by Bianca D’Arc
Dedication
I’d like to thank the lovely ladies on my chat group. They’re always there when I need to vent or discuss things. Thank you all for the love and support. You really keep me going!
Thanks also to Bethany, my super editor.
And as always, my love and thanks to my family who support my work and my dreams.
Prologue
Gina took the bar of soap from the tiled dispenser and worked up a lather while steam wafted around her shoulders. A moment later, the soap was taken from her hands as the steam thickened and a hard, male body filled the space next to her in the decadently large shower enclosure.
One of his hands roamed down her shoulder, onto her back, massaging, caressing. The other cupped her sensitive breasts, tweaking the nipples with slippery, soapy fingers as her breath caught.
A second presence loomed out of the steam. Another man, larger than the first, stood on her other side. He grasped her hips, massaging downward with enticing thoroughness. The fingers of one hand roamed forward as his other hand moved aft, meeting in the juncture between her thighs with explosive results.
Gina gasped as the first man turned her head, sealing his lips to hers, his tongue sweeping inside her mouth, while the other man thrust one long finger into her core. The kiss drugged her even as the other’s touch electrified her increasingly desperate body. The rush of sensations curled her toes.
This was the most delicious dream she’d ever had.
Yet…something told her this was more than a dream. She’d had prophetic dreams before. Not often and never quite so erotic, but she knew the flavor of such portents. These men—shockingly, two of them—would be in her life soon.
She’d never been good at guiding her dreams. She wanted more than anything to see their faces. She wanted to be able to recognize them when she saw them, but the steam was thick and the things they were doing sidetracked her.
The second man’s fingers brought her to the precipice as the first man’s kiss and enticing caresses took her over the top. She came with a gasping cry even as she jolted to full wakefulness. Only a few final impressions were left in her hazy mind.
The first man had had dark hair and the hands of a warrior. His muscles had been sleek, like a panther coiled to strike. He had felt deadly and dangerously attractive.
The second man had been more of a puzzle. Pale hair had gleamed in the uncertain light and she had the impression of flashing blue eyes that crinkled at the corners when he smiled. She’d felt deep and true emotion from him, a shuddering need that made his calloused hands shake.
“Did you have the dream again, Gina?” a soft voice asked from the darkness of the dormitory-style room she shared with a roommate.
Gina sighed heavily. “It was…more…this time. I saw them more clearly.”
Her roommate had a much stronger gift of foresight, and they had discussed Gina’s dreams before. A variation on the shower dream had been plaguing her the last several nights, but tonight’s dream had been the most vivid by far.
“So, spill. Who are they?”
“I don’t know. One has brown hair, tanned skin, sleek muscles like a fighter. He was tall and though I couldn’t see his face clearly in the steam, I know he was handsome. Sharp cheekbones and deep-set eyes was the impression I got.”
“Hubba, hubba. So he’s human. He’s not one of the Brotherhood or you probably would have recognized him. Intriguing.” She paused. “Maybe he’s a new recruit. Could be you’ll meet him right here one day soon. Or you might run across him when they send you out on a mission. How about the other one? Were they a set? Like twins?”
“No.” Gina thought back to the hazy dream images. “The second one was even taller than the first and bigger all the way around. He was deeply muscled, yet he moved with a warrior’s grace.”
“Oh, I like the sound of that. What else?”
“He was shaking with emotion too long denied. At least that was the impression I was left with.”
“Another human then.” She spoke with finality in the darkness. Her words made Gina pause.
She’d cupped his head in her hand as she broke from the dream and felt…the slender point of his ear.
That stark realization made her sit bolt upright on her small bed. The second man in her dream had been Alvian.
Chapter One
“Why wasn’t I made aware of this before?” Grady Prime demanded of the Governing Council as they met in a secret session. One by one, the Councilors stared him down. Even Primes were not permitted to behave with disrespect toward the Council. Grady Prime was treading a thin line. Of course, he’d been walking on eggshells for the past few weeks—ever since he’d taken the drug that was awakening emotions he’d never felt before.
