Destiny Series Boxed Set

by Bronwyn Leroux

  “Why do you think it attacked us today?”

  “I have no clue. But it was bent on harming us, if not killing us.”

  It was a few minutes before Jaden spoke again. “I’ve been noodling your earlier statement—you know, that the Gaptor only attacked Gedrin once he had the medallion, and that the medallion was what it flew off with. I think you were right. No matter how ludicrous it seems, now that we’ve found our medallions and have them with us, that mutant has some way of sensing it. It’s opened us up to attack.”

  “Now that we agree, I was wondering about something else. Do you think if we had thrown our medallions into the air for the Gaptor, it would’ve snatched them up and then left us alone?”

  “Hmm, a good question. It’s plausible that if it was only after the medallions, that should work. But it’s a dangerous assumption. We don’t know the Gaptor’s true agenda. Why does it want the medallions? Also, didn’t you say your mom told you to guard the medallion, literally with your life, like my mom did?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say that she meant I should lose my life keeping the medallion safe, but yes, she did really press not losing it.”

  “That leaves us with more questions again,” Jaden muttered.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Why would our mothers go to such lengths to tell us to keep the medallions safe if there wasn’t a good reason for it? We have to find out why the Gaptor wants them.”

  “And how are we going to do that?” Kayla snapped, suddenly annoyed. “Our mothers don’t know the history of the medallions any more than we do, and the internet’s no help.”

  “Correction. The ’net wasn’t any help before because we didn’t know what we were looking for. Now, we have words like Gaptor and seeker, words that could be keys to getting answers. Words, I’ll remind you, we gleaned from the book. Who knows what other useful information it might hold? Also, don’t discount Awena. We can’t go back and question her now, but we could do that tomorrow. For all we know, she may have all the answers.”

  Jaden’s calm tone and optimistic outlook were a balm to Kayla’s frayed nerves. “Sorry I grumped at you. The stress of the situation’s getting to me.”

  “No worries. At least we have more information now than we had a few hours ago, so we’re making progress.” He changed the topic abruptly. “How much further? My arm’s killing me.”

  Kayla glanced out the window. “We’re about to land.”

  Then Kayla noticed the police cruiser tethered to one of the landing pads. Alarm bells rang, shooting adrenaline through her veins once more. Did the Gaptor escape and make it back here before us? Did it attack my family the same way it tried to attack Gedrin’s?

  Jaden must’ve sensed her panic because he peeked out the window. Concern flickered in his eyes before they shot back to hers. His face reflected Kayla’s own questions.

  Sensing her need for comfort, Jaden cradled her hand in his own. She gazed at their joined hands, blinking. Why is his touch so soothing? She would’ve gladly gone into his arms again had he hugged her.

  His arms around her at the store earlier had felt way too good. But she didn’t dare initiate the contact. What would he think of me if I did that? In fact, what am I thinking? I never moon over boys! And that’s all I’ve done today. Still, undeniably, something about Jaden had her thinking about him a lot more than she should. Wrestling the impulse to lean closer, Kayla gave a small, miserable shrug. “Isn’t that cruiser just the icing on the cake?”

  “Do you think this is about the Gaptor?”

  “Somehow, I doubt it’s not connected. I hope my family’s alright.” Kayla rose and paced as her ’pod went through its landing routine. She regretted her loss of contact with Jaden, but it was better if she kept her distance. With her frame of mind, she might do something absurd.

  Before the ’pod came to a complete stop, Kayla flung the hatch open and dashed to the access hallway. She hadn’t reached it when her mother appeared, concern creasing her face.

  “Mom, what happened? Are you alright?” Kayla demanded, running her hands over her mother’s shoulders and arms as if to verify her wellbeing.

  Her mother gave her a quizzical glance. “Honey, I’m fine. I was worried about you! I’m so thankful I made it home before you did. We had a break-in.”

  “What?” Her statement floored Kayla. Having expected mortal harm to her family, and now finding out they were alright and the commotion was merely merited by a break-in, Kayla felt conflicted. Relief warred with anger. Curse the Gaptor for making her believe it could get to her family. A thought occurred to her. This was a safe community, courtesy of her father’s diligence in assuring that the areas they relocated to had low crime rates. If this isn’t the work of the Gaptor, who else would break in and why?

