Afterward, they took showers and told her family they were going on a romantic walk when they docked but they, in truth, had to meet Elder Jay at his office. The ship ported at St. Maarten and they waited on deck until her mother texted that the coast was clear. They teleported to a room in the bank where Elder Jay worked, which he had set up for just such visits.
Elder Jay greeted them and once the office door was closed dived straight into business. Council was thrilled that their engagement was getting so much attention from the press. Apparently, it was an unexpected bonus they wanted to build on, so she and Jason were about to get thrust further into the spotlight. They had several Hybrids planted in the media and one of them had taken on the task of becoming their publicist.
The first thing on the publicist agenda was Mindy Evans. Kat was to be diplomatic when handling the matter, so she was given guidance on everything she was to say. Elder Jay handed her a brief on all the charities that she was to become actively involved in, which was their way of letting the public see her humanitarian side. She was told to flip to the section that listed all the people that she was to befriend.
She was further instructed on what to wear, down to the perfumes that she needed to spritz on before interviews. She would have a hair and make-up team now because she had to look her best—always. She flipped through the thick booklet as Elder Jay grilled Jason over coursework. He insisted that Jason take additional classes so he could graduate sooner, his brief even thicker than hers.
“Okay, I need you two to get back to the beach. We have a photographer setting up now. Find a spot and sit and read the paper together. Make sure you hold it in a way that the title is visible. And make sure you don’t appear hostile or uninterested toward each other as you walk back to the ship. We need you to convey that Mindy’s comments didn’t bother either one of you.”
“Yes, sir,” Jason said.
“And make sure you get through your briefs tonight since you fly home tomorrow. First thing Monday morning your hair and make-up team will be at your house because you have a photo session at the ASPCA. Did you need me to get your acting coach to your house tomorrow evening so she can coach you through the session?”
“No, sir, I should be fine—” Kat started.
“Great, here are your lines,” Elder Jay interrupted handing her a stack of index cards. “Jason, these are yours, a reporter’s going to ask some questions when you return to the ship.”
She looked at Jason and swallowed. He flipped through the cards and nodded.
“Thank you, sir. Is there anything else that you require of us?” Jason asked.
“Not at the moment, but I’ll be in touch if something comes up. Do you have any questions for me?”
“No, sir,” they said.
“Okay, great. Kat, here is your bikini.”
“May I use your bathroom?” She asked.
“Of course, help yourself.”
She grabbed the bikini and changed quickly then put her clothes back on over it. When she stepped out of the bathroom, Elder Jay handed her a beach bag while Jason disappeared into the bathroom and emerged in a t-shirt and swim trucks, his shorts in hand.
“I need you to read through your lines before you teleport. And your publicist called, he recommended that you display affection toward each other after reading the article. Try to make it looking authentic.”
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.
They left the office, got on the elevator, and returned to the teleport room. Kat slipped off her clothes and Jason pulled his shirt off and they tossed them into the bag. She read through her cards then laughed when he propped his chin on her shoulder.
“May I be so cliché as to say that it’s rude to read over my shoulder?”
“Are you okay?” He asked.
“Yeah, fine—”
“I don’t believe you,” he said. “You sound okay but something doesn’t feel right.” He rubbed his hand against her stomach, “In here.”
“So you’re getting a weird feeling in my stomach?” She laughed.
“Yeah, the same one that told me that you were just about to make that smart-ass comment—”
“Better to be a smart-ass than a dumb-ass.” She chuckled.
“I’m being serious,” he turned her to face him. “There’s something…”
“I don’t like all of this,” she shrugged. “People invading your privacy, writing crap about us…it makes me uncomfortable.”
“I’ll make you a promise,” he said after a minute. “I will always try to ensure that the spotlight is never on you—”
“Jason—”
“Hear me out. It’ll never be completely off you, but I’ll do my best to protect you from it as much as possible.”
“Okay, I’d like that.”
“Good, so let’s get to the beach, read the paper then make-out—”
“Authentically,” she added.
“I can definitely manage that,” he smiled.
“Yeah.” She nodded, “Me too.”
When they returned to the beach, they sat and pulled the paper from their bag. They read the article a second time. He laughed when he read the hapless whore comment because he swore no human would ever word something in that way. She had no time to respond because when she turned to disagree he kissed her.
She returned his kiss hesitantly, leery of the photographer lurking about somewhere. Sensing her discomfort he laid her in the sand and started tickling her, which turned into a bit of a wrestling match when she tried to retaliate. She chased him into the water and they ended up having a blast, more fun than she could ever remember having before. And when he kissed her again, the last thing on her mind was being photographed.
When they got onto the ship and a reporter started snapping shots of them, Jason pushed her behind him. After agreeing to stop taking pictures in exchange for an interview, Jason answered directly from the script. A small crowd gathered around, enthralled by the celebrity gossip and press. Kat wanted to gag when she had to show her ring, but she played her part to perfection, and was relieved when they finally stepped onto the elevator alone.
