Cheating Time

by T. R. Graves

  With his kiss and the admission that he'd been waiting for her roasted duck, everything about her lightened. She grinned widely and skipped from Thorne's arms and out the door of the tent.

  Without a word of explanation, Thorne turned back toward the table, sat back down, and began eating. I suspected Rorie's meltdown was one he'd seen more than once, something he'd been dealing with his whole life.

  "I-is she your sister?" I asked very carefully.

  He didn't say anything. He poked at his salad, tore at the bread, and pretended as if I'd not said a word.

  Finally and just when I thought he was passive-aggressively refusing to answer me, he said, "Rorie is…" He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "My twin. Barone insisted my sister be aborted in utero, but my parents refused to do anything that would risk my life. Against my parents' wishes because they've wanted to put her in Asylum, a preparatory school for others with genetic deformities, I've spent my entire life teaching her things that will make her functional. I've done that so she'd have something to offer people if anything happened to me, so she'd have options other than that of a preparatory school for Down syndrome rejects."

  "I think what you've done for your sister, what you did with your sister just now is…" I gulped around my embarrassment. "Wonderful."

  Thorne stopped chewing, gulped as loudly as I'd just swallowed, and nodded. "She's my sister. What else would I do?"

  "I know a lot of people who would be ashamed of her… who would send her to a home rather than spend the first second with her, teaching her skills that will take her through life," I said before mustering every ounce of humility I had to offer. "You were right earlier, Thorne. I don't know anything about you or your family. I do know I admire you."

  Having been prepared to tell me exactly what he thought about me and my prejudices, Thorne seemed taken aback by my confession. He stared toward me with an open-mouthed gaze.

  "What?" I asked, spearing a piece of lettuce and shoving it into my mouth.

  "I-I've just never met anyone who didn't think Rorie should have been selectively aborted," Thorne confessed.

  I shrugged. "It sounds to me like you haven't been surrounding yourself with very good people."

  He bobbed his head and said, "It seems you might be right, Carles."

  Like me, he ate his salad, and this time, he was eating it because he enjoyed it, not because he was trying to avoid talking to me.

  When Rorie came back with a tray loaded down with even more food, she seemed a little more comfortable with me. She didn't work as hard hiding her face and had even let the bonnet fall back and hang around her neck.

  She beamed when I said, "Rorie, this is absolutely the best roast duck I've ever had."

  Seeing how happy I'd made his sister, Thorne grinned just as widely. His mouth dropped for a second time when I hopped up, pulled another chair up to the table, and said, "Eat with us, please."

  Several emotions crossed Thorne's face.

  Worry.

  Gratitude.

  Acceptance.

  Deciding he would share his sister with me, he stood and held the chair for her. Nervous, she was clearly not comfortable with what I'd suggested, until Thorne said, "I agree with Carles. You should eat with us, Rorie."

  She laughed with excitement when Thorne dumped the bread in the middle of the table and used the plate to share our portions with his sister. She rocked happily in the chair and giggled as her brother served her.

  Soon the three of us were eating. Thorne—a man I'd never met before today and now wholeheartedly admired—and I went out of our way to praise Rorie on her cooking and the meal's presentation.

  Right before we were finished eating, she reached across the table, put her tiny hand over mine, and said, "My brother likes you, Carles."

  Rather than be embarrassed by her or get angry that she'd broken some social rule, Thorne chuckled.

  "Rorie, you're not supposed to tell people personal things about me." He glanced wistfully over to me and winked. "We've talked about that," he scolded her with a grin on his face that told both of us she wasn't really in trouble.

  "But you do. You've never let me meet one of your girlfriends. I like Carles, too. I want you to marry her," Rorie said seriously.

  Thorne shook his head. This time he was a little stricter with her. "I'll never marry anyone, Rorie. I'll take care of you forever. Just as I've always said I would."

  "No. I want you to marry. I want you to be happy. Carles makes you smile," Rorie insisted.

  When Thorne looked over and saw my face burning, he waved Rorie to a halt. "That's enough, Rorie. You're embarrassing, Carles."

