Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BOOKS BY SIOBHAN DAVIS
Copyright
CHAPTER 1
Tori/Alinthia
“I think you should move in with the boys, Victoria,” Mom says quietly, shifting in her chair. I pull the blanket up under my chin, angling my body toward the fire. We’ve sat here for the best part of an hour, just staring into the flames, both absorbed in thought. Although we’re into March, and the outside temperature has improved, nothing dispels the constant chills torturing my soul. I shiver, as if a ghost just tiptoed up my spine.
It’s been two full weeks since Poppa died, and it isn’t getting any easier. I get up out of bed ever morning and go about my usual routine purely to keep up the charade for Mom. She’s disconsolate, and the last thing she needs is me adding to her woes. Outside of school, I don’t leave her side. I refuse to let her deal with this by herself.
The guys have been amazing—giving me my space yet there for me whenever I need them.
But I know I can’t avoid my fate, my destiny, forever.
I don’t miss the frustrated looks Dane shoots my way every now and then, and I don’t know what the others have said to him to make him toe the line, but I’m grateful. I have zero energy to argue with him at the moment.
“I’m not leaving you here alone, Momma. No way. Poppa wouldn’t want that.” My voice almost chokes on the word. Tears pool in my eyes as I look at the framed wedding photo hanging on the wall over the fireplace. They look so young and so hopeful, and I doubt they envisioned their lives together ending in such a horrific way.
I close my eyes as hideous memories replay in my mind. As long as I live, I will never forget the shriveled, wizened state of my father as he lay prostrate and unmoving on the frozen ground. That image will forever be imprinted at the back of my retinas and branded on my soul—a constant reminder of my biggest failing.
Not for the first time, I wonder if Dane isn’t right—if I’m not the person at the center of the revered prophecy. If I’m some imposter. A fake. A joke of an alien.
I couldn’t even save my own father.
How the hell am I expected to save an entire nation? Bring peace to the galaxy?
Grief and guilt are my constant companions these days, and the more time passes, the further I sink into a pit of depression. If I had done as the boys wanted, if I’d moved in with them when they asked, then death and destruction would not have touched this farm. My father would still be alive.
“Your Aunt May is coming to live with me,” Mom continues. “She’ll be here in a few hours.” Mom has aged considerably in the last two weeks, and when I look at her, all I see is a frail, frightened, grief-stricken old woman. It terrifies me to see her like this, especially knowing I’m responsible for it.
“When did this come about?” I quirk a brow, because this is the first I’m hearing of it.
“We’ve been discussing it over the phone this past week. I didn’t tell you, because I knew you’d object, but it makes sense. She’s on her own, and I can’t stand in the way of what you need to do. I knew you wouldn’t leave me by myself, so this means you can forge ahead with your plans assured in the knowledge I’m not alone.”
The blanket slips to the floor as I lean forward, placing my elbows on my knees. “I don’t have to go. I can do what I need to do and still live here.”
She reaches out, taking my hands in hers, and her features soften. “You need to do this, sweetheart. It’s not safe for you here, and I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you too.”
I wonder if that’s the truth or if she just can’t bear to look at me knowing I got my father killed. I don’t want to leave her, but she’s right about one thing—it’s not safe to stay here. I’m a sitting target, and the longer she’s around me, the more danger she’s in. Moving in with the guys diverts the attention away from the farm, and it’s no longer up for debate.
I know this has to happen.
I drop to my knees, resting my head in her lap. “I hate this. I hate that it’s come to this.”
She runs her fingers through my hair. “I know, sweetheart, but there is no other way.”
Cooper is removing my clothes from hangers, folding them neatly on the bed when I enter my bedroom a few minutes later. Tears prick my eyes when I look at him, and he’s by my side in an instant, folding me into his arms. I wrap myself around him, allowing the solid warmth of his body to erase the chills that emanate bone-deep. “It’s going to be okay, beautiful,” he whispers. “We’re going to take care of you, and we’ll make sure no harm comes to your mom either. You can trust us to take care of both of you.”
I nod against his chest, not trusting myself to speak.
They must think I’m incredibly weak. I’ve fallen apart these last couple of weeks, and I’m so far removed from the role I need to play that I wonder how they can continue to support me, but they are unfailing in their care of me, and I know I wouldn’t have gotten through this without them.
It’s only been two months since they appeared in town, and it amazes me how ingrained they’ve become in my life—as if we’ve known each other for years instead of weeks. Of course, our soul-deep bond has connected us for life, and the comfort and familiarity I feel extends beyond what is humanly possible to conceive, but it still seems too good to be true on occasion.
I would never have thought it possible to undergo such a massive transformation had it not happened to me.
My life is so vastly altered it’s almost as if that previous version of me was a mirage, a figment of my imagination. With the exception of Kylie and Zara, nothing about my life is the same.
