The Aberrants Box Set (Books 1-5)

by Sarah J. Stone

  “Come on, Jaelle, you can do this.” She had forty-five minutes to cry the rest of her heartbreak out before she had to deal with the matter at hand.

  Too bad the scars that she had made tonight were going to haunt her for a very long time.

  *

  She pulled into the Wilkins rest stop with a red face and definite tear tracks down her face. Thankfully, the tears had pretty much stopped, but that was mostly due to dehydration rather than lack of sorrow. Quickly, she wiped her face with a blanket and tried to steady her heartbeat. Man, she would almost take going feral over the gut-crushing pain she was feeling.

  Doing the right thing sucked. Could she go back to being selfish Jaelle who abandoned her lover of two years without a lick of guilt? That would be nice.

  But that wasn’t going to happen. Although shapeshifters and monsters were a thing, time travel definitely wasn’t. She had made her choice and she needed to live with it. Especially since that choice was giving David the life he deserved.

  She grabbed the walkie and readied herself. “You guys here? I don’t see your cars.”

  “Yeah, we parked in the back by the trucker area. Figured it would be nice to have a little privacy.”

  “Okay. I’ll be round in a minute.”

  She was grateful for the sliver of time to collect herself however. She knew they would be able to smell the stress ketones and tears on her, but she didn’t want to seem like a total wreck when she faced down all the men.

  When she was sure she wouldn’t burst into erroneous sobs, she took the Jeep out of park and drove around the back. Sure enough, she found the men’s vehicles all in a line with the Hunters themselves gathered around one of the grills that was bolted into the ground.

  Steeling herself, she parked alongside them then threw the Jeep into park. She took one last look in the rearview mirror, satisfied to see that her face had faded to pink instead of beet red, and then slid out of the car.

  “Hey,” she said weakly, unsure how to start the conversation.

  “Hey,” Bradley said, turning and holding something out to her. As she walked toward him to grab it, she realized it was a burger. Were… were they having a cook out? Talk about a day of non-sequitur meals. “Wanna eat your emotions?”

  “God, yes,” she replied, practically tearing it from his hands and biting into it with a vengeance. Instantly, the delicious grease and salt filled her mouth, taking a little bit of the bitter edge off her thoughts. But only a little.

  A strong hand rested on her shoulder and she instinctively jolted, only to realize it was Dannon. “How are you holding up? What you did wasn’t easy, and I respect that.”

  She swallowed her mouthful and she figured she could answer this one of two ways. She could take it seriously, or how David would want her to. “Are you comforting me because you actually care, or because you’re upset you never got to steal him for yourself?”

  “Hah, you caught me.” He patted her twice then walked over to a chair. She noted that he gave the grill – and the fire within it – a wide berth and tucked that observation in the back of her mind for later. “Glad you’ve kept your sense of humor.”

  “It’s about the only thing I’ve got left.” Ouch, that was much more depressing than she meant. Oh, well. It wasn’t like she was fooling anyone. “Anyways, so what’s this thing you couldn’t say over the walkie.”

  Bradley’s face darkened. “I… I think I might have an idea, but it’s nowhere near a guarantee.”

  “And idea?” She echoed. “So does that mean that you believe me now that my kind aren’t necessarily monsters, or you just like the challenge of an impossible situation?”

  “It doesn’t matter what I believe. It matters what you, and the Elders believe.”

  “Yeah, well, right now we know that I believe Aberrants should be allowed to live, and every Elder does not. I don’t think that difference is going to be an easy one to overcome.”

  “No. But with evidence it might be.”

  “Well, how am I supposed to get that? All I’ve got is anecdotal experience and a winning ticking on the Aberrant genetic lottery.”

  “I know. But…” he paused again and she could tell that he was really struggling with what he was trying to say. Normally, she liked to think she would be a bit more understanding, but she had had a very rough day and was tired of all his internal hemming and hawing.

  “What is it? Come on!”