The reminder of the day went without incident. And when they got into their room that evening it was so nice to stop in between their lengthy reading to kiss. Kat could definitely get used to memorizing lines and reading through briefs if he was there to kiss and hold her. When they got through with their reading, Jason tossed his pillow on the floor. Kat reached out and grabbed his wrist.
She tapped the mattress beside her. She had loved waking up with him next to her and didn’t see the harm in him sleeping with her again. Nemeanians didn’t do anything emotionally or physically, it was forbidden. And though they had kissed, in a very human way, she wasn’t worried about it going any further. There was something about their make-up that seemed to kick in, just enough, so that she wasn’t concerned.
Jason studied her for a second, then lifted his pillow and placed it beside hers. He turned the television on after he pulled her against him and ran his hand up and down the length of her arm, which gave her goose bumps. She couldn’t remember a time she had ever fallen asleep so content. Of course, the good mood that she fell asleep to dissipated when they woke, and she read the paper. She sighed. She found yet another thing that she hated about her life as a Hybrid—fame.
When they returned to Washington, life was so hectic she barely had time to breathe. There were all the charities she had to become involved in and she had to make contacts with certain students and alumni. Not to mention that she had a full class schedule and she and Jason were house-hunting.
She was sure it would have been nice if both sets of parents weren’t tagging along because it seemed like no one could agree. So a task that would have otherwise been simple and enjoyable was just another stress on top of a billion other stresses.
Their parents finally agreed on a beautiful, secluded five-bedroom home just north of Georgetown Hospital. The house was well over two milli
on dollars, so Brian insisted that he and Julianne furnish the entire home since the McCarthy’s refused to hear of them helping with the mortgage. When the moving truck delivered their belongings a few weeks later, everyone came to help unpack, including Brian’s parents.
Their attempt to settle in turned into a social event that had everyone on edge because Kat’s grandparents thought it distasteful for Jason’s parents to give such an opulent wedding gift. The gesture made them suspicious. So brunch ended up feeling more like the Spanish Inquisition as her grandfather blasted Eric with a billion questions, all of which he answered perfectly.
After dinner, Vanessa and Pete volunteered to drop her grandparents at their house. Pete had flown in for the weekend so was going to take Vanessa out to the movies after dropping them off. Everyone helped clear the dishes, then Kat’s parents followed Jason up to the master bedroom to help move a dresser.
Kat finally had a moment to herself. She blissfully hummed along to the radio as she cleaned the kitchen. She was grateful that the day was almost over and she could finally be alone with Jason. She startled when she felt Jason press against her back and smell her hair. Amazed that she hadn’t heard him come down the stairs, and that he had managed to ditch her parents long enough to smooch, she relaxed her weight against him.
She lifted her arm up and ran her fingers through his hair after he placed another kiss on her neck. She froze when an odd sensation gripped her stomach. The hair that she was holding wasn’t Jason’s, the curls a dead giveaway. She spun around and took the small step back that the counter allowed. She pressed her rear against it and stared at the person standing in front of her.
She didn’t know him. Her quick assessment making her guess he was probably in his forties—and clearly very ill. The medical scrubs with the words St. Elizabeth stamped on it were surely stolen because he couldn’t possibly be a physician. He was holding a pair of sheers in his hand. She grabbed the wrist that held the scissors and squeezed it so that his face contorted in pain. He let out a yelp before he dropped them to the floor.
“I just want some of it. I wouldn’t ruin it,” he dropped to his knees as she continued to apply pressure to his hand. “I swear!”
“Who are you?” She released his hand and stepped away from him.
“Susan, honey, I just wanted a piece—”
“My name is not Susan,” Kat stepped back when he took a step toward her.
“You are my Susan. My Susie reborn to come back for me,” he took another step toward her. “The papers say its Katarina, but we know the truth, I know it’s really you—”
“Listen, Mister, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but you are breaking and entering so you need to go before—”
He came toward her. It was quick enough that she instinctively went on the defensive and stood her ground but then thought better of it and forced herself to jump over the counter. She was sure Council would be mortified if she murdered a human on the first night of staying in her new home. She recoiled when he ran around the counter then pulled her hair into a ponytail when she realized he was after it again.
“Susie, please, let me just touch it, smell it,” he reached for her hair.
“Jason!” She shouted in what she hoped was a bloodcurdling tone.
“I’m right here.” The man said coming around the counter, “That’s how I knew it was you, baby. The hair, the eyes, and all the pictures in the paper so I would see you, know that you named him Jason after me, so I would know—”
“Mister, there aren’t enough meds on this planet to help how delusional you are,” she backed toward the door. “Jason!”
“Kat, what’s wrong?” Jason called from upstairs. “Are you okay?” He shouted as she heard his footsteps coming down the stairs at a frantic pace. He bolted into the room a second later, her parent’s right behind him.
“Holy shit!” Brian yelled when he spotted the man.
“He’s got a knife,” her mother shouted as she pointed to the sheers that the man had retrieved along the way.
