Destiny Rising Read online

  “Hhmph. Doesn’t look that way to me. He couldn’t wait to get out of here last night.” A humiliating tear sneaks out of my eye and Ben’s look softens.

  “That wasn’t anything to do with Amber. You and Cal have a lot going on right now. You need to talk. Properly talk. Whatever went on—is going on—with your dads should be left to them to sort out. You two shouldn’t get involved.”

  “That’s easier said than done.”

  “Mind over matter,” he says, tapping a long finger against his temple.

  “You are always so wise,” I say, reaching out and hugging him quickly. “Sometimes I honestly can’t figure out how you and Cal are such good friends,” I tease.

  “Believe me, I know.” He grins. “But don’t underestimate Cal. He’s full of wisdom too. You just have to dig deep.”

  I want to dig deep, to delve under his skin, and truly get to understand my fiancé, but every time we get close to connecting on a genuine emotional level, some crap gets thrown at us and we both retract into our shells.

  I wonder how long that can continue before we get separated inside our own worlds.

  Ben drags me to the cafeteria for breakfast by guilting me out over the baby. Eating for two and all that malarkey. If he keeps this up, I figure I’ll have to add him to the list of over-protective men in my life. Secretly I’m pleased that he cares. Ben is one of the good guys, and his little pep talk has done me the world of good. I’ve decided to force some food down and then I’m going to locate Cal and sort everything out once and for all.

  My happy bubble shatters into smithereens the second I spot Cal and Amber seated side-by-side, heads bent over and deep in conversation. Ben’s eyes follow mine, but I’ve turned on my heel before he can say anything to me.

  I trot to the one place that holds any possibility of calming me down: The observation deck. Tears roll down my face as I kneel in front of the glass window, wiggling my fingers like a crazy chick at the fish outside. Perhaps I’m overreacting, but the fact that Cal went and talked to her is eating me up from the inside. I have a real bad case of headache and heartache, and I’m truly fed up of feeling like this.

  Sensing his presence before he sits down, I don’t turn my head to look at him. I don’t want him to see the moisture on my skin or the hurt hiding behind my eyes—to know that I’m so weak when I used to be so strong.

  “Ariana,” Cal says, gently patting my arm.

  I stare at his arm and then lift my head. It hurts so much to look at him right now, the memory of all the nasty things we said to each other still too fresh in my mind. The rawness of the betrayal I feel is too potent. With remarkable self-composure, I take his hand off my arm and drop it back at his side. “Leave me alone.” My voice sounds hollow.

  “We need to talk.”

  “I don’t want to talk to you right now.” I focus on the window.

  “Stop being so childish.”

  My head whips around and I narrow my eyes. “I’m childish? When you’re the one who keeps running away? You have walked out on me three times in as many days. Don’t even attempt to lecture me.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” he says, reaching for me again.

  “Don’t touch me,” I warn. I notice the change in him the second it happens. His face scrunches into a sneer.

  “Are you mad at me because of what I said last night or because of Amber? Because if it’s her, then it’s ridiculous.” He climbs to his feet and stares down at me.

  I don’t like feeling so small beneath him so I haul myself up and straighten my spine. “It’s both, Cal. You went to her instead of talking to me? Have you any idea how that’s made me feel?”

  He snorts and every muscle in my body locks up. I think I might hit him; such is the strength of my anger. “Are you for real?” He lowers his head so his eyes penetrate mine. “Of course, I know how that feels. It’s exactly how I feel every second of every day when Zane is around.”

  Oh, here we go. “So what? This is payback?”

  Cal’s whole body shudders violently, and I consciously step back. He slams his fist repeatedly into the steel bench, and the screeching sound of metal pummels my head like a hammer. Stopping abruptly, he lies back against the glass window, resolutely avoiding my gaze. I’m glad because I can’t imagine what emotions are written all over my face.

  Finally, he pushes off and risks a look at me. “How can you say that to me? You haven’t a fucking clue. I don’t even know who you are anymore.” His voice, like his face, is devoid of life. He waits expectantly, but I’m incapable of responding because he has unwittingly hit the nail on the head. He doesn’t understand how much I connect with that sentiment, for I don’t even know who I am anymore.