  “No offense,” Javi cut in. “But the suspense is killing us.”

  “Don’t rush me,” he snapped. Jaelle raised her hands and took a step back. She’d never really heard him raise his voice like that before. “Alright men, listen up. You’re all going to have to make a choice.” He cleared his throat and suddenly his face was all serious. “We all made an oath to protect our people, and this Aberrant threat is one of them. He—”

  “His name is Creed.”

  “What?”

  “His name is Creed,” she repeated. “I thought you should know.”

  “No, it isn’t. His name is Oliver G—”

  “That’s his old name. The one his parents gave him, and they’re the ones who delivered him for execution when he was just eleven years old. So, his name is Creed.”

  “All right then. This Creed fellow is a danger to us, but Jaelle here might have a way to neutralize him.

  “I realize some of you have only politely tolerate her presence, as I also realize that some of you do not hold any sort of kindness in your hearts toward her kind. So, I’m giving you an option. One, you continue on our journey to catch this Creed fellow. You take my leader token and whatever supplies you need, then go on your way.”

  “And the second option?” Dannon asked slowly when another one of Bradley’s pauses went on too long.

  “The second option is that you come with me and try to make history. I don’t know about all of you, the events over this past year don’t have me convinced that the Aberrant legends we’ve been fed are entirely accurate. I want evidence, pointing in either direction, and I think I might know how to get it.

  “The only catch is, I need you all to make your decision before I tell you what my plan is. We’re not exactly going to be running with Clan law and I don’t want those of you who want no part of this implicated. So, make your choice now.”

  The men exchanged glances and Jaelle could sense the weight of the moment between all of them. For several ticks nothing happened, until Dannon stood up, carefully crossed to the grill, then grabbed a bun.

  He didn’t say a single thing and everyone watched as he added a burger patty, then a slice of cheese, then carefully felt along the condiments to eventually squirt some barbeque sauce on it. Jaelle looked from him to the others, but everyone seemed just as confused by his actions.

  Finally, he finished and crossed back to his seat. He sat down with an ‘omph!’ then took a big bite of his food. He chewed then swallowed. “Well, you know where I stand,” he said with a wicked smirk.

  “Cheeky bastard.” Bradley retorted. “You always liked the spotlight.”

  “Oh, was there a spotlight?” Jaelle didn’t think it was possible, but the dreadlocked man’s smile grew even broader. “I couldn’t see it.”

  And that broke the hesitance. A Hunter that Jaelle didn’t know stepped forward, offering his hand to Bradley.

  “It’s been an honor serving under you. I wish you the best.”

  “Same to you.” The now ex-leader reached into his pocket then handed the Hunter something that Jaelle couldn’t quite see. “Be safe now, Herc.”

  “You, too.”

  The Hunter walked on to one of the vehicles. Less than a second later, another Hunter did the same. Then another.

  Then, nothing.

  Jaelle looked around, waiting for more to jump ship. But a solid thirty seconds passed and four Hunters stayed staring at both her and Bradley with only mildly guarded expressions.

  “You’re all in?” Bradley asked.

  “S
orry, friend,” Javi said with a smirk. “Looks like you’re stuck with us.”

  “Besides,” another said, one she didn’t know the name of. “When have I ever said no to an adventure?”

  “You’re all willing to risk your lives to prove Aberrants’ innocence or guilt?” Jaelle asked, uncertain she could believe what was happening.

  “Well, yeah,” Dannon said. “The way I look at it, almost all of us either have kids or hope to have them eventually. What if one of them is born a mutant like you? If I’m going to have to watch my child die, I want to know that it’s an absolute necessity, that there’s not even a half of a percent of a chance that they could grow up to be a functional citizen.”

  Jaelle couldn’t help it, tears were rising in her eyes again. In all her life, she never would have thought a group of men specifically trained to kill her would be willing to go to the edges of the earth to help her kind. Had she gone to sleep and awoken in another dimension?

  “Just to make sure, there’s no turning back from this moment. Once I tell you the plan, you’re in until we find what we need, or we’re dead.”

  “Yeah, yeah, we get it. What’s the deal?”

  Jaelle was also curious, but she was still in so much shock at the show of support. But Bradley held up a single finger, jerking his head in the direction of the men that were packing up to leave.

  “Let’s wait until they’re gone.”

  “Good idea,” Javi said, crossing over to the grill. “In the meantime, I think Herc bought a pack of Italian sausages. Anybody want some?”

  “Me!” Dannon said.

  “Me, too.”

  “Count me in.”

  Jaelle looked around at the men, almost suffering from mood whiplash. How had they gone from saving her people to talking about fancy hot dogs? She had no idea, but to be honest, an Italian sausage did sound pretty delicious.

  “I’ll take one, too.”

  *

  Jaelle patted her stomach, which was completely full of delicious, non-gas station food. Night was just beginning to fall, and for the first time in a couple days, she was beginning to have hope.

  The Hunters who had chosen to keep going after Creed had finally left about fifteen minutes earlier, but she let them get their distance before broaching the topic that had been hanging over them for the past couple of hours.

  “So, what’s this plan of yours?” she asked finally, looking to Bradley.

  “I suppose it’s time to stop procrastinating.” He set his food down and sat up straight. “Several years back, I was on the track of a fugitive killer who was hopping borders. Bastard was wily, and nearly ended me three different times. In the end, I brought him in, before not he got a poison dart into me.”

  “That sounds less than pleasant.”

  “It was. When I came home, I was in pretty bad shape. They weren’t sure I was going to make it, so they sent me to this poison specialist at a high tech, experimental hospital. While I was there, naturally I scouted around, and I found out that was where they experimented to find resistances to wolfsbane, curing rabies and other Shifter specific diseases. They had entire floors that you had to have Clan Leader level security to enter. I figure if any place is forming studies with Aberrants, or cataloging the information, it’s that one.”

  “So, we’re going to break into a hospital?” Jaelle asked.

  “We’re going to break into a hospital,” Bradley confirmed. “One that the general population has no idea exists.”

  Jaelle sat back, a little incredulous that she had a solid path so soon after this Creed had sprung this whole ‘find a better plan’ responsibility on her. But still… breaking into a hospital that was dedicated to helping and healing people? It definitely made her wonder if they were the bad guys or not.

  Oh, well, she guessed she would find out soon enough.

  To Be Continued…

  Book 3: Surviving the Traps

  Sarah J. Stone

  Chapter One: It Starts with a Flashback

  Jaelle held her breath as the door to her place rattled, but stayed shut. She could hear the rattle of keys against the lock, then those same keys clatter against the ground as a familiar voice cursed.

  It took quite a bit of willpower for her not to sigh. David needed to hurry up and get inside before she got bored. Because the worst way to start a nice valentine’s day evening was to be bored.

  The mechanic fiddled with the lace of her negligee, feeling a bit out of place as she waited for David to figure out how the damned door worked. She had never been with someone on the fated February fourteenth, let alone had her own place and the personal security to buy some stupidly overpriced lingerie and all the other supplies she had been procuring over the past month.

  Jaelle looked over the preparations she had sitting in the kitchen. A full roast and five burgers, along with home-made clam chowder. She had never been much of a cook, but she had pulled out all the stops for this special night.

  And David still couldn’t get in the stupid door!

  The last of her patient dwindled and she strode forward, thigh highs and garters be damned, grabbing the knob and then throwing it open. David stood there, eyes wide with shock.

  Jaelle, too, was more than a little surprised, suddenly able to see why he had been having so much trouble with his keys. The farmhand’s arms were completely full of a heavy bouquet of roses, chocolate, and if she was smelling correctly: raw porterhouse steak.

  “Hello,” Jaelle murmured, not quite sure what else to say.

