Lucy Kelly

by HeVans to Becky

  Celestians had greenish-yellow eyes that Addie said were chartreuse or citrine in color. This made them stand out in a crowd. They also had blonde hair and preferred to wear it long. They wore braids at their temples and sometimes more.

  Ishme, like his brother, was six-foot-six with long, golden blonde hair. They both wore braids at the temples, with the rest of their hair unbound.

  Kai and his twin preferred to tie their hair at the nape with a leather thong. Kai and Ari were also an inch taller than Ishme and Nyal.

  “Your concerns for Becky are valid,” said Arjun. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention; we have been remiss. Why don’t you contact Jalen and see if Rune can be spared? He is closer than us.”

  While Ishme relayed the message, he noticed his shoulder twitching.

  “Are you all right, Ishme; were you injured earlier?” asked Arjun, when he had Ishme’s attention again.

  “I may have pulled a muscle in my back. There is a little ache between my shoulder blades. I will be fine. I am still able to stand my post,” he answered.

  “Hmm, good,” said Arjun. “I must be leaving now to meet the ship. Do not worry; Becky will get the protection she needs,” he finished.

  And likely more than she was expecting, if what I suspect is true, Arjun thought, as he noticed Ishme twitch his shoulders again.

  Chapter Six

  Becky had been able to log off the FBI’s Mainframe just after five-forty in the morning. It was past time to leave for the rendezvous point. She still had about thirty IDs to finish, but each person had at least a US driver’s license or foreign passport, as well as a credit card.

  Suzanna and Heidi had been a big help in the last two months, giving lessons on speech and modern slang, in addition to explaining current events to the men chosen to land on Earth. The biggest help had been figuring out how to dress them to look the part.

  All five of the women who had gone up to the space station had a new lease on life. The biggest change had occurred with Carol, who was Gilda’s sister and Suzanna’s mother. The Medical Cluster had halted the failing of brain cells causing her disease. With gene therapy, they were able to keep her from having the disease recur. Gilda and Suzanna were helping her regain memories that Carol had lost.

  Becky was a little surprised when Rune arrived at her house. She thought he was going to stay at the hospital. When he told her why he was there, she went back and forth, deciding whether she was angry or pleased that Ishme had sent her protection and decided to be pleased.

  “Rune,” she called out as she shut down her systems, “it’s time to leave.” She walked over to her safe and opened it. Returning the BEIP and glasses, she pulled out the box with all the IDs in it. Inside the box were a hundred and twenty-six wallets and fifty-nine passports.

  Each man would be given a wallet with a thousand dollars in used bills, a credit card with a two thousand dollar credit limit, various store cards that were just for show, some form of photo ID and some even had mocked up family portraits. She’d scoured second-hand shops, so she had acquired more used wallets than new ones.

  Some of the guys would be getting money clips; all would get some spare change for their pockets. She also bought a lot of second-hand luggage, filling it with clothes for big and tall men.

  The UPS guy had started giving her strange looks because he’d dropped off so many boxes with men’s store labels on them. She told him she was starting a men’s store and was building inventory.

  Becky, Miranda, Johanna, and Valerie had a packing party just before Miranda received the call about her mom dying and had to leave for Florida. The buses they rented already had the luggage in place for the arriving men. When they were dropped off, they would have everything they needed.

  It was a good thing Gilda had put her stocks and bonds into their hands; they could only sell a certain amount of gems the Nephilim brought before it became noticed, and the stocks and bonds had netted over a million dollars. As it was, both Valerie and Johanna had made trips to other cities to sell the gems.

  Addie had turned over all the proceeds of her house sale, along with her remaining inheritance, to fund the ongoing plan to find other Nephilim descendants’ on Earth and make a plea for them to emigrate to HeVan.

  Most of the money was going to purchase land up in Wisconsin and start a small farming community there with a women’s retreat. They were dedicating it in the name of Tamiel, the Queen who had given up her life for the Nephilim on Earth. They were calling the project HeVan’s Gate, with the retreat called Tamiel’s Rest.

