Revealing Eden (10 page)

“Full speed ahead,” he told the pilot. “And tell the airstrip to ready number one.”

“Stop!” Eden cried, banging on the cabin door. “I have to go back.”

Bramford released her with a grunt, as the aircraft vaulted into the air. She fell back into the seat beside her father, unable to fathom life without her dog.

A heart-stopping boom shook the skies. She watched the lab explode, and let out an anguished scream.

“No! Austin!”

Slammed by the shock wave, the jet skidded towards the hillside. The driver struggled to right the craft, then raced ahead.

Eden slid down into the seat, devastated. Everything she had known was gone. If her life were a simple equation, like one plus one, it now yielded a negative number.

“Austin is of the species
Canis lupus familiaris
—a dog,” her father explained to Bramford in a soft voice, as if talking to a child.

“You’d risk your life for a dog?” Bramford asked her, incredulously.

“You wouldn’t understand. For Earth’s sake, you left poor Shen behind.”

He winced. “I expect he’ll be safe.”

“He has a mate and a child, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, for their sake, I made a choice. If the FFP thinks he’s only an employee they’ll leave him alone.”

“Then who is he?”

Bramford gave her a hard look then stared out the window. He seemed more upset about Shen’s future than his own. Or more likely, he’d lost some secret advantage by leaving his aide behind. Bramford couldn’t fool her; he was simply a more powerful, and yes, even exciting, version of the selfish man Eden loathed.

“Well, I’m grateful you saved us,” her father said.

Eden glared at him. Didn’t he understand why Bramford had taken them along? He didn’t care about them any more than he cared for Shen. If he hoped to restore his human form, he desperately needed her father’s help.

But what if her father failed? Then what would the wild beast do to them?

E
DEN GRIPPED the armrests of her seat as Bramford’s fleeing aircraft zigzagged through the air. A pursuing military aircraft shot laser fire at them, nipping at their heels. The blinding white flashes and blazing firestorm lit the dark night. Bramford’s vehicle lacked firepower but was nimble and fast.

Beside Eden, her father squeezed her hand. To comfort her, she supposed. She caught him grimacing, a hand clamped over his leg. Fresh blood oozed onto the white coat.

For the first time in her life, she wished there was a God. But that idea had disappeared in The Meltdown.

Bramford sat across from her, his powerful body dominating the small space like a mountain cramped in a cave. Holo-Images played in the small cabin, showing the deadly battle in progress. He studied them as he issued a steady stream of orders to the pilot.

“One o’clock, now three o’clock,” he said in a firm, raspy voice.

Once more, the strange mix of contradictions in him puzzled Eden. His cat-like features pulsed with energy, like a jaguar stalking its prey. And yet, unmistakable human intelligence burned in the icy green eyes.

A laser blast crackled against a window and sent the vehicle into a sickening slip. Eden let out a shrill scream.

“Quiet,” Bramford said, flicking his gaze at her.

In the split second his attention had turned, a second, more powerful blast hit them. The aircraft lurched out of control, spinning in a downward spiral.

Blessed Mother Earth
.

“Six o’clock!” Bramford said.

They continued to corkscrew down towards the inferno and their probable death. Had Bramford lost his mind, after all? Eden wondered. Her stomach climbed up into her throat and she fought the urge to scream again. Must not distract him, she thought, followed by the startling realization that her life was in his beastly hands.

For as long as Eden could remember death had lingered in the shadows. Now that it knocked on her door, she realized, what a waste. She’d barely lived.

Bramford’s thunderous voice shook the small cabin as the burning earth drew near. “Twelve o’clock, now!”

Their sharp reversal sent them flying past the enemy fighter. A loud explosion followed as it shot into the flames.

Eden collapsed, trembling.
My dear, your oxy level is near depletion. You need immediate help
. For once
they
were so right.

“We’re clear,” Bramford said, never betraying any emotion.

“For Earth’s sake, you could have killed us!” she said.

“Be calm, Daught,” her father said.

Bramford leveled his steely gaze at her. “Give me his lab coat.”

Eden hesitated, uncomprehending.

He dipped his head towards her father’s leg. “A tourniquet.”

“Oh.”

Again, this mysterious creature was one step ahead of her and her father. Was he a man trapped inside a beastly form, or a beast with a human mind? Eden suspected even he might not know the answer.

She gingerly slipped the coat off of her father. Bramford snatched it from her with an impatient huff. He used sharp teeth—teeth that could kill a man—to rip off a long strip. Then he flung it at her dismissively, without a word or look in her direction.

“Thanks,” Eden muttered.

She tied it around her father’s leg, alarmed by the amount of bleeding. He groaned but kept his eyes trained on Bramford. Even now, at death’s door, he appeared to be distracted by possible solutions and heady calculations.

“Where are we going?” she asked Bramford. “My father needs help.”

“Far away,” he said.

“Out of bounds?”

He turned to stare out the window, his silence impenetrable.

Eden sat back, wrapped up in her thoughts like her companions, as the jet zoomed past the fire zone and into the dark skies. A hundred questions filled her head. Mostly, if they flew out of bounds, how would they survive without the Uni-Gov to take care of them? She never thought she would miss it but she couldn’t imagine a single night without its oppressive but sustaining presence.

