Ultimate Passage: New Beginnings: Box Set ( Books 1-4) (19 page)

The sound of footsteps approaching broke the strained silence between them.

“Alithera.” Kal strode into view. “What are you doing here?”

“Nothing.” The tall blonde turned and departed without so much as a backward glance at Marissa.

Kal turned away from the blonde and surveyed Marissa, his face concerned. “How are you?”

She blew out a breath full of anger and anxiety. “Seriously? I’m in jail. I’m pregnant. I haven’t eaten since I don’t know when. I’m doing pretty damned shitty.”

He nodded. “I am sorry.”

“Please don’t take this wrong, but I don’t want an apology. I need help. Can you help me?”

“I am trying. But I leave for Earth shortly. I am going to get Finn. My father sits on the Council, and I’ve asked him to look out for your interests. Of course he has only one vote. And one of the other votes is Alithera’s uncle. And others...” He shrugged as though it was more of a burden than he could handle.

“And the Council, what’s that about?”

He sighed. “They decide if you should go to trial or not.”

“You mean if I’m innocent or guilty?”

His skin flickered as it shifted into a darker blue. “Not exactly. It’s been determined that you are guilty already. They are confident you killed Merck.”

“But it was in self-defense. He was keeping me captive. He was bringing me back.”

“I understand. But that is not something that will be taken into consideration.”

“Okay, so what’s the Council deciding, then?”

“Whether you get a trial or the death penalty.”

“What? So just like that, you’d kill me?”

“Not I. No.” He rubbed his jaw. It was a habit Finn had too. “When Asazi say death penalty, they mean banishment.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You are released from here—banished. You are sent to Midland.”

“What’s that?”

“The land between our settlement, the Heartland, and the Farlands. The Farlands are Kormic lands. Inhabited only by the Kormic.”

“So who lives in Midland? Why is that so bad? Why is that called a death penalty?”

“It’s patrolled by Kormic and has been rumored to be inhabited by rogue Kormic. And...”

“And what?”

“We are not sure. We do not like to spend time in Midland, if possible. And we never venture into the Farlands. Kormic are a terrible adversary. You know Finn’s father was lost in a battle with Kormic.” His medium blue color deepened a few shades.

“Yes, he shared that with me. So I have to pray that I get a trial. But what if I do, then what?”

“Hopefully by then I will be back with Finn, and he can speak on your behalf. He is a highly decorated soldier, very respected.” Kal frowned.

“But what? What are you not telling me?”

“Nothing.”

“Kal, your color shifted to purple.” What had made him think he would get away with hiding his emotions? Asazi skin was like a beacon. “What is it?”

“I am not sure how his recent decision to stay on Earth will be viewed, if the agenda will have to be brought up, and if they will view it or him favorably if it is brought up. And if it is not, I am not sure how he will be able to explain his decision to leave Kormia.”

“God. What a damned mess.”

“Indeed.”

“So until then I wait? Wait for you and Finn to return?”

“It should not be more than 24 to 36 hours.”

F
inn checked
the email on his phone for what felt like the thirtieth time. What was taking Kal so long to respond? He sped along the highway, pushing the limit, but not by too much. He couldn’t afford to be pulled over. Not that a ticket would be any big deal, not that his papers wouldn’t pass an average cop’s inspection, but he didn’t want the time delay of getting pulled over. He definitely couldn’t afford that. Why hadn’t Kal emailed or called or messaged him?

Maybe Kal was going to send the email to the ranch. Maybe that was it. Finn was less than five minutes away from the ranch house. He hadn’t stopped to sleep or eat, or even use the restroom. He resisted the urge to floor the pedal. Less than five minutes—it would be okay. His hands shook with nervousness. Marissa... He had to get to the computer. He had to find out what was going on.

Those last five minutes felt longer than the entire drive from Houston, but he finally pulled in, slammed the car into park, and shouldered the door open. He sprinted to the computer and booted it up, tapping his fingers on the mouse impatiently.

Finally, his inbox had the number “1” on it. One solitary email. It better not be an ad or spam.

It wasn’t. Kal had written.

Marissa is safe in a cell. Council to meet soon but have no definite time or date yet. Will be at the northeast gate of the ranch at 7 p.m. Will need to recharge the vessel.

Finn looked at the time. Thirty minutes until Kal was here. He grabbed a sandwich, left the car where it was and flew to the northeast corner, wondering where the vessel would be hidden. It wasn’t something they wanted to leave out. There had to be a hidden entrance here, like the one in Houston. He would wait for Kal to show him.

He looked at the clock. Eighteen minutes until Kal arrived. Then it hit him.

He’d never told Kal he could fly. And now, here he was, a couple of miles from the ranch house. How would he explain that to Kal? And should he expect Kal to walk or run back to the ranch house? Maybe he should tell Kal he could fly. Yes, but still, unless he planned to carry Kal and any supplies or equipment he’d brought, he’d need a vehicle.

He took flight toward the ranch house and the vehicle. A single question replayed in his mind: did he want to tell Kal that he could fly?

