Destin's Hold (The Alliance #5)(7)

“Well, now I know that Destin Parks is not dead back on his planet. What I would like to know is why he is here on Rathon,” she whispered, staring down the long beach. “And will he be staying here or returning to his world?”

A growing sense of urgency filled her the closer she got to her transport. She needed answers. It might take her a while to find them, but she was very tenacious. She wouldn’t stop until she found out what she wanted to know about a certain human male.





3





Destin grinned when he saw Kali in a dress. This had to be a first since she was about… two years old! The brief glare she gave him showed she was well aware of his amused appraisal. He bent and picked up Ami in his arms. She was wearing a pair of pink tights and a white dress.

“Doesn’t your mom look beautiful, Ami?” Destin asked. There was definitely a radiance about Kali that he had never seen before. “She’s as beautiful as your grandma was.”

“You don’t look so bad yourself, Destin,” Kali murmured, reaching for Ami. “I wish you could stay longer.”

Destin studied Kali’s glowing face. He had missed her. Deep down, he knew he had done the right thing when he made the deal with Razor to take Kali away from Earth. She had almost died too many times. When he had discovered she was pregnant, he was especially thankful he had made the choices he had. Life hadn’t been easy over the last two years. Yes, the fighting for the city was pretty much over, but there were still issues with a few renegade gangs.

“I need to return. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done. Maybe one day it will be different and you can come back to Earth for a visit, see all the changes,” Destin replied.

Kali’s gaze moved to the open vee of his dark green dress shirt. “Where’s your medallion?” she asked with a frown. “You never go anywhere without it.”

Destin’s lips tightened. “I misplaced it. I’ll look for it when we get back,” he said, turning when Razor came into the room.

“How is Saber doing today?” Destin asked.

“Cursing us all,” Razor replied with a grin. “I never realized how much fun a bachelor party could be.”

“What did you guys do last night?” Kali asked, setting Ami down when she started to wiggle.

“Destin showed us how to walk on walls,” Razor chuckled. “It is easier if you have not had too much to drink.”

Kali scowled and shook her head. “You’re lucky none of you broke a leg. Speaking of which, how did Saber do it with his leg?” she asked with concern.

“He did fine. It was a chance for him to test out the new brace that Taylor developed. It worked very well. I can understand why you love doing this ‘Parkour’,” Razor said, wrapping his arms around Kali. “But, it also showed me how difficult and dangerous it is.”

Kali leaned back and grinned up at him. “And that is where you stop this conversation if your next sentence is going to begin with ‘I don’t want you…’” she teased.

“I think we should do it together from now on,” Razor muttered, glancing at Destin with a rueful look. “Has she always been this stubborn?”

Destin chuckled and shook his head. “If you haven’t figured that out yet, I’m not going to say anything. It will just get me into hot water with her, too,” he quipped. “I think it is time to go. Ami, do you want a ride on Uncle Destin’s shoulders?”

“Up!” Ami cried in delight, raising her arms. “Horsey!”

“One horsey ride coming up,” Destin laughed, picking Ami up and settling her on his shoulders. He winced when she kicked her heels into him. “Ouch! She’s going to be like you, Kali. Always kicking the sh….”

“Watch your language; she’s like a parrot right now,” Kali muttered under her breath after elbowing Destin in the side.

“I can see where that might be a problem,” Destin agreed. “Last one in the transport gets to feed the monsters.”

“Monsters! I wants a monster,” Ami giggled, fluffing up Destin’s hair.

Razor and Kali laughed at the pained expression on Destin’s face. Destin held onto Ami’s legs, making sure he ducked when he went through the doorways, though each was at least twelve feet high, so there was no actual need to, and romped out to the transport. He swung her down and placed her in the child seat in the back, then strapped her in and climbed in next to her. Razor held the door open for Kali before he walked around to climb into the pilot’s seat.

Within minutes, they were lifting up off the ground. The clear bubble of the transport gave them excellent visibility all the way around. Once again, Destin felt excitement grow inside him at the possibilities for not just Chicago, but Earth. If more humans could see and experience what he had just traveling here, they would have such a different perspective – well, most of them would. The groups of people trying to keep them in the dark ages were dwindling each year, but he knew some people would always cling to the past.

“It is unbelievable how far advanced in technology the Trivators are compared to humans,” Destin murmured, staring out the window.

“It will be wonderful to do this on Earth,” Kali replied. “Perhaps this is a chance for humans to start over and do it right this time.”