Chapter 1

Present Day

Blake Birmingham ran his hand through his hair, waiting for the next punch. He’d either block it or he’d take it, but either way, it would hurt. Sweat rolled down his body. Every muscle burned like it had just been lit on fire. He tried to focus through it all, carefully watching Jovan’s feet and fists, especially the feet. When a size twelve landed in his sternum, it hurt like a mother—

Jovan lunged at him, his foot on target for Blake’s forehead. At the last second, he ducked, sending Jovan off-balance. He quickly moved, jamming his fist into Jovan’s solar plexus, sending him to the mats with a loud thump. He waited a beat for a countermove, and when none came, he flopped down next to his friend.

“That hurt, man,” Jovan whispered, laying his forehead against the cool mat.

It has been three months, four days, and about seven hours since Blake had kicked his heroin habit, but he wasn’t counting. He’d never felt stronger, or more alive. He owed it all to his incredible support system—Jovan, who worked out with him relentlessly; Cohen, for his healing abilities; Beverly, for talking him through ups and downs and helping him accept his past; and of course, Sophia, his rock, and his soon-to-be mate. The ceremony would take place in eleven days, and he couldn’t recall a time he’d been more excited about an event in his life. Frankly, there hadn’t been much for him to be enthusiastic about before meeting Sophia, but he kept his past tucked away behind him, only bringing it out and contemplating it when absolutely necessary.

He wanted to focus on the future.

As half SR44ian and human—or a half-breed, as the Saviors liked to call him—he’d never fully comprehended the make-up of an SR44 male, until he’d met Sophia. The world of an SR44 male revolved around his mate and her happiness. As each of the Saviors found their mates, he watched them change and evolve into people he didn’t understand. Yet, he’d come full circle with Sophia—his world revolved around her, and her daughter, Megan.

“So Cohen will heal your boo-boo, and you’ll be better in an hour. Relax, man.”

“You didn’t need to hit me that hard.”

Blake chuckled, finally catching his breath. “I think you’re just pissed because I’m finally able to kick your ass.”

Jovan rolled over with a groan. “You’re probably right.”

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out.

Noah.

“It’s the big guy upstairs.” And that guy didn’t joke around. Noah, the leader of the Six Saviors, literally sat somewhere in the nine stories up in the missile silo from where he and Jovan lay on the gym mats.

“Ignore it.”

He set the phone down, his breath finally evening out. The shrill started up just a few seconds after it ended.

“You know you can’t ignore Noah,” he mumbled, bringing the phone to his ear. “What’s up, man?”

“You need to pick up when I call. I’m not phoning you up to ask you how your day is going or if you’ve cleared up your jock itch.”

He sighed. “Jock itch is better, thanks, and so far, my day has been great. Now, what’s up?”

“I need everyone up here in twenty. Jovan isn’t answering his phone, either. Is he with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Drag him with you and get up here.”

Blake set the phone down and struggled to his feet. He held his hand out to Jovan and pulled him upright.

“Let’s go, princess. We need to hit the showers. The royal pain in the ass awaits.”

 

 

 

 

Eighteen minutes later, Blake sat in the War Room with the other Saviors and Warriors—Hudson, Rayner, Cohen, Annis, and Jovan. They all migrated to their high-back leather seats around the large glass table like moths to their particular flame. Nico was M.I.A. Blake gazed over at Cohen, the Healer of the group, and Annis, their intertwined fingers making a beautiful mosaic of light and dark skin. Although pregnant, Annis had only begun to show. He sent silent thanks out that the anger and hatred of her choosing Cohen over him no longer rolled through his veins like poison, eating him alive. Smiling at Cohen, he found himself excited for their new family addition who would be arriving in the next six months or so.

