My heart lodged in my throat. This was the first time I was getting anything close to this.
“Garrison is preoccupied with history. He’s fundamentally unable to let the past go. The way that Earth history goes, we are led to believe that everyone left Earth because of the bombs. The truth is that our family was kicked off Earth long before then.”
Really? I didn’t think my husbands knew that. “We were thieves, murderers, with the prisons overflowing by then, they were ousting people left and right. Putting them in ships that shouldn’t have made the trip and leaving them to their fate. When my brother found out, he was enraged. You would have thought we hadn’t found Sandler space, that our great-grandfather hadn’t gone and become a leader of men. All Garrison can see is that once upon lifetimes ago, people thought we were less than worthy to stay on Earth. He is determined to take what he wants and to never let anyone speak badly about him again—even if they don’t because they’re afraid and no other reason.” He groaned. “I may have pointed out that had we been on Earth when the bombs went off we might not be here today, like the Sandlers might be dead altogether. I received a black eye for that.” He waved his hand in the air. “I don’t know if this story will help or not. Tell the guys they’re almost as notorious as me. Stories of your exploits have reached us all the way down here. If you want to battle him…” His voice trailed off. “Good luck. We’re far away from you—I’ve not been back in twenty-four years. But if I can help you, let me know. My past has never sat very well with me. Bye, Paloma. Take care of those babies. That’s how I think of your husbands. Can’t help it. They’ll always be that to me.”
I jumped to my feet. I needed clothes and to tell someone about this. Oh forget that, I’d show them the video. They could see their uncle themselves. He hadn’t said where they lived, and he’d called himself notorious. Why? Oh, there were so many questions.
I threw on my clothes, which were a little bit too loose on me—I was losing weight instead of gaining it at the moment. The not keeping down my food was to blame and Ari kept assuring me it would stop or we would stop it. At the thought, nausea roiled through me. I groaned. Okay, I was going to have to wait to get to anyone until I was done throwing up.
That was just how this was going to go today.
Finally dressed and able to move, I made my way to the hanger where ships were being maintained, fixed, designed, and built. It was basically where Tommy lived these days. I’d never seen him happier. The scene when I entered was so disturbing I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or scream.
My husband, the former General Sandler—Thomas, call me Tommy—whom people moved to get out of the way of when he came down a hall, was hanging, one handed from his cane from the top of a ship. He swung back and forth like it was some kind of rope, while he pointed at something through a window that I couldn’t see.
“That one. No, not the one you’re fixing. The other one. Yes, that. It’s off. A small amount, but it’s off. It just is.”
If he fell, he was going to get hurt. I put my hands on my hips. Of course, he had to know that, and what was more, I would bet this was not the first time he’d done this since no one, except me, was looking at him twice.
“Tommy, would now be a good time to have a conversation?” I called up to him.
He jolted but didn’t fall. “Ah, hey, my love. You’re up. It’s still morning.”
“Well, Makenna said I should try to get up today.” I used her name whenever possible. So far, she’d rallied the troops three times while Jackson and Sterling investigated people down to what they’d eaten for dinner when they were two years old. I was exaggerating—sort of.
“Did she?” He nodded. “I can come down. I have a process.”
I shook my head. “No, stay there. We’ll talk later. So glad I dropped by today.”
Tommy swung back and forth. “Am I in trouble?”
“Just a little bit.” I held up my fingers to show him the amount of trouble he was in. “You’ll probably be able to get out of it if you don’t hurt yourself.”
“Okay. Love you.”
I shook my head.
Clay was furiously writing on his tablet. He’d turned an empty hangar into an office. Somehow, he’d found five other people off the ships with legal backgrounds, and they were making bylaws for what I still thought of as The Farm—we needed a better name. Like Tommy, I’d never seen him happier. He leaned back in his chair when I came in and grinned at me.
I walked over to him and sat on his lap. “Hi.”
He kissed my shoulder. “You’re up.”
That was going to be a theme. “I am. Listen, I received a message from your Uncle River.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Uncle River. I haven’t thought about him in years. He was always just the youngest. Was he helpful?”
I set the tablet in front of him. “Watch this when you can. Is Quinn off the premises with Damian?”
Clay nodded. “If today went as it was expected to.”
“And Keith is… elsewhere.” That was how I’d taken to referring to the Time project.
“Yep.”
He lifted the table. “You want me to watch this?”
“Yes.” I rose. “I won’t keep you. Watch this on a break. I’ll see you later.”
I was fairly certain I was going to need to go throw up again. The guys worried. I preferred them to think I was feeling better so they didn’t hover over me while I spent time on my knees over the toilet.
“All right.” He rubbed my back. “Maybe if you just breathe through your nose deeply for a second, it might pass?”
I never could fool him. “Am I looking green?”
He pressed his head against my back. “Maybe a tad.” He put his hand on my belly and rubbed. “I’d do this for you if I could.”
I knew he would. But this was my mission. Leading everyone and growing a Sandler. I’d take it any day over kneeling in the Sisterhood of the Universe.
Anytime. Any day.
I found Waverly on my way to Ari. I was supposed to get weighed every day because of how much I was throwing up, but the timing of how and when we did this was tricky. Ari was always busy and bound to be more so if what Keith told me he suspected about the Time mission proved to be true. Some people were going to be drafted to move through time and space, and Ari was looking like he might be one of them.
