Darkness Read online

  His keen hearing picked up soft footsteps and a female curse. He slowed his pace. Kat followed him. It was tempting to leave her behind. She wouldn’t have a chance of finding him if he sprinted off but curiosity rose. He reached a shadowed area under a tree and sat on the ground, staring out at the pond. Lights reflected off it, the water slightly rippling from the wind.

  She approached but he didn’t turn his head. When she reached him, he glanced at her once, really taking in her appearance. The oversized T-shirt she wore was three times too big and thin cotton pants hugged her legs. Her bare feet caused him to frown. They were probably too tender to go barefoot outside since humans were rarely without shoes. It wasn’t his concern though. She’d made the choice to follow him into the night.

  A sudden weariness settled in. He was tired but it wasn’t the kind that sleep could cure. Fury had been right. He’d carried a burden alone and the male deserved to know the truth. He might not like the answers he received. It might even make them enemies.

  Was he willing to risk it? He almost wished he could go back in time and just tell Fury the truth. Then he’d know for sure. It wasn’t as if things could get worse. He was a loner at the NSO. There were mental walls he had put in place. Perhaps it was time to tear them down, as Fury had suggested.

  Kat sat down under the tree next to the brooding man she’d followed. Darkness turned his head. Enough moonlight peeked through the trees for her to make out most of his features.

  “Hi.”

  “I allowed you to trail me and you did. Why are you here?”

  “I was worried about you.” She shrugged, getting more comfortable. “Are you all right? That looked pretty intense. Do you fight with other New Species often?”

  He sighed, looking away. “I’m different.”

  Sympathy welled. “Because of what was done to you by that guy who took you and your brothers?” She really hated Darwin Havings at that moment and hoped he’d screw up soon and make it possible for the authorities to capture him. He’d never know freedom again once the government got their hands on him.

  “Yes.”

  Darkness wasn’t the most talkative person. She glanced around. The park was abandoned at night and the water in front of them looked pretty and the muted sounds were soothing. She looked at him.

  “Do you come here often?”

  “Yes.” He watched her as well. “It gives me a sense of peace.”

  She let that information sink in. “Demons are a horrible thing to live with.”

  He was silent for a full minute and she wondered if he was done talking. It might have been a mistake to follow him but she just hadn’t been able to resist after the scene she’d witnessed.

  “He was angry because I don’t talk when I should.” His words were spoken so softly that she strained to hear them.

  “That was what the fight was about?”

  “Yes.”

  The silence stretched again. She wanted to help him somehow. “Do you want to talk about it? That can help at times.”

  “That depends.”

  She waited for him to say more but a good minute passed. She finally broke the silence. “On what?”

  He took a deep breath, blew it out. “Who are you going to repeat it to?”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Yes you do.”

  She really didn’t. He cleared it up though.

  “Are you on duty or off right now, Kat?”

  She wondered again if he still suspected she wasn’t who she said she was. “I’m off duty. What is said will stay between us. I know you don’t trust me but you can.” She meant it.

  He hesitated, turned his head and stared out at the vast darkness of the water. “Fury wants to know more about what happened to my brothers.”

  “Aren’t they here somewhere?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “Reservation?”

  He was quiet for a full minute. “They are dead.”

  Bad scenarios filled her head. Had Havings had them killed? Had they been returned to Mercile Industries and died there? Some had died when it had been seized by government agencies. Others had died during rescue attempts at other locations. There’d been that explosion linked to a facility associated with Mercile Industries. Everyone had died according to the news reports. The NSO didn’t share too much information with the general public but she got her intel from reliable sources. The NSO had tried to breach the lower floors of the company but it had been rigged to explode. Everyone below ground had died before they could be rescued.

  “I’m sorry.” She wanted to ask for details but resisted.

  He stared out across the water. “I am as well. Fury wants me to speak of them but I refuse.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s not a happy story to tell. I don’t want him to suffer. He’s a good male.”

  She let that sink in. “Why would he be hurt?”

  “They were his brothers too.”

  Shock rolled through her. “You’re related to Fury North?”

  He jerked his head in her direction and growled low.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just didn’t expect that.”

  “We’re half brothers. Are you going to share that information?”

  “No.”

  She was tempted to ask him who he thought she’d tell but refrained. She had been stunned when she’d heard noises and stepped out onto the patio to see Darkness fighting another guy. Security had rushed to the scene and broken it up pretty fast but she’d identified his opponent. Fury North was an NSO celebrity, almost as popular and well-known as Justice North.

  “He wants us to be closer but I don’t allow anyone to get too close.”

  Darkness might suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. She guessed he’d seen a lot of shit go down when Havings had him. None of it would have been good. “Are you getting counseling?”

  His scowl was answer enough. She sealed her lips, not one to preach that seeking treatment might help.

  “I don’t need it.”

  She disagreed. He was an Alpha-male type and most of them refused to admit they might have severe and lasting issues until it was too late. Of course he wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met before. His childhood had been a nightmare so he’d never had an easy time of it. “So you’re dealing with it by getting into fights with people who care about you? How is that working out?”

  He turned away. “I don’t want a lecture.”

  Fair enough. “What do you want?”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  Kat scooted a little closer but not enough to touch him. “Yes. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”

  He stared straight ahead. “I want to forget.”

  She could understand that.

  “But Fury won’t let this go. He’s going to keep pushing until I tell him how they died. I don’t want him to hate me.”

  “Why would he?”

  “I was there.” He paused, taking a few deep breaths. “He knows that but not all of it. I was asked to write a summary report but didn’t include many details.”

  “Is it too tough to talk about? That’s understandable.”

  Darkness was silent for so long that she thought he’d totally shut her out. She peered out at the night, just sitting by him. He took a deep breath.

  “We were kept in tents next to each other during the training.” He paused, his hands rubbing his pants over his thighs. “It was the first time we were made aware of each other’s existence and our blood connection. They made us do things.” His voice changed, deepened and turned raspy. “We did them. They said the humans we were ordered to kill were enemies, rebels who murdered innocents. They were well armed but were no match against us.”

  Her stomach roiled a bit as her imagination filled in more blanks. She just hoped they hadn’t been US soldiers.

  He seemed to guess where her thoughts had turned. “They didn’t speak our language. There were camps of them in