Destiny's Shift

by Fall, Carly

  The question had been what would happen to Blake after the rescue mission was completed. They had three options: first, they could kill him, which didn’t sit well with Jovan at all. Second, they could let him go, which did put Blake in danger and into a pretty crappy life of being on the run and always looking over his shoulder.

  Or they could ask him to join forces with them to help with the Colonists, their offspring, and the shit storm that was coming with The Platoon who wanted to kill all the Saviors. And maybe some more FBI.

  Jovan put his head in his hands and closed his eyes. The thought of it all made him tired.

  Chapter 48

  Liberty found Jovan sitting at Blake’s bedside. As she gently placed her hand on his shoulder, he jumped.

  He turned to her and smiled. He looked exhausted. “Hey,” he whispered.

  “Hello, Jovan. How is he?”

  Jovan shrugged. “Cohen was in here a while ago, so unless he missed something, Blake should be waking up in the next day or so.”

  Liberty stared at Blake on the bed, his eyes closed, his face pale. Truly, the events of Jovan’s rescue had been terrifying. She shivered as she thought back to that night. Without thinking, Liberty had run from the car when she saw Jovan, simply wanting to be close to him. Upon reflection, it was not a smart thing to do. She hadn’t given any thoughts to the bullets being fired, her sole focus on Jovan. It was only when she reached him that fear hit her as she took in the whole situation.

  Then Blake had taken her back to the car and was shot. It still made her shudder as she remembered being pinned beneath him and feeling the warmth of his blood seep into her clothing. She had felt as though she would suffocate.

  “Can I talk to you a minute? In my room?” Jovan whispered.

  “Of course.”

  They left Blake and went next door to Jovan’s room. He quietly shut the door, pressed her up against the wall, and brought his lips to hers.

  A familiar heat exploded within her, and she ran her fingers through his hair, feeling weak in the knees.

  After a few moments, he picked her up, hurried across the room, and laid her out on the bed. Looming over her, he was a behemoth of a male, and desire bloomed within her. “I have this problem I need you to help me with,” he said, leaning down over her.

  “What’s that?” she stammered.

  His raw, masculine scent filled her senses, his hair tickling her neck as he brought his mouth to her ear. “I don’t know where to start,” he whispered, sending a chill down her spine.

  “Start what?” she asked through a constricted throat.

  His lips found the area below her earlobe. “Do I start here?” he said, gently kissing her neck. “Or do I start here?” His lips found her other ear.

  He moved down her body and lifted up her sweater. He slowly peppered her stomach with kisses, and then his tongue traced around her bellybutton. “Or here?”

  His lips had her speechless, and she couldn’t answer.

  Bringing her to a sitting position, he got on his knees in front of her and whipped the sweater over her head. He licked her nipple through the soft blue silk, and Liberty moaned.

  “Or maybe I should start here?”

  Flicking the clasp of her bra, he brought it down over her shoulders and tossed it to the side.

  He took each breast in his hands and gently massaged them, causing her nipples to become rock-hard pebbles. He flicked each with his tongue, sending waves of pleasure through her, and then delicately pushed her back down on the bed.

  Reaching for her jeans, he undid the buttons and slid them slowly down her legs to reveal a small triangle of blue silk covering her sex that matched her bra. He let his fingers trace over the silk, and her body shivered as the soft fabric touched her secret flesh. Using his knuckle, he applied just a little more pressure.

  “Or perhaps this is the best place to start,” he said, his eyes glittering as her hips grinded into his hand.

  Pulling away, he stood up and lifted the green t-shirt over his head. He then reached for the button on his jeans and allowed them to pool at his feet.

  The light from the room hugged and shadowed the ridges of his muscled body, making him look even larger. He stood before her, his sex jutting out from his hips, and the coil in Liberty’s belly begged for release.

  Jovan got down on his knees again and ran his hands up and down her legs.

  “But see, there’s another problem,” he said, meeting her stare.

