by Eliza Green
Jason, Anya’s brother, who’d helped the rebels to fight against the Collective, was lowered into his grave next to Max. Jason, who’d helped Max rescue their group from Arcis, was dead. Dom owed him his life. If Anya let him, Dom would repay Jason by protecting her for the rest of his life.
Vanessa said a prayer and everyone respectfully bowed their heads. Soldiers carrying shovels began to toss loose dirt over the graves until the bodies were no longer visible. Everyone else peeled off from the scene, including Anya, before the last shovel of dirt was delivered, but Dom stayed until the bittersweet end. It marked the end of a harrowing day, but the beginning of a new one where revenge would be exacted. The sight of the six graves made him want leave, but as leader, he could no longer turn his back when things got too tough. He broke out of his trance when Vanessa touched him on the shoulder.
‘Get some rest, Dom. We’ll be safe for tonight. I’ll make sure the spotters resume their posts in the mountain.’
He nodded. The Collective had a prize from their fight that day: phantom scalps from their dead, but also prisoners.
Feeling bone weary, Dom ambled back to the main hall. Inside the private officer’s room he’d claimed as his own, he removed his heavy boots and let them drop them to the floor. He unbuttoned his trousers, covered in a layer of brown dust, and peeled them off each leg. His T-shirt hit the floor last, as dusty as the rest of him. Someone had left a bowl of water by his bed. He used it to wash his face and neck, then the blood off his left arm.
Dom examined his wet arm with the bones of steel. The puncture wounds from the beast were still visible, but had begun to heal. The artificial antibiotics that Jacob had taken from Rover were teeming with self-repairing nanobots, and had the ability to heal his flesh.
One less thing to worry about, I suppose.
He crawled under the covers and draped his metal arm over his eyes. When the door opened, he didn’t stir.
‘Not now, Sheila. I’m too tired to talk.’
‘Uh, it’s not Sheila,’ said a timid voice.
He dropped his arm and bolted upright in the bed at hearing Anya’s voice.
She clasped her hands to the front. ‘I hope it’s okay to come here. I didn’t want to be alone tonight.’
‘Of course.’
He shuffled back up the bed and made room for her to sit, but she ignored his offer and crawled under the covers.
Her skin felt hot to the touch, her eyes were red raw, like she’d been crying.
Dom shuffled back down to a lying position. He touched her face gently, not wanting to scare her off. ‘Are you okay?’
She looked up at him through pained eyes. ‘No, but I will be. I just need time.’ She paused; he sensed she wanted to say more. ‘I wanted to thank you for what you did today.’
He hadn’t done anything. ‘What did I do?’
‘You took control of a situation that was out of control. You tried to help Jerome and Alex when Julius was taking them prisoner.’
He dropped his gaze to the bed. ‘But people died. Max—’
Anya turned his chin until his gaze met hers. ‘None of that was your fault.’
It was kind of her to say, but as leader he must accept his losses as well as his victories.
‘Get some sleep,’ he said.
He tucked her into the spot where she belonged, under his arm, head nestled into his shoulder, her hand on his chest. God, he’d missed her. Just having her close halved his anxiety.
But when she refused to settle, he worried she wasn’t going to stay. Her next move surprised him. She travelled up his body to kiss his mouth. Her lips on his shocked him so much that he let out a groan. Their tongues explored each other’s mouths like they’d been starved of anything this good for a while. Dom’s hands wove into her hair as she settled on top of him, igniting feelings in every part of him.
‘Anya,’ he muttered. ‘It’s probably not a good idea if you stay. Things might happen.’
She pulled back. ‘What if I want them to?’
His eyes widened at her admission, but he wouldn’t take advantage of her while she was feeling low.
He shook his head. ‘It’s not a good idea...’
She silenced him with a finger to his lips. ‘I’m not asking for your advice. I’ve never been surer about anything in my life. Being here with you after what happened... I was out there feeling really crap, but as soon as I walked in here I knew this was where I needed to be.’
