by Leah Sanders
He knocked lightly on the door before using the key to let himself in. Gem was still asleep. Probably best. The shock of everything was far too much for her. She needed the rest.
Gryff’s gaze took in her resting form curled up on the bed. What a moment to be thinking about merging. As Aaron he knew more about women. And the sight of her stirred those memories. As Gryff he knew the thoughts would be foreign to her. For now, he would have to keep his mind on more pressing matters. Getting her safely out of the reach of EROMI.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he put a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently to wake her. “Gem,” he said in a hoarse whisper. She rolled to her back and looked up at him groggily, a slow smile curling at the corners of her mouth as recognition reached her eyes.
This was going to be more difficult than he thought.
“Hi.”
“It’s time to go.”
She stretched out her full length and ran her fingers through her wavy, auburn hair before answering in a quiet voice. “Okay.”
Gryff stood and offered his hand to help her up. She took it, sending warmth washing through him.
“Are you hungry?”
She nodded.
“I picked up a few things at the store. It’s in the car.” The confusion in her eyes reminded him he was using words for which she had no point of reference. He gestured to the window and coaxed her gently with him. “Here. I’ll show you.” Pulling back the curtains allowed the afternoon light to filter into the dark room, and he drew her next to him to see out into the parking lot. “There. The blue one. That’s ours. It’ll take us away from here. Get us to safety. That’s a car.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Um, a store is kind of like the storage building where we kept all the necessary supplies to deliver to the dorms plus the commissary combined into one.”
Her smile was a valiant effort to pretend she wasn’t overwhelmed, but Gryff knew she was.
“Don’t worry, Gem. I’m going to be with you every step of the way. We’ll be fine.” He hoped his grin was reassuring as he tightened his hold on her shoulder for just a moment and then released her with a toss of his head in the direction of the bathroom. “I got some clothes for you. You can change in the lav.”
Gem nodded and took them from him. She moved quietly to the other room and disappeared through the door. A few minutes later she reappeared dressed in the jeans and sweatshirt.
““I’ll wait outside.”
****
“He’s taken her, sir.”
“What do you mean ‘he’s taken her’, Lieutenant? Wasn’t she on her way to be recycled?”
“He hijacked the ambulance.”
“You were on the gate. Why didn’t you stop him?”
“I didn’t know he was inside. The driver didn’t even know he was inside.”
“Well, why are you still standing here? Go get them!”
“Yes, sir.”
“Wait, Izanagi.”
“Time is of the essence, Joseph. Even now he is at least twelve hours ahead of us. Go, Lieutenant.”
“Stay, Lieutenant.”
“Joseph, you can’t be serious—”
“Let’s think this through, Izanagi. A chance to study them out in the open. See how they interact in society. Our creations living normal lives. Think of the possibilities!”
“This is ludicrous. What if they talk?”
“Who would believe them? No. I think they will keep quiet. They won’t want to draw attention. You worry so much, my friend. Come now, Izanagi, a once in a lifetime opportunity. How can you resist? You are a scientist! For now, we let them be. See how they function in the world. If we need to retrieve them later, it will be simple enough.”
“Orders, sirs?”
“Stand down, Lieutenant. You are in charge of the compound again. See to your duties.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Wait. Joseph, are you certain about this?”
“Izanagi, there is no need to give chase. We know exactly where they are going.”
“Then I’ll make the call. But I’m not convinced this is the best course of action.”
“Lieutenant. Will you feel better, Izanagi, if we follow them? If I track them just to keep them in sight?”
“Yes.”
“Very well. Lieutenant, send two men. Their orders are to follow the major discreetly, but make no move to take them.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Go.”
“I’ll make the call. He’ll want to be ready for them.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
It’s not as if Gem had never been in a motorized vehicle before. She was just never conscious for it. The blue machine vibrated and belched black smoke out of a strange pipe hanging off the back end.
“Are you sure it’s safe?”
“It’s loud and smelly, but it’ll get us there.” Gryff’s easy smile relieved her fears. It was Gryff. She trusted him completely. She crawled through the passenger side portal and eased onto the torn leather seat. He reached for a safety harness near her shoulder and pulled it across her chest, fastening it into the silver receptacle with a sharp snap. “Seatbelt,” he said with a wink. “So you can be safe.”
Seatbelt. Got it.
There were so many new things and new words. It was a bit overwhelming.
Gryff closed the door on squeaky hinges, hurried to the other side where he slipped into the seat beside her and fastened his own seatbelt. He put his left hand on what appeared to be the steering mechanism, and with his right, he slid a lever down with a click. The car jerked into motion.
Gem’s stomach jolted into her throat for a moment. With her eyes closed she could feel her entire body tense with fear, and her fingers dug into the soft leather beneath her. She swallowed at the rising lump in her throat.
The car jostled back and forth as it exited the hotel parking lot and rumbled onto the road. The heat of Gryff’s hand on hers brought her back to her senses. Slowly she opened her eyes again and peered at him.
“Hey,” he said in a low, soothing voice. “It’s okay. I promise.”
