Alyssa squinted at Lorn. “Can’t you sense her like Valel?”
“No, I cannot. Can you sense her?”
“Until the test,” Alyssa said, remembering the child’s laughter, “I didn’t sense anyone. It’s like, during that test, learning about Ru’Sae, something inside me woke up. I felt Lyssa and Valel the strongest, and when he started to push inside my head, she forced him out. I think she’s stronger than all of us, and she’s hiding it, possibly instinctually, to protect herself.”
“We will need to test your theory, if Kora will allow it.”
“Leave that to us girls,” Jess said. “I’ll get Mom to talk to her if I have to. This is too important to just wait around and see what happens.”
“In the meantime, Alyssa,” Lorn said, “you should avoid Valel until we can determine the extent of your abilities. It seems as if you are gaining much lately, and now is not the time to make yourself vulnerable.”
“I agree,” Alyssa muttered. “I have to talk to Sebastian. We need to figure this out. The whole thing made me feel so… so confused. I feel like I cheated on him.” Tears trickled down her cheeks.
“Oh no, Aly.” Jess pulled her into a hug. “Don’t feel that way. You didn’t do that on purpose. If anything, Valel is responsible. He needs to give you some breathing room. Maybe Lorn can talk to him, get him to back off. Right, babe? You can make it clear to him that Alyssa and Sebastian are soulmates, and no one should interfere with that.”
“I will speak with him as soon as possible. Do not worry, Aly.”
“You guys,” Alyssa whined, “I don’t know about soulmates… Ever since Sebastian and Cecily came back from New York, it’s like they’re in sync, on their own wavelength. They’re finishing each other’s sentences, spending tons of time together, and practically reading each other’s minds.”
“Aly, stop stressing!” Jess squeezed her in a tighter hug. “That man loves you. They’re just partners, you know, in the coalition. With the attack on HQ, the Karans, and the summit, they have to be focused. They’ve been basically running this rebellion together from the beginning. Don’t worry about it. Besides, from what I hear, Cecily’s got a thing going with the central California leader.”
“How’s that possible? She’s always here.”
“She goes home sometimes, and he runs both teams when she’s away, so she must trust him a lot. You know how she is.”
“She keeps Zirena around.” Alyssa snorted, pulling out of Jess’ hold. “I don’t know how much I trust her judgement.”
Jess burst out laughing, bringing a smile to Alyssa’s tear-stained face. Lorn chuckled and turned back around. Maira peeked back at them, brows raised, and Edward glanced at them in the rearview mirror.
“What’s going on back there?” he asked, switching on the windshield wipers as the heavens opened up again.
Alyssa and Jess collapsed against each other, holding their bellies, and giggling uncontrollably.
Lorn shrugged. “They have lost their minds.”
Chapter 19
Alyssa carried her stack of blankets up the walkway, and into a small two-bedroom house, studiously ignoring an argument between Sebastian and three members of their group from Hamlin. They stood in a small living room, voices raised as he held his hands up defensively.
“Please, guys, calm down. I understand you’re upset.”
“Bas, we’ve been bunking together for almost a year. How can you let them separate us? Have you seen how big this settlement is? We should be together, in the same neighborhood.”
“I agree.” He bowed his head to the side, trying to appear appeasing. “Unfortunately, there are not enough homes in one place to house us together. We should be grateful to have beds to sleep in. Not everyone is lucky enough to live inside the settlement, or even have a roof over their head.”
“Why can’t they find us some place like the dorms we had? Are we even going to be in the same group anymore? Do you plan on splitting us up?”
“Daniel!” Sebastian threw his hands in the air, growling in exasperation.
Alyssa stacked the blankets in a coat closet, nearly getting shut inside when Sebastian’s young assistant came running around the corner from the kitchen. He spun around, eyes huge. “Oh, crap! Aly, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine. Go, go.” She shooed him away, grinning at his youthful exuberance.
“Daniel,” Sebastian bellowed, “round up our team and bring them here. We need to clear some shit up.”
Alyssa’s eyebrows shot up. Sebastian seldom cursed so openly. She ducked into the tiny kitchen with a breakfast nook to search for some tea or coffee, anything to help soothe his frazzled nerves. He hadn’t yet had a chance to recover from his trip to New York. Hell, I don’t think he’s gotten more than three hours’ sleep since he returned.
Behind cupboard doors, Jess organized canned food from boxes Lorn had carried in after Ian and his wife, Vi, “short for Violet,” had escorted them to their new homes. The Chambers family lived in the house on the corner right next door. They’d made room for Sebastian to be near Ian and the central command building, which also happened to have a daycare and playground attached.
Sebastian, Alyssa, Jess, and Lorn were set up in one house while Jordan, Kora, Lyssa, Maira, and Edward moved into the other house next door. Maira wanted to play grandma, offering to stay with Jordan and Kora to help with baby care. They’d insisted Ela and Nait move in across the street to be nearby in case anything else happened with Alyssa or Lyssa, although the aliens pointed out that they would probably spend most of their time in the lab or the hospital.
“You got anything in those cupboards to quiet this madness?”
Jess dropped from her tiptoes to her heels, planting her hands on her hips. “What in the world is going on out there? I thought everyone would be busy moving into their houses.”
“They don’t like being spread out like we are.” Alyssa peeked into the open cabinet, spotting some tea. Jess bent down, grabbing a dented tea kettle, and handing it over.
“Oh, they already stocked some of our cupboards. I assume Ian left this for Bas.” She reached in and pulled out a small bottle of amber liquid, shaking it lightly and waggling her eyebrows. “This ought to mellow him out some.”
Alyssa grinned and snatched the bottle from Jess’ outstretched hand. “Nice!”
Preparing the tea, she glanced around the small house. It reminded her a bit of Granny’s cottage, minus the numerous knick-knacks and smells of baked goods. Jess and I will fix that soon. A round table with four vinyl chairs sat in the center of the nook, looking like it was manufactured pre-war. In fact, all the sparse furnishings Alyssa had seen so far looked just as old. She sighed happily, relieved to know nothing in her new home contained the deadly Plastin chemical that had killed her parents.
It’s not a house in the mountains, but it’s a nice little place. Not a converted alien ship with no windows or an evil commander that can lock you inside. With my best friends, and the man I love, I think I could be happy here for a long while.
The kettle whistle broke into her thoughts. Alyssa quickly made two cups of tea. Offering to make two more for Jess and Lorn only got her pushed out of the kitchen with a wink and a grin from her best friend.
Sebastian’s lean, muscular body leaned against the front door frame, his arms crossed as he scowled at the growing crowd in the front yard. Alyssa stopped for a beat to admire the outline of his form, imagining him braced above her, both of them naked in their new bed. The little smile playing on her lips faded as the visions of Valel superimposed her daydream. She shook away the images and the confusing feelings that now accompanied all her thoughts of the Karan.
“Sebastian.” She sidled up to him, passing him a mug.
He breathed in the minty steam, closing his eyes as his face relaxed. “Mm, this smells good.” His arm snaked out to pull her close.
“I thought you could use something to help deal with the angry horde. It’s g
ot a splash of bourbon, compliments of Ian.”
“Oh, liquid courage. Just what I needed.”
“Courage?” Alyssa frowned up at him, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. “You’re the bravest man I know. You don’t need courage, but I think you might need some patience.”
“This should do it. I’m just about at my limit, right now. I want to do right by our people, but we can’t uproot everyone in this neighborhood just so we can all be together. I need to be near central command, or else I would set us up in a dorm. It’s just not feasible.” He shook his head, looking out at the men, women, and aliens who had stood by his side for so many months.
“They will understand eventually. Right now, everyone’s upset from the attack, lack of sleep, and road-weariness. Once they see that we’ll all still be going on the same missions together, they’ll get over it.”
“That’s the thing,” he said quietly. “I can’t guarantee we will be together indefinitely. I’m the leader of this rebellion. I have to put people where they’ll be most useful, where their skills will be utilized the best, and that might mean sending some of them to other teams. At the very least, most of them will be integrated into the Seattle group and sent on local raids.”
“Isn’t that the way it was before you moved into the Hamlin HQ?” Alyssa sipped her tea, the bourbon sending warmth down to her toes. Even though it was the middle of summer, Seattle’s mild climate felt cool, almost chilly compared to the dry heat of the eastern plains they’d had to flee. If it stays like this, I’m going to layer on the clothing like Granny. Maybe keep some napkins in my sleeve too.
“Yeah, but a lot of these people have been with me for years. Some of them came up from California to be part of my team. I’ll keep as many of them as I can, but this isn’t the time for me to hold on to all the best people, now that we aren’t staking out the Command Compound. It’s bad enough that I’ll be horning in on Ian’s operation here.”
“He seems like a good guy, and we’re all on the same team with the same goals. It’ll all work out, Sebastian. I have faith in you and our people.” Alyssa hugged his waist, listening to the beat of his single heart, something she relished as nice and normal compared to Kayn’s double heartbeat. She shuddered at the memory of being in his arms, suddenly feeling claustrophobic.
Sebastian kissed the top of her head and pulled away, handing her his empty mug. A touch of red colored his cheeks, and the lines of his forehead and at the corners of his eyes had smoothed away. Daniel bounced up the two steps. His straight, blond, cheek-length bangs hung in his eyes.
“Everyone’s here, Bas.” He ran a large hand through his sweaty hair.
At eighteen, Daniel still seemed to be growing into his body, with spindly limbs and comically large hands and feet. In the month since he’d been with them, Daniel had spent every waking moment proving his worth, idolizing Sebastian and volunteering for every single errand he could. Alyssa wondered how that would change now that he was home again with his Uncle Ian and Aunt Vi.
“Thanks.” Sebastian clapped him on the shoulder and smiled.
Daniel beamed, his chest swelling with pride. He glanced at Alyssa and she gave him a big smile with a thumbs-up before turning back to go help Jess unpack.
***
“Looks like everyone’s having a good time.” Ian sat on the picnic bench on the other side of Sebastian. The sounds of soft chatter and light laughter filled the air. “You get things smoothed over with your crew?”
“Yeah.” Sebastian nodded slowly, cold beer in hand. “They’re not entirely happy, but everyone seems to at least accept the situation as it is. Once we get the raids going, they’ll all be too busy to worry about being separated.”
Alyssa ate potato salad, watching the party-goers bounce around the dance floor. Jordan and Kora spun in a slow circle with Lyssa held between them, giggling with her arms above her head and a baggy sweater covering her skin. Christmas lights had been hung around the edges of the music stage and along the perimeter of the little park they used for these events. Isa manned a table laden with coalition merchandise, fulfilling her desire to help and connect with the settlement residents.
“You having a good time?” Ian leaned forward, elbows on his knees, peering around Sebastian at Alyssa.
“I am. Thank you.” Alyssa grinned, noticing how the twinkling lights glinted off the gray peppering his scruffy, auburn hair. Red and gray patches covered his lower face in a well-past five o’clock shadow. “I really appreciate you taking us in. I feel much safer here.”
“We aim to please.” Ian winked with a crooked grin like Sebastian’s, but not quite as sexy. “We’re happy to have you here, and it’s good for morale to have the leader of our little rebellion around for the troops to see. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to come to me or Vi.”
“Thanks a lot, man.” Sebastian nodded at Ian, tipping his bottle in a salute.
Vi sauntered up to Ian, grabbing his hands and pulling him to the dance floor for a slow song. Her long blond hair framed her pixie face with curly locks, the rest back in a thick braid. The gentle woman gazed up at her husband with love and devotion, and Alyssa knew they existed in a world of their own in that moment.
“Come on.” Sebastian stood, taking the plate from her, and holding out a hand. She slid her fingers into his warm palm, letting him pull her to her feet and lead her to the swaying masses.
A brief instance of awkwardness overcame Alyssa as she realized she hadn’t danced since high school, but Sebastian swept her into his arms and pressed her tight to the front of his body. He grinned down at her as her hands found their way up and around his neck.
Their eyes locked and nothing but the music surrounded them. Alyssa felt the world fall away, basking in the glow of Sebastian’s adoration. As they watched each other, all the worries of the past few days slipped away. Nothing in this moment could ever make her doubt his love for her.
“You feel safer now?” Sebastian’s eyes pierced her heart, making it flutter as her breath hitched.
“I do,” she whispered.
“I’m glad. I want you to feel safe, and happy. You deserve to be happy, darlin’.”
“I am happy. We have a house, and all our friends are nearby. Things are going to be better here. I know it.” Alyssa lay her head on Sebastian’s chest, sighing contentedly.
“It will be. Once we’re all settled, and we get into a routine, everyone will see how good this is for us. And here, you, Kora, and Lyssa will be protected. Even when I’m not around.”
“I don’t want to talk about you not being here, Sebastian. Let’s just enjoy what we have right now.”
“You got it, darlin’.”
They spent the rest of the evening dancing and chatting with all their friends. As the party-goers drifted off little by little, Sebastian and Alyssa meandered along the sidewalks, hand in hand, talking about anything and everything that had nothing to do with the war, aliens, Karans, or the days ahead. When they arrived home, Jess and Lorn’s door was already closed.
With a wink and a grin, Alyssa tugged Sebastian to their own bed. He knocked the door shut with the heel of his boot, pulling his shirt off. Alyssa lay back on the soft bedspread, waiting, anxious and excited. Only a small niggling thought in the very back of her mind made her worry, reminding her that they hadn’t been together like this since they discovered her Asen’Sha abilities.
***
“Sebastian?” Alyssa whispered, gasping as his lips tickled the skin above her navel, kissing and caressing a path to her chest.
“Mm hmm.” He licked a thin line between her breasts, blowing softly until she arched against his seeking mouth.
“Uhn, gah,” she moaned, unable to form a coherent word.
Strong hands pressed into her sides, sliding up ever so slowly, raising goosebumps on her skin. Fingertips grazed the sides of her breasts, stealing her breath, making her ache.
“Se… Sebas… Sebastian!” Alyssa’s e
yes rolled back as his tongue circled one hard nipple, then the other.
Something about the uncertainty enhanced the delicious sensations, not knowing if, or when, her body would betray her. Sebastian’s erotic distractions weren’t helping her to think clearly. The worry sat there, in her mind, waiting to be expressed, but Alyssa just could not focus beyond his sensuous exploration of her aching body.
When his mouth found her throbbing mound, and his hands cupped her trembling flesh, gently pinching and rolling pebbled nipples, Alyssa drowned in need. Her fingers dove into his hair, grasping as his tongue lavished her, pulling little mewling noises from her.
Sebastian pressed her, pushing her to the edge, his hot breath bathing her until she begged incoherently. Rising up, his body a hair’s breadth away from hers, he crawled up, dragging his tongue the entire way, stopping only to delve deep into her mouth. Her breasts heaved against his chest, hot skin pressing together.
Cool air caressed Alyssa’s flesh and she gasped gulping breaths, her eyes snapping open, searching. Sebastian stared down at her, his cobalt eyes blazing, sending sizzling tingles along her skin. She reached up to drag her palms over his muscular chest, her fingers tasting his soft skin.
“Darlin’,” he whispered, his husky voice rolling over her like silk.
“Hmm?” She blinked at him like a lazy cat, waiting, wanting.
“Do you want to keep going?” he murmured, his lips brushing against hers, hot breath mingling with hers. The faint scent of cinnamon and musk filled her senses, clouding her hazy thoughts.
“Do you?” she asked, brushing her fingers along his neck, winding them into his unruly hair. “I can’t control it. I… don’t know what will happen.”
“I’m not scared.” His deep voice rumbled in his chest.
Alyssa rose to press her lips to his ear and whispered, “You’re never scared because you’re a beast. My beast.” She drew out the last word with a hiss, blowing against his ear softly.
Unchained: The Discordant Earth Series Book Two Page 14
