Aqulla glared.
“Six… months. You were in a coma for six months.”
Aqulla flinched. She pulled her hand from his, eyes going wide. “S—ix.” Coughing, she reached for the water. Jaylon brought it to her mouth and she drank. “Six… mon…ths?” she repeated.
“You died, Aqulla. I threatened the witches, made them keep your heart pumping, while they worked to fix your body. It took hours. There was so much damage. They wanted to let you go, but I wouldn’t let them. I knew you’d fight. I knew if anyone was strong enough, it was you.”
Aqulla took in his words, his appearance and thought that the last six months had sent Jaylon a little mad. She was used to his unwavering calm, especially in the face of chaos. His solid presence at her back, kept her in the light. Yet he had kept her in the light, frantic or not, it was his voice she’d followed, not death’s call.
“I heard… you…,” she whispered. “Calling… me.”
“I never stopped. I love you, Aqulla.”
Taking his hand, she smiled. “Kiss me.” Her lips were sore, and his touch hurt, but it was the most wonderful feeling she’d felt in a long time. His hand cupped her face gently, his touch worth walking through hell for.
“The shadow walker?” she rasped.
“Dead.”
“Then we… won. We… defeated… it.”
Jaylon gazed at her, intent and serious. “You beat it.”
2 MONTHS LATER
She was a ghost, moving unseen through the Complex. Two months it had taken Ama Seldova to decide on Jaylon’s punishment. It wasn’t until Aqulla had been well enough to leave the medical center that Jaylon had told her he’d been suspended for going after the shadow walker. Yet Aqulla knew it was more than just that. His captain wasn’t stupid. The way Jaylon had fought for her to live, the way he’d spent every day of her six-month coma by her side was proof enough of his feelings for her.
They were lucky Jaylon had been allowed to stay. The official hearing couldn’t go ahead until Aqulla’s side could be heard. Not that she was ever asked about her relationship with Jaylon. The closed hearing of a select few consisted of endless questions about the shadow walker and what had happened.
Eventually, the hearing had determined that Jaylon’s efforts had helped save the Complex, but they’d felt it was best he left. Their decision wasn’t one Aqulla was sure she could live with. She had just under two years left in the Complex and without Jaylon at her back, it was going to be hard.
But there would be time for her to worry about that. Aqulla was more worried about saying good-bye, and in a way that made sure Jaylon remembered her for the next year or so.
The Intra watched her, and they watched him. Her apartment was monitored, so were Jaylon’s moves, but the one place they didn’t monitor was his apartment. It was stupid of them and convenient for Aqulla. It was laughable really, that the Intra had so much confidence in their security that they thought she couldn’t get to Jaylon unseen.
Idiots, she thought with a wicked smile as she slipped inside Jaylon’s apartment. He spun on her entrance, but his stance for attack soon disappeared, and he closed the space between them, dragging her into his arms.
“How?” he finally gasped after a long and heated kiss.
“I’m me, and with a little help from Cosima. We’ve got—” Aqulla glanced at the newly acquire watch on her wrist. “—thirty minutes before the illusion drops.”
“What illusion?”
“Cosima made it seem that I wasn’t there when I snuck out. I only have a small timeframe to get back and inside before she can’t keep up the illusion and they see me enter.”
“Well, we best make the most of our time then.”
No amount of time would ever be enough to say good-bye, though, and Aqulla found herself trying not to cry when she actually had to say those words.
“It’s under two years. It will fly by,” Jaylon reassured her.
“You might forget me,” she whispered, unable to look him in the eyes.
Jaylon tilted up her chin. “Aqulla, forgetting you would be an impossibility. I have friends here. I’ll find a way to reach out to you. We will be together again.”
“If I do find you shacked up with some other woman, I’ll kill her, you know that, right?”
Jaylon chuckled. “I do, and it’s one of the reasons why I love you so much.”
“I actually thought you found my killing nature trying.”
“I’m going to miss you.” Jaylon crushed her to him, and Aqulla soaked up the feel of him wrapped around her.
“I have to go,” she whispered.
“I know.”
“I love you, Jay.” Aqulla looked up with tears in her eyes.
Jaylon kissed her gently, his tenderness causing more tears to fall. “I love you, too. Be safe sweetheart. Come back to me.”
“I will. I promise.”
Running into the night, as much one with the shadows as the shadow walker she’d killed, Aqulla allowed herself the time it took to get back to her apartment to fall apart, tears a constant stream down her face. Then she locked down her feelings and wiped her away her tears.
It wasn’t the end. They’d meet again; she was sure of that. Echoes still lingered within the walls of the Complex, but Aqulla had found the one thing stronger than death itself.
LOVE.
