by Bianca D'Arc
“You got that right,” Mike put in. “That bastard used to be cold as ice. As much as I despised him, I had to respect him for his skills and the way his people revered him. He could be a useful ally.”
“Fuck.” Dave laughed ruefully and shared an ironic look with his cousin. “I suppose we’ll have to make peace with the bastard now.”
“Looks like it.” Mike grinned, but it wasn’t a pleasant expression as he looked at the newest Alvian in their midst. “I sure as hell didn’t expect to be welcoming so many damned aliens here when we moved in.”
“Me neither, cuz, but I’ll never regret mating Jaci. Bill saved her life, so we owe him. But Grady?” Dave scratched his head as he watched the alien warrior with narrowed eyes. “Hell, we’ll just have to see what happens. We should probably call the O’Haras. Maybe Caleb has some advice for us.”
“Who’s Caleb?” Jim seized on anything for respite from seeing Gina in some stranger’s arms. Thankfully, they broke the embrace and started talking, walking away as they went, clearly in their own little world.
“Caleb O’Hara is the one they call the Oracle.”
“No shit? I’ve heard of him. I even have a copy of the book of his prophecies somewhere. One of the newcomers brought it in with him and gave it to me. I passed it to my lieutenants to read.”
“You should read it yourself,” Mike advised.
“I took a look, but it’s kind of vague.”
“He had to be vague in case it fell into Alvian hands,” Dave said. “Believe us, you should study that book. In the meantime, we have an in with the man himself we should make use of. He’s a guest of the Alvians at the moment, but his nephew ’paths messages from him to his family. They’re friends of ours.”
“Nice to have such powerful friends.” Jim followed the cousins as they headed toward the communications center. His mind was still in chaos, but he felt better to have at least some task to occupy him. He wanted to hear what the infamous Oracle might have to say, if anything, about this totally fucked up situation.
Chapter Fourteen
“I told you I’d come for you,” Grady teased as he held Gina’s hand. They strolled aimlessly around the main cavern. “I didn’t mean it quite this way, I’ll admit, but perhaps fate had other plans for us.”
“You believe in fate?”
“Even before I could feel, I always knew there were things that happened for a reason. Fate plays a large role in most soldiers’ lives.”
“Then—” Gina didn’t know quite how to tell him. She had to be honest. She had to tell Grady about Jim, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. They were so new and fragile she hated to wound him.
“What is it? You know you can tell me anything, Gina.” He turned, clutching both of her hands in his, holding them against his chest. She could feel the strong beating of his heart, and she sent up a silent prayer that she wasn’t about to break it beyond repair. Of course, maybe she was thinking a bit too highly of herself, but then, Grady seemed so devoted… She didn’t know what to think anymore.
“I believe in honesty.”
He looked at her strangely, tilting his head to one side. “I believe I’ve heard you humans say honesty is the best policy.”
“Yes, I believe it is. That’s why I have to tell you about my trip here. I didn’t travel alone, Grady. I came with the leader of another group of human survivors. His name is Jim, and I knew him in the old world. He was a student of my father’s. I even had a crush on him back then, though I was just a girl and he was too old for me.”
Grady’s eyes grew troubled, his stance more rigid as he pulled slightly back from her. “You went to meet him after you left me?”
“No! It wasn’t like that at all. I didn’t even know he was still alive. For that matter, he didn’t know I was either. I was as shocked as he was when my mission for the Patriarch led me straight to him and his people.”
“But I sense there’s more.” Grady’s expression held a world of hurt and Gina felt the echoes of his growing despair. She’d give anything to spare him those feelings. She had to make it right. Somehow, she had to make him see that she hadn’t set out to betray him.
“Jim and I grew close on the journey here. Jaci and Bill said we Hum and the cousins gave us a crystal. Jim and I…we make it glow. I know that means something really special to your people, but we’re both human. We both have responsibilities and duties to people and places far apart. Jim and I made no commitments to each other. I can’t, in good conscience, make a commitment to anyone at this point in my life. I owe the Patriarch my allegiance and my loyalty. I’m his to command. I can’t promise anyone—you or Jim—anything beyond today. My future is uncertain and not mine to choose.”
