Copula Chronicles: The Complete Collection: Origin, Descend, Ascend, Legacy Read online

  Ang seems content yet surprised. “Really? I get to go to my hometown?”

  Siobhan smiles. “Yep. Nate, Santa Barbara, California.”

  Nate gets this huge smile on his face. “Yes!”

  Nick elbows Nate. “Nice! Surfin’, babes, sun, babes, the beach and more babes.”

  Nate’s grinning at Nick as he continues highlighting the babe factor, but then glances at me. I quickly look away, focused on hearing the rest of the assignments—kind of.

  Siobhan announces, “Nick. New York City.”

  Nick jumps out of his seat. “I get to go home too! Hell yeah!”

  Nick suddenly breaks out in song, singing Jay-Z’s and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind.” Siobhan rolls her eyes. “Okay, okay! We still have one more! Settle down!”

  Nick stops singing, looks over at Jake and says, “We’re gonna be NYC roomies Jake! Okay, I’m done. Sorry Jes.”

  Siobhan looks at me. “Jes. Miami, Florida.”

  I look over at Ezra just as he lifts his drink to me in a congratulatory gesture.

  The rest of Thursday is spent with our mentors being debriefed on the basics of our territory. Friday and Saturday, we’ll go over territory logistics; the other guardians in the city, sleeper cells close by, Sondian cells, living arrangements, job interviews, preparations to blend into our surroundings.

  All day Friday Ezra scours file after file as he sits at the small table in the corner of the recreation room and I lean back in the Papasan chair. He’s piled stacks of papers and files separated by year on the pool table, so I can’t play a game while he intently studies each file.

  I break the silence. “So, this guy you were telling me about, he’s the head honcho in Miami.”

  The picture of the guy in question lays face up on the pool table atop a stack of files. He looks clean cut and distinguished. Salt-and-pepper hair, suited, and sitting casually in a very nice sports car.

  I pick up the file beneath his picture. “It says he’s an investor in the Miami club scene.”

  Ezra looks up from the stack he’s studying. “Put it down.”

  I drop the file back down in an exaggerated manner, and then rest my hands on the side of the pool table. Ezra continues now that I’ve relinquished his precious file. “Yeah, Samson Crest, a real jack-of-all-trades.”

  Ezra’s gaze returns back to his file, but there’s a loathing tone in his voice I can’t avoid pursuing. “Sounds like you’ve a problem with him.”

  Ezra looks up at me.

  “You know, personally.”

  Ezra looks like he’s about to respond, give me something more about this guy, but then he looks back down at his file and keeps reading.

  I pick up the file I just had in my hand, watching Ezra’s eyes come up off the page again. He rises and walks toward me as I hold the file in my hands. Turning my hand over to see the label, he looks up at me and smiles. “That’s a good one to start with.”

  On that note, he walks back to the table he’s occupied for hours and continues reading.

  As I open the file, it appears to be some investigative work.

  8:30 p.m.: S. C. enters main building of executive suite, downtown Miami. Awaiting next move.

  9:30 p.m.: S. C. exits main building with young unknown associate.

  9:45 p.m.: S. C. leaves unknown associate at entrance of Club Helion.

  9:46 p.m.: S. C. heads south along coastline to Club Meridian.

  10:00 p.m.: S. C. enters Club Meridian.

  3:00 a.m.: S. C. leaves Club Meridian and heads north along coastline to Club Helion.

  3:15 a.m.: S. C. enters Club Helion and remains there until 4:00 a.m.

  4:05 a.m.: S. C. leaves the club with young, unknown associate and unidentifiable female. Associate takes own car, 2010 Porsche Panamera (espresso).

  S. C. takes unidentifiable female in his car, 2010 Porsche Carrera S (black).

  Both drive west toward residential area.

  4:25 a.m.: S. C. unknown associate and unidentifiable female enter gated residential community. Not accessible. 24/7 security guard.

  4:30 a.m.: surveillance terminated for the night.

  My eyes are crossing at this point and I shuffle through the rest of the pages in the file, but it’s more of the same. “Is this it? Three years of this? Boring!”