Then his mind went to another problem. Where was the pickup truck? If Marissa had been taken, where had the truck been left? Would it lead whoever found it back to this place? He flew faster, arrived at the car, started it, and wondered if he’d need to return it and buy another one. Or if he should even worry about that.

No, none of it mattered, not with Marissa gone, but his mind would not stop going over and over all these facts.

He pulled up to the northeast corner. The short, squat vessel was already there, and Kal was stepping out. His face was grim.

“Cousin.”

“Finn.” Kal wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tightly.

Finn wondered if that was supposed to give him strength or whether Kal was getting strength from him.

“Let’s go.” Finn took a step toward the vessel.

Kal put his hand on Finn’s arm, stopping him. “Not yet.”

“What? Why?”

“Orders.” Kal paused. “Unless—”

“Curses.” Finn did not want to worry about Kal’s career, not on top of anything else. “No, that could jeopardize your career.”

“I am not worried about that.”

“Why do you sound reckless, like me? Where are you going to put this thing? We don’t want to attract attention.”

Kal nodded, walked over to the gate, and punched a code into the console. Finn jumped when the ground moved beneath his feet.

Kal laughed, a soft, not quite from the heart laugh. “Sorry. I should have warned you. I forgot I didn’t tell you. I’m actually surprised you haven’t explored this far in the tunnels, that you haven’t found it yet.”

“Marissa hates being underground. It spooks her. And I’ve spent most of my time with her. I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable by dragging her down there.”

A look crossed over Kal’s face, and his color shifted.

“What is it?”

“She’s underground right now, in a cell.”

“Don’t think I haven’t thought of that. I’m tortured by it.” Finn let a ragged breath out. The ground sank beneath them, taking the vessel, Finn, and Kal beneath the earth, then a soil-covered plate drew over the vessel, concealing it completely.

“What about the car?” Finn asked.

“We won’t be here long. I want to check a few things, make sure there haven’t been any changes in the underground bunker.”

“I’ve been wondering...” Finn began. “Well, I’ve been wondering a lot of things. But how is it that humans don’t know about the underground bunker here? Or the one near Houston? They have fairly sophisticated technology. They should be able to penetrate through the soil to see our tunnels and bunkers.”

“There is a layer, something the scientists do.”

Like Kal, Finn was a soldier. Knowing how scientists managed wasn’t his role, and never had been. Actually, his only role, his only purpose now, was Marissa. Not soldiering, not conquering, nothing. Only Marissa.

The room was huge, like the one near Houston, and more than large enough to accommodate the vessel. Several doors studded the room’s walls.

Kal gestured toward one of the doors. “We need to have a talk. This is as good a time as any.” He opened the door, and Finn followed him in. A switch turned the light on. “Solar powered,” Kal explained.

“There’s a lot of sun out here. What exactly did you want to talk about?” He wondered if Kal had any idea about the flying. Or about the sex between him and Marissa, sex that was so atypical of Asazi people.
Easy
, he cautioned himself.
Let him tell you what this is about.

“You know how—” Kal cleared his throat, his color changing to a yellow color.

Finn wondered why he was growing yellow, the color of embarrassment.

Kal began again. “You know how our friends think we resemble each other? Like brothers?”

“Yes.” Finn felt nervous, unsure. What was Kal going on about?

“There’s something that I’ve known about, but didn’t know quite how to say it. Your mother—she was my mother as well.”

Finn stepped back, studying the cousin who a few had thought was his brother. “But our fathers are brothers. That’s not possible. I was my mother’s first—her only child. She died giving birth to me. You are older, you—how can that be? And I know your mother. She gave birth to you.”

“Before your mother met your father, after she’d started puberty, she was taken in to be tested. That’s not all they did. And then I was implanted into my mother.”

“What? She was an Asazi citizen, not a random human they could do that to.”

“Times were different then. Difficult. They weren’t able to put together another Wave. Think about it. In their eyes, she was born of a human, so she might have the necessary genetic composition. So they did what they thought they had to.”

Finn was reeling. This was his
brother
. He did some calculating. “You’re my three-quarters brother. How can you defend them?”

“I don’t. I don’t defend them at all. But I understand their motives.”

“And did your father know this? Did your mother know?”

“No. They don’t just take eggs. Eggs with a certain makeup genetically, and a sample of the donor’s genes. I don’t know exactly. I’m not a scientist. I was only attached to the program in the capacity of a soldier, to protect the mission.”

“I can’t believe this. So they took my mother’s eggs.”

“Not all of them, clearly. They left the one that made you. And I am happy. You are more like my brother than my cousin.”

Kal’s emotional confession was startling. So un-Asazi. Was he going through changes also?

“I wish scientists didn’t control more than half the Council,” Kal said. “Sometimes I wonder about their motives.”

Finn nodded. “Especially when I hear of things like this.”

“I didn’t mean to put this on you, cous—brother.” Kal’s correction made Finn sad. He had just found out that this was his brother, and now he was going off to Kormia, to who knew what fate.

Finn wrapped his arm around Kal. Kal, who had always been more brother than cousin. “I’m happy.” Plagued by guilt, he wondered again if he should tell Kal about his flying.

