Copula Chronicles: The Complete Collection: Origin, Descend, Ascend, Legacy

by Venessa Kimball

  He’s leaning against his dresser, grinning as he plays along. “Yes. Yes, they are. And yes, I did take them to the facility and then here. Very carefully, I might add.”

  I shake my head and look back at them. He’s so quirky.

  “Will you take care of them if anything happens to me?”

  His simple question hits me square in the chest. My grin fades, but I don’t shift my gaze away from his as he waits for my answer. The question is not as simple as it seems. It’s a complex request that surpasses a plastic ant farm.

  “Yes. I’ll take care of them.”

  My reply is as simple as his request, but it carries weight with our implication—humanity. Ezra nods, and then slowly approaches me. “Now, put out your hand.”

  Reluctantly, I put my hand out and open my palm to him. I consider pulling back as I wonder what he’s going to pull from the pocket he’s digging in. Pulling his hand from his pocket, Ezra places his closed fist above my hand and releases a copper medallion on a chain into my palm. The metal is cold at first, but it quickly warms in my hand as the weight of it settles. I pull it closer to see the details on it. The workings within the medallion are intricately crafted and beautiful.

  “What is this?”

  Ezra puts his hands in his pockets. “It’s the first-generation Copula, Jes. Sebastian asked me to give it to you. He told me that it is only fitting for his descendant to have it.”

  I sigh deeply, letting those words really sink in as I gaze at the device.

  CHAPTER 8: RESIST

  Jesca

  After our talk, Ezra leaves to run some errands before tomorrow’s departure. Not feeling the urgency to pack up my two bags of belongings, I shower and dress before heading out into the living room.

  Nate is sitting on the sofa watching television. I walk over to him and flop down next to him on the sofa. “Have you called your parents?”

  Nate drapes his arm over the back of the sofa making no effort to look away from the television. “Nope. Not yet.”

  I pull my hair to the side and start braiding it. “You need to talk with them, Nate. Let them explain everything to you. They love you.”

  He ignores my suggestion, his eyes never leaving the TV screen. I finish braiding my hair, and we watch the news in silence until he breaks it. “So, I was wondering…”

  His voice sounds different, concerned even. “Would you like to grab something to eat with me?”

  I glance over my shoulder at the kitchen. “Like before I leave? Sure.”

  His brow furrows before he asks, “Where are you going?”

  “Ms. Olivia’s. We’re leaving tomorrow and I kind of wanted to say goodbye.”

  Ezra never gave us a definitive answer on if we are going, but more like a when scenario. Knowing Ezra, we will up and leave in the middle of the night with little to no warning.

  Nate nods, and then looks back at the television. “Oh. Well, I wasn’t talking about eating now. I was thinking somewhere—nice.

  I’m caught off-guard by what his comment really is conveying. Is he asking me out? Like “out”? I quickly divert my eyes away from him and look at the television.

  Keeping my eyes steady on the news anchor, I ask, “You want to take me to dinner? Like a date?”

  He doesn’t answer right away, so I look over at him just as he looks at me. “Yes, a date.”

  He shifts his body to face mine, completely focused on my responding to him. “I mean, I guess I should take you out since I sneak into your room every night.”

  Grabbing the pillow from behind me, I throw it at his head. “Ugh! That is so sincere, Nate.”

  He laughs a little at my weak attempt at being frustrated with him. He clears his throat and becomes serious all of a sudden. “Hey, I only sneak into your room to check on you. Scouts honor. And, it would be nice to just get out of here. Do something fun and different.”

  He looks down suddenly and his adorable grin fades. “We may not be able to do that once we go on this mission.”

  Knowing his fears about this mission are as potent as mine, I agree that we need a little break. “Okay.”

  He looks up at me. “Really?”

  I nod quickly, and then add. “Just dinner. Not a date.”

  I get up and walk toward the kitchen counter to grab the car keys. “You want to go with me to see Ms. Olivia?”