Grady dropped her hands and moved a few steps away, clearly processing her words. He seemed to be struggling with what she’d just told him, making her feel guilty. She hated the feeling.
“I want to do the tests with you.” Grady whirled on her, causing her to take a step backward with his vehemence. “Now.” He shook his head, his voice strong. “As soon as possible.”
“Okay.” He must have sensed her hesitance because he stepped up close to her and reclaimed her hands in an almost desperate grip.
“I believe in my heart—in my soul—that you are my mate, Gina. I want to see the proof before we go any further. I want the world to see that you are my true Resonance Mate.”
Her body vibrated in an echo of his desperation. She felt the urgency in his tone and his grip. She could do this for him. It was a simple enough request.
“All right. Jaci can witness. Or Bill. Both can hear the Hum.”
“But all can see the crystal glow.” Grady’s eyes snapped with fire, his lips curling into the smallest of grins, daring her.
“I don’t know—” Gina didn’t really care to be put on display, but she feared nothing less would satisfy him in such a dangerous mood.
“You’re mine.” The growl in his voice surprised her, as did the possession in every line of his body.
“You’d best stop manhandling my friend, Grady Prime, or friend or not, I will kick your ass.”
Bill’s voice broke like an icy wave over Gina’s senses. She dragged her gaze from Grady’s to find the other Alvian warrior just a few feet away, watching them. Grady looked over at him too, but didn’t move for a long moment, staking his claim clearly for the other warrior’s benefit.
Then, little by little, he let her go. Gina stepped back, but not far. She wouldn’t allow her actions to shame him in any way.
“We will perform the resonance tests right away,” Grady announced. “You can be a witness.”
“No need. You already have passed all three tests. Congratulations. You are true mates,” Bill shocked them both by saying.
“When? How?” Gina asked, unable to say anything more coherent.
“Just now. Jaci took out a tuned crystal when you two said hello. Everybody saw it glowing but you. You were, shall we say, otherwise engaged.” Bill chuckled at them and Gina started to realize just how lost to the world she’d been after spotting Grady.
“You are certain?” Grady seemed to want further proof.
“Yes, my friend. I am absolutely certain. And seeing this miracle—in addition to that granted Jaci and her mates—gives me renewed hope for the future.”
All of a sudden, Gina realized that Jim must have seen everything. Her heart sank like a stone.
“This is welcome news.” Grady took the hand Bill offered in congratulations. Only then did Gina realize Jim and their hosts had left the area while she’d been oblivious in Grady’s arms. She worried over what that might mean¾what Jim might have seen and how he might have reacted.
Jaci came over to them and offered her congratulations. Gina decided to let things unfold as they willed for the moment. She’d deal with Jim at the earliest opportunity, but for now she wanted to bask just a little longer in Grady’s presence. She didn’t know what the future would hold, but so
mething inside her wanted to be near Grady for as long as possible.
No doubt, she had a lot to think about, but for the moment, she latched onto Grady’s arm and let it all ride.
This installation’s communications center looked even more advanced than the one in Jim’s facility in Colorado. Jim was suitably impressed with the artificial intelligence computer that ran most of the systems in the underground complex and told the cousins so. They took his words in stride, but Jim could tell they were pleased as they unveiled the newest console in the chamber.
At its heart was a clear, shining, quartz crystal. Its surface sparkled in the dim light of the chamber, throwing sparks of light around the room like an old-fashioned disco ball.
“We’ve made a few modifications with Bill and Jaci’s help.” Mike sat at the console, flipping switches and powering up the system.
