without crying. Martin had brought good news, and she
wanted to enjoy that feeling. “My parents were Ascendants.”
“Josie—”
She shook her head and held up a hand. “No. Don’t.
They were trying to leave. They were charged with a mission they no longer
believed in, and they were meeting with a geneticist who was going to alter
their DNA to permanently change their appearances.”
“I was here while Martin was talking to you,” he
admitted. “I heard your conversation.”
“I should have figured.” She shrugged, then forced
a smile. “I would be more surprised if the SIA stayed out of my business.”
He stood, his features hard. “My reason for being
there had nothing to do with my position with the SIA.”
She locked eyes with him. “Okay.”
He joined her on the couch and studied his hands.
“Josie, do you know anything about DNA conversion?”
“Only that it was important to my mother that I
have it done. My mother described the process as working in the same way a
Shifter can change shape and identity—only permanent.”
“Did you know Specials have been experimenting
with DNA conversion for nearly fifty years?”
She shook her head.
He turned and his eyes burned into hers. “They die.
It doesn’t work. Shifters shift, but the rest of us die.”
She’d known the risk was there, but Tanner made it
sound like suicide. “It’s a good thing I don’t have to go through with it then,
I guess.”
He pulled her against him and squeezed her to his
chest. “I stopped breathing when I heard you ask Martin about it.” He pushed
her away so she was looking at him. “Tell me you won’t consider it again.”
“I can’t promise that,” she whispered. “I’ve seen
what the Ascendants want. I can’t be responsible for that.”
He let out a long breath and pulled her against
his chest again. “Tell me about what you found in the journal. What was this
mission that your parents wanted out of?”
She settled into him, feeling his heart pound
against her cheek, and loving that he was so outraged by the idea of losing
her. “I don’t know. The code was...complex. It doubled back on itself and
relied on obscure patterns that changed periodically. The journal itself
appears to be about day-to-day goings-on of a middle-class American family. I
couldn’t tell you how many times I read it before discovering these hidden
messages.”
“And you think she intended the messages for you?”
“Yes. I think she knew they wouldn’t kill me and
she left the journal because she wanted me to follow through with the DNA
conversion. But I didn’t get a chance to finish decoding the journal, so I
don’t know. That’s the worst part. The journal is gone, so now I’ll never
know.”
He combed her hair with his fingertips. The heat
of his body warmed her cheek. “Martin said you aren’t a risk to anyone
anymore.”
She released her breath. “Yes, but it would be so
reassuring to know what else was in that journal. Just…to know what she wanted
for me.”
“Josie,” he said, “I think your parents would just
want you to be happy.”
She sighed. “I don’t want to keep secrets from you
anymore.”
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She
smiled. It felt so good to touch him like this. To have her head rise and fall
with the rhythm of his breath.
She looked up at him and smiled.
He opened his mouth, as if to say more, but then
only nodded, as if thinking better of it. Gently, he pushed her away and stood,
a pained look on his face. “You need to get some sleep. I won’t keep you.”
He was two steps to the door when she stopped him.
“Wiley?”
He turned. “Yeah?”
She didn’t want him to leave. You don’t have to
do anything but live your life. “Can you stay?” she asked. “I have some
wine, and I don’t want to drink alone.” She didn’t want to be alone. Not
when freedom to live her life as she chose stretched before her like a gift.
He studied her for a long
wanted to enjoy that feeling. “My parents were Ascendants.”
“Josie—”
She shook her head and held up a hand. “No. Don’t.
They were trying to leave. They were charged with a mission they no longer
believed in, and they were meeting with a geneticist who was going to alter
their DNA to permanently change their appearances.”
“I was here while Martin was talking to you,” he
admitted. “I heard your conversation.”
“I should have figured.” She shrugged, then forced
a smile. “I would be more surprised if the SIA stayed out of my business.”
He stood, his features hard. “My reason for being
there had nothing to do with my position with the SIA.”
She locked eyes with him. “Okay.”
He joined her on the couch and studied his hands.
“Josie, do you know anything about DNA conversion?”
“Only that it was important to my mother that I
have it done. My mother described the process as working in the same way a
Shifter can change shape and identity—only permanent.”
“Did you know Specials have been experimenting
with DNA conversion for nearly fifty years?”
She shook her head.
He turned and his eyes burned into hers. “They die.
It doesn’t work. Shifters shift, but the rest of us die.”
She’d known the risk was there, but Tanner made it
sound like suicide. “It’s a good thing I don’t have to go through with it then,
I guess.”
He pulled her against him and squeezed her to his
chest. “I stopped breathing when I heard you ask Martin about it.” He pushed
her away so she was looking at him. “Tell me you won’t consider it again.”
“I can’t promise that,” she whispered. “I’ve seen
what the Ascendants want. I can’t be responsible for that.”
He let out a long breath and pulled her against
his chest again. “Tell me about what you found in the journal. What was this
mission that your parents wanted out of?”
She settled into him, feeling his heart pound
against her cheek, and loving that he was so outraged by the idea of losing
her. “I don’t know. The code was...complex. It doubled back on itself and
relied on obscure patterns that changed periodically. The journal itself
appears to be about day-to-day goings-on of a middle-class American family. I
couldn’t tell you how many times I read it before discovering these hidden
messages.”
“And you think she intended the messages for you?”
“Yes. I think she knew they wouldn’t kill me and
she left the journal because she wanted me to follow through with the DNA
conversion. But I didn’t get a chance to finish decoding the journal, so I
don’t know. That’s the worst part. The journal is gone, so now I’ll never
know.”
He combed her hair with his fingertips. The heat
of his body warmed her cheek. “Martin said you aren’t a risk to anyone
anymore.”
She released her breath. “Yes, but it would be so
reassuring to know what else was in that journal. Just…to know what she wanted
for me.”
“Josie,” he said, “I think your parents would just
want you to be happy.”
She sighed. “I don’t want to keep secrets from you
anymore.”
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She
smiled. It felt so good to touch him like this. To have her head rise and fall
with the rhythm of his breath.
She looked up at him and smiled.
He opened his mouth, as if to say more, but then
only nodded, as if thinking better of it. Gently, he pushed her away and stood,
a pained look on his face. “You need to get some sleep. I won’t keep you.”
He was two steps to the door when she stopped him.
“Wiley?”
He turned. “Yeah?”
She didn’t want him to leave. You don’t have to
do anything but live your life. “Can you stay?” she asked. “I have some
wine, and I don’t want to drink alone.” She didn’t want to be alone. Not
when freedom to live her life as she chose stretched before her like a gift.
He studied her for a long
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