Finally, elation. Pure and utter elation, driven by the strength Jet was feeding me, through his presence, and now his body. All of it swirled deep in the pit of my stomach, stirred and awakened by the powerhouse of a man charging into me, banging me relentlessly against the cavern wall.
“How do you like that?” He increased his pace, making it nearly impossible for me to catch my breath. “Fast enough for you?”
“Jet!”
“Sorry, baby. No time to talk.” Another feverish jolt jostled me up and then down, and it tossed me over the edge. I tipped and then freefell on a shout, my body imploding and disintegrating all around him. A string of strained, incoherent words poured from his lips as I made a silent descent, feeling the muscles in his thighs and abdomen tighten against me. We rode the wave down, rocking slowly back and forth, capturing the last few ripples of pleasure from the friction.
“You have to promise me something,” I panted as we slowly rolled to a stop.
“What is it?”
“Whatever happens with this recon mission, whatever happens at the end of all this, you’ll never let me be taken by those things again.”
Jet drew back to look me in the eye, then carefully slid out of me, adjusting himself and zipping up his pants.
“I never want to be a prisoner again. Never. Now that I know what it feels like to be free … I can’t go back. I just can’t.”
“I would never let that happen.” His fingers found my face, his thumb dragging a slow trail beneath my cheekbone. “Never.”
“When I found my parents on our living room floor—” I choked, forcing the lump in my throat down. “Something happened to me then. And then I woke up in that prison, and I found you, and everything just … shifted. I’d never been more afraid of losing myself than I was when my world was turned upside down. I’d wanted that—to get lost, just so I could find something—for so long, but when it finally happened, I wanted nothing more than to go back to being that boring, restless girl from Morton.”
The tiny lines around Jet’s eyes creased as his brow wrinkled, his lips pressing together as he studied me. Without a word, he lifted me up and cradled me in his arms, turning to press his back to the wall. He slid down to the ground, letting his knees come up, creating a warm hammock for my bare, sweaty body. “I’m sorry for all you’ve been through, Skylla. I truly mean that. If I could take it all back for you, I would. In a fucking heartbeat.”
I leaned in and pressed my forehead to his. “But that feeling, of being lost, was short-lived. I don’t want that anymore. For the first time … I know what I’m supposed to do. That can’t ever change. I can never go back to being the girl I was. So I need you to swear you’ll let me die before you let me be held prisoner again.”
He pulled my head back, cupping my jaw to deadpan me. “You have my word. Don’t even go there, okay? Look, despite my reservations about your not-so-secret admirer, I do believe in what the rebels want to do. We’re going to help them with this mission, and it’s going to work. I feel it.” His eyes scanned mine. “You don’t believe that, do you?”
“I’m not sure what I believe. I only know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to be there to see your face when you find Hera. That’s all I want.”
His expression softened at the mention of his sister’s name, and his gaze dropped to the tattoos on his arm. “I don’t deserve to find her, Skylla.”
“Why would you say something like that?”
He began to drag a fingernail along the black ink, beginning at the whimsical angel, toward the demon. His finger trickled from the angel’s wings and then along the bridge, slowly making the trek to the demon’s feet, above a square arrangement of Gothic text. “You ever feel like you’re in between?”
“Of course,” I said, following the trail.
“It’s what I know—being in between. Never in the right place at the right time. Always on the precipice of something good or something bad. Nothing’s ever … balanced. After I saw them take Hera, I couldn’t stop looking at this tattoo. I’ve had it for years, got it on my eighteenth birthday, but as soon as she was gone, I just couldn’t stop staring. Because that’s life, you know? Good and bad. You can’t have one without the other. The bad brings out the good in us, and the good can be corrupted by the bad. It’s always a struggle—to fight for the good, so it tips the scale.”
He grew quiet for a moment, his gaze glued to the image, and I wanted to ask him what all that had to do with Hera. But I didn’t speak, just waited.
A ragged breath was finally drawn from his lips and his gaze lifted, focusing on something in the distance. “If I had been there, just a little closer to her that day, I could’ve stopped it. I could’ve grabbed her before they took her away. She was playing in the yard—we were visiting my friend’s family in Alabama—calling for me, and I was standing in the doorway, one foot in the house, the other outside, on the porch. I was talking on the phone. The Invaders hadn’t moved in on that town yet, and I was trying to make some final calls, knowing the phone service would eventually go down. It was a miracle it hadn’t already, so I was frantic. I was so stupid for even letting her outside to play, but I … wanted her to feel safe. Normal. I didn’t want to scare her. She’d been bugging me all morning to come outside and play with her, and I kept blowing her off. I was caught up in my own bullshit, you know?”
“Don’t do this,” I whispered, feeling his body begin to tremble beneath mine.
He kept going. “The Invaders came and I heard her scream, saw the Capsule and watched them load her into it, watched it lift off the ground and disappear. And there I was, looking back at the doorway, where I’d been caught in between doing what I knew I should’ve done and what I chose to do instead. I should’ve been out in that yard with her—should’ve never let her outside in the first place. And now she’s gone and if I never see her again, I deserve it.”
