Authors: Charlee Allden
Deadly Lover (39 page)
Jolaj followed the trail to the last house on the south side of the street. The scent of fear assailed his senses the moment he
slipped
inside. He found a young mother with her toddler locked in a closet and sent them out of the front door. Perry’s stench led him to a second story bedroom. Ready for anything, Jolaj
slipped
through the door and
synced
. Perry stood by the window, watching the commotion on the street. He held an injector gun in one hand and a pulse pistol in the other. He faced Jolaj.
“I’m impressed,” he said. “I thought you’d be dead. Tell me, is that whoring bitch still alive, too?”
Rage exploded through Jolaj, setting his nerves on fire and boiling his blood. This maniac needed to die. He panted, fighting for control. His racing heart drummed loud in his ears.
“This was her room, you know? I used to stand out there in the backyard and watch the house. Waiting for them to let their annoying little mutt out to piss.” He smiled wistfully. “I enjoyed gutting that one. Enjoyed hearing Lily and Rose whine about him going missing even more. They looked for him for weeks.”
Jolaj listened, biding his time, waiting for the bastard to step away from the wall. To give Jolaj enough room to
slip
in behind him, out of easy reach of the hypo.
“An animal.” Perry continued. “They made all of that fuss over a stupid, dirty animal.” His face flushed, the tips of his ears turned cherry. “My mother liked animals. All kinds. And when your kind showed up she started spending all her time volunteering at the shelter. That was back before The Zone.”
Jolaj remembered. He remembered the cargo containers the Earth military had forced them to sleep in and he remembered the kindness of the humans who’d brought them food and donated clothing.
“Mom volunteered there right up until the day Dad had to put her down.” Lips curled, he spit the words into the air, growing louder with each sentence. “She had a little half-breed bun in the oven. In the end, he buried her out back with the other animals we killed.”
Shock almost cost him his shot at Perry as the man paced a little away from the wall. Clearing his thoughts, Jolaj
slipped
toward
out-of-sync
then
synced
behind the man. He pinned his arms, lifted him, and slammed him against the wall. The hypo dropped to the floor with a thunk.
Perry struggled. Jolaj slid one hand up and wrapped it around his neck, sinking his claws in enough to get the man’s attention. “By The Laws of Continuation,” he ground the words out between clamped teeth, “it’s my right to take your life for what you’ve done.”
He desperately wanted to end the bastard right there. Sink his claws in deep and rip the man’s throat out.
Footfall on the stairs brought Jolaj around to face the door, a struggling Perry still locked against his chest.
A silver haired man with Lily’s brilliant green eyes came through the door, pulser in hand. Jolaj growled and the man stopped short.
He lifted his hands in the air, one still gripped around the weapon. “Lily sent me,” he said. “I’m her uncle, Pat.”
Perry squirmed like the worm he was. “Help me!” he shouted. “He’s gone crazy.”
Jolaj’s grip on Perry tightened until the man stilled, fighting for breath.
“Now hold up there,” said Pat. “You don’t want to do that. Get you in to all kind of trouble and I think our Lily’s taken a shine to you. She’d be pretty mad if I let you do something to get arrested.”
He edged a little closer.
Jolaj growled again in the back of his throat. “He kidnapped and hurt your daughter. Don’t you want to see him punished?”
“Hell, yes. If I could, I’d rip him limb from limb, but we both know that's not the way it works.”
Jolaj moaned, but he knew the man was right.
More boot heels stormed up the stairs. Lily and Brian came through the door. Lily was alive and whole and taking everything in with a glance of those beautiful green eyes. For her he would be strong. For her he would be civilized.
He retracted his claws but maintained his grip on Perry’s throat.
His strong, fierce Lily pulled her pulser out of her pocket and changed the setting then stepped forward. She stood face to face with Perry.
“Why?” A frown etched deep groves across her forehead. “Why do you hate them so much?”
Perry laughed, a hoarse, ragged sound that garbled out of his bruised throat. “They’re animals.” His crazed features softened. “Animals who want to corrupt good girls like you. To steal mothers from little boys.”
Perry’s demeanor changed again in a flash of movement. He jerked in Jolaj’s grip, kicking at Lily’s legs. Her reaction was instant. She pressed the pulser to Perry’s chest. She must have set it on low, because Jolaj didn’t feel anything from the discharge. Perry went limp and Jolaj dropped him to the floor like what he was. Garbage.
Lily stepped over Perry and into Jolaj’s arms.
A moment passed in silence. Brian and Pat studied their toes while Jolaj savored the feel of Lily safe and in his arms where she belonged.
“He’s insane,” she said into his tunic. “Thank God you’re okay.”
He breathed in her scent, gloried in her curves pressed against his aching body. He nodded into her hair. “Praise the Way.”
Lily closed the link, ending her conversation with Aunt Jane, and leaned against the railing surrounding Jolaj's rooftop garden. He had a great view of the lush landscape of The Zone. From the outside, The Zone, with its imposing wall, looked like a prison camp, but the people living inside had made it their home. Could they really want to leave?