  I toss that file back onto the stack and look over at Ezra, his brow furrowed as he reads. “Well, what’s so intriguing over there because this isn’t giving me any information.”

  “I’m trying to find the name of this young unknown associate that seems to be Sam’s right-hand man. He’s a very well kept secret for some reason. Here, can you hand me the stack to your right?”

  As I grab the one he’s pointing at and walk over to him, I say, “How about this? You be the brains and I’ll be the brawn since you’re so research oriented Professor.”

  Ezra looks up at me and grins. “That was my intention the whole time. I’m glad we see eye to eye. I was giving you an opportunity, though. I know how much you like to have control of all situations.”

  I roll my eyes as his grin widens. “Yeah, yeah, okay. Point taken. I know I’m a little bit of a control freak. But I also know when I’m in over my head. And this stuff, words, time frames, means more to you than me right now.”

  As Ezra returns to studying whatever he’s studying, I can’t help but finish the conversation we had about his meeting Sebastian for the first time.

  “So, you never quite finished your story about becoming a guardian.”

  Ezra stops reading and looks up briefly, then returns to his file. “Yes. You’re correct. I didn’t.”

  Okay, dead-end Ezra. “And I suppose you aren’t going to tell me the rest?”

  Ezra takes off his reading glasses. “Jesca, it’d be of no benefit to you to know my experience as a guardian. I’m not you. Our experiences, our beginnings and our purposes aren’t the same.”

  I start to walk away when he says, “So I’ll tell you.”

  Surprised, I spin back around. “You will?”

  Ezra puts his hand up to stop my excitement before it can start. “I’ll tell you along the way when my story can help you. Not all at once. I don’t want to cloud your perceptions of things, decisions you’ll make, with my story.”

  He stares at me, waiting for some sign of understanding.

  “I get it.”

  I did get it. I mean, how can I truly experience life and my purpose if Ezra’s influences me? He is looking out for me. He’s been looking out for me all along. Just the thought of that stirs emotions in me. “Ezra, this may seem awkward to say, but thank you for saving me.”

  Ezra’s concerned face softens as he lowers his glasses to the file on the table. I think he’s going to say something in response, but instead he quickly puts his glasses back on and returns to the file. I get his action too. That’s just Ezra. I start to walk toward the door to leave, when Ezra calls to me. “Jes?”

  I turn back to him. “Yeah.”

  Ezra’s looks over his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “Thank you for letting me save you.”

  I nod at him and leave the room knowing that I’m lucky to have Ezra in my corner, even if he’s an odd one.

  I grab my headphones, iPod, and head for the trails. Feeling a little nostalgic, I choose the path I ran the first day I was here in the facility. As my run is underway, I can’t help recalling what happened on that first run. Nate finding me in the cavern at the pool.

  As I bump my arms and move through the passage, a smile pulls at my lips remembering how it felt to see him for the first time. Those angsty flutters you get in your stomach with certain people. That feeling comes back to me now. Stop thinking about him, damn it. Tomorrow we leave for our territories. Nothing is going to happen between us. We’re going to go on our merry guar
dian way and protect our designated posts. As I continue to build up my confidence that anything that almost happened here in the facility between Nate and I’ll be a memory, a hooded figure side swipes me and keeps running. “Hey!”

  Quickly the hood flips back off of Nate’s head as he stops and walks back toward me. “Hey. Sorry, I wasn’t looking up.”

  His apology is genuine and I feel bad for lashing out. “I wasn’t either. Just got wrapped up in my thoughts.”

  “Your thoughts?”

  Nate is breathing heavily with his hands on his hips, gauging my response. Seriously, I don’t want to play this whole my thoughts, your thoughts game with him. “Yeah, my thoughts.” I start to put my ear buds back in, when he says, “What thoughts would those be?”

  I watch him as he moves closer sending me a thought. “Like thoughts of us missing each other when we leave this place?”

  “Excuse me?”

  I mean for it to come out stronger, more commanding of an answer, but it comes out weak and breathless.

