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  LOYALTY

  Mark of Nexus - Book 3

  Copyright © 2015 by Carrie Butler

  Loyalty (Mark of Nexus #3)

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior permission of the author.

  www.carrieabutler.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, brands, places, and events are either a product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Cover Photo (Female - Left) by Prometeus

  Cover Photo (Male - Center) by Goodluz

  Cover Photo (Male - Right) by Yuri Arcurs

  Cover Design by Carrie Butler

  Table Of Contents

  LOYALTY (Mark of Nexus #3)

  by Carrie Butler

  Title

  Copyright

  Praise

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

  Free Download

  Glossary

  Extra Information

  Praise

  "…A great cast of characters that just took me on one hell of an adventure. The plot in Loyalty was toe-curling intense! The pacing moved fluidly, and I never really felt it lag—nor did I get to a point where I felt like it should pick up. All in all, Loyalty was a whirlwind of a ride, and the ending was perfect." - Magen Corrie

  "…Action packed from beginning to end, Loyalty does not hold back and proves that happiness does not come without sacrifice. This book delivers everything you have been hoping for and surpasses expectations. It is New Adult paranormal at its best." - Readers Live a Thousand Lives

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  First, a shout-out to God. Without Him, none of this would have been possible.

  I would also like to thank:

  My parents, who double as my best friends; my sister and brother-in-law, who would make the best friend list if they ever watched Firefly; my nephew, whose imagination I am jealous of; my niece, whose "terrible twos" are hilarious; Tucker (my rescue pup), who forces me to take play breaks; and the rest of my family and friends who continue to lend their support.

  Dave Taylor, whom you should read more about in the series guide; Melissa Maygrove, whom we know as the Goddess of Grammar; Laura Callahan Tom, whom we know as Hawkeye McProofer; Lisa Regan, who is turning into a rock star in the book world; Iain Carter, who has supported me throughout the series; Justin Jenkins, who helped with the male POV; PJ O’Brien, who alpha read each chapter as I went; and Dawn Ward, Magen Corrie, and Teresa DiLillo, who beta read for me.

  I also want to thank the rest of my street team, Team CHAOS—Raina Campbell, Laura Carter, Giulia Esposito, Nadia Hassan, Brittany Ferrell, Taneesha Freidus, Kelly Fox, Ellen Gault, Tobi Helton, Kanettra Holmes, Kendra Schmucker, Diana Long, Hannah Membrey, Diana Ramsey, Chie Relosa, Farrah Sayyed, Ava Smith, and Tracey Spiteri.

  And last, but not least, high fives to the blogging community, my NA Alley family, my Goonies, the #NALitChat crew, and you! Let’s venture into a new literary world sometime... ;)

  CHAPTER 1

  « RENA »

  I sensed, long before I acknowledged, the man who came up behind me.

  His presence was a chill up my spine, a fluttering warmth that settled in the pit of my stomach. As his shadow spilled over the kitchen counter, his fingers closed around my wrist. The room blurred.

  “Hey.” Wallace’s mouth hooked to the side in thinly veiled amusement as dishwater dripped down my arm.

  “Hey yourself.”

  Still maintaining his grip, he bent and hoisted me atop the counter in one effortless movement. Sweat glistened on his chest from his morning run, but I didn’t care. My fiancé had finally gotten handsy.

  In the three months since we’d discovered a way around his so-called curse, he’d developed an addiction to something most people take for granted—touch. Not that I could blame him. The guy was in his twenties, and this was his first attempt at normalcy.

  Wallace belongs to a bloodline of individuals with supernatural abilities called the Dynari. They each possess a major gift, a minor gift, and a myriad of accompanying propensities. Cool, right? One little problem. He got stuck with a dangerous major gift—ridiculous, uncontrollable strength.

  When we first met, he couldn’t hug me or hold my hand without leaving bruises. It really put a damper on the affection side of things, but it wasn’t all his fault. Apparently, I’m not exactly human, either…

  We didn’t unearth that particular factoid until a few months ago, when we learned of the three supernatural bloodlines known to this world. You have the Dynari, who get all of the superpowers. Then you have the Augari, like me, who intensify those abilities. And finally you have the Nullari, who cancel out Dynari powers. So, if you threw one of each of us in the same room, it would balance. The Dynari would maintain his or her original power.

  Wallace pressed my captured hand against his heart, ignoring my lack of focus. “You’re wet.”

  I choked on a laugh as a steady beat assaulted my palm. “You could say that.”

  Raven hues swept over his half-assed faux hawk as he ducked his head under the kitchen lights, and his blue eyes creased with a smile. “Really?”

  Thank God he couldn’t feel my heartbeat. Dishwater joke aside, I hated the effect he still had on me. It was nine thirty in the morning, for crying out loud. Couldn’t he look gross and disheveled like any other man?

  “I missed you in my bed last night,” he went on, his voice rougher than usual. “I thought we talked about that.”