  When he doesn’t answer, I turn around to ask again. As soon as I turn, he is standing mere inches from me. Without taking his eyes from mine, he leans forward and puts his hands on the counter, boxing me in so I can’t escape. I feel my cheeks flush as my blood rises and warms under the surface of my skin, as if he has targeted where my blood runs hot, his gaze moves over my chest, up my neck, and over my face. I watch as one hand lifts from the counter and seeks the heat building inside of me from his closeness. His thumb runs along my jaw line ever so slowly and bringing every tendril of energy to the surface where he touches. His hand wanders from my jaw, down my neck, and then releases me from his heated stare as he places his hand down on the counter once again.

  I look down between us; both of our chests are rising and falling so quickly, from what has been stirred up between us. What is still stirring within me? Breathlessly, I say, “You didn’t answer my question. Do you want to drive?”

  He looks up at me through his thick eyelashes, still breathing hard himself. “Yeah, I’ll drive.”

  Everything happens so quickly. His hands move from the counter to my waist, pulling my body flush against his. Putting my hands on his chest, I inch up on my toes to get as close to him as I can. His breath dances on my lips, sending surges of an addictive tension straight through me. Not yet touching his, my lips already feel like they’re on fire from what I want. Seeing my desire, hearing my thoughts, he brushes his lips against mine once, then he pulls back leaving me wanting more. And God I want more. My body responds urgently as I lean into him and kiss him deeply, quickly opening my mouth to accept him. Our simultaneous moan spurs us both on as I run my hands along his chest and into his hair.

  The timing couldn’t be worse when Nate’s cell phone suddenly rings, bringing the moment to a halt. We’re both paralyzed in each other’s gaze as the phone continues to ring. Thoughts of it being his parents, or worse, Ezra checking on us, run through my head. I do a quick inventory to make sure Ezra hasn’t gotten into my head. Nate’s words are labored as he whispers, “It’s my parents.”

  He places his lips on my forehead then slowly releases my waist. Not wanting to let this go, whatever this is becoming, I catch one of his hands in mine as he pulls his cell phone from his pocket with the other. As he answers the phone call, he squeezes my hand before completely pulling back and heading for the back door.

  My hands feel lost, with nowhere to go as I wrap one around my waist and tug at my lips with the other. My lips are still on fire from Nate’s and my kiss when he closes the door behind him.

  Before closing the door behind him, he glances at me. No thoughts, just the look that says whatever happened just now, isn’t over. And with him at a distance now, his comforting presence out of range to draw me to him, I’m able to think without the sexual tension. If we were to get involved, I could put us at risk, and I can’t put him in jeopardy.

  We’re getting ready to go on this mission and the worst thing that could happen would be for our abilities to weaken because of this undeniable, yet not fully explainable, link. We aren’t even sure if what this link is producing is just energy or if it’s conditioning our emotional state. We don’t even fully understand if these fucking devices in us are fabricating a manufactured attraction, let alone the possibility that they could fail us out on the field if we let things get out of control.

  Nate opens the back door, letting in a gust of wind in with him.

  “Shit, it’s cold out there.”

  A
s he walks toward me, he stops a few feet away. I can feel him trying to get a gauge on my thoughts. But my mental wall is unbreakable on this one. I don’t trust that we can be safe and figure out what this attraction is between us. I have to add distance for both of our sakes.

  “You okay Jes?” Nate asks as he rubs his hands together for warmth.

  The question is far from innocent. He wants to know why I’m not letting him in is my guess since his block went up as soon as he noticed mine. I know he’s wondering why I’ve pushed him out. But on the same token, his question is a comfort knowing that my mental blocking ability has gotten strong enough to shut him out completely, which I couldn’t fully do weeks ago.

  I shift my stance and stand straighter as I lie through my teeth. “Yeah. I’m good. So how did it go with your parents?”

  Cautiously, he explains, “Just like Ezra said. They were worried about how I would react. Said they did it to protect me.”

