“Katarina,” she nodded her head and looked into the room. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh, yes.” Kat nodded. “Fine, thank you.”
“I thought I heard shouting.”
“Yes, I apologize for that. The television was blaring when I first turned it on. It actually startled me,” she scratched her head and cleared her throat. She stared at the remote that was in her hand. “Which caused me to drop the remote…behind the bed…and it took me a minute to find it under there…”
“You could have turned it down from the unit,” she walked into the room. Barbara stepped in front of the flat screen and pointed to the side of the television. “There’s volume and channel controls right here.”
“Of course,” Kat nodded. “Thank you.”
“You do realize that this channel isn’t authorized.” Barbara said.
Kat studied the screen and couldn’t figure out what channel it was on. The fact that the programming was in color and was in high definition was enough for her to know that it wasn’t a channel they were allowed to watch. Hybrids were only authorized to watch television programs that had been taped prior to 1960. It was High Council’s way of not exposing them to how corrupt and insidious humans had become. Not that any of the Hybrids she knew watched much television since they were so busy all the time.
“Of course,” Kat nodded again and hit the power button on the remote. “I was just gonna call my sister and needed the background noise.”
“Your stepsister?” Her eyebrow rose. “Isn’t it a bit late for that?”
“No,” she looked at the clock. “Um, she left a message while we were in Africa so I just wanted to call. Humans worry so much and she’s still up…”
“And that has what to do with the television?” Barbara asked as she walked toward the door, stopping for a second to look in the closet.
“Well…” Kat walked slowly then dropped the remote on the nightstand. “She’s always telling me to watch stuff with her. It’s this weird thing she does…”
“I see,” Barbara said. “Do you know where my son is?”
“Jason?” Her voice cracked. “No. Um, no,” she shook her head. “I don’t know where he is.”
“Was there some kind of complication during your mission?” Barbara asked after another moment. Kat officially hated the way Barbara paused before replying to something she said; it was terrifying.
“Yes,” Kat nodded vigorously. “There was some problem with the equipment. I had no communication the entire time so he must be trying to work out that kink.” Whew. She was glad she had managed to tie the lie into what she told Council earlier.
“Well, I’m sure that’s where he is.” Barbara said after a moment of staring at Kat. “He does seem to like tinkering with his equipment.” She looked at the bathroom door. “I do prefer if you left that bathroom door opened during the night, it helps air out all the moisture.”
“Of course,” Kat nodded. “I’ll do that right now. Blessed be, Mrs. McCarthy.” She said hoping that was hint enough for her to get the hell out.
“Blessed be, Katarina.”
Kat closed the door then leaned against it. She blew the hair out of her face and took a moment to catch her breath. Jason pulled open the bathroom door and they stared at each other. He walked across the room and stood in front of her. Not sure what to do or say, Kat felt like a deer caught in headlights.
“Thanks for that.” He nodded toward the door. “I shouldn’t have come, I’m sorry to have bothered you.” He reached for the doorknob.
“Wait,” she put her hand over his. “Jason…”
“Yes?” He shifted, which put him so much closer to her.
“I think you at least owe me an explanation.”
“Do I?” He asked. His one hand was still under hers, so he used his other hand to pull some of her hair over her shoulder.
“Yeah,” she bit her lip. She was pretty sure she was about to have a heart attack, its current rate of speed with him that close just shy of bursting.
“I didn’t like seeing those men hit you, it made me really...”
“Really what?” She asked.
“I don’t know.” He ran his hand over her left forearm. “But I really liked watching you kill them. I liked that a lot.” He searched her eyes. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know.” She lied.
“Thanks for covering for me,” he ran his hand up her arm again then rubbed her cheek with his thumb.
“Uh-huh,” she nodded. “It was really no trouble at all.” She whispered. She was sure she would do just about anything to have him look at her like that.
“Good night, Kat.”
“Night, Jason.”
She tensed when he placed his hand on her hip and pulled her away from the door. In response, both of her hands flew up and rested on his chest so that she could balance herself. She had nothing to worry about though, because his hand was still holding her firmly pressed against him. He pulled the door open and after a second slipped out and pulled it closed behind him. She had to stand there for several minutes before she was sure her legs would carry her to the bed.
Intergalactic alien rule number three stated that lying or keeping secrets from your lifemate was not permitted. She was sure that was why he had shared all of that information with her. Miscommunication could lead to unfavorable outcomes, so he had conveyed those emotions to her even though he didn’t understand them. She sighed and ran her fingers along her hip.
She wondered if falling in love with your lifemate was considered lying. They had no such emotion on Or-Pisc in. She was pretty sure that he felt something for her too, which elated and scared her all at once. Either way, she wasn’t going to share that with him, not when it was bound to confuse him further.
She sighed again. At least lying to your lifemate wasn’t punishable by death. She should have been comforted knowing that she was, at the very least, downgrading her offenses. But not telling him how she felt was so wrong that she didn’t feel comforted at all, just confused. And that made trying to fall asleep that night next to impossible.