  Mood killer.

  I tucked an unruly strand of blonde behind my ear. “I just had a lot of laundry and stuff to do. It was so late, and I don’t want to wak—”

  “Rena.”

  I looked away. We both knew I was lying, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was a minor empath.

  There was no reason we couldn’t share a bed. Through the Mark of Nexus—the inked, supernatural bond we share—I can tap into his powers. Meaning, I can hold on to a thread of his strength so he doesn’t unintentionally crush me in his sleep. There’s just one problem…

  It didn’t stop me from hurting him, the second his guard was down.

  The night before last, when I was having one of my nightmares, I hit him. In the face. Wallace, of all people! His relatives talk about the Mark of Nexus like it’s something to be revered. It’s the rarest and most powerful of alliances, they tell us. A give-and-take of power, a Dynari made more powerful by his Augari mate. Yeah, a lot of good it’s done us lately. I thought we were going to get to live like a normal couple.

  “It was just a black eye,” he reminded me in a quiet voice. “Your therapist said that type of reaction is normal.”

  Oh God. Not the therapist.

  So I was abducted by my future brother-in-law and almost raped by my brain-damaged best friend. It wasn’t as if
I could open up to a doctor on ERA’s payroll. No, instead, I had to sit in her office and bullshit for an hour every week, because Faye felt my mental state was holding me back.

  Faye. Wallace’s crazy great-aunt. The one determined to forcibly evolve humans by screwing with their genetics and prodding their brains. The founder of an organization called ERA—meaning, Evolution Requires Action. Yes, she was concerned about my mental state.

  We knew why, of course. It was because she wanted me to hone my augmenting ability to supercharge her minions. Once I get a handle on my power, the Dynari in her employ will be able to go bully other Dynari into assisting the cause. Afterward, we can all sit around and practice our villain laughs. It’ll be great…not.

  “Hey.” Worry lines formed between Wallace’s brows, and he pulled me into a hug. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring it up like that. I know you’ve been having a hard time.”

  “No.” I sighed and sagged against his chest, letting his stormy scent soothe my nerves. “It’s not you.”

  We were okay. Really. It was just the calendar making me upset, my lack of progress frustrating me day in and day out. Three months ago, when Faye killed hundreds of our classmates by simultaneously letting a virus and tornado loose on campus, we vowed to end her before things got even more out of hand—provided, of course, that I mastered my Augari ability and figured out how to overload her body with power.

  I hadn’t.

  And people were suffering as a result. Those who survived the initial wave of the virus flocked to R.S. Tobler Laboratories’ free clinic to receive Faye’s vaccine. Screening took place, and those deemed worthy were given the same experimental treatment Aiden had been given. They became SAGEs—Somatically Advanced Genetic Experiments—and the rest were sent on their merry way with a pin.

  Yes, people in high places have suggested everyone who receives the vaccine against this life-threatening virus wear a special pin. The rest are treated like pariahs, too selfish to do their part in the prevention effort. I have a feeling it has something to do with the fact that Faye’s husband, Rudolph, comes from old money. You know, secret societies and clandestine meetings. He’s got to be pulling stri—

  Wallace kissed me.

  My thought train derailed. “What was that for?”

  “If you’re allowed to internalize, I’m allowed to interrupt.”

  This one, with the words…

  His lips pulled into a cocky curve as he leaned back to study me. “Right?”

  I reached for the drawstrings that had flipped over the front of his shorts and twirled them in tight, closing the gap between us. As my fingers slipped inside his waistband, they brushed skin slick from exertion. “If you’re allowed to interrupt, I’m allowed to—”

  “Torture me?” he asked, his chuckle failing to mask the hitch in his voice.

  My hands stilled. “I thought you liked this.”

  “I do,” he assured me with wide, attentive eyes. “I love it. It’s just…sometimes you make things harder than they have to be.”

  “I thought that was the point.” I gestured to his shorts, incredulous. “Have I been doing it wrong?”

  He shook his head and shot the ceiling an amused grin. “Not that. I meant the promise. The waiting thing. How am I supposed to hold back when you keep revving me up?”

  “Oh.” Warmth danced across my cheeks as I retracted my offer. “My bad.”

  I’d given up fighting the phrase.

  “I wasn’t saying stop.” Wallace rubbed the back of his neck. “I just meant, ya know, be mindful of what you’re doing.”

  “Screw it. Let’s elope to Vegas and get it over with.”

  He facepalmed. My future husband just facepalmed at my idea. Where was the spousal support?

  “I can’t believe you just said that.”

  “I can’t believe you didn’t jump on the offer.”

  His hand hovered over his brows. “You know, speaking of the honeymoon act, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I know you’re building up certain expectations—”

  “Sexpectations,” I corrected.

  “Right.” He shot me a wary glance. “And we’re both more than ready to go in that department, but I think it’s time we discuss…precautions.”

