The Promise

By Kristin Damon

Creed Alexander is often worn thin, working too hard for a young man of his age. He feels compelled to care for others and works night and day on ways to better the lives of those like him known as the “affected”. Knowing that his beautiful girlfriend, Brynn Moore, is being heavily pursued by her old boyfriend, Chandler, extenuating circumstances force Creed to once again put Brynn on the back burner and focus on the traits.

Boaz, Creed’s power-hungry, acidic brother takes matters into his own hands and in an instant, Creed’s life is turned upside down. Betrayal of the worst kind threatens to destroy not only his devotion to the affected’s cause, but also his relationship with the one person he cares about the most, Brynn.

Follow Creed as he continues to search for balance, find peace, and embrace the true love he shares with Brynn. In THE PROMISE, Creed will not only have to choose between family and what’s right, but also the affected and Brynn.

THE PROMISE is the second installment of the exciting four installment series, The Trait Series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kristin Damon
• Release date: Aug 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781310405556

Kristin Damon

~ Loves soda and reality television. Hates clowns and pessimism. Can’t eat anything blue. Would live at Disneyland if she could. Loves short road trips, the smell of fabric softener and to laugh uncontrollably. Can’t wear dark nail polish. Loves to hear her daughter sing. Thinks her son is the most talented illustrator/animator on the planet. Thinks her husband of nearly two decades is cute. Says she has “Sith” eyes. Self-diagnosed dentalphobic. Normal in a weird way. Sports fanatic. Obsessed with her keyboard. ~

Book preview

Kristin Damon

Volume Two

{WMP}

© 2015 ∞ by Kristin Damon

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, some locations, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, organizations and or some locations is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form, by any means, or stored in a retrieval system or database without the prior written permission of the publisher.

The Promise Second Edition: May 2011

The Promise eBook Edition: May 2012

The Promise eBook Edition #Smashwords Edition: November 2015

**This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.**

Published by White Moose Publishing (USA)

www.whitemoosepublishing.com

To my family

John, Conner, and Alison—

I couldn’t do this without your constant support and love.

And for my readers—

I write for you. Thank you for joining me on this amazing journey. Enjoy!

Prologue

Something’s happened to Boaz, I think, Creed Alexander told his best friend Dallin. He held his phone to his head, his knuckles white with pressure. The answering machine in the lab clicked on, and Creed slammed the gas pedal to the floor.

At the house, Creed brought the vehicle to a screeching halt, the tires smoking and marking the pavement with hot skid marks. Creed and Dallin jumped from the SUV and ran into the house. Creed nearly tripped Dallin as they awkwardly rushed the staircase down to the basement.

Creed entered the lab first. His girlfriend, Brynn, was hovering over the lifeless form of his brother.

Dallin bent down and searched for Boaz’s pulse and Creed noticed an empty vial sitting on the edge of the stainless steel table. Creed’s confused gaze moved from the vial to the syringe still stuck in Boaz’s arm.

I think he overdosed, Brynn said. She reached out for Creed. She had been crying hard and shuddered.

Creed wrapped his arms around her, for a moment, and then gently pushed her away. He bent down next Dallin. Do you feel a pulse?

Yes. Faint, but consistent, Dallin confirmed. Creed slid the empty syringe out of his brother’s arm and examined what was left of the melted needle burned off by the acid inside Boaz.

Creed took a deep breath and shook his head. Damn your stubbornness, Boaz. He motioned for Dallin to help him move Boaz’s body to the couch.

What are we going to do? Brynn asked, glancing at the wall of glass. Two round eyes glared at her, and Brynn knew Baxter had observed the entire ordeal.

We’ll just have to wait and see if he survives and what physical damage has been done, Creed said. Dallin adjusted the pillow behind Boaz’s back. Creed retrieved a few medical instruments from the lab and sterilized them. He sat down on the coffee table and began to assess the physical condition of his brother.

Dallin slumped down on the sofa directly across from Boaz and glared at him, obviously distraught. "Did it cross his mind that other people might have upcoming plans … big upcoming plans?"

Boaz wasn’t thinking clearly, that’s for sure, Brynn said, while Creed listened to Boaz’s heart through the stethoscope.

Creed spoke without looking up. Love is blinding. It can make a person do unbelievably stupid things.

Brynn choked back a gasp and Creed knew he had said the wrong thing. He bit his tongue. He could feel Brynn’s unhappy stare but didn’t look up.