Could he handle it? I didn’t know. I supposed we would find out.
My sister-in-law hugged me when I walked in. She wasn’t a doctor, but as a really, really great nurse Ari had left her in charge of dealing with certain things—one of them being me.
“Bad day?”
I shrugged. “About the same. It’ll taper off soon.”
She moved around the med bay like an expert now. Everyone loved her, and the glow in her cheeks told me finally being away from the hell she’d been through—both with her father and on the space station—was good for her.
“Happy here, Waverly?”
She nodded. “I am, Paloma. And very excited to be an auntie soon.”
I was glad she was going to be, too. My stomach grumbled. That was the worst part about this. The need to throw up never stopped just how hungry I was. “How many more weeks until it stops?”
I must have asked her this every single day.
The sun set on the day in glowing red, orange, and pink. More pink than anything else on this planet. I yawned. Tomorrow, we were launching one of Tommy’s new designs to see how it went. I was determined to be awake for it.
My guys stumbled in. They were working hard, and despite their pronouncements about not having friends, that was quickly changing. Keith had a day’s worth of growth on his cheeks, and Quinn needed a haircut, very badly. Unless he wanted to grow it out. I would ask him.
One by one, they joined me at the window to look at the sunset. Tommy to my left, Clay to my right, the twins directly behind me.
“It’s pretty.” Clay squeezed my hand.
“So different than Earth. The angle changes things even though the atmosphere is close,” Keith added.
“Hey, P. Do you want to come with me tomorrow? I think a pretty woman would go a long way with the guy we’re meeting.” Quinn clearly didn’t care about the sunset. I grinned.
“Sure,” I answered.
Tommy kissed my cheek. “Did you eat?”
“Not yet.”
I loved these men. I loved them with every cell in my body, with every fiber of my soul. I loved them when they made me nuts. They made me stronger, better, happier than I’d ever been. Together, we would weather whatever came. When I looked at the future—even though it seemed ridiculous—for the first time since I was a little girl, I saw hope. With my Sandler men next to me, there was nothing but smooth space.
Thank you so much for reading Saving Them (Wings of Artemis 6.) I hope you’ve liked Paloma’s journey as much as I have liked writing her. Next up is Dark Demise (Wings of Artemis 7), Waverly’s first book. Like Diana and Melissa, she’ll have two. Who are her heroes? Wait and see. Maybe you can already guess…
Also by Rebecca Royce
Wings of Artemis
Kidnapped By Her Husbands
Rescued by Their Wife
Crashing Into Destiny
Meeting Them
Reclaiming Their Love
Loving Them
Ship Called Malice (found in the Married. Wait! What? Anthology)
Saving Them (October 2017)
Dark Demise (coming soon)
* * *
Last Hope
Tradition Be Damned
Past Be Damned
Destiny Be Damned (September 2017)
Compassion Be Damned (coming soon)
* * *
Dragon Wars
Forever
Eternal
Always
Evermore
Endless (coming November 2017)
* * *
Wards and Wands
Hexed and Vexed (December 2017)
Curse Reversed (coming soon)
* * *
Safe Haven
Everywhere and Nowhere
More coming soon….
* * *
Soul Bound
Prisoner of the Dragons
More coming soon….
* * *
Shadow Promised
Strange Days
Weird Nights
Bizarre Years
More coming soon…
* * *
The Warrior
Initiation
Driven
Subversive
Redemption
Justice
* * *
Warrior World
Deacon
Micah (coming soon)
* * *
The Westervelt Wolves
Her Wolf
Summer’s Wolf
Wolf Reborn
Wolf’s Valentine
Wolf’s Magic
Alpha Wolf
Angel’s Wolf
Darkest Wolf
Lone Wolf
* * *
Fallen Alpha
Alpha Rising
Alpha’s Strength
Alpha’s Sacrifice
Alpha’s Truth
Alpha Enticing
Hidden Alpha (coming soon)
* * *
The Capes
Seductive Powers
Adrenaline Rush
Last Ascension
* * *
The Conditioned
Eye Contact
Embraced
More coming soon…
* * *
The Outsiders
Love Beyond Time
Love Beyond Sanity
Love Beyond Loyalty
Love Beyond Sight
Love Beyond Expectations
Love Beyond Oceans
Love Beyond Flames
Love Beyond Lies (coming soon)
* * *
Cascade
Haunted Redemption
Phoenix Everlasting
Fragility Unearthed
Persuasion Enraptured
* * *
Under The Lights
No Quitting Allowed
Mr. Wrong
Bite Marks
Bitten Surrender
The Vampire and The Virgin
Demon Within
About the Author
As a teenager, I would hide in my room to read my favorite romance novels when I was supposed to be doing my homework. I hope, these days, that my parents think it was worth it.
I am the mother of three adorable boys and I am fortunate to be married to my best friend. I live in Austin Texas where I am determined to eat all the barbecue in town.
I am in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and try to use all of these elements in my writing. I've been told I'm a little bloodthirsty so I hope that when you read my work you'll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. I love to write series because I love to see characters develop over time and it always makes me happy to see my favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.
In my world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.
* * *
Follow Rebecca on Social Media
www.rebeccaroyce.com
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Note From the Publisher
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Saving Them: Wings of Artemis, Book Six Page 20
