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Present Day
September 27th
Caleb waited a few hours before entering the clinic to see if he could will the person out but it didn’t work. “You’re being watched,” he announced.
Perkins spun around as he yelled, “My God!” He tried to catch the toothbrush that dropped from his hand but it fell through his fingers. He cursed.
Standing beside him now, Caleb caught the toothbrush before it hit the floor then held it out for Perkins to take. Looking surprised, Perkins reached for the toothbrush.
“Did you know?” Caleb asked.
“No!” Perkins placed the toothbrush on the edge of the sink. He rinsed his mouth out before walking out of the bathroom and into the room that had Exam Room 1 over the doorway. “How long you think they’ve been watching me?”
Caleb followed but didn’t go inside the room. He stood in the doorway. “I’d say the entire time you’ve been here. One person, but I’m having a tough time tracking him.” Caleb wouldn’t divulge how weird it was that he couldn’t track the person.
Perkins went to a chair that sat in a corner and began to struggle with slipping his foot into one of his shoes. Once done he started on the opposite foot. “I’ve endangered her.” With both shoes on, he checked his gun for bullets before placing it in his holster. Then he lowered his head and sighed.
Was I ever that weak?
If he was, Caleb was sure he wouldn’t wear it for all to see. “There aren’t any obstacles keeping him from getting to you, if that is the goal.” Caleb turned around before the lobby door opened. “Good morning Silvia.”
She looked surprised to see him too.
He was surprised to still see the subtle glimmer of affection in her eyes before she lowered them.
“Morning,” she said, sounding nervous and slightly irritated. “Are you going to make a habit of dropping by...” She paused, then said, “Unannounced?”
She was angry. Unrequited love had a way of pissing a person off. Silvia needed closure. Without it, her anger would continue to fester. Unless...unless there was someone else.
“My being here bothers you,” Caleb said. He watched her hurry past him to help Perkins sit on the bed. He heard her ordering Perkins to relax but he spoke over her anyway. “I didn’t consider how my surfacing would affect you.”
As she pulled off one of Perkin’s shoes she turned her head to look at Caleb who stood behind her. “Your surfacing, as you call it, was a surprise but that’s all it is, Caleb. It is Caleb?” she said mockingly. She pulled the other shoe off. “I just prefer you to give me notice when you want to visit my patient. Now, as for you,” she told Perkins, “it is much too soon for you to leave. Your body hasn’t fully healed, so whatever it is you feel you need to do can wait.” She helped Perkins take his gun holster off. She placed the holster with the gun inside the nightstand and closed the drawer. “I don’t care for guns and I don’t permit them in my home or clinic, but because you are an officer of the law I will make an exception.”
Caleb moved to the side as Silvia passed him again. “She’s right.” Caleb said when he was sure she was gone. “There’s nothing you can do in the state you’re in.” Caleb turned to leave.
“Staying here puts Silvia in danger,” Perkins said then grimaced.
“Silvia isn’t in any danger and neither are you.” He said when he turned back.
“How can you be so sure?”
Caleb walked into the room and over to the egress window. On the sill was a small metal pin. He held it up. “Because of this,” he said.
“Where did that come from?” Perkins looked at the shiny object in Caleb’s hand.
Ignoring Perkins, Caleb walked to the lobby door quickly. “I won’t be coming back. If you should need to get in contact with me, Bannerman would be the man to contact.”
“Bannerman?” Perkins whispered.
Caleb left through the lobby door before Perkins could ask anything else. He got inside his car and flipped open his phone. He tapped each number and a few seconds the line began to ring.
“The job is done Richard. You can call your soldier home.”
“Hello. I’m good and you,” Richard said bitterly. “As for the soldier you speak of, he’s MIA and off the grid.”
“He made contact. He left one of those little pins you give to your special team members. I can’t seem to get a fix on him though, and I don’t like it. Tell me all you know about him.”
Richard sighed.
“This isn’t a request from one of those diplomats you bullshit regularly. It’s me, and unless you can convince me otherwise, I will hunt and kill him.”
“His name is Cipher Shawn, age twenty-three. His team calls him Shadow. Cipher’s grandmother, a Native American, raised him on a reservation. In high school, he joined the ROTC. When his grandmother died, he enlisted in the army where his talents were noticed almost immediately. He impressed me so I recruited him for the Link Project four years ago. Cipher is highly intelligent and virtually unmatched in every challenge we gave him. Like you, when he is given a job nothing else exists, other than that command. Unlike you, when the job is done he is just a regular young man who does the things young men do, video games, girls, friends. Hangs out with a rowdy bunch, has gotten himself in a few bar fights but nothing too serious.”
