by Lexi Ryan
Her mother had known they were in danger, and she must have wanted Josie to find out who killed them. This geneticist might know what they were running from and have information that would lead Josie to their killers.
He might have information about the sister that didn’t exist.
“Would it have been too much to ask to leave the geneticist’s name, Mom?” she grumbled, but her mother had probably had a good reason for leaving messages often as cryptic out of code as they were in it.
Exhaling slowly, Josie turned on the teakettle to make another pot of green tea. She had a long night ahead of her.
It was as she set the water on the stove that the pattern clicked into place in her head. She frowned, casting a glance over her shoulder to the work she had scattered across her kitchen table. If that were right, wouldn’t that mean—?
She headed for the journal, not bothering to turn on the stove. She went cold as she studied the pages, stopped breathing as she ran the decoded sentence over and over in her mind.
Hard to imagine this young woman we love as the catalyst for Ascendant rule. They must be stopped.
She didn’t need to find the geneticist and talk to him. She needed him to complete the planned DNA conversion.
***
The boy rolled off Tara and gave a grunt of satisfaction.
Tara stared at the ceiling of the small dorm room, willing her tears to dry. The faint smell of dirty socks and stale beer surrounded them and the muffled sound of the party in the hall crept under the door.
Okay, so it hadn’t been magical. It hadn’t been fun or exciting or even remotely romantic. But she hadn’t been looking for any of those things.
She closed her eyes and thought of Collin. He thought he was too old for her. He thought he was protecting her by staying away. But maybe someday he’d change his mind. And if not? She’d move on.
The boy gave another grunt and adjusted himself. Revulsion rolled through her.
Calm down, Tara. The last thing she needed was to throw up on this guy. But between the utter disappointment of an experience Paige always told her should be special and the clawing fear that she would be ordinary, that she wouldn’t manifest powers at all, she couldn’t choke back the nausea.
She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. When she was going through round after round of chemo, she’d used positive imagery to get through some of the rougher patches—times when the nausea was so intense she’d thought she might rather be dead than take another breath.
This was nothing compared to that.
She inhaled, counting to five, exhaled for five counts. Repeated.
Relaxing infinitesimally, she pictured Collin’s face. Beautiful icy blue eyes, dark hair, the scar that cut from eyebrow to lip.
The boy stirred next to her, and she begrudgingly opened her eyes but kept her mind focused on Collin, who had the power to calm her even after breaking her heart.
“You said you go to—” But he stopped as he turned to her. “Holy fuck!” He scrambled to get out of bed, but the sheets tangled around his ankles and he landed on his ass.
“What’s wrong?” But her voice came out deeper than it should.
The boy was looking at her like she’d grown a second head.
Tara sat up.
“Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” He grabbed his pants and dashed from the room still nude.
Well, if that wasn’t just—
Tara’s gaze dropped to her hands—or, more to the point, not her hands. These hands were big, masculine, and the backs were covered with a smattering of dark hair.
She tried to swallow but there was a knot in her throat. She counted to three and forced herself to look down to her chest.
Instead of her small breasts was a man’s broad chest.
Could this be...?
She threw back the covers and hurried to the mirror. Sure enough, Collin looked back at her.
What the hell sick kind of power was this? She’d turned into her unrequited love?
She should have listened to Paige. Paige told her chasing after powers was asking for nothing but trouble, and oh-my-God was she gonna freak when she saw Tara. Her eyes would go all big and she’d get that I’m-too-wise-for-my-own-good look on her face and—
Tara’s internal panic screeched to a halt. Stunned, she watched the image in the mirror morph into her sister.
She studied her reflection. Paige’s hair. Paige’s eyes, nose, mouth. Paige’s...naked body.
Tara shuddered lightly. TMI.
But, how?
A small smile tugged at her lips. She’d been thinking of Collin, then of Paige.
She closed her eyes and concentrated, thinking of the most beautiful woman she knew.
When she opened them, she saw Josie smiling back at her.
Tears formed in her eyes and she’d blinked them away. She was a Special. And not just any Special.
She was a Shifter.
***
“Josie Bovard and Tanner Wiley have an appointment at Martin’s clinic today,” Alyson said. She was dressed in the long skirts she preferred, and he couldn’t help but think how old she was beginning to look.
The Keeper frowned. “Not seeking fertility treatments, I presume.”
“That’s their story. They’ve been poking around clinics for the last two days, Your Majesty.”
“You’re her Handler,” the Keeper said. “You have my permission to get closer.” All his followers knew the Keys’ lives were not to be disturbed without explicit permission. “We need to know what she’s looking for. Dig into the minds of her friends if you need to.” Even the smallest inkling of what she was a part of and she’d resist the path that had been set for her. “Find out what she thinks she knows.”
Alyson nodded. “I will, Your Majesty.” She lowered her head and turned to the door.
“Alyson!” the Keeper called. “Chin up! Everything is falling into place.”
