The Change: Episode one (18 page)

Those words broke my heart, but in a good
way as well as bad. My family had sold me out, but she’d come for
me. I could trust her. “I’m sorry I haven’t remembered
everything.”

She shook her head, taking
a small step closer.
“I
remember!”

Instinct said she wanted to be held, and I
stepped toward her carefully, but without the weight of the fear I
usually carried. I slid my arms around her slowly, feeling the heat
of her Changeling body burst into flames at the contact.

C

The feel of his willingness to comfort me
was more than a spark, or a fire, or even a blaze. It was an
eruption, but not of lust – of caring. It smothered the furious
rage, allowing a sense of peace that had me clutching his shoulder
in a sob of relief. I’d missed him!

His big hand rubbed my back, causing me to
melt into his embrace, and we stayed that way for a long moment. I
had my mate, and though he didn’t remember me exactly, he knew who
I was. The feeling of it was incredible.

Around us, the darkness turned black, and we
faded into the shadows as the moon disappeared. That romantic aura
of being totally alone invaded the row of trees, and I forced my
hands to let go of him. Daniel had been severely mistreated, and I
intended to give him the space to adjust.

His grip on me loosened reluctantly, and I
sought only to ease his sudden tension with the brush of my hand
against his cheek… except he turned his head at the same time and
placed those full lips directly under my fingertips.

…
and then he kissed them!
My reaction was instant.

D

Taking advantage of the privacy, I
surrendered to her sudden passion and let the feel of her lips
against mine carry me into that vivid world of pleasure that only
she seemed to induce. In my eagerness to be bonded with her, I
forgot the other two things I’d been told and allowed myself to be
distracted from who she was and where we were. When the ground
suddenly pressed into my back, all I could do was arch at the feel
of her body lying across mine.

“
Oh, get a room,
already!”

Angelica’s tortured snarl as she went by had
us both laughing. The sound of it instantly sent me into a flash of
the past.

“
You do it.”

“
I’ll get
punished.”

“
Not if I tell them it was
me. Go on now, take a turn.”

I drew my arm back to throw the egg at the
window and lost my grip. I squeezed…

The egg cracked open on top of my head and
splattered us both in goo.

Candy laughed at my expression, hand coming
up to swipe at the yolk. “That wasn’t what I had in mind.”

We’d been friends. Knowing I’d had one was
still something of a relief and a shock to me, and I pressed my
lips to her cheek. “At least there’s no egg this time.”

She chuckled, sharing the memory with me as
we stood and moved toward the house.

“
Don’t give her any
ideas.”

I kept my arm around those slender hips as
we walked and felt her pleasure at the boldness. I had decided if I
was going to bounty hunt with her and her family, I’d better try to
find some courage. I wasn’t sure I was cut out for being brave, but
if I got to be with Candy, I was more than willing to try. It was
amazing how fast my feelings for her were changing. I was in awe,
with a slight fear that she was breaking through with every minute
we spent together.

Three hours later, I couldn’t wait to try
the bed.

We were sitting on the long couch, listening
to an old collection of music I’d never heard, and the soft tones
were dragging me into sleep against my will. The Pruetts were still
going over the fine details of the trip, and the comforting feel of
the room was one I had little resistance to.

Candice was against my hip,
where she’d settled us upon coming in, and I inhaled deeper as a
draft blew her scent over me.
I could get
used to this
. The thought had me smiling,
and I failed to notice the sudden silence until her hand slid to my
arm. Her fingers were gentle, a caress, and I closed my eyes at the
contact. Affection was foreign to me, and I absorbed the emotions
like a sponge. This was what I’d hope for as I lay in the Network
cot. Not an owner, but a lover.

The conversation resumed and I let the feel
of her hand on my arm send me into a place of warm comfort.

C

I didn’t look away from his face as the
others left the room. It was later than we usually stayed up the
night before a run, but the atmosphere had been good for all of us.
It was a drastic change for my family to see me be tender with
someone, and their thoughts were easy to pick up. They were glad
I’d been strong enough to bring him home, but they were even
happier to find out he was indeed what I needed. They were already
noticing the differences… and so was I.

“
Daniel.”

His eyes snapped open, and the fear I hated
flashed across his sleepy face as he realized we were alone.

“
Sorry, I didn’t
mean…”

I stood up before he could finish the
apology. My voice was sharper than I intended. “You’re
allowed.”

Daniel paled at my sudden mood flip and I
drew in a deep breath. “I get… upset easily. It’s not at you.”

He nodded, but I could tell he didn’t
understand. I stayed away from him as I struggled to explain why I
was angry.

“
What happened to you…
hurts me. When I see… signs of it, I…”

“
Want to spill
blood.”

I gave him my Games grin.
“I want to
taste
it.”

Daniel returned my look, face finally
twisting into the hatred I had suspected.

“
I’d be there for
that!”

Satisfied he understood my feelings, I held
out a hand. “Maybe you will.”

We moved upstairs with an awkward silence
between us. I could feel him wondering about the sleeping
arrangements, worrying over it. I let him off the hook despite not
knowing how I’d sleep without him. “You can stay in your room if
you like. It’s your choice.”

