Drastic Times (Book 3): Fierce Freedom

by Rock, R. A.

  “… for The Agency. Meeting the Ifshom representatives and escorting them to the negotiations on Earth.”

  Protectors were going to Earth? Wait. She was talking about us? For a moment, I was filled with such a powerful longing for home that I wasn’t sure I could keep it in. I pushed it down and tried to pay attention to what she was saying.

  Chad interrupted again, but she didn’t seem to mind this time either.

  “So, we’ll be part of the team of Protectors going to stabilize the wormhole,” he said.

  “No.” Ms. Merrywell leaned forward a little. “You two are the team.”

  We looked at each other.

  What the fuck?

  “Could you explain a little more?” Chad said politely. But I was done being polite. I had been polite for three whole minutes.

  “How in the hell are the two of us, who just came off New Recruit status, supposed to be able to stabilize a new wormhole by ourselves, never mind the most powerful wormhole to have appeared in the human cluster for hundreds of years?” I deliberately mimicked her words back to her. She looked annoyed again but answered my question.

  “Well, it seems that you two neglected to put certain… facts on your applications.”

  “Applications? You came and stole the four of us from our families. What applications are you talking about?” I said, unable to keep my mouth shut. Chad shook his head and leaned back. He had washed his hands of me. I knew that look.

  “I have done a thorough background check on the two of you.”

  I frowned, the first sign of emotion I had allowed myself since I had walked through the door. A frown on my face usually meant someone was in for trouble.

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Yumi,” Chad said, a warning in his voice. I ignored him.

  “Now you’re snooping around in our past? As if keeping a chokehold on our present isn’t enough?”

  Chad instinctively put out a hand, as if to touch me — to calm me down, maybe. And just as instinctively, I flinched away.

  He looked as if I had slapped him. I suppose he had hoped it had gone away. Well, it hadn’t. And he better get used to it.

  “No touchy,” I sent.

  “I know. I know. I just forgot,” he sent back — his mental voice was heavy with sorrow.

  Merrywell was watching us, an inquisitive look on her face.

  “Explain,” I demanded, drawing her attention away from our exchange.

  “I know about the soul bond,” she announced. “Or the permanent mind knot as we refer to it here.”

  And I had thought I had been astounded when I walked into Boardroom 24 and saw Chad. We were really going down the fucking rabbit hole now, weren’t we? How, in the name of all that’s holy, did she know about the soul bond?

  “Ms. Merrywell, respectfully, I don’t think that’s any of The Agency’s business,” Chad said, his voice tight.

  “It is if it makes you so powerful that the two of you can do the job of ten Protectors.”

  “You don’t know that,” I said biting off my words, I was so angry.

  “We know everything, Yumi,” she said, startling me with the use of my first name.

  “Yes, I suppose you do.”

  Chad winced again, obviously catching some of my furious mental cursing. Ms. Merrywell looked well satisfied with herself.

  “Go on,” I said. The Agency obviously held all the cards. They always did.

  “We noticed that your Mind Circle seemed different from the others.”

  “But that doesn’t have anything to do with… ”

  “I know, Mr. Dvorski. But it’s where our curiosity started. You four have outperformed your peers by 400 to 500 percent overall, finishing your training in half the time. We began to wonder what made you so special. An investigation was initiated, and we found out all about your background. Things we never thought to ask before.”

  No doubt.

  “We know about the soul bond and that you can use it. We know that you are many times more powerful together. And we have decided that you are too great a resource to be wasting your time as New Recruits anymore.”

  Well, I didn’t know how to respond to that, though I definitely took exception to being referred to as a resource.

  “We are people, not resources,” Chad said, obviously of the same opinion as me. He leaned forward and looked quite menacing. Had he managed to grow a backbone since I had seen him last?

  “Semantics,” Ms. Merrywell said, dismissing it with a wave of her graceful hand. “I have no interest in playing word games.”

  He sat back.

  Nope, guess not.

  The man was drop-dead gorgeous. Tall, strong, and an unbelievable fighter, though I would never tell him that. He was almost as good as me, in fact — and that was saying something. I had been following his public stats, that’s how I knew.

  What… as if the others weren’t watching the stats? It was the only contact we had with the members in our Mind Circle. I was sure he had probably been following mine, too.

  Girls fell all over him, though to his credit he never got a big head about it. And yet in spite of his tough-looking exterior, the idiot was kind and giving to a fault, often allowing people to walk all over him or use him because he couldn’t tell them no. It had driven me crazy before we had been separated.

  “Now, on to your mission,” she said, and the enormity of what they were asking dawned on me for the first time.

  “Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying that you want us to use the soul bond? As part of our work for The Agency?”

  Chad’s eyes grew wide. He hadn’t thought of it till this moment either.

  “Of course.”

  “No way.” Chad jumped to his feet.

  “Hell, no,” I said at the same time, rocketing out of my chair. Ms. Merrywell stood too, looking only the slightest bit flustered by our reactions.

  “I understand that it will take some time to get used to the idea.”