  Her mother’s reply interrupted her analysis. “Yes, it seems the thieves only broke the window and set off the alarm. I don’t know what they were thinking. Our home clearly displays our security. Kayla, are you alright?”

  When her mother mentioned the broken window, Kayla tensed. It was too much of a coincidence after their experience at the store. Her apprehension must’ve shown because her mother hurriedly drew her into a comforting hug, mistakenly thinking the shock of the break-in was the cause. Kayla accepted the hug, holding her mother tight and only drawing back when she heard Jaden come up behind them.

  “Mom, this is my friend, Jaden. Jaden, my mother, Sadie Melmique.”

  It was her mother’s turn for shock, eyes widening when she saw the bloodstained cloth covering Jaden’s forearm.

  “Don’t worry, Mom. It seems broken windows are a thing today. We were at the game store near the library and something blew the front window out. Flying glass cut Jaden, so I brought him home to patch him up.”

  “Why not the hospital—” her mother began before remembering her manners and greeting their guest. “I’m sorry, Jaden, it’s nice to meet you. Kayla told me how much she enjoyed your game at the park the other day and then meeting your friends yesterday. Let’s get you inside so Kayla can take care of that arm.”

  Jaden smiled. “Thanks, Mrs. Melmique. It’s nice to meet you too.”

  As they exited the landing deck, Kayla caught her mother’s meaningful glance. Yup, she will demand an explanation why I brought Jaden home instead of taking him to a hospital. Kayla rolled her eyes. Better to deal with this now.

  “Mom, you know I have to put in a certain number of hours to keep my certification. This will count toward that.”

  Her mother sniffed, a clear sign she wasn’t sure she believed her daughter. “Aren’t you supposed to do that at the hospital, where they can watch you?”

  But Kayla was ready. “Mom, you know they said they would accept it if I brought the patient in after the fact and they checked the result. That’s why they gave me the supplies, remember?”

  Her mother still didn’t look convinced, but she let it slide. Kayla sighed. Her mother was just saving up her arguments for later. Sometimes having a lawyer for a mother was a real pain.

  Entering the living room, they found two uniformed Law Enforcement Agency Regulators—or LEARs as people jokingly called them when they weren’t within earshot—sitting at the kitchen counter, their skinny, departmentally issued e-corders in front of them as they captured their notes.

  “Jaden, Kayla, meet Agency Regulators Dawson and Reach.”

  The four exchanged greetings, the sharp-eyed ARs not missing Jaden’s injury. “What happened to your arm?” Dawson asked.

  Kayla replied before Jaden could, worried he might slip up in his present pain-hazed condition. “I just told my mom broken windows must be a thing today. We were at the game store—you know, the one near the library—when, out of nowhere, the window shattered. We dropped to the floor, not knowing what to expect, which was just as well, because something like a mini hurricane blasted in and tossed the games about. It even knocked some shelves over. It was freaky.”

  Kayla paused for
a breath and gestured at Jaden. “Unfortunately, Jaden was the one closest to the window, and he ended up with the deepest cut.” Kayla tried not wincing as she lied, aware she had a few scratches of her own to make her story more believable.

  Glancing at Jaden, she caught him watching her like a hawk. Can he tell I’m bothered by the dishonesty? Will he say something to contradict me?

  Jaden inclined his head slightly, as if acknowledging her fears, before he spoke. When he did, he reinforced her claim. “I’ve seen nothing like it. Totally bizarre. Could the same thing have happened here?” Pausing a beat, Jaden added, almost as an afterthought, “Do you know if they’re perhaps testing some new force weapon?”

  Kayla bit back her smile. The pointed question would have the secrecy-conscious ARs scrambling to deny the allegation. Amusingly, they did exactly that, temporarily derailing their own questioning.

