“Sounds good,” his voice rumbled. “I'll try that.”
When our turn came, we placed our orders and watched as they created our meal in front of us. At the register, Seth gave me the cups and pointed to the drinking fountain.
“Can you get them?” His eyes twinkled as I nodded. “A Pepsi for me, please. I'll grab our food.”
After filling up his cup with Pepsi and mine with the lemonade, I popped the lids on and turned to find him waving me over from the table in the back of the dining area. I grabbed two straws, a set of forks and knives in case we needed any, and walked to the table. He stood, taking some of the load off my hands as I sat down.
He gave me a grin and started off with the questions. “So, Amber, tell me a little bit about you.”
Shrugging, I answered, “Well, I'm twenty.”
He grinned, and his eyes brightened. “Just a baby.”
Grinning back at his comment, I went on. “I love to read, workout, and eat. I love good food.”
“What do you do for work?”
“I’m a librarian. Books and all.” I pointed my fork to him. “What about you?”
“Well, I’m not a baby.”
I snickered.
“I love traveling, my foster mom’s pies, and my Harley.”
My eyebrows rose. “Foster mom?”
“Yeah, when I was six I was found in a drug raid. They never found my parents.” His voice warms. “I was lucky to find Emma.”
“Wow.” I paused, in the process of lifting my burrito for a bite. “Do you still keep in contact with her?”
“Yes.” He leaned forward in his seat. “What about your family? Are you the youngest, oldest, or in between?”
“None of the above.” I took a bite of my food, enjoying the meld of spices while I gave him time to consider my response.
He paused his eating, his cerelean eyes searching. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I sat back and took a sip of my lemonade. “A year ago, I was found bloodied and beaten in an alleyway with no memory. Doctors fixed me up, and the police tried to help me find someone who knew who I was, but no one ever came forward. The Jameses, those are the people I live with, are the ones who took me in. They helped me get back on my feet.” Realizing I just spilled out my entire life as I knew it, a broken laugh escaped, and my hand went up to cover my mouth. “And there you have it folks, my tearjerker life.”
He reached across the table for my hand. “Hey, it’s okay.”
I shook my head, stood, and grabbed my purse. “No, it’s not. I shouldn't have done this.”
He rose with me, putting up a hand. “No, no, you're fine. Don't leave.”
Realizing what I was about to do, I groaned, and my shoulders dropped. “I’m a mess.”
He put a hand on my arm, and the tingling returned.
I pulled away. “What is that?”
Gaze guarded, he stepped back. “I don't know.”
That's when I realized he could feel it, too. “Have you ever had this happen with someone before?”
He shook his head. “No, just you.”
I sighed.
“Please.” He sat back down and gestured to the table. “Let's finish our meal and skip the heavy stuff for now. We can just enjoy each other's company.”
My butt hit the seat. We continued to eat, quietly at first, but then got to talking about our favorite books, what kind of drinks we preferred—at which point I revealed that I didn’t drink—and movies we both watched recently.
After finishing our meal, we ventured outside to stand in front of the restaurant awkwardly for the moment until I spoke. “I had a nice time.”
He grinned. “Me, too. Do you think I can get your phone number, now?”
I rolled my eyes with a smirk, pulling my phone from my purse. He pulled his from his back pocket and exchanged it for mine. When I opened his phone to put my number in, he only had three contacts, which was weird.
We exchanged phones back, and I asked, “By the way, you know I'm a librarian, but what do you do?”
He leaned down and kissed my cheek, whispering in my ear, “If I told you, I'd have to kill you.” Tingles swept down my spine with that kiss and settled in the low of my stomach, causing a bittersweet ache to bloom.
Stepping away, he gave me a wink before he walked to his car with one last wave. I stayed in front of the restaurant until he pulled out of the parking lot, and I noticed the green sticker on the back of his car.
It was a rental.
I walked to my car and climbed in, shifting to gain some relief from the bittersweet ache that still lingered. I gave a soft groan, not getting any, and settled on calling Mrs. James and Maria as promised as I started my drive home.
When I arrived at the house, I considered the idea of getting my own place again. It was awkward going into my room, which was on the far side the house away from the master bedroom, and giving myself the release I desperately needed.
It was time for a change.
I tiptoed into the house and quietly got ready for bed. With a quick release and the euphoric afterglow, I drifted off to sleep.
That’s when the nightmare came. The same one as always.
Cold and wet, I gasped for breath in the dark chamber I was caged in. Panic started to set in as my hands lifted, scrambling for the cold metal zipper that would release me from my confines. I quickly unzipped the bag, only to find more darkness beyond.
I was trapped.
Arizona
Aaron
We got the call from Seth letting us know his suspicions that Bane was in Arizona, then he called with an update a couple days later with some other news. He met a woman in Arizona who he felt the H-15 bond with. We didn’t know much about the bonding code except for what Doc explained to us briefly when it was discovered.
