Destiny Rising Read online

  He lifts his head. “Not now, Ari.”

  “Damnit, Dad! You have to tell me what’s going on.”

  “And I will, but I can’t deal with this right now.” He shakes off my arm.

  “But Dad …”

  “For the love of God! I said not now, Ariana.” I balk and jump back, unaccustomed to dealing with his anger. Dad is always calm and it’s extremely rare that he ever raises his voice. Hurt blasts through me.

  Cal drapes his arm over my shoulder as he tosses a filthy look at Dad. “Come on, Ariana. This clearly isn’t a good time.” His voice is steely. He propels me back the way we came, but I barely notice as numbness dulls all my senses.

  I only surface from my trance-like state when we step out onto the observation deck. “What are we doing back here?”

  “My dad is up here. Look,” he says, arm extended to the spot where Commander Remus stands. “If your dad won’t tell us what’s going on, then perhaps mine will.” Dad warned me to stay away from him so it’d be prudent to leave now. But my compelling desire to uncover the truth overrides all other concerns. Besides, Dad pushed me away, clearly unwilling or unable to tell me what the hell is going on.

  Commander Remus angles toward us. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” he deadpans.

  “We need some answers,” I reply. “What promise did you make my mother?” Now isn’t the time for pleasantries.

  He gestures toward the steel bench behind us and we all sit down. “I spoke to your mother when she was incarcerated on Novo.” I draw in a sharp breath. “I called in a few favors, and I was planning on getting her out of there. But she made me promise to extract Lily first, even though she knew that would significantly jeopardize her own chances. When my position was compromised and I had to flee, she made me solemnly swear to get Lily out. She knew what it meant for her but …” His voice peters out and he drops his head into his hands.

  Cal’s gaze swings to mine, and there’s a mass of differing emotions in his stare. I can only imagine how hard it is to hear this, to know that his dad loved my mom so much, yet he didn’t show his own wife the same affection. Cal hasn’t spoken in detail about the relationship between his parents, but he has told me enough to know that much. So this must be difficult for him to bear witness to. Stretching over, I squeeze his hand.

  Commander Remus lifts his head, and I’m shocked to see telltale moisture on his skin. He looks at me holding his son’s hand and he smiles. It’s the first genuine show of warmth he’s displayed toward me. “Your mother didn’t know your father was still alive. She was so worried. She made me promise to look after her children.”

  I clamp a hand over my mouth. That Mom died thinking we were all orphaned is ghastly. “I made arrangements for Lily before I fled Novo,” he continues. “When we arrived in Saoirse and I discovered that your father was still alive, I managed to get word through to him. One of my colleagues got Lily out and brought her to the Interstellar Space Station where your dad picked her up. Unfortunately, it was too late for Anneka by then.” He clenches his fists and his knuckles blanch white. “I never stopped loving her,” he admits, staring out the window.

  Cal stiffens at my side. Then he hops up. “What about my mother? Did you love her at all?” A cold sneer laces his tone.

  Commander Remus reviews his son. “I loved her as much as I was capable of loving her.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Cal yells.

  “My heart always belonged to Anneka. There wasn’t much else to give. I thought in time that would change, but it didn’t. Your mom was a good woman. She deserved better.”

  “You bastard!” Cal seethes. I stand up and reach out for him, but he swats my hand away. Raw pain burns the back of my throat. “Don’t … I can’t …I’m sorry, Ariana. This isn’t your fault … I just need some time on my own.” And for the second time today, I watch Cal’s retreating back as he stalks away from me again.

  I peep out the window at the fish and wish I could teleport to join them. I feel boneless like my emotions have seeped into my bones turning them to jello. Flopping back down on the bench, I tilt back and close my eyes. Commander Remus sits silently at my side, but his emotions swirl invisibly around me, and I feel his confusion, his anger, and his yearning. It effectively distracts me. Opening my eyes, I stare at him. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “What?” A flash of apprehension colors his eyes.