It didn’t take long at all. The crystal glowed from within when power started flowing through it, but not as much as Jim expected. Certainly not even as much as he’d seen when that newly arrived Alvian bastard had kissed Gina. That glow had been brighter and the crystal much smaller. Jim didn’t know what that meant just yet, but he planned to find out.
Mike placed a call that was answered a minute later by a cheerful, female voice.
“Hi, Mike, it’s Jane. How are you all doing out there?”
“We’re just fine, Mrs. O’Hara. How’s the family? Good, I hope.”
Damned if this didn’t sound like a good old-fashioned telephone call. For just a minute, Jim felt nostalgic for the old world and the millions of easy conversations he’d had with friends and family. When the aliens took out the satellites and most of the ground-based infrastructure, telephones had become impossible tech for humans to maintain.
Jim listened as Mike exchanged pleasantries with the woman on the other end of the line for a few minutes longer, finally asking to speak with someone named Mick.
“Mick O’Hara is one hell of a telepath. He’s the one who’s in direct communication with their boy, Harry. He’s the relay from the city and from Caleb,” David explained. He stood beside Jim, a few feet behind the console and Mike.
A few moments later, a male voice came over the line. “Harry said you’d be calling sooner rather than later. How’s it going over there?”
Mike explained the situation, giving Mick O’Hara more detail than Jim would have expected, but then, he didn’t really know these people or their resources. But the more he saw, the more he decided to cultivate a relationship with these people and their facility. They could definitely learn things from each other.
“So what have you got for me, Mick?” Jim was glad when Mike finally got down to business.
“Caleb had a good chuckle over your situation. We all know how much you two despise Grady Prime, but I have to tell you, you’re going to have to put that all behind you if you want to move forward. He’s a changed man and with him will come even greater changes. Managing them is going to be the key. You two are poised to do that, along with the girl and her contacts. Caleb can’t see much about them yet, only vague images and what he thinks are metaphors.”
“Metaphors?” Mike shot a look back at his cousin, clearly curious.
“He’s seeing angels, Mike. Near as he can figure, that’s got to stand for something else.”
Dave laughed out loud and stepped forward to the console, taking the mic. “You know as well as I do, doc, that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”
The other end of the line was silent for a moment. “You trying to tell me there are dudes with wings on this planet, Dave? Have you been smoking the drapes?”
Both cousins laughed at that.
“No, Mick. I’m telling you, I’ve seen it. Dudes with wings. They’re real.”
“Alvian?”
“A genetic hybrid. Alvian and some other alien race that really did have wings. They were one of the aliens’ famous experiments.”
“And you know this…how?”
“Sorry, Mick. That’s not my secret to divulge at the moment. For now, just take my word for it, okay?”
“Son of a bitch.” Mick sounded both perplexed and intrigued. “Well if that don’t beat all.”
“Does Caleb have any words of advice for Grady’s competition?”
“Competition?”
“For Gina’s affections,” Dave qualified. “She traveled here with a human guy—a former spook from Colorado named Jim. I get the impression there might be a threesome in the making.”
“Hang on, I’ll ask.”
Silence reigned for a minute while Mick placed a telepathic call to his brother via his nephew. It was a complicated relay, but it worked. And more importantly, it was untraceable.
“All right.” Mick came back a moment later. “What’s this about the Olympics? Caleb is seeing Olympic rings.”
“That’s Gina. Gina Hanson. Remember her? She won gold for martial arts.”
“No kidding? I remember her. She was a cute girl and very talented. Came from a line of martial arts teachers and champions, didn’t she?”
“Sure did. She’s been living with the aliens since just after the cataclysm, but her group is different, she claims. A secret sect like ninjas or something. Turns out, Bill was one of them. He confirmed everything she told us.”
“Wow.” Mick sounded both skeptical and worried. “Caleb saw some of this, but he had a hard time interpreting it. I’m going to need some time to talk to him. Can I give you a call back later?”
“Sure. Burt’s always here to answer. He’ll let us know you’re on the line. Thanks, Mick.”
Dave signed off with a few more words of farewell and sat back.
