you do. We have a place we may be able to take you. The trip will be hard with your leg the way it is, but it’s something we must do if we all want to make it out of this safely. Do you trust me?”
She thought about that for a moment. The man she’d known as Sinclair Prime was highly skilled and secretive, though she knew he was a top soldier of some sort. He undoubtedly had the knowledge to keep them all as safe as possible. More than that, he’d always been kind to her. Since meeting up with him again, he’d shown her more compassion than she’d ever known from an Alvian and seemed to actually care what happened to her. He was the closest thing she had to a friend among Alvians, sad as that was to say, and she had little choice, injured as she was. She had to trust him.
“I trust you.”
He actually looked relieved. “Good. We’ll leave soon. Sam and I will need a few minutes to police the cave so it looks like nobody’s been in here. We have hiding spots for our gear, but we’ll pack what we need for the trek. It won’t take long. Rest up while you can. We’ll be carrying you down the mountain, but it’ll be a bumpy ride no matter how careful we are.”
“I understand.” She didn’t look forward to the pain as her leg was jostled, but being found by the Alvian patrols would be infinitely worse.
“Good girl.” Bill patted her head in approval as he stood.
Sam and he bustled around the cave, working well together as they hid their larger bits of equipment in ingenious places they’d devised throughout the dark cavern. Even when light was shone directly on the hiding spots, she couldn’t make out any hint of their passage or what lay hidden beneath and behind the rock in secret compartments.
When Sam came to her a few minutes later, she was surprised. She’d assumed Bill would carry her, since it was well known that Alvians were generally stronger and had more endurance than humans. Some of her thoughts must have shown on her face because Sam grinned at her as he made ready to pick her up.
“Bill’s better at reconnaissance than I’ll ever be. I swear that man has eyes in the back of his head and sonar like a bat. We figured he’d be better off on point starting out until we’re more certain of where your people are.”
“They’re no longer my people, Sam.” She wanted that to be clear.
“Heard and understood, ma’am. I can appreciate that.” He placed one arm around her and one under her bent knees. “This may hurt a bit and I’m sorry for it, but we have to get you out of here.”
Jaci gritted her teeth and did her best not to make a sound as Sam stood with her in his arms. He was much stronger than she’d have c
redited. She felt the lean muscle of him through his clothing as she settled against his chest.
They’d left the cave far behind before the pain in her leg settled into a dull throb that spiked whenever she was jostled. But she was getting used to it, and she felt a certain amount of pride in the fact that she hadn’t cried out once. She’d do nothing to jeopardize these men who were risking so much to help her. They could have just as easily left her to die in the wreckage or be found by the Alvians.
“I remember you now,” Sam said in a low voice as they followed along behind Bill. The men had conferred a few minutes before, agreeing that the Alvians hadn’t yet begun searching the mountainside. Perhaps she’d damaged their patrol craft more seriously than she’d thought. Her mind drifted in a fog of pain, but she tensed at Sam’s words. “You delivered medical supplies to Ruth’s cell when she was patching me up after…”
“After she was raped in that terrible experiment.”
“That was torture, Jaci. Not an experiment.”
She nodded. “I agree. Now. If that’s any consolation.” She held his gaze, as serious as her own. “I never understood what the Maras were trying to accomplish, but as a mere Jaci it wasn’t my place to question them. I think now, I should have. Even if it ended my career. Someone should have demanded to know why they made your people suffer so.”
“Thank you for that, at least.” He was silent a long time as they headed down the mountain. “You weren’t as bad as the others. You were kind when you could be, though you probably didn’t realize it at the time.”
“Even before I could feel, I liked serving in the pens. Not that I liked seeing your kind held prisoner, but I liked observing humans. They always fascinated me. And I thought…I thought I was friends with some of them. Ruth especially. She helped me when I had no one else to turn to.”
Sam’s arms tightened on her as his body tensed. “Can you tell me how she is? Where she is?”
“She is very well, Sam. Don’t worry. A few weeks ago, she was taken to Chief Engineer Davin’s Southern Engineering Facility. She has a rare crystal gift and I’ve heard from my mates that she and little Samantha are doing very well indeed.”
Sam stopped in his tracks, his face a mirror of shock. “Samantha?”
“I thought you knew,” Jaci backtracked, though the agony of her leg was making it hard to think. “Ruth had a baby girl a few months ago. She is named Samantha, after her father. When you said you remembered me from Ruth’s cell, I assumed you were the father. Is your name Samanth?” she tried experimentally. Jaci had limited knowledge of human names.
“Samuel.” The man seemed to be in a state of shock as he continued to follow in Bill’s tracks. “My name is Samuel. The feminine version of my name is Samantha. Ruth named her baby for me?”
“I believe so, if you were her lover. She once told me that her lover had escaped. She was happy for it, but she missed you.”
“God!” It was a broken whisper torn from his being. “I miss her too.” His gaze refocused on her. “You said she was safe? Ruth and my…daughter…are at Davin’s?”
“They are. Both happy from what I’ve heard. Davin is a good man. He’s been bringing humans to his facility a few at a time to train them in crystallography. They live above-ground in nice apartments and have many freedoms. They live there under his protection. My mates are there. That’s how I know.”
“You can communicate with your men? How?”
Jaci wasn’t sure what to tell him, but decided on the truth. This man literally held her life in his hands. “One of my mates is a dreamwalker. I never know exactly when he’ll come to me, but when I sleep, if he’s dreamwalking, he’ll come and we can talk. He’s learned how to use crystal power to boost his own abilities so he can reach me over such long distances.”