“Your current demobilized status and superior skill set make you the most logical operative to send on this mission,” Councilor Gildereth, representing the military, said blandly. “It is unlikely you will ever return to your former duties and status among the regular army, given your participation in Mara 12’s experiment. You had to have known that when you volunteered to let her tamper with your DNA. However, you are too valuable an asset to retire. We can use your skills and perhaps your new understanding of the consequences of Mara 12’s experiment to discover the truth of the disturbing rumors we’ve heard.”
“There are rumors about a winged man?” Grady asked sharply. Perhaps too sharply. He’d have to watch his tone with these stone-faced, emotionless politicians. “Which populations have been talking? Is it localized to one city or region? That would give me a place to start.”
“The rumors of which we speak were not heard from our people,” Councilor Beyan, the crystallographer, cut in, her expression almost embarrassed—though being Alvian, she could not feel such things, of course. “The winged man is spoken of by Breed captives. Monitoring stations in every Breed enclosure have recorded and flagged references to what they call an angel. We have tracked the word to various religious mythologies that existed before the crystal seeding. We find this problematic when paired with the fact that we know at least one of our winged experimental squad is unaccounted for.”
Problematic, she’d said. Grady Prime had to bite back a laugh. He fought the urge to scoff at the Councilor’s poor grasp of what the appearance of a creature out of human mythology could mean to the captives. Especially a creature with mytho-religious origins.
“Perhaps it would be beneficial for me to know more about this experimental squad. I assume there are more of these winged men?”
Councilor Gildereth looked at him with a considering gaze, then relented. “Grady Prime, please remember that anything you hear in secret session is protected information at the highest level. You are not to divulge this information.” The Councilor waited until Grady nodded acknowledgment. “I believe it would be prudent for you to talk to some of the squadron members. The new Prime would probably be of greatest assistance as you begin your search for the one who escaped.”
“Escaped?” Grady Prime could have bitten his tongue. His curiosity was getting the better of him—something that had rarely happened before he’d been dosed with the DNA-altering agent. The experimental agent was starting to manifest emotions in him that had been bred out of the rest of his people.
“You’ll recall the attempt made on Chief Engineer Davin’s life. That was an assassination attempt authorized by a rogue element of this Council who has since been replaced.” Councilor Orin, representing artisans, nodded over at the newest member of the group and Grady recalled the scene that had played out with the Councilor who used to sit in that seat and the Chief Engineer. Davin had publicly exposed Councilor Troyan’s role in ordering Davin’s assassination without knowledge or approval of the rest of th
e Council. The Council had responded by turning their backs on Troyan, effectively dismissing him from the Council. Another had been chosen to take his place representing the clerical trades and now sat in the seat.
“The assassin was captured and held briefly,” Councilor Gildereth said. “He managed to escape in the tumult. I believe there are too many Breeds in Davin’s facility given too much freedom. The throwback demands it be that way. The security there is lax in my opinion.” The Councilor sniffed, elegantly expressing his mild disdain for the way things had been handled.
“Do recall the assassin was our best. The man was a Prime with superior skills. I, for one, would have been disappointed if he had not escaped,” Councilor Orin added. Grady Prime’s curiosity rose another notch, though he wisely kept silent.
A Prime had been the secret assassin? A winged assassin? Grady Prime thought he knew all the Primes. There were comparatively few of that elite rank. One headed each genetic line. Only one Prime had died in the past few years, and he’d been of warrior stock.
“Sinclair Prime Past had wings?” Grady Prime wasn’t reprimanded for speaking out of turn. Rather, most of the Councilors seemed pleased he’d pieced together the obvious clues to arrive at his conclusion.