  Rune caught up to Becky just as she was putting on her coat and scarf. October nights were cold and it wasn’t dawn yet.

  “Would you like me to drive Becky?” he asked, as he looked her over carefully for signs of her weariness. He knew she must be very tired.

  “That’s okay; I’ve gotten my second wind. We’ll get there faster if I drive. I know all the shortcuts the GPS won’t give you,” she said.

  They went out to the garage and she unlocked the doors of her Jeep with the remote. They’d rented three passenger buses from Bus Max. Each bus held 44 passengers with overhead luggage racks.

  Arjun, Jalen and Jett were supposed to have been the bus drivers, but they had some last minute scrambling because of the night’s events.

  Valerie and Johanna picked up the two buses in the City from where they’d stashed them the prior Saturday instead of the two guys. Arjun was driving the third bus as planned. Becky was glad Jalen had insisted on a backup plan and all the ladies had volunteered to learn to drive the buses.

  I’m glad I won’t be driving one; this is hard enough. I’d probably wreck us, she thought on a yawn.

  They were going to rendezvous at a campground. This time of year, not too many people went camping and they were able to rent the entire space.

  Addie should be arriving at my house with Rapha and her guards’ right about now, she thought. I wonder what that guard, Ishme, looks like. She had time to think now that she wasn’t working so furiously.

  Once again, Becky was happy that her forward planning had worked out. They had rented the campgrounds for a full week. Valerie had found out that two of her local fans were Nephilim, so she told them they were helping set up the surprise event for Saturday.

  They were staffing the campgrounds; when Becky woke them up around three in the morning, they had happily run out to stock up on fresh groceries. They were going to be running the camp for the next two days. Well, today and tomorrow.

  Tomorrow was Thursday and the guys would be able to start checking in to their hotels then. She didn’t want to raise any flags by adding so many reservations at once. All the Thursday-through-Sunday reservations had been made in twos and threes over the course of the last two months.

  By the time they drove into the campground situated on the Pecatonica River, Northeast of Rockford, two hours had passed. It took them that long to get there. It was nearly eight in the morning when they arrived; they saw that all the buses were already there.

  The sun was up. Natalie and Jennifer seemed to be trying to cook breakfast with more helpers than they needed surrounding them. They didn’t look unhappy about the help, given the smiles on their faces. They were young, good-looking women surrounded by over a hundred approving hot looking men.

  What woman wouldn’t appreciate that? she thought, putting the Jeep in park.

  Becky stepped out of the Jeep and took a few steps forward but started to sway on her feet. She tried to take another step and everything went black. The next thing she knew, she was waking up on the ground. People were shouting excitedly. Looking up, she saw that she was surrounded by men three feet deep.

  She raised a hand to her face; her skin felt clammy. Uh, oh, she thought, pushed myself too far, and forgot to eat again.

  “I’m fine, really. I just need some water and maybe some food,” she said to the men.

  None of them moved. She heard Rune shouting to make way. The men moved
back and Rune stepped forward with another man by his side. He was the oldest Nephilim she had seen so far. He actually looked to be in his forties and was very distinguished looking.

  I wonder how old he actually is, she thought.

  “I’m three hundred and forty-eight, young Beleti,” he said.

  “I’m sorry. Did I say that aloud? I didn’t mean to be rude,” Becky said.

  “Do not worry; my appearance is such because I don’t choose to extend my life. I have stopped taking the necessary therapies needed to keep myself youthful. It is a personal choice, you see,” he said, as he began passing a small box over her body.

  “Many of us are not happy with your choice, Markus. Your line ends with you. That is why you and your two brothers were urged to extend your lives and why you were chosen to come on this mission,” said Rune.

  Markus spared Rune a glance. “You may be my Elder, Rune, and also one of my Commanders, but you cannot force me to live longer than I wish. You know my reasons. Now stop complaining. I’m here, am I not?”

