I sucked in a breath. Nope, wasn’t going there in my head. I grabbed the medical supplies we’d need and nearly walked straight into Wade. I darted back before it occurred to me he might be a vision. Yes, that was right. Waverly, I wanted to ask, can you see Wade? I was alone here. I had to make it go away myself.
Wade, with a knife hanging out of his throat was not searching the Med Bay for me, and even if he was, I would kill him again just for the pleasure of watching him die.
I’m coming, Waverly. I walked right past dead Wade. Delusions could kiss my ass. My beautiful girl needed me, and—yeah—I’d said beautiful.
I’m coming, baby. Only she’d get those pet names, and she’d get them all.
* * *
Canyon
I didn’t understand it. The old scanner didn’t work anymore. It had told me so. Why did it take my Waverly from me? Why had it betrayed me like that?
I shook the thoughts away. The machine hadn’t done anything to me. I got lost in this, tripped up in what did and didn’t make sense. They weren’t alive. I’d heard it over and over, and I’d believed it.
Until I didn’t.
A heat signature came in the room. It was Cash, and he had Jackson. He was leading him to bed. I could tell their designs apart. That’s what they looked like—designs. Jackson was always distinct. The longer I knew someone, the more I could make out his or her individual heat architecture. Currently, his build was off. This had taken a lot out of him.
I’d done everything I could with Wes’s prototype. It would never be a time machine.
No, not a time machine.
It agreed with me. No, it didn’t. Machines didn’t talk. That was nonsense. But it could follow the time stream.
We would go, get Waverly, and go home.
It had to be that simple. I would not accept failure on this. I would not live without Waverly’s light.
Waverly
Orion. One year before the bombs went off
* * *
“Hello?” I was in a cave. That much I knew. Light poured in from outside. I’d traveled through time. I didn’t know how or even particularly understand what had happened. I’d simply been there, and now I was here. I couldn’t see what Canyon did. The universe had no light signatures for me.
I was cold and barefoot.
They’d told me they arrived in closets and safe places, as if the machine dumped them there on purpose. I set the scanner down in the corner of the cave and marched forward. I didn’t know where here was, but I had eight hours to simply bide my time and not get into any trouble. Then I’d go home.
And never, ever, ever touch a scanner again. Why had it worked? I didn’t know. The sunlight was warmer and the terrain around me empty. In the distance, I could see a town. If I was adventurous, I’d go see the town, but I wasn’t. I didn’t want to be cold, so I’d stay outside. For the next eight hours. Then I’d be home.
I sat right there on the ground. If I was lucky, I wouldn’t see anything or anyone at all.
Nine hours later, I was freezing, still on the ground, hungry, tired, and not home. What had happened? It was hard to see in the cave now that night had come, but if I pushed a button on the scanner it lit up for a second. It was on. It just wasn’t taking me anywhere.
I didn’t understand.
I sunk to the ground. Wherever I was, it looked like I’d be staying for a while. I couldn’t sleep, and pacing around the cave made me dizzy. I finally took myself outside. I stared up at the sky, looking for the familiar. I knew the stars on Sandler One. I’d stared at them night after night, and nothing about this outline of constellations looked like there. So, I wasn’t on Sandler One or anywhere near there. Who was I kidding? I could barely read a star map. I wasn’t going to figure this out that way.
I missed my guys so fiercely I cried out. We’d had so little time together. Would they know where I was? Would they find me? Could they? What if I was hundreds of years in the past?
I couldn’t think like that, couldn’t let myself.
They would come. Canyon would work out the tech, Rohan would devise the plans, Jackson would see to it they had what they needed, and Ari would keep them all safe.
They would come for me.
The voice I never let myself listen to anymore—the one that sounded like my father—rattled around in my tired brain.
“They don’t want you back, Waverly. Stupid name. No one ever wanted you. Not even your mother. As soon as she had you and I saw how ugly you were, her life went to hell.”
I shook my head. My father wasn’t helpful right now, and I wasn’t going to deal with him and being wherever I was, too. He could wait for a warm spring night to drive me crazy. Right then, I had enough problems to last for a while.
And I wasn’t ugly. When my guys looked at me, I was beautiful.
I just had to figure out what to do now.
I was going to hold on. They’d find me. And this would be some weird memory I could pull out when I was old to say, could you believe I did that?
That’s what I would hold on to.
Until they came.
Dearest Reader,
You have taken the Artemis journey with me for so long. Do not fret. Light Unfolding (Wings of Artemis 8) is coming very soon. In the meantime, sign up for my newsletter at www.rebeccaroyce.com to stay in touch. Canyon, Rohan, Jackson, and Ari are not going to leave her on Orion… but they might be cutting it a little close.
Hugs,
RR
Also by Rebecca Royce
Wings of Artemis
Kidnapped By Her Husbands
Rescued by Their Wife
Crashing Into Destiny
Meeting Them
Reclaiming Their Love
Loving Them
Ship Called Malice (found in the Married. Wait! What? Anthology)
Saving Them (October 2017)
Dark Demise (coming soon)
* * *
Last Hope
Tradition Be Damned
Past Be Damned
Destiny Be Damned (September 2017)
Compassion Be Damned (coming soon)
* * *
Dragon Wars
Forever
Eternal
Always
Evermore
Endless (coming November 2017)
* * *
Wards and Wands
Hexed and Vexed (December 2017)
Curse Reversed (coming soon)
* * *
Safe Haven
Everywhere and Nowhere
More coming soon….
* * *
Soul Bound
Prisoner of the Dragons
More coming soon….
* * *
Shadow Promised
Strange Days
Weird Nights
Bizarre Years
More coming soon…
* * *
Initiation
Driven
Subversive
Redemption
Justice
* * *
Warrior World
Deacon
Micah (coming soon)
* * *
The Westervelt Wolves
Her Wolf
Summer’s Wolf
Wolf Reborn
Wolf’s Valentine
Wolf’s Magic
Alpha Wolf
Angel’s Wolf
Darkest Wolf
Lone Wolf
* * *
Fallen Alpha
Alpha Rising
Alpha’s Strength
Alpha’s Sacrifice
Alpha’s Truth
Alpha Enticing
Hidden Alpha (coming soon)
* * *
The Capes
Seductive Powers
Adrenaline Rush
Last Ascension
* * *
The Conditioned
Eye Contact
Embraced
More coming soon…
* * *
The Outsiders
Love Beyond Time
Love Beyond Loyalty
Love Beyond Sight
Love Beyond Expectations
Love Beyond Oceans
Love Beyond Flames
Love Beyond Lies (coming soon)
* * *
Cascade
Haunted Redemption
Phoenix Everlasting
Fragility Unearthed
Persuasion Enraptured
* * *
Under The Lights
No Quitting Allowed
Mr. Wrong
Bite Marks
Bitten Surrender
The Vampire and The Virgin
Demon Within
About the Author
As a teenager, I would hide in my room to read my favorite romance novels when I was supposed to be doing my homework. I hope, these days, that my parents think it was worth it.
I am the mother of three adorable boys and I am fortunate to be married to my best friend. I live in Austin Texas where I am determined to eat all the barbecue in town.
I am in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and try to use all of these elements in my writing. I've been told I'm a little bloodthirsty so I hope that when you read my work you'll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. I love to write series because I love to see characters develop over time and it always makes me happy to see my favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.
In my world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.
* * *
Follow Rebecca on Social Media
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