  Rorie squeezed my hand tighter. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just like you so much," she said sweetly.

  I put my hand over hers and said, "I like you, too, Rorie, and I don't have to be anything to your brother for the two of us to be friends."

  "You'll be my friend?" she asked, surprised.

  "I already am," I said before leaning over, squeezing her hand with both of mine.

  "All right, you two. Rorie, we have another guest who should be here any minute. Why don't you bring the Surrogate's meal in here? He can eat while we talk about our trip back to the preparatory academy."

  Rorie couldn't get up fast enough. She loved her brother and was determined to do anything he asked of her.

  "I-I'll be back, Carles. I'll be back," she assured me before leaving.

  I'd purposefully waited to ask questions about my family and Jayden until she left. I got the feeling Thorne went out of his way to make sure she wasn't kept in the loop as it was related to his plans. What I didn't know was if it was for her protection or for his. Regardless, I respected his decision.

  "Who is the Surrogate?" I asked calmly.

  No matter how kind Thorne was to his sister, I was determined to keep my family's love for Jayden hidden. Jayden was a Surrogate, and there were those who thought of them as second-class citizens. Others didn't consider them citizens at all.

  "Jayden St. Romaine is on his way here."

  I wanted to sigh in relief. I wanted to be the lovelorn teenage girl and run from the tent and wait for Jayden to arrive.

  "Why didn't he travel with me?" I asked. Calmly. Cooly.

  Thorne's stare darted up to me. He'd spent an entire life trying to hide his affection for his sister. He knew what hidden love looked like in much the way I knew when Mom and Gran were contemplating a new experiment..

  "You almost died. MediTech was alerted about your medical emergency. We were dispatched, and you were the only person who could be lifted out of there in the MediChopper. Believe you me, it took more than a few of us to explain to him that he couldn't fly back to the infirmary with you. Before we got off the ground, St. Romaine was running behind us. Like I said, I expect him any minute. There's no way he was going to stop and rest before he made it here," Thorne explained.

  "How long have I been here?" I asked.

  "Three days."

  There wasn't anything I could say to that. I'd lost three days and my entire family. Jayden was on his way, but there was no mention of Gran or Tawney. I was afraid to ask about them. I worried that if they'd gone in search of the safe house on their own, my questions would put them in danger.

  I'd wait for Jayden. He'd tell me what I need to do. What we need to do.

  As if on cue, there was a noise outside the tent. Since it didn't seem I was being held captive, I ran toward it. I had to see if Jayden had made it.

  Outside of the tent, I saw that sitting in the middle of this forest was a dozen or so caterpillar-type tents with one giant donut-shaped pavilion in the middle.

  Jayden hadn't wasted any time finding me. The minute I stepped outside, I was nearly tackled by him.

  "Carlie! Oh my God, Carlie!" He pulled me into his chest and hugged me tight.

  I didn't care who saw us. I hugged him back. In his ear, I whispered, "Where's Gran and Tawney?"

  He stiffened and glanc
ed around to see who was near.

  "I convinced them to keep going. I swore to them I'd stay with you until MediTech arrived. When they wouldn't let me come with you…" His whispered voice was hoarse with dehydration and worry.

  I palmed his cheek and looked into his eyes. "I'm going to be fine. You need to let me take care of you. You need something to drink and eat, and you need to sleep. After that, we'll talk about what we need to do."

  He was shaking his head as if he were going to refuse my suggestion when Rorie came up behind us carrying a tray with the food and water Jayden's body required.

  Looking over my shoulder, Rorie said, "Thorne, why is he hugging Carles. Does he know you're going to marry her?"

  Chapter 16

  Fiancé

  Carlie

  Jayden stiffened like Rorie had just speared him through the back. His grip on me grew tighter. More protective. He didn't make the first effort to move away from me or pretend he didn't care for me.

  "Rorie, can you put the food and water on the table inside my tent, please. After that, I want you to go to the galley and get it cleaned. Don't forget to lock it down. Surrogate Manniless told me you left it open over the weekend and bears got in," Thorne gently chided.

