Turbulence (2 page)

The cabin was nothing like the sprawling main house the
Jhetan leaders lived in, but it was comfortable and it was theirs. The colony
provided all she and Veeva needed. Avalon didn’t have to worry about where her
next meal was going to come from or getting in line early to ensure she and
Veeva had a bed at the shelter. There was an entire community of people just
like her; she didn’t have to hide.

In the living room she found Veeva fluffing the pillows on
the couch. Their cabin was always pristine. “I’m going to leave now, Gram. I
don’t want to be late.”

Veeva rose up, though it did not make her much taller. She
stood at around five feet, making Avalon’s five foot five seem giant in
comparison. But Veeva made up for her short stature with spunk.

“Don’t you look nice. Trying to catch a mate, are you?” She
wagged her gray brows.

Avalon waved her off, feeling self-conscious in the loose
blue fabric she sewed to look goddess-like. She didn’t feel comfortable in the
jeans and t-shirts humans liked to wear, nor in revealing clothes that put her
body on display for any stranger to see.

“Gram, you know I’m not interested in a mate right now.”

“You should be. You’re beautiful. You’re young. If you’re
not looking for a mate, at least date a little. That’s what I used to do.”

According to the countless stories Veeva relayed, she was a
hot tamale back in her day who enticed many men, aristocrats and servants
alike. Veeva was an attractive older lady and she had the kind of confidence
that reeled people in. Avalon didn’t have that same assurance in herself. She
was often too shy to allow anyone to see her personality. How could she find a
mate when she was too nervous to talk to guys?

She shook her head to clear it of all thoughts related to
bonds and mates. “I really have to go, Gram. Don’t get into any trouble today.
Stay away from the computer lab.”

Veeva sighed dramatically, her hands on her hips. “One
little visit to a chat room and I never hear the end of it.”

“You were on a cougar dating website!” How her grandmother
knew what a cougar meant was beyond Avalon.

“Young men think I’m hot. Remember that young man at the bus
station said I was smoking.”

“That’s because you had on a shirt that said, ‘I’m
smoking’.”

“Can’t help it if it’s true.”

Avalon massaged her temples. “I’m so over this conversation.
Wish me luck today.”

Veeva reached up and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You don’t
need luck. You’ll do great. Just don’t allow them to step all over you. Those
noble ones will try to do so if they see you’re so submissive. Trust me. Did I
ever tell you about the time—”

“Bye, Gram.”

Some of Avalon’s nervousness had melted away with her
grandmother’s chatter. But it built up again while she walked down the road to
the main house, the cool autumn wind biting into the exposed flesh of her arms.
By the time she climbed the stairs to the large wraparound porch, she had to
take a moment to calm herself.
I’ll do fine
, she repeated in her head.

Avalon knocked on the red door, the bones of her knuckles
feeling each tap. The door swung wide, opened by the lady of the house.

“Lady Firestone.” She bowed her head in greeting and
respect.

“None of that. It’s Lily. Lift your head, Avalon. I’m not
the Queen of England.” She chuckled.

Avalon raised her head, briefly meeting Lily’s friendly gray
eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to be sorry. Your people are respectful.
It’s a good thing. Come on in.”

The living room of the house was bigger than her entire
cabin. From her vantage point, she saw the spacious white kitchen as well as
the hallways branching off to different areas.

Despite its size, the house felt warm and welcoming. The
personal touches like photos and knick-knacks, the earth tone colors of the
decorations as well as the plush furniture made the home comforting.

“It’s lovely,” Avalon complimented. She’d only been inside
the home twice and never to admire it.

Lily smiled. “Thank you. Dex and I worked hard designing the
farmhouse. I just wish I was able to keep it clean and organized, but I’m so
busy all the time. With Dex and Greyson living in the house, it’s almost like
having two children who don’t clean up after themselves.”

Avalon met Dex a few times; he checked them into the colony.
She only saw Greyson in passing. With all the responsibility that came along
with running the colony and leading the Jhetans, she imagined they didn’t have
much time to run a house as well.

“Follow me. I’ll give you a tour of the place. Then I’ll get
you a list of everything that needs to be done. It’s a lot.” Regret flashed
across Lily’s pretty features. “Sorry.”

“You should not apologize to me,” Avalon said softly.