I shifted and gently shook his shoulders, calling his gaze from that faraway place, forcing it to meet mine. “I said don’t, Jet. Don’t do this to yourself. Do you know how many people have asked that same question? All the what-ifs and could-haves and should-haves? Nothing good comes from those questions. Because they’re all hypothetical, and the past is the past. Hera knew you loved her.”
A sad smile sketched his lips. “Maybe. But that still wasn’t enough to protect her. There’s no harder truth to swallow than knowing you’ve hurt someone you love.”
I was about to say that we all hurt the ones we love. That we can’t help it and that for some reason, we’re just defective like that. Maybe because those we love most bring out the very best and the worst in us, and in some twisted way, we resist that magic. Maybe they awaken passions we never knew we had, and reveal all those ugly little truths about ourselves we don’t like to face. So we strike back, and sometimes the cut is deep. But as his gaze burned into mine, I was ushered into silence. There was something lurking there, and in that perfect moment of privacy, while I sat warm and safe in his strong arms, I didn’t want to explore those depths.
Not now. Not ever.
* * *
“There’s been a change in plans,” Kale said, rushing up to us as we returned to our sleeping quarters.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Rico’s changing his strategy for the recon mission. The rebels are meeting now, for breakfast. Then we hit the road and leave tonight.”
“Wait, what?” Jet asked, tugging off his wet shirt to change.
Kale glanced at us nervously, peeking over his shoulder. People were starting to stir; the line at the bathtubs already stretched to the end of the hallway. “I don’t know. I just know he’s hell-bent on leaving tonight. See you in Sector One in five minutes.”
Kale hurried off and I hastily started to change, wringing my hair out with a towel. “Wonder what that’s all about.”
“Yeah, Mr. Boy Scout seems mighty flustered this morning.”
I slipped my feet into my boots, glaring up at Jet. “Did he say breakfast? As in real food that we don’t have to trade for?”
“It looks like this Hole handles trading differently. They actually have mealtime and they ration their food. We better take advantage of it while we can.”
We finished changing and hung our wet clothes out to dry, then started for Sector One. When we arrived, the others were already digging in. My mouth watered at the aroma wafting through the room. Fresh-baked bread and hot coffee was on the table, complete with cream and sugar. Jet and I wasted no time breaking the bread and loading up on caffeine.
Rico cleared his throat and stationed himself in front of the maps on the wall. “It’s come to my attention that the South railroad has been destroyed. The Invaders took it down themselves, with no help from human street patrol. Their presence is continuing to increase throughout the cities and on the open road, their control strategies and objectives continuing to evolve. That means we have to act faster than we’d originally planned, and that there’s a good chance the Shepherds have begun to report to Central Control. Their activation is well underway. There’s no time to waste. We’ve been in contact with rebel forces in Arizona and Nevada, and we’re ready to move in. Our mission to breach San Francisco’s control station begins tonight.”
A chaotic uproar swept through the room, with objections from not having enough time to prepare or enough supplies to bring, to the need for larger numbers before we attempted the break-in.
“That’s enough!” Rico shouted, slamming his fist on the pegboard. “Now, here’s what we’re going to do. I’ve been up all night devising a plan, and I’ve run over it with the other leaders before I called you all here. We know we’re asking a lot of you, but we’ve all agreed this is the best way.”
I slipped my hand into Jet’s, not missing the way Kale’s gaze noted the connection.
“We’re well aware that safety has been a number-one priority for many of you, and yet coming into this movement, you knew safety was never guaranteed. However, to assure you that your wellbeing is just as much a priority to us as it is to you, as your leaders, we believe we need a new tactic to successfully—and safely—accomplish this mission. Make no mistake, the safety I speak of will not apply to all involved. But in the grand scheme, it’s better for all of us.”
“Come on, Rico,” Kale said impatiently, crossing his arms. “Enough of the pep talk. Let’s hear it.”
Rico glared at him for a moment, and I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about Kale’s sudden short fuse. Where was the calm, collected, easygoing man I’d just met?
“We’re going to send someone in to volunteer for service.”
Gasps sounded throughout the room at Rico’s statement.
“He or she will be implanted, and be responsible for gaining access to Central Control. This will allow us to gain entry undetected, and allow us to have a direct connection with the enemy. We’ll wire our volunteer, so they can translate and relay the Invaders’ language and commands back to us. This way, we’ll know exactly what’s coming before it hits us, and we can hopefully help speed up the process of activating the Seven. When the Shepherds are fully activated, they report to Central Control. All we’ll have to do is wait for them to show. Judging by the Invaders’ shift in Black Hole raids and the railroad incident, a few of the Shepherds have already activated and reported for duty. They’re probably attempting to speed up the process by instilling more fear in the streets, trying to force the remaining Shepherds out of hiding. The activation process began the second the Invaders arrived on Earth, but it can take a while for the Seven to get in and report. Keeper Legend says their human consciousness might try to resist their calling until the activation completes its full course.”
