by AJ Brooks
“I hear their key in the lock,” she whispers as she slowly slides the glass door open. “Just wait…”
A stiff cold breeze hits their backs and all three tense when they hear the growl. Hellhound.
“Oh for shit’s sake.” Lena sighs, turning from the window and jumping lithely from the third story balcony. “Will she never give up? Every damn spring. He needs to find a way to keep her on a tighter leash.”
Curo snorts. “And this after only a few years. Imagine how she’d feel if she was you, Cy? Being chased since she was jilted?”
“I’m coming,” Cy calls down, trying to ignore his friend.
“I got it.” Lena pulls out her short dagger, furious concentration on every feature. It stops Cy short every time. The power of her… Even as a mortal she had been intoxicating. Now, she stops him still.
“I know they say size doesn’t matter sweetie—” Cy starts but she cuts him off with a glare, stopping him in his tracks with a smile to let her work on her own.
The hellhound careens down the small alley where Lena waits, and as it gets close she leaps to the side, using her feet against the building to catapult her to a higher spot.
“He only wanted me to think he was a dog,” she says slightly out of breath.
Cy’s heart drops.
“Gorgon.” Cy and Curo lift over the balcony railing and drop silently into the alley below.
“You have to fight those blind,” Curo says as he pulls out his sword.
“I got three Unfateds without all your god-like skills. I got this.” Lena gives the boys a mischievous smile before charging after the dog who has turned and morphed into a woman. The mist swirls and Lena gets closer, a man… The man morphs again, growing scales, with teeth several feet long. The creature pauses to strike.
Cy jumps to help, but he won’t get there in time.
Lena slides to the ground, feet first, and slides her knife through the air as the creature morphs again and dives for her.
The black smoke is intense enough for Cy to sprint not knowing who won.
He stops, clutching his chest as Lena grins at his worried expression.
“Will you ever stop overreacting?” Lena stands up and brushes herself off, the dark smoke dissipating around them.
“No.” He shakes his head. “Probably not. It’s the effect of repeatedly losing the girl you love.”
“You two make me gag a little.” Curo flips a coin in his fingers. Probably some rare artifact that most mortals would kill for.
“You know we could help you…” Lena taunts stepping close and pulling out a star.
“You keep those little things away from me.” He points and then turns to Cy. “And you keep your arrows to yourself. The last thing I need is you two meddling in my love life. I do fine for myself, thanks.”
“You’re no fun.” Lena sighs before scanning the alley again, wondering if the Gorgon was the only threat.
“You okay?” Cy asks.
“Wondering if she’ll ever leave us alone.”
“She leaves me alone, but then, I’m not the one fighting the good fight.” There’s a tinge of sadness to Curo’s voice, but probably only her and Cy would pick up on it.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Taylor yells from the balcony. Ever since being dragged to the underworld, she sees everything mortals aren’t supposed to see. Same goes for Max and Crystal. “Don’t you losers have anything better to do than follow me halfway around the world? Don’t you know trouble follows you? I wanted a peaceful honeymoon.”
“Love you friend!” Lena blows her a kiss. “And we we’re just passing through.”
“Yeah. Right.” Taylor blows Lena a kiss and gives the boys the finger before her eyes land back on Lena. “Take care dear friend, and goddess divine,” she teases. She says that every time they see each other.
“Back at you!” Lena pulls a star from her shoulder pocket and tosses it for Taylor to catch. The stars are like a quick burst of happy warmth, and Lena disburses them freely, much to the dismay of both the Fates and Emilia. But they did give her control over how she wanted forgiveness to work…
With one last wave at her friend, and one last glare for the guys, Taylor closes her door.
“She will always blame us when we show up unannounced.” Cy sighs.
“Yep.” Lena’s smile is smug.
“Well, I’m going to find a few girls to turn into goddesses for the night.” Curo salutes before disappearing, needing to be on his own.
“Convenient.” Lena cocks a suggestive brow.
“Perfect.” Cy presses his lips to Lena’s, swirling her head around and creating yet another memory to replace the bad ones. In a few hundred years she figures her lifetimes of bad memories will be gone. Even then, her and Cy will still be very determined to keep making new good ones. Just to be sure.
“Oh.” Lena deftly bounces to sitting on Cy’s shoulders. And he immediately rests a hand on each leg. Her goddess self isn’t as tall as Zarah was, and they both like the arrangement. She rides up there a lot. “Our assignment passed us.”
“Let’s follow.”
They move around the corner, Cy much better at maneuvering through crowds than Lena, and her perfectly content to ride on his shoulders. So is he to have her there as his hands creep up her thighs.
“Are you seriously feeling me up as we’re checking on our assignment?” Lena teases.
“She’s only our assignment because you made her so. Like, two seconds ago.”
“Still. There’s something about her.”
And then they both pause when they catch sight of the girl.
“So much like I was as Zarah.” Lena sighs at the harsh frown on the girl’s face.
“Want down?”
“Nah. I’ll get her with a few of these first. Get the process started.” She slides out a few stars and with perfect precision they burst at the girl’s back and then her head with no reaction. Not even a pause or a scratch.