“My God.” Sam seemed more than impressed by Michael’s power. “If you talk to him again, would you ask him…?”
She thought she knew why he hesitated. “Ruth would want to know that you’re alive and well. She pines for you, Sam. She loves you.”
“Then ask him to let her know I’m all right. If there’s any way—if there weren’t a price on my head—I’d make my way to South America. I’d do anything to be with her. But I’m a wanted man. I killed an Alvian soldier to gain my freedom. They won’t let me cruise back into one of their facilities like nothing happened.”
“You’re right.” Jaci felt compassion for the man who so obviously wanted to be with his mate. “Maybe Davin can come up with something. The man has accomplished some amazing things on behalf of humankind.”
“For now, it’s enough to know that Ruth survived. And I have a daughter.” A look of wonder passed over his handsome features. “I never thought I’d have a child. No matter who her father is, she’s named for me and she’s mine. My baby. Samantha.”
“Ruth believes she is yours,” Jaci had to tell him. “The Oracle, Caleb O’Hara, sent her a message before the baby was born, telling her so. I delivered it myself. Caleb foresaw that the baby was yours and wanted to let Ruth know so she would love it, as she loves you.”
Tears gathered behind the strong man’s eyes, but he didn’t speak for a long moment. “Thank you,” he finally rasped out, turning his attention back to the trail they followed downhill after Bill.
After they stopped for a short break, Bill carried her a portion of the way down the mountain. They paused one more time, in a copse of trees while Bill withdrew a communication crystal from one of his pockets. He left her sitting on a boulder while he moved off a short distance to speak quietly with someone over the crystal.
Jaci would have been concerned about the use of Alvian technology, but her leg hurt so badly by that point, she didn’t much care. Bill could be calling the High Council itself, but all she wished for was a respite from the pain.
“We have to wait for the surveillance drone to pass, but then we’ll make for the outbuilding we used before,” Bill said to Sam as he rejoined them. “Mick will meet us there.”
Sam carried her this time as they made their way carefully downward toward some objective only the men knew.
Chapter Eleven
“Release the female,” a cold Alvian voice said from behind a nearby tree.
“Son of a bitch,” Sam uttered as he lowered her to the ground. “How’d he get in front of us?” Jaci looked around and realized Bill was nowhere to be found. She hoped that was a good sign. “Sit tight, sweetheart.” Sam left her sitting on a fallen log, with a thick boulder between her and the Alvian soldier.
“Step away from the female and have her stand,” the voice commanded.
“She can’t stand,” Sam said, raising his hands and stepping back toward cover, though he wasn’t quite there yet. “She has a broken leg.”
A soldier dressed in light armor stepped out from behind the tree in front of them, a weapon grasped in one hand and trained on Sam. “Step away from her,” the soldier ordered and Sam moved.
The soldier stepped closer, and the next thing she knew, Bill was diving out of the tree above, to land on the man’s back. She heard the sickening crunch of bone as the man fell, lifeless to the forest floor. Sharp reports of projectiles being fired sounded through the forest. She looked up at Bill, her savior, but he’d spun away so fast, she could barely follow his progress. He ducked and twirled as Sam sprinted away, toward the new threat. A moment later, a muffled cry reached her ears and she knew the second soldier had met a similar fate when Sam stepped clear, the weapon now in his hand.
“That was close,” he said as he stuffed the weapon in his pocket and bent to pick her up once more.
“Are there more of them?” she asked, looking around at the now threatening forest.
“Only two,” Bill said shortly, beginning to scout ahead once again.
He stopped short and signaled Sam to stop as well. It seemed they were waiting, but for what, Jaci had no idea.
A moment later, two humans stepped clear of the surrounding trees
and faced them.
“What brings you, Bill?” the taller of the men asked.
“This girl crashed her ship and broke her leg. She’s on the run and…she feels.”
Suddenly Jaci was the center of attention, the two newcomers looking her over with measuring eyes. The shorter of the two stepped forward. “Let me take a look at that leg.”
Bill stood aside and let the man approach. He had a friendly face and a caring smile that set Jaci at ease, though she strained to hear what the taller man was saying to Bill.
“We saw them come into the woods and decided to hike up and see if we could help.”
“As you see, we have the situation in hand, but we could probably use some help hiding the evidence until I can dispose of it far enough away from your property to alleviate suspicion,” Bill replied.
“Can do, my friend. I’ve got a place to stick them until we can move them far enough away, but the sooner the better. There’s lots of traffic on Alvian channels. They’re looking for the girl.”
Bill shrugged. “That was to be expected. She can never go back, Justin. She wasn’t supposed to be part of this and now that they know about her, she’ll never be free.”
“Then we’ll have to figure a way to help her.” The tall man’s tone was matter-of-fact, which surprised her. She never expected to find humans so willing to help her out of the mess she’d made of her life.
The second man moved her leg in a way that made her gasp and drew her attention.
“It’s a clean break.” He smiled at her. “I’ll fix you up with a cast when we get to the ranch. I’m Mick O’Hara.” He held out one hand for her to shake in the way she’d seen humans do. She returned the gesture.
“I am Jaci 192.”
“Pleased to meet you, Jaci. I think you might know our brother, Caleb.” Mick and Sam started down the mountain once more. She noted Bill and the other human had gone off together—probably to hide the bodies of the Alvian soldiers.