by Bianca D’Arc
“Bill.” He tested the name on his tongue and found it strong. “The Patriarch hinted I might find you here.”
Bill held his hands out to his side and shrugged. “Found me you have. Speak your piece, Grady.”
“The Council wants you dead.” Grady Prime’s voice was harsh in the light of day. “But you already knew that. They sent me to kill you, but I’ve had much time to think and to talk with your brethren, especially Ronin Prime. What I seek is your knowledge, not your death.”
“If that’s the case, then be welcome. I’ll talk with you, but I won’t put my friends in danger. I want your word that nothing about our location or this facility will make its way into your report.”
“You have it.” Grady Prime relaxed a little, letting his weariness show. “At this point, I’m not even sure I’m going back. I find it hard to live among them now. Even harder than it was before.”
Bill walked over and put a hand on Grady Prime’s shoulder, surprising everyone with the compassion in his gesture. “I understand, brother. Let’s talk and we’ll see what strategy we can devise. You may yet be able to do much good from within Alvian society.”
A short conference between Dave, Mike and Bill ensued, during which it was decided that Grady would be given access to the facility on a limited basis. As they walked to the cave entrance, Grady felt the animosity coming off the human men. He’d have to make an effort to show them he wasn’t the same man who’d hunted them down and captured them so many years ago.
“I hope your Jaci is well,” he began hesitantly. The human men gave him dirty looks, but Bill seemed surprised.
“You know about her?”
“I’ve been here once before, when they sent me after her,” he admitted to his fellow soldier. He was very conscious of the humans listening as they all walked. “I found the three of them in a hot spring some way into the mountain. They Hummed so sweetly, it made my heart stutter. That was what decided me to take the treatment. I have to thank you for that, David and Michael. I also have to apologize for capturing you those many years ago, though you have my admiration for your evasive skills. I remember that mission more than any other. You were worthy opponents and earned my respect.”
“You still caught us,” Michael said in disgust. “We must not have been that good.”
“Oh, I assure you,” Grady chanced a smile, “you would have gotten away had it not been for the snow. I had the advantage in such weather.”
“But you came after us on foot. You didn’t have a ship to protect you. We figured the odds were even,” David spoke at Grady’s side.
“Our higher body temperature allows us to move more quickly in cold weather, with less protective gear. Surely you’ve noticed Bill only wears a thin coat in the cold?”
“I thought that was so he could—” Michael broke off and looked at Bill apologetically.
“It’s all right. Since he’s been working with my men and the Patriarch to find me, I think he knows I can fly. Don’t you?” Bill shot him a knowing look.
“I do,” Grady admitted. “And you have my admiration for that ability.”
Bill only shrugged off the compliment as they entered the tunnel that would ultimately lead to the underground facility. Grady had been here before, but he’d never been as far inside as they were going to take him now. He was eager to see what the humans had built—both the facility that had been wrought before the crystal bombardment and what the current occupants had done with it.
The tunnels were as he remembered them, twining around the mountain as if following ore deposits. In all likelihood the outer section of this facility had probably started as a mine and only later turned into the underground city that Grady assumed he would find below.
He wasn’t disappointed. When they rounded the final curve, well past the grotto where his search had ended before, Grady saw a massive steel door standing open. Through the doorway he could see a very large manmade corridor that terminated in another steel blast door.
As they walked along the corridor into the facility proper, Bill walked beside him making conversation.
“Tell me of my men. Are they well?” As Grady had suspected, the ties of a commander to his men were never lost. Even in exile, Bill’s concern for his people was strong.
“The new Prime asked me to tell you that he misses your counsel. He seemed to think your decision to take the treatment was a good one, but I suspect he wasn’t ready to take command—at least intellectually—when you failed to return. He would have followed your leadership for the rest of his life, happily. He was very devoted to you, as were most of the men I spoke with. That’s a credit to you as a commander. You inspired loyalty and even love among a group of men who had little to give.”
“All that will change if Ronin has his way. I believe he is working on a way to get all of them the same gene-altering therapy that I had. Especially after meeting you, and seeing that you haven’t gone completely mad.” Bill chuckled at his own dry humor. “He’ll be pestering Mara Prime to move up the schedule. Mark my words.”
“I don’t doubt you’re right. Ronin seems like a man of strong convictions and intense will.”
“He is one of the strongest people I know. Among Alvians, he is the most dedicated to his beliefs, the surest of his purpose and the bravest I have met. Since exiling myself among the humans though, I have found much to admire among them. The things they have gone through to survive in the world we made for them would break your heart if you let them.”
“You’ve revised your opinion of humans then?”
“I have. They have a strength and resilience our people have lost. They survived against all odds and continue to thrive both in captivity and on the run. They are resourceful, intelligent and cunning, as I’m sure you know.”
Grady nodded in agreement. “I have often found myself respecting those I have hunted and captured, including the two men there.” He indicated David and Michael with a jerk of his chin. “They were among my most challenging missions. I regret their animosity toward me, but I do understand it. No one in their right mind could actually like—or forgive—the person who stole their freedom. And back when I did it, I didn’t even realize the full impact of my actions. How do you live with the regret, Bill?”