Kale’s eyes were wide and fearful now, his fists clenching tightly as he began to pace. “You think we’ll go undetected?” he scoffed. “This is worse—being implanted will only make us more visible. One wrong move, one small behavior that’s seen as the least bit sneaky, and the Invaders will home in on us in a heartbeat. Whoever does this … they’ll be trapped if they’re caught on the inside. It’s a guaranteed death sentence.”
Rico nodded, reiterating what he’d said seconds ago. “There is risk. No doubt about it. But it’s the best way. It has to be done.”
“Because you and your leader friends say so?”
“You better check yourself, brother. This is not the time to air your grievances. You chose to commit to this movement’s mission and its course of action. You’re either in or out.”
“It’s bad enough the person implanted will be at risk. If they’re caught, whoever else we assign to be on the property is also at risk.”
Rico glared at Kale, their epic staredown drawing everyone’s attention. “You have a better idea? Let’s hear it,” Rico lifted his chin, holding Kale’s gaze.
Kale finally broke their connection, his eyes bouncing from left to right, his hands moving to perch on his hips. “No … yeah—yeah, I do.”
“I’m listening.”
Kale’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, his shoulders tense. Everyone’s gazes bore into him, including mine.
“I think we need to consider an entirely different tactic,” he said. “Something radical.”
“Like?”
“We should consider a compromise of some sort … a peace deal.”
The room was already quiet, but Kale’s words doused it with razor-sharp stillness. Rico’s body was stone, his eyes shifting into thin, vicious little slits.
Seconds passed before he moved. “I don’t think I heard you right. No sane rebel who seriously values their honor, integrity, or life would stand here, in the presence of this movement, and suggest something as insulting,” he slowly stepped toward Kale, “as asinine, as cowardly as a compromise with the enemy.”
Kale didn’t budge, but the tic in his facial muscles and faltering gaze gave away his fear. I knew just as well what he was probably thinking at that exact moment—these people would execute him for this. “I’m not proposing we surrender,” he said. “Making peace with the enemy is not surrendering. We’ll still have conditions. I’m not saying we offer up our integrity, honor, or lives to them on a silver platter.”
“Then what are you saying? And if I were you, I’d think real carefully before you speak, because as far as I’m concerned—and these people you’ve vowed to fight for and protect are concerned—you’ve just taken the position of a traitor. And you know what we do with scum traitors.”
“All I’m saying is that it might be worth our while to consider the possibility that if we find out what the Invaders want from us, maybe we can use that to our advantage. Maybe what they want from us isn’t so horrid … maybe they just don’t know how to communicate what they want to us, so they’ve resorted to hostile force. It’s not like we welcomed them to our planet. We didn’t even try to communicate with them, we just started attacking their ships. What would we do if we approached another life form, on another planet, and were attacked the minute we arrived? We’d immediately defend ourselves, right? If they wouldn’t listen, we’d make them listen—the hard way, right? What other option would we have?”
“To retreat,” Rico hissed. “To pack up and leave. That would be the sensible, compassionate decision, instead of raining down in fury and start wiping them out, or forcing them into submission! They’re making us slaves, and you’re suffering from one serious delusion if you think any different.”
The woman Kale had identified as Thelma earlier stumbled forward, her face filled with contempt. “Making us slaves? We’ve been slaves. For hundreds of thousands of years, for who knows how long, while those bastards created us for the hell of it, then sat comfortably out there in the universe, watching us squirm. This is blasphemy! Rico, I won’t stand here and listen to this. He’s supposed to be on our side!”
Rico closed the remaining gap between him and Kale, leveling their gazes. His voice lowered
to a menacing tone. “You and I have already discussed this. We already know their objective.”
“You asked if I had another idea, and I told you I did. But you won’t listen, and now you’re putting everyone at risk. Their objective could change if we approach them in peace.”
“That skull of yours must be pretty thick.” He tapped Kale’s forehead. “How many times do I have to say this whole operation is a risk? Their goal will not waver. If they gave a damn about keeping peace or had even the slightest interest in what we might want, they would’ve gone about things a hell of a lot differently, a long, long time ago.” The tips of Rico’s boots hit Kale’s, his glare murderous. “So get on board, and be fucking glad we’re not putting a bullet in your head right now.”
Kale ground his teeth, nodding. Without a word, he turned and stormed out, causing the room to erupt into another flurry of bickering.
“Connor,” Rico seethed, pointing to the heavily armed, athletic man next to him, “follow him. Don’t let him out of your sight.”
“Yes, sir.” Connor rushed after Kale and my gut clenched, silently praying Kale would calm down. I didn’t want to see anything happen to him, even if I didn’t entirely believe in his commendable, yet dangerous peace-talk idea.
Then again, I wasn’t sure what I believed in at this point.
“Let’s pretend that little spectacle never happened, shall we?” Rico raised his voice, returning to his task. “Unless someone would like to willingly volunteer for this mission, we’re drawing a name.”
Jet’s hand found mine and he carefully guided me behind him, moving me out of sight. “I’ve got you,” he murmured over his shoulder, his big body shielding me.
“Any takers?” Rico asked, scanning the circle of rebels around him. Gazes were lowered to the ground and throats were cleared as the room fell silent.
Curses, Fates & Soul Mates Page 112