  “What’s that?” she breathed.

  He lightly kissed the inner thigh of her right leg, and then said in a soft voice, “I want to fuck you. Hard.”

  Nipping the inner thigh of her left leg, he said, “I want to make love to you. Gently.”

  Kissing her silk-covered sex, his eyes never leaving hers, he said, “I want to taste you until you orgasm on my lips.”

  Sitting back, he continued to rub her legs from her knees to the top of her sex. “And I also need to talk to you. Do you see my problem, Liberty? I don’t know where to start or what to do first.”

  He brought his mouth back to her sex, and she could feel the heat of his breath on her delicate skin.

  “So what do you think, Liberty? Should we talk first? Or should I just start here?”

  He pushed the silk aside and ran his finger down her slick flesh. Liberty’s hips bowed from the bed as she closed her eyes.

  “Yes, Jovan,” she said, “there. Start there. We can talk later.”

  Liberty opened her eyes just in time to see Jovan ripping the silk string in two.

  Chapter 49

  Liberty and Jovan lay side by side, the rumpled sheet pulled up to their waists, staring at each other. Liberty ran her fingers through his hair, loving the way the silky strands fell around his face.

  “I really, really need a haircut,” he said.

  “Oh, no. Please, Jovan. Don’t do that. I adore your hair at this length.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Please. Don’t cut it.”

  “Your wish is my command, my little package of trouble.”

  “What does that mean?”

  He smiled. “It means that you are small, but have caused me big trouble.”

  Liberty pulled the sheet up to her neck, upset that she would be referred to as “trouble.”

  “I’m sorry, Jovan, I don’t understand. I have helped you get control of your gift. I have participated in your rescue. We have had the sex . . . I mean, sex. I don’t believe I have been any trouble to you.”

  He smiled and was silent for a moment as he studied her face. “Maybe trouble is the wrong word.”

  “Well, what would be the correct word, Jovan?”

  More silence. She didn’t know what he was getting at, but she had never caused a day of trouble in her whole life. In fact, it had been her daily tasks to make sure she never bothered anyone, that she was rarely seen or heard. Granted, she had emerged from her shell, but she certainly didn’t think that standing up for herself or doing what she pleased would be described as trouble.

  “I guess I don’t know the correct word, Liberty,” he said softly. He took her hands in his and gently kissed her fingers. “I was a guy who used to spend a lot of time alone, just so I could keep myself sane, and then you came along. You turned my life upside down. You’ve given me so much, Liberty, and . . . and I’ve gone and fell in love with you.”

  Liberty gasped. She didn’t think she would ever hear those words from Jovan’s lips. She knew that his feeling for her were strong, but she didn’t know if he would ever fully realize them.

  Her heart slammed in her chest, as she watched Jovan’s eyes turn from the dark pools to a bright emerald green.

  “Liberty, I want you to be my mate.”

  “Jovan, I–I just don’t know what to say.”

  “How about yes?”

  Liberty closed her eyes as her head spun. Her? Mated? To one of the Six Saviors? My how things had changed. Going from servitude to being ma
ted to one of the most revered males on her planet . . . who would have ever guessed?

  She opened her eyes. “Yes, Jovan, I wish to become your mate.”

  He smiled and rolled on top of her. His weight was a comfort, his skin against hers titillating. “Then I wish to kiss my future mate,” he said.

  She couldn’t help but giggle. She was thinking of something a little bit more than a simple kiss. Opening her mind to his, she projected what she wanted, and his eyes went wide.

  “The shower, huh?”

  She laughed again and nodded.

  Before she knew what was happening, she was in Jovan’s arms moving across the room to the bathroom.

  Chapter 50

  Jovan stood in the doorway watching the Hummer go down the driveway. His chest ached, and he felt like he was watching his life disappear.

  Well, he was.

