Libra Ascending: An Epic Urban Fantasy Romance (Zodiac Guardians Book 1) by Tamar Sloan (adult books to read .TXT) 📗

from the ground, his legs kicking out hard and connecting with the Skin’s jaw. The man’s head snaps to the side with a crack a second before his body crumples to the ground.

But Tristan doesn’t have time to see whether he’ll be getting back up, he maintains the momentum he gained when he launched off the Skin. He backflips through the air, arching over the Skin who was holding him.

By the time Tristan’s landed, the Skin has spun around, his hands raised and ready to fight. Even as he does it, though, his feet shuffle back.

Tristan straightens, knowing he’s about to flee. Especially once he realizes three of his comrades already have.

The Skin looks around, his face twisting in a snarl when he sees he’s been abandoned. He glares at Tristan. “You won’t always win,” he spits before sprinting off.

“Says the guy running away,” Tristan shouts after him.

He straightens, cataloging the bruised ribs and face that feels like mashed potato. The sooner he gets home to heal, the better.

He steps up to the Skin still lying in the gravel. Although he’s the one who inflicted most of the damage, Tristan doesn’t take any pleasure from seeing the sharp angle the man’s neck is at.

Before Chardis swallowed this man’s soul, he could’ve been anyone. A postman with a family. A staunch vegetarian. A brother, son, father. Maybe all of those.

Swallowing the blood still flooding his mouth, Tristan turns away. There are a lot of things that suck about the war he was born into, but killing Skins is at the top of that list. He jogs back to his car, pretending pain isn’t screaming at him to never move again. The Skins will be back. They never leave their dead behind. They don’t want any questions asked.

He’s glad the drive home is short. Tristan can already feel his face swelling, and breathing is becoming difficult. Each inhale has his ribs feeling like they’re cracking all over again.

As he opens the front door, he hears Tess call out. “Zarius, is that you?”

She gasps when she sees Tristan in the hall. “Tristan! What happ—”

She stops herself before she finishes the question. It’s obvious what happened. Skins happened.

Tess goes to touch him but Tristan holds a hand up. “Maybe after the nanites?”

Her arms dropping, Tess nods. Face tense, she turns away. “I’ll get them.”

Tristan lowers himself into a chair in the kitchen, waiting while Tess goes down to the basement. The nanites are kept in a safe along with any other alien technology that arrived with him in his pod.

Like the gems.

Tess rushes back a few moments later, placing a box on the table. “How many?” she asks as she takes out a vial.

“I thought there were only four.”

Tess arches a brow. “You were taken by surprise?”

Tristan looks away, glad his face is purple and blue so she can’t see his flush. “I’m thinking we keep that between the two of us…”

Tess holds out a glowing vial, the color within shifting from orange to yellow and back again. “Here.”

Tristan extends his arm and she expertly injects it. Tess has done every first aid course under the sun. “Thank pitch for microscopic, bio-engineered molecules, huh?”

In a few hours it’ll be like the fight never happened thanks to the accelerated healing the nanites will busily carry out.

Tess remains where she is, watching him closely. “Tell me what happened.”

“I went back to the school and ran into Cassandra. I sensed them after she left.” Tristan frowns. “I killed one.”

Tess clasps Tristan’s knee. “He would’ve tortured and killed you without blinking if given the order.”

“And he would’ve done it with a smile, but it still doesn’t make it any easier.”

“I know,” Tess sighs. “We just have to remember their humanity no longer exists thanks to Chardis.”

Tristan straightens as he remembers something else, hissing as pain spears through his chest. “Before I finished him, he asked me how many Zodiacs were here.”

Tess’s eyes widen. “That’s a good sign.” She inhales sharply. “They think there could be more than one?”

“Maybe?” Tristan looks around, suddenly conscious Zarius isn’t here. That Tess asked if it was him when he came in. “Where’s Zarius? He’ll want to know all this.”

Tess bites her lip. “He hasn’t come home yet.”

“He’s not answering his cell?”

Tess shakes her head, worry spilling from her eyes. “I’m sure he’s just got caught up with something. You know how he is.”

Zarius can be single-minded when he thinks he’s found a lead. That could be it. Or he could’ve come across more Skins…

Tristan nods. “I’m sure he’s fine. Like you said, Zarius has probably lost track of time.” He picks up the box with the vials of nanites. “I’ll put this stuff back, then go for a drive, just in case.”

Tess shoots to her feet. “No!” She modulates her tone as she realizes she almost shouted the protest. “You’re still healing. Let’s give him another hour or two. It’s not even dark yet.”

Tristan’s about to object but the pleading in Tess’s eyes stops him. “Sure,” he smiles. “Zarius wouldn’t want us jumping into anything.”

Which is true.

He keeps telling Tristian patience is the one quality he hasn’t mastered yet. If Tristan had spent a little more time thinking, maybe the fifth Skin wouldn’t have snuck up on him.

Tristan goes to jog down the stairs but quickly stops. Although he’s definitely feeling better, it looks like there’s more work for the nanites than he thought. Inside the basement, he pauses as he sees his pod.

The shuttle he arrived in as a baby.

Smooth and egg-shaped, it glows with the same muted power the vials do. Thirteen of those landed on the same day as his did. At first, they’d assumed it was in the same general location as his, but as they’d come up empty handed, they’d had to widen their search.

The Skins think there could be more than one…

Could Mirror Point be their break? Maybe Cassandra is a Zodiac Heir.

Tristan’s breath pulls in sharply. Maybe Brielle is.

One of them might be his soulmate,