She stole a glance at Bramford, trying to guess what he
was thinking. She felt a twinge of compassion as she considered how dramatically his life had turned. And something else also warmed her heart. She traced his broad chest down to slim hips and muscled thighs. The raw animal power coiled within him, just waiting to explode, fascinated her.

Eden found her body tilting towards his. Maybe it was illogical for a Pearl to be drawn to such a dangerous creature, but she wanted to touch him.

His eyes cut over to her. She jerked back and felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She heard him grunt, as she turned away. But what did it mean?
Watch out, I eat girls like you for breakfast?

Soon, she saw the huge sign for Bramford Industries glowing in the dark above an airfield. At the end of the tarmac, feverish activity swirled around a stealth scramjet, which was capable of hypersonic speeds. You either had to be in the military or as powerful as Bramford to own one. Or as he
used to be
.

Eden heaved a sigh of relief as they landed with a feather touch. Immediately, Bramford scooped up her father and swept outside, heading for the terrifying jet.

“We’re not going in that, are we?” she asked, hurrying after them.

“Come,” Bramford said.

She hesitated. They wouldn’t be safe anywhere on this godforsaken planet so why not stay there, on the ground?

She watched Bramford climb the stairway to the jet’s cabin, taking the steps two at a time. Her poor father dangled like a bug over his shoulder. Bramford’s bare feet pounded the metal steps. His muscular legs flexed with each leap. The
magnificent torso swayed. Like a star-struck fan, Eden imagined he could do anything—even crush the huge aircraft in his hands.

“What’s the matter with you, Eden?” Bramford yelled.

Exactly
. What did she care if he was powerful or even sexy? More than ever, she resented him. Only her concern for her father pushed her to follow him.

A uniformed flight attendant appeared in the doorway to the cabin. Her dark face tightened at the sight of Bramford.

He barked at her. “He’s been lasered. Get medical aid.”

“Yes, sir,” the attendant said, hurrying inside.

Eden realized with amazement that Bramford assumed her father’s bloody leg had shocked the attendant, not Bramford’s grotesque condition. Maybe he didn’t know how strange he looked or else he had forgotten. Even now, as this monstrous creature, he probably felt no different on the inside.

Inside, Eden was never a Pearl. Sometimes at twilight, before she opened her eyes, before the damning critic in her head reminded her how ugly she was, she felt normal. Then she felt like the Real Eden.

But how would Bramford feel when he looked in a mirror or when he saw the damming looks in others’ eyes? Maybe now he would know how it felt to be judged by your appearance.

As soon as Eden stepped into the cabin, the ship’s engines began to whirr. She froze, painfully aware that the already slim odds of anyone ever seeing the Real Eden, the one inside, would slide to zero when they left. Happiness was a faraway island she would never reach. She turned around, thinking of running.

“Sit down, Eden,” Bramford called.

The stairway folded inside. The door closed with a final thud. Her chance was gone.

She plodded down the aisle, past his private alcove on the starboard side. Already, he’d turned his attention away from her.
Dismissed, as usual
.

Plush upholstery in the company’s red and black colors covered several clusters of couches and chairs for about a dozen passengers. What would become of Bramford’s empire now that he had become a science experiment gone wrong? If an albino could raise terror in the hearts of man, imagine the reaction to Bramford. Being different was the kiss of death, which meant he was a marked man.

Exhausted, Eden crumbled into a chair beside her father. She nearly cried with relief when she saw the attendant fit an oxy-cap onto his head.
Thank you, Mother Earth
.

Her hands trembled as she pulled down a cap from the overhead compartment. Although it was larger than her custom job, it clicked into place. Hurry, Eden thought, desperate for the numb kick. She’d experienced more emotion in a single night than she had in her whole dismal life.

The attendant cast a disdainful glance at her. Her name was embroidered in fine script on the black jacket.
Daisy
. Eden followed her gaze, taking in her torn party dress and the disgusting streaks of white skin that showed through her worn coating.

“The Moon Dance,” was all she could muster.

Daisy gave a curt nod, seemingly satisfied.

Eden guessed that Daisy was middle-aged like her, though maybe a few years older. The white dot on her forehead
labeled her as mated. Despite her expensive, polished dark coating and the superior look Daisy tried to achieve, Eden knew she was a Pearl. It was just a feeling, though an unshakeable one. As if she smelled the attendant’s deep, underlying fear. But how had a Pearl gotten such a cushy job?

Daisy laid a blanket over Eden’s father lap. “I’ll be back to help you, as soon as we hit Mach twenty,” she said, and hurried behind a curtain near the cockpit.

The walls seemed to close in around Eden, as the scramjet blasted off. A dark, unfathomable void pressed against the window beside her.

In a soft whisper, her mother’s usual advice came to her.

—Breathe, Eden. Let your stomach rise like a balloon. Then release the air slowly. Let the breath carry your awareness through the body. You can do it. Stay in the moment
.

—I can’t, Mother
.

—Of course you can. It’s only natural. Animals breathe that way
.

That had confused Eden. As if animals were better than humans.

Why hadn’t her mother understood how much terror she felt in the moment? Rather than stay in it, Eden desperately wanted to escape. And right now, she wanted to forget that she was trapped with beastly Bramford, rocketing into the unknown.