Sanctuary's Aggression Complete Collection Box Set: A Post-apocalyptic Survival Thriller Series

by Maira Dawn

  "That would make you over sixty years older than me!" Sonora's eyes stretched wide. That couldn’t possibly be true. It had to be some sort of elaborate joke no matter what Ara said.

  Somehow they were at Ian's door. His family said goodnight, but the air was heavy. Aleena murmured, "Son, I hope with everything I have that this goes well for you."

  Emotion poured from Ian. "Me too, Mother, me too."

  Sonora stared at him. He was scared. Ian had always seemed so strong, so confident. If he was frightened, was this really something she wanted to know?

  Twenty-Eight

  A Mother’s Fear

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  The dark-haired man sat at the dinner table surrounded by empty seats. He barely listened to the dull conversation of the others as it droned on. The mother and daughter worked around him, one on the kitchen side of the room making a salad, while the other set the table at which he sat. The younger woman had gone around the table once with the silverware, now she made a second turn with glassware.

  This house always used imaginative table settings. He had to give them that. Too colorful for his preference but entertaining, to say the least. This setting was no exception. The garish hues of yellow and orange would compete with the natural colors of the food. He almost winced when that thought came to mind. When it came to dinnerware, as well as everything else, the neutrals of black and white were best. It was unfortunate everyone didn't have good taste.

  The man frowned as he reached to his place setting and straightened the fork that lay on a yellow napkin. For all the years he had known this family, been a part of it, he never remembered them properly setting the table, not even once. He examined the glistening silver tines. At least, they were clean people.

  "But Mom, I called her again. She's at work."

  Even his spoon seemed tilted, not a lot, just a bit. A small push in the right direction took care of it.

  "Well then, we need to figure out who else to call."

  The dark-haired man's eyes drifted to the neighbor's place setting. The knife was askew. It sat on an orange napkin crossing the spoon next to it at its tip. He put his fingers to the bottom of the knife, he made a slight adjustment, so it was perfectly perpendicular to the plate.

  Azurine turned to her husband as he walked into the kitchen, her eyebrows creased. "Mike, Sunny's been gone too long. Sierra called Kelly, but she's at work. We tried her other friends. Last night, I let it go, but now I'm really worried, and I’m not sure what else to do."

  Mike leaned back against the counter. "You're sure you tried everyone?"

  The dark-haired man watched as Sierra added glasses to the table. Worried about her sister, she was careless. Sierra slammed it down directly across from him at the top of his plate, not just above the knife, as it should be. A sigh escaped him as he eyed it. Couldn't she try, just try a little?

  Before he got his hand on the glass, Sierra moved it to what she thought would be its proper place. She smiled apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Uncle Devon, I know you like everything arranged properly."

  "It's fine, dear." Devon oozed kindness as he instantly forgave her. “I can be a bit troublesome. At least, that's what your Aunt Clare tells me."

  "You're no bother, and you know it." Sierra hugged him and giggled. “Besides, you're my favorite uncle."

  Devon warmed, as he did only in the presence of his nieces. His usual stiffness loosened enough to show his good humor. It was a joke between him and the girls. Married to Claire, Azurine's only sibling, he was their only uncle.

  Devon eyed Sierra as she walked off, making sure she wouldn't catch him as he moved the cup to just the right spot. He shook his head at himself, Sierra and Sonora were his one, no two, weaknesses. His eyes scanned the room, the others he could take or leave, but those two he loved as if they were his own children. Devon shot a glance at his wife, once again thanking whoever ran this universe that he hadn’t had children with that woman.

  He smoothed a hand over his hair in case it ruffled during the hug. Even when they were children, Devon would brave their sticky, messy attentions with a smile. A true sign of his affection, he'd always thought.

  "If we don't hear from Sunny soon, we are going to have to call the police," Mike said to his wife. "I wish she'd remembered to tell us her plans. The last time this happened, my hand was on the send button."

  "That was over a year ago, dear. I don't think Sunny would do that again, not after she saw how upset we were."