I’m still in shock, and a bit dazed, over everything the guys told me and the magnitude of what is expected of me. While I was furious with them for concealing so much from me, my anger has faded with time. I know they were trying to ease me into this gently, and, the fact is, I think they were right. If they had hit me with everything at once, I might have receded into a hole and never come back out. I’m plagued by doubts and concerns and my failure to progress my abilities isn’t helping. I don’t want to let anyone down, least of all myself, but every failed attempt to summon my powers at will sends me spiraling further into depression. Add my grief and guilt to the mix, and my head isn’t a pretty place right now. If it wasn’t for the guys constantly reassuring me and helping to keep my spirits up, I would’ve just given into it, but they help me maintain focus, and I’m grateful I have them on my side.
“I can take you back to the house and run you a bath if you like?” Coop suggests, tilting my head up with his finger. “And we’ll finish your packing while you relax.”
>
I stretch up on tiptoes and press a soft kiss to his lips. “Not necessary, but thanks for offering. Let’s get my stuff now and leave together.” I kiss him again, and this is the first display of intimacy I’ve shown him in days. While I clung to him in the immediate aftermath of Dad’s passing, I have shied away from physical contact since, even though the connection has been going crazy at the forced restraint. I know they would soothe and comfort me, but I wanted to feel pain. I wanted to feel the consequences of that night. To accept it as punishment for my shortcomings, but I’m tired of trying to stay away from them.
And it’s time to stop wallowing in self-pity.
My father didn’t die so I could fall apart. He sacrificed himself for me so I could live.
And I’ve got to at least start trying.
“Hey, Tori.” Maddox greets me with a warm smile and a solid hug when I step in to the kitchen, after depositing my stuff upstairs in my bedroom.
“Whatcha cooking?” I ask, sniffing the air. Pungent, spicy smells swirl around me, and my mouth waters in anticipation as my appetite returns with a vengeance.
“His infamous chili,” Coop responds before Maddox can reply, coming up behind me. Tentatively, he snakes his arms around my waist. When I don’t pull away, he emits a contented sigh and rests his chin on my shoulder. “That’s your favorite, right?”
I grip on to Cooper’s arms, curling my hands around his warm flesh. “Yep. Thanks.” I offer Maddox my first real smile in weeks.
“You’re welcome, princess.” He cups my cheek, smiling tenderly. “And I made chocolate cake for dessert. I seem to remember you liked that too, last time I made it.”
“Wow, you’re really spoiling me. Either that or you’re trying to fatten me up.”
“You have gotten a little thin,” Beckett supplies from his place at the table. His laptop is in front of him, and he lifts his head up for a split second to acknowledge me.
“I haven’t had much of an appetite,” I truthfully admit.
“Well, don’t worry about that. I’ll help you bulk up,” Maddox confirms. “We need to build back lost muscle tone before you start training again.”
I’ve completely neglected my training these last couple weeks, and it’s time to get back in the saddle. “I thought we could start back tomorrow after school.”
Maddox nods, his smile expanding. “It’s a date.” He winks, and I laugh, but the sound is strained coming from my throat.
It’s so easy to forget they’re not from this planet, because they look, sound, and act so human sometimes. Beck’s supermemory gift meant he was able to speed learn everything they needed to know about Earth and humans, and he projected that knowledge into his brother’s minds, so they acclimated from the moment they arrived here.
It’s as if they’ve lived here their entire lives.
It’s a little disconcerting at times.
“Where’s Dane?” I ask, but I don’t really need a reply. It doesn’t take much to guess where he is.
“In his office,” Beck cuts in.
“Where else is he these days,” Coop adds.
“I’m going to go speak with him.” I ease out of Coop’s arms, planting a quick kiss on his cheek before wandering out of the room.
Coop is my instant shadow, and he catches up, lacing his fingers in mine. “What’s up?”
I shrug. “Nothing out of the ordinary. I just want to let him know I’m ready to resume my training.”
Coop pulls me to a halt. “You don’t need to rush into anything, Tori. We all know you’ve been through a lot. You can do this one step at a time. Moving in with us is already a huge deal.” He can’t stop the massive smile spreading across his mouth.
“You’re really pleased about that, huh?”
He kisses me superfast. “You’ve no idea. I’ve wanted this from the minute you came back into our lives.”
“I’m glad it makes you happy.”
“Does it make you happy?” His smile fades as he probes my face for the truth.
I rub my hands up and down his arms. “It does, Coop. You know how happy I am around you guys, and I shouldn’t have put it off for so long, but I’m worried about my mom. I know my aunt is with her now, but I’m still concerned.”
After the showdown with the Herassan at the barn, and the ambush here that night, I’ve been expecting alien enemies to arrive in droves, so the lack of action has me on edge. I don’t consider it a good thing. None of the guys has said one word to me about what they think will happen next, and I was too consumed with grief and too numb to question them, but I can’t bury my head in the sand any longer. Dane is the only one who’ll give it to me straight, which is why I seek his counsel.