  Everyone was heading back to Fernley except him and Blake. Besides Rayner, they had seen Micah, the member of The Platoon they had rescued from Area 2, so they were the ones who were going to do a little recon in the Phoenix area for a couple of days after Blake felt well enough. Jovan and Noah had discussed at length what they would do with Blake. While Jovan wanted to see if the guy was interested in staying around, Noah had doubts that he wouldn’t express. “When you get back, we’ll sit down and discuss it with the others. It’s got to be a group decision.”

  Jovan agreed.

  Blake and Jovan would miss Thanksgiving while they spent a couple of days on this recon mission, but Jovan didn’t care about that.

  He would miss Liberty.

  Smiling, he corrected himself. He would miss his mate-to-be, Liberty.

  Just the thought of it sent a chill up his spine. He had been alone for a long time. Not just alone as in not having a mate; he’d never gone down that route before. No, he had been among people, but he always felt truly alone. There was no one who could even possibly understand what he had gone through, no one until Liberty arrived.

  Now he not only had someone who understood, but someone who had taught him how to harness his gift and use it for good purposes. And that someone was a person he loved, someone he cared about, and someone who returned the feelings to him.

  He was on top of the world.

  As the Hummer turned down the street and disappeared from his vision, he pulled out his phone and dialed Noah.

  “What’s up Jovan?”

  “Can I talk to Liberty?”

  There was a pause. “Is something wrong? You just saw her not even two minutes ago.”

  “Nothing’s wrong. Just put her on the phone, okay?”

  There was a bit of shuffling, and Liberty came on the line. “Hello?”

  “Hi.”

  “Hello, Jovan.”

  He really didn’t have anything to say.

  “Jovan?”

  “I love you.”

  Liberty giggled. “That is why you called? To tell me that?”

  Her little laugh made his brain feel all mushy. It was a sweet sound. “Yeah.”

  “Well, I feel the same.”

  There was more silence, and then Jovan heard Noah say something.

  “Jovan, Noah says that if you’re going to keep this up, I need to get my own phone.”

  “Excellent idea. When you get to Fernley, make that happen and then call me with the number.”

  “How exciting! My own phone!”

  They talked a minute more, and Jovan hung up. He closed his eyes and smiled. Life was just about perfect.

  Chapter 51

  Blake soared to consciousness and opened his eyes to see Jovan sitting in the chair next to the bed. Glancing around at his surroundings, he realized he was in the mansion again. But hadn’t he been shot?

  “Hey,” Jovan said.

  “Hey.”

  “Who made you Nurse Mary?”

  Jovan chuckled. “More like Nurse Ratched.”

  Blake tried to remember the events of the past twenty-four hours but lost the timeline when he passed out on top of Liberty.

  “So what’s the damage? How long am I grounded for?”

  Jovan smiled and shrugged.

  “Well, what did the doctor say?”

  “We didn’t take you to a doctor. Don’t you remember anything that happened?”

  Blake shook his head. “I remember feeling like I was going to pass out on Liberty, but that’s about it.”

  Blake listened as Jovan told him that yes, he had indeed passed out on Liberty. They had called in Cohen to heal Blake, Jovan, and Annis.

  “We weren’t sure what the outcome would be, but we had to try something.”

  Taking Blake to the hospital would have caused nothing but trouble, and Blake agreed with that.

  “So you think I can sit up?”

  Jovan nodded. “Give it a try. That bullet in your side missed chopping up your liver by about a half-inch.”

  Blake slowly sat up, expecting pain to lance through his side and shoulder. He felt a deep twinge, but nothing like the pain he should have felt from taking two slugs.

  “Wow. Cohen’s amazing,” he said, moving his shoulder around.

  “Yeah, his gift is incredible.”

  They sat in silence for a moment, and Jovan leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. He cleared his throat. “So, I just wanted to say thank you for taking care of Liberty out there.”

  Blake watched as Jovan’s eyes got a little teary.

  “I don’t know what I would have done . . . if she’d been hurt.”

