Destiny's Shift (15 page)

Liberty smiled. “Thank you. The male is being truthful. And isn’t getting our

people out of Area 2 the number one concern?”

Noah nodded.

“May I suggest that you use him to retrieve our people from this Area 2 and go

from there? Perhaps he would make a nice edition to your team of Warriors, or perhaps

he would like to go on his way and act as though he is none the wiser of our people.

However, I do agree with Abby in that he should not be killed because of what he is, that

which cannot be helped and is no fault of his own.”

Jovan listened to her soft tenor, the voice of reason in the room.

Of course, she was right. It just didn’t sit well to have a son of a Colonist in such

close quarters. If Blake had failed all the truth testing he and Liberty had done, the guy

would be dead by now. But he hadn’t, and Jovan reminded himself that it was possible

for the offspring of Colonists not to show any Colonist tendencies.

“You’re right, Liberty,” Noah said. “Step one has to be getting our people out of

Area 2. We can deal with step two and three later.”

There was a beat of silence. “And I want everyone out of there,” Noah said.

“Even if there are members of The Platoon in there?” Jovan said. “Remember,

they want to snuff your ass. All of our asses.”

Noah nodded. “I know. But if they are in there, I want them out. No one should be

put through that. We know what the government is doing to them in the name of science

or national security or some other bullshit. And maybe if we rescue them, it will give us

some bonus brownie points with them and they’ll think twice about wanting to put us six

feet under.”

Jovan nodded. Noah was going a little soft.

“Okay, then it’s settled,” Rayner said. “Looks like we’ve got a new pet named

Blake for a while. Let’s just make sure we keep him on a tight leash.”

Chapter 31

Liberty sat next to Jovan at an early dinner listening to the chatter around the

table. The human male, Blake, seemed to fit right in to the group once they decided he

was trustworthy, possibly even better than she did.

She moved her food around the plate, not particularly caring for the green beans.

The roast was nice and flavorful, but she would have preferred some macaroni and

cheese.

Glancing over at Jovan, she thought back to her talk with the other females.

Goodness, what an education that had been. She had found the ache in her lower belly

and the wetness between her legs meant she was sexually attracted to Jovan. She was

shocked to learn about the semantics of sexual activity in a human body. It seemed to be

such an invasion, but the females assured her it was wonderful pleasure, especially with

the right male.

Doctor Beverly had also given her a package of pills that she promised to take on

a daily basis to prevent pregnancy.

Jovan laughed at something that Blake said. It seemed those two were starting to

get along famously.

Liberty was certain that Jovan was the right male for her to experience the sex

with. When the other females had described the tremors of delight their males gave their

bodies, Liberty blushed. When Faith had turned the channel to something called “porn”

and she saw the act very up close and personal, her body warmed to uncomfortable

levels, and Liberty knew she wanted that.

But how to go about it all, she wasn’t so sure. All of them had told her to be

forthright and let him know her feelings for him and her desires, but she wasn’t sure how

to phrase those words. Perhaps the most honest way was the best.

On another note, being called into the War Room to evaluate Blake had brought

her much pride. Of course she harbored a little fear for the male who was half-Colonist,

but she pushed that aside knowing that the Six Saviors were in the room with her, and

they wouldn’t let any harm come to her.

As she touched the half-human, she knew that she had found her place within this

house. Her gift was so much stronger than Jovan’s, that she would gladly volunteer to

help in the many fights she saw coming for the Six Saviors.

She was feeling strong for the first time in her life. She wanted to be part of this

amazing group and use her gift to help in any way she could. Finally, she understood that

the days of servitude were gone, and she was a powerful female. Having heard the phrase

“Don’t take shit from anybody,” she was determined to make that her new motto. No, she

would no longer serve, but she would be a part of something important and use her gift,

and somehow she would figure out what to say to Jovan to make him understand her

feelings.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he leaned in.

Instead of bowing her head as she would usually do, she lifted her chin and met

his gaze, her cheeks hot. “Yes, thank you, Jovan.”

His eyes narrowed as he studied her. “Something’s different about you,” he

murmured. “What’s going on?”

She smiled at him. “Nothing, Jovan. Let’s just say that my talk with Doctor

Beverly was very . . . enlightening.”

As he stared at her, she felt the coil in her belly again. Normally she would have

looked away, but she couldn’t. She felt an energy fuse between them, and she realized

that it must be the sexual attraction Beverly referred to. She latched on to it, and let it

build.

Letting down her shield, as Jovan liked to call it, she thought,
I would like to have

the sex with you, Jovan
. She wondered if he would pick up on it.

His eyes widened. Apparently, he had gotten the message.

“That’s a really bad idea,” he said in a low voice.

I rather like the sound of it. Doctor Beverly told me the ache in my stomach is

because I am sexually attracted to you.

Jovan blanched, and Liberty smiled at him.

“We can’t do that, Liberty.”

“What can’t you and Liberty do?” Noah said. “I have a long list, but I’d like to

hear yours.”

Liberty tore her gaze from Jovan and looked down the table at her brother. She

harnessed her newfound strength and got ready to confront him. Holding her chin high,

she said, “Noah, with all due respect as leader of these great Warriors and head of this

lovely household, as well as you being my brother, I do have to say that it is none of your

business.”

All eyes were on her, but she didn’t look away from Noah’s gaze. She half

expected him to yell at her or tell her to mind her place, but he smiled widely instead.

He bowed his head to her and said, “You’re correct, Liberty. My apologies. Yet, it

is my duty as your brother to protect you from harm.”