“His parents?” Caleb asked.
“Father unknown, the mother died of a drug overdose when he was seven. Look Caleb, aside from you he is the best soldier I know. I don’t know why Cipher has decided to stick to you but I can tell you that whatever the reason he will see it to the end. He won’t be easy to hunt or kill.”
***
TRISTAN didn’t expect to see Zeta when he woke, but her movements were unmistakable. Caleb’s steps were soft yet solid and confident, the movements of someone who was familiar with his surroundings and had no fear. Zeta’s steps were light but hesitant, cautious like a Protector.
When he opened his door, she was sitting on the sofa with her back to him. He wanted to hug her, to promise to never test their friendship ever again, but he figured it was too soon to attempt. He would just have to be satisfied that she was out here, and not locked in Caleb’s room.
Tristan moved forward without even glancing down at his ankle cuff, and that’s when the smell coming from the kitchen registered. Rather than walk or jog over to the kitchen table the way an excited Middling would have, Tristan moved with such speed that the bag the smell was coming from rolled from the gush of wind. Tristan caught the bag as it rolled with one hand and the photo that was underneath it with his other hand.
He clutched the image as his eyes scanned every detail. “They’re so big,” he said then laughed. Nadia was smiling, sitting on a patch of grass, as Aidan stood over her with a flower. “Tell me about them.” He sat down at the table.
Zeta walked into the kitchen and sat across from him. “They’re both very smart. Aidan takes care of Nadia like a big brother should. I have to work hard to get him to smile but he almost never cries. He likes being read to and has a calming effect on his sister. Nadia is bubbly and full of laughter. She hates sitting still, loves apple slices but hates her hair in her face.”
Tristan lowered his head. “And my Ci, how is she?”
“Tired,” Zeta said. “She insists on doing everything for them herself. The only time she gets any rest is when your parents visit.”
He placed the photo on the table. Still looking down at it, he cleared his throat. “Thank you, Zeta. I don’t deserve your friendship after what I did, let alone this. It means more than you will ever know.”
Zeta stood and went to the refrigerator. He could see that her attempt to hold in her tears failed when she used the back of her hand to wipe them away. “Don’t thank me yet,” she said, sounding hoarse, “you haven’t tried the burger.” Zeta pulled out a beer and closed the refrigerator door. She placed the cold beer next to Tristan’s arm and walked back to the living room.
When Tristan looked over at her, she held a magazine close to her face. He smiled as he unfolded the paper bag and pulled the aluminum-wrapped burger out. He smiled even bigger as he chewed the first bite. Not because the burger was good, although it was. Tristan smiled because in that moment he was determined to be home before his children’s first birthday.
October 1st
Whodai watched the bubbles float slowly through the air above Nadia’s reach as she sat on the grass below, reaching and swatting without reward. He laughed at her determination as he kneeled closer to her and blew a stream of bubbles in front of her. He then turned and blew some bubbles in Aidan’s direction.
“There you go big guy,” Whodai said. He watched Aidan swat at the bubbles with both of his little hands.
Being around the twins wasn’t bad at all. He couldn’t shake the fact that if things had gone the way they should have, they would be his kids. Cianne would be his wife and they would be ruling the Coesen together, then the world.
He looked over at Cianne who was helping Nadia stand by holding her up by her hands. He smiled when they made eye contact. Cianne smiled back.
“You have some visitors, Soahn,” the butler called from the patio.
Cianne’s smile widened as she lifted Nadia onto her hip and hurried over to Cassius and gave him a big hug. As Whodai walked over with Aidan to greet Cassius, he saw his sister step onto the patio.
Trying to disguise his irritation as surprise, Whodai forced a grin when he reached the interlopers. “Nice of you to return old man,” he said to Cassius as he shook his hand. “Raya, it’s always nice to see my big sister.” He hugged her tightly.
Whodai loved his sister but they were like night and day. She didn’t seem to know him at all. Even his mother, who was consumed with duty, saw the darkness in him early on. His mother did her best to control him and he did his best to let his dear old mother believe that she succeeded.
“Is mother inside?” he asked.
Raya was being groomed to become leader of the Bode. When Raya accepted to be their mother’s successor, she basically signed over her freedom from that moment on. Pity that all her dedication was for nothing. When he had Cianne, he planned to rule without a council.
“Royal Brenna has accompanied us as well,” Raya told him. She focused on her brother’s hand, the one that held on to Aidan’s tiny hand.