Below, she caught sight of Jolaj and Kertu walking into the square. The council meeting had finally wrapped up. The men exchanged a quick embrace then parted. Jolaj looked up as if he'd known she'd be there watching. He blurred, then disappeared. The air behind her crackled with energy and she turned in time to see him
sync
. His skills were crazy good and he knew his own home well enough to make
slipping
there completely safe. Still, every time he
slipped,
a small knot of worry tightened in her gut.
Jolaj reached for her, capturing her face with his big hands and pressing his forehead to hers. The growling noise he made in the back of his throat rumbled through his chest, beneath the palm she'd placed there. The vibrations rippled through her, heating all the hidden and dusty corners of her heart.
She pushed back a little and looked up into his face. “Aunt Jane and Uncle Pat have Sara back at their place, surrounded by Junior, Rosalee and the kids. They're keeping Bradley in the med center to watch his head injury.” She clutched a fistful of Jolaj's tunic. “Sean's still at Metro. Brian says Perry confessed to everything. The maniac bragged about how clever he was. What a service he'd done for mankind.”
Jolaj smiled. “That information can't have been released. Has your brother been hacking into the Metro security cams?”
His humor chased away the anger she’d been hanging on to.
“Probably,” she admitted.
Jolaj traced a thumb across her lips. “The Council has approved our request to allow all human companions to remain in The Zone indefinitely.”
“That's good.” She traced her hands down his chest and circled his waist. “It might take some time for the public to process all this. Despite the fact that a human was behind everything, it will be hard for them to get the images and fear from the attacks out of their heads.”
He took advantage of the better access her movement had given him and slipped his arms around her, one hand at the small of her back pressing her closer. Lily moaned.
“Yes,” Jolaj agreed. “It will take people some time. But the Council has also received many statements of support. The Mayor has promised to press charges against any employer who fires Ormney workers because of these events.”
“Brian says there's good buzz on the Public Nets and in The Pool.” She was proud that she managed to carry on the conversation. The way he was holding her was more than a little distracting.
His smile slipped, his face serious, but he didn’t let her go. “Will your brother accompany you to DC for Rose's funeral?”
Lily leaned her forehead against his chest. Grief still fresh and raw. “Yeah. He's thinking of coming back here after. All his work is remote. He can live anywhere.”
Jolaj worked his leg between hers adding a sweet pressure that made her want to arch her spine and rock against him. “And what of you, Lily?” One of his hands stroked her hair away from her face. “Will you try to run away from your family again? Go back to your position at Deepwater now that you're cleared for work?”
She didn't know how to explain that she wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms, in his life, as long as he wanted her. She didn't care whether their relationship could be formalized. She didn't need a marriage certificate. He was all she needed.
But what did he need? She let her love for him color her words when she answered, emotion making her voice husky and deep. “This is home now. I'm not going anywhere.”
“Good.” His perfunctory tone made it clear the she’d chosen the only answer he would accept. “Because I don’t intend on letting you run away from me.” Jolaj lifted her chin with his finger and she met his lips eagerly. The kiss was tender and full of longing. His mouth moved over her lips with an unspoken promise. He broke the kiss breathing heavily.
Lily struggled to hold him closer. “But I know how important descendants are to you. Even if what Perry told you about his mother’s pregnancy is true, I still might not be able to give you children. And what if your people decide to leave?”
Jolaj cupped her jaw in his hands and lifted her face.
“I'm not going anywhere. I told the Council today that even if they restart the Searcher program, I won’t serve. Several of the other Searchers were there. They all told the Council that they too wanted to make a permanent home here and would not serve in a new Searcher program. We asked the Council to reconsider the ban against taking human mates.”
Lily's heart skittered and expanded.
“Your people have a saying—
home is where the heart is.
My people also have words about the heart. Words said between mates.
No matter where I
slip
my heart remains with you.”
His eyes demanded her understanding. “I won’t deny I hope we’ll have descendants, but even if I believed it could never happen, I would still choose you as my mate. I love you, Lily Rowan. I have no reason to search any longer. When I look into your eyes, I know I'm home.”
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Charlee Allden is a long time fan of love, adventure, and happily-ever-after. She writes sexy, intense, out-of-this-world romance and is a two time winner of the On the Far Side contest, sponsored by the FF&P chapter of Romance Writers of America®. She has also won the Golden Acorn contest and been a Reveal Your Inner Vixen contest finalist. She loves to hear from readers at
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With all my heart, I thank my mother who has always encouraged me, read my books, and urged me to get them published. You mean the world to me and inspire me more than you know.
This book has been made better through the encouragement and generosity of many author friends and readers. Special thanks to first readers Eden Glenn, Pam Wells, and Donna McAteer and most recent readers Shelby Reed and Lis’Anne Harris. I’d also like to thank the members of Sandra McDonnald’s SF&F Critique Group and in particular Bridges Del Ponte and Jean Osborn. To my sisters in spirit, the members of the Inkplots critique group, you’re instrumental in my writing life and your insight on this book was invaluable. To FCRW, your support and encouragement helped me stay strong through the ups and downs of publishing. To the Jolaj and the Gang group, you are all crazy-wonderful. This book also owes much to Margie Lawson, a gifted teacher with a special vision of writing craft. I look forward to learning more from her in the years ahead. Any deficiencies are entirely my own.