Determinant, a YA Paranormal Romance (Book 3 of The Guardians of Vesturon)

by A. M. Hargrove

  “Why yes officer, I read her mind. I know someone’s threatening her.”

  That would gain me a ton of credibility, I thought sarcastically. I wracked my brain trying to figure out what to do but I kept drawing a blank. Predicaments ruled my life but this was one for which I had no solution. I hated this freakish ability of mine and I fervently wished it would go away! I wrung my hands in frustration.

  It was Friday and my pile of work kept me busy until nine that night. I had dwindled it down to nothing when I glanced at the clock. Realizing the lateness of the hour, I looked around and noticed how empty the lab was. I was lost in the events of the day and the amount of work I had and I was still nursing my wounded ego as I headed out of the lab. As I made my way down the corridor, I noticed six men advancing toward me.

  It wasn’t their actions I noticed so much or even the way they walked. And though it was an oddity for them to even be here at all, it was their attire that captured my attention. They were dressed identically, in an extreme fashion, much like members of a gang or secret society. Large and muscular, they wore black vests and their bare arms were almost completely tattooed with tribal symbols of a sort. Metal bands criss-crossed their chests and their legs were tightly encased in leather. Knee high boots and black gloves finished off their ensembles.

  As I neared them I felt my flesh tingle and the hairs on the back of my neck come to attention. Gooseflesh erupted and alarms started clanging in my head. I sucked in my breath and as I did, my eyes connected with the apparent leader. I say this because he was in the front of the formation as they plodded along.

  Time stood still as our eyes connected. His were an uncanny shade, lavender with hints of indigo and specks of silver. It was a hue I was unfamiliar with but they were intriguing and fascinating. The alarms were still ringing in my ears and the air felt electrically charged around us.

  “Halt!”

  I turned into stone. I couldn’t move a muscle. He cocked his head as his eyes bore into mine.

  “Breathe!”

  I distinctly heard his command in my mind and I was helpless to disobey him. I felt myself take a deep cleansing breath. I questioned him with my eyes. He flicked his head toward his men and they stepped back several feet.

  “Who are you? Why are you here?”

  I was confused by the demanding questions swirling in my brain but felt compelled to answer him. I had never used mind reading to communicate, but I was sure he would hear my answer.

  “I’m January St. Davis. I’m here working on an internship for college credit.”

  “You are human?” he asked with incredulity.

  I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. Why would he want to know if I was human? What a ridiculous question!

  “I don’t understand. Why would you want to know that?”

  “Leave this area and continue on your way!”

  He silently shook his head and the intermittent flow of his thoughts was abruptly halted, just as if the internet had shut down. My communication highway had been disconnected—I was now offline. We stood there in silence and I could not break eye contact. I floundered in the depths of their color. I won’t deny my fascination with him. He wasn’t handsome in the usual way but his compelling looks mesmerized me. I can’t say I was attracted to him and yet I couldn’t seem to look away. There was also a frightening element to him but I wasn’t afraid. It was an erratic mix of emotions.

  I abruptly became aware of my ability to move. I gnawed on my lower lip as I continued to stare at him. His eyes raked me over and he slightly shook his head. Then he nodded once, and continued down the corridor.

  I felt the urge to run after him and scream at him to stop, but I had no idea why. I eventually began walking again, intending to go home. When I reached the exit doors, I realized I left my purse in the lab. My immediate thought was that maybe I would run into him again. I dashed back down to the lab but the corridor was empty.

  Disappointed, I returned to the lab for my purse. As I was moving through the various rooms, I noticed the door to one of the freezers had been left open. It was the freezer that contained the most deadly of viruses. I didn’t direct have access to that area, but thick glass walls partitioned off every room, so you could see in each chamber. It was built this way as a security measure. I went to the phone on the nearest wall to call the guards, but the line was dead. I moved back into my area, but that phone line didn’t work either.