  Devon's already good posture, got even better as he straightened. He didn't want police anywhere near him or his projects. Worry gnawed at him, but he kept his voice calm. "Why are you calling the police?"

  "I thought you heard. Sunny is still missing," Azurine said. Devon witnessed a mother's fear in her eyes. He understood it was the strongest agony there was, a mother frightened for her child. He could not confirm that as he’d never had a mother/child set in his lab. It did make him wonder, though.

  A second look at Azurine's wide blue gaze revealed more than the usual panic over a child who had been out of sight for what was deemed too long. Azurine was serious. And that could mean trouble for him.

  "Missing?" Devon said, "I thought she was with her friend, Melly."

  "Kelly. And no, she wasn't. I know she's not a child, but I haven't heard from her in over twenty-four hours, that's not like her. You know it isn't, Devon."

  Devon did know. These were good girls who didn't like to worry their parents. Sonora would've called. He tensed, his words sharper than he intended. "So the last time anyone in this house talked to her was yesterday morning?"

  Together, Sierra and Azurine nodded, tears threatening to spill.

  Devon stood so fast his chair danced behind him. "My God, people, what is wrong with you? Why did you wait this long?"

  Devon scowled at Mike, wondering what the man's problem was. Didn't he know the terrifying things that could happen to people? He started rapidly pacing the room, unaware of the shock on their faces.

  "I'll go to the restaurant where she works and trace her steps," Devon said. "Give me an hour before you call the police."

  Mike nodded. "Good idea. I'll check the businesses around here."

  Devon agreed though he wondered if Mike would be doing anything now if he hadn't initiated it. The man had always been entirely too relaxed for his taste.

  Devon strode out of the house before he realized his outburst would seem uncharacteristic and cruel. That type of behavior was reserved for his secret lab, or occasionally, his home. Cursing himself, he ran back into the house and hugged Azurine. "I'm sorry. I'm just frightened for our little girl."

  Azurine nodded as she clung to him. "Please, find her."

  Devon spotted his wife as she stood by the door with her hands clasped and ordered, "Claire, get in the car."

  It seemed Devon's breath was suspended as he sped along the long, flat roads. It wasn't long until he reached Sonora's place of employment. After telling his wife to stay, he ran into the restaurant, calling for Sonora's boss. But he had nothing to say except that Sonora had walked out the other day over an unfortunate encounter with a customer. A quick word with the employees yielded nothing about her whereabouts after her shift. Everyone saw her get in her car and drive away, that was all anyone could tell him.

  So where did she go? If that little jackass college student took her, he'd make sure he suffered for it in ways the little deviant couldn't imagine. Devon turned from the others, looking out the window. In the distance, he saw a tiny speck of blue ocean. If Sunny went somewhere on her own, there was where she would go.

  Devon ignored all traffic laws as he raced to the shore, his sweaty hands gripping the wheel. Half-expecting to hear the wail of a siren behind him, he was surprised he made it without getting pulled over. The tires squealed as Devon turned the car into the half-hidden parking lot. When he found Sonora's car, he swung into the spot beside it.

  He jumped out of his car and examined
hers. He heaved a sigh of relief that it seemed undamaged. Studying the inside, he saw nothing that appeared odd.

  Devon waved for Claire to follow him and ran to the beach, stopping when he reached the edge of the sand. His gaze traveled down one side of the golden-colored ground to the other as far as he could see, his heart thumping. Beach-goers were sparse today. It was easy to see Sonora was not here.

  After bringing a picture of Sunny up on his phone, Devon turned to the person closest to him and asked if they had seen her. Devon continued through almost all the people there without success. His face downcast, he crouched down to a young girl and her mother as they played in the sand.

  The mother brightened. "Yes, I saw her when we were here yesterday. She was suited up for snorkeling and headed out that way." She pointed to the North side of the ocean. Then realizing what that could mean, her eyes widened, and she mouthed 'sorry' over the small girl's head.