  Like always, Rorie did exactly what her brother told her. This time, she was a little quicker. His gruffness had not gone unnoticed by Rorie or me. Gone was the loving, carefree brother who allowed her to have supper with us.

  After she'd deposited the food and water inside the tent and as she was leaving, she looked down at her wringing hands and apologetically said, "I-I didn't leave it unlocked, Thorne. I promise. I don't know how the bears got in, but it wasn't because of me."

  Softening in a way only Rorie could induce, Thorne reached over, put his hand on her shoulder, and kissed her tenderly on the top of her head.

  "Okay, sweetie. Don't worry about it. I'll find out what's going on," he said in a very low voice, one he didn't mean for us to hear.

  Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, she nodded and, without another word, headed toward the donut-shaped tent. Staring after her until she was safe inside the galley, Thorne kept his back toward us.

  Jayden looked down at me as if he thought I might actually be able to telepathically transmit their story. I couldn't. I shook my head in a way that said, I'll tell you later. Based on the thinning of his lips, he didn't want to wait, but he would.

  Ignoring the way Jayden still had me wrapped up in his arms, Thorne turned, walked around us, and opened the flap of his tent, the one I'd been recovering in, and said, "You need to eat and drink. After that, we'll find you a place to sleep. Based on the time it took you to make it here, I'm going to assume you've had about three hours of sleep in the last seventy-two hours."

  I could tell by the scowl on Jayden's face that Thorne was right, and Jayden didn't like it that Thorne knew that much about him, about what he'd done or not done in the last three days.

  I pulled away from Jayden and took his hand in mine before leading him into Thorne's tent. Like me, Jayden looked around and was amazed by the clean sterility and the uncluttered vastness of the tent.

  Thorne walked back toward the table where he and I'd eaten and sat down before waving his hand toward the chair Rorie had sat in earlier. She'd laid out for Jayden a feast similar to the one she'd prepared for Thorne and me. I was more thankful for it now than I'd been when it had been for me. Jayden hadn't taken care of himself. He needed water and nutrients, and more than anything else, he needed rest. The gauntness of his cheeks and the circles under his eyes were proof of that.

  "Eat," I ordered. "We've already eaten so there's no need to wait for us."

  He nodded and before he took the first bite of food, he downed the entire glass of water.

  I glanced over to Thorne and asked, "Can I get him more from your cooler?"

  "You're still recovering yourself. You've only just come out of your coma a few hours ago. I'll get it," he offered, getting up and walking over the cart at the end of the tent and pulling out a bottle of water. Unlike when he was getting the water for me, he took his time.

  I wished I'd have gotten the water for Jayden myself. I would have treated the chore with the urgency I thought it required.

  Rather than focus on Thorne's slow water run, Jayden went straight for the roasted duck. Getting protein in his body was a matter of importance. He may have been starving, but when he took the first bite of duck, he raised his brows and nodded his head appreciatively toward the food.

  I said, "I know. It's wonderful. Rorie made it. Apparently, she's an amazing cook."

  I saw pride swell around Thorne. He loved his sister, and he loved seeing her get her due for the hard work she'd put into the meal. Speeding his pace, he set the water bottle in front of Jayden, who eyed it suspiciously, but like me earlier, he needed it so bad he didn't have the luxury of refusing it.

  While Jayden downed another bottle, I glanced toward Thorne and saw the way he was staring at Jayden and my hands… hands that were still intertwined and squeezed tight.

  With the curiosity of a scientist and the jealousy of a man who really thought he and I were a couple, he said, "You're a Surrogate, right?"

  Jayden stiffened like he had earlier when Rorie suggested Thorne and I were going to marry. He swallowed hard and sent a death glare Thorne's way.

  Thorne wasn't intimidated. He may not have been bred as a Surrogate and trained since the moment he could walk to fight until the death, but he'd definitely been blessed with some great genes. He was nearly as tall as Jayden; their builds were comparable and their moves similarly graceful. Seriously, both men would be worshipped as gods for their beauty and strength.