Promise. There was that word again. She liked the sound of it. “Okay.” Gem exhaled, and with the release of her breath, the rest of her body relaxed in the wake of his comforting words and touch. Her gaze drifted to his hand covering hers. She liked the feel of that. His thumb caressed her hand, sending something like waves of sunshine throughout the rest of her. How had she lived without it?
“Where are we going?” She watched his expression turn thoughtful as he appeared to consider the question. He stared forward at the road and chewed on his bottom lip.
“We’re going to Washington, D.C.”
Gem nodded, though she had no idea what that meant and shifted her gaze to the road in front of them. His soft chuckle and slight squeeze of her hand reassured her.
“That’s where my parents — Aaron’s parents live. I think they can help us.” She must have shown the confusion on her face, because he hurried to explain further. “You know how there are genetic relatives of record at Endfield?” Gem nodded. “Like Tavon for me. And Aksel, the clock tower guy.”
Yes. It was true that Tavon and Gryff were related according to the records. And that was why Tavon looked so much like him. The memory of Tavon at her door shortly after Gryff’s departure returned to her in a flash. She had thought Tavon was Gryff for a brief moment.
“Out here they call them family. And Aaron has a family that matches those in my genetic file. Aksel is the copy of my, um… Aaron’s father — the male parent.” He drew in a deep breath and let it out in heavy sigh. The struggle with this new split in his identity was evident in his body language. His jaw tightened a bit as he spoke, and his eyes shifted to the left and right as he maneuvered the car through the sea of other vehicles moving beside them in a steady flow.
“Gryff…?”
“Yeah?”
“Is it a long trip?”
“Oh, yeah.” He glanced at
her briefly and flashed a wide grin. “Do you want to listen to some music? Um… static therapy?”
Music. She liked that term better.
He released her hand and pushed a button on the board. But what filtered out of the rear of the car was anything but pleasing. A loud metallic screeching accompanied by a fierce pounding bass assailed her ears, sending her careening forward as she clutched at the sides of her head and screamed.
Gryff lurched and fumbled with the dials. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” he hollered over the noise rattling the windows and bouncing off the walls of the enclosed space. Somehow his frantic hand found the cut-off switch, and peace encompassed Gem again.
“Are you okay, Gem? I’m so sorry about that! Can you hear?”
Slowly, she relaxed her grasp over her ears and leaned back against the chair again and sighed. “Was that… music?”
With a laugh, Gryff shook his head. “No. That was heavy metal.”
“I think my brain is broken.”
A deep chuckle erupted from him then. And it seemed to spread from his stomach to his face, sprouting into an ear-to-ear smile. He seemed to have no control and shook with the force of his laughter until a resounding snort reverberated from his throat, sending him into another fit of hysteric mirth. And between gasping for breath and wiping the moisture from his cheeks, he spat out, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
When the car started to swerve to the left, Gem grabbed Gryff’s arm and pointed wordlessly at the road in front of them. He righted the car and found a place to pull over, still laughing heartily.
“Oh, man, Gem. I haven’t laughed like this in forever.” His voice was breathy and high-pitched . “I’m sorry. Oh, man. You broke your brain.” And with that another surge of giggles burst out of him. He crossed his arms over his chest and clutched his sides, resting his head against the steering wheel.
Gem stared at him in amazement. This was something she had never seen before, and the joy bubbling out of him seemed to be contagious, for she found herself unable to contain a girlish chuckle.
“Gem,” Gryff said through his subsiding laughter. “You’re so funny… I love you.” He was still laughing, but the last words appeared to take even him by surprise, and though she didn’t know what he meant by them, his reaction to his own words made them seem vital — like her life hinged on them.
She stopped laughing and stared at him, wondering what his words meant.
Gryff stopped too, and took her hand in his, weaving his fingers through hers. The depth of his green eyes startled her, and she felt lost in them.
“I’m sorry, Gem.” His eyes were pleading with her. “I know you don’t know what that means. I don’t even know how to explain it to you really.” He shifted in his seat and lifted his other hand to her cheek. “I know it’s not fair to say things like that. You have no frame of reference to connect it to. But I do. I love you… which is why I’ve got to get you away from Endfield. I have to get you somewhere safe. Somewhere far away from here.” The lump in his throat bobbed against the force of his emotion, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears.
His broad thumb traced the line of her cheek down her jaw to her chin while his eyes fixed on her mouth.
An electric thrill pulsed through her at the thought of kissing him again. She licked her lips and traced the outline of his mouth with her gaze. He leaned toward her at a slow and deliberate pace, as if he thought to give her a chance to push him away. But Gem had no intention of doing that. Instead she met him halfway, her eyes closing in anticipation of the warm connection.
It was like before. Her hands rose instinctively to the back of Gryff’s neck, pulling him closer as if her life depended on him alone. His sharp inhale startled her, and she drew back slightly, thinking she had done something wrong. But Gryff held her fast, coaxing her lips apart with his until she acquiesced, and finally plunging his tongue into her mouth, taking her by surprise. Gem jolted and drew a jagged breath, but still Gryff pulled her to him until she relaxed in his arms, warming to his invasion and losing herself in his embrace.