  He scoffs as he continues, “I asked them why they kept my cousin a secret. They said they lost contact with my aunt and uncle long ago and by the time they discovered their death, Xander had already been taken into custody by my grandmother here in Florida. The grandmother we never visited.”

  Nate runs his hand through his hair as he starts to pace the floor. “Once my grandmother died, they asked Ezra to track Xander down so he could come live with us. But Sam—you know the rest. Could you imagine Xander and me living under the same roof? We’d have probably killed each other.”

  I overlook his remark as I recall Ezra explaining how he took care of me after my mom, died. “No, you would have probably watched over him, as you did with me.”

  Grinning, Nate comes closer to me. “I was only six years old, but I knew that I was supposed to protect you. You were this little girl that came to our house in the middle of the night and I couldn’t explain why I had to be close to you. How I could feel everything you felt.”

  Slowly, his smile disappears. “When you left, I cried myself to sleep every night for weeks wondering where that girl went. When I saw you in the facility, it didn’t register until I heard your name and saw Ezra. Ezra told me to not say anything because of him withholding who he was—I respected his wishes, just as I respect yours, Jesca.”

  His declaration of respect seems to have a deeper meaning, but again his mental block is working overtime not letting me in. “I respect you too Nate. I would never do anything to put you in jeopardy. I’m worried that this between us might do that.”

  His eyes drop as soon as I tell him, which makes me feel like complete shit. I start to defend my words, “I would hate for something to catch us off guard...”

  He puts his hand up and shakes his head, his eyes returning to meet mine. “Believe me, it’s crossed my mind more than once. I would never want to put you at risk.”

  The uncomfortable silence between us settles, making it hard not to change the subject. “Hey, I’m going to head over to Ms. Olivia’s. I don’t want to not say good bye, just in case...”

  Listening to me get hitched on my thoughts of possible death, Nate finishes, “We are there longer than expected.”

  I nod and turn to grab the keys. “Yeah, exactly.”

  As I turn back around, he’s standing with his hand out. “I’ll drive.”

  “Thanks.”

  As I follow him out to the car, he says, “You know, you’re pretty wise for a nineteen-year-old.”

  I look over the top of the car at him. “ Yeah? You’re not so bad for a twenty-two-year-old.”

  He smiles that amazing and addictive grin and closes one eye as the sun shines on his face.

  “We good?”

  I don’t have to read his mind to know he’s talking about us. I nod, “Yeah, we’re good.”

  “Still want to have dinner?”

  His question makes me feel like we take a step back, until he clarifies. “No date, just hanging out.”

  His sincerity is written all over his face making it an easier response. “Hanging out sounds good.”

  After the last couple of weeks of being in Miami, Nate’s boredom had set in. He needed something to keep him occupied during the day.

  Ezra made sure we were busy while at the villa. We trained on the beach, needing to practice our combat skills and perfect our abilities. That took quite a bit of time, but it still left hours in the day with nothing for Nate to do.

  Ezra suggested that Nate work at the bookstore with Ms. Olivia and me. Knowing that Nate and I were together made Ezra feel better with Sam was still missing.

  On the first day I brought Nate to the store, Ms. Olivia put him to work. Nate assumed the handyman role for the bookstore and fit right in.

  Ms. Olivia baked and cooked for Nate when she wasn’t helping in the store. His eyes glazed over whenever he smelled the sweet cornbread, homemade cinnamon rolls, and casseroles she had made us to take home. She had breakfast ready for us every morning, and every couple of days, she baked two batches of cookies to send home. She was spoiling us, but I could tell that she loved to do it.

  I’m studying black holes, white holes and Laplace’s theories of their existence in our galaxy when Nate’s voice breaks me out of my stupor. “Shit! Damn pipe!”

  He groans as his arms continue to twist the wrench, water dripping onto his t-shirt. His shirt lifts as he works the wrench, giving me an eyeful of his sculpted abdomen. I quickly look away and keep my thoughts to myself. I have a feeling keeping my wandering eyes in check with Nate is going to pose a challenge.