  He continues toward me and I back up until my heels hit the sidewall of the cutout. “I didn’t say anything Jes.”

  I start to put my mental block up, thinking I haven’t done any damage with what I’ve been thinking. He wasn’t listening. He was focused, running, not paying attention to what I was thinking. He couldn’t have. Completely flush against the wall with him only inches from me, I can’t put any more space between us. God, I don’t think I want to anymore. He searches my face, resting his gaze on my lips for a long time as he cups his hands on either side of my face. He slowly leans in, I let my eyes shut, and my emotions open as his breath dances along my lips, “Oh, I was paying complete attention.”

  Slowly his hands slide down the length of my arms, to my waist. Gripping my hips, he presses his body into mine and sends his thought to me. “I’ve wanted to touch you like this for weeks.”

  “Me too.”

  Thank God, my thoughts get to him, because I don’t think my mouth can form words being this close to his lips.

  “No matter how much you get to me, I don’t hate you. It’s the complete opposite. I can’t get enough of you.”

  Our breath is coming faster as the continual current of energy circulates through me and into him repeatedly. Every inch of me that touches his body is a slave to the sensations coursing through his chest, my chest, his hands gripping, and my hands pressing.

  “I can’t get enough either.”

  My lips tingle as Nate and I tease and test the volume of what a kiss could do—creating an explosive, mind-numbing, body-melting event. As these thoughts race through my head, he ends the guessing game as his mouth takes mine, gently yet completely. The warmth that spreads over my face and down my neck is an addictive rush. One with so much force, I moan with the pleasure it brings against Nate’s lips. Like I’ve triggered the high I’m riding, Nate deepens the kiss, parting my lips with his soft tongue. The deeper connection melts me against the rock wall just as Nate pulls back. Both of us are panting as I search the expression on his face for an explanation to why he pulled back.

  With his hands still gripping me tight, he lowers his head. “We should stop.”

  I desperately want to lean in and kiss the top of his head as it hovers slowly close to me. Even if it’s just to feel the electrifying rush again. But I resist the craving of just one more touch of his full lips, the tip of his tongue dancing with mine. The coiling frenzy it sets off in my center.

  “Just one more,” he growls just before his lips crash against mine again, giving rise to the electrifying thrum weaving and coiling within me. I could get lost in this magnetic bliss—free fall into the pleasure of this mystical bond that’s fueling our desire. My thoughts catch up with what we’re doing. Is what’s happening between Nate and me just result of the link? I’m the one that pulls back this time. “Wait. This isn’t—”

  I scoot from between the rock wall I’m pressed against and his hard body, stumbling over my words and half drunk on the intense lip lock. “We can’t. We have to stop.”

  Nate’s leaning against the wall catching his breath and I’m standing in the middle of the passage still trembling from the feverish frenzy bouncing between us even though it’s faded with the small distance I’ve put between us. “We better get back.”

  I fold my arms over my chest and will myself to block everything on my mind, for both our sakes. As soon as I do, the euphoria that has occupied my body and mind begins to lessen.

  Nate watches me, waiting for me to do or say something, make a move. When I don’t, he takes the hint to make the first move and leave. “Yeah, we should.”

  As Nate pushes off the wall and walks away, regret and second guesses bombard me. Why did I do that? Am I afraid that those feelings, that kiss, might’ve been real, raw emotions and not just the link? Or is it the link that drives what we think is desire for each other. Bottom line, we don’t have time to discover it. I did the right thing by pulling away and putting up my block. Nate’s disappearing around the corner when I hear him think, “It’s not just the link, Jes.”

  And just like I’ve felt our link at its strongest moments ago, I feel the void it leaves when it’s taken away. Nate felt my blocking him out, trying to break this link, and now he’s returned the favor. A favor I might live to regret.