  I can’t deny that statement, but I won’t confirm it either. So I stay mute. He shakes his head and casts one long look at me before he walks quietly off.

  Tick number four on the list.

  I spend the remainder of the day hiding from him. I desperately need to talk this out with someone, but when I locate Ruby, she’s locked in an embrace with Jaden, and I make a swift exit before she notices me. There is no one else I can confide in, and the isolation of my situation hits me full force, only adding to the sense of despondency I feel.

  I head down to the cafeteria ahead of the dinnertime rush. I’m planning on a grab and run so I can get out of there before I bump into anyone I don’t want to. I’m almost on the home stretch when Amber steps into the room. I’d pretend not to see her, but it’s too late. Walking briskly toward her, I force myself to nod pleasantly as I pass. “Wait up, Ariana. Do you have a minute?” She touches my elbow.

  “Now isn’t a good time.” I glance at her hand and she releases me.

  “The last thing I want to do is come between you and Cal. I thought we could talk, get to know each other a little better?” She appears genuine, and I sense no ulterior motives, but still. I don’t know her, and she doesn’t know me, and I can’t ever see us becoming friends.

  “Cal and I are cool,” I lie. “Nothing for you to worry about.” I shrug casually.

  “Oh.” She frowns. “I thought … Cal said … never mind.”

  That stops me in my tracks. “He talked to you about me?” I can barely utter the words, I’m gritting my teeth so hard.

  “It’s not what you’re thinking. He’s worried about you.” Her hand touches my arm lightly. Everything is on the tip of my tongue, craving an outlet, and I’m momentarily tempted to take her up on her offer until I come to my senses. If Cal is worried about me, he has a strange way of showing it. But there’s no way I’m telling an obvious member of his fan club that.

  “I appreciate your concern, but I’m not talking to you about him. I don’t know you, so if you’ll excuse me, please.” I extricate myself from her soft grip and slump off toward our apartment.

  Dad shows up an hour later confirming that the plan to extract Zane from Novo is already underway. One of Dad’s ex-colleagues, an informant still on Novo, is fleeing with him, and Dad will meet them on the Interstellar Space Station. He is leaving with a small team in a few hours, so he asks me to communicate this message to Zane, and I comply. I tune out straightaway, anxious to speak to Dad before he leaves. “I’m coming too,” I say.

  “It’s safer for you to stay here. We don’t know how much time my colleague will have before someone realizes that Zane has escaped. It could get dangerous. I want you nowhere near that.” He stands formidably in front of me, arms overlapping his chest, legs wide.

  “Not this again, Dad. I told you I can look after myself, and you will be there to make sure nothing happens to me. Please, Dad. I want to be there to greet Zane.”

  He falters briefly and then shakes his head. “No, it’s too risky. I’ll message you as soon as we’re on our way, and you can greet Zane the minute he arrives here.”

  The desire to scream my head off is powerful. My lungs ache with the need to externally vent, but that won’t help the whole ‘acting like an adu
lt’ perception. I still haven’t given up hope that Dad will change his mind about Greece. So I need to show restraint.

  “I’m not happy about this, but fine.”

  “It’s for the best, sweetheart.” He captures me in a comforting embrace, and even though I’m fuming with him, I throw myself into it, desperately seeking the solace.

  There is still no sign of Cal a couple of hours later and fear replaces my anger. I’m afraid of what will become of us, what all the bickering implies about our relationship, and that combined with my worry over Zane’s rescue mission has me wound up so tight that I’m primed to snap. Forcing myself to take long deep breaths, I acknowledge that skulking around all day has done me no favors whatsoever. I’m the type of person that has to be active, and my inactivity has me itching to crawl out of my skin. Peeping at my watch, I note there’s still time. To hell with what I said earlier. I can’t just stay here while Zane is out there somewhere, possibly in danger. So I change into my soldier’s uniform, tie my hair into a ponytail, and pull on my cap. Then I set out.

  Apprehension mounts when I reach the hangar and scan the vast space. Locating the right stealth-craft is an issue. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of a familiar face and curse silently. There can be only one reason why Cal is down here at this hour, though why he’d volunteer to help either Dad or Zane is beyond me. I run after him though I take care to keep a safe distance between us, lest he turn around and catch me.