  Deciding they should make tracks before the ARs cottoned on to the ruse, Kayla interrupted their denials politely. “Excuse me, but I should get Jaden’s arm cleaned and bonded. May I do that?”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  When the ARs consented to Kayla’s request to tend to Jaden’s injuries, she steered Jaden up the stairs to her room. Shutting her door, she whispered, “That was close. We’d better warn Horatio. You know they’ll call him to verify our story. Can you ping him while I get my medical supplies?”

  “Sure.”

  “Here, take these,” Kayla said, handing him non-prescription pain meds from a cabinet in her bathroom before she left. Returning a few minutes later, she heard the tail end of Jaden’s conversation with Horatio on his vid-call.

  “Yeah, right, like they will believe it if they can’t see it! Would you have believed if you hadn’t experienced it?” Horatio didn’t reply, and Jaden pressed the point. “Don’t you think Kayla and I would love to tell the truth? She seems to hate lying as much as I do, but it’s the only viable option right now. If there was another way, trust me, we would be honest. But unless you want us institutionalized because they think we’re crazy, please just accept that this is the way it has to be.”

  Over his shoulder, Kayla saw Horatio study Jaden and come to the distasteful conclusion that Jaden was right. They didn’t have another choice. “Okay, I’ll go along with this. But I don’t like it.”

  “Thanks, friend. If it helps, we don’t like it any more than you do,” Jaden said.

  Horatio grunted. “While it doesn’t sit well with me, I understand. You and that girl take care of yourselves.”

  Jaden signed off and turned, as though aware Kayla was standing behind him. “Look at you, all official-like with your med-kit,” Jaden teased in a quirky voice.

  “Hmm, I see the pain meds are kicking in.”

  Jaden grinned goofily. “They sure are. The pain’s down to a dull roar from the inferno it was when we landed.”

  “Here, sit,” Kayla ordered, dragging her chair from under her table and positioning it within easy reach of the spot she planned to take on the edge of the bed.

  They sat, and Kayla produced an overly long tray which she balanced between the tops of the two armrests of Jaden’s chair, creating a serviceable work surface. When she was sure it was secure, she removed a large, blue cloth from her med-kit and spread it over the tray. Then she positioned Jaden’s arm on top. She placed her bucket near her right foot after lining it with a surgical-grade disposal bag. Finally, Kayla washed her hands in her bathroom, then returned and tugged on a pair of latex gloves. Selecting the supplies she would need, she placed them in a neat row on the tray.

  “Ready?” Kayla asked Jaden.

  “Yeah, let’s get it over with.” He pouted as Kayla filled a syringe with local anesthetic. “Is that really necessary?”

  “No, I suppose not, but it’ll hurt a lot less than all the pulling I’ll be doing in a moment. It’s just a tiny pinch. Hold still.” Deftly, she inserted the needle in his arm and pressed the plunger, not giving him time to think about what she was doing. His muscles tensed under her hand as he fought the urge to pull away. Before he could, Kayla removed the needle and tossed the empty syringe into the disposal bag.

  Jaden blinked. “Well, that wasn’t so bad!”

  She sniggered. “Yup, it could’ve been major surgery the way you reacted.” When he didn’t respond, she glanced at his face, noting the fatigue on his handsome features. “Not going to counter that?”

  Jaden sighed. “I would, but I’m too tired. Besides, you’ve pinned my good arm against my side, and my other arm’s numb.”

  “Fair point,” Kayla conceded, poking his arm to test the level of anesthesia.

  Nodding approvingly, Kayla cleaned the wound a second time. By the time it met her standards, Jaden was no longer twitching when she worked on the injured area, meaning the anesthetic was fully engaged.

  “Now for the fun part.” Kayla grinned when he rolled his eyes at her.

  Pulling and squeezing on Jaden’s arm, Kayla worked the flesh so it closed along the proper lines. Getting it exactly right took more than a few minutes, but when she was positive she had correctly aligned all the layers, she applied the waiting minuscule clamps. Picking up the tube of skin adhesive, she inverted it and carefully squeezed the healing fluid along the cut line, one layer at a time, peeling the clamps off as she went. When the wound was finally filled with the liquid, she picked up the second group of clamps she’d set aside and expertly applied them around the newly glued skin to bind it in place while the adhesive set the seal.