Our friends, Triton and Tristan, were the first in our group to experience it when they met Trisha, who was now their wife. Why the fuck did they fall for a woman with a “T” at the beginning of her name? The twins called it fate; I say it’s a disaster. Garrett and Dallas also bonded with Trisha’s friend and partner, Melissa. Now, Melissa had a four-month-old. Guess the H-15 serum makes birth control null and void.
The guys explained how the bonding worked for them. When in the area or near their bond person, the tingles start. Followed by touch and sparks, then the sense of wanting to be with this person, to be connected with them. After that, Trisha and Melissa, both experienced a fever and became aggressive in their desire for sex. We were unsure if the bonding caused the fever or if it was the serum that had been slipped into their system prior to their coming into contact with the men. We did know that the scent of their guys calmed them down.
Finding someone with the drug in her system in town confirmed that Bane must've been there at one point in time.
Even more curious was that this woman was named Amber. Just like Amber Myter. But she was pronounced dead a year ago. Even though the body was never found, Seth said she had similar features and asked us to email a picture of her prior to death. Between the two, we realized it could be her. She was a little curvier, but before the H-15 serum, she was thin and dying from cancer. If this was Amber Myter, then where in the hell was Bane?
Weston and I hopped on a plane, grateful to be out of the hair of Melissa and her little boy. She was baby proofing everything on the mountain. All of us were unsure about how having kids with this chemical in our body would go over. We were essentially superhumans with talents and abilities others didn't possess, but so far, little Parker was normal. Having a baby around changed things, changed us. We didn’t have just the women to protect, we had a child.
“Where are we going again?” Weston gruffed.
“Arizona.”
Due to our special nature, the Army demands we blend in with society so as to not draw any attention, but nothing too extreme. Since our last mission, I let my hair grow slightly past my shoulders. Weston had gone for a more preppy look with h
air short on the sides and slightly longer on top, but I would never call him preppy to his face. In fact, he was the total opposite of that. If anything, I was the one who wore designer stuff while Weston was all about black, blue, and gray, and the more pockets the better. But he had always been like that, even when we lived with Emma at the foster home.
The three of us had history. We came from some harsh backgrounds which landed us in some shitty homes. Weston and I were the first to land ourselves at Emma’s farm house during the same week. We were only six at the time. At first, the two of us couldn’t stand one another, but with a fist fight shortly following, between blood and broken noses, we established boundaries. As weeks flew by, Seth came, and it was like all of us clicked. We had hard shells with reasons why we were the way we were, but we were brewed from the same hops, just bottled in different cases. Brothers in the making.
“Seth said he felt the bond with her,” I told Weston when we took off. “That’s one of the reasons he wanted us to come.”
“It doesn't mean we’ll all connect with that same feeling,” Weston retorted.
I held back, knowing he was right, but hoping he was wrong. It could be just Seth who connected to her, like Weston said, but it happened with the other two before. Maybe it would just be with two of us? Or maybe all three. I was itching to know.
***
Weston
Off the plane, bags in hand, we met up with Seth on the tarmac. Aaron got to him first as I stayed back, leery about this whole arrangement. Amber Myter, alive? Seemed liked a joke. A cruel and vicious one. This all felt like a ploy to get us here and try to capture us. Like rats in a cage.
As I neared Seth, he brought me in for the bro hug, a one arm pound on the back, then pulled away. We were family. It’s what families did.
Seth’s sharp gaze met mine. “You ready for this?”
I shrugged. “Not really.”
“He was quiet the whole way here,” Aaron offered. “Fuckin’ worried.”
“Someone has to be,” I growled back. “It’s Bane behind this. It’s not only us and the girls we have to worry about keeping safe. We have Melissa’s son, too.”
We fell silent until we reach the car, and I climb into the backseat. Aaron, the lucky bastard, won the front seat in a game of cards on our flight here.
Since my mood caused the tension, I threw them a bone. “How do you think we should proceed?”
“With Amber first,” Aaron answered.
“She has a severe case of amnesia,” Seth warned as he started the car and turned out of the parking lot. “She was found beaten, and the folks who found her, the Jameses, took her to the hospital. From there, no one came forward to claim her so the Jameses let her stay with them. She’s been slowly getting her life back and still has no clue who she is. It’s a touchy subject for her.”
“You think?” I snapped. “I would go fuckin’ crazy not knowing, but in her case, it’s probably best if she doesn’t know. Her mother’s dead, and she was headed in that direction herself until Bane kidnapped and most likely beat her before she escaped. Then, to find out her dead father was a traitor to our country? I say she’s better off not knowing. All the evidence from a year ago is likely gone, but we have the police and hospital reports. We can start with those. Have Triton dig up the information. And the bond. We should find out if the two of us feel it as well.”
“Either way, we better get our stories straight,” Aaron said. “With the bond happening to Seth, someone needs to explain things.” I shifted from my place in the backseat.
“We could say she was an orphan going through chemotherapy, like that friend of hers,” Aaron suggested. “And Bane wanted new subjects that wouldn’t be missed so he staged her death and took her, gave her the H-15 serum to cure her illness, then experimented on her.”
“She’ll probably run the other way as fast as her little ass can when you tell her that, or anybody else for that matter,” I scoffed.