  I give it a couple of minutes, suck in a lungful of air, and then follow Cal into the stealth-craft.

  As I step into the cabin, all eyes turn in my direction and heat rises up my chest. “Ariana.” Dad’s voice resonates with clear authority and blistering condemnation.

  He stomps toward me, past the line of seated soldiers, and I’m fearful that he might actually frog-march me out in front of everyone. That would redefine embarrassment. Adopting an on-the-spot defensive strategy, I throw myself down on the first empty seat I see and quickly deploy the harness.

  “What are you doing here?” Cal asks, looming large in front of me.

  I shoot him a filthy look. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m helping with the rescue mission. What else do you think I’m doing here?” He levels a flat stare at me.

  “Why? You don’t even like him?” I strain forward against the harness.

  “You’re leaving right now. We agreed earlier,” Dad says, standing alongside Cal. I almost cower under the ferociousness of his glare, but anger starts to ebb and flow inside me, bolstering my courage.

  “He’s my boy … best friend,” I yell. Cal’s sharp intake of breath echoes in the confined space of the cabin. My eyes flit to his but he shuts down immediately. My slip-up has cost me dearly. “I’m going to be there when he arrives. I’m done talking about this. There is nothing either of you can say that will change my mind.”

  “You will do as you are told.” Dad’s voice booms in the enclosed space.

  “For the tenth time, Dad, I’m not a kid anymore.” I sigh in exasperation.

  “We need to leave now,” Agent Leena says, approaching from the side. She fixes her gaze on Dad. “I know she’s your daughter, but Ariana is almost eighteen, and she’s more than capable of making her own decisions. She knows how to take care of herself.”

  “Fine,” Dad says in a clipped tone, sounding like it’s anything but. “We’ll talk about this later, young lady.”

  I release a loud breath and sneak a quick peek at Cal. He has returned to his seat across from me. He looks at me as if he’s staring straight through me, and his facial expression chills me to the core. I don’t understand how things have gone downhill so fast between us, and I fear there’s no coming back from this.

  Dad goes to help Agent Leena in the cockpit, and in a manner of minutes, we are easing out of the hangar. A small screen over my head shows the journey as we glide out into the water and then shoot up to the surface. The stealth-craft shudders and grumbles as we make our ascent, and there’s a weird popping sound in my ears. My stomach sways unsteadily, and I say a silent prayer that I hold onto the contents of my dinner. No one speaks and the only sound in the cabin is the rattling of the craft as we travel upward. When we finally break the surface, we trek upward at a rapid pace, bathed in darkness as we fly through the night sky.

  Watching our ascent on the screen, there’s a certain freeness as we rocket through space, and I feel refreshingly exhilarated.

  We make it to the space station in a couple of hours, and once we dock, all we can do is sit and wait. Dad advises that it shouldn’t be too long, cautioning us to be on guard. Some of the others talk in quiet voices, but Cal and I remain unyielding; we continue to ignore each other.

  Not since we got together have I ever felt this distant from him.

  There’s a low thrum as the landing door opens. Dad and Agent Leena walk past flanked by five soldiers. Dad flings a warning look at me. Disregarding him, I press the button to release my harness. I’m up and out of my seat when a hand creeps around my waist. “Stay here with me, please,” Cal says, hauling me against his firm body. The strain in his voice is notable. Sweeping my hair back, he runs his fingers against my cheek, and my skin races to life. He nuzzles my neck, resting his head on my shoulder, and the heat from his breath oozes liquid lust all over my skin. And as so often happens, I’m entranced by the smell and feel of him and I’m powerless to move.

  I’m sure he’s done this deliberately, knowing how difficult it is for me to deny him anything when he is swathed around me like this.

  If only we could get over our aversion to words.

  Sudden gunfire turns the blood to ice in my veins. Cal’s grip loosens, as he’s also caught off-guard. The remaining two soldiers dart past us. Even though I know he’s still upset with me, Cal’s eye’s latch on mine straightaway.

  We both move at the same time, running toward the commotion.