Grady Prime had known the former Sinclair Prime, designated Sinclair Prime Past now that he was no longer the current Prime. They’d trained together on a few memorable occasions, though Sinclair Prime’s posted territory lay far to the west. Still, they’d run joint exercises from time to time. Grady Prime had never suspected Sinclair Prime of being anything other than a remarkably talented example of the Alvian warrior class.
“Indeed. Sinclair Prime Past and also the new Sinclair Prime and the entire squad he commands are winged. They are hybrids, created from a base of Alvian warrior DNA of several different genetic lines, plus traits taken from preserved Avarel genetic samples. Specifically, we chose the traits that would enable a man to fly.” The Councilor who spoke was of the science branch, a woman of the Ardarin genetic line.
Grady Prime was stunned to learn they’d created a whole squadron of soldiers who could fly under their own power. He was also amazed they’d been able to keep such an experiment secret from everyone—including him—though he prided himself on knowing things that were hidden from others.
“I should start by talking to the current Sinclair Prime and some of Prime Past’s men. I’ll need insight into the individual before I can begin to assess where he might be hiding. I thought I knew Sinclair Prime Past well, having worked with him on several occasions. I see now I did not. I had no idea he, or any of his men, had wings. If he could keep that secret, he probably had many other secrets it would be helpful to know before I set out on his trail.”
“You also need to know that he was the first test subject in Mara 12’s experiment—even before the current batch, of which you are part. He was nearing retirement, and we allowed Mara 12 to proceed with one test case before approving her larger experiment. Sinclair Prime Past volunteered and was dosed with the gene-altering agent approximately one week before the rogue Council member activated him to assassinate Chief Engineer Davin. Mara 12 was disappointed with his disappearance of course. Since he had survived the initial dosage, we allowed her to continue her experiment.” Councilor Ardarin filled him in on the details. “More troubling was his failure to comply with a Councilor’s orders after the treatment, though we are satisfied with the result, since the rest of us did not authorize Chief Engineer Davin’s death.”
So tidy, Grady Prime thought. They spoke of people’s lives like tokens on a game board. They were troubled by the fact that their pet assassin hadn’t followed orders to kill an innocent man. They were disappointed that they’d lost their test subject—a man who was one of the most important in Alvian society as a Prime. To them he was only a game piece. Grady Prime’s eyes were opened to the callousness of the Council. He’d never felt warmly toward any of them, but now, with new emotions flooding his confused brain, he detested them. Truly loathed each and every one of them.
He dared not let it show. He’d come this far by pretending to be as cool and calm as he’d always been. He wouldn’t mess it up now. Not after spending the past weeks under intense scrutiny by Mara 12 and her team of ghouls.
All the test subjects were being monitored every waking moment it seemed. They were watched in their quarters and guarded even in their sleep. There were only a few people in this first—or make that second—group of Alvians to be given the gene-altering agent, and each was reacting somewhat differently. Most were calm fortunately. Those that spent time with Caleb O’Hara were doing the best. They were learning about emotion from a Breed they respected due to the predominance of Hara DNA in Caleb’s genealogy.
Also, Caleb was a strong presence. A leader of men. He’d led his family through the adversity of the crystal seeding—what the humans called the cataclysmand the lawless times after. He’d forged a path that kept his family safe and he knew how to inspire confidence, trust and even hope.
When Grady Prime had first sought Caleb’s company shortly after taking the drug, he knew Mara 12 had followed his every move. Every word of his initial conversation with Caleb and his nephew Harry had been recorded, analyzed and dissected. After their second discussion, Grady Prime had taken it upon himself to suggest to Mara 12 that introducing the other test subjects to Caleb or Harry would be helpful. She’d thought about his idea for a day or two, then arranged a group meeting at which both Caleb and Harry were the guests of honor.
Those group meetings had become a way for the test subjects to learn about integrating emotion from beings who already understood emotions. They were also a way for the test subjects to get to know each other. There were five in total. One had been a high-level bookkeeper who was retired and tasked to teach the younger generation. His name was Galin 4 and as the eldest of the group, he took on a patriarchal role toward the other three, who were all female and of subordinate personalities.
