Ultimate Passage: New Beginnings: Box Set ( Books 1-4) (44 page)

M
arissa packed her bag
, stuffing all her meager belongings in. Most of them were baby things. She couldn’t wait to get home for some real diapers. Disposable ones. Washing these day in day out was wearing on her final nerve.

She had said her final goodbyes yesterday when Norn escorted Raiza, Feroz, Taya and Barz to the Kormic settlement. She would miss Taya. She’d become fond of the Asazi redhead and her spunky behavior.

Marissa looked at Finn. “Well?” He hadn’t said a word about what Norn and he had talked about yesterday. She’d been patient, but now she wanted to know what was up. Before the elders and Saraz returned.

He cocked his head. “Well, what?”

“Really? We are not going to play a questions game. What did Norn have to say?”

“That there is no point in bringing Ali. That it is a farce to make Saraz happy.”

“Yeah, that’s all fine and everything, but now with Raiza and Feroz nearby—as in on the same planet, Saraz will be even more worried about Norn trying to escape. He will probably lock him up.”

Finn’s face turned sad. Indigo washed over his skin. “I know, but he is adamant.”

“And can you do that? Can you really not return? Not try to bring Alithera back?” Marissa couldn’t call her Ali. She wasn’t in the habit of calling people she loathed by their nicknames. She hated the bitch for what she did with Finn. She didn’t want to voice it, but she was not a proponent of Finn taking Alithera back to Kormia, even if it meant she’d never have to see her again.

“I’ll keep my word to my father.”

She knew Finn. Knew he would. Wint cried out from the crib Norn and Finn had fashioned for him. Her breasts were full. For certain the little one was hungry.

Finn sighed, then added, “But he also said that if we were to return Ali, for any reason whatsoever, that it should be Kal who returned her. That I need to take care of Wint and be a father to him.”

She nodded, picked Wint up, put him to her breast. “Maybe what Norn says is best. How far will we have to go before we are at the pod?”

“No more than an hour’s flight. I don’t want you to walk with Wint. The others can join us.”

She smiled. Finn had not flown with her since the day he’d saved her from other Asazi. When they were in Houston. When he learned he could fly. Things seemed so much simpler back then, though they really weren’t, she realized. Maybe they could be simple again. She heaved a sigh.

“What is that about?” Finn asked.

“Nothing.”

He tipped her chin up, she looked into that face. The face that she’d fallen for from day one. Hot, better looking than any man she’d ever been attracted to.

“It’s time for you to have your happy ever after. I promise you that.”

And she believed him. “Let’s go. I’m packed.”

M
arissa took Finn’s hand
, stepping out of the pod. Earth. God. She couldn’t believe it. Tears sprung to her eyes. She couldn’t swallow the lump in her throat.

“I want to go see my father’s grave as soon as possible.” She managed to get this out, barely, before the tears streamed down her face.

“We will. You and I and Wint. As soon as possible.”

She knew he meant it.

“It’s good to see you.” Kal’s voice, his face so similar to Finn’s stood by the pod. “I can’t believe your back. And look! What have we here?”

Marissa held the baby up. “Wint, this is your uncle Kal.”

Kal took the baby from her hands. “He is Asazi. For certain.”

“Flip him over,” Finn said.

Kal did. “What? No wings?” He looked at them with a questioning, doubtful expression.”

“I know,” Finn responded. “That’s how I felt. But it’s true. No wings.”

Kal scratched the stubble on his chin, then planted a kiss on Wint’s forehead.

Marissa peered around. Waiting to see where Alithera was. Nervous, but at the same time itching to set her straight. She didn’t see her and wasn’t about to ask about her.

“Anything happen on Kormia?” Kal looked at Finn.

“Oh, quite a bit, let me catch you up.”

M
arissa
, Finn, and Kal sat in the same kitchen she’d been in when she’d told Finn she was pregnant. The ranch house in Arizona was surreal after the dystopian jungle in Heartland, the rainforest of Midland, and the desolation of the Farlands. It was as if she’d lived a different life.