  I found a camera closest to me and waved my arms back and forth in front of it, hoping to catch the attention of the guards. I waited for the alarms to ring, but nothing happened. Exiting my lab area, I wandered the corridor, hoping to run into someone. The whole level seemed deserted. I took the stairs to the next level and it was also devoid of people. Hmmm…this was highly unusual.

  I tried the phones on this level, but they were dead, as expected. I grabbed my cell phone and called 911. Ten minutes later, the building was swarming with police, HAZMAT and CDC officials investigating the issue.

  It was finally discovered that there had been a brief power outage. That was why the cameras or phones hadn’t worked. The lab was investigated thoroughly for foul play, but no evidence was found. The cryogenic container was thought to have accidentally opened when the power outage occurred. All the specimens were accounted for so everyone relaxed and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

  My nagging doubt persisted though. Those men I saw in the corridor should not have been there. The video cameras had shut down at exactly the same time of their appearance. Coincidence? Doubtful…at least to me anyway.

  And he spoke directly to me…through his mind as though he expected me to answer. How did he know I could read his thoughts?

  This troubled me for the next week and I couldn’t stop thinking of my encounter with him.

  My internship finally ended, albeit on a sour note, and I was taking the weekend to rest up and pack before I headed back to Cullowhee.

  On Saturday, I began feeling the beginnings of the illness. After working with the flu virus all summer, I knew I had contracted it. Hopefully, I would make it home before the worst of it hit.

  By Sunday morning, my fever was raging. I didn’t have a thermometer to take my temperature, but I knew it was high. Every movement put me in torrent of aches and pains. The piercing pain in my head made my eyes water. I kept popping Advil, but it didn’t seem to help much. It seemed I couldn’t catch a break and that my life was destined to get back on its downward spiral.

  Though I felt as ill as ever, I couldn’t delay heading back. I had to move out of my room here and I didn’t have the extra cash to stay anywhere else. My car was loaded up so I decided to drive back to Cullowhee. I made it up to North Georgia when my vision began to blur. The images on the side of the road took on a wavy appearance. I talked to myself out loud in the hopes of keeping my heavy lids from slamming shut. I pulled off the road to regroup. When I awakened, night had fallen.

  My fever raged and I began seeing Tommy and Sarah. My thoughts turned to the fact that they were the only people I ever had loved. My life had been a total twisted mess of unhappiness and maybe if I could find a soft place to lie down, I could go to sleep and peacefully die in comfort. If I were honest with myself, that was what I wanted the most right now. I never would have the nerve to take my own life, but maybe this illness could do it for me. Maybe then I would find that peace and tranquility I had desperately prayed for my whole life.

  I was on a narrow road in the forest somewhere. I was hopelessly lost so I pulled off to the side and struggled to open my car door. It was being testy and wasn’t cooperating. I gave it a shove and it finally swung open.

  I walked a bit and the cool air felt so soothing on my cheeks. The pain in my head was constant and piercing, but it was quiet and somehow soothing out here. I wandered into the woods and reached the point where I couldn’t take another step. I was so thirsty…my mouth was as dry as a bone and parched. There’s Tommy…and Sarah! As I reached out for
them, I tumbled to the ground, but found it to be as soft as my bed. Then my hallucinations began…

  Book 2

  Rykerian

  Chapter 1

  I am power. I am strength. I am the wind. I am speed. I am courage. I am faith. I am hope. I am fierce. I am loyal. I am steadfast. I am true. I am protection. I am honor. I am a Guardian of Vesturon.

  Talasi, my human connection, had contacted me. Talasi was the Seer of the Nunne Hi, the Spirit People of the Cherokee Nation. They secretly guarded the Smoky Mountains, keeping humans safe. She possessed the ability to communicate with the living and the dead and often sensed when evil or danger was approaching. She was troubled by a disturbance she sensed in the area. She had the ability to feel a shift of power in the air, both negative and positive. This time she explained it was more of a distressful disturbance...similar to what she felt when someone had been injured. Yet somehow, it was different. She was worried that perhaps someone may be trapped somewhere so she intercepted my thoughts to seek my assistance.