She heard the click of her seatbelt, then his strong arms turned her and slid her onto his lap. She could feel his hands glide down her back and clasp her tighter. Her head grew dizzy with pleasure, and she forgot where she was. She forgot who she was. The only thing that existed for her was Gryff. And this kiss. Why had they never done this before?
A powerful haze encompassed her mind. Her hands slid to his broad chest, every sensation of his touch intensifying by the second, and something nagged at the fog that had descended on her consciousness. There was more than this. What was it?
Abruptly, Gem found herself sitting back in her own seat, fairly tossed about like a feather pillow. And Gryff’s eyes were wide with concern as he stammered and ran his fingers through the waves of his brown hair. “I’m sorry, Gem. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry.”
He wiped his palms repeatedly on his jeans and shook his head as if trying to work it out of the same daze she was lost in and muttered again, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Amidst heavy breaths, he grabbed the wheel with both hands, threw the lever down, and pulled recklessly back onto the road, instigating a chorus of blaring from the cars rushing by.
Her mind was still spinning. She didn’t understand. That had been so good. Why did he seem upset? A chill shot through her like lightning. Had she done something wrong? It felt right. She stared at him for a long moment, hoping for a sign, a smile, something to reassure her. But his eyes remained glued to the road in front of him. Under his breath he mumbled more words Gem had never heard before.
Tears burned behind her eyes, and she turned toward her window, curling her knees up to her chest and holding them tightly to her with both arms. She stared hard out at the fields passing by, which blurred through the moisture welling in her eyes.
After several moments of thick silence, Gryff’s deep voice travelled to her from what seemed like miles away. “Fasten your seatbelt, Gem.”
She did as she was told. Then she gazed out her window and let the tears slip down her cheeks unchecked until exhaustion overtook her, and she slept.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Gryff wanted to kick himself. Actually, he wanted to kick Aaron. This was all his fault. The whole stupid mess.
He glanced at Gem sleeping beside him in the passenger seat. She hadn’t questioned him, but she would… eventually. What happened had confused her, and his reaction to the incident had shocked her. But she would ask. The Gryff memories testified to her curiosity. Gem would want to understand all of it, and she didn’t have the cultural conditioning to play any cat and mouse games about it. She would wake up and she would simply ask him. He would have to be prepared to answer her with Gryff’s candor — but with Aaron’s facts of life.
That was the least of his worries though. They were being tracked, and whoever was doing it was so good they were virtually invisible. He had seen subtle signs however, and their passive strategy made him nervous. Driving from late afternoon until morning before stopping to rest would hide them in evening traffic and under the cover of darkness. That was the plan anyway. It wouldn’t do for him to lose focus now. If he wasn’t vigilant, it would cost them both their lives.
The road stretched out in front of them as night descended. Weariness set in, and he felt himself begin to drift. He shook his head to stay awake then reached into his pocket and pulled out a stick of gum. There were still several hours to go before he could pull over for rest.
Another cup of coffee would come in handy right about now, but somehow he didn’t think he’d find a drive-through coffee shack sitting out in the wilds of eastern Oregon.
He checked his mirrors again for the thousandth time. The silver pickup about half a mile back. They were good. But when driving through the middle of nowhere, any other vehicle on the road is cause for suspicion. And that pickup had been in the hotel parking lot when they left earlier that day
.
****
After several nights of travel, they neared the east coast. The strain of driving and worrying about Gem’s safety had taken its toll. Sleep was difficult to come by, though he was exhausted. But each morning the knowledge that Gem was safe in his arms and the sound of her steady breathing as she slept allowed Gryff to relax too.
The closer they drew to D.C. though, a sense of foreboding pervaded him. At this point in the trip, Gryff was certain they would have had a run-in with EROMI security forces. The trackers he noticed on the first day managed to switch vehicles periodically. No doubt hoping to throw Gryff of the scent. But he could always pick them out. Even in the heavier traffic they were experiencing now. They had yet to make a move to take them, and the anxiety of inevitable consumed him.
If Aaron had been in charge of the manhunt, he would have taken them as they drove through the farmland of the Midwest. Not nearly as many witnesses around to question the incident. Now that they had entered the more densely populated eastern part of the country, their capture would prove trickier. As far as Gryff was concerned, this was of some relief, unless…
Unless EROMI knew where they were going. It was beginning to seem likely.
The realization woke him long before he should have been up, and he sat at the little rickety table in their hotel room, worrying and studying the map he had picked up back in Little America.
A squeak of the bed behind him told him Gem was stirring.
“Good afternoon,” he said as he turned to face her with a reassuring grin.
She stretched and sucked in a deep breath, smiling back at him from behind drowsy, brown eyes, warming him to his core. But her vulnerability to the dangers awaiting them sent a chill driving through him.
“Hi.” Her soft hoarse voice broke the silent spell of the room.
Gryff rose from his chair and moved to sit beside her on the bed. He smoothed her hair as he spoke. “I’m going to walk down to the store and pick up some food for the drive tonight. Do you have any requests?”