“Why not?”

“I am your servant. I do as little or as much as you require
of me.”

Lily’s brown brows furrowed and she shook her head back and
forth. “I understand that on Jheta you guys had some kind of hierarchy system,
but that’s not how we work here. We’re equals, Avalon.”

No matter what Lily believed, someone like her would never
be an equal with Avalon. Lily was a member of the upper classes, something
Avalon would never be a part of.

Chapter 2

The rooms in the farmhouse consisted of everything from an
entertainment and game space to a workout room and quarters simply for wine and
other alcoholic beverages. Lily explained how dealing with Dex and Greyson
often required her to make frequent trips to the wine cellar.

Lily was nothing like the noblewomen on Jheta that Avalon’s
mother worked for and used to describe as being uppity shrews. She acted very
ordinary. When Lily complimented her on her dress, Avalon couldn’t stop the
heat from igniting in her cheeks. The entire thing was much different than she
would have ever expected. It took a lot of pressure off her to be the perfect
maid.

“Word of advice,” Lily said as they walked down the hallway
coming from Dex’s office. “Keep run-ins with Greyson to a minimum. There’s
really no polite way of saying he’s a jackass.”

Avalon muffled her gasp with a hand over her mouth. Lily
simply shrugged.

“It’s true. You’ll see soon enough that staying out of his
way will make your day much smoother.”

Lily knocked on the door to Greyson’s office. When she
received a grunt as a response, she pushed open the door. His office looked
very similar to Dex’s, like something one would expect belonged to a business
executive. Greyson was sitting behind a huge cherry wood desk. The carpet in
the office was plush and gray. Unlike Dex’s office, there were no personal
touches. No paintings or pictures or even trinkets. It was a place to work, not
to enjoy.

Greyson didn’t lift his blonde head when they entered.
Instead, he continued writing on a document. “What do you want?”

“Greyson, this is Avalon. She’s our new housekeeper.”

“That’s nice.”

Lily rolled her eyes and mouthed, “I told you so.” She
coughed to try to get his attention to no avail. “Aren’t you going to say hi to
her?”

“Hi.”

“That’s rude, Greyson.”

“And I’m busy. Goodbye.”

When they were back out in the hallway, Lily apologized for
Greyson’s impolite behavior. Avalon didn’t mind. Those of noble birth were
often rude to servants. At least on Jheta they were.

 They walked to the kitchen where Lily started making
coffee. She explained to Avalon that Dex liked to have a cup of coffee each
morning. He preferred his mate to prepare it, which meant it was one less task
for Avalon to do every day.

She watched Lily add sugar and cream into a mug of steaming
black brew. As if the coffee summoned him, Dex strolled into the kitchen. He
was a big man, tall and well built. His dark hair and eyes complemented his
good looks.

He kissed Lily on the mouth before taking his cup of coffee
from her. He gave Avalon a charming smile. “Morning. I forgot you were starting
today. No wonder my mate was up early this morning.”

Avalon dipped her head. “Good morning, sir. Should I make
you breakfast?”

“It’s just Dex. And no, only coffee for me today. Has Lily
already shown you around the house?”

“Yes, sir. Dex. E-excuse me.”

The corner of his mouth hitched upward. “There is no need to
be nervous, Avalon. We’re nice people around here. Well…” He grimaced. “Most of
us are.”

Lily wrapped her arm around his trim waist. “Yeah, she sort
of met Greyson. He was too engrossed in whatever he was doing to greet her
properly.”

“That’s Greyson.” He leaned down and whispered something
into Lily’s ear, causing her to giggle and her face to flame. He pulled away
with a smug grin on his face. “I better get going. Have to check in with
Charlie Morris. Make sure he’s staying in line.”

“Okay, sweetie. See you later.”

“Take care, Avalon. Tell your grandmother I said hello.” He
walked past her with the mug still in his hand, squeezing her shoulder with his
other hand in farewell. She resisted the strong urge to flinch from the
contact.

For a normal person who did not possess Avalon’s ability,
something as simple as touching was no big deal. Not in her case. Contact with
others allowed Avalon to see glimpses into their futures. On occasion, when she
least expected it, she was sucked into a vision. She couldn’t control what she
saw, which was why she kept a block in her mind to prevent those visions from
sneaking up on her. It usually worked.

