Destin's Hold (The Alliance #5)
S.E. Smith
Synopsis
Destin Parks will do whatever it takes to rebuild the city he calls home, even if it means working with another alien ambassador. Her predecessor left him hesitant to trust the alien diplomats assigned to Chicago’s rebuilding, but Destin knows that if he refuses to work with them, he will be replaced, and he won’t give them the satisfaction.
Jersula 'Sula' Ikera is assigned to Earth by the Alliance and the Usoleum Council. The Councils hope her logical mind and calm demeanor will resolve the upheaval caused by the last ambassador. Sula has fought hard for her position, and while not pleased with her current assignment to liaise with humans, she will do her best to help rebuild the world its inhabitants have destroyed. What she does not anticipate is her reaction to the hardheaded human male who she has been assigned to work with. His ability to get under her skin and ignite a flame inside her is quite alarming, mystifying, and leaves her questioning her own sanity.
When Sula uncovers an alien cartel’s plans to traffic human women and children, a near fatal attack leaves her unable to trust anyone but Destin. Together, Destin and Sula race to stop the aliens before anyone is taken off-planet, but the traffickers are not the only ones they are fighting against; the Waxian and Drethulan forces have targeted Earth.
Can Destin and Sula stop the traffickers and prevent the deadly forces of the Waxians and Drethulans from destroying the progress they have made? Will the Alliance be able to protect Destin when the enemy discovers his connection to a powerful Alliance family? The battle for Earth has just become personal.
1
“No!” a low, tortured hiss escaped Destin as he fought against the paralyzing memories holding him prisoner.
He struggled to free his mind, caught between the realm of nightmares and consciousness where he knew what was going on, but couldn’t break free. After several long seconds that felt like an eternity, he jerked awake with a shudder and drew a deep breath into his starving lungs before he slowly released it. Pushing up into a sitting position, he saw that his body was tangled in the sheets that he hadn’t kicked off.
Destin ran a hand over his sweat-dampened face before he reached to turn on the lamp next to the bed. It was missing. It took a second for him to remember where he was, and that the lighting system was still alien to him.
With a groan, he fell back against the pillows and drew in a series of deep, calming breaths, holding each one for several seconds before releasing the air in a slow, controlled rhythm. It was a meditation technique he had read about years ago. He continued until he felt his pulse settle back to a normal rate.
A glance out the door told him it was still dark. He groaned and laid his arm across his eyes. He had been up way too late last night, or should he say this morning. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter how little sleep he got, his body was programmed to wake early.
Destin dropped his arm back to his side and stared up at the ceiling. It was smooth and undamaged. There were no patched places, no cracks, and no bare metal beams. They were slowly making progress back home, but home was nowhere near as nice as Rathon, the Trivator home world.
Throwing aside the remaining bedspread and sheet that he hadn’t kicked off, he rolled out of bed. The jogging pants he slept in hung low on his slender hips. He ran a hand over his flat stomach and curled his toes into the soft, plush mat under his feet before he began his daily stretching exercises.
The taut muscles in his neck, back, and shoulders bulged as he tried to work the tension out of them. He might not be as tall as his Trivator brother-in-law, but years of hard work and targeted training had made his body the perfect fighting machine. Scars crisscrossed his flesh, each one a testament to the challenges he had faced over the past seven years.
His arms rose and he stretched, enjoying the cool breeze blowing in from the open doors and caressing his bare back. He could smell the fragrant aroma from the flowers blooming in the garden just outside and the tangy scent of salt from the nearby ocean. The weather here was a balmy seventy degrees if he had to guess.
He turned toward the doors and closed his eyes, blocking out the view of the garden and its high protective walls designed to keep out the wildlife. He tilted his head and listened to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. It had been soothing last night, luring him to sleep, but now it felt relentless and violent, an echo of the adrenaline he had woken up with.
Destin ran a hand down over his hard, flat abdomen again. His fingers traced a barely visible three-inch scar. It was a new one. He’d gotten it when a skittish street urchin had fought to return to a building that was slowly collapsing.
Two years ago, he would have been dead from such a wound. He owed a huge thanks to Patch, the Trivator healer back on Earth. Patch had doctored him up, and after a few weeks of rest, Destin had been ready to travel off the planet.
He shook his head and opened his eyes. His travel through space to a distant world would have been unimaginable seven years before. It was hard to believe that Earth had received their first contact with aliens almost a decade ago. It was even harder for him to believe he was on an alien planet at the moment – at least until he looked around him at the buildings and landscape. Twin moons, thick forests, flying transports, and bizarre creatures made him feel like he had awoken in some alternate reality.
Destin turned and quietly made the bed. He grabbed a black T-shirt out of the drawer and pulled it over his head. He didn’t bother with shoes; he wouldn’t need them where he was going. Within minutes, he silently exited the house that belonged to his sister, Kali, and her Amate, Razor.