  Devon and Claire exchanged a devastated look. Devon's stomach rolled, and he reached for his wife's hand. Claire's tears indicated her fear the girl had drowned, but Devon's anguish ran deeper.

  Was it them? Did the Atlantians know he was the one who tormented them and took his niece in retaliation? If they did to Sunny even a small portion of what Devon had done to them, it would be far more torturous than any death she would have from a simple drowning.

  Chills ran through his body as he imagined all the tortures his young niece could be enduring.

  Twenty-Nine

  Talk

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Ian held the door as Sunny stepped through it. The light material of her gown caught his eye as it flowed behind her, then lightly caressed the back of her legs when she stopped. Sunny hesitated and looked at the floor before moving toward the room she'd slept in last night.

  Ian ached to let her go, because after this, nothing would be the same. But he couldn't. "Sunny, we do need to talk." He prayed she felt something more for him than he knew.

  After all the nagging she had done to learn more, Sunny seemed afraid to hear anything at all, refusing even to face him. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed. We can talk tomorrow."

  Ian shook his head. "No, now. This can wait no longer."

  Sunny’s shoulders moved with a soft sigh. Ian sensed her reluctance, almost a feeling of dread. She turned and allowed him to lead her to the soft chairs near the window. When Sunny sat, she clenched the arms of the chair, causing the material to pucker under her whitened fingers.

  Ian sat at the edge of his chair, elbows on knees, and scrubbed his hands over his face a couple of times before starting. How does one explain the impossible? She had seen so much already, could she accept something more? Something that would change her life forever if she accepted it, or his if she did not.

  He was afraid. An emotion Ian had little experience with. Because if Sunny didn't agree, he could not fathom what his life would be like after this conversation. From the first moment Ian had seen Sonora, it had been moving toward this. He put a hand on his shaky stomach. There was nothing to do now but open his mouth and speak.

  "As you know, we are all humans, so in most ways, we are alike." Ian cleared his tightened throat. “Some fundamental differences you have noticed, we are a bit larger, more muscular, faster, breathe less, and as you now know, we live longer. Being down here so long, we have adapted.

  "Some differences we understand, some we are not sure why they've happened. There are a few other minor ones but one major one. That is what I need to speak to you about." Ian's gaze strayed from Sunny’s wide, sky-blue eyes to the window before coming back to her. How to explain it? She wasn't raised with this. It would seem ludicrous. Humans switched bed partners, let alone mates, as if the bedroom were a dance floor.

  "Sunny, my people have a tremendous capacity for empathy. Much more than the average human ability. This leads to more harmony, more unity. We think less of our own needs because we understand on a deeper level how other people feel. It is a good thing. It helps us keep peaceful relations between all the clans.

  "That empathy is exponentially greater when we meet the person we are intended to spend our life with. Our, as you would say, husband or wife. We somehow know this is the person who is ideal for us from the moment we see them." Ian blew out a short, hard breath. "It is hard to explain."

  Sunny sat forward in her seat, her hands now folded in her lap, a little smile lighting her face. "I understand. Love at first sight, like in the storybooks. Some people, humans, say that has happened to them."

  Ian frowned as he searched for words that would explain it more accurately. "Maybe, but so, so much greater. Our emotions and thoughts become so entwined with theirs, we can sense their emotions."

  Sunny frowned as she tried to understand. "Like ESP?”

  "No, it is not a mental thing. It is emotional. If one is sad, the other feels the emotion along with them. If the other is happy, the same. Do you understand?"

  "I think so." Sunny glowed. "That is beautiful."

  Ian nodded. His stomach muscles tightened, and he gripped the arm of the chair until it protested as he hauled in a breath to say his next words. "And when we are side by side with our Intended, our Jata Ara, as they fight for their life we sense that too." Ian leaned forward and took Sonora's hands, searching her face. "Just as I felt you when you willed yourself to hold your breath, as I sensed your pain as your lungs burned for air, and as I discerned the light of life leave you."

  Ian stopped and waited, his body straining tighter and tighter as he anticipated her next words.