Hudson sat to their right, dressed in a black t-shirt, black jeans, and his black hair pulled back in the standard ponytail. The guy looked like he’d just walked off the pages of GQ, and if he could describe a man as pretty, Hudson fit the definition. He also happened to be a ruthless assassin, a great cook, and a fabulous dancer, not to mention incredibly devoted to his mate, Beverly, a human, and their son, Killian.

At the other head of the table sat Rayner. On his home planet, he had been a Forest Dweller, living off the land. Here on Earth, he found himself one half of an amazing Navajo legend, the other part being his mate, Faith.

Jovan sat next to him, pushing his wet, shoulder-length blond hair out of his face. He’d yet to mate with Liberty, an SR44ian female, and with her diamond studded nose, her love of tattoos and motorcycles, her ever-changing hair color, and her no-bullshit policy—especially with Jovan—Blake often wondered if the guy had taken on more than he could handle. Jovan had been pushing for a mating date, but Liberty wouldn’t have any of it. She preferred things just the way they stood.

“Now that everyone is here, we’ve got a lot to discuss,” Noah said.

Didn’t they always?

“The murder rates keep going up in this city, and the police are at a standstill. It’s not like I can tell them that there’s beings from another world here causing this, so we’re going to have to deal with it ourselves.”

Just over two hundred years ago, twelve of the most horrible criminals of the planet SR44—the Colonists—had escaped and come to Earth. The Six Saviors had been sent shortly thereafter to kill them, and all had been given human bodies so they would blend in with life on Earth. What they hadn’t anticipated was the Colonists also taking on the human form, mating with humans, and their DNA being passed down through the generations, only to create more psychopaths. Blake happened to be one of those people sired by a Colonist, but thankfully, he had the ability to control his urge to kill. In his opinion, the battle could never be won, but they continued to wage the losing war.

“So, what’s the plan?” Hudson asked.

Noah leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.”

A heavy silence settled over the room.

They had tried to deal with it by working with The Platoon, only to find out that their leader, Micah, had actually been in charge of the Colonist, Daniel, and his following of half-breeds who loved nothing more than to kill. It had been a betrayal that no one in their right mind could have seen. Noah had trusted the shitbag and Blake had ended up putting a bullet in his brain.

“Let’s try some patrols in Phoenix,” Jovan said. “If we can catch one of the half-breeds, we can find out where Daniel’s training them, and then find him. If we can cut the head off the monster—”

“So, what are you suggesting, Jovan?” Annis asked. “That we capture one of these people and then torture them to get the information?”

“Pretty much.”

Blake grinned at his honesty. Frankly, he wouldn’t have any problem with it, either.

“I’m sorry I’m late, Noah,” Nico said after pushing in through the glass door. “My apologies.”

“No sweat, man. We were just talking about beefing up patrols in downtown Phoenix.”

“We’ve been on patrol.” Nico sat down next to Annis. “The half-breeds are moving too quickly for us, striking when and where we least expect it. We need to clone ourselves.”

“That’s not going to happen anytime soon,” Noah mumbled.

“I wouldn’t sign up for that shit, anyway,” Rayner chimed in.

It had been this way for a couple of months now, since Micah and the Platoon had been decimated. They knew they had to stop the carnage, but they didn’t know how. They had been outnumbered.

“Well, I got nothing else,” Noah said. “Tonight, we patrol. Hudson, you’re with Blake and me. Nico, you’re our driver. We can’t just sit around here and pretend nothing is happening on the streets when our species is responsible for it. We keep patrolling until we find some solution that either puts the humans in charge, or we take care of this ourselves.”

Blake nodded as he met Noah’s gaze. He’d definitely need a good, solid meal after his workout with Jovan, and his stomach howled for some food. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he noted the time at just after noon. They most likely wouldn’t leave until after dinner, so he also had time for some sleep.

As he stood, he wondered if Sophia would be up for a little cuddling, and if the stars aligned accurately and Megan was properly entertained, maybe he could get a little action, as well.

His great day might just get a little better.

Despite all the crap happening around him, it seemed nothing could bust his bliss.