“Nothing to do now but wait. Come on.” Dave stood and motioned for Jim to follow him out. “I’ll show you the gym. Maybe you can work off some of your anger before you confront the happy couple.”
As it turned out, Jim spent a few hours training in the state of the art gym area that was similar to the one at his home base. Mike and Dave left him there with some of the other inhabitants of their facility who had been martial arts enthusiasts in the old world. Among them, Jim found a few sparring partners and eventually ended up teaching a few moves to the guys and making friends.
By the time he headed back to his assigned room for a shower and change of clothes from his pack, he was feeling a little better. The physical exercise had allowed him to work through some of his anger, but his heart was still sore from the emotional beating it had taken earlier that day.
Gina wasn’t in the room they’d been given, but her pack was. He didn’t know what to make of that, so he just shrugged his shoulders and went about his business. It was almost dinnertime, so he headed for the big cafeteria where most of the people living in the facility gathered for meals. He almost dreaded what he’d find there.
Sure enough, Gina was there, sitting next to the big Alvian warrior at a large table with Mike, Dave, Jaci and Bill. Jim squared his shoulders and picked up a tray and utensils, filling a plate from the buffet line. When he turned back around to look at Gina, she was staring back at him, an uncertain expression on her face.
“I saved you a seat,” came her tentative voice in his mind. She wasn’t a strong telepath, but this close, her voice was clear as a bell. He was surprised she’d initiate such intimate contact seeing as how she was sitting with her alien lover.
“Are you sure that’s wise?”
“Jim…” she trailed off, a pained look crossing her face. “Yes. I want you to meet Grady.”
“Again, I have to ask, are you sure that’s wise? He’s your lover, isn’t he?” Jim started a slow amble toward the large table and the empty chair next to Gina.
“He was. We met only a couple of days before I was sent to make contact with you. We only had a day or two together, but…”
“He moves fast for an alien.” Jim hated the jealousy he felt biting into him.
“It wasn’t like that. We Hum. That really means something to the Al
vians. He was kind to me. If you must know, I’ve been with you longer than I was with him, but I feel attached to him…like I do with you.”
Jim didn’t like the sound of that. He stood next to Gina, looking down at her while the others at the table became aware of his presence. Tension was thick in the air as the men noticed him. Mike and Dave undoubtedly knew what was going on and Jaci actually cringed when she met his eyes. When his gaze fell on his competitor though, it seemed as if the big Alvian warrior had no idea who he was or what he’d been to Gina.
That was going to change.
But Jim was polite enough not to punch him out at the dinner table. Jim pulled out the empty chair and took possession of the seat on Gina’s left while eyeing the strange warrior who sat on her right.
“Grady, this is Jim. He was a student of my father’s in the old world, and we traveled here together.” Gina’s quiet voice reached only to the men she was introducing.
Jim felt a jolt of triumph when understanding dawned in the blue alien eyes as Grady looked from Jim to Gina and back again. Now the man knew who he was and that he’d have some hefty competition if he wanted Gina all to himself.
Grady held out a hand, startling Jim by initiating the human custom of a handshake. Apparently this guy had been observing humans enough to emulate the greeting. Even more impressive was the friendly gesture when he knew darn well they were competitors for Gina’s affections.
Jim shook Grady’s hand briefly as he sat, but said nothing. The man’s grip was impressively strong, but Jim got the impression that he was holding back his full strength. There was no show of bravado, just a simple greeting.
Jim let the conversation flow around him as he ate his meal. After some initial stiffness, the others at the table renewed their talk about life in their facility and the newcomers who had been joining them recently.
He found it interesting that they’d only been there a comparatively short time. Just a few months, really, and already they had a thriving community. To be sure, they were working out a lot of the kinks in their workflow and living patterns, but they were on the right track. Jim and his people by comparison, had already been on a proven schedule set up by the U.S. military and those who had staffed Cheyenne Mountain before his time.