  It’s Saturday, packing day. There isn’t much for me to pack since I came to the facility with only one bag. We have to do some shutdown procedures in the facility since it’ll be weeks, maybe a couple of months until it’s used again. Ang is on tech duty with Siobhan to properly shut down the systems to hibernate and heighten the level of security to automatic termination if breeched by anyone that discovers our underground facility. Jake and Nick are cleaning the pool and locking up the gym equipment. Luke and Nate are on cafeteria duty and shutdown. Ezra and I are on trail maintenance, evaluation of trails, communication of needed maintenance, and what not. We finish shutdown around five and I’m starving. I follow Ezra down the hall toward the recreation room. He says he needs to check on something and needs my help. All I can think about is food. As he opens the door, he doesn’t turn on the light when he walks in. Standing in the doorway, I run my hand along the sidewall until I find the light switch. “So, if the kitchen is shut down, what’s our plan for dinner?”

  As soon as the lights come on an enormous bellow from multiple voices fills the room. “Surprise!”

  Ang rushes to me and hugs me. “Happy birthday, Jes!”

  My birthday? How’d they know? I glance at Ezra, then the others. It isn’t just the mentors Nick, Ang and Nate. Our chefs are standing there clapping for me. “I can’t believe you guys did this. Thank you.”

  Nick calls from the back where he’s standing on an ottoman behind Nate’s tall frame. “We love you Jes!”

  I smile at him, then glance down at Nate as he claps, his smile reserved. I nod and smile back before responding to Miss Char coming to my side and shuffling me up to the cake Fenton is wheeling toward me. The candles are plentiful, which by the looks of the flames could easily be twenty or thirty. I hear Nick’s voice over the others, “Shit Jes how old are you? Thirty?”

  Everyone chuckles at my expense. I laugh along finding humor. It’s Nick, how can’t I?

  “Nineteen, smart ass.”

  After the traditional birthday song is sung, I cut the cake and Miss Char hands out the slices as everyone comes up one at a time to give me a hug. Nate is the last to come up. I test the waters and try to read his thoughts, but the void is solid. I guess I’d more hoped on the link sticking than I realized. I look down, deflated.

  “Happy Birthday, Jes.”

  As he moves in with a hug, he whispers into my ear. “I’ll miss you.”

  As his hands tighten around me, I follow in suit. “Me too.”

  The chefs had prepared everything prior to shutdown in the ca
feteria. Luke tells us that Fenton had started the cake last night after dinner and worked all night on food preparations. The buffet looks like a feast that would test every single taste bud I possess.

  I walk over to Fenton before digging in. “Thank you. It’s amazing. No one has ever given me a surprise party.”

  Chef Fenton bows before me. “You’re welcome, Miss Jesca. Enjoy.”

  I notice Ezra waving me over. He’s holding a spot in line for me. When I get to him, I confess, “I have to admit, I completely forgot about it with all of my focus on training.”

  Ezra looks down. “I’d like to say it was all my idea, but it wasn’t. Nate actually mentioned it. Said he knew your birthday was coming up about a week ago.”

  I know my smile falters and I quickly turn away from Ezra and move forward in the line. “Really? That’s nice of him.”

  As I look at the back of Nate’s head in front of Ang and Nick, I’m surprised by his being the unexpected ringleader of this celebration. It was a week ago, when our link was intact before we ended it. Before I sour the kind gesture from my friends by thinking of regrets, I give myself permission to enjoy the celebration for the last night at the facility.

  CHAPTER 14: ONE NIGHT STAND

  Xander

  “Are you going to call me? I mean, I get it. This was just one night, but—”

  She’s the same as all the others. Expecting the sex to mean something more. The thing is, every night in the club scene is a one-night stand. It’s sad, and gratifying, but true. It’s what it is.

  The way she’s looking at me, standing at the edge of the French doors to my balcony, the sunlight behind her hiding the undone mascara around her eyes, she looks angelic—almost. Angel’s don’t move the way she did when she was going down on me last night. As I lay in bed watching her, the morning after rumpled dress hugging her curves, I can see she knows the game she’s playing. Has played it before, which makes it easy to rise from the bed and walk over to her stark naked and run my hand along her cheek. “Yeah, I’ll call you.”

  I lean in and place a kiss on those full lips of hers. I reach for my pants on the floor and tug them on. “Here, I’ll walk you out.”