Deep Within Me

“Because you’ve always fought them,” she argued. “Submit to your heritage. Accept it as you should.”

“Accept it?” Disgust laced his words. “It’s your kind—the Others—that started this mess. You’re one of them, not us. You have an obligation to my people to secure their future since your kind has jeopardized it from the start.”

“I haven’t the power to prophesize,” she said. “None of my kind do. It happened only because we mated with your people. A gift none of us expected or planned. I’m no more than a guardian.”

“With the ability to wipe a loved one from someone’s mind. To rip that from them. Do you hate me so much that you’re willing to destroy the only thing that’s made me want to go on?”

Her pity from a moment before turned to shock. She spoke more quietly than she had previously. “I love you as if you were my own son, Zeke. I feel the same about your people, as though they truly are my family. It’s not an emotion my kind knows, but I’ve learned it over the centuries…a gift I received from your clan. That’s why I revealed what I am to you, something I’ve never done with anyone else. Something I wasn’t supposed to do. I’m giving you the chance to let me help you to forget Liz and her father. I’m giving you the choice, rather than forcing it upon you.”

He stepped back again, wary that she would touch him and that would take Liz from him forever. “I’ve already told you, I don’t want it. I’ll never agree to such a thing. If I can’t be with Liz, if she’s not a part of my past, present and future, I’d rather be dead.”

“Don’t say that.”

Zeke’s shoulders bunched. His muscles tensed. “Losing Gabrielle nearly destroyed me. You know that. You saw. You talk of love as though you understand it, but you don’t. If you had even the remotest clue about its power, you wouldn’t be telling me these things, threatening me because I won’t—”

“I’m not threatening you,” she insisted. “I’m simply asking you to do what you were born to do.”

“And what’s that? Protect territory for your kind? A piece of dirt? Why? So they can prove they won against Carreon’s clan and the Unknowns, then return like kings? Or was this all done in their hope to colonize a new planet in case they had to flee theirs? Is that it? They’re going to rule Earth after my people, my ancestors, the ones I’ve loved have died or been traumatized for their ends?”

“If you don’t honor them, they will return. What will happen to your people and Liz then?”

Zeke wanted to cry out his frustration and despair at the thought of anyone…anything…harming them. He spoke without thinking. “I’ll fight them too, as I have Carreon. I won’t stop until they’re gone or I’m dead. No one’s going to hurt Liz or my people.”

“You can’t fight my kind,” Isabel whispered.

Maybe not with weapons, but there were other ways, weren’t there? “You say you love me as a son, prove it now.”

She frowned. “I’ve proven it every day since you’ve brought Liz here. I’ve made no move to stop that other than trying to reason with you.”

“Give me time to make this right.”

“There is no more time, Zeke. Every moment she’s here makes it worse for your people and hers. I overheard the men talking about Carreon’s transmission, his threats. I know what he plans to do.”

“We’ll find him before anything happens,” Zeke said. “We’ll destroy him.”

“You’ll put your clan at risk again.”

“I’ll do it alone, then.”

“No. You’re the leader. Your people need you.”

“I’ll work this out,” Zeke argued. “Carreon’s offered twelve hours. Can’t you promise me the same amount of time? Is that so much to ask?”

She regarded him cautiously. “If I were to grant that, what happens then?”

He was afraid to consider it. This time there was no way he could fail.

Kele stared at her computer monitor with one thought running through her mind. You can’t give up now. You have to do this.

There was simply no other option.

Hours earlier, after having watched Carreon’s transmission, Zeke had left the meeting room with Liz and Jacob. Isabel’s voice had sounded in the hall, stopping Zeke. From what he’d said, he’d gone somewhere with the older woman only to return to this room a short time later, his face ashen with worry.

“What’s wrong?” Paul had asked him.

“Has anyone shown the tape to the prisoners as I wanted?”

“We’re headed that way now.”

Zeke grabbed the laptop before Paul could. The man followed Zeke out of the room.

“Hey,” Diaz said when Kele went to join them. “Where are you going?”

“I’ll be back in a minute. Keep working on our plan.”

She caught up with Zeke and Paul. Zeke didn’t seem to notice her presence. Paul frowned. Kele ignored his disapproval, wanting to hear what the prisoners said.

The men weren’t as cocky as they’d been previously. However, they weren’t a great help either. They watched the recording and offered no comment.

“Where did this take place?” Zeke demanded.

The bulkier of the men spoke first. “I don’t know.”

Zeke growled, “The hell you don’t.” He grabbed Paul’s assault rifle, resting the muzzle of it on the man’s forehead. “Tell me, dammit. Do it now, or I swear I’ll pull the trigger.”

“I don’t know!” he cried, his complexion gray with fear. “I’ve never seen that place before.”

“What about you?” Zeke snapped at the other man, training the rifle on him.

The man stared at the muzzle and shook his head.

“You’re fucking lying,” Zeke shouted. He tossed the weapon on the bed and grabbed the man’s shirt, hauling him up as much as he could given the man’s hand cuffed to the arm of the chair. The manacles around his ankles clattered. “You’re going to tell me what I want to know even if I have to beat it out of you.”

“Zeke.” Paul grabbed his arm. “Easy.”

The last time Kele had seen Zeke so desperate and violent was after Gabrielle’s death when the shock of losing her had worn off. There was no stupor in him now. Rage burned in his eyes. Behind it, she saw fathomless dread. Repeatedly, he pressed for answers from both men, forcing them to watch the video over and over.

No matter how many times or ways Zeke asked his questions, he didn’t get the responses he wanted.

Eventually, Jacob had joined them. Clearly alarmed at his brother’s behavior, he’d pulled Zeke aside and asked, “What are you doing?”

“What’s it look like?” Zeke shot back. “They’re going to talk.”

“Whoa. Not if you kill them,” Jacob said.

“I won’t if I don’t have to. That’s up to them. Get out of my way.”

“Wait.” Jacob blocked Zeke from the prisoners. “What’s happened? What did Isabel want to talk to you about?”

Zeke wouldn’t tell Jacob. He pushed past his brother and concentrated again on the prisoners.

When Kele had left the room, Carreon’s men were looking to Jacob for protection against Zeke who was so despairing and exhausted he seemed on the verge of collapse.

Fatigue hunched Kele’s shoulders now, which she forced herself to ignore. She was so close.

Although she hadn’t been able to do much more than Paul had with the image-enhancing software, she’d taken what she was able to see and searched the Internet for similar calendars. A short while ago, she’d gotten a hit. A strip club in Albuquerque offered the calendar as a gift to its loyal patrons. Digging deeper, she’d learned that the club had once belonged to Carreon’s father. And now, to him.

She was certain he was there, waiting out the hours until Liz returned. Or until he had his man murder that other woman.

Bastard.

If not for Carreon, Zeke and Jacob would never have been near death. Liz wouldn’t have come here to restore Jacob’s health. The fight between their clans wouldn’t have escalated. Kele wouldn’t have put her own