She kissed him again. The feel of her warm body against his melted his fears away. A desire stronger than he could fight filled the void.
Dom flipped her onto her back, which drew a small laugh from her.
He smiled down at her, but only briefly. His next question couldn’t be more serious.
‘Are you sure?’
Anya looked up at him. He searched her eyes for the desperation he’d expected to find after her loss, the need to do something to forget. But all he found was fire and love, and a certainty that matched his in that moment.
She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him hard. Her kiss chased away the fears, the doubt, the pain of losing her to the Collective. It freed his mind to concentrate on the wide-eyed person below him, nervously anticipating his next move. He would take his time and make sure she was okay, because he needed her like he needed air.
A thin layer of clothing separated them, but with a few fumbling tugs that was gone.
No more barriers.
Dom joined with Anya, giving her an intimacy he desperately craved—something that would only strengthen what he already felt for her. His joy filled him up. A new elation he’d never thought possible made life good again.
40
Anya
Anya stirred in the bed beside Dom. Despite her aching neck from sleeping against his shoulder all night, she nestled in closer to him. Another part of her hurt from their exploration of each other last night, but she’d wanted it all. She’d wanted him. Not because of Jason, but because she was sick of being someone she wasn’t. She and Dom had a connection, but he would not be her saviour or protector. The recent events had changed her, transformed her into a new person.
Dom stirred beside her. He eased his arm out from under her neck.
‘Holy hell,’ he cried out. ‘Cramp. Muscles.’
She giggled at him, then stretched her own aching limbs. ‘Okay, maybe sleeping like that all night wasn’t a good idea.’
‘You think?’
He wore a stupid grin on his face, despite his discomfort.
She liked seeing him happy. She vowed to give him the life he deserved, not one filled with pain and disappointment, but one where he had to worry about nothing.
Anya sat up and stretched again, then got dressed.
Dom gave her a sad face as he watched her. ‘Do we have to go out there?’
She nodded, even though the idea of staying in Dom’s room for the day appealed to her. She picked up his dusty clothes and shook them out, feeling angry and sad at the reminder of where they’d just been, and tossed them to him.
His curious gaze lingered on her as he dressed. ‘Are you okay?’
She nodded. ‘I will be.’
They left the room together hand in hand and passed by the dining hall. Their joined limbs attracted stares and whispers, but Anya didn’t care. She was past caring what others thought of her. Sheila sat at a table with Imogen, deep in conversation about something. She looked up when Dom paused at the door. She got to her feet. Imogen followed suit when Sheila poked her in the arm.
Anya caught the awkward glance Kaylie gave Dom, then her, before she looked away. How could she feel bad for something that felt so right?
She and Dom walked on to Max’s office. Was it Dom’s office now? He opened the door to reveal Vanessa, Charlie, Jacob, Thomas and Carissa waiting inside. They turned as he entered the room. Anya followed with Sheila and Imogen close on her heels.
They stood together in the space known as the strategy roo
m.
‘Dom, good to see you,’ said Vanessa. ‘I hope you’re ready to discuss ways to get back inside the city?’
He nodded, his lips thin and white. Anya rested a hand on his back. She felt the tension he held there instantly lessen.
Jacob shared details of the footage from the orb that showed the city was defenceless. Anya repeated her memory of her mother’s conversation with Janet, and the diary with the coordinates. Carissa then shared her experience out on the battlefield. Quintus had contacted her, but she’d grabbed the schematics of the city before he disconnected her again.
Anya barely listened to the rest. She couldn’t wait to get back to the city, to confront the Collective and tear it apart like it had done her family. First her parents, then her brother. She was done being their experiment.
Her memories were back. She would make full use of her knowledge to expose the Collective’s one weakness: its desire to be free. When she was done with the Ten, she would lock them up in a special prison designed just for them.
The Collective had dealt her a blow, but it had not destroyed her spirit. If anything, the Ten had made her stronger.
