Read Online Tani's Destiny (Hearts of ICARUS Book 2) by Laura Jo Phillips - Free Book Online

looks different.  He has yellow hair and is not as big as the others.  He goes by the name Brutus.”
    “You said that the current Nomen look different from the ones before, right?”
    “Yes, that’s right.  They were smaller, and had black hair.”
    “It seems pretty obvious to me that the Nomen begin as clones, and always have been.  Whoever’s making them have just upgraded to a bigger, stronger template.” 
    “Yes, that is our belief as well,” Steel said. 
    “What else, Tani?” Astra asked.
    “When we were attacked, the first two Nomen approached from behind you, Astra,” she said.  “But the second set entered the alley from the opposite direction.  From the direction of my dorm.”  Astra nodded, remembering that now that Tani mentioned it.
    “It makes no sense for them to come at you from opposite directions unless they had some prior knowledge of your destination.  Is there any chance of that, however small?”
    “No, that’s not possible,” Steel said.  “Astra never mentioned a specific destination other than the New Oxford campus.”
    Tani nodded, unsurprised.  “I’m fairly certain that the second pair of Nomen were after me, not Astra.  Well, not me specifically.  I’m sure either of my sisters would have done as well.”
    “Why do you believe that?”
    “Lots of reasons,” Tani said.  “But the most important reason is that the Nomen who threw the tranquilizer dart was directly in front of me when Astra knocked me out of the way, and he made eye contact with me.  The only way he could have hit me accidentally was if he’d known ahead of time that Astra was going to push me out of the way.  As it was, he aimed for my right arm and got my left, instead.
    “Furthermore, the one with the knife was directly in front of Astra, and considering the wound she received, I think the knife would have killed her if she hadn’t tried to push me out of danger.”  Tani shook her head.  “They knew I was a Jasani Princess, I’m certain of it.  They’d probably been waiting for one of us to separate from our sisters for some time.”
    Steel hadn’t paid much attention to the second set of Nomen, so he’d have to review the vid to be sure, but his gut was telling him that Tani was correct.  “We’d narrowed the overhead image to display the first two Nomen, never suspecting that there’d be more of them.  That was careless of us.”  He looked at Tani.  “Do you think they wanted to ransom you?”
    “Oh no, not at all,” Tani said.  “They wanted to inject a controller into my brain, then let me go on my merry way.”
    “What makes you think that?” Astra asked curiously.
    “I think that, in addition to their other alterations, your Nomen have controllers,” she said.  “It’s a guess, but your description of them being cold and emotionless fits.  If I’m right, whoever makes them could have an army of beings who can easily pass as human, and who will follow any order given to them without hesitation.”
    “That’s a chilling thought,” Steel said, and Tani nodded in agreement.
    “Then they were trying to kill me, not you,” Astra said, her cheeks paling.  “Thanks for saving my life, Tani.”
    “You’re more than welcome, Astra, but I owe the bigger thanks.  Without you, this ship, her crew, and the transport beacon, I’d be walking around under someone else’s control right now.”  Tani frowned.  “I think the controllers being used now must be different, more advanced than the earlier ones.  I’ll have to ask my parents about that.”  Tani stood up suddenly.  “It’s getting late and you should get some rest, Astra.  Take one of those pills if you need it.”
    “Thanks, Tani,” Astra said.  “Goodnight.”
    “Goodnight, Astra, Steel,” Tani said.
    Steel stood up and bowed to her.  “Goodnight, Tani,” he said, his voice low and warm.  “Thank you for listening to our story, and for taking such good care of