  I was in the Command Center of the Compound of The Guardians on Earth when I felt Talasi’s thoughts mingle with mine.

  “What is it?” my brother Tesslar asked, noticing my momentary stillness.

  I shook my head saying, “Not ‘what’ but ‘who,’” I replied. “It is Talasi. She needs my assistance.”

  “What seems to be the problem?”

  I explained her request of me and left the Center to prepare for my departure. As I headed up to my room I communicated with her through telepathy.

  “I am sensing a disturbance but the scouts cannot find anything amiss.”

  “No cause for alarm Talasi. I will be there in moments.”

  Once in my room I grabbed my gear. I always traveled with the mending device, or the magic wand, as my sister-in-law Maddie liked to call it. It was a medical device that had the ability to heal many injuries.

  I strapped my shadars on my hands—the tools that allowed me to communicate, teleport, assess a person’s medical status and serve as my weaponry. I performed a quick calibration to ensure everything was working properly.

  I tapped the screen and all my information appeared.

  Name: Rykerian Tevva Yarrister, Guardian in Command

  Location: Guardian Compound, Haywood County, North Carolina, planet Earth

  Teleporter Status: Excellent

  Communicator Status: Excellent

  Locator Status: Excellent

  Diagnostic Equipment Status: Excellent

  Weaponry Status: Armed

  “Please enter your mission,” a voice commanded.

  “To seek out a reported disturbance in the mountains near Bryson City, North Carolina,” I replied.

  “Affirmative.”

  I wondered briefly if I would need food or water and decided on the water. I headed to the kitchen in search of supplies.

  “My lord, may I assist you in something?”

  Zanna was our housekeeper, cook and general caretaker of everything inside the home. The house sat above ground but below us was the Command Center for the Guardians of Vesturon on Earth. It was here where all of our plans, training, tactics and strategies took place. The Compound itself could house over a thousand Guardians if need be. Zanna only cared for the house above ground.

  “I was just getting some water for my mission.”

  “Will you be gone long?” she asked.

  I glanced at her smiling, “I think not. I am running a check of an area Talasi is concerned over. Are you trying to spoil me Zanna?”

  “Why my lord, you know I would never do that!” she exclaimed with a devilish look in her eye. I noticed her hand snaking toward a pile of cookies she must have baked earlier in the day. Before I could fill up my water container, she had placed a bag in my hand, filled with her delightful concoctions. She knew I loved chocolate chip cookies. It was an Earthly indulgence of mine.

  “Zanna, you are the best and know how to make me happy,” I said, kissing her wrinkled cheek. Zanna was quite old but her age did not slow her down a bit. Her bouncy gray curls and elf-like appearance matched her spritely actions as she moved around the house with the speed and agility of someone quite young.

  “I am only taking care of what I love!”

  Zanna and her mate Peetar had been a part my family since before my birth. She had cared for me and my siblings our whole lives and we all adored her. Peetar matched Zanna in appearance and age defying speed. He took care of the outside grounds and kept everything in perfect order.

  I winked at her, placed the bag in my pouch I carried and left the house.

  I teleported to the general direction Talasi had provided me. She was convinced whatever I would find would be off the beaten path. Once there, I set off in search of anything that might have set off Talasi’s alarms. I skirted the area around Deep Creek in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, staying clear of any of the main trails.

  My feet barely touched the softened earth as I sped along. Using my Power of Speed, I made my way around the dense rhododendron thickets and mountain laurel, as quickly as I could. My eyes darted over the wooded landscape before me, taking care not to miss even the smallest of details. I searched for any clue, whether it be a footprint or a torn piece of clothing, anything at all to indicate the presence of another.