“I understand that, Noah, and if I feel that I am in harms way, I will let you

know.”

This new stronger side of herself was working out well.

She turned back to Jovan, who was studying his plate of food.

We can discuss it later.

“We can discuss it all you want, Liberty, but it’s not going to happen,” Jovan said

under his breath.

She smiled and went back to pushing the food around on her plate.

After it was deemed Blake was indeed telling the truth and for now they would

trust him, Hudson had brought Blake back up to the War Room where a plan had been

devised. Jovan, Blake, and Rayner would go down to Phoenix to rescue those who were

being held captive by the government. Faith wanted to travel with them as well, but

Rayner had said no. Faith had pulled him outside of the room, and hushed and angry

whispers could be heard. When they returned to the room, Faith was smiling and Rayner

didn’t look happy at all.

It had been interesting to watch the two of them through the glass. Liberty thought

of opening her gift up and listening to their thoughts, but decided against it. She always

allowed people their privacy. It seemed to her that Rayner had been so determined to

keep Faith away from the situation, and Faith had been determined to go. Faith did not

stop until she received what she wanted.

Liberty decided that she would follow Faith’s footsteps and declared that she

would be going as well, but Jovan and Noah said no.

“No, I must go,” she said.

Jovan shook his head. “It will be dangerous, Liberty.”

She explained to him that one of the detainees was blind. “Her human body is

dysfunctional. She is blind during the daylight hours, but can see when the sun goes

down. Her eyes burn a brilliant gold. She is one of the best fighters our race has seen,

Jovan, and she was the one who shielded me from The Platoon on our journey here. The

one I had to leave behind. I want to be there when she is free.”

“What does she look like?” Blake asked.

“Her hair is long and black, her skin is a deep chocolate brown.”

“I’ve seen her there.”

Liberty felt tears well in her eyes. “Is she . . . well? As well as can be expected in

her situation?”

“Last time I saw her, yes, she was, Liberty. She was very angry and had a lot of

fire in her gut.”

Liberty let the tears fall, but couldn’t help smiling. “That’s Annis.” Sheer joy

coursed through her at the knowledge that her friend was alive.

“So we’ll go in at night. It’s probably better that way.”

Blake shook his head. “At night, they have them locked up tighter than a

virgin’s...” He looked around the table. “Excuse me. Tighter than a drum. We go in, we

go in during the day.”

“I must be there when she is granted her freedom. She will be wary of you since

she will be blind, but knowing that I am near will put her at ease.”

Jovan shifted in his chair and looked at Liberty. “I don’t like this, Liberty,” he

mumbled. Liberty pretended she didn’t hear him.

She took another bite of the roast and pushed around her green beans some more.

They would be leaving in the morning, and once there, the Warriors and Blake would

come up with a plan to rescue those trapped by the government.

Chapter 32

Blake sat in the War Room alone, waiting. The dinner had been phenomenal, and

he was surprised to learn that Hudson was responsible for it. So the guy could cook and

kill.

Efficient.

He was happy to have a minute to himself to ponder everything that had

happened. He felt so incredibly ordinary around these extraordinary people. A guy who

could see dead people? And two others who could read emotions and thoughts? It was

amazing.

His mother had always told him that everyone has a special gift, and he wondered

what his was. He thought he was doing pretty well surviving his father and making it as

an FBI agent of a special unit, but these people blew that accomplishment out of the

water.

He often wondered what his life would be like if it hadn’t been for the owner of

the restaurant, Henry, giving him a job, a place to live, and a chance at life. At seventeen,

when Blake started looking into how he could go to college, Henry had been there to help

him navigate the murky waters of scholarships and loans. Halfway through college when

Blake mentioned he’d like to look into law enforcement, Henry had offered

encouragement for Blake to pursue his dream. When Blake decided on the FBI, Henry

had stood up for Blake through the extensive background checks. Blake had stuck with

the story that he had run away from home when he was fifteen, which was true, and he

had no idea where his parents were, which wasn’t. However, he wasn’t going to share

with the FBI that he had buried his mother and killed his father, who then disintegrated

into a pile of ash.

He didn’t see that little nugget of truth getting him very far in psych evaluations.

He rocked in the leather chair, reminding himself he also wasn’t on an equal

playing field when these people were concerned. Although they looked it, they weren’t

human.

He was glad he had earned their trust. The leather chair creaked beneath his

weight, and he looked around the room. It was quite a technical set-up with the bank of

computers in the corner and the large white screen up on the wall. These guys meant

business in their hunt.

He thought about the hunts that him and his fellow agents had been on. There was

a distinct underbelly of civilization that most people didn’t know about, or if they did

encounter it, they disregarded it. Yes, Virginia, vampires did exist.

He never would have believed it if he hadn’t seen one go up in smoke. The guy

was being cuffed for killing a woman, and Blake was surprised, but not shocked, when he

burned up in the early morning night.

And there was significant evidence that Fairies and Werewolves hung around the

outskirts of humanity as well, but he’d never witnessed either one up close.

Being in the special unit had done two things: it had assured him that he wasn’t

the most fucked-up thing walking around, and that he was certain he belonged with a

different tribe than just your average everyday run-of-the-mill humans.

Yeah, he was the spawn of a sub-human, the baddest of the bad from SR44.

Go him.

He rubbed his face, trying to erase the negativity. Man, it sucked being the son of

such evil. Really—Jeffrey Dahmer? Saddam Hussein? Jack the Ripper? Those were the

cocksuckers equal to his father?

Oh, man.