  “I can sense your emotions. They’re all over the place, and I know you are holding something back. I’ve felt it from my dad too. And if someone doesn’t tell me what the hell is going on, I am going to totally freaking lose my cool!” Pulling my knees into my chest, I glare at him.

  “It isn’t my place to tell you.”

  “Since when has that ever stopped you?” I snap.

  “You know what, young lady? You’re right. This needs to come out into the open. And your dad will never summon the guts to do the right thing. I’ve spent two years arguing with your parents over this, and I’m done with it now.” He grinds down painfully on his teeth and I brace myself.

  “Deacon isn’t your brother,” he says bluntly.

  “What?” I stare at him incomprehensively. Of all the things I was imagining he’d say, this was so not on the list.

  “He’s your half-brother. I’m Deacon’s father.”

  CHAPTER 3

  “What?” I slump onto the floor, barely conscious of the movement. My head is swimming and it feels like I’m having an out-of-body experience. If Commander Remus speaks the truth—and that’s a big if—then my mom is Deacon’s mom and Cal’s dad is his dad. I can’t even begin to process the shocking revelation.

  “I don’t understand. It can’t be true. How?” I say, my voice barely louder than a whisper.

  Nate smirks. “I would’ve thought the ‘how’ part was obvious enough.”

  “Don’t make light of this,” I scream. “You know that’s not what I meant!”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m not very good at this stuff.” He walks to the window and flattens his palms on the glass. “We had a brief … reunion eleven years ago. I didn’t realize your mother got pregnant and gave birth to a son. It only came to light at the time of the move to Novo.” He pushes off the window and crouches down in front of me. “I want to be a father to him.” He looks at me earnestly.

  “Why?”

  “He’s my son, and I want an opportunity to get to know him.”

  I appraise him warily. I’m not buying it for a second. Blinking furiously, I’m finally starting to understand. “Deacon already has a dad so he doesn’t need you. And it entails being more than just a sperm donor. I know what went on in your house, and I’ve seen what you’ve done to Cal. You’re incapable of being a father to Deacon or anyone, and frankly I’m amazed that you’re even bothered.” Cal has shared stories of his childhood and it doesn’t make pleasant listening. After his mom died, he was basically left to fend for himself. It’s part of the reason why Cal isn’t fazed about getting married and starting a family. He craves what he never had growing up. I stand up and dart around his hunched form. “No wonder my dad is so mad.”

  “I have every right to request this,” he says, straightening up. “And I’m not giving up, no matter what you and your father say. The sooner you both get to grips with that, the better.” He glowers at me before storming off.

  Holy cow. This is … words fail me. And that’s if I’m even being told the truth. Maybe he’s making the whole thing up. It’s not like he’s in any way trustworthy. Okay, he may have helped Lily escape from Novo, but that’s his only redeemable quality.

  Now it all makes sense—all the time he devoted to Deacon. And Deacon. Oh, God.

  Deacon actually likes him.

  As my brother’s face floats in front of my mind, his blond hair and blue eyes are so familiar that I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. He’s the spitting image of Cal and his dad; the same coloring, the same build, the same beautif
ul eyes. It was right there in front of my nose if I had ever truly looked. But then again, who in their right mind would even contemplate such a thing?

  Cal and I share a brother.

  I just can’t wrap my head around it.

  While there is legally nothing inappropriate about us being in a relationship, it’s still kinda weird. And Mel has been like a surrogate sister to him these last few weeks anyway. How ironic.

  Whipping a hair tie off my wrist, I pull my hair into a messy ponytail. I honestly don’t know how much more of the heavy stuff I can process. A hysterical laugh escapes my mouth. When did the world become such a fucked-up place? Looking back now on my aspirations for my military career, I have to acknowledge my naiveté. Even my anger at the authorities for stealing my memories pales in comparison with all I’ve had to endure in the last few months. There was a time when I longed for a bit of drama, a bit of action in my life.

  It’s true what they say: Be careful what you wish for.