Finn told Kal about Norn, about his worries, about his sacrifice, bringing him up to speed. Marissa sat by silently.

Kal was stunned that Norn was still alive. He asked how his father, Nevim was. Finn let him know about his role in helping him and Marissa.

Kal nodded. “Our fathers are exemplary, are they not?”

“They are,” Finn agreed. “I hope we can live up to their standards.”

“You already have,” Marissa finally spoke. “Both of you make your fathers proud. I am sure of that.”

“I can fly,” Finn announced.

“Me too,” Kal said. “I wondered if you could. I wondered if you could when you were back on Kormia again.

“Yes, I could,” Finn affirmed, but the jungles and the rainforests weren’t so conducive, they were more treacherous, though I did, once—to get us to the pod.” He touched Marissa’s hand. “What with branches and low trees, I tried not to fly much in Midland or the Heartland. We did not spend as much time in the Farlands, but I managed.”

“I have been enjoying having wings out here. The desert. It’s so much like the Farlands, but without the mountains. I did see picture of the Grand Canyon and the Badlands. Those remind me of the Farlands. We should visit.”

Finally, Finn brought it up. “Norn’s condition for staying, is bringing Alithera back. Saraz wants her.”

Kal’s face changed, his expression forlorn.

“What?” Marissa couldn’t contain her curiosity.

“That will not happen,” Kal said.

“Why do you say that?” Finn adjusted the sleeping Wint, switching arms. His muscles bulging around the little boy.

Marissa perched on the edge of her seat. She couldn’t say she was heartbroken about Ali not being taken to Kormia, even if Finn did promise not to return, she worried that duty would override his promise. Why would it not happen? She resisted the urge to tap impatiently while waiting for Kal’s answer.

“Ali left. The day after you left for Kormia. She took the truck and left in the middle of the night. All I have is a note with an email address and she hasn’t responded to any of my emails.”

Finn looked at Marissa, he rose, pacing, rocking a restless Wint. She was sure she wasn’t hiding her relief.

“Guess that’s that, isn’t it,” Finn said.

“Guess so.” She agreed.

In her arms, little Wint gurgled. Happy now, no longer restless.

Kal looked at one of them then at the other. He chugged a gulp of water. “That’s what? I am confused.”

Marissa smiled.

“It’s a happy ever after thing.” Finn chuckled.

Kal looked even more confused.

“It involves a promise.” Marissa said, as if that would even begin to answer Kal’s question. She wrapped her arms around Finn’s thick neck, buried her face against his chest, sharing space with the baby. “I’m ready to show Wint to my father,” she murmured into his chest, then lowered her lips to Wint’s warm forehead.

Finn wrapped his arms around her. “I’m ready for that.”

“Road trip?” She looked up at him, a mischievous look on her face.

“Hopefully one with less adventures?”

“Absolutely. I’m all about that.” She smiled.

Finn kissed his hellion on the forehead, put his arm around her waist. “We should let uncle Kal enjoy little Wint alone for a spell.”

Kal complied, taking the tiny sleeping child.

Finn scooped Marissa up into a fireman’s carry and headed toward the bedroom, a giggle on her lips.

T
HE END

The Series Continues . . .

N
ext in the
Ultimate Passage Series:

Runaway Renegade

R
enegade

Ali’s got color-changing skin and wings. On her planet, the skin is normal, the wings—not so much. Not on females. She doesn’t want the wings. And she most assuredly doesn’t want the prophecy that comes with the wings. What’s next?

Runaway

Ali smuggles herself to Earth. A fresh start in a fresh place, where there are no expectations, no boundaries. Or so she thinks. But she’s got restrictions placed on her by her own kind, even here on Earth. What’s a woman to do?

Runaway Renegade

The solution? Fit in somewhere. Where can a woman with wings and shimmering color-changing skin go? Easy! An exclusive nightclub where bodypaint and costumes are the norm.

What she didn’t expect to be the norm was the sexy stranger. Thane put the S-E-X in sexy. And he’s got more secrets than she does.