***
“We’ll start with some tests,” Dr. Llewellyn said, leaning his beefy arms onto his polished desk. “And then we’ll discuss your options. We’ll draw some blood and look at your hormone levels and do a basic physical exam.” He looked at Tanner. “You’ll be willing to give us a sample today?”
Tanner cleared his throat and shot a glare at Josie. Josie responded with the sweetest smile she could muster.
She had to hand it to him. He was being a good sport. The Llewellyn Fertility Clinic was the eighth specialist they’d been to in two days, and every clinic wanted a deposit from him when all she had to do was lie back for a quick exam.
“I’m sure he’d be happy to,” Josie said. She leaned toward the doctor and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “Making samples happens to be his special talent, if you know what I mean.”
Llewellyn chuckled. “Well, now we’ll have to rein that in if you’re going to make a baby. Masturbation, while healthy, can lower a man’s sperm count if done in excess.”
Tanner gave Josie a bland stare—one that said he’d be scowling at her if it wouldn’t break their cover. She bit her lip. So she was having a little fun at his expense. Who could blame her? She batted her lashes. “Do you think you can refrain from your little hobby outside of the doctor’s office, sweetie?”
The muscle in his jaw ticked. “No problem,” he muttered.
Llewellyn smacked the desk. “Fantastic. Our nurse will take you back to a private room. Let her know whether you’d prefer video or magazines.”
Tanner’s would-be scowl turned to a grin.
Uh-oh.
“What I’d prefer,” he said, slowly, keeping his gaze trained on Josie, “if it’s not against the rules, is to have my wife in there with me.”
“Tanner,” Josie hissed. She probably deserved that for teasing him, but he really needed to make the deposit if this clinic was going to take them seriously, and she needed them to take her seriously.
Tanner took her hand and toyed with her fingers. Looking into her eyes, he said, “It�
��s just easier when she’s around.”
Josie looked to the doctor whose chest shook in silent chuckles.
“That’s just fine,” Dr. Llewellyn said. “We’ve had couples handle this in all sorts of ways. Your wife is welcome to—”
Josie shook her head. “No, really, it’s okay. He can do this without me.”
“It’s no problem at all, ma’am.” He stood, ending the conversation.
As a nurse scurried in, Josie intercepted Llewellyn and took his hand. “I want to thank you again for everything,” she said softly, holding his fleshy hand in hers and looking for pieces of his future.
Nothing.
Her eyes met Tanner’s over Llewellyn’s shoulder. Tanner cocked his head quizzically.
“You’re welcome, dear. The nurse will take care of you from here.” He tried pulling away, and she held his hand.
“It’s just that I have a good feeling about you,” she said, focusing on their hands and the contact of their skin.
Nothing.
“Very well, then,” he said, pulling his hand from hers with a little more force. “The nurse will take care of you now.”
Josie stared after him as he left the room. He was definitely a Blocker, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. To varying degrees, Blockers kept Specials’ abilities from working. Some Blockers—especially ones who had no other ability—didn’t even know they were Specials. If they didn’t know about the Specials, and no one told them, they’d have no way of knowing they had any powers.
But Blockers were as rare as they were valuable, and both the Ascendants and the SIA sought them out. Could this be the man who had planned to help her parents? Wouldn’t he recognize her?
“Everything okay, sweetie?” Tanner asked, coming up behind her and rubbing her bare shoulders.
She closed her eyes, waiting to see pieces of their future. If this meeting Llewellyn had changed anything...
The hot spray of water covered them as he lathered her body. He trailed his fingers down between her breasts, over her belly. He dropped to his knees, but there was nothing sexual about the way he pressed his lips to the spot under her navel. She knew the kiss was for the child that grew under his lips.
Love coursed through her.
Josie gasped and stepped forward, away from Tanner’s touch.
The nurse was studying them both. “Follow me, please?”
“After you,” Tanner said, motioning to the door.
They stayed several feet behind the nurse, and Josie avoided eye contact until Tanner squeezed her hand. “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“What’d you see?” He squeezed her hand again, and again the image of him kissing their unborn child punched her.
“He’s a Blocker,” she muttered. She couldn’t share her vision with him. It would influence his actions too much. Hell, she wouldn’t be surprised if it made him abandon this investigation in favor of running far, far away.
Hey, lover, I see the future, and did you know I’m gonna have your baby?
It would make any normal guy run for the hills. She studied Tanner. He winked at her as they turned to follow the nurse down another hall. She swallowed hard.
Tanner was far from normal.
The nurse opened a door directed them inside and pressed a cup into Tanner’s hand. “The specimen goes in there. Magazines are on the wall and videos in the cabinet.” She looked Josie up and down, taking in her Stilettos, Inc. standard issue uniform: knee-high stiletto boots, miniskirt, halter.
The nurse rolled her eyes. “Not that you’ll need them.” She backed out and closed the door behind her.
Tanner turned to Josie, eyes hot.