Maybe she does see the darkness in me.
When she looked up at him, she was smiling.
No...she is just being a woman.
“Something has happened?” Cianne asked with concern.
Whodai saw the fear in her eyes as she took Aidan’s free hand and pulled him near. “Don’t worry, I will protect you and the children,” he assured her.
“You can both calm yourselves.” Raya reached for Nadia. “Everyone is waiting in the study. I’ll care for the children.” She moved Nadia to her hip and took Aidan’s hand from Cianne. “Come little people,” she urged, “Auntie Raya will get you a snack.”
Cassius ushered Whodai and Cianne to the study without saying a word to let them know the reason for the sudden meeting. Why is he being so tight lipped? Whodai didn’t like not being in the know.
As they entered the room everyone stood. He and Cassius remained standing until all the greetings were over and each royal was seated. He took a seat next to Cassius and looked to his mother for some sign of what was going on. She gave away nothing as usual. A fucking statue. It figured.
“We apologize for the intrusion, Soahn Cianne, but we felt that with all that has developed, it was necessary to request an audience,” Brenna said, sounding formal. “Civil War is looming. Chandra has been rallying supporters to her cause, and Eldra and I feel that there is a possibility that you may be able to prevent this uprising and save the lives of so many.”
“What can I do?” Cianne asked hesitantly, looking to both women.
“Cianne,” Eldra said softly. “I realize that this isn’t the life you imagined for yourself. You have lost so much in the last couple of years. Many women would have given up but you haven’t. Why?”
***
CIANNE’S eyes glossed over, but she was done with crying. No tears would fall from her eyes. “I want to but...”
“But your children need you,” Eldra finished. “And you’ve held on through all the suffering to be there for them. The love you feel for your children, Vivian felt for you. But she also felt that same love and devotion for our people. Brenna and I do as well. Even Chandra, as foolish as she is, feels that she is protecting our people. But I fear she will bring about our destruction which will no doubt spill over into the lives of unsuspecting Middlings.”
No, they can’t ask this of me.
“You want me to become your Sovereign,” Cianne said. “Even if I wanted to I’d just be a figure, a puppet. I know nothing about your culture or your laws, some of which I’ve already broken.”
“You are the Halo. In time, you will be much more than just our Sovereign,” Eldra said with a confidence that paled the sincerity that Vivian showed when she told Cianne the same thing.
“Becoming what you were meant to be is all we want of you. Your mother’s gift to you was to allow you to be raised as a Middling. I did not see it then but that decision allowed you to learn compassion, humility, and the ability to forgive, things we have lost over the centuries,” Brenna said. “We can teach each other.”
“That is not all we’ve come to ask of you.” Eldra seemed saddened by her words. “A gesture is needed from you, to prove to those who doubt your sincerity.”
“What sort of gesture?” Whodai spoke up. “Why would she have to prove herself? She’s the Halo. You’re both backing her. Isn’t that enough?”
The three women looked over at Whodai as if they forgot he was in the room. For the first time since she knew him, Cianne saw anger distort his handsome face. Even Cassius must have felt the tension coming from Whodai, because he stiffened next to him.
Whodai asked his question again. “What kind of gesture?”
Cianne could see his mother’s irritation with his probing. She had that “I speak, you listen” look about her.
“What we ask of you may seem insensitive but we’ve thought it out thoroughly. Know that this is in no way easy for us to ask.” Brenna rubbed her hands together in her lap. “We ask that you accept the Tandot victor as your mate.”
Cianne gasped. She slanted her head, disbelieving what she heard because surely, she must have heard wrong. “Um...I.” She cleared her throat.
“This isn’t right,” Whodai stood. “She shouldn’t have to prove anything to anyone.”
“Whodai please,” Brenna said as she motioned for him to sit.
Whodai looked to Cassius pleadingly. When Cassius only nodded, he looked at his mother. “You can’t ask her to do this. Even if she agrees to what you ask, it doesn’t mean the threat of war will go away.”
“No,” Eldra said, “but shouldn’t we do all we can to prevent it?”
Whodai bent down in front of Cianne and placed his hands over hers as she unconsciously scratched at her jeans. “You don’t have to do this. We can find another way.”
Cianne frowned. Why is he so angry? She looked at the doorway.
Whodai gave her hand a slight tug. “Fight, if we have to. Many will stand with us.”
“And many will die,” Brenna said plainly.
Cianne stared into Whodai’s simmering brown eyes. She couldn’t let any more people get hurt because of her. She dropped her shoulders. “If I do all you ask,” she said, as she turned to Eldra, “do you think it will really save lives?”