  “Contraceptives?”

  “Chains,” he answered over me. “Restraints. Something to keep me from hurting you—at least until we know the Nexus will work under pressure.”

  “Should we have a safe word, too?” My voice dripped with conspiratorial sarcasm. “What about narwhal?”

  “I’m serious, Rena.”

  “And yet you sound ridiculous.”

  He let go of my wrist and ran a hand back through his hair. “This is why I didn’t want to bring it up.”

  “Sorry.” I shook my head. “I just don’t want us to go into this fearful. It’s going to be a special ni—”

  Something rattled at the back door, and before either of us could react, Cole waltzed into the living room. “Bro, tell me you’re ready to be an uncle.”

  Wallace whirled around like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “What?”

  “You heard me,” Cole went on. “You have a nephew now. It’s time to step up.”

  Nephew? My mind swam. Does he think we wouldn’t have noticed Rachel being pregnant? Unless…

  I grabbed a spatula and leapt off the counter. “You cheater!”

  He blurred back a good five feet and raised his hands. “Easy, killer.”

  “Don’t play games with us, Cole.” I jabbed the kitchen utensil forward. “Are you kidding, or did you seriously knock someone up?”

  Wallace’s arm shot out to block me from further assault, and he gave me a look—the one he always uses when his empath abilities clue him into something I’ve missed. “Hold on.”

  “Such hostility,” Cole grumbled, bending to scoop up something out of view. “Uncle Wally, Aunt Rena, meet Frank Bacon.”

  Squeal, squeeeeeeal, squeeeeeeeeeeal!

  I blinked as my mind struggled to wrap itself around the image. Wallace’s deranged twin—a former vigilante with super speed and accelerated healing powers—was standing in our living room, cradling…a teacup pig.

  Huh. Somehow, over the past few months, Rachel had taken our rough-around-the-edges third wheel and humanized him without my realizing it. Sure, he’d busted in uninvited, but he hadn’t pulled any of his usual tricks. No running around with a bed sheet, wailing that the house was haunted. No abusing his powers to speed-raid my underwear drawer. Honestly, the girl deserved a Nobel Prize for her work.

  “Rach and I adopted him last night.” Cole held up the tiny black and white pig, scrunching his nose in mockery. “He’s going to be our mascot.”

  “There’s no way it’s staying that small,” Wallace informed him. “Seriously, you get that, right? You’re going to have a giant animal running around your apartment.”

  “I already let Tits live there. What’s the difference?”

  Okay, so maybe he wasn’t entirely reformed.

  “Wanna hold him, Sis?” Cole held the fuzzy little bundle out to me, his gunmetal gaze alight with pride. “You know you want to.”

  “I, uh…”

  He shoved Frank Bacon into my arms.

  I stiffened as sweet little eyes peered up at me, begging to be loved. Don’t do that. My defenses crumbled, and I melted around the tiny creature. “Uggggh, why are you so cute?”

  Squeeeal!

  Somewhere in the back of my mind, nostalgic chords lulled me into an estrogen-laced haze—like I’d wandered into a slow motion montage. It felt good to hold another living being so close, to shield it from the world for a while. Maternal stirrings warmed my chest, and I snuggled the little pig against—

  Hold on a second. Did my biological clock just start ticking?

  “Shit!” I shoved Frank Bacon back into Cole’s arms, on the verge of hissing. “Get that thing away from me.”

  Cole quirked an eyebrow, w
hile Wallace remained blank-faced. For someone who sensed my emotions, he didn’t give many away with his reactions anymore. Thank God.

  I cleared my throat. “So, what are you going to do with Frank while we—”

  “Frank Bacon,” Cole emphasized.

  That earned him a snort from his adopted swine.

  “Isn’t that a little cruel?” I asked, barely moving my lips so the pig wouldn’t catch on.

  “Frank Bacon fears nothing—not even the curse of his people.”

  Wallace facepalmed again.

  “Of course.” I shook my head. “But seriously, what are you going to do with him? We have to be at the airport in an hour.”

  “He’s coming with. Gabby is learning Lamaze on YouTube, and Rach is her coach, so you losers get the pleasure of our company.”

  “The pleasure’s all yours,” Wallace cut in, never one to be late for anything. “Let me grab a two-minute shower and I’ll meet you in the car.”

  Cole agreed; my stomach did not.

  The thought of going back to ERA was nauseating, especially now that it involved directly helping their cause. Sure, it was just reconnaissance for us—we needed a way to see their hand—but this stunt would bring our risk factor to a whole new level. I hadn’t noticed my building anxiety during therapy. For all I cared, it was a means of wasting Faye’s time and money. I’d stalled for as long as I could—ten weeks, to be exact—but now it was real. Now it was happening. The eventuality of war weighed on my chest like a brick.

  “Shotgun!” Cole yelled, running for the door.

  God, we were in over our heads.

  CHAPTER 2

  « WALLACE »