Having her talent often posed moral dilemmas. Was it an
invasion of privacy if you accidentally saw into a person’s future? Did you
tell someone what you saw? She knew from experience that telling them changed
nothing. What Avalon saw was set in stone.

“Avalon?” She snapped back to reality. Lily was staring at
her with a strange expression on her face. “Are you with me?”

“Yes. I apologize.”

“No need for that. Here’s a list of things that need to be
done. Don’t worry if you can’t finish everything today. I’ll be in Dex’s office
if you need me.”

Doing household chores was one thing Avalon was good at. She
figured out how to wash and dry clothes in machines called washers and dryers.
She changed the linens on all the beds. Then she dusted and vacuumed.

By the time Avalon made it to the kitchen to clean, she was
exhausted. Now she knew how her parents felt when they came home dead tired
after a long day. No matter, she took no time to rest. She washed the dishes,
cleaned the counters and table.

Avalon grabbed the broom from the small closet in the corner
of the kitchen and was about to start sweeping when she felt a prickle against
the back of her neck. She slowly turned around.

Greyson stood at the entrance of the kitchen. He was tall.
Had to be well over six feet, maybe closer to seven. Tousled dirty blonde hair
framed a hard face with golden stubble covering the lower half of it. His arms
were crossed over a massive chest. He wore a black shirt and black pants that
hugged his muscular legs as if they were designed with his body in mind.

Greyson’s chocolate brown eyes narrowed to slits as he
studied her in return. Avalon gulped. He was much more intimidating up close.

“Who are you?” he demanded, his voice deep and firm.

Avalon tightened her grip on the broom handle. “I, um, I’m
Avalon. We k-kind of met earlier.”

“No, we didn’t. I don’t forget when I meet someone.”

“You were busy. You didn’t actually look at me when Lily
introduced us.”

A scowl formed on his wide mouth. “Why would she introduce
us?”

“I’m working in the house. The housekeeper.”

He continued studying her. It made her stomach flutter for
reasons she could not understand. Finally he nodded and said, “I remember Lily
mentioning something about the housekeeper starting today. You know that
entails being at my beck and call day and night, don’t you?”

She didn’t, but who was she to go against him? “Yes, sir.”

“Good. I’m hungry.” He gestured to the refrigerator. “I’m
going back to my office. Bring me a sandwich. Turkey, tomato, romaine lettuce,
bacon and mustard on rye bread. I also want an apple, goat cheese and arugula
salad. And a glass of freshly made lemonade with exactly four ice cubes.”

“Yes, sir.”

He turned away then took a couple steps before stopping.
“Avalon?” Her name rolling off his tongue gave her chills. “When I tell you to
do something, I mean right away. Don’t just stand there. Get to it.”

“Yes, sir.” She rushed to put the broom away.

A feeling in her gut told her that life was about to get
very difficult thanks to Greyson. And there would be no way she could avoid it.

----

Greyson sat in his office, going over the recent Jhetan
applications for American citizenship before he turned them over to their
liaison at Homeland Security, Keith Barney.

As he continued to peruse the papers, Greyson couldn’t help
but laugh at some of the human names his folks thought up. Barbie Doll. Paul
Thinklebop. Yeah, he’d have to discuss new names with Ms. Doll and Mr.
Thinklebop.

On Jheta, surnames did not exist. Their names were much
longer than what humans adopted. However, their given names could not be used
due to there being no way to translate it over to the English language. Not to
leave out that the human mouth could not form their words. So like everyone
else, Greyson had to rename himself. Like it belonged to him all along, the
moniker Greyson Kane popped into his head after he landed on Earth and he’d
been that for the past four years.

He pushed the rejected forms off to the side of the desk and
leaned back in the overstuffed black chair covered in Italian leather courtesy
of Lily. This new office was nothing like the small, sparsely decorated room he
used as an office in the caves underneath the Mojave Desert. It was so formal
and sophisticated.

Greyson hated it.

As much as he loved the farmhouse, he missed the caves that
had been his home for three years. Through blood, sweat, and determination he’d
built a refuge for his people. But within the blink of an eye Department X
raided it and took away their home.

Department X was a private branch of Homeland Security that
investigated extraterrestrial and supernatural activities before it was
disassembled due to its radical practices—or so had been thought.