  "You mean…" Sonora's smile was replaced by confusion. "You mean, you and me?" She pointed to him and herself.

  Awareness flickered on Sunny’s lovely face, the wonder of it, the beauty of it. Finally, the reality of it.

  She would live here. Never go back to her own family, her own life, to what she loved in the world above.

  Emotions tumbled across Sunny’s face until it stopped on the one Ian had hoped, prayed he would not see. There was something for him, but it was not enough.

  Ian was unable to tear his eyes from her. His beauty, his Jata Ara. A tiny line creased Sunny’s forehead, and her sadness welled. She glanced out the window to the sea, brought her gaze inside to travel though his home and eventually settled her lovely eyes on him. Tears falling, she refused it all.

  And his heart broke.

  Thirty

  Endara

  Chapter Thirty

  Tears fell as Sonora watched Ian slowly close his eyes and drop his head. This is what he had wanted all this time? For her to make a home here with him? Her insides shook with the realization she had known this all along. But how could she leave her life on land, her family? An icy fear overtook her.

  Ian raised his head, determination covering his face. His voice was rough with emotion. "Have you sensed nothing?"

  Maybe. When Ian explained the deep connection between two lovers, it had resonated on some level with her. But what good would admitting that do?

  "No," Sonora said bluntly. Ian’s normally tan face paled so light it frightened her, and she quickly said. "You're attractive, so attractive. You've saved my life not once, but two times, and you’re kind to me. Attentive even. If you were from my home, I would jump at the chance to go out with you. But this…" Sonora waved her hand in a circle. "this is a lot. Do you really mean for me to stay here? Leave everything in my life behind? I just can't do that."

  "You feel something for me. I know you do. Stay a few days and see what happens. Perhaps your attachment will deepen. It might work slower for you."

  Was Ian able to sense her emotions as well as he'd explained even though she didn't sense his? "Stay and get closer? That would just make it harder to leave. This has all been like some... like some fairytale to me. None of this, from the time I entered the water yesterday to now, seems real. It's as if I am in some kind of dream." Sonora pleaded with Ian. "Please understand, I just can't do this."

  Ian stood and l
eaned against the side of the window as was his habit, his voice gruff. "Do you think I wanted to fall for a human? It is the worst nightmare of an Atlantian! I could not predict this rejection, yet all I saw were problems. You will never feel the same empathy I do, your lifespan is so short, and all the small daily differences. Did you know I adjusted the oxygen output for your comfort?"

  Sonora shook her head, tears pooling as Ian continued, his words gathering intensity. "Look what the humans do to us! I would constantly need to explain having a human as a wife. No, I did not seek this out. I fought against it until I could not fight it any longer."

  Sonora didn't know whether she should be angry or apologetic for not measuring up to Atlantian standards. "Not my family,” she said. “My family has not hurt anyone!"

  Ian turned and sank to his knees in front of her, gathering up her hands. "Of course, they don't. I did not mean… this all seems a bit of insanity. I cannot believe after waiting so long to find you this is happening." He laid his head on her knees.

  Sonora nodded. What did it matter what Ian said, anyway? He was upset, angry. No one liked to be refused. As long as Ian saw this would not work. Sonora squeezed his hand. "It will be hard at first, but I'm sure we'll both be fine in a little while. And soon you'll find a nice Atlantian girl and settle down."

  Ian uttered a hard chuckle. "No, this ridiculousness is my life. There will be no Atlantian girl, only you."

  Heat rushed to Sonora’s cheeks. "Well, that is very flattering--"

  "I am not complementing you. I am telling you the facts."

  Sonora's eyes narrowed as she gave a slight shake of her head. "What do you mean?"

  “There is only one." Ian caressed Sonora's hands as he explained. "One Intended, Jata Ara. I have searched for mine for years, throughout all the kingdoms of the sea. Until my family and I despaired of me ever finding a wife." He gave a sad laugh. "I am quite late for finding a mate, now I know why. The second I saw you, I knew."