“That’s understandable,” Coop says, “but we’ll keep them safe. I promise.” He brings my hand to his mouth, brushing his lips ever so softly across the tips of my fingers. It’s an undecidedly sweet, tender gesture, and it does something funny to my insides.
I love you.
I think it, and I mean it, but I don’t say it. Not yet. It’s not the right time. Not when … I deliberately stop that thought in its track, and an intense shiver rocks my body. It’s the same any time I recall it.
That horrible, horrible vision or whatever the hell it was.
It first appeared in my mind’s eye when I was out in the field finishing off the aliens who killed my father. I pushed it aside then—I’d had no choice—but I can’t ignore it any longer. I won’t accept that it’s a vision of the future, because I can’t envision any scenario that would lead me to harm the guys, let alone be ready to kill them. A bitter taste floods my mouth, and a heavy pressure settles on my chest.
I haven’t told them—or anyone—about it, because how the hell do I bring that up? How do I tell them it looks like I might kill them in the future and still have them trust me? Instead, I suffer in silence, making all kinds of promises to myself. I’m going to cling to the love growing in my heart for them and do everything in my power to ensure that ghastly prediction doesn’t come true.
Coop is looking at me expectedly, little worry lines creasing the corners of his eyes.
After I killed the Herassan at the barn, when my abilities presented powerfully, I was able to hear Coop in my head and vice versa, but we haven’t managed to replicate it since. In this moment, I’m glad of it, because if the guys knew the extent of the dark thoughts in my head, they would have cause to be extremely concerned.
As if on cue, the vision surges to the forefront of my mind, replaying in all its gruesome clarity, refusing to be pushed aside. I wrap my arms around my waist while my breathing becomes shallow. It always has this effect on me. I see myself, in my mind’s eye, standing beside General Arantu, looming over the guys, and preparing to end their lives.
An errant sob escapes my throat before I can control it. Coop’s face crumples with worry, and he opens his mouth to comfort me, no doubt, but I place my hand against his lips stopping him. “It’s okay. I’m okay,” I lie. “It’s going to be okay.”
I’m trying to convince myself as much as him. “I just need to get back on track, to refocus my mind and concentrate on priorities. I need to resume my training and become an active member of this team. I need …” I stop, drawing a large breath. “I need to do this to keep me sane. To remind me of who I am and who I’m going to become.”
To know I’m not a monster.
Because I’m not. I’m not capable of cold-blooded murder. The aliens I’ve killed don’t count, because that was survival one-oh-one.
I love the guys, I believe in our mission, and I trust the bond that connects us for eternity.
I’m a good person, and a good person doesn’t kill the ones she loves.
No matter what.
I repeat that mantra over and over in my head as I walk toward Dane’s office.
Perhaps if I repeat it enough, I can convince myself it’s the whole truth.
CHAPTER 2
“Come in,” Dane hollers,
and I open the door, stepping into his private domain.
Cooper stands in the hall, watching me with hawk eyes, still troubled. I shoot him a reassuring smile. “It’s fine. Go,” I mouth, smiling again, before closing the door. I know he’ll still be there when I come out, but I can’t be mad at him for caring so much, even if he is planning on eavesdropping on this conversation.
Coop’s ability to hear conversations within a one-hundred-mile radius, to implant ideas into unsuspecting minds, and to hear inner thoughts is both a gift and a curse. It only works when he has previously come into contact with the person, but it’s still a handy way to keep tabs on his loved ones and a way to keep track of any enemies we’ve crossed paths with. It’s comforting to know I can call out for him, and he’ll hear me, but it can be intrusive on occasion too.
Case in point.
Although we’ve spoken about it, and I know he’s working on privacy issues.
Dane swivels in his chair, eyeballing me warily. “Tori.”
“Dane.” I sink into one of the chairs around the table, twisting around so I’m facing him. “I’ve moved in permanently, and I’m here to tell you I want to resume my training and figure out how to tap into the powers I displayed back at the field. I don’t want to be caught off guard again. I want to be prepared for the next attack, because I know there will be another one.”
He leans back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other as he inspects my face. His fingers tap idly off the arm of the chair. I try not to squirm in my seat, but it’s difficult under the intensity of his scrutiny.
I swear, if Dane could figure out a way to chisel into my brain and figure me out, he’d go there without a moment’s hesitation. While he has said he now fully believes I am the subject of the prophecy, I still detect suspicion, and he doesn’t hide the fact he’s holding himself back. He always keeps a certain distance between us, and I can almost see the wheels churning in his head. I don’t know why his approval matters so much to me, but it does, and I hate that he still harbors doubts.
And the fact he might be right to do so.
The Secret Heir (Alinthia Series Book 2) Page 1