I smothered my disappointment when he headed
for the second door, and pulled him back for a fast press of my
lips to his that sent the need flaring into alertness.

I drew back, eyes searching his flushed face
for some hint of what I needed. “Good night, Daniel.”

He trembled, reading me, and I spun away,
very aware of my thin control. It would be safer for him to not be
at my side tonight anyway, I told my wounded heart. We had plenty
of nights to spend together.

D

I huddled under the blankets of the huge
bed. I was determined not to be the coward anymore, but it was so
loud here! There was no layer of Network rubber to muffle it or to
provide fire protection, and I kept my mouth tightly shut. Why had
I chosen my room? I wanted to be in her room, her bed… her
safety.

Outside, the storm picked up, and I heard
every detail through my fear. The wind howled, shoving at the
Pruett family home like it was made of gel.

Whhooo!

The wildlife was another part I couldn’t get
past. I’d never heard the real hoot of an owl or the call of a
wolf, and it terrified me to realize these were living things I was
now sharing a life with.

The walls vibrated, shifting as the storm
increased, and I pulled the blanket over my head to hide the
sounds.

“
Daniel.”

I let out a shout, felt her wince.

“
Come to bed.”

My feet hit the cold floor an instant later.
I hadn’t thought she knew of my storm fears, but it was clear she
did.

I moved inside her room and climbed into her
bed before I noticed the blanket on the window landing. She’d been
having trouble sleeping, too. It was another of those surprising
discoveries. I had assumed Candice quickly fell out like the other
Changelings, but from the twisted blankets, I understood that
wasn’t true.

She stopped in the doorway, torn about where
she should go? I knew where I wanted her, and I slid over with a
pointed look.

C

It felt so odd to be following his lead.

From our first days at the
complex, I’d been expecting a timid male who would have to be
encouraged to even ask for his own needs. I was prepared to deal
with it, to try and replace what the Network had taken from him,
but it was a shock to learn that so much of
my
Daniel still existed. How had he
managed to retain those manly instincts? Network methods were
brutal, total… Did the others have this fire still? Was it possible
that these enslaved men had been fooling everyone?

I dropped heavily onto the
bed, weary lids closing. After sleeping with his big body so close,
I’d found it impossible to drift off. I had moved to the window and
managed to doze a bit by staring at his old home and telling myself
he was safe now, under
my
protection.

Daniel shifted next to me, rolling onto his
side. “Are you okay?”

My breath caught at his concern. It had been
so long since he’d spoken to me that way! I was horrified to find
tears sliding from the corner of my eyes. This was the first night
of our forever.

“
Candice?”

I rolled away from him, embarrassed by my
lack of control. I stiffened when he slid that warm body against me
and wrapped a big arm around my waist. He buried his head against
my neck, melting against me like he’d always belonged there, and I
cried for the first time since he’d been stolen from my life.

When he pulled on my arm, I surrendered and
let him hold me close while I sobbed against his chest. He didn’t
say anything, just rubbed my back and held me. I fell asleep in his
arms before the tears stopped.

Chapter Twelve

The Network

“
It would have been better
if she had died.”

“
Yes.”

“
Are we sure this is a good
idea?”

“
As much as we can
be.”

“
Did they take the
run?”

“
Yes.”

There was silence in the top tower room of
the Network complex, but outside, the streets were alive with
chaos. A bomb had destroyed half a block this morning, and the
guards were currently turning out apartments, executing suspected
traitors. The blast had shaken the very dome around the complex.
The rebels were growing bolder.

“
I don’t trust them. The
Pruetts aren’t loyal.”
Meaning they
weren’t in debt to the Network and therefore
controllable.

“
But they are very good at
what they do. Baker will be ours in days.”

“
I still can’t believe he’s
alive after all the trouble we went to with the last
ambush.”

“
I told you to use the
Pruetts.”

“
Well, we are now. You’re
sure they’ll find him?”

“
Yes. He needs help getting
the other males out of our lands and into the safe
zone.”

“
If they make it that far,
we’ll lose him.”

“
No. We’ll follow the
Pruetts right to the stronghold where they’re all
gathering.”

“
What if they find out?
Join the rebellion?”

“
Plans are in place for
that contingency.”

“
Do they know he’s a
rebel?’

“
Not that we’re aware of.
Baker inheriting it from his father happened while she was away at
the Time Trials.”

“
Won’t the rebels get
suspicious if the Pruetts show up, and then there’s an
attack?”

“
It won’t matter if we take
out the right people. Baker, the stronghold’s current leader, and
any other leadership we find along the way. We’ve got moles trying
to get inside from a dozen different sources, but these games are
always the best draw because they’re watched so much. Perfect place
to dangle bait.”

“
What’s so special about
these bachelors that the rebels will want them?”

“
With these breeders, the
male population could be recovered enough for them to become a
common part of society again.”

“
We can’t let that
happen!”

“
No shit,
Sherlock.”

Outside the complex, the sounds of screams
and gunshots rose to drown out the demolition crew already
re-clearing the road.