  This moment was awkward at best. Jovan didn’t seem like a guy who got teary-eyed very often.

  Jovan let out a long breath. “So, yeah, thanks, man.”

  Blake nodded. Apparently, Jovan had realized his feelings for Liberty. About fucking time. But Blake wasn’t the type to want to talk about it, and he was guessing Jovan wasn’t either. Time to change the subject.

  “So, Nurse Ratched,” Blake said, “what does a patient have to do to get a shot of whiskey around here?”

  Chapter 52

  Liberty was seated on the big, brown leather couch in the Great Room with Annis, Faith, and Beverly discussing Faith’s fundraising efforts for her Indian Tribe, the Navajos.

  “The holidays are always hard for people,” she said, “especially the kids who have parents with drug and booze problems.”

  Faith had been able to raise two thousand dollars so far for Christmas gifts for the less fortunate families of her tribe through an online campaign.

  “Rayner and I will be able to present a check in a couple of weeks to the tribal leaders, and I’m really excited about it.”

  “Please tell me more about this Christmas,” Annis said.

  Liberty watched Faith’s face light up as she told of decorating a tree with lights and shiny bulbs, the gifts wrapped in colorful paper, and the huge dinner they would have.

  “It’s a special day for a lot of people,” she said, “especially those of the Christian faith.”

  “So we have another feast coming up after our Thanksgiving meal tomorrow?” Annis asked.

  “Yes.”

  “But the fun starts after Thanksgiving,” Beverly said with a grin.

  “What sort of fun?”

  “The shopping!” Faith said with a laugh.

  The talk turned to the best places to shop.

  “We’re in Fernley, so there’s not a lot out here,” Beverly said.

  “I think we should take a trip,” Faith said with a grin.

  “A trip where?” Abby said, coming into the room and sitting down.

  “Somewhere fun to shop!”

  After a few minutes, it was decided that they would take a trip to San Francisco to do a little shopping.

  “I’ll make arrangements for us to leave a couple of days after Thanksgiving,” Abby said. “We’re going to have so much fun!”

  Liberty couldn’t help but get caught up in their excitement. She looked at her brand new cell phone and noted that Jovan hadn�
��t called again. Yet. He now called her at least six times a day. She missed him terribly and was so excited to be in love and to be loved back. It made her feel like her whole being was lit up from the inside out.

  She smiled, excited about the trip she would take with the other females.

  It would be a welcome distraction from missing Jovan, her mate-to-be, and she couldn’t wait to tell him of the new adventure she would be embarking on.

  Chapter 53

  “Hello?”

  God, he loved the sound of her voice. “Hi, Liberty.”

  “Hello again, Jovan.”

  He had only talked to her three hours ago, but he couldn’t help himself. He missed her, and hearing her voice made him smile. “What are you up to?”

  His heart went stone cold as he listened to her plans to go with Faith, Abby, and Beverly to San Francisco for shopping. As she prattled on, he thought of all the things that could go wrong.

  She could be caught with her eyes glowing at night and be taken from him forever by the government. A Colonist, or one of their pleasant family members, could get to the females. Even humans were something to worry about. There were stabbings, shootings, robberies, and muggings every single day. Liberty was too new to this world and she shouldn’t be allowed out without an SR44 male to protect her.

  He ran his hand through his hair and began to pace the large kitchen of the mansion. Finally, he couldn’t take anymore. “No,” he said.

  Liberty was silent for a moment “Excuse me?”

  “No. I said no. You can’t go.”

  “Jovan, I thought I could do as I pleased.”

  “You can, as long as you’re in the silo. Or I’m with you. Or even Noah.”

  There was a long silence. “Jovan—”

  “Liberty, I said no.”

  “Jovan, please understand. I was born into servitude. This is the first time in my life that I am able to do what I want, when I want to do it. Right now I want to go with Abby, Faith, and Beverly to San Francisco for a few days. While I’m there, I will shop and do whatever else I want to do.”