Chapter Four The Love Boat
Kat loved that the wait staff on the cruise ship wore bright Hawaiian-themed patterns. It made the seven-day cruise to the Caribbean even more tropical. She looked over at Jason when he laughed at something her mother said. His laugh always gave her chills. Pete joined in on the laughter and Kat was glad that he had been able to join them. Her father wasn’t too happy about it but he understood that Pete would be leaving shortly after they returned to Washington D.C. And they all knew Vanessa was broken-hearted about him leaving for UCLA, so her father relented and treated Pete to the trip.
“You would look amazing in that bathing suit,” Pete nodded toward someone. “It reminds me of that—”
“That one?” Vanessa asked pointing toward someone behind Kat.
“Yeah, you remember that dress you wore—”
“She’s pretty hot.”
“Yeah, but it reminds me of homecoming—”
“You’re such a jerk,” Katie punched him in the chest and walked off.
“What?” Pete asked rubbing his chest.
“I’ll get her,” Julianne said standing from the lounge chair.
“What I do?” Pete asked again looking at Jason then at Brian.
“Got me?” Jason said looking at Kat for guidance.
“You didn’t do anything—technically.” Brian chuckled. “See Pete, guys and girls hear things differently. So while in your head it sounded like you were paying Vanessa a compliment about that red dress she wore to homecoming—”
“What she heard was that you were checking out that chick and admitted to it by agreeing that she was hot.” Kat finished for her dad.
“I didn’t even look at her! It was the color that caught my attention.”
“Hey, I get it.” Brian laughed. “And no worries, with time you’ll get a whole lot better at dodging those bullets.”
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“I hope so. It would be nice to spend a day with her and not get beat up,” he rubbed his chest. “You sure you wanna tie the knot, Jason? Life might be easier becoming a monk.”
“I’ve never wanted anything more in my life. And I thankfully don’t have to worry about stuff like that. Kat isn’t nearly as sensitive to my slip-ups as Vanessa is to yours.” He took Kat’s hand and kissed the back of it. “You wanna get going so we can get ready for dinner? You said it was going to take an hour to tease your hair into the Madonna hairstyle you’re planning on wearing—”
“Madonna?” Brian asked.
“Its eighties night, Daddy. Don’t you look at the itinerary?”
“Nah, I just follow Mom around. Life’s a whole lot easier when you just do what you’re told.” He laughed as he finished off his drink. “All right, troops, let’s head to our rooms and get ready—”
“I think I’m going to sit a bit longer,” Pete said. “I figure Vanessa’s still in the midst of her tantrum, so it’s safer for me to stay on deck.”
“Kat and I will send you a message when we get to the stateroom,” Jason helped Kat up. “We’ll let you know if it’s all clear or if you should order room service. Dinner in your room, with the doors barricaded, may be your safest bet.” He chuckled.
“I’ll keep you company,” Brian signaled the waiter. “Julianne is probably still calming her down. Did you want another drink?”
Kat and Jason made their way to their room. It was weird walking hand and hand even though they had been doing so for over a month now. Not that she minded, because she really didn’t. But the fact that he was getting better at appearing to be that totally in love human made it harder for her to appear like a totally disinterested alien.
“Excuse me,” a woman asked after they all stepped onto the elevator. She stepped closer to her husband and held a finger to her lips at what Kat could only assume were her two daughters. “We hate to be like those people, but are you Senator McCarthy’s son?”
“Yes,” he smiled and held out his hand. “Jason McCarthy and this is my fiancée, Katarina Bloomfield.” The two girls squealed and the lady elbowed the one nearest her.
“We just saw you on CNN, your engagement party sounds like it’s going to be a huge bash, congratulations—”
“Is it true you’re cheating on her with Mindy Evans?”
“Jordan!” Her mother yelled then looked at them and smiled. “Sorry. You know how teenagers get addicted to those smut magazines, and they had an article in there about you…”
“Can I see the ring?” the older girl asked.
“Of course,” Kat said thinking she would never get used to people asking her that. She held her hand out and they leaned over and admired it. She understood why, it was a breathtaking ring. The three-carat diamond in the platinum setting was beyond perfect. And that it was surrounded by tiny diamonds and sat on a diamond-studded band made it the most beautiful ring Kat had ever seen.
“It’s so pretty,” the younger girl said. “You’re so lucky, he’s dreamy…” She stared at Jason.
Kat laughed at the girl, but was sure she had looked at Jason with that same dreamy smile the day he proposed. She knew he eventually had to ask, but Kat had been genuinely surprised when he popped the question, because he had always refused to tell her when he was proposing. Then, on their first night of the cruise, they had taken a walk while Vanessa and Pete argued in the stateroom. As they leaned against the railing of the bow, he dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him. It was the sweetest and most human proposal she had ever heard, tears still stinging her eyes when she remembered it.
“Thanks, I’m very lucky indeed.” Kat agreed.
“This is us,” the husband said apologetically as the elevator chimed and the door slid open. “I’m sorry about that,” his cheeks were pink.
“It’s no problem,” Jason said waving. “And ladies, I’m a one woman kinda guy, so don’t believe everything you read in those magazines.”
“Okay,” the younger girl said as her parents dragged her off the elevator.
“Our engagement party made CNN?” Kat asked when the doors closed.