June 30th, 6AS (Ama Seldova) Departure Day
She’d been dreading the day for months. At first it hadn’t been on her radar. Aqulla’s only goal had been to make it each day without killing. She’d worried after Jaylon had left that she’d have no anchor and that she’d be consumed by the endless depths of death’s echoes, but she’d surprised herself. Jaylon didn’t have to be with her physically to get her through, just the mere presence of him in her heart was enough. And it helped that she had made unexpected friends. Melton had been the most surprising—smuggling the letters Jaylon sent her and then smuggling hers to him. He’d only once been able to get Jaylon on a com call, but that five-minute chat had meant the world to her, and she’d never forget what he’d done for her. Then of course came Cosima. The two were actually quite alike, and having a friend within the more upmarket side of the Complex helped; there weren’t any echoes nearby to haunt her. Being inside Cosima’s apartment was the only time Aqulla had found peace in the past two years. It was a peace that helped her rebuild her walls and fight for another day.
Cosima wasn’t with her, having left on a different jetter, but Aqulla had every confidence they’d meet again. The only person she was anxious to see was Jaylon. A part of her was petrified, the other bursting with excitement. The same thought had been circling her head, like a wailing ghost for the entire ride. What if he’s not there?
She had no idea what she’d do if he wasn’t. It didn’t bear thinking about. She’d faced down death, lived with its echoes every day. She’d survived the Complex when so many others hadn’t, but all of that was a walk in the park compared to the possibility of him not greeting her. He had to be there. They could finally be together. She was an ambassador for Ama Seldova. Her job was to show her people a united nation was far better that a nation at war. She’d even proven her grandmother wrong. She’d passed her test, shown that she could be of value, and that her gifts, although strong, could help save people and bring about justice.
It was a future Aqulla had never imagined she could have, or dared dream possible. All that was left was to step off the jetter and see him. Find him.
The jetter touched down. The doors whooshing open caused her heart to leap into her throat. Aqulla waited, giving herself just a little bit longer to prepare while the others stood and exited. When she was the only person left, Aqulla forced her weak knees to straighten and stood. Taking a breath, she began the steps to her salvation or doom.
Please be there, please be there….
Jumping down, Aqulla searched the crowd, her gaze landing on families being reunited, friends being greeted home. Her ey
es roamed the crowd, her chest tightened, the beat of her heart drowning out all other noise. The jetter took back off behind her, whipping dust clouds into the air. Shielding her face, Aqulla turned, scrutinizing every face she saw.
Her focus landing on deep blue eyes and a smile he only showed her, Aqulla’s heart froze. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, only stare. Stare at a face she’d dreamed of every night, a face she’d longed to touch. He was walking toward her, muscles shifting beneath tight clothes, strides long over the ground. His mouth crashed to hers, his arms wrapping around her and lifting her from the ground.
Aqulla’s heart lurched into full speed, happiness flowing through her veins. They broke apart breathless, his large, strong hands holding her face tenderly, while she clung to his waist.
“God, I missed you,” he breathed.
“I was frightened you wouldn’t be here,” she whispered.
His eyes softened, his lips lifting into a smile. “Aqulla, I will always be here, right by your side, where I belong.”
Aqulla had never looked forward to the future. It had been something she’d dreaded for a long time. But being in Jaylon’s arms, the rightness of it, made her look ahead with anticipation. She could handle death. She could handle anything life threw at her, as long as he was by her side, anchoring her and driving out the dark.
The Complex Book Series.
A Lone Planet. One Complex.
Unlimited Chaos.
Have you enjoyed this world? Why not check out the other books available in this series
www.thecomplex.info
Rachel M. Raithby started her writing career in 2013 and hasn’t looked back. She draws her inspiration from the many places she has lived and traveled, as well as from her love of the paranormal and thriller movies. She can often be found hiding out with a good book or writing more fast-paced and thrilling stories where love always conquers all. A Brit who has lived in New Zealand, and Australia, she now resides in a small village in NE England. You can follow Rachel on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and more – check out www.rachelmraithby.com for social links and more about her books.
Other Books by Rachel
Rachel’s Amazon Author page:
Adult Books
The Deadwood Hunter series
Lexia (The Deadwood Hunter, #1)
Whispers of Darkness (The Deadwood Hunter, #2)
Holocaust (The Deadwood Hunter, #3)
The Deadwood Hunter series - Box Set – including Bonus Novella
Novellas
The Beast Within
Deaths Echo
Young Adult Books
New Dawn series
Winter Wolf (New Dawn, #1)
Wolf Dancer (New Dawn, #2)
Wolf Sight (New Dawn, #3)
Table of Contents
Copyright and legal information
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Contents Page
Glossary
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
The Complex Series
About the Author
Death's Echo (The Complex Book 0) Page 12