  “Hello, indeed,” David replied, nearly whistling at her, but seeming to think better of it. “If I knew I was going to get this kind of greeting, I would have hurried a bit more.”

  “Of course, you would have,” Jaelle answered smartly, taking a step back and gesturing for him to come in. “That’s why I didn’t tell you. I had plenty of preparations of my own to get through.”

  “Oh, should I be worried about that? Or excited?”

  “Both.”

  Jaelle turned, giving him a perfect view of her backside -which in her opinion was one of her best physical features. He shut the door behind her, and they both walked to the middle of the living room.

  Her place was so much smaller with him in it. Normally the kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom were more than enough space for her, but apparently adding one more person could reduce that space remarkably. And yet… she wanted her space to be reduced. What was the point in Having so much area to call her own and no one to share it with?

  Of course, she wasn’t talking about love, or any of those other overly romantic things that human society seemed so enamored with. But there was something to be said of companionship, and the healing that came with physical touch. Not to mention that she hadn’t gone feral in the four months since she had started seeing David regularly. It seemed to her that the dopey, affable farmhand had a calming effect on her. One she hadn’t been able to find elsewhere in Braywire.

  David walked to the kitchen grabbing a cup from her cabinets and filling it with water before placing the roses into it. They did look beautiful, even if they were doomed to die soon under her care. The chocolates went into the fridge along with the stakes and then he finally turned to her.

  They didn’t exchange any words. They didn’t need to. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her to his form and she melted into his grip.

  They stayed that way for quite a while, mouths moving against each other and tongues sliding; exploring. After long enough, the pressure that David was exerting on her wasn’t enough. She wound her own arms around his farmer-tanned neck, her fingers playfully running through the thick, auburn hair at the back of his head. For what it was worth, David knew better than to stop, and continued to lavish her face, neck and shoulders with little kisses and bites. She always wished he would bite her harder, but he lacked the Shifter fangs that would make any sort of marking reaction, so she supposed she needed to be satisfied with his blunt, human chompers.
/>   Jaelle couldn’t say how many minutes they stayed locked together, enthralled in each other’s ministrations, in the closeness of their bodies. But eventually, David’s hands moved across her body salaciously. His fingers were unstoppable, stroking, exploring, caressing. Finding every bit of sensitive skin and lovingly worshipping it.

  Then, suddenly he pulled back and they shared a long look. For the first time, Jaelle felt like she was with an equal. Not someone who was holding power or necessities over her, and someone who she wasn’t tricking or somehow conning.

  What felt like electricity crackled between them and suddenly David was lifting her up. The Aberrant let out a giddy laugh, wrapping her stocking-clad legs around his waist. She had seriously less grip with the nylons on her leg, but she managed to hold on as David carried her to her closet of a bedroom.

  It was fun. It was sexy. And it was exactly what she needed to loosen up the last of the way. None too gently, he practically dropped her onto the bed and she nearly bounced off it. Thankfully, he caught her then positioned himself over her.

  Oh, god, the way he looked at her. It made her feel like anything could be possible. Like she could be happy in this rinky-dink down with her boy-toy forever. Like she belonged. Her hands went up to him, wanting to yank him down into her again, but he caught her wrists and pushed them down into the mattress.

  Of course, she could have overpowered him and flipped him onto the bottom, but she liked the way he was taking charge. It was a blessed relief of all the responsibility that came with being able to tear a human limb from limb.

  Besides, it was nice to let someone take the reins once in a while.

  And it seemed David was more than ready to take those reins. The farmhand leaned down until he was barely a breath from her, his lips pressing gently to each of her cheeks, then her chin, then her neck. Those same kisses continued down her semi-clothed body, traveling over silk, lace and skin alike. There was some sort of extra naughtiness to it over just being naked. Maybe it was because being nude was our natural state, nothing inherently sexual about it when one thought about it. But being dressed from head to toe in clothes specifically designed for arousal and romps? That had purpose. Intent.