“It’s not easy.” A chilling desolation entered the former assassin’s eyes.
Grady wasn’t proud of the things he’d done to humans in his past as a warrior Prime, but he’d never killed in cold blood. He’d never been used as an assassin. At the time it wouldn’t have mattered, but now that he could feel, he was grateful for the oversight. Grady could only imagine the guilt Bill felt. Killing in self defense or defense of others could be considered acceptable but killing in cold blood was something Grady didn’t know if he could have lived with.
They entered through the second blast door, and Grady both felt and heard the reverberations of both heavy steel doors being closed and locked behind him. If things were going to turn ugly, now would be the time.
But his hosts didn’t turn on him. Instead, they led him through a central area from which he could see multiple buildings of various sizes and indications of human habitation. In fact, he could see more than a few people going about their business around the vast space, walking from building to building, carting things in small hand-powered vehicles from levels below and generally doing things to keep the facility running.
“This is quite an installation.” Grady admired the orderly way the people moved around. He even noted a few infants with their mothers and older children at play behind one of the larger buildings.
“It grows almost daily.” Bill indicated a group of people being taught how to work some of the automated instruments. “We’ve had to institute a schedule of classes so newcomers can learn how everything works down here. We’re nowhere near capacity, but it feels like a crowd. In the beginning it was just me, Michael, David and Jaci living down here. Then the others started to arrive. First, we took in people sent to
us by our allies then later people started looking for us themselves as rumors spread.”
Grady would bet anything that the allies Bill had mentioned were the O’Haras. Their ranch wasn’t too far away as the Avarel could fly, and Grady had long suspected they worked covertly to assist what humans they could. He didn’t begrudge them that. It was only natural they would try to help their fellow man. They were good people he had come to respect.
As they crossed the open area, Grady became aware of another group of people. He recognized Jaci 192, who stood facing him. She was talking with two others, a male and a female. Just then the female turned, and he caught sight of the gentle curve of her cheek.
Could it be?
“Oh my God.” Gina’s voice was a whisper of sound. “Grady.”
She took off as Jim watched. She jogged toward a strange Alvian male who stood a few yards distant with Bill, Mike and Dave. She jumped into his arms, joy clear in her expression.
Her response seemed all out of proportion with what anyone could have expected. The alien man’s too. At first he seemed shocked, but he recovered quickly, folding her in his arms, kissing her for all he was worth. There was real emotion showing in every tender caress of his hands over her hair, her shoulders, her back. They were lovers reunited, and no one watching them could be unaffected.
But Jim stood frozen, taken completely by surprise. Jim felt Gina’s response to the alien like a sucker punch to his gut. He’d been blindsided by the hushed joy in her voice, the slight tremble as she recognized her old lover. Jim knew that was what he was. Even in those cold blue alien eyes, he could see the love shining down on her. It was pure, and it was deep.
Jim felt it like a burning saber to his soul.
“Who’d a thunk it?” Jaci used one of those odd colloquialisms she’d been learning from her mates. “They Hum.”
“Who is he?” Jim needed confirmation, though in his heart he already knew.
Jaci turned to him, a smile in her eyes and innocent happiness on her pretty face. “Why that’s Grady Prime. I think he’s finally taken the treatment if the look on his face is anything to go by.”
“You mean the emotion-restoring drug?” Jim didn’t like the sound of this at all—or the look of his woman in the alien’s arms. But then, he had no real claim on Gina. He’d been careful to let her know he wouldn’t leave his people. Not even for her. They were a couple for this trip only and now it seemed their time together had come to an abrupt and premature end.
“I prepared the doses for him and a new test group before I left. In fact, that’s when I accidentally dosed myself. It was the best mistake I ever made.” Her smile turned nostalgic as she looked at her two mates. “Grady found us here later, after I’d made a run for it with Michael and David.”
“He found you?”
She nodded, turning her happy expression on him. “He did, but he let us go when he heard our Hum and saw evidence of our resonance. It’s the oldest of Alvian laws—Resonance Mates may not be separated for any reason. He used that to justify letting us live here in peace. He didn’t report us to the Council. As far as anyone knows, I was his one and only failure at tracking and I thank him every day for allowing the false ruination of his perfect record.”
Jim had some idea what that might have cost the man in pride—especially an Alvian warrior who had emotions. No soldier liked to have a blemish on his record and letting Jaci go would have been a big mark against him. Maybe there was more to the man than just another pretty Alvian face, but Jim was reserving judgment.
“Well, would you look at that.” Michael joined them, standing beside his mate Jaci. David took up a position on her other side, as all three turned to watch Gina and the Alvian warrior, necking like they were teenagers in a carpark. “I reckon they’ve met before.”
“They Hum brightly.” Jaci sighed wistfully, a smile playing about her lips.
“Really?” David dug around in his pocket, finally retrieving a small, glowing crystal. “Do you think they’re causing this?” He gave the crystal to his woman.
A tear gathered in her eye. “They are. They Kiss, the crystal glows, the Hum increases. Now if they take it a step further, we’ll know…” Her voice trailed off as the couple did indeed take things a little further. Gina jumped up, wrapping her legs around the alien, aligning their bodies, for an even deeper embrace though they were both fully clothed.