She abruptly stood and grabbed the tray of food that had been sitting on the floor next to where she found Boaz. He realized how hurtful his words must have come across when she ignored his past warnings and entered the door in the glass wall.

Chapter 1

What occurred is nothing short of a miracle. Brynn silently read the message scripted along the bottom of a large painting of seagulls again, waiting for the pain, waiting for the next pinch.

No! she shouted.

Try to relax, Ms. Moore, the older, dull physician said while he examined her wrist. He pinched her recently freed joint with his long, bony fingers and Brynn jerked.

Don’t squeeze it, she begged. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

It’s not aligned correctly, the physician explained. He removed the blue latex gloves. The snapping rubber made Brynn jump. He pointed at the X-ray films clipped to a light box on the wall. Tell me again who reset your bone.

Brynn looked up at her boyfriend Creed. She stopped a tear from entering her mouth with the back of her unspoiled hand and Creed nodded for her to respond.

I told you. I—I was treated in an emergency room in Halifax. They put the cast on my arm there.

What were you doing in Canada?

Creed couldn’t help but intervene. Again, we were on vacation. You have her medical records. Why do you keep asking who reset the break?

The physician drew a circle on one of the X-ray films with a grease pencil at the same time that the door opened. In walked a man that Creed and Brynn knew all too well.

The physician turned around. Ah, Robert. Good to see you.

You, too. Robert McCracken didn’t greet Creed or Brynn but made a beeline straight to the older physician.

The two men shook hands and the physician asked, How’s your back? More importantly, how’s your swing?

My back’s just fine, but my swing could use some work.

The two of them quietly chuckled and Creed was frustrated with the entire situation. Are we done? he snapped.

The physician pointed at Brynn and folded his arms across his chest. Is she one of yours?

Robert peered at Brynn. Yes.

She’s needs to have her wrist surgically repaired. He spoke to Brynn as if she were a child. "The larger of the two bones in your forearm, the radius, was comminuted, meaning it was broken into numerous pieces. It also broke into the joint, he said, using his hands as he spoke, and was displaced. It should have been surgically pinned for proper alignment in the first place."

It’s been a while since she was treated. The bones have already healed, Creed said.

We’ll have to rebreak the radius and use a metal plate and screws to properly align it. I wouldn’t suggest such an invasive surgery if I didn’t consider your future without the surgery. I anticipate that you’ll be in pain and as you age, that the pain will be constant, and more than likely intolerable.

Had you been closer to home, you would’ve had the surgery first anyway. Robert zoned in on the physician. Can we have a minute?

The physician quietly exited the room, and Robert waited until the door had closed behind him. Let’s schedule it and get it done.

The doctor … he knows about Creed, about the traits and the other affected? Brynn asked.

He knows that both of you are under my protection, which in a roundabout sort of way is true.

Does he know about the HMSC?

No. He thinks I work private security.

Brynn stared at Robert McCracken. The director of the Department of Human Mutation Support and Control, a stealthy government division known to very few, Robert was a large, dark, menacing man. He had been the assigned HMSC agent to the Alexander family since Creed could remember. Creed’s father, Kalen, trusted and cared for Robert, but as much as Creed and Brynn wanted to trust him, they still had reservations when it came to the man.

So, yes on the surgery? he asked.

Brynn nodded and Robert exited the room to find his physician friend and make the arrangements.

Brynn sighed. The arm resting motionless in her lap throbbed and Brynn glanced down. If this is the kind of pain he’s talking about, I’ll have a dozen surgeries to make it stop.

Creed peeked at the large office clock hanging on the wall above her before he leaned over and kissed her forehead. He wasn’t thinking of Brynn’s wrist. He was preoccupied with what was going on at his home with his two younger brothers and his best friend.

Brynn sensed his uneasiness, an emotion that Creed exuded often. If you have to go, I can call my parents to come sit with me.

Creed’s gaze, which had traveled to the clock again, jerked back to Brynn. He stared at her for a moment and collected his words. Sorry, love. I … I just didn’t expect this.

What, me needing surgery? Brynn asked with a sniffle.

Creed lovingly smiled. I’m not leaving you. I’ve got all the time in the world.

Sure you do.

Creed gently pulled on her and cradled her head against his shoulder. He rubbed her hair down her back until a nurse entