Justice (A Science Fiction / Fantasy Romance)

by Fall, Carly

  He had to go. He had to stop living the lie.

  “Yeah, I can leave now.”

  “Jovan’s got some cash for her to start over. She can go back to her job if she wants. She’s fine, man. She’s solid. It’s time to cut bait. Besides, I’m getting mated in a few days. You don’t want to miss that fiesta.”

  He nodded and went back to the front door, motioning Jovan and Kade in. They entered as Justice hung up the phone.

  “She’s asleep?” Jovan whispered.

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll leave this stuff on the kitchen counter. She’ll be fine.”

  “Come on, Justice,” Kade whispered. “Let’s get you to the car.”

  As Jovan rushed into the kitchen, Justice looked around the house one last time. He caught a glimpse of himself in the Solarium’s window reflection, and it seemed as if a ghost of Holly appeared next to it. She crossed her arms over her chest, her blonde spikes wild. She grinned, then disappeared.

  He closed his gravelly eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, the image had gone.

  “Let’s move,” Jovan said, and Justice allowed them to lead him to the car. It seemed as if his soul died a little with each step.

  Chapter 40

  Holly woke to an empty bed—again.

  Dammit! Why couldn’t that man sleep in and give her a little morning nookie?

  She rolled over and stretched, her body aching in all the right places. Last night had been magnificent.

  Justice hadn’t seemed as hesitant this time, and during their second time making love, he’d become the aggressor, which had totally turned her on. She loved a man who took charge but didn’t totally dominate her and also allowed her to have her time on top, so to speak.

  Making love. She grinned at the words. Is that what they’d done? Her feelings ran deep for Justice, and she tried to sort them out. Could it be that she’d really fallen for him in such a short period of time, or did she feel the hero complex? She didn’t know, and right now, she didn’t care. Since they’d found the evidence to convict her brother’s killer and to set her free, she’d had a sense of liberation, like a weight had been lifted from her. Yes, she still felt incredible loss at Billy’s death, but it became more manageable with each day.

  She wondered again what would become of her and Justice. Would there be a future for them? Last night, it had seemed as though all his layers had been stripped away and he’d come to her raw and open. However, she couldn’t help but feel there was something he didn’t tell her, and she wanted to know all of him.

  Reluctantly, she got out of bed and used the bathroom. She pulled on a clean pair of yoga pants and a tank top. As she moved through the downstairs, the house held a sense of emptiness, but she shook it off. She climbed the stairs and reached the kitchen, but didn’t see Justice. Continuing her journey, she walked into the formal living room and paused to gaze into the Solarium. It looked so different with the sunlight streaming through the windows, her reflection nowhere in sight. Her core warmed at the memories of what had taken place there.

  “Stop it,” she said, and looked in the upstairs master bedroom, finding it empty. A brief flash of worry passed through her.

  “Justice?” she yelled.

  Her voice seemed to echo over the tile and space as she waited for an answer. Turning, she hurried back to the kitchen and gazed out the window to the pool, expecting to see him swimming laps.

  Empty.

  She decided to check again on the second level and headed for the staircase when a sheet of paper on the counter caught her eye. She sighed in relief, thinking he’d left her a note on where he’d gone.

  As she opened the note, she noticed a thick envelope next to it, but ignored it and read the letter.

  Holly,

  The killer has been caught and you are safe. Here’s ten thousand dollars to help you rebuild your life. Your boss has been contacted, and you have your job back. Your car is out front. Please vacate this house by 5pm.

  “What?” she murmured. She must not have understood it.

  Reading it again, her throat constricted.

  The third time, tears formed in her eyes.

  The forth, they spilled over and she sank to the cold, stone floor.

  Well, at least, she had her answer. She’d meant nothing to Justice. Absolutely nothing. He’d left in the middle of the night without even so much as a goodbye. That showed a distinct lack of respect for her, so she’d totally misread him. Everything they’d shared had been a lie.

  “You fucking bastard!” she screamed at the top of her lungs into the empty kitchen.

  She wanted to burn the place down, to erase her time in the mansion, but she didn’t have it in her.

  Instead, she went to the front door and opened it. Her car sat in the driveway, just as the note said.

  She wiped her eyes, returned to the kitchen, and picked up the envelope. Taking out the bills, she counted ten thousand dollars.

  He’d given her the chance to start her life over, and to do it well. As she reread the note again, there didn’t seem to be anything he hadn’t covered, no point in her life where she’d be in danger or needing anything.

  He’d gifted her everything, except his heart.

  As the tears stained the ink on the paper, she whispered, “But that’s the only thing I wanted, you cold bastard.”

  Chapter 41

  Justice stared at the gym ceiling as Axel snored softly in the cot next to him. He had barely slept all week.

  How he’d left Holly had been horrible, but he really saw no other way to do it. She’d question how everything had been tied up into a nice, neat little bow and also wonder about their future together. He’d have to explain that there wouldn’t be one, and that would lead to more questions he couldn’t answer.

  Yeah, I lied to you about everything. I’m not in the military. Hell, I’m not even human! You’ve been fucking an alien! All of my friends I keep referring to? They aren’t human, either! Why are you so upset?

  He should have taken Noah’s advice and never gotten involved in the first place.

  However, Holly had needed him, and he’d wanted to help her. Her life would go back to normal. She’d have her job back, her car worked, and she had money to find a new place and get new furniture. The only thing she wouldn’t have would be the answers to the questions she most likely had.

  More than ever, he felt certain that what they had shared had been real. It hadn’t been a product of adrenaline from the danger or anything else. It seemed like he’d known Holly for so long, and then to finally be with her, his feelings for her had come to the surface. He’d definitely caught the vibe that she cared about him as well.

  Axel rolled over, and Justice sighed. The last thing he wanted to do today would be to watch Blake get mated. The happiness would be oozing out of the male’s pores, and he wanted no part of it.

  He heard movement on the other side of the gym and sat up. Titus stood up from his mats and headed into the restroom. Justice decided to concentrate on him for a while instead of wallowing in his own bath of pity.

  Pulling on a t-shirt he found next to Kade’s cot, he waited outside the bathroom door. Titus emerged a few moments later. Deep bags hung under his eyes, his greasy hair stood on end, the clothes hung from his thin frame, and he stank to high heaven. Would this be what he turned into? An SR44 male without his mate who could barely function?

  “Let’s take a walk,” he said.

  “Nah, I’m good.”

  “No, let’s walk. Get your shoes.”

  Titus did as he’d been told and grabbed his sneakers. Together, they walked out of the gym and rode the elevator up to the kitchen. Justice waved at Hudson, who stood at the counter with Beverly. It looked as if they were preparing enough food to feed a small colony of large men. Or, just everyone living in the silo.

  He led Titus outside, the morning sun blinding him. He inhaled the crisp air and thought the time to be about seven or so.

&nbs
p; “What do you want, Justice?”

  Good question. He wanted to be wrapped around Holly, snug under a warm blanket. However, that wouldn’t be in his cards.

  Blake rounded the corner of the silo dressed in a pair of shorts and sneakers, sweating profusely and breathing heavily.

  “Good morning, ladies,” he greeted them.

  “Hey. How are you feeling today?” Justice asked.

  “I’m spectacular, and nervous as all hell.”

  He chuckled. “That’s to be expected on mating day.”

  Blake nodded. “So, what brings you two out here?”

  “Just talking.”

  “So, Titus, I’ve been meaning to ask you this,” Blake said. “Were you and Simon knocking boots?”

  He closed his eyes and sighed. Sometimes, Blake lacked any type of finesse.

  Titus looked down at the ground and didn’t answer.

  “You don’t need to be ashamed of it, man. Nothing wrong with being gay,” Blake continued.

  “Titus, we ask because we want to help you,” Justice said, placing his hand on Titus’ shoulder. “Tell us about it.”

  Titus glanced up at Justice. “Yes, Simon and I were lovers. I loved him, and I’m devastated at his loss. I wish you would have left me in the desert to die.”

  Justice nodded. Titus had confirmed his suspicions. As far as leaving him in the desert to die, he never would have done that, even if Titus had asked him to do so. It simply wasn't in his nature.

  On SR44, there hadn’t been males mating males or females doing the same. Perhaps it happened in the underbelly of the city, but he couldn’t recall anyone he knew who felt that way about someone of their own sex.

  It felt strange to him, but who was he to judge anyone? He’d gone and fallen in love with a human woman and built their relationship on lies and deceit. No, he couldn’t be critical of this situation.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Titus. I think your life is worth living,” he said.

  Blake agreed. “Yeah. None of that shit. You’ll come back around, Titus. It’s happened before.”

  “Who? Who survived not having their mate with them?” Titus asked.

  “Hudson did,” Blake replied. “Look at how happy the bastard is now. He practically shits rainbows.”

  Titus stared back down at the ground.

  “I’ve got to go help get everything ready for the ceremony tonight,” Blake said. “I’ll catch you guys later.”

  Justice stared at the man in front of him. Would Titus do something stupid, like try to kill himself? It went against everything as an SR44 male, but Titus was also a male without his mate. From what Justice understood, and what he currently felt, it messed with a male’s brain. A dark, heavy fog swirled in his head, making it difficult for him to think clearly.

  “I just want to go back to bed,” Titus mumbled.

  Justice sighed. Maybe Titus should be the last person he hung out with, but he felt a kindred spirit with the male.

  “I do, too, my friend. I do, too.”

  Chapter 42

  Blake paced the floor in the great room, wishing he still drank. However, he knew that would lead to nothing but trouble—a long road back to the shitter. He’d come too far to put his sobriety at risk, even if he felt like puking because of his nerves.

  He marveled at how his path in life had turned and twisted. Killing his evil father, burying his mother, living on the streets, going into the FBI, breaking his FBI oath to help the Saviors while becoming one of the top ten on the FBI’s wanted list. Then the drugs … and now, he waited to be mated to the most wonderful woman he could ever imagine, and he helped raise her child. He hated that Megan's father had been such a nasty fucker and that he’d had to kill him, but he’d done what needed to be done in the situation.

  “Are you ready, my man?” Noah said, coming into the room, his eyes blazing his SR44 color, orange.

  “Yep.”

  “Nervous?”

  “Hell, no.”

  Noah threw his head back and laughed. “You lying sack of shit.”

  Hudson and Jovan came in next. All the men work black pants and dark, chocolate brown shirts, the color of Sophia’s SR44 form. The women would also honor her by dressing in the same color.

  “Who’s up for a cocktail?” Noah asked, and both Jovan and Hudson raised their hands.

  Cohen and Annis came into the room. Blake stared at her as she walked over to him, her dark brown pantsuit swishing around her legs, and almost the same color as her skin. Her eyes shone a golden color, and golden hoops hung from her ears. He could see her burgeoning belling under the fabric, and his heart swelled with happiness for her. He still loved her deeply, but not in the way of lovers. Instead, he thought of her of the sister he’d never had. She glowed, but he wasn’t certain if the pregnancy was responsible, or the fact that she was happily mated to Cohen. Maybe both.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he kissed her cheek.

  “You look beautiful, as always,” he murmured.

  “Thank you,” she said, stepping back from him. “And you are simply dashing on this wonderful evening.”

  “That’s enough of you two gushing over each other,” Cohen said, coming up behind her and wrapping her arms around her lovingly.

  Even though Annis and he had no sexual feelings for each other, Cohen still felt protective of her, as a good SR44 male should.

  “You afraid I’m going to steal her away?” Blake joked. At one time, he had tried.

  “No, she prefers the good-looking ones,” Cohen teased with a grin. “And you don’t fit that profile, my friend.”

  They all laughed as Noah poured Cohen a shot of rum.

  Justice and his crew entered the room, and Blake felt happy they’d decided to participate in the mating ceremony. They had turned out to be a good bunch of guys, and Macy, although very quiet, seemed a kind and gentle soul. She’d decided to sit out the ceremony, opting to be with Titus for a while and make sure he remained somewhat stable. Nobody wanted him to do anything stupid, like take his own life.

  The rest of the women arrived together, each looking gorgeous in their own right in their own style of dress, but all the same, deep chocolate brown. They said their hellos to everyone, kissed their mates or significant others, and seemed to brighten up the room with their presence.

  The only one missing happened to be Sophia, but he’d see her in the mating circle.

  Once everyone had a drink, Noah yelled, “Okay, everyone shut up!”

  After a minute, they obeyed.

  He raised his glass. “Blake, I wish you the most happiness a male can find, and I’m certain that will be with Sophia. I treasure our friendship and our solid working relationship. You’re a decent male, Blake, and I love you like my brother.”

  “Agreed,” Hudson said. “I’m sure Sophia will bring you centuries of happiness, if she can stand you that long.”

  Everyone laughed, and Noah shouted, “To Blake!”

  “To Blake!” they all yelled back.

  Tears welled in his eyes as he took in his old friends, and his new ones. He knew his whole life he had been different, and he’d finally found his tribe. As the SR44ians laughed and joked around, he truly felt blessed. Never would he have imagined his life being this satisfying, or that he would be capable of being so happy.

  Hudson poured another round for those drinking while Blake sipped his Sprite.

  “It’s time,” Abby said, glancing at her watch. “I’ll go down and help Sophia.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Faith said.

  The two women disappeared, and Noah threw his arm over Blake’s shoulder. “Ready?”

  His stomach fluttered and his knees felt weak, but he’d never been more certain about anything in his life. He was ready to commit the rest of his years to Sophia and love her the best her could.

  Chapter 43

  Justice smiled and pretended to enjoy the frivolity, but he ached inside. He really should have skipped
this one. He felt too raw from losing Holly.

  They all filed outside. Large candelabras with flickering candles had been placed in a wide circle, and a long, dark brown silk runner led up to it. They all avoided stepping on it, as that had been laid down specifically for Sophia.

  He took his place with the circle, all of them forming a U shape. Blake stood in the center of them, waiting for his mate-to-be.

  Within the SR44 traditions, matings only took place during the full moon. The large, white globe hung in the cloudless sky just above the horizon, and a light breeze wafted through the air. He had to admit, it seemed to be a perfect night for a ceremony.

  Sophia emerged from the silo dressed in a dark brown, floor-length silk sheath, her eyes glowing the same color as her dress. He had to grin at her simplistic beauty, and he heard Blake gasp, then whisper, “Holy shit.”

  “Is that really all you can say about your mate-to-be?” Hudson asked through a smile.

  “She’s hot,” Blake murmured. “And mine. Hot and mine.”

  Hudson sighed. “You’re such a fucking Romeo.”

  Sophia’s daughter, Megan, stepped in front of her mother dressed similarly to her. Killian also took his place in front of Sophia, wearing his little brown shirt, and the two walked down the aisle ahead of her, Megan throwing rose petals. Killian held a small pillow with a ring tied to it, and Justice smiled at how hard the little guy concentrated on it.

  He liked that they’d combined elements of a traditional human wedding ceremony with a customary SR44 mating.

  The kids reached the U shape of people and each stood on either side of Blake. Sophia entered. The spectators moved and formed a circle so that Blake and Sophia stood completely surrounded by their family and friends.

  Justice listened as they exchanged vows while Hudson conducted the ceremony in their native tongue, as well as English. He spoke of love transcending time, of being kind to each other, of loving the best way they knew how. He went on to talk about souls emerging as one, and Justice tuned out.