  CHAPTER 6

  My feet hit the ground running, and I race after Cal as he sprints through a long narrow corridor within the inner sanctum of the Space Station, advancing toward the sound of the gunfire. My feet squelch on the shiny, metal floor, and I almost slip a couple of times. Steel-plated tubing runs the length of the structure on both sides, top and bottom, and a strange, gurgling sound echoes in the pipes. Ignoring that and the stomach-churning ache in my gut, I keep running, my gun clenched firmly in my hand.

  As we round the next bend, shots zoom past us, and I drop to the floor like a pro. Shunting backward, I pull up into a crouch under the protection of the corner. Cal presses tight beside me. Peering carefully around the edge, I spy Dad, Agent Leena, and six of our men exchanging shots with a dozen Novo soldiers.

  A limp body, attired in a Saoirse uniform, lies discarded on the ground. A tall gray-haired man leans against the inside wall, his body protecting a covered trolley. The side of a muscled arm is visible under the white sheet. Zane’s tattoo is prominent on his upper arm, and my distress is instantaneous.

  I reach out to his mind, but there is nothing but darkness. Rampant terror grips me and I hop up, ready to run to him, without any thought for my own safety. Cal’s body flattens me to the wall. “Don’t be so reckless.”

  “Zane’s on that trolley. I need to get to him before a bullet does.” My chest constricts.

  Cal frowns but holds a finger up, stalling me. “I’ll go for him,” he says, a minute later. “Cover me.”

  Before I can protest, he races across the corridor and hunkers down on the ground, inching his way up toward the trolley. Shots continue to be traded between our troops and the government soldiers. Cal creeps closer to Zane, and I unload my weapon from my current position to deflect attention my way. Dad scoots forward, noticing Cal slyly advancing.

  Just as Cal’s hand clasps the trolley, the gray-haired man takes a hit to the chest and slithers to the ground. A government soldier seizes the trolley and pulls it forward. The sheet slides down Zane’s body, exposing his u
pper half and raw desperation pricks my skin all over. Intense fear for Cal and Zane propels me into action, and I charge the corridor, firing off round after round. A bullet hits the soldier in the head and he slumps to the side. Cal jumps up and takes aim at the advancing replacement, taking him out with one clean shot.

  “You two get him out of here,” Dad yells over his shoulder. “We’ll hold them off.”

  Our troops are retreating while they maintain the exchange of fire. “Stay low,” Cal says, thrusting me in front of him. Kicking out, I push free of his hold and sneak up on the inside of the trolley, holding fort at the front. There’s no way I’m cowering at the back while Zane is unprotected out here in the open. Using the side of the trolley to steady myself, I back up with my gun raised in front of me; primed to take out anyone who dares stop us.

  Shots bounce off the walls as troops close the distance between us, and I fire my weapon indiscriminately. “We need to hurry, Cal!”

  Cal tugs the trolley around the corner and I stumble awkwardly. The mistake costs me. A searing pain rips through my shoulder and I cry out. Strong arms hook me and I’m hoisted around the corner.

  “Let me see,” he says in a tight voice. Ripping the sleeve of my shirt all the way up, he inhales sharply. “Goddamnit, Ariana!” His fingers press gently into my shoulder, and I bite down on my lip as excruciating pain radiates all over my arm and across my chest. His fingertips come away bloody. “I told you to stay down!”

  “It’ll be fine,” I grit out. “It’s hardly life-threatening.” Ignoring the brutal ache zapping my energy, I straighten up as the sounds of approaching footsteps reverberate behind us. “We need to get back to the stealth-craft. You can bitch me out later.”

  I prop myself alongside the trolley as we advance toward our transport, distracting myself from the throbbing pain by focusing on Zane. His skin is warm to the touch so he’s obviously just knocked out. The trolley jerks to a halt abruptly, and my hip slams heavily into the side of it. “Drop your weapons,” a voice commands. Lifting my head, I see a government soldier in front of our stealth-craft, blocking the entrance. His gun is millimeters from Cal’s face. Despite my alarm, I don’t waste a second. Focusing my mind, I take control of his arm and swing the gun around on him. The soldier stares wide-eyed and then Cal knocks him unconscious with one punch.