Whodai pulled his hands away as he stood. “It is too soon. Vous ne pouvez pas demander cela a elle,” he pleaded.
“He said that we should not demand this of you.” Brenna translated when she saw the confusion on Cianne’s face.
“I understood him,” Cianne said, still confused, “I just don’t understand why you’re so angry.” she said looking at Whodai.
Whodai seemed to struggle with his response as he looked at her. He glanced over at Cassius who looked pained for some reason. Then he stalked out of the study without saying a word.
Eldra focused on her again. “Accept your rightful place, Cianne. Be the leader Vivian and Kayla knew you could be. Be who you were born to be.” Eldra stood. “Now if you’ll all excuse me.” She silently left the room.
Cianne hunched over, and placing her forehead in her palms, she sighed. “And all I have to do is give myself to a man I don’t love.” She said more to herself than to anyone in particular.
Brenna crossed the room at some point and was kneeling in front of Cianne. She placed a perfectly manicured hand on Cianne’s leg. “At least you two are friends. That will allow things to go more smoothly. Most don’t meet their mate until the day of the bonding ritual.”
Cianne jerked her head up, her face blanched and her eyes wide.
Brenna face lit with understanding. “I see. You didn’t know.”
***
WHODAI heard his mother getting to her feet after he stormed out of the study. No doubt to follow him.
“Whodai,” she called. “What is this all about?”
Stopping just inside the Great Room, Whodai turned to face his mother. “This is not the way to go about this.”
“Cianne needs to take her place as Sovereign. Why shouldn’t it be now?”
Her tone warned him to tread lightly. Whodai looked down. Eldra had an intimidating effect on him since he could remember. He hated the weakness she brought out in him. “I just think—”
Eldra’s eyes narrowed. “You are not concerned with her taking her place as Sovereign, are you? No, that’s not it, is it?” Eldra grabbed his chin and held his face steady as she looked into his eyes.
He tried to pull away but it was too late. She was already pulling his fear to the surface to read and he could do nothing to stop her.
“You’ve never told her. Why Whodai, why have you kept this a secret?” Eldra loosened her grip, allowing him to pull away. “You want more time. Time, for her to...fall in love with you,” she shook her head, giving him a look of revulsion. “Did you believe you could win her heart? You have feelings for her?” She chuckled. “You listen to me,” she said, following his gaze with her own until he looked at her. “If she will have you, together you will lead and unite our people again. Love is not a requirement.” Eldra turned and began to walk away.
“Do you speak from experience?” he sneered.
Eldra stopped and gave him a sideways glance that made him flinch but he stood his ground. “As a matter of fact,” she told him, “I do.”
All my planning and sacrifice could go up in smoke all because of my mother, he thought as he entered his room. The same room Vivian gave him when he was a small boy.
For the first time since Vivian’s death, Whodai cursed her very existence.
Why didn’t you explain it all to Cianne?
It was her responsibility to educate her granddaughter in their ways. Her death wasn’t personal to him, but right now he was angry enough to stomp on her ashes.
Whodai looked at his reflection in the mirror on the chest of drawers.
Why didn’t I tell her? It never seemed like the right time.
He swatted a small vase off the corner of the chest. The vase hit the floor and shattered into small pieces. That self-righteous husband of hers didn’t tell her either. Though, he had to respect Tristan for not telling, even after their little encounter...the very same encounter that resulted in a few broken ribs for the fucker.
Tristan didn’t know who he was messing with. He had the rest of his afterlife in hell to think on it.
A light tap at his door pulled Whodai back to the here and now. Fuck off, was what he thought as he crossed the room. Is it too much to ask for a damn minute alone to sulk?
He didn’t expect to see Cianne when he pulled his door open. Their eyes met long enough for him to see the confusion on her face before she looked away.
“You lied to me.” Cianne side-stepped him to get inside his room.
“I didn’t lie to you,” he said, leaving his door open. “I told you that I was in love with someone who found someone else before I could tell her how I felt. Your grandmother’s plan was to introduce you to me, then gradually introduce you to our customs. The night we arrived at your home not only did I find out you had been kidnapped, I found out that you already had someone. There was no point in telling you later that I loved you. That I had for a very long time.”
Damn. She looked annoyed.
Cianne sat on the end of his bed. “How could you love me? We never even met before that day in the garden.”