“What could be the cause of this sweet, sentimental display?”

Kal and Finn swung around toward the voice that was coming from the vessel’s exit.

A blonde head poked up. There was a smile on her face.

Alithera.
Finn turned to Kal, wondering if he was a party to her appearance. “Why is Alithera here?” he whispered to Kal.

“What in curses are you doing here?” Kal’s voice echoed in the chamber.

That certainly answered the question about his being a party to her showing up.

“Maybe I had unfinished business with Finn. Maybe I needed a change of scenery.”

Guilt plagued Finn. He really had behaved like a cad, not even letting her know in person that he was leaving. Still, he didn’t want Ali’s sudden appearance to detract him from his agenda to get to Marissa. “We have no unfinished business.” Finn knew he sounded cranky, but seeing her was a complication he didn’t need. He wasn’t sure what her motives were. He hadn’t talked to her since before the Binding was dissolved, hadn’t been allowed to explain to her, hadn’t been allowed to do anything. She probably thought he’d run out like a coward. Probably hated him for it. But right now it didn’t matter. He didn’t have anything to say to her. Y
ou owe her,
his conscience demanded.
You owe her the courtesy of an explanation, of something.
He blew out an exasperated breath, rubbed his temples, and blinked against the fatigue that was settling in behind his eyes.

“Let’s go back to the ranch house.” That seemed like the only thing he could suggest. “We can talk there.”

Kal turned to Alithera. “Give us a moment, Ali.”

“Fine. Come get me when you are done.” She climbed back into the ship.

Kal opened a panel on the wall and pressed a button, then showed it to Finn. “This one opens the entrance for individuals. This one opens one for the vessel.” He pointed to another one. “There is a manual behind the panel.” He showed Finn how to pull the panel open, revealing a laminated manual. “This has everything you need to know about this bunker. From supplying yourself with food, and water, and any other needs. It has a list of all the compounds around the Earth that we have set up. Numbered bank accounts, everything.”

“Why did you not tell me this before? I’ve been here for weeks and I wasn’t privy to any of this.”

“I truly thought you’d return to Kormia. To soldiering. I did not think that you would be serious about leaving a life you loved so much.”

Clearly Kal had no idea the depth of his feelings for Marissa. “Understood.” Finn realized that Kal was giving him a chance to have a life. Another life, if anything should happen, if he could get back to Earth.

“There are names of people who will provide you with identities, transportation, everything.” Kal grabbed Finn’s shoulders fiercely. “Heed this, my brother. Do not take it lightly. Many men have sacrificed their lives to be here, to set this up over the centuries.” Kal hugged him.

Finn hugged him back with as much ferocity as he could. It was as if Kal was saying goodbye forever. Did he think Finn wouldn’t make it back? If that was what he thought, why was he giving Finn this information?

“Are you two almost done out there?”

Alithera’s voice was closer than it should have been. Had she heard them?

“Yes,” Kal answered, giving Finn a look that seemed to say,
be cautious around her.

Why would he say that? Except for the fact that she clearly had stowed away and left Kormia without permission. And that was a crime. Then again, if she was a criminal and he wasn’t viewed favorably by their people, wouldn’t that make them allies of a sort?

She stepped out of the ship and climbed down the ladder. “Make no mistake.” She put her hands on her hips. “I am not returning to Kormia.” She turned to Kal. “What are your plans?”

“My plans were to stay here. Finn is to return alone.”

“Then that plan remains.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I will die before I return there. Understood?”

“What about your mother? What did you tell her? Did she have no problem with your leaving Kormia? What will you do with yourself?” Finn couldn’t help the questions. They had grown up together. His refusing the Binding didn’t mean that he didn’t care for her.

She looked him up and down, almost in a dismissive manner. “Finneas Ramont, you gave up the right to ask me anything or to be a part of my life when you dissolved the Binding.”

He nodded. He deserved that. “Let’s go.”

He made his way out to the car and got in the front seat. He was tired, hungry, and homesick for Marissa. He planned to get food, rest, and then get on that damned ship so he could go get her back. He started the engine.

Kal and Ali took less than a minute to get their belongings and lock up and join him.

When they arrived at the ranch house, Finn gave each of them a room, made three sandwiches and put out three bottles of water.

Ali frowned at the fare. “No Asazi food?”

Finn glanced at Kal. “No.”

Kal nodded.

“You know—” Finn began.

“I know,” Kal interrupted.

“Know what?” Ali reached for a sandwich.

“Nothing,” Kal said with a pointed look at Finn.

Finn wondered how much Kal knew about the food and the flying. And whether he could confirm Finn’s theories on the matter.

Dinner was a brief affair. When they were done, he bid them both goodnight, and asked Kal to wake him the moment he was able to leave, though he wasn’t sure he could sleep.

F
inn knew it was a dream
. Even in as deep a sleep as he was in, he knew Marissa was in Kormia, but the dream was so vivid, so real. A dream Finn did not want to end. Her mouth was soft, yet demanding, and wet, leaving a trail of saliva that slid down his member with every upward motion of her head. Every time she lowered it, he moaned, grabbing her head, pushing it down.