  He went back to examining Becky. After another moment, he put the small box away and took another device out of a small leather-looking bag attached to his belt. This one looked like a pencil in shape but was also black in color. He slowly passed the wand-like device over her body from her feet to her head.

  “Well Beleti, do you want to hear my diagnosis here or in private?” he asked.

  She looked up at what looked like his serious face. He wasn’t using the laugh lines she could see by his eyes and mouth. Yep, this was definitely his, I’ve-got-bad-news-for-you face.

  “In private, please. Am I allowed to get up on my feet now?” asked Becky.

  Rune immediately leaned over and picked her up. Looking over at Markus, who must be a member of their Medical Cluster, he raised an eyebrow.

  Markus began walking over to the nearest bus. He knew the seats there reclined and wanted his new patient to lie down.

  Once she was ensconced in the seat and covered with a light blanket, she turned to Markus and said, “Okay, Doc, lay it on me.”

  He looked confused for a moment and then his face cleared up, “One of your idiomatic phrases. I shall remember it, Beleti.”

  “You don’t need to call me Beleti; I’m not royalty, so ‘Lady’ is a title I don’t need. I’m just plain old Rebecca Anderson. You can call me Becky,” she said to him.

  “Thank you, Becky, you honor me. Now, as I heard you say, you do need water and rest. However, you have several other physical issues you are going to have to deal with. If you continue to stress your body, it’s going to break down on you.

  “Your blood pressure and cholesterol readings are far beyond where they should be, from my study of your species. You are inviting a heart attack or stroke.

  “Also, I detect the formation of ulcers in your stomach lining. For today, you will rest and sleep. I will give you a treatment to deal with the current problems. However, without a Nephilim medical facility, I cannot cure them. Therefore, for the time being, you may only work a maximum of three hours per day. The rest of the time you must rest and take part in less stressful activities,” Markus concluded.

  “Three hours! But I have so much to do…”

  He cut her off. “Three hours is the most I’m willing to give you. Be lucky I’m not cutting you off altogether. I know how important you are to our Queen, even if you are not Beleti,” he said with a smile, “so I’m sure that Arjun will do whatever is necessary to ensure your health.”

  “Sure, show off that great smile now that you’re getting your way,” Becky grumbled. “Okay, okay. I’ll rest for today. I’m somewhat tired anyway. However, later, I’m going to have to work because not all the guys have their full identities yet. I’m the only one who can do that.”

  “We’ll see,” he said, as he got up to leave the bus. When he stepped outside, Arjun, Rune, and Kylan were all waiting for him, along with Valerie and Johanna. He related his diagnosis and the treatment he was prescribing.

  “We’ll make sure she doesn’t overdo, Markus,” said Arjun. “Ishme has also expressed concerns for her well-being. I believe that he and his brother Nyal might be good candidates for looking after her.”

  He started to grin. “His back was bothering him earlier after he had spoken with her.”

  Markus’s brows went up and after a moment, he smiled. “Good. That will be very good. We are living through exciting times, my old friend.”

  When he saw his friend opening his mouth to talk, he held up a hand. “Rune has already tried to convince me to change my mind about extending my life, so you needn’t bother. Now, I think I’ll go and see about some food and water for my patient,” he said before walking away.

  Arjun turned to Rune, “Well, we better distribute the IDs that Becky was able to complete. Where are they?”

  Rune went back to the Jeep and pulled a box from the back. He and Arjun would pull the men aside in small groups and pass out the wallets. This time, Becky had used all of their real names to avoid confusion and mistakes. She had carefully organized the box in alphabetical order so it wasn’t hard to find the correct item.

  By eleven thirty, Becky had slept all she could in a reclining bus seat, fully clothed. She had to get home and help Addie in to see Grace and Justyn. Then she had to move them out of the hospital and to a safe house. She had to finish the remaining IDs and get the results of her searches into police hands in such a way that it would allow the new bank accounts to fall under the original search and seizure warrants.