Whodai walked over to his nightstand and pulled out a thin billfold. Sitting down a few inches from her, he pulled two 5x7 photos from the billfold and handed them to her. On one of the photos, Cianne was about eleven years old. She wore a yellow sun dress with a big white flower covering the lower half. Her long hair was in two long braids and her hands were clasped behind her back.
The other picture was a fairly recent photo of her during her junior year. Her long beautiful loosely curled hair was pulled over one shoulder and rested a few inches past her breast. She wore an off the shoulders gray shirt that made the green color of her eyes stand out vividly.
“Where did you get these?”
“Vivian. There is another, in my home in London.” He watched her as she looked over the photos. When she stood he reached for her but then pulled his hand back, closing it into a fist. He mashed his fist into his bed. “You don’t understand,” he said. “As a child, my first memories are of people complimenting my mother about what a perfect candidate I was. It is an honor to be considered for the Tandot competition so she groomed me.
“Every second of my day was dedicated to my studies and training. Very early on, the other entries and I realized that this competition was different from the rest. And when our Sovereign, your grandmother, began appearing at some of the testing, we knew for certain. She took an immediate interest in me, Cianne. Maybe because of my mother, I don’t know.” He stood. “You can’t imagine the honor I felt, my family felt, because of me. Vivian couldn’t interfere with the process but she did something that drove me even harder.”
He walked over to Cianne, then moved around her to face her. “I was thirteen when she gave me the first picture.” He remembered the exact day because he just eliminated two more candidates. His mother actually smiled at him that day. “I never told anyone I had it. Not even my mother. I used to stare at you for hours. You were so beautiful, so perfect.”
Cianne looked up from the photos. Her expression was one of curiosity. Curiosity was good.
“Soon after she gave me the photo, Vivian began sharing things about you with me. Like how smart you were and the things you liked. It drove me in a way you couldn’t imagine. When I was sixteen I defeated seven of the remaining competitors. By then I was already in love with you.”
“You were in love with an idea,” Cianne told him. “Believe me, I know how strong loving someone from afar can be but it’s not real.”
“Maybe.” He took her hand that held the photos. “But then I got to know you.”
Cianne pulled her hand away and took a few steps back, shaking her head, “I can’t think straight. Everything...this is so epically wrong.” The photos toggled on her fingertips before they fell to the floor.
Whodai stepped over the pictures. “That day we met in the garden, you felt something. I know you did.” He mirrored the head movements she made to avoid him, making sure his eyes were locked with hers. “I felt it too.”
Cianne pulled away, backing up, but he moved with her. “Why are you saying these things? We’re friends,” she said.
“Accept me Cianne.” His words sounded normal enough but they were laced with determination and authority. A thickness coated the air and he knew she heard the magnitude of power in his words.
He watched Cianne squeeze her eyes shut then press her right hand to her temple. Tapping her head repeatedly, she opened her eyes. He almost backed away from her when he noticed the thin red line that trimmed her lovely green-blue irises.
“You spoke up for me downstairs. You were upset when they said I should be with...” she said, motioning to him, “you.”
She was angry and all it did was turn him on. He knew she wouldn’t be like the others he took to his bed. Yes, she was gentle, maybe even innocent, but push her into a corner and she literally saw red.
“I don’t just want you to couple with me,” Whodai dared to say. “An exceptional match is what every Coesen is taught to hope for. We couple to keep our race pure and strong. To love, that is rare. I think that’s why Vivian gave me the photos. She wanted you to be with someone who loved you,” he said, looking into her heat-filled eyes. “And I want you to love me.”
Cianne grabbed her head with both hands as if buckling under the pressure of his words. She squeezed her eyes closed and her breaths came out short. Then, she straightened to her full height. With her eyes fixed on him, it seemed as if she was going to smile. As if his command worked.
Relishing his victory, Whodai stepped up to Cianne, ready to kiss those luscious lips of hers. But the expression that came over her face gave him pause.
“I can’t love you the way you want me to.” She moved past him. “That kind of love disappeared when he did.”
“Shit,” Whodai cursed. He wanted to run after her but he didn’t. Never did he think to use his power to make her love him. He wanted her to come to him freely but he was getting desperate. He cursed again as he slammed his door shut.
He used his full power on Cianne and she shook it off like it was a pesky headache. Things weren’t going as quickly as he wanted, and he was losing the ground he already gained. But, he loved a challenge. He loved Cianne’s strength, and most of all, he loved her.
Whodai smiled. This setback wouldn’t stop him. Quit? Hell...he was just getting started. But his next move would have to wait because now he had to feed the raging hormones his future wife had unintentionally set ablaze.
Another disposable beauty would do just fine.