There was an impatience in their movements Jim understood all too well. Clearly they’d both forgotten, or didn’t care, that they had an audience of people watching them with varying degrees of indulgence, interest and in the case of Jim, jealousy. He admitted it. He was jealous as hell of that stranger and the way Gina was climbing all over him. They might’ve known each other before, but until a few minutes ago Gina had been his girl. He wasn’t ready to let her go just yet.
If he were being honest with himself, he’d admit he wasn’t sure he’d ever be ready to let her go.
But that was beside the point. His plans—whatever they werehad just been shredded by the appearance of the Alvian warrior.
“That’s clinched it, I think,” Michael picked the crystal out of Jaci’s hand. It was glowing yellow like a miniature sun.
“They’re mates!” Jaci grabbed both Michael and David by the arm, pulling them close for a quick squeeze. Each man bent to kiss her briefly, adding to the crystal’s illumination slightly from Jim’s vantage point. He didn’t understand everything, but he knew when he needed to bow out gracefully.
Only thing was, he didn’t want to bow out at all. In fact, he felt like going over there and punching that big Alvian badass in the nose, then breaking an arm or maybe a leg for good measure.
Jim seethed while the couple embraced, apparently lost to the world. They were that wrapped up in each other.
“Tough break, Jim.” Mike took a position beside him as Jaci headed toward the main building, grinning like a fool. Dave stood on Jim’s other side, arms crossed as if the two cousins thought they could stop Jim if he took it into his mind to go break up the two lovebirds.
“Of course, this could also be the start of a nice little family.” Dave turned toward Jim with a raised eyebrow. “Men today don’t often get to keep a woman all to themselves. In fact, you’ll be lucky if you only have to share with one or two other guys. Much as I hate Grady, he’s a strong man and he’ll be a good protector for Gina—not just physically, but also from other Alvians.”
“Gina can take care of herself.” Jim had to bite back the fury that suffused his mind and try to think logically. He hated to admit it, but Dave did have a point where the Alvians were concerned. Any person in this day and age would do well to have one of the aliens on their side.
“I’m sure she can,” Dave said in a voice that sent soothing vibrations down Jim’s spine. Damn it all if the nosy mind healer wasn’t trying to use his gift to calm him down. And double damn it that he needed calming in the first place. Still, the force of Dave’s gift brought some much-needed clarity to Jim’s troubled mind. “But you should consider what it would mean to have Grady Prime as your third. He was one of the most powerful Alvian soldiers before he got emotion. We saw firsthand how not only his fellow soldiers, but most Alvians, deferred to the guy. I can’t think that’s changed no matter how much he has. And believe me, he’s changed.”
“You got that right,” Mike put in. “That bastard used to be cold as ice. As much as I despised him, I had to respect him for his skills and the way his people revered him. He could be a useful ally.”
“Fuck.” Dave laughed ruefully and shared an ironic look with his cousin. “I suppose we’ll have to make peace with the bastard now.”
“Looks like it.” Mike grinned, but it wasn’t a pleasant expression as he looked at the newest Alvian in their midst. “I sure as hell didn’t expect to be welcoming so many damned aliens here when we moved in.”
“Me neither, cuz, but I’ll never regret mating Jaci. Bill saved her life, so we owe him. But
Grady?” Dave scratched his head as he watched the alien warrior with narrowed eyes. “Hell, we’ll just have to see what happens. We should probably call the O’Haras. Maybe Caleb has some advice for us.”
“Who’s Caleb?” Jim seized on anything for respite from seeing Gina in some stranger’s arms. Thankfully, they broke the embrace and started talking, walking away as they went, clearly in their own little world.
“Caleb O’Hara is the one they call the Oracle.”
“No shit? I’ve heard of him. I even have a copy of the book of his prophecies somewhere. One of the newcomers brought it in with him and gave it to me. I passed it to my lieutenants to read.”
“You should read it yourself,” Mike advised.
“I took a look, but it’s kind of vague.”
“He had to be vague in case it fell into Alvian hands,” Dave said. “Believe us, you should study that book. In the meantime, we have an in with the man himself we should make use of. He’s a guest of the Alvians at the moment, but his nephew ’paths messages from him to his family. They’re friends of ours.”
“Nice to have such powerful friends.” Jim followed the cousins as they headed toward the communications center. His mind was still in chaos, but he felt better to have at least some task to occupy him. He wanted to hear what the infamous Oracle might have to say, if anything, about this totally fucked up situation.
Chapter Fourteen
“I told you I’d come for you,” Grady teased as he held Gina’s hand. They strolled aimlessly around the main cavern. “I didn’t mean it quite this way, I’ll admit, but perhaps fate had other plans for us.”
“You believe in fate?”
“Even before I could feel, I always knew there were things that happened for a reason. Fate plays a large role in most soldiers’ lives.”
“Then—” Gina didn’t know quite how to tell him. She had to be honest. She had to tell Grady about Jim, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. They were so new and fragile she hated to wound him.