R
unaway
Renegade

Coming Soon!

H
ave
you fallen for Finn and Marissa, Taya, and Barz, and the gang?

The fun isn’t about to stop. Sure the adventure continues in the rest of the series. But there’s a bonus freebie being worked on for fans!! Make sure you sign up for the link to the newsletter because that’s where it’s going to be offered.

Y
ou remember Ali
, right? This bad girl wasn't our favorite. Let's find out what she's been up to!

Renegade

Ali's got color-changing skin and wings. On her planet, the skin is normal, the wings--not so much. Not on females. She doesn't want the wings. And she most assuredly doesn't want the prophecy that comes with the wings. What's next?

Runaway

Ali smuggles herself to Earth. A fresh start in a fresh place, where there are no expectations, no boundaries. Or so she thinks. But she's got restrictions placed on her by her own kind, even here on Earth. What's a woman to do?

Runaway Renegade

The solution? Fit in somewhere. Where can a woman with wings and shimmering color-changing skin go? Easy! An exclusive nightclub where bodypaint and costumes are the norm.

What she didn't expect to be the norm was the sexy stranger. Thane put the S-E-X in sexy. And he's got more secrets than she does.

T
hane gave
his best friend Zale a dirty look.
Is this summit meeting ever going to end?

Zale responded with a slight shake of his head. Enough of a warning to let Thane know he needed to watch it, that he didn’t need to catch the attention of the other Brethren.

Thane responded with the tiniest of eye rolls.

On a mountaintop in Asia, in a location that was not meant to ever be anything but anonymous, in a building that was not as old as its thousands-years-old visitors, many beings met to give their reports. The visitors to the location were known amongst their kind as the Brethren.

Thane was one such being. A thousands-years-old being, a Brethren. From nowhere near Earth.

He did not relish the cold temperatures on this mountaintop in Asia. Nor did he enjoy the meetings. If he ever had, it was so long ago that he no longer remembered it. He missed his home in Los Angeles, he missed the warm temperatures, and he missed his human friends. He was eager to report his findings, to hear the other Brethren’s reports, and then to return home.

He shivered and eyed the dainty porcelain cup of Himalayan tea that the senior Brethren’s humans served. What he wouldn’t give for a good espresso right now. The sooner he was finished, the sooner they’d be dismissed and allowed to return home.

Thane studied the other Brethren, tried to see them from the perspective of a human. The Brethren were Dumarian. A race from far, far away, the Dumarian sent the Brethren to Earth as guardians to protect humans from self-destruction, and from other paranormal beings.

The Brethren were handsome, every one of them, and only male. They bore a resemblance to humans with the exception of a few details. These details were not minor and had given rise to some of Earth’s myths, specifically those relating to dragons.

Human heads, with human features; arms and legs like humans, though taller than most. They were all six-foot-eight. This height did not seem as extraordinary in the present time as it had centuries ago, when it awed humans who were often barely above five feet.

The Brethren’s natural skin color was a darker gray. Scales merged with skin, undulating, shifting, and glowing gray and black. They had a set of magnificent wings, black as onyx, with a hook on the topside of each wing, in the center. The wings were not for show. They were fully functional.

The Brethren had been mistakenly called dragons centuries and centuries ago, giving rise to the myth of dragons on each continent. They had no fire-breathing skills. Rather, they found amusement in that claim.

What the Brethren did have was the skill to compel thought. Which is how the fire-breathing myth came to be. Long, long ago, one of the Brethren thought it would be entertaining to compel the humans into believing he could breathe fire. It couldn’t be said that Brethren had no sense humor, for the fire-breathing incidents created mirth amongst the Brethren for ages.

“Thane.” It was Brohm, the most senior of the Brethren on Earth, the one to whom the monastery belonged.

Thane had completely tuned everyone out. Was it his turn to speak? He nodded, waiting, unsure if there was a question on the table or if it was his turn to report.

“On the topic of Saraz,” Brohm prompted. “You have news?”