There was Linley 17, the eldest of the women, who’d been in charge of one of the largest crèche facilities where young were raised until the age of thirteen. Soft spoken and strong, she had been nearing retirement as well and had divulged her desire to understand the odd nurturing instincts she felt when dealing with her young charges.
Fian 34 had been a merchant arbiter who orchestrated trades of indigenous goods and supplies among the cities and sometimes for elite clients. She’d put her prosperous business on hold while taking part in the experiment and had hoped to be able to pick up her work as soon as Mara 12 was done with her. Fian 34 had an engaging personality and a quick wit. Grady Prime understood why she’d worked so well with people, sorting out differences of opinion and value of goods and services. He didn’t completely understand her motives in volunteering for this experiment, but he liked her as a person.
And the youngest of the group was a quiet lab tech called Jaci 647. Though she claimed to have volunteered, Grady Prime suspected the low-level tech had been ordered to participate by Mara 12. The girl was shy and very unsure of herself. She was nothing like the other Jaci lab tech Grady Prime had hunted for all those weeks. This Jaci was convinced of her inferiority and barely spoke. A few times, Grady Prime had walked in to a planned session with Caleb to find Jaci 647 there early, sobbing in the arms of Caleb O’Hara. The young girl was taking her new emotions hard. She cried a lot and spent the rest of the time jumping at every sound. If any of them were going to lose their minds because of this experiment, Grady Prime had to sadly admit, it would be her.
Grady Prime had managed to escape the constant monitoring only because the Council had summoned him to a secret session. He knew there was an escort waiting for him outside the door and the personal monitors would reactivate the moment the Council turned off their dampening fields. He didn’t like living under a microscope.
The more his emotions manifested, the more he realized he’d done the right thing in volunteering for the experiment. He liked fee
ling. He liked having an opinion based not only on dry facts, but also on emotion. He liked being—almost—human. And the effects would only deepen the longer the DNA-altering agent worked through his system, changing him forever on a molecular level.
“We are troubled by the Breed rumors of an angel. The idea that a winged man is out there somewhere seems to inspire unrest in the Breeds. We prefer them to be calm as we continue our studies.” Grady Prime realized how little Councilor Ardarin understood emotion and the Breeds her scientists studied. The unrest, as she described it, was probably a manifestation of hope.
Hope was something Alvians no longer comprehended. They also had no understanding of the finer emotions, the most important of which was love. Grady Prime had experienced fondness and something he suspected was love when he thought of the O’Hara children and the open way they’d always greeted him when he visited their ranch in the wilds of the Waste. He wasn’t sure. The emotion those memories stirred was powerful and touching, inspiring his protective instincts. He hadn’t had a chance to really talk about it with Caleb, but he thought what he felt in those moments was something like a paternal instinct to care for and protect the young.
“Are you certain these rumors refer to the missing Prime Past? It is possible—however unlikely—that members of the secret winged squadron have been observed.”
“True,” Councilor Gildereth admitted. “That is why you will begin your inquiries with his squadron.”
“We know you are under monitoring by Mara 12, and we have made allowances for the monitoring to continue on a limited basis,” Councilor Ardarin continued. “However, we believe at the current rate of DNA assimilation, you will be ready for the next phase of Mara 12’s study by next week. Phase Two of the study involves observing the test subject under conditions similar to their normal working conditions. The other four test subjects will be monitored in the city as they go about their tasks. Your work will have to be monitored from afar as you conduct your investigation. I will personally filter the feeds from your data collection unit and pass on relevant data to Mara 12. Even she is unaware of the Avarel hybridization experiment. That honor was given to Mara Prime alone. It is with him you will work upon reaching the squadron’s secret base of operations. You are not to discuss this case with anyone other than Mara Prime or this Council. You may question the winged squadron at your discretion. They will be instructed to cooperate fully with your investigation.”