  I stand and gather my thoughts. I know Dad said he didn’t want to talk to me now. Well, he’s just going to have to suck it up. I need to hear his version of events and that is not something that can wait for morning.

  I stride purposefully toward the elevator and travel quickly to my family’s apartment.

  I hammer on the door repeatedly until Dad opens up, hastily rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Ariana? What on earth are you doing? You’re going to wake your brother and sister.”

  “Get dressed. We need to talk. Right. Now,” I demand.

  “I understand you’re upset but …”

  I cut him off dead. “I know.” I let the words hang in the air.

  Dad stares at me, and then comprehension dawns. “That stupid son of a bitch,” he seethes.

  “He told me the truth and I appreciate that. I am so sick of all the lies!” I spit. “How is lying to me about this helping anything?”

  He looks at me intently. “All right. Let me pull on some clothes.”

  He joins me a couple of minutes later, and we travel in strained silence to the lower level. “Where are we going?” I ask.

  “There is a small coffee dock down here where we can talk. It’s more private than the cafeteria, and I expect it to be empty at this hour.” He holds the door open for me and I step inside.

  The coffee dock is a small square room with numerous steel-topped tables and chairs. A self-service counter runs the length of the right-hand side, offering a variety of hot and cold drinks and snacks. I make a coffee while Dad swipes a bottle of water. We take our drinks and sit at a table in the farthest corner of the room. A man and woman sit at the opposite end of the dock, clutching plastic cups and talking in hushed voices. Otherwise, the room is deathly quiet and empty.

  “Is it true? Is he Deacon’s dad?” I ask, the minute I plant my butt in the seat.

  Dad slides his chair in and unscrews the bottle cap. He takes a slow swig of water and then looks me in the eye. “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “Oh my God.” Disbelief smacks into me. There was a teeny tiny part of me that hoped it wasn’t true. “Mom cheated on you with him? How could she do that? Why did she do that?” I’m incredulous because I fully remember how besotted my parents were with each other, so completely in love.

  “Your mom and I hit a bad patch a couple of years after Lily was born. Every marriage has its ups and downs, but I never once thought we wouldn’t ride the storm. And we got through it and everything was fine. I only found out about her and Nate the same time I discovered the truth about Deacon—a couple of weeks before we left Earth for Novo.”

  I watch his throat work as he swallows a large glug of water. “She carried the secret with her for years.” His lips purse and I sense his pain. My heart aches for him. “We attended the Annual Military Gala Ball most every year. This one year, we were in the midst of the difficulties in our marriage, and we had a particularly nasty row during the event. I was a jerk, but still.” He pauses and closes his eyes. I reach across the table and place my hand atop his. “Your mom went back to the hotel, and I stayed at the ball ‘til the early hours. Turns out, she bumped into Nate. She was upset and they ended up in bed. As you do.” Bitterness cloaks his words.

  “She didn’t tell me because she instantly regretted it. Later, she told me that in a weird way it actually helped her deal with our marital problems.” He snorts. “Actually things were much better between us after the ball, and when she announced she was pregnant, I was delighted. Your mother always believed Deacon was mine. We only identified the truth when Deacon attended his medical assessment before the move to Novo.”

  “That’s why you and Mom were arguing so much?” I ask, recalling their constant bickering. I’d been so worried that they were on the verge of divorcing, and I couldn’t understand what had happened to cause them to argue so viciously.

  “Yes. As you can imagine, it was the worst shock of all. Not only finding out that your mother had been unfaithful and had lied to me for years, but that she’d been unfaithful with him and he had fathered Deacon. I can’t adequately describe how angry I was with her. She swore to me that she didn’t know he was Deacon’s biological father, and in time, I did believe her. Because your mom wasn’t a bad person, Ariana.” He squeezes my hand. “I know she would never have allowed me to believe I was Deacon’s dad if she knew the truth. That revelation tore your mother apart. She never recovered from it, and the guilt weighed on her every single day.”