“Not ready yet.” Cy hoists Lena down, knowing she’ll be disappointed.
Forgiveness has always come easy to Lena, and her work as a god has shown her she’s a rare case.
“Well. It is a nice night.” She trails a finger down Cassius’ chest trying to recover, and knowing that they could wait for the girl. At least for a while.
One thing Cy knew Lena’d eventually have to learn was that not everyone would accept help. But at least he’d be there.
“Maybe we could turn a beach into a nude beach for the night,” she suggests with a smile.
“That, my goddess divine, sounds like your best idea yet...” And Cy scoops up the woman he loves, the woman he let go, and the goddess who returns to him day after day, and night after night, their joy together infinite.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORS:
Allie and Jo met in a random conversation on twitter about a paranormal romance and pink hair. Then they realized they were both girls of the north. Then they also realized that when they’re angry and frustrated at the world, they really love writing over the top paranormal romances with one another.
Yes, we’ve thought of writing Curo’s story, but wanted to wait and feel out the reaction to Cassius and Zarah first.
You can find Allison HERE
And Jolene HERE
And AJ HERE
FIND A SNEAK PEEK at Allison’s new SCI-FI HERE
COPYRIGHT
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission of the author except where permitted by law.
Published by
Next Door Books
Copyright December 2016
Cover photo by Shutterstock/Nasgul
Cover Design by MAKEREADY DESIGNS
The characters and events portrayed in this
book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
**UNEDITED SNEAK PEEK**
ELECTROKENETIC – by A.I. MARTIN
ONE
The soldiers can’t touch me.
And they know it.
Their hands hover tensely above their weapon belts—proof they don’t believe I’m as innocent as my large blue eyes make me seem. The curved metal of the long hallway bears down on me, and I can sense every molecule of space between myself and the thick-shouldered men walking on either side. Three more march a few paces behind. I tug on the dark gloves that cover my thin fingers, knowing the discomfort is mutual.
The soldier’s hand twitches over his Tase gun every time I make the slightest movement. It’s not like that weapon would do anything; I could crush the metal and his throat before he pulled the trigger.
If I took off my gloves, that is.
The soldier and I make eye contact for one second through the long, loose waves of my pastel violet hair, and my limbs hum with irritation. I hardly need a brigade of full-fledged soldiers to find my way to the Council office. But I guess after eight years the administration still trusts me about as much as I trust them.
The silence of my guards drags through me, pulling little pinches of fear from the edges of my mind. My reflection flashes in a small porthole as we pass, the blackness of space highlighting my long face and dotting my pale skin with the stars I long to return to. The hazy curve of Kronos is barely visible as we make our orbit, and I feel trapped—stuck in a way I’ll never get used to.
The only thing that could make this situation worse is if Council decides to send me to Kronos. All my muscles pull in to try and crush the thought, but I haven’t been able to so much as dent it since I was summoned from my workshop.
I’m going to be sent away. There’s no other explanation for why I have to stand before the Council three days before my birthday.
I’ll be nineteen, officially an adult, and instead of giving me a placement, they may finally boot me out.
Endless panels of smooth metal line hallways I travel every day, suddenly seeming smaller, more ominous as I force my feet forward. The lights hum in a hypnotizing rhythm overhead, mixing with the thud of our steps. We finally come to a door with a large red bar that reads RESTRICTED ACCESS in thick bold letters. The warning mixes with my nerves, and I fail all over again at trying to stamp out the flame of fear in my gut.
The soldier on my left places a hand on the panel embedded into the wall. It flashes, beeps, and the door slides, forcing my mind open at the same time.
Crackling memories pop behind my eyes, like a screen stuck between two video feeds, fighting for domination. Screaming fills my ears like static. I’m unable to take another step forward, and my thick-soled, knee-high boots skid on the grated floor. Electric current forces its way between my skin and uniform, crawling up my neck and into my hair.
Both soldiers take out their Tase guns, widening their stances in case I lose it, which has happened before. Sometimes I can’t stop the images of my eleven-year-old-self being dragged through these same doors as electricity exploded along my struggling limbs. I push deep, shuddering breaths through my lungs as I try to gather up all this erratic energy, gesturing to the soldiers that I'm fine. The older I get, the less often I need to be subdued. I tip my chin to my chest, breathing slow like my trainer taught me.
“They're waiting for you,” a soldier says, his voice strained but calm. Glancing at him again, his wary eyes center me. I can’t show fear in front of them.
Setting my shoulders and lifting my chin, I force down my feelings, swallowing them up and burying them in the darkest parts of me.
We continue into the much cleaner halls of Administration, where the government officials of the Network run the powerful military base they call Athena.
Everything is bigger, brighter, and more spacious beyond the thick metal doors. My boots barely make a sound on the solid floor, the panels bolted in tight, unlike the loose plates of the regular halls with hissing pipes exposed underneath. Here, everything is neatly tucked away under a polished shine, like secret struggles kept in locked boxes, giving the illusion of an easy life. It makes me nervous.