“Listen, Mister,” Jason shoved Kat to her mother and pushed them out of the room. “You can have whatever you want,” he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. “I have money—”
“I don’t want your money,” he advanced toward Jason. “Susan, come back over here!”
Kat didn’t have a second to respond because her mother was dragging her down the hallway as she frantically explained the situation to the 911 operator.
“Susan!” She heard the man scream again. She looked down the hallway and her heartbeat accelerated wildly when she heard a struggle and Brian scream out.
“Don’t,” her mother said quietly. “You know Jason will keep him safe and I have to portray the frightened, yet overprotective mother, so I can’t let you go back there.” She uncovered the phone and went back to her frantic description of the situation as it unfolded.
Brian came running down the hallway shouting for them to get out of the house and to wait in their car, insisting that they lock the doors and wait until the police arrived. Kat asked if Jason was okay, which he assured her he was, then he disappeared back into the house.
The police showed up within five minutes. Three vehicles approached with flashing lights. People emerged from their homes to watch as an officer grabbed Kat and her mother and escorted them to a police car. He directed them onto the backseat of the squad car as he stood guard. Kat and Julianne snickered at this because they were a much more lethal force then the short and stocky officer could ever be.
Three officers went to the front door while two went around back. She saw Brian pull open the front door and the three officers walked in and disappeared from sight. She listened to the exchange over the officer’s radio. Jason had disarmed the perpetrator and knocked him unconscious. The police had the deranged man handcuffed before he regained consciousness.
Kat ran to Jason and Brian once they had the man secured in a squad car. The camera flashes nearly blinded her as she jumped into Jason’s arms. She leaned back and examined him, and after assuring her that he was okay, she kissed him. She was glad that he hadn’t been foolish enough to let himself get injured just for the sake of playing human in front of Brian.
Much later, after what turned out to be a media circus and an exceptionally difficult night for Brian, who was beside himself over the incident, she and Jason fell into her bed at her parent’s house. Her parents insisted that they couldn’t stay in their house until the security system was reactivated that Monday, which had originally been the plan.
Of course, no one thought there would be a deranged mental patient escaping incarceration because he believed that Kat was his deceased wife reincarnated. It was something he was certain of as he watched her on television and read about her in the newspaper and magazines. As if being a defective Hybrid wasn’t enough trouble—she now had stalkers to contend with as well.
As she assured Jason for the hundredth time that she was okay, she insisted that he turn off the light so she could snuggle up against him. As he gently stroked her hair, she thought of all the rules that were in place in her society, and sighed. She looked up at him and he stared at her intently, his genuine concern for her such an amazing feeling.
She thought about all those rules again, hundreds of them embedded in her head. All of which stated that everything that she was doing with Jason was wrong. She was sure, that in the eighteen years she had been on the planet, she had already managed to break at least three-quarters of them all on her own. And now with him by her side she was sure that breaking the rest of those sacred rules was going to be a breeze.
She scooted closer to him and ran her fingers through his hair. When he leaned up and kissed her neck she giggled and looked at him. To hell with all their intergalactic alien rules. She had always been more human than alien and finding a lifemate who was just as human called for some much needed change. They were going to start making their own set rules. Because like it or not, t
hey had both decided somewhere along the way, to toss all those intergalactic alien rules out the window and start playing by their own.
Chapter Six Betrayed
Kat hated bodyguards. She hated the fact that since the other Jason broke into her house, she hadn’t had a moment’s peace because Brian insisted she have someone watch over her. Pushing the thought aside, she forced a smile and shook another person’s hand. She missed their name but didn’t care. She was supposed to be enjoying her engagement party, but she definitely wasn’t. It had turned into a horrific security detail that she resented.
Thankfully, the night had come and was nearly over. She worked the room on Jason’s arm, both of them looking impeccable thanks to her hair and make-up team. Her mood soured further because they were yet another nuisance she didn’t need. Kat often had fantasies of using the hair and makeup girls as target practice. The mental images of their faces on her target made her giggle. Jason eyed her curiously then politely excused the two of them, and instead of walking to another couple, pulled her on to the dance floor.
“I’m getting that stomach thing again,” he pulled her into his embrace.
“It sounds like an irregularity issue when you put it that way,” she laughed.
“Ha, ha, you’re so funny.” He twirled her then pulled her against him. “But, seriously, you know what I mean.”
“Ah, so you think you know me that well?”
“Not at all,” he nodded. “I’ve been on this planet long enough to know that I’m never going to fully comprehend what makes you tick, but,” he kissed her cheek then stared at her. “I know when you’re uncomfortable, I can feel it.”
“You know I hate all of this,” she said. “You know that I would love to be just like the humans. To be able to fall in love and go through all the motions and not have to lie, not have to pretend.”
“But sometimes pretending lets us be ourselves,” he kissed her. “Because I love doing that and this,” he twirled her around. “And I really like this,” he pulled her against him.
Sleeper Cells Page 9