  It wasn’t long before I began to sense something was amiss, but like Talasi, I could not put my finger on it. As I moved along, my heightened senses were on red alert for anything unusual.

  My otherworldly abilities were in overdrive, as I searched throughout the area. I finally noticed a subtle difference in the air around me...an odor that I was beginning to detect. My sense of smell was much keener than even any animal on earth, so I used that gift to hone in on my target. As I moved nearer to it, the odor became recognizable to me. It was the sweet, cloying odor of sickness. Whoever this was emanating from was severely ill. I quickly increased my pace until the scent became overpowering. This could only indicate one thing; whoever was suffering was in need of serious medical treatment.

  I navigated around a rhododendron thicket and in the distance I could see a car parked on an old, unused forestry service road. I shook my head, trying to figure this out. Why would someone come all the way out here if they were seriously ill? Maybe they became ill after they arrived. It simply made no sense to me.

  When I arrived at the car, I realized it was abandoned. The stench of impending death nearly overpowered me. Whoever the source, they were in pressing need of assistance. I called out to see if I would receive an answer, but there was no response initially. When I first heard the voice, it was so weakened, that even my acute sense of hearing could barely detect it. I followed the sound until I arrived at the source.

  I gasped and my heart did a free fall to my knees when I saw who it was. Curled up and lying on the ground was the beautiful young female I had saved from a car collision several months before. She was the one who had captivated me...the one who I had thought of constantly ever since I had laid eyes on her. And here she was...struggling to breathe and fighting for her life. My gut clenched and revolted against what I was seeing. Her ghostly pale skin was covered with deep purple and black splotches everywhere. Her silvery gold hair was tangled and matted and her cracked lips were caked with dried blood. I placed my hand on her forehead and her skin was on fire with fever.

  The coolness of my hand on her skin must have awakened her because her eyes fluttered open, only to close again. I aimed my shadar toward her and the holographs appeared. She was indeed extremely ill, but I was certain my shadar was malfunctioning by the reading I was getting. I quickly tapped the communicator and called Julian, our healer on Vesturon, my home planet that was located in a distant galaxy.

  “My lord, what can I assist you with today?” he asked.

  “Julian, I may have a malfunctioning shadar. I need a diagnosis confirmed on a gravely ill human female. Can you lock in on my location and we can proceed from there?” />
  “One moment… I have you in my zone now. Hmm, this cannot be correct.”

  “Julian, what is your reading?” I asked desperately.

  “My lord, my scanner is diagnosing her with hemorrhagic small pox.”

  “Oh no! Then my shadar was not malfunctioning after all. That is the same reading I had.”

  “My lord, small pox was eradicated from Earth over 30 years ago. And the type she has was uncommon even then. It is a very virulent form of the virus called variola major. What is her appearance?”

  “As you are aware, her body temperature is 104 degrees. She is dehydrated and has black and purplish blotches all over her skin and the whites of her eyes are deep red. Give me a moment and I will have her hologram available for you.”

  The image was up and I heard the words I had been dreading.

  “I do not have to tell you Rykerian that she may have very limited time,” Julian said with hesitancy. “She needs immediate medical treatment if she is to survive this.”

  “I cannot take her to Talasi because of the risk of spreading this disease.”

  “You are correct, my lord. You must take her to the Compound.”

  “Julian, I know not how to treat this. I know it is normally not allowed for you to intervene, but this could have major consequences for the entire human population. I will contact my father so you can gain permission to come to Earth to assist me.”

  My lord, there is no need for that. “‘Under extreme situations, including the threat of disease epidemic, the healer shall be allowed interplanetary travel without first seeking approval by the Council,’ and I quote,” Julian said. “I shall teleport there and bring the supplies you will need to treat her,” he informed me.

  I sighed in relief, as I was not completely sure of what I would need to do.

  “Bloody hell, I had forgotten about that. Thank you Julian. How can I stop the spread of this virus at the Compound? I do not want to endanger anyone there.”