  “There’ll be no getting used to the idea,” I said, putting both my palms flat on the table and getting in Merrywell’s face. “The Agency can go fuck themselves.”

  I walked toward the door. The nerve of these people.

  “Miss Tanaka… ”

  I kept walking.

  “Think about your Circle,” she said softly.

  I stopped and turned around, rage filling me until I couldn’t see straight.

  “Are you threatening my friends?”

  “No, of course not. It’s only that sometimes accidents happen that can’t be explained.”

  I had her by the shirt, pushed up against the wall, my forearm pressing against her windpipe in five seconds.

  To my surprise, Chad didn’t even try to stop me. Unable to speak, she sent to me telepathically.

  “You have a choice, Yumi,” she sent.

  “I have a mental shout that could scramble your brain cells so badly that you’ll never think again, never mind walk. The only choice I’m making right now is whether or not to use it,” I sent back, allowing all of my fury to accompany the words.

  Her eyes grew wide, and she gasped for air as I pressed harder and cut off more of her supply of oxygen.

  “You could use your power to kill me, that’s true. But that wouldn’t stop The Agency. Nothing will stop them, Yumi.”

  Did she look a little sorry about that?

  Her face was starting to turn red, and she looked like she was going to faint. Through my fury, I heard Chad’s voice.

  “Yumi. Enough.” The quiet command cut through my anger, and I knew he was right. She was as much a pawn in this as we were. A cog in The Agency machine. I stepped back, letting her go. Ms. Merrywell bent over and gulped in big breaths of air, her hand on her neck.

  “That was maybe going a little too far,” Chad said mildly as he leaned against the table, arms crossed on his muscular chest.

  “Shut up, you fucking pacifist,” I said, crossing my arms over my own chest i
n an attempt to hold myself together. He didn’t look hurt by my words at all. He actually smiled.

  I turned away. I was so upset, I didn’t think I could hide my feelings. I ignored Ms. Merrywell’s gasping and focused on getting myself back under control. Once I felt like I could face him again, I turned around.

  “Do you know what it’s going to be like to have to use the soul bond?” I said, my eyes drilling into his.

  His smile dropped.

  “Fucking torture.”

  I nodded.

  “Exactly.”

  Want to find out what The Agency has planned for Yumi and Chad?

  Check out Forbidden Minds!

  She attacks other peoples’ minds. He can read them.

  Will their powers make them the perfect match?

  Yumi is used to being alone. Being a powerful telepathic sender gives her a perspective few others can share. When The Agency offers her an assignment, she is confused at being paired up with a partner. But she never expected it would be him…

  Chad loves people, and his outgoing personality pairs perfectly with his powers of telepathic receiving. His ability to listen in on any mind anywhere helps him connect with anyone. Except for Yumi, of course.

  When they’re paired up on a mission, Chad keeps things friendly and Yumi keeps her distance. Before long, things start to heat up, but none of that will matter if they’re dead.

  When Chad and Yumi discover The Agency isn’t what it seems, they may lose much more than their budding relationship. They could lose everything they’ve ever loved.

  Forbidden Minds is a sci-fi dystopian romance set in a world where incredible mental abilities are commonplace. If you like romance mixed with action then you’ll love R.A. Roque’s saucy space romp.

  Note: Forbidden Minds was formerly published under the title Protect Us.

  *Receive Wild Minds (Forbidden Minds Book 2) for free as a gift for joining R. A. Rock’s Reader Group. The link is inside Forbidden Minds.*

  Read Forbidden Minds to experience the adventure today!

  Ah. It was very exciting to finish this book. When I first got the idea for this series, I was curious to see what would happen to Yumi and Chad if I gave them time travel bracelets and dropped them into post apocalyptic Canada in 2020. The adventures that ensued have been a wild ride, which I have greatly enjoyed.

  But don’t worry, the fun isn’t over yet. The way I’ve planned out this series, there will be stories that will span three books at a time. Then that story will finish and a new one will start for the next three books. So this post apocalyptic story that spans Books 1 to 3 is finished, but there will be another story starting in Book 4. That story will continue for the next three books and will finish up in Book 6. And then a new story will start in Book 7.

  And there’s so much still to discover! We still need to find out if Chad will get his powers back. We don’t know what exactly happened to Winnipeg that made it disappear so completely. And the whole story about the Sanctuary. I can’t wait to find out how that all came about!

  What? You thought the author knew everything? Un uh.

  When Madeline woke up and started babbling about The Resistance, I was as surprised as the next person. I was like… What Resistance? I didn’t plan a resistance. What is this character talking about? :D

  Then there’s the whole subplot with the secret cities and The Emergence and all that. Oooh. It’s all so exciting, I can’t wait to get started on it!

  But I will be taking a short break from writing this series, while I work on a new series in a different genre. Book 4 in the Drastic Times series will be coming out Winter 2018. If you want to keep up with when the new books will be releasing, be sure to join my Reader’s Group — you get Book 0 in the Drastic Times series for free and you’ll be the first to know when a new book is coming out.

