Free Tangled Fates by Carly Fall, Allison Itterly

head. He had never
    been unsure of himself when it came to women. He took what he wanted when it was offered,
    and chased down and charmed their pants off when it wasn’t.
    But Annis was different, regardless of her being an SR44ian, and he wasn’t sure why.
    Not that he had bedded very many SR44ians in his time. No, his score on that was a big, fat zero.
    There was just something about Annis that held him back, and he couldn’t place his finger on it.
    He stopped his channel surfing at the evening news and saw Susan’s face come up on the
    screen. He turned up the volume.
    Susan Kresper, age thirty-two, was found dead this morning in an alleyway not too far
    from her home. Police have said that there is little evidence, and they have no leads.
    Perfect.
    The TV switched to some footage of the outside of Susan’s apartment.
    According the apartment manager, security cameras haven’t been working for
    approximately six months, so they won’t be of any help to the investigation.
    Well, that was a bonus. All of it had gone down so quickly last night that he hadn’t even
    given any thought to security cameras.
    Then, of course, the perky reporter had to interview Susan’s neighbors. They described
    her as quiet, a good neighbor, a person who kept to herself and didn’t try to connect with her
    fellow apartment dwellers.
    The camera came back to the reporter who was standing at the mouth of the alley where
    Susan had been killed. A woman in her thirties with blonde hair hanging to her shoulders in soft
    waves and serious blue eyes stared into the camera with her best I’m-a-serious-reporter look.
    Blake pushed the off button on the remote when he heard the bathroom door open.
    “What were you watching?” Annis said. Blake turned to her.
    Annis stood there, a white towel around her torso, another in her hands as she dried her
    hair. He watched as the muscles in her arms rolled under her skin as she gently pressed the towel
    to her braids. He wanted to rip the towel from her torso, take her down on the bed, and make her
    scream in pleasure, but something held him back, just like at Susan’s apartment the night before
    when he had pulled her close. He had wanted to kiss her with everything in him, but he just
    couldn’t. Instead, he had said something brilliant about darts.
    He just didn’t get what was holding him back.
    “Just the news,” he said. “They had a piece about Susan.”
    “What did they say?”
    Blake shrugged and turned back to the desk, trying like hell to focus on the computer in
    front of him. “Nothing. They don’t have any leads or evidence.”
    “Good.”
    He listened as Annis rummaged through her suitcase, then he heard the click of the
    bathroom door.
    Rubbing his hand across his face, he once again wondered what was wrong with him.

Chapter 10
    Annis sat in the Great Room of the silo in Fernley, Nevada, not wanting to be in her
    bedroom where she had woken from the same nightmare that haunted her almost every night, or
    day, depending on when she slept.
    Her and Blake had arrived back in Fernley just a few hours ago, and both had gone to
    their respective quarters almost immediately, claiming exhaustion, which had been the truth for
    her.
    But the dream always took care of that.
    When they had arrived on Earth, Annis had been hurt and unable to run when the FBI
    descended on them. She had gone quietly into custody, not really prepared for what would
    happen to her. They had given her a shot, which rendered her unconscious. She had woken blind,
    not knowing where she was, but lying on what felt like a bed. After a few moments of listening
    to her surroundings, she thought she could hear another person in the room.
    “Who are you?” she had asked, sitting upright.
    The rustling stopped, and footsteps came toward her, echoing off the floor.
    There had been no answer.
    Something touched her shoulder, and she brushed it away. Then fingers caressed her arm,
    and she smacked at it.
    There was