Josie backed against the wall. “I can’t believe you told them you wanted me in here,” she said, faking bravado when the look in his eyes had her heart pounding double time. He’d been acting differently since she’d met him this morning. Like he had something on his mind. “What do you think you’re doing? We can’t leave here without giving them a sample, and I am not going to watch while you—”
He closed the space between them and cut her off with his mouth. He pressed his lips hard against hers, and her body instantly responded. Energy pulsed through her. Her powers bloomed to life, and she told herself she had good reason to indulge in a single kiss. The only thing that revived a Special’s power more than sex was blood, but the power-hungry Ascendants who drank blood to become stronger definitely qualified as “bad guys” in her book... not to mention that Josie couldn’t stomach the yuck factor of blood drinking.
She’d been ignoring the heat between them and the images that raced through her mind in his presence. But after two full days by his side, and six months of ignoring her visions, she couldn’t deny herself this simple indulgence. The man she’d been dreaming about had her cornered and she didn’t want to escape.
His kiss was demanding while his hands were gentle. She grabbed his arms as his palm cupped her chin. As he coaxed her mouth open with his tongue, she squeezed his flexed biceps. At least the visions faded when she was aroused. If she had fresh images of hot, sweaty bodies in her mind, she’d probably never be able to stop the kiss. As it was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
Something about the way he kept his hands on her face—so tender and innocent when she wanted wild and wicked—made her move closer when she should have pulled away. She ran her hand down the front of him, feeling his taut muscles through the thin tee and following them down to the low waist of his jeans.
She cupped her hand over the rigid length of him, hard under his jeans. He groaned against her mouth, and she was faintly aware of the hollow clack of the cup as it hit the floor.
Finally he moved a hand from her jaw and found her breast. When he cupped it firmly in his hand, she nearly whimpered with gratitude.
She fumbled with his zipper. She wanted to feel him in her hands. She knew from her visions that his dick was long and thick, but suddenly desperation clawed at her. She wanted to wrap her hands around the width of him, to drop to her knees and take him into her mouth.
Before her clumsy fingers had even undone the button, he stopped her hands with his. He leaned his forehead against hers, his breathing heavy, his eyes closed. “If I had known you’d react that way,” he said, between slow, measured breaths, “I would have done that a long time ago.”
Her hands resumed their work under his. “Then why’d you stop?” She didn’t want to think about the future. She didn’t want to think about what she’d seen or how much she wanted it—him—everything. She didn’t want to think about what she had to do when she found the doctor.
She only wanted him. Now. Inside her.
He groaned. “Josie, you’re not making this any easier.”
She stopped working the button on his jeans. “Honestly, I was thinking more about making it harder.”
He gave a sardonic laugh. “Any harder and the damn thing could cut glass.” He kissed her again. A hard, closed mouth kiss that held at once warning and tenderness. “I don’t trust that guy. If Llewellyn’s a Blocker, any information we’re going to get here, we’re going to have to get without him.” He flashed a wicked grin. “Isn’t that why you brought me?”
She frowned. Stuck on hard enough to cut glass, she was a little peeved the guy could so quickly switch into work mode. “Right.” She exhaled sharply and smoothed her hair.
Remember your mission, Josie.
He tipped her chin up, rubbing his thumb over her bottom lip. “If you want, we can get back to this later.”
Later she’d come to her senses. She’d remember that finding out who was behind the murder of her family was more important than scratching an itch. She’d remember that she needed to become a different person to stop Ascendant rule.
She exhaled slowly. “You ready?”
He smiled, then faded before her eyes.
“That’s so freaking cool,” she said when he was entirely invisible.
His low chuckle came
from nowhere. “Says the girl who sees the future,” he said softly.
“Let’s do this.” She opened the door wide enough that he could exit behind her. No one would know he wasn’t still in the room filling his cup.
The nurse looked up from her station. “Can I help you?”
Josie gave her best apologetic smile. “I think we’re gonna need some towels.”
Chapter Five
Tanner slipped into the back hallway past private offices until he found the placard that said Lab. The lab door required a PIN for entrance, but he was used to being patient.
He pushed himself against the wall and waited. Josie could stall.
Five minutes later two men in white coats were walking toward him. One carried a clipboard and the other keyed his PIN into the number pad. Tanner watched closely and memorized the number.
The door beeped and they entered the secured room, unaware of Tanner slipping in behind them.
Inside the lab, there were filing cabinets, computers, Petri dishes, and what had to be billions of dollars’ worth of various microscopes and sonogram equipment.
The filing cabinets appeared to be unlocked, but as the men sat down at their computers, Tanner saw the password screen pop up. This was where they’d find the new charts.
He watched one doctor’s fingers and memorized a password. Easy peasy.
***
The Keeper narrowed his eyes at the news clip of the president on TV and growled. The now-president had been an ill-advised pawn. They never thought it would matter that he wasn’t one of them. After all, he was only supposed to be vice president.
Six months ago, the Ascendants had succeeded in their plot to put a Special into office. But Winston had been too greedy and too impatient and he had paid for it—all the Ascendants had paid for it. Now they were waiting to claim their rightful place in the world.