Saraz, a Brethren exiled to the planet of Kormia more than a thousand years ago for violating a tenet. Saraz’s violation: He procreated with a human. His indiscretion was discovered centuries later in the form of a hybrid species, long after Saraz’s human mate had died. Her children had children, and so on and so forth, until finally a remote village in the mountains of the country now known as Italy had a concentrated gene pool based on the one known as Saraz. An entire isolated village of creatures, called the Asazi, a result of being segregated from new gene pool sources. This isolation had concentrated their DNA and made the mating between Brethren and human obvious.

Furious, the Brethren had banished Saraz and imposed sanctions on him and his progeny. The sanction was they never return to Earth. None of them. Not Saraz, and not his progeny. Asazi were one of two races that lived on Kormia. The other race… those were the Kormic. The Kormic history was a different sad, sad story.

Thane was put in charge of keeping an eye on Saraz, making sure he didn’t return, or send his progeny to Earth in his stead. This was not a task that Thane ever wanted. He didn’t agree to be a Brethren in order to become a keeper.

“Everything is in order,” Thane replied.

“If you find any Asazi, you do know what to do?” Brohm asked.

Brohm asked that question of Thane so many times that by now, Thane’s patience had worn thin. Why was the most senior of Brethren so worried that Thane wouldn’t do his job? Because his predecessor had failed, Thane reminded himself.

Thane knew what do. He’d known since Saraz was first exiled. He wasn’t charged with this responsibility when the Asazi had come to Earth. He was put in charge after Elinth had failed and been sent away.

Thane believed the entire matter was blown out of proportion. He was not fond of dealing death to innocent ones. He’d retired because he’d tired of that calling. He’d had enough of death-dealing from centuries ago, before he was made a Brethren. These were things he was not supposed to remember.

He sucked in a deep breath, and spewed his response in one quick sentence. “Eradicate them without leaving any evidence of their existence.”

That answer had been memorized long ago, but never put into play because the Asazi had never returned to Earth since Elinth left and Thane took over.

Brohm and the other Brethren nodded.

How would Thane know if they came anyway? If he met one face to face, he wouldn’t know unless they were in their natural form. With their shifting ways, the Asazi were as adept at hiding in human skin as Thane’s kind was. No wonder poor Elinth had never found out the Asazi had been coming to Earth to fulfill their need to incorporate humans in their breedings. Asazi looked just like humans when they shifted into human skin.

Thane wasn’t going to make the same mistake Elinth had. He monitored transmissions by all the private and government agencies that observed extraterrestrial findings. He had access to their reports. He rested easy. Nothing was out of place.

Thane had another ace in the hole. The Kormic Elders kept him posted on Asazi and Saraz’s activities.

Thane made a mental note to contact the Kormic Elders that provided him with updates. It occurred to him that he hadn’t heard from them in a while.

Itching to return home and to his human form, having found that his human skin was far more preferable for him these days, Thane rushed through his report, giving a quick summary.

In the beginning he’d struggled with converting, preferring to have his wings and body in their more freeing saural form. Now, centuries later, he no longer felt that way. He preferred being in his human form.

The only time he couldn’t control his form was during sex. Specifically, during his climax. It was as if his entire body was so concentrated on the climax that he couldn’t expend what was needed to keep his human form. His wings would unfurl, his skin would undulate, gray scales turning to glossy black, then back after the climax.

Sex with humans would have been difficult. One climax and the secret would be out.

Compelling thoughts and actions made sex possible. Compelling human females into thinking they didn’t see what they thought they saw, making their memories of his transformation vanish, that was the saving grace. Without that, Thane would have been forced to live a life of celibacy.

Thane never let his sexual conquests verge on anything that would be permanent or lead to procreation. He made very sure that he did not violate tenets. He had no desire to be in the same situation as Saraz—abandoned on a planet, going crazy. Then again, Thane wondered if Saraz had been on the crazy side
before
he was banished.

“Next order of business,” Brohm announced, turning to Zale.

The sooner Zale got through his report, the sooner they’d get out. Thane gave Zale a look that said “Hurry the fuck up”.