  In the meantime, while you wait for Book 4, please check out the backstory to the Drastic Times series: Forbidden Minds. Now for those of you who don’t like the sexy bits, you can just skip them. The Forbidden Minds books are very similar to the Drastic Times books, except that they are set in the future in space.

  Yay! More Yumi and Chad but with starships and wormholes! If you’ve liked the Drastic Times series, I think you will like these books too. And there are six books in the series, with the last two narrated by Grace and Shiv, which is a nice change.

  What are some interesting little things that happened while writing this book? Well, the ending totally changed from how I had it planned. Brett kind of disappeared to be replaced with a bigger and badder bad guy — Nathan — that was a bit of a surprise. And I didn’t expect the sad part to be that sad. :( I almost couldn’t write it, I was crying so much.

  I was a little worried that it wouldn’t all come together because there was so much to wrap up and so many loose ends to tie. But I hope I’ve managed to do a good job and if you’ve enjoyed this book, I would really appreciate if you went and left a review. Thanks!

  So, stay tuned! I can’t wait to write the next three books. I think you’re really going to love them!

  Bobbi (writing as R. A. Rock)

  Go here to join my Reader’s Group.

  http://drastictimesbooks.com/gravity-landing/fiercefuture

  Drastic Times Series

  Fierce Fighter Book 1

  Fierce Flight Book 2

  Fierce Faith Book 2.5

  Fierce Freedom Book 3

  Drastic Times Backstory Series

  Forbidden Minds Book 1

  Wild Minds Book 2

  Frozen Minds Book 3

  Secret Minds Book 4

  Frantic Minds Book 5

  Dangerous Minds Book 6

  Manitoba Lost Series

  RUN Book 1

  I have always loved post apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, since I was a kid and reading Monica Hughes’ Devil on my Back and Beyond the Dark River. The idea of having to survive - in a world either devoid of civilization or in a civilization gone wrong - captured my imagination. And I have had various post apocalyptic plot ideas floating around in my brain for years. So I took my favourite characters of all time - Chad and Yumi - and gave them malfunctioning time travel devices. Then I had them land in post apocalyptic Canada just to see what they would do. The Drastic Times series was the result. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

  *Please note, this is an explicit sex scene that leaves very little to the imagination. If you don’t like that sort of thing, then don’t read this. Consider yourself warned.

  [Click here to go back.]

  YUMI WAS KILLING me. I wanted her so badly, I thought I would die. I gazed down at her, noting the challenge in her eyes. I needed her so much.

  And this was even sanctioned by our marriage counsellor.

  I was breathing hard, even though we had stopped sparring a minute or two ago. And I knew it was from having her so near. From wanting her so much.

  “Let’s go back to our room and do homework,” she whispered and I felt her breath on my cheek as she leaned towards me.

  “It’ll change everything,” I pointed out, never looking away from her intense gaze.

  “Promise?”

  The walk back seemed endless until I got her into our room and shut the door, pushing her back against it with my body.

  “I love you,” I said, her soft breasts pressing against my chest.

  “And I love you,” she responded. “Here’s to brain chemicals.”

  Then she pressed her lips to mine and we were done discussing.

  The kiss was hot and desperate with over a year’s worth of longing.

  “This isn’t going to be slow,” I said, pulling away for a moment.

  “I need you so much. Just fuck me, Red,” she said, impatiently pulling my head back down to hers.

  “It’s called making love,” I said, and she gave me a smile that lit me up inside before she claimed my mouth again.

  Her hands were inside my shirt, running over
my abs and down my ribs where I knew I would have a bruise tomorrow. I slid my own hands into her shorts, cupping her sweet ass and pulling her tight against me, eliciting a groan from Yumi.

  “Too many clothes,” she gasped and ripped my shirt over my head. I returned the favour and she cupped my cheeks in her hands, kissing me deeply, our tongues tangling, her mouth so hot and sweet I could kiss her forever.

  My hands palmed her small, perky breasts and she moaned.

  Damn, I had missed these.

  “Too many clothes,” she murmured again, pulling off my sweats and boxers. Then she made short work of her own shorts and undies till we were completely naked.

  Nothing between us.

  “Bed,” I ordered, knowing she liked when I was assertive.

  She gave me a sultry smile and crawled into the covers. I moved my hands over her body, massaging her breasts and sliding my finger between her folds.

  So wet. So slick. So ready for me. I closed my eyes and breathing in her scent. But first things first.

  I knew exactly how to please her and soon she was twisting and panting.

  “Red… I need… please, Red.”

  She came then, gasping and moaning. Fuck did I love her O face. I had never seen anything so beautiful. And this was only the beginning. We had all night.

  “Red,” she whispered, pulling on my arm. I joined her then, under the blankets, and covered her with my body, our legs entwining, skin to skin.

  “I missed this so much,” she whispered, gazing into my eyes. “I missed you so much.”

  “Me too, Yumi,” I said, kissing away the tear that rolled down her cheek. “I missed you more than words can say.”

  CHAD HAD ALREADY given me my first orgasm and I knew that he was only getting started. He was over me and around me and everywhere. I was overwhelmed by him, his scent, his heat, and that was exactly what I wanted.