“Well, I don’t see you coming up with a solution,” Aaron retorted.
Seth glanced at me from the rearview mirror. “You got something better?”
My body tensed with an idea. “Yeah. Find her, fuck her, take her back with us. Because the way I see it, if she did escape from Bane, then I guarantee that during the past year, he’s been looking for her, if he hasn’t already found her.”
“Fuckin’ shit,” Seth muttered. “He could do anything once he realizes she doesn’t remember him.”
“Call himself her uncle,” Aaron stated, now getting it. “Or brother.”
“Or father,” I added. “So, I suggest we don’t pussyfoot around this mess. We found her, we’ll find Bane, but only after we take Amber back to the mountain where it’s safe.”
“She won’t come willingly. She touched me, and there was a spark, electricity, or whatever we want to call it. You know what that means. Three days, and she very well could go into a fever.” Seth kept his gaze fixed on traffic. “We’re going to have to figure out a way.”
Aaron brought out his phone, scrolling through a website. “Dates. We can keep our eyes on her. Besides, Melissa and Trisha were given the serum prior to them having the fever. Amber’s had it in her a lot longer. We should get her comfortable with us. The feelings she’ll feel with us alone will make her realize she’s different, that we’re different. Seth had one date and mentioned she worked at the library. I’ll visit her there. Besides, I like to read.”
Library
Amber
I walked into the library with confidence, despite the nightmare from the night before. Light lipstick feathered my lips, a necklace rested slightly above my collarbone, and I wore a white blouse with tiny, black polka dots, paired with black, pleated trousers, and low, black heels. My hair was in the classic twist that librarians typically used which felt right since, for all sums and purposes, I was a librarian, my title just didn’t say that. I was just an assistant. In fact, today, I was overdressed. That date yesterday boosted some confidence, and I felt like dressing up. To show myself I was real and this was real. That my nightmares couldn’t hold me.
I waved to Gina and Frankie at the service counter and walked to my area in the fiction part of the library.
Sitting at my desk, I put my lunch box in the cubby, as well as my purse, and got to work. I sifted through books that showed wear and tear and set books aside to be shelved, as well as kept an eye on our website. I loved my job. I loved books, and I surrounded myself with others who shared my passion for them. No other job could give me this.
Halfway through the morning shuffle, I opened a study room someone had reserved then headed back to my desk only to be overcome by those same tingles from yesterday. I searched around for Seth but didn’t find him. No phone calls or texts since I gave him my number last night, but would he really outdo himself and show up here instead?
I did tell him I worked as a librarian. Suddenly self-conscious about something in my teeth or flakes in my hair, I rushed back to my desk, sat in my chair, and pulled out a makeup compact that was hidden behind a book I was reading, and I did a quick check.
My shoulders sagged in relief. Lipstick was good; teeth were fine. To appear to be busy, I went back to my computer. The sensation drew nearer, and I paused my typing to peer around. I didn't find Seth. I did, however, see a man that appeared out of place.
He was striking. His brown hair, which he pulled back into a ponytail, rested at the base of his neck, with loose hair trimming his face, framing out his strong cheekbones. A gray speckled t-shirt, leather bands at his wrists, and a nice pair of blue jeans with stylish ankle boots made it clear this guy knew how to dress.
While I studied him, he spotted me. His eyes zeroed in, making my insides quiver with excitement as he made his approach. If I didn’t know better, it seemed like he was searching for me.
He strolled up to my desk and gave me a blinding smile, letting two dimples peek through. “Hey, do you know where I can find a book?”
&n
bsp; I almost rolled my eyes at the comment. Did he not know where he was? “Yeah, I know where you can find a book.” I gestured to the floor where all the shelves of books stood. “We have lots of them. Any book in particular?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m looking for a specific book. It's one my sister-in-law reads. I'm here on business, and I thought I'd pick it up and try it.”
“Okay, what's the title?” I asked, turning to the computer.
“I don’t know… Something about an Academy?”
I turned back to him, raising an eyebrow at his vague answer. “There's lots of books about academies.”
“Well, it's something about Academy, and the first book has a girl on the front but it doesn't show her face.”
“You have to be more descriptive than that.”
He grimaced. “Okay, well, there's another book by the same author. It has beetles in the title, and the cover is red.” He snapped his finger. “Scarab beetles.”
My eyebrows rose, realizing I knew exactly which books he referred to. “Are you talking about CL Stone’s Academy books? And Scarab Beetle books?”
His face lit up. “That's it. That's the one! I wanted to check out the first book. My sister-in-law said it was good, and I’m pretty much up for reading anything.”
My mouth popped open, and I wasn't sure what to say. “You want to check out a romance?”
“Y-yes,” he stumbled.
I turned back to the computer to search for a book I already stashed away for myself. He wouldn’t be too disappointed it was unavailable since he didn’t even realize what genre the book was in.
“It looks like it's not available to check out right now”—because I had it in my desk drawer—“but the first book in her other series is available.”
He tapped his fingers against his thigh. “Sure, can you write down the location so I can grab it?”
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