They had unknowingly turned her into a vengeful phoenix. Now, she would rise from the ashes of her dead innocence.
And hit the city with everything she had.
Ω
Thank you for reading THE HAVEN. I hope you enjoyed it. The story continues in THE BEYOND. Coming in 2020. Sign up to my newsletter to be the first to hear about the book.
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Why not read THE REBELS while you wait? This companion story is THE FACILITY retold through the eyes of Dom Pavesi and Warren Hunt. Discover new secrets about these rebellious teens and how far they are prepared to go.
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BOOKS BY ELIZA GREEN
THE GENESIS SERIES
When Bill Taggart’s wife disappears on a new planet that harbours a hostile alien species, he must act fast to find her, before his corrupt government destroys the evidence.
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DUALITY
A surprising journey into the mind of one delusional man starts with one question: Why did you kill her? To unlock the secrets of his mind, Jonathan must accept his reality might not be his own.
DUALITY is a mind bending science fiction thriller about blind trust, a future not yet written, and the choices we make to protect ourselves. Similar to the Matrix and Inception, Duality will force you to ponder your own reality.
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BOOKS BY KATE GELLAR
Eliza also writes PARANORMAL ROMANCE under the pen name Kate Gellar.
THE IRISH ROGUE SERIES
Dark witches and guardians are mortal enemies? Tell that to Abby and her four hot demon fighting men.
If someone had told Abby Brennan she was a dark witch, she’d have laughed in their face.
An invitation to stay at an Irish castle sounded like fun. But the second she entered the ancient grounds, a dark, primal entity woke up inside of her.
The four sexy Irish guardians protecting the world from demonic activity are a sight for sore eyes.
There’s Liam with his dimpled smile and infectious optimism. Sam is the alpha and ultra-serious. Brendan is a seasoned flirt. And Murphy, well, let’s just say that tattooed biker boy doesn’t want to get to know anyone.
But Abby didn’t come here for love. She came to grieve.
Tell that to her starving dark witch, dying to drain the demonic-fighting guardians of their magical power and not caring if it kills them.
Only an entity with a similar strength to that bitch will stop her.
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Word from the Author
The third book is here! I hope you enjoyed catching up with Anya, Dom and the gang. All is right with the world. Anya has her memories back. She and Dom are back together. And what the actual hell is this Beyond place anyway? Find out in the next book.
Another amazing cover from Deranged Doctor Design. I really wish Deranged Doctor was my author name. So flippin’ cool.
Thanks to Sara for editing this baby. Much love to my launch team for jumping on every new release and reviewing without me having to poke them with a stick. (I don’t do that, I swear... *grins*). I roped in a couple of late betas to read the story, because I like to road test the idea before it hits the shelves. Tom and Iffet, thank you. One of you was on holidays at the time. Damn! I don’t feel guilty about that at all. (Yes, yes I do. Irish Catholic guilt strikes again.)
Reviews are a privilege but if you decide to leave one, thank you. It’s the best way to let other readers know if a book is for them. A one liner is all you need.
Drop me a line if you want to chat about the books, or if you just like stalking people. I’d be super excited to hear from you. Except if you’re a real stalker. Then I’ll be super excited to stalk you back...
Connect with the Author
Eliza Green tried her hand at fashion designing, massage, painting, and even ghost hunting, before finding her love of writing. She often wonders if her desire to change the ending of a particular glittery vampire story steered her in that direction (it did). After earning her degree in marketing, Eliza went on to work in everything but marketing, but swears she uses it in everyday life, or so she tells her bank manager.
Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, she lives there with her sci-fi loving, evil genius best friend. When not working on her next amazing science fiction adventure, you can find her reading, indulging in new food at an amazing restaurant or simply singing along to something with a half decent beat.
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All rights reserved. No part of this e-book publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Please purchase subsequent copies if you wish to share it with others. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copy Editor: Sara Litchfield
Cover Design: Deranged Doctor Design
Version 1.0 Kindle Edition
Copyright © 2019 Eliza Green