  My coffee cup shakes in front of me and starts sliding across the table. A steady vibration rumbles under my feet. Dad and I exchange startled looks as a loud shockwave reverberates through the compound. We rise at the same time, and I sway unsteadily on my feet. Dad wraps his hand around mine and tugs me forward. “We need to get to Command Center. I have a real bad feeling about this.”

  We run quickly, swerving and jolting as the facility trembles all around us. Dad punches in the code as soon as we reach the door, and we fling ourselves into the room. Commander De Luca barks out orders as he strides past the row of desks on the lower level. Frantic shouting echoes around the room. Calista appears in front of us, clutching Dad’s arm. “Government stealth-craft have surrounded us.”

  I gasp. “We’re an open target!”

  “Don’t worry, Ariana,” she says, patting my arm. “They won’t be able to penetrate the Invincia shield.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “The shield hides us and provides a barrier protecting us from enemy fire. The only way the shield can be breached is if we take a direct hit to the server. There’s a tiny gap in the outer hull, which can penetrate the server and wipe out the Invincia control, but the chances of them happening across the exact target location is extremely slim. And this is part of the new technology Saoirse has developed so neither Clementia nor the government is aware of it.”

  “Oh, okay,” I admit, feeling a little more assured. “So what’s the plan?” I angle my head to look at her.

  “We’re just going to sit tight until they retreat.”

  Digital images of the stationary government fleet surrounding us display in squared segments on the back screen. Watching as they launch targeted missiles right in front of us is beyond a nail-biting experience. Though none of the missiles actually impact the base, each hit that bounces off the shield causes the compound to shake and shudder. Every jolt triggers my heart rate to shoot through the roof and my stomach to lurch unpleasantly. Every time, I’m fearful that they’ll get a lucky hit and obliterate us into smithereens.

  The assault continues like this for the best part of an hour. Waves of nausea batter my body, and I clamp my mouth shut, willing it to retreat. Every tremor rocks the foundation, and after each hit, I wonder how much more the compound can withstand. The prospect of a watery grave is looming larger with every passing second. Eventually, I can’t resist my natural bodily reaction, and I race toward the bathroom, just as I hear my name being called out.

  Dropping to my knees in
front of the toilet bowl, I heave painfully. A steady hand lands on my shoulder, and if I wasn’t so nauseated, I’d probably have a coronary. “I’m here,” Cal says, peeling strands of loose hair back off my face. The ground sways and I thrust my hand outward to steady myself. Then I throw up again, moaning loudly as another bout of sickness lays claim to me.

  Cal crouches on the ground behind me and wraps his arm tentatively around my waist. Pulling me back, he cradles me in his arms as I wait for the next onslaught to start. We continue this pattern a few more times until I’m certain there is nothing left in my stomach to expel.

  I can barely force my legs to move, but I shuffle toward the door with Cal supporting me on one side. Then a particularly powerful aftershock rumbles throughout the facility and I topple to the side. Cal catches me in time, scooping me up into his arms. I’m far too weak to protest so I wrap my arms around the nape of his neck and bury my face in his shoulder.

  He carries me out onto the main floor, and Dad’s voice is in my ear almost instantly. “What happened? Ari, are you all right?”

  “Sick,” I mumble, having no energy to string together a sentence.

  “Is it safe to return to our apartment?” Cal asks.

  “Yes. A couple of the government stealth-craft have been wiped out from rebounded missiles. We don’t think they’ll risk further damage to their own fleet, so we expect the assault to cease imminently. It’s okay to go. Please look after my daughter.” His words carry an unmistakable edge.

  “Of course,” Cal replies formally.

  I nuzzle into his neck and focus on how great he smells the whole trip back. It’s a damn good strategy, and before I know it, Cal is placing me gently on our bed. A thunderous rumbling sound emits from Ben’s bunk and I jump. “His snoring is louder than the bombing,” I mutter feebly. If I weren’t so sick, I’d be giggling.

  Cal chuckles lowly. “You’re not wrong. I can’t believe he slept through that.”

  Lithe fingers undo the buttons on my shirt and I freeze. “What are you doing?”