Greyson became aware of the organization after they
kidnapped Lily’s sister, Shay, tortured and experimented on her to the point
that she probably needed to be placed in a mental institution. She eventually
turned on the Jhetans, revealing their secret location to Department X. Then
Shay took off. Not to be seen since.

Had Greyson known all the trouble she would cause, he
probably wouldn’t have allowed the mission to rescue her from Department X’s filthy
hands. Because Shay was Lily’s sister and Lily had done so much for the Jhetan
community—despite being human—Greyson hadn’t sent anyone in search of Shay in
order to silence her.

The same couldn’t be said for Department X. It was Greyson’s
life mission to destroy them for every single thing they’d ever stolen from him
and his people.

The phone on his desk rang, dashing the angry thoughts
rushing through his brain. Greyson picked up the receiver.

“Hello?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, sir. My name is Lola.”

“Lola Riddick?”

She hesitated, obviously surprised he knew her name. “Yes,
sir.”

Greyson tried to learn everybody, but it was getting harder
with the community growing—he never turned anyone away—and with his increase in
responsibilities. Admittedly, the first time he even knew the new housekeeper
existed was when he met her a few days ago. If his father were still alive,
he’d frown upon Greyson slipping.

“What can I do for you, Mrs. Riddick?”

“Well, sir, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer we discuss it in
person. I don’t trust these human telephones. They could be tracking everything
we say.”
They
, meaning the government? “I know you’re a busy—”

“I’ll meet you at your house. Give me ten minutes.” Greyson
hung up the phone.

On the computer at his desk, he pulled up a file inside the
Jhetan Identification Database that contained the Jhetans’ personal
information. Lola along with her husband and their teenage daughter lived in a
cabin at the colony. He noted the location and clicked out of the file.

Just because he was curious, not because he cared, Greyson
looked up Avalon’s information. Avalon Mills. According to Dex’s entry, she
moved to the colony about three months prior with her grandmother. They stayed
in one of the cabins near the farthest edge of the colony. Previous residence
listed as Chicago. That was the end of her file.

Greyson didn’t care if it said more. She was just the help.
A maid with eyes that looked blue one moment and violet the next. A strange
combination against her creamy white skin and black hair.

Though during the handful of days she’d been working at the
farmhouse she’d been wearing loose dresses, beneath them she appeared thin.
Maybe a little too thin judging from the size of her small arms. But that was
her business. The colony provided food. If she didn’t eat it then that was on
her.

He stood from the chair, stretching his long body. He hadn’t
put in any time at the gym in the past week or so and his muscles screamed for
the exertion. His body also screamed for something else.

Greyson opened the bottom drawer of his desk and took out a
bottle of rum. He took several large gulps, feeling better as the liquid burned
his throat in a familiar way.

Liquor took the edge off when he was feeling antsy or
overwhelmed. Although he drank every day, Greyson could stop whenever he wanted
to. He just didn’t want to, he told himself.

He left the house and went to Lola Riddick’s cabin. Like
most of them, it was a two bedroom. The small living room and kitchen were
clean and neat. Without waiting for an invitation, he sat on the couch and
propped his feet on the coffee table. He might as well make himself
comfortable. One of the perks of being the Jhetan leader was that people were
too afraid or revered him too much to even attempt to chastise him.

“May I offer you something to drink? A snack?” The round,
red-headed woman reached behind him to turn on a lamp, her ample bosom nearly
suffocating him.

“No,” he answered, gently pushing her away before he died.
“Let’s get on with whatever you have to say. I don’t have all day.”

“Surely not.” She sat down in the chair across from him,
smoothing the wrinkles from her dress. “I’m not really sure how to say this.”

“Just say it.” Why did people like to prolong conversations?
Just get on with the damn news.

Lola took a deep breath as if steeling herself. “My mate was
abducted.”

Greyson would have laughed if Lola’s face hadn’t been so
serious. “I’m sure that’s not the case, Mrs. Riddick. This colony is probably
the safest place on Earth.”

After the Department X raid in the caves, Greyson was
determined to make sure that didn’t happen here. He bumped up the number of
sentries, implemented more stringent trainings for them and made sure the
colony was guarded and patrolled at all times. Nothing or nobody would get in
or out undetected.