“Uh-huh, and Mindy and I are sneaking around, according to the tabloids.”
Jason was referring to one of their California agents that Kat had recently learned about. Mindy Evans was a Hollywood movie star that was beyond famous. She was also a Hybrid. And she was just one of many actresses and musicians that were embedded in the Hollywood scene.
Jason had been fake-dating Mindy for several years. Their on-again, off-again, tumultuous relationship launched Jason’s popularity. He had slowly become a heartthrob as his relationship with Mindy went on. And each time they broke-up, Jason would date another Hybrid musician or actress.
He developed quite the fan base and had won the title of being a ladies man. Of course, no one knew that nothing transpired between Jason and his leading ladies, so the name was a misnomer, since he was quite innocent. Kat knew that for certain because he had confessed as much to her. Other than the two missions that required him to kiss a human, he had no concept of romance.
“The fact that we have several actors and musicians embedded in Hollywood amazes me. That is the last place I thought we would have agents,” Kat said.
“I thought the same thing, and it’s a rough assignment. Mindy has experienced everything you’re going through and then some. So have all the other celebrities out there,” he shrugged. “But humans idolize them and it pays lots of money, which the Agency always needs.”
The Agency was a collection of high-ranking Hybrid officials and royalty. Jason had provided Kat with that additional bit of information after confiding their royal status to her, even though he was forbidden to discuss it.
“Besides, it helps sway humans when Mindy and the others join one of our causes. Humans follow like puppies when their favorite celebrities endorse something.”
“Well, it’s weird having people walk up to me. We’ll have to sit so I can take notes from you since you seem to be comfortable with it now.”
“It does get easier,” he shrugged. “Just make sure you’re ready at dinner. Father has someone there to take our picture.” He lifted her hand and studied her ring. “We do seem to be acquiring a bit of a fan base—”
“Well, I did steal one of D.C.’s most eligible bachelors from a famous movie star, then took him off the market entirely by accepting his marriage proposal,” she said as they exited the elevator and made it to their room.
“The one and only,” he smiled.
“I think you’re letting all of this go to your head.”
“Can you keep a secret?” He pulled her close so she wouldn’t unlock the stateroom door.
“Yeah,” she whispered.
“I kinda do. But only because I love seeing you blush every time someone asks to see your ring.”
“Is that so?” She whispered, the closeness making her head spin a little.
His cell phone chimed and he pulled it from his pocket. She took the moment to regain her composure; having to keep up the pretense of not liking him was becoming impossible.
“It’s Pete, he wants to know if she’s calm,” he read the text message.
They opened the door and he chuckled. Vanessa was curled up on the couch with her mother and she was sobbing dramatically. Kat made her way toward them.
“I’m just gonna sit for a minute, why don’t you shower up first?” Kat suggested.
“Okay,” he said.
He kissed her forehead then disappeared into their room. As if life wasn’t hard enough, they were actually sharing the stateroom with Vanessa. Jason had properly asked Brian and her mother for her hand in marriage long before actually proposing. So when Brian booked the cruise it was with the notion that they would be engaged. He was okay with her and Jason sleeping together. He was not okay with Vanessa and Pete thinking they could do the same.
So Jason had spent the week sleeping on the f
loor while Kat took to the bed. A more uncomfortable sleeping arrangement she had never had. And it sucked that they had to deal with Vanessa. Not only were the dramatics a bit much but the after hour arguments and other adventures carried through the room entirely too well. They unfortunately couldn’t change it because Brian had booked everything on his own, so he had intentionally put Vanessa with them to ensure that Pete would stay in his room across the hall.
Of course, that didn’t keep Pete from sneaking over every night. Her dad had made sure to put Pete right next door to their room to help alleviate that particularly problem. But her mother made sure to keep her dad down at the casinos or dancing so Pete could do just that. Not that her mom condoned Vanessa being with Pete, but she had no choice because she had to protect Kat’s privacy. Vanessa’s life depended on it.
And if Kat and Jason had to pick up in the middle of the night to go on a mission they sure as hell didn’t need Vanessa sticking her nose into it. They had gotten through fifteen years of keeping her and Brian blissfully unaware of their true identities, so they weren’t going to blow it weeks before Kat finally moved out. Not when the Agency would kill them if they ever discovered the truth.
After sitting with Vanessa and her mom for what seemed like an eternity, Kat got ready for dinner. Pete had shown up with flowers and chocolates in hand. He had a note already prepared that he slipped under her bedroom door after Vanessa slammed it in his face.
“You ready, Madonna?” Jason asked leaning against the doorframe.
“Yeah,” she took in his outfit. “Nice, I love the Don Johnson look.”
“It was this or Alf. So I opted for the sexy police officer instead of the short, furry alien.”
“Too bad,” she teased. “I think you would have made one very sexy, furry alien—”
“I think I should be insulted by that—”
“That was a total compliment,” she jabbed his chest with her finger.
“You sure you didn’t mean that if I grew out my beard then I could totally pass as a furry alien?”
“That might work for the furry part and you already have the alien gene in your favor, but how would we get you that short?” She laughed. “You could always shuffle around on your knees all night.”
Sleeper Cells Page 6