  I hear Ms. Olivia walking back to see what the commotion is all about.

  “Nathaniel! There’s no need to get upset over something as irrelevant as a silly pipe!”

  Scooting out from under the sink, Nate mumbles, “Sorry, Ms. Olivia.”

  Ms. Olivia responds, “It’s all right. Cookies are almost ready, my boy.”

  Nate must feel my gaze on him because he looks over and winks before crawling back under the sink, the muscles in his chest and arm flexing with every move he makes. Shit. This isn’t going to be easy at all.

  We’re heading out, and Ms. Olivia is trailing behind us with our batches of cookies. “Nate, these are for you, my boy.”

  I smirk, rolling my eyes. “You spoil him.”

  She fans her hand at me softly. “I’m not going to see you two for a bit. It’s the least I can send with you.”

  I smile weakly, not wanting to say goodbye as I move in to hug her. She holds me in her arms and whispers. “Don’t. Just say see you soon.”

  I pull back and look into her light brown eyes. “See you soon.”

  She nods, and then looks up at Nate as he leans down to hug her small frame. His hug nearly smothers her, but the smile it puts on her face is priceless. “See you soon Nate.”

  “See you soon Ms. Olivia,” he says tenderly. Even though he smiles softly, tension is evident in his eyes.

  CHAPTER 9: FIRST WAVE

  Xander

  The weight of my eyes become too much and I fight briefly to reopen them. Suddenly, my body jolts, as if I’m falling in my sleep and my eyes are wide open.

  ***

  As I look around the cabin , everything looks a bit different—in a good way though. Details of my surroundings are crisper, sharper and brighter than normal.

  The lamp next to the sofa is too bright to look at, so I reach over and turn it off. With the lamp off, I notice the streams of light shining in from the window, creating a river of iridescent white flecks. I watch them shift and sway in the air.

  I shift my weight to lean back on the couch pillow and look up at the ceiling. I eye the color of the wooden beams supporting the roof–– a rich reddish-brown. Beyond that, I can see the splinters beneath the contrast of the wood. Deeper still, I hear the creaking of the wood under the strong, frigid winds outside. As I consider what is
going on with me, the sound shifts to include the walls and the floorboards.

  Wait! Creaking floorboards!

  My eyes dart around the room, sensing someone here. The sound of the refrigerator opening draws my attention first, then his voice.

  “Hello, my boy.”

  Without a second thought, I block him from getting into my mind. The beauty of being up here alone, I’ve been able to focus on what I’m guessing are some kind of abilities I somehow have gained since that night Sam took Corinna and the night I left Miami. Since being here in this small mountainous town, I’ve practiced blocking my thoughts with the few locals. I knew that Sam would come looking for me eventually and I had to be ready for him to try to get into my head. It was only a matter of time before the practice would be more than necessary.

  This is that moment. I’m not one to talk to the enemy, but I want to know how he got into the cabin.

  “How did you find me?”

  Sam pours himself a glass of juice, leans against the center island of the kitchen and takes a long drink before focusing back on me.

  “I didn’t. I’m not here. We’re in something like a dream.”

  As he walks from the kitchen toward me, I push the blanket off and rise in one swift motion.

  “You’ve learned quickly. I can’t get even the smallest glimpse into that pretty little head of yours.”

  I clasp my hands together to gain control of my wanting to rip his fucking head off.

  Sam places his drink down on the side table and has a seat in the rocking chair across from where I’m standing.“ Well, you must be wondering why I’m here after two months. I bet you’re also curious about that fiery redhead too.”

  I couldn’t care less about Sam’s whereabouts during the last two months. But, Corinna’s whereabouts—that had my attention.

  I still feel a pang of guilt from having a hand in her abduction. It’s true that Sam used me as a pawn to bring both Corinna Cain and Jesca Sera to him that night at the club, but I still feel responsible for not learning about who Sam was sooner, giving me the chance to prevent Corinna from being taken.