  “All done,” Kayla breathed, leaning back and admiring her handiwork. “You must keep those clamps on for thirty minutes to allow for proper sealing, but then you’ll be as good as new.”

  Jaden inspected his wound. “Wow, that’s some precision work. You’re incredible. Thank you.”

  “Yup, and you thought I would butcher your arm!”

  “Well, it was a risk letting you set it instead of an ER—” Jaden began, then laughed when she scowled. “Just kidding,” he said, before she could lean over and punch him on his good arm again. “I’d take you over the ER any day. Thanks.”

  Kayla beamed. For reasons she didn’t care to dwell on, his praise meant the world to her. “You’re welcome.”

  That gorgeous smile creased Jaden’s face as his gaze settled on her face. His eyes found hers and held. What’s he thinking? If I didn’t know better, I’d think he wanted to touch me. She inhaled sharply. Is it possible he feels this same . . . connection?

  But then, like a curtain being drawn, Jaden withdrew into himself, his gaze dropping to his arm. Frustration saturated Kayla’s veins. She was sure he had been poised to say something, but then he’d backed down. Curiosity itched at her. What did he want to say? Did I read his body language correctly? Or is that just wishful thinking on my part?

  She watched him from under her lashes as she cleared the medical waste. But whatever had been there had vanished. Sighing, Kayla wrapped the used tools in her blue work cloth and set them aside, then checked that she had all the waste bundled in the disposal bag.

  “Can I help with that?” Jaden asked.

  Kayla met his gaze again. He looked guilty. Is that because he knows I’m disappointed? Irritated for displaying her emotion, Kayla shook her head. “Thanks, but I have it.” Kayla needed to change the subject—and, feeling suddenly famished now that all the excitement was over, she asked, “How about something to eat?”

  At the mention of food, Jaden’s stomach growled. “Yes, please! Shall I bring the bag so we can toss it?”

  “No, hang tight and I’ll dispose of it correctly. It has to be in a special box up there, or I could lose my certification. Be back soon.”

  Kayla dashed out, leaving Jaden alone. Returning a little breathless, she found him standing at her desk, inspecting her crimping pliers. “Find something you like?”

  “Did you make the necklace for your medallion?”

  “Yes. How did you know?”

  “More of a guess
, actually. I saw the pliers, then the beads and wire, and figured they were for making jewelry. Then I remembered your necklace and . . . well, rather ingenious.”

  Kayla’s shyness melted into gratitude. He hadn’t mocked her hobby or teased her as so many others had done. He had appreciated her skill. A glow of pleasure warmed her from the inside out. “Just for that, you get to have some of the chocolate cake my mom has stashed in the refrigerator.”

  “Now you’re speaking my language!”

  They clattered downstairs to the kitchen. Finding the ARs there was no surprise. One wandered around with a palmcam, recording the attempted break-in. The other sat at the counter, hunched over his e-corder. They glanced up in unison when Jaden and Kayla entered the room.

  “Did you seal that cut?” AR Reach asked.

  “See for yourself,” Kayla lifted Jaden’s arm and presented it to the regulator.

  “Nice. Where did you get your training?”

  “In the ER of the last complex we lived in. Dedorian sector. They had a first-tier trauma center, so it was a rigorous training ground. It’s one of the few centers you can get your certification just from working in their ERs.”

  AR Reach nodded. “That’s admirable, getting a qualification like that so young. Speaking of places, would you mind telling us the name of the game store where you had this accident? Just so we can check it out in case it’s related.”

  Sure, Kayla thought. You just want to confirm it wasn’t Jaden who broke into our home. What with that cut on his arm and our broken window, it’s too much of a fluke for you to believe he didn’t do it.

  “Sure, I’d be happy to, except I don’t know the name. I went there today for the first time.” She waited a beat and was rewarded with the suspicious glimmer that crept into AR Reach’s eyes. “But Jaden can tell you.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Kayla caught the faintest twitch of muscle along Jaden’s jawline as he suppressed the smirk. He knew what she’d done. Kayla hoped she hadn’t been that obvious to the LEARs.