  Because of this case, she’d gone back and altered her own college records so she no longer showed up as Addie’s dorm mate. She didn’t want the Kadyrovs coming after her to look for Addie, so she had made herself disappear.

  For all intents and purposes, Becky Siobhan Anderson didn’t officially exist anymore.

  Chapter Seven

  Becky got up from her bus seat and started to leave. When she approached the front of the bus, blocking the door was a large back with broad shoulders, narrow waist, and a fine ass. Hanging down the center of his back was a sleek waterfall of gorgeous honey-blonde hair that put her platinum-blonde locks to shame.

  “Excuse me,” she said, clearing her throat.

  Ishme spun around at her voice. Shifting his shoulders, he spoke, “You are supposed to be resting, Becky Anderson.”

  “Yeah, well, a girl can only get so much rest in a chair and wearing restrictive clothing. Right now, I need to meet Arjun. Then I’ll go home and do my three hours of allotted work. Then I’ll go to bed like a good little girl, okay? Now, step out of the way, big guy,” she said, moving towards the steps.

  Ishme crossed his arms over his chest, slowly examined Becky from head to toe, and then stepped back to allow her to descend. Just then, her stomach growled loudly. She put her hand on her belly.

  “Be a pal, I need to eat,” she waved her hands in a shooing motion.

  He watched her as she left the bus. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He yearned to get his hands on the bouncing globes of her derriere as she walked away from him. He shook his head. Once again, his shoulders twitched and he moved to follow.

  Arjun knew that Addie would be safe here at the campgrounds surrounded by her people and so he had requested Ishme and his brother Nyal to watch over Becky. Ishme would normally have argued but in this case, he felt compelled to watch over Becky.

  Nyal had not been pleased when Ishme informed him of the change in assignment. Guarding the Queen was the highest honor a member of the Fighting Cluster could achieve. When Nyal saw Becky, he would realize this new position promised other benefits.

  Ishme reached down and tried to adjust the fit of his pants. They had grown tight in the last few minutes. He finally realized what the sensations in his back meant and why Arjun had seemed so pleased. He grinned as he sent blessings to the Goddess for his and his brother’s good fortune.

  Becky walked over to Food Service and was surprised to
find Addie there. “What are you doing here? We have to make arrangements for you to see Grace and then move you to a hotel,” she said.

  “Arjun called me and told me how you had been working too hard and collapsed.”

  Addie got up from the camp chair she was sitting in and walked up to Becky to give her a hug. “I don’t have that many close friends, Becky. You have to take better care of yourself,” she said, with tears in her eyes. “Now see what you made me do?” Addie asked, pointing to her tears.

  “Not me, Professor, it’s the preggo hormones. I’m fine; I just need a little vacation. I don’t have any regular gigs in the pipeline. I’ve put them all on hold or farmed them out to other programmers.

  “I just need to finish up with the guys and then I promise to take some time off. I was planning to after Saturday, anyway. If I’m not matched up, then I’m heading out to San Francisco. There’s a company there that I want to check out,” Becky answered, hugging Addie back.

  “I’m not letting this slide, Becky. I’m leaving after the dinner event Saturday night, and I need to know that you’re going to be okay, so Arjun has assigned guards for you.”

  Addie gestured to the man who’d followed Becky from the bus. “This is Ishme. He and his brother Nyal are going to be living with you and looking out for you. They’re also going to be sending me regular reports, so don’t think you’ll be getting around me on this. They’ll be watching you night and day.”

  “Night and day, huh?” she said, turning to look back at Ishme. “Things could be worse. He’s awful nice eye-candy,” she finished, and gave Addie a wink. Then they both dissolved into giggles.

  “So, what happened while I was inspecting the insides of my eyelids? How’s everybody holding up?” asked Becky.

  “We’ve heard that Justyn’s been moved to a safe house. Grace is fully recovered, but she’s wearing a shoulder brace for the time being. Her biggest problem is getting the condo fixed. She wants to sell the condo and can’t really do that with the damage.”

  Addie stopped talking, just the reminder of what had been done had her tearing up again.