Two more sets of similar doors bring us to the Council office and everything in me wants to spin on my heel and book it back to my workshop. Too bad I’m surrounded.
The soldiers stop at the threshold where metal turns to intricate tile, unable to follow me inside and unwilling to meet my eye.
This can’t be good.
My eyelids flutter as I enter the blindingly white domed room. Metal and glass touch every feature, like most of Athena, but not a single imperfection. No rust. No underlying staleness of recirculated air. Living in space makes any kind of resources precious, and the expensive or luxurious is only for the elite.
“Helia,” the General of the Athenian Army addresses me. “So wonderful to see you.”
Sitting at the center of a long curved glass table, a reflection of blue lights dance along his dark skin as the surface turns to a computer screen.
“Hello, sir.” The crackling nerves under my skin are soothed by the warmth of his smile and the familiar wrinkles around his aging eyes. The General isn’t on the Council, but he’s the father of my best friend Eion. My shoulders unwind a little bit, knowing he’s here to advocate for me. I bet Eion forced him to. She’s the only person who can push him around.
The rest of the Council sits four people on either side of the General. Five men and three women—elected from each of the fourteen outposts in the Network’s fleet of space stations and moon bases strategically placed in multiple solar systems. I know most of the aging members by face but not name. The Council—along with high ranking officials—doesn’t mix with the staff, soldiers, and training recruits who fill the halls I’m allowed in.
Because I was originally brought to Athena as a prisoner, I’ve been the center of a few of these meetings. Often they end in me vibrating with white hot hatred, gazing at the stars and wishing I was back home with my father, while they all argue about what to do with me.
“Helia Langdon.” The woman next to the General speaks in a low bored tone, the pile of white hair swaying high on her head. “You’ve been called on today to discuss your future here on Athena.”
I clasp my hands behind my back and swallow the vortex of nerves that swirl up my throat like bile.
“I put in my application for the engineering department months ago.” I launch straight into my argument, knowing I only have a few minutes before they forget I'm here or that maybe I have some ideas about how I want to live my life. “I know I only put one department on my preferences, but I assumed with my particular… modifications… it was the only place for me.” Clearing my throat pushes down the terrified part of me that expects this is where they tell me I’m out; they’re sending me away now that I’m all grown up.
“Why do you wish to work in engineering when you could train as a recruit? To speak of assumptions, we on the Council were under the impression you’d want to train.”
“I’m sorry, Madame Councilwoman. I didn’t think with my past—” The words get stuck at the back of my throat, and the councilwoman waves her hand dismissively.
“Do you not spend most of your time in the training quad fighting in the Cage?”
She gestures to a computer screen at her fingertips. Files and photographs of me waver through the air, and my eyebrows pinch together. A looping video goes blurry and then in focus as the camera zooms. In it, I'm wearing a special gear-suit—headgear, gloves, and shoes—and engaged fully in the virtual simulation. It's weird to see myself from the outside like this, and I struggle to remember my argument.
“I spend most of my time in my workshop, Madame. Building things. I do love to fight, but I can’t become a recruit. I’m a Mod. I would be a terrible soldier.”
Why this isn’t clear to them makes my head fuzzy. Ye
ars of spinning memories play behind my eyes—all obvious indications that I can never be an Athenian Soldier—but the biggest and most glaring is my skin. It’s not the fact that I’m a genetically modified human; it’s that my touch can be lethal. Even getting clearance to fight virtually was a struggle, and now they want me to be a recruit?
“I would think that becoming a soldier would be beneficial.” A black-haired man at the opposite end of the table speaks slowly, and it's painful to listen to, the words interjecting through my light-speed thoughts.
“I’m not sure what you mean…” Mostly, I'm wondering how switching to a recruit is the reason I’m here when I’d been mentally preparing to make my case for not being thrown out into space to suffocate and die. Or worse, get sent to Kronos.
“It’s clear, Helia, that you would be an asset—”
The General stands abruptly, leaning over the desk like he does in his station addresses, stealing the attention of everyone in the room.
“It’s clear, Glenand, that the girl isn’t interested in being a soldier. I’ve spoken at great length with her mentor, and we both advise the Council to place her in Weapons, under the direct supervision of my daughter. It’s the safest place for everyone, and you know it. We’ve seen how the recruits treat her.”
With each word, the General’s shoulders widen, and I’ve spent enough time around him to know there’s more to what’s happening than I understand. Exactly like I thought—I’m brought in to talk, and then no one lets me say anything. Sparks crackle under my uniform, and I stare at the wall to calm myself.
“We’ve taken your recommendation into account, General, and we believe this is a mistake.” Folding her hands on the glass table, Glenand purses her lips and challenges the General with a condescending glare.
“She will not become a recruit,” the General says, his voice tilting into the commanding tone of the most powerful person on the entire station, maybe in all of the Network, next to the president, of course. The force of his tone sets me back a couple steps, and I want nothing more than to be in my workshop with the airlocks sealed, buried in a mountain of metal and grease. “It’s a ridiculous use of Council time to hold a full meeting to discuss the placement of one girl.”