  The men's biggest differences were easily measured. Where Jayden's hair was short, wavy, and brown, Thorne's was long, straight, and blond. Where Jayden's irises were a vivid shade of jade (marking him as a Surrogate), Thorne's were an equally brilliant gold.

  "Yeah," an irritated Jayden finally groaned. "Why?"

  Thorne shrugged but never took his golden stare off our joined hands. "I-I just thought there were rules that prevented Surrogates from getting too intimate with Procreates."

  I saw the instant Jayden felt defeated, like reality had throat punched him. His shoulders dropped a little, and he looked at the food like it might actually be poisonous. With a shake of his hand, he tried to pull his fingers away from mine, but I wouldn't let him.

  Right then and there, I'd decided I'd wrestle him to the ground and make him hold my hand if I had to, but I was going to hold his hand. I was too glad to see him and too thankful for everything he'd done to make sure I was safe. He'd put me and his concern for me above his body's needs.

  Yeah… there's no way he's going to get this hand back.

  When I wouldn't let go, he glanced toward me, trying to figure out what the hell I was doing. When he saw the glare in my eyes, he knew I was daring him to challenge me, and that dare brought a lopsided grin to his face.

  I softened and smiled back. All the while, I held on tighter, and he didn't complain. Then I sent a smug smile Thorne's way.

  "In my house, Jayden is now and always has been much more to us than a Surrogate assigned to protect us. He's part of our family, and like you, we treat everyone in our family with respect," I said, throwing down another challenge. This one just for him.

  I knew he'd understand I was comparing the love we had for Jayden to the love he had for his twin sister. It took him a few minutes to embrace it, but with the infinitesimal bob of his head, he did just that.

  We sat in silence while Jayden finished his meal. Right before he took his last bite, he shook his head, fighting off the sleep he so desperately needed.

  Worried for him, I glanced toward Thorne and asked, "Where will we sleep?"

  He looked as if I'd slapped him. "There's a tent next door where Surrogates sleep. It's filled with men. You'll not be welcomed there."

  "I need to watch over him while he rest
s," I insisted. "Look at him. He's about to collapse with exhaustion."

  More concerned about me than himself, Jayden asked, "Where will Carlie be sleeping?"

  Thorne shrugged as if the answer were obvious. "She's been sleeping here in my tent with Rorie and me for the last three nights, and she's been fine. I'm confident tonight won't be any different."

  "You've been sleeping in here with her?" Jayden roared only a little quieter than the king of the jungle would have.

  I jumped.

  "I'm not sure if you realize this, but Carles's parents and my parents formally agreed years ago that we'd be married when Carles turns twenty," Thorne announced after clearing his throat a few times.

  I jerked up to my feet so quick that I nearly knocked the table over.

  "What in the hell are you talking about? My parents would never do anything like that, and if they had, they would have told me. I know you love Rorie and you want to give her everything her heart desires, but I'm not for sale. I'll pick my husband or I'll never marry," I assured Thorne with as much vehemence as I felt over my parents' betrayal.

  "This union"—Thorne waved his hand wildly between the two of us—"is one Barone insisted upon. It's not one either of us can back out of. I thought you knew… I thought that's how you knew about me and my father."

  The bizarreness of the situation, the fact that I was miraculously brought to the camp where my fiancé was stationed, felt just a little too convenient. As if answering my unspoken question, Thorne continued.

  "I'm in my third year of medical school. I'm in the middle of my MediTech rotation, which is why Rorie and I are here at all. Actually, it's as if fate had us in its sights all along. I mean… my fiancée is bitten dozens of times by poisonous snakes, and I'm the doctor on call, the one charged with retrieving and nursing her back to health.

  "Even if you don't care for me, you have to admit I did a fantastic job of bringing her back from the brink of death. I'm not sure many other physicians would have been able to do what I did. So before you start questioning where she's been sleeping, I'd like to remind you who you are questioning," Thorne said, throwing down a gauntlet that couldn't be challenged.