Destin's Hold (The Alliance #5)(36)

“That’s okay. I’m kinda used to it, having lived with my mom and Kali for so long,” Destin teased. “Sit on the bed and let me brush your hair. That used to work for Kali when she would get her feelings hurt or when she wasn’t feeling good.”

“Are your parents still alive?” Sula asked, sinking down onto the bed and picking up a pillow to hug against her.

“No,” Destin murmured, starting at the bottom of her hair and carefully working on the tangles. “We never knew our dad. He was in and out and finally totally out by the time our mom had Kali. Our mom was a free spirit. She saw the good in everyone.”

“You… The males of your species do not stay with the female?” she asked, puzzled because she was sure that Chelsea had said that Thomas had helped care for their young.

“Some do, some don’t,” Destin replied with a slight shrug. “Some guys are better off not having any kids and the kids are better off without them. Our dad wasn’t made to be a dad. He liked to hit our mom. We were happier without him.”

“How… old were you?” Sula asked, glancing over her shoulder at him in disbelief.

“I was close to four the last time I saw him. Some things you don’t forget,” Destin said, nodding for her to face the other direction again. “We had a good life until Mom was murdered by a couple of guys in the neighborhood. They got hooked up with the wrong crowd.”

“What happened?” Sula whispered, her eyes burning again with tears at the thought of what life must have been like for Destin and Kali.

“Part of the initiation to join the gang was to rob a few stores,” Destin murmured. “Our mom worked two, sometimes three jobs just to make ends meet. She never complained. She said working so many different places allowed her to meet all kinds of people. She was working down at the local convenience store when two kids walked in, pointed a gun at her, and demanded the money in the register. Mom didn’t give a damn about the money, but she did about the two boys. She knew them. Hell, we knew them. Someone came in while they were pointing the gun at her and it startled them. It went off. She was killed instantly.” Destin paused as he ran the brush through her hair. “Kali was seventeen. I was taking classes down at the local college. I wanted to be a mechanical engineer and build things. Most of all, I wanted to get Mom and Kali out of that neighborhood before something like that happened.”

Sula could hear the distance in his voice, as if he were deep in thought – or memories, in this case. Her heart ached for the pain she could hear in the words. Her fingers twisted together as she resisted turning around. Something told her that he needed – wanted – to tell her this, but he couldn’t do it while she was looking at him. The memories were too painful for him to share while he could see the sympathy in her eyes.

“What happened after that?” she asked in an emotion-laden voice.

Destin began brushing her hair in long, steady strokes. She could feel the precise movements, as if he were using the soothing rhythm to regain control of his emotions. She patiently waited for him to speak again.

“The aliens came,” he finally said, leaning over to place the brush on the side table. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against him. “And the humans opened the gates to hell.”



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Hours later, a message came in and Destin’s arms briefly tightened around Sula. He reluctantly released her to roll onto his side. Leaning up on his elbow, he pulled the communicator around and read the message. He murmured a response in a quiet voice.

“What is it?” Sula asked, sliding an arm around his waist.

“We’ve reached Earth,” he murmured, replacing the communicator back onto the side table.

A smile curved Destin’s lips as he laid his hand over hers and rolled onto his back. Her face was still a little puffy from her crying. Lifting his hand, he traced the outline of her cheek.

She turned her head to brush her lips against the palm of his hand. A teasing smile crossed his face and he suddenly rolled so that he was on top of her. Her startled giggle sent the now familiar wave of warmth through him. The lightheartedness of the moment faded and he stared down at her with a serious expression.

“What is it?” Sula asked, tilting her head sideways on the pillow and giving him a questioning look.

“Things are going to be different down on the planet,” he said.

A flash of uncertainty swept across her face and she licked her bottom lip. Drawing in a deep breath, he turned his head and pressed his lips against her wrist when she threaded her fingers through his hair. He felt her slight tremble at the intimate gesture.

“We will work together this time,” she promised, gazing up at him. “There has to be some information somewhere about where Badrick sent those women. I will find it. I will also work beside you to help with the rebuilding. As an Alliance representative, I can fight for any funding that is necessary and work with the other Councilors to ensure you receive the support you need. I know you will be busy helping your people, Destin. I will, also.”

Destin leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. He didn’t have as much faith in finding the women as Sula did. Razor had assigned two Trivators almost two years ago to locate the women. They had found and returned a little over half of them before being recalled.