The Alliance Boxset Books 4-6

Chapter 4-1

Chapter Four

“Congratulations, Taylor,” Destin murmured before he grinned at Saber and slapped him on the shoulder. “You made it!”

“No thanks to you and the others. I’m lucky I didn’t break my neck last night doing some of the stunts we did. Thank the Goddess for the brace Taylor engineered for my leg or I would have,” Saber grinned with a wave of his hand.

Destin couldn’t help but notice the new markings around Saber’s wrist. He had never seen tattoos created so fast or with so much intricate detail as the ones done at the ceremony. After Saber and Taylor spoke the vows they had written to each other, Razor pronounced them husband and wife. Then the couple began the Trivator ceremony where they each received the markings showing they were Amates.

“Trust me, that was mild compared to what it would have been like back home. I’ve been to a few bachelor parties that ended with trips to the emergency room, or worse, jail,” Destin promised with another pat to Saber’s shoulder. “You did good. I swear Trivators are a natural when it comes to learning Parkour. You guys do a great job jumping and climbing buildings, and aren’t half bad at bouncing when you miss.”

“We didn’t bounce. We landed on our feet… most of the time,” Dagger said, coming to stand next to them. “How do you get this thing off? Every time I grab one side to pull it free, it chokes me.”

Destin chuckled and quickly untied the red tie from around Dagger’s thick neck. Dagger immediately unbuttoned the top five buttons on his shirt with one hand. Destin noticed the man was more relaxed now than he was earlier. He suspected it had a lot to do with the little girl he was holding in his arms and the woman standing near him.

“Oh, I want to learn how to do Parkour,” Taylor exclaimed, her eyes growing wide with excitement. “It’s a lot like gymnastics. I bet I’d be pretty good at it. I sort of did it when I climbed out of the window at that old castle on Dises V.”

Destin grinned and shook his head when Saber cursed under his breath. He half listened to Taylor, Saber, Dagger, and Jordan discuss the pros and cons of learning how to do Parkour, but his mind was on something – or he should say someone – else. A flash of blue out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and his gaze narrowed on the object of his thoughts. Like a magnetic force was pulling them together, his gaze caught and held Jersula’s light blue one.

“Excuse me,” Destin murmured, not caring if the others heard him or not.

A part of him knew he should be running in the opposite direction. The other part of him was determined to keep on walking toward the frustrating woman who had captivated him. He was fascinated with the fire he knew lay hidden beneath the icy composure she presented to the world. He had not only seen that fire in her eyes, but tasted it on her lips.

“Councilor Ikera,” Destin said, stepping in front of her when she started to turn away toward the house.

“Destin,” Jersula murmured, glancing at him before looking away. “I was hoping to see you before I left.”

“You were?” Destin replied.

“Yes,” she began, lifting a hand as if to brush away an invisible strand of hair. “I found something on the beach this morning, a necklace, near the boulder where you draped your clothing.”

“My medallion,” Destin murmured with relief. “I thought I had lost it along the path when I was returning to the house. Do you have it with you?”

Jersula shook her head. “No, I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I left it in the quarters I was assigned to,” she replied, her voice laced with regret. “I… I could bring it to you later this evening.”

“I would appreciate it,” Destin responded. “The medallion has a lot of sentimental value to me.”

“I thought it might. I saw the images in it.…,” her voice faded and she glanced down. “It was not my intention to pry. I wasn’t sure if it belonged to you, or….”

“Jersula,” Destin murmured, taking a step closer and gently lifting her chin so she would look at him. “The medallion contains the only photo I have left of my mother and a picture of Kali. I’m glad you cared enough to find out who it belonged to. As I said, it has great sentimental value to me.”

“I could see the resemblance between you and your mother. You have her eyes,” she said softly, gazing at him.

“Destin, they are about to cut the cake,” Kali called out. “Ami refuses to let me help her. She wants you, if you don’t mind.”

“I’ll be right there,” Destin replied, not turning away from Jersula. “Meet me later tonight.”

She took a deep breath. “Where?” Jersula asked.

“On the beach, near the boulder,” Destin said, brushing the back of his fingers along her cheek. “… When the second moon rises,” he added, unsure of how to explain in Trivator time when to meet, but knowing that the second moon rose about ten thirty pm if he were to equate it to Earth time.

“I will be there,” Jersula murmured before he started to turn away. “Destin….”

“Yes?”

Destin paused, his gaze moving from her face to her hand on his arm and back again. He could feel the muscle in his jaw tighten. A flicker of uncertainty flashed through her eyes and he forced his body to relax.

“I like to be called Sula,” she said in a quiet voice.

“Sula…,” Destin repeated, rolling her name off his tongue like a caress before he gave her a crooked smile. “I’ll see you later.”

* * * *

Sula stared after Destin. A bemused smile curved her lips at the strange attraction she felt. She watched Destin as he knelt down and talked to the dark-haired little girl. Blinking, she turned back toward her intended destination. She had been in the process of locating Taylor and Saber to congratulate them on their joining before she left. She had spotted them, but she had also seen Destin.

At the moment, it appeared they were cutting a large, decorated dessert. She wavered, unsure of how to proceed. This was only the third joining ceremony that she had ever attended in a professional capacity, but it was the most unusual out of the three. Deciding that no one would notice if she disappeared, she turned back toward the house and quietly retreated to her transport out front.

It wasn’t until she was alone that she released the tight control over her emotions and lifted a trembling hand to her throat. She carefully pulled the thin, leather cord from under her top. The dark metal of the medallion was warm from where it was pressed against her skin. She carefully opened it and stared down at the images inside.

“You should have given it to him when you had the chance, Sula,” she whispered, running her fingers over the textured casing. “You are asking for trouble.”

She swallowed and glanced back at the house. She still had time to go inside and give it to him. Shaking her head, she tucked the necklace back inside her top and started the transport. Within minutes, she was flying back to her living quarters with the memory of his kiss on her lips and his touch burning against her cheek. She had never been tempted by a man until now. The first time they met, there had been the shadow of Badrick’s deceit hanging over them. This time she saw a different side to Destin Parks – a side that she wanted to explore.

* * * *

“It’s still deserted,” the Waxian warrior named Bracin said, glancing at the screen in his hand.

“We wait,” Zare stated, wiping sand from his laser pistol.

“For what, more of those beasts to eat us? You heard what Kronos said. His team is down two men,” Bracin snorted, glancing warily up the cliff.

“Why do you think we are on the beach?” Zare replied.

“I wonder if they have creatures in the ocean as well,” a third mercenary remarked from where he was leaning back against a rocky outcropping.

Zare grunted and nodded toward the water. “If you had researched the mission first, you’d know they do – same thing for the others on Team Two. If they had listened to me, they’d still have a full team. You should be thankful you are on this team and that we have the transport,” he stated, rising to his feet.

“Are you sure it will only be the woman and child coming home?” the mercenary asked, ignoring his comrade’s sarcastic comment.

“Chancellor Razor is trapped on Dises V. We follow our orders to kill his mate and child, and get out of here before the other Trivators find out. If we don’t, we’ll wish we were the ones who were eaten,” Zare said, turning when he heard the sound of a transport.

“The sensor has been triggered,” another mercenary standing a short distance away informed them.

Bracin pushed off the rock. “I get the woman,” he said with a grim expression.

“Whatever you do, don’t play with her for too long or I’ll leave you here,” Zare replied, spitting on the ground and signaling to two additional men before he headed for the steps leading up to the top of the cliff.