Destin's Hold (The Alliance #5)(8)

Destin grunted. He didn’t want to burst any bubbles today. Dreams and reality were two entirely different things. He knew better than most that it took all kinds of people to make up a world, and in almost twenty-eight years, he’d seen the dark side more often than he’d seen the light. The murder of their mother by a gang member to get a few lousy dollars and a chance for promotion within the gang had left Kali and him orphans at a young age.

He couldn’t suppress the bittersweet thought of how different Kali and he had turned out from their mother. He clasped his hands together when he thought of the blood he carried on them. He had demons he needed to put to rest, and rebuilding Chicago into a modern, safe haven was one way he hoped to do it.

“What?” he asked, realizing that Kali had said something to him.

“I said maybe you’ll meet someone here and you’ll want to stay,” Kali teased, glancing over her shoulder at him.

“I already have. Her name is Ami,” Destin retorted, reaching over and tickling Ami when she turned to grin up at him.

It wasn’t the image of Ami that came to mind, though; it was a woman with long white hair, pale blue skin, and fire in her eyes. A flash of need swept through him and he closed his eyes. It had definitely been too long since he’d been with a woman. He’d have to do something about that when he returned home.

“We’re here,” Razor said. “What is this ceremony called again?”

“A wedding,” Kali replied, eagerly glancing out the window at the long garland of white flowers along the fence.

Razor glanced at Kali with an almost fearful look. “Are you going to want one of these?” he asked, returning his attention to landing the transport.

“No,” Kali whispered. “I’m happy attending them, but I wouldn’t want to have one.”

“Thank you, Goddess,” Razor muttered, shutting down the transport and opening the doors.



* * *



..*





* * *



Destin didn’t miss the look Razor shot the other men. They had all agreed that today they wouldn’t discuss the threats that the Earth faced. They had done enough of that last night at Saber’s bachelor party. While Destin had arrived almost a month earlier, Razor, Saber, Dagger, and several others that Destin hadn’t met before had only arrived two days ago.

“It is good to see you again, Destin,” a large man with a wicked grin said.

Humor pulled at Destin’s lips. He had met Lord Ajaska Ja Kel Coradon from Kassis last night. One thing he had learned about the man in the short time he had been in his company was to never challenge him to a drinking game. The man could hold his liquor and that of everyone else in the room. He was a bear of a man. His black hair was tied back today, showcasing the long scar on his face that highlighted how dangerous he was. Destin resisted the urge to touch his own scar. It seemed that humans had a lot more in common with aliens than they would have guessed.

“A pleasure, Lord Ja Kel Coradon,” Destin replied politely.

“Just call me Ajaska,” Ajaska reminded Destin with a good-natured grin. “The other is a mouthful, or so I’ve been told.”

“I can’t believe Jesse, Jordan, Shana, and Charma did all of this so quickly,” Kali breathed out in awe. “It is gorgeous!”

“Razor, Destin,” Hunter called out in greeting, walking down the front steps of the house.

“Hunter,” Razor greeted. “Where’s Father?”

“He is practicing how to walk down an aisle with Jordan,” Hunter replied with a grin. “Mother and Jesse are helping Taylor prepare for the ceremony.”

“For only having had a few days to get things ready, this is unbelievable,” Kali replied, watching Destin lower Ami to the ground.

“I’ll watch her for you, Kali, if you would like to go see the other women,” Charma said, reaching for Ami’s hand. “The other kids are playing with my granddaughters in the garden.”

“Thank you, Charma,” Kali replied with a smile. “I’ll go with you. I’d love to see what they’ve done inside.”

“We’ll be in soon,” Razor promised, brushing a kiss across Kali’s lips. Kali nodded and followed Charma into the house.

The home belonged to Hunter, but his parents, Scout and Shana, often stayed here when the men were gone. Hunter, Razor, Saber, and another Trivator named Dagger made up the core group of the men in the family. While Saber and Dagger weren’t technically Razor’s and Hunter’s brothers, they were as close as two men could get. Scout and Shana often insisted that they had adopted the two men when Hunter had dragged them home one day and announced he needed more brothers to fight with if he was going to be a warrior.

It hadn’t taken Destin long to feel welcome here. Within the first few hours of his arrival, he had felt at home. Kali spent a great deal of time here with Jesse and Jordan. Not only did they have children close to Ami’s age, but they had a lot in common – more than just being a few of the rare human females on the planet, they had all fought for survival back on Earth.

“It is going to be hard to leave her and Ami,” Destin said, watching Kali walk toward the house.

“You could always stay,” Razor said. “It would make her happy.”