Destiny's Shift (26 page)

The rumble from the Harley under him lulled Jovan into a quiet place. He glanced

in his mirror and saw that Blake was still behind him, which was good. At least the guy

hadn’t been lying when he said he had ridden in the past. Jovan thought for sure that he

would end up with a nasty road rash within the first five miles, but he had been wrong.

The weather had been so beautiful he and Blake decided to rent some bikes for their few

remaining days in Phoenix.

Man, he had gone and fucked things up with Liberty.

Bad.

When she had told him that she was going to San Francisco with the girls, he’d

lost it. His overly protective SR44 male came front and center and took over all logical

thinking. He’d flat out told her that she couldn’t go

Man, he was such a jackass.

He knew the other males of the house wouldn’t be happy about their females

going on a trip together, but they would relent. The females of the house didn’t take well

to being told what they could and couldn’t do. Rayner would find solace in the fact that

Faith was proficient in martial arts and knew how to use a gun. Hell, he’d probably send

her with one tucked into her boot. Noah and Hudson knew that Abby and Beverly were

very smart and wouldn’t get themselves into any bad situations. And there were cell

phones—and the females would call a few times a day.

And the females would go, spend a bunch of money, and come home happy.

But Jovan hadn’t seen it like that. The female he loved, very innocent female,

would be going out into the world without him. And that made him certifiably crazy.

He knew the ugliness that was in the world, and the thought of having the one

person on this planet who understood him out there without him scared the living shit out

of him.

And that fear had come out as total domination.

He hadn’t talked to Liberty in three days, and she had turned off her phone. He

had tried everyone else’s cell phone as well, but they all told him she didn’t want to talk

to him.

His head and heart hurt, and he was angry with her, and at himself. But mainly

her. Why wouldn’t she talk to him? He needed to apologize, and he had to find a way to

make it up to her.

He checked his rearview again and saw that Blake was still upright. Go Blake.

There wasn’t a helmet law in Arizona, so the wind whipped Jovan’s hair around,

and he remembered Liberty’s fingers slipping through it.

She would be at the silo when he returned, and he needed to make things work.

He just couldn’t image living the rest of his life without his mate.

He and Blake were on their way back to Phoenix after visiting the site where

Liberty’s vessel had crashed. It was amazing how except for a few burnt cacti, it looked

as though nothing had happened in the area.

One thing was for certain: the FBI was excellent housekeepers.

They had hiked a couple of miles around the site, but didn’t see anything or

anyone.

Now, just a few miles outside Phoenix, Jovan pulled over. Blake stopped next to

him.

“You want to head back to the mansion?”

Blake looked around and pushed his sunglasses up his nose. “Yeah, but let’s hit

downtown tonight. Never know who we may run into, and I could use a little action.”

Jovan nodded. He remembered being an SR44 male on Earth for the first time,

and his mind traveled back to the man and woman in the back of the saloon. Back then,

most people had been pretty conservative. Now, it seemed everything was sexualized,

and if he had been in The Platoon’s shoes, he would definitely be exploring that and

taking advantage of it.

And he knew just where to look for them. “We’ll hit the Black Cuff, and then a

couple of strip joints.”

Blake smiled. “It’s going to be a good night, my friend.”

Chapter 55

As the plane guided through the air, Liberty recalled Thanksgiving two days ago.

She had looked around the large oak table. There were two huge golden-brown turkeys in

the middle of the table and many other dishes containing potatoes, green beans, rolls,

something red that she was told was cranberries, and boats of gravy.

It was a feast of the likes she had never seen, and the food had disappeared at a

shocking pace. However, when there were five large males at the table, she supposed it

was to be expected. She was particularly touched when Hudson winked and set down a

bowl of macaroni and cheese next to her plate.

The room was decorated in bows of deep browns, rusty reds, and autumn yellows.

The tablecloth was a light brown, and the light scent of mulled cider filled the air from

the candles that flickered around the room.

She watched as everyone’s eyes turned from the dark pools to their SR44 colors,

adding more color to the already beautiful room.

The chatter at the table was loud, and the laughter grew louder as Noah and

Hudson traded funny stories. Liberty had giggled along with everyone else.

She was sandwiched between Talin and Annis, and Cohen was sitting next to

Beverly directly across the table from Annis. Cohen seemed as though he was angry with

Annis and kept glaring at her. When Annis would meet his eyes, he dropped his gaze to

his plate and pushed his food around, then after a few minutes he would look up at her

again.

Goodness, he looked as if he wanted to hurt her.

Annis glared right back.

Liberty ate her macaroni and cheese, loving the smooth texture and flavor of the

dish.

As she watched the clouds and sipped her whiskey, oh, how the anger within her

rattled. How dare Jovan tell her where she could and could not go?

She understood that he was a very protective SR44 male, and she had tried to

reason with him. When he flat-out forbade her from taking this trip with the girls, her

anger grew to proportions she had never known before.

He had never been in servitude, so he didn’t fully understand what it meant to

have someone forbid him from doing anything.

When she was in servitude, it was always about those she served, and it was never

about her. Her basic needs had been met, but she didn’t dare dream of a life beyond what

she had. And now she was free to make her own choices, and she wasn’t going to let

anyone else make them for her.

Especially the one person who was supposed to love her.

She had been so furious, she had broken off their mating, and frankly, she had no

regrets.

Yet.

Maybe she would have those regrets and maybe she wouldn’t. However, she was

going to enjoy their shopping trip in San Francisco. Abby had shown her how to work the

computer, and she had spent hours looking at pictures of the magnificent city.

She couldn’t wait to see it all in person.

Chapter 56

Jovan looked over the crowd in the Black Cuff from his booth. His eyes felt like

they had sand in them because of the special contacts that muted the glow of his eyes.

The black lights around the bar pulsed on and off to the beat of the music, revealing walls

with fluorescent paints of all colors. It actually looked like they had just tossed up can

after can of paint and where it landed was where it stayed.

The crowd was an interesting one tonight. It looked as though there was a Goth

convention in town. He didn’t think he had ever seen so much black eyeliner in one

place.

How the Black Cuff remained off the Phoenix Police Department’s radar, he

would never know. It seemed that this place was a hotbed of illegal activity. Drugs were

being done in plain sight, and he had seen a couple having sex in a corner when they had

arrived.

Blake slid into the booth with two beers and two shots of whiskey.

“If things don’t work out with us, you’ve got a bright future as a waitress,” Jovan

said.

Blake didn’t say anything, just flipped him the bird.

They sat in silence, and Jovan downed his first shot, looking for the calming buzz

whiskey gave him. The first was quickly followed by the second.

“You better slow down there, J-man,” Blake said. “You keep going at that pace,

and I’ll have to scrape you off the floor.”

Jovan ignored him and began pounding his beer and looking for the waitress. He

needed more.

An hour later, Jovan could declare himself pretty much shitfaced. His thoughts

and feelings were all over the place. He missed Liberty; he hated her. He wanted her

back; he hoped he never laid eyes on her again. Hell, he thought it was bad when others’

thoughts invaded his head, and he was now wondering how to get rid of his own. He

needed a distraction. He needed . . .

Jovan saw four girls at a table across the dance floor checking them out. All of

them were in their mid-twenties, and all were pretty in a Goth sort of way.

Maybe he was staring at exactly what he needed.

He sipped his whiskey and decided he was done pining for Liberty. In fact, his

feelings landed on being pissed at the whole situation. He had wanted to apologize, and

she wouldn’t even take a fucking phone call from him. And he had decided that he would

go back to Fernley, grab his stuff, and move back down here. He didn’t need to see her,

he didn’t need the cold temperatures of the north, and right now he just needed to forget

about her for a while.

Screw her.

Throwing back the rest of the whiskey, all rational thought gone, he decided he

was going balls to the wall tonight. He had already accomplished his main objective,

which was getting piss-ass drunk, and now he was going to get laid.

Multiple times.

And he would forget about Liberty.

Forgetting about Liberty would be so much easier now that he had control of his

gift. He didn’t need to feel emotions or hear anyone’s thoughts; he could simply just

screw someone. A feeling of freedom swept over him.

When the crowd broke for the next song, he pointed at the table and crooked his

finger, motioning them over. They all started giggling and whispering to each other.

Jovan guessed they were discussing his invitation.

“Four of them?” Blake asked.

Jovan was actually seeing eight, but whatever. “Yep. Two for you, two for me.”

Blake was quiet a minute, then said, “And what about Liberty?”

“What about her? I messed up; she broke off our mating. I tried to apologize, and

she won’t even take my call. It seems as though she doesn’t give a shit about me, or us as

a couple. For all I know she’s in San Francisco fucking some scarf-wearing, latte-loving

asshole as we speak.”

“You don’t believe that.”

“I don’t know what I believe, Blake. But I know I’m tired of feeling like a sack of

shit, and if getting laid makes me feel better then I’m going to do it.”

“Whatever you think, man, but you’re wrong about Liberty. You’ve had too much

to drink, and I think you’re going to regret this.”

Jovan motioned the girls over again, and this time all four got up and came over.

“Which two do you want?” Jovan slurred.

“I’m kind of partial to the two blondes.”

“Good. I’ll take the brunette and the one with black hair.”

The girls arrived at the table.

“Hey, ladies.”

“Hi,” said the girl with black hair.

“We’d love it if you’d join us for a while.”

Blake got up and the girls slid into the booth. Jovan called over the waitress.

“These lovelies need another drink.”

The waitress took their orders and left.

“Oh, wow, I just love leather pants,” the girl with the black hair said as she ran her

hand over his thigh. He almost flinched at the contact, but then made sure his shield was

up and felt nothing from her.

Right on. High fives.

He hadn’t bothered changing after their motorcycle ride, so he was still in his

leathers. “Well, then I’m so happy I’m wearing some.”

Her finger traced up his thigh again and came dangerously close to connecting

with his crotch. The brunette’s hand went into his hair, and he turned to her.

“I love long hair,” she said. Her blue eyes glittered, and she sucked on her bottom

lip. She would be really pretty without all the eyeliner.

He looked over at Blake, who was talking to the two blondes and seemed to like

the attention he was getting.

Turning back to the brunette and the black-haired girl, Jovan said, “Well, I’ve got

leather for you, and long hair for you. It looks like the three of us are going to have a

great time tonight.”

The girls exchanged glances. “Are you sure there’s . . . enough of you to go

around?”

Jovan threw his head back and laughed. “Honey, trust me. There’s more than

enough.”

Yes, it was going to be a fantastic night.

Chapter 57

Blake came to consciousness slowly. Something beside him moved, and he

realized he wasn’t in his own bed.

He tried to roll over, but there was something on his other side. Opening his eyes,

he saw a head of blonde hair, and then felt a hand slide around his waist. Turning, he

looked over his shoulder to see more blonde hair, and a pretty face streaked with black

eyeliner.

Oh, hell.

He was sandwiched so tight between these two, there was no way he was getting

out, so he just shut his eyes and waited for them to wake.

It had been a few years since he’d been with two women at once. And