Ravens (33 page)

“It’s not to make you feel sad or make
you think about them after all these years, but just so you know in your mind
that they loved you, that they loved us.”

“Thank you, Kendra.” She smiled.

Nothing sparked in her memories, as
evident by the expression on her face. Julie would never remember them or her
other world days, but she would treasure the picture for the remainder of her
life. None of the Ravens in this crew kept pictures. They didn’t keep articles
behind that could be used to capture or incriminate them, but this one captured
moment might be the exception.

“I’m glad that you’re here, Kendra.”

“Really?” she asked, pleasantly
surprised.

“Yeah. It’s nice to have another girl
around, especially an older one. Someone that I can talk to and ask for advice
or get answers for my, ya know?” She blushed. “Female stuff.”

Kendra smiled. It must have been awkward
to grow up around nothing but guys. She giggled, placing her hand on top of
Julie’s hand. “I’m not very experienced in life, but I have some answers that
the guys don’t.”

Julie’s cheeks flushed bright red. She
spoke in a tone just above a whisper. “I wish you’d been here years ago. Have
you ever shopped for a bra with guys? Thankfully, a saleslady was there who
wasn’t afraid of me.”

Kendra giggled again. “That does sound
horrible, but I’m here now, hopefully I can help in the few things that might
be left.”

Julie laughed. “I do have questions that
involve me and Mark, but don’t tell Liam.” She peered over her shoulder at the
young man too engrossed in his work to pay attention to the barely audible
conversation behind him. “All he said was that Mark’s fingers would rot and
fall off if we touched too much.”

Kendra burst into laughter. The men
stared at them.

“Sorry,” she squealed.

Liam couldn’t have known what caught
Kendra’s fancy, but he smirked and went back to work. He seemed pleased that
the girls bonded.

“You know.” Kendra crossed her arms
after they returned to their plans. “For all that man warns you of, he sure
doesn’t take his own advice.”

“Well, he is Liam. He’s glad that you’re
here too. He hasn’t said it, but he doesn’t have to. We can tell. You’re really
good for Liam. We’ve seen it. You’ve smoothed over his rough edges. I think he
would have gone mad if you didn’t come back.”

“I think I would have gone insane too,”
she whispered.

“I’m so excited!” Julie squealed in a
low tone and then threw her arms around Kendra and crushed her with a hug.

Kendra had her sister in her arms after
ten years, Liam was her protective lover, and she had freedom from mental
anguish. Life suddenly became pretty darn good, although she had to push aside
the nagging anguish of losing her parents.

Julie pulled away and glanced at the
guys.

“No way around it.” Liam looked up at
the men. “Gotta go with you.”

Kendra spun around, the words bleeding
her heart with fear.

Liam turned to Kendra, catching her
apprehension. He set determination on his face. He took his calling very
seriously. It wasn’t just a means to life but a way of protecting his crew, his
family. 

He corrected himself. “
We
will
have to go.”

How could Kendra argue? He knew how she
felt about the raids, especially after getting caught and nearing death after
the last one, but this was a Raven’s life. In fact, she would have to
participate one day very soon. Instead of pacing the apartment all alone,
twiddling her thumbs in anticipation, sweating bullets over constant worries,
she might as well go along for the ride and learn the trade.

Chapter Thirty-One

The fall months approached winter, and
the nights finally cooled off. In early October, the Texas heat would keep on
blazing, but this dimension offered a bit of relief during the night hours. The
light breeze felt refreshing, and the moons hid behind heavy clouds, which
threatened to give birth to showers of much needed proportions.

Kendra examined the beauty of the
celestial bodies. She shook her head. She couldn’t even fathom living on the
silver one. Would the government really exile the Ravens to that planetary
satellite?

First, the internment camps and research
labs on Earth, and now the Ravens would be shipped off-planet to a
heavily-guarded biosphere and sentenced to life. Would they be criminals
scouring the moon for precious food and water, killing one another in order to
survive? Or would they live out a somewhat peaceful life where they could hold
down jobs and schools? Ah, what then? Would they build their own spacecrafts
and armies and fight Earth for dominance?

The first seemed likely, seeing as
humans were selfish and scared. They wanted to protect their own hides, and
this was their way of doing it without committing genocide, the mass murder of
every night crawler. 

Kendra sighed, back to her current
situation. The danger wasn’t close enough that it could harm Liam this night.
Unless, of course, the others needed him, and he would rush into the center of
his adversaries before Nathan could finish his plea for help. Kendra could only
hope that wouldn’t happen tonight.

Kendra and Liam squatted on the rooftop
of a fourteen-story building. The dry concrete cracked beneath their weight,
but they ignored the uncomfortable position. They secured the area for the
moment, and watched over their friends in peace through binoculars.

“Coast is clear,” Liam spoke into the
radio, lifting his finger from the button to end his transmission.

“All good in the ‘hood,” Nathan’s hushed
voice resonated back to them.

The crew would move into the building
and retrieve the desired articles their employers would pay a hefty price for.

Kendra couldn’t have asked for a better
raid for Liam to go on. They stayed several streets away from imminent danger,
and the hunters wouldn’t know they perched in waiting. They kept watch for the
humans since they needed the entire remainder of the crew to pull off this job.
It was large enough that they could rest for several months in ease.

Kendra brushed her fingers against the
rough floor, shifting her balance as she squinted through the night and gazed
over numerous lower rooftops before her.

Liam watched her through the corner of
his eye, marveling at her grace and concentration. She understood that being a
Raven was no laughing matter, or a game.

Kendra caught Liam’s roguish smirk.
“What?”

“You’re just too pretty, darling.”

“Mm, hmm.” She glanced back out toward
her crew. Her crew? She liked the way that sounded.

About the Author

Kaylie Austen was born in India, and
raised in Austin, Texas where she attended the University of Texas. Her
multi-cultural upbringing fueled her desire for languages, cultures, and
travel. Kaylie is perhaps best known for her sudden and infectious laugh. She
enjoys anything science fiction and fantasy related, and writes in both genres
for adults and young adults.

Kaylie began writing at the tender age
of ten, and completed her first novel at the age of sixteen. Throughout her
school years, her writing earned trophies, awards, publication in scholastic
magazines, and scholarships. Kaylie currently lives in beautiful Washington
State with an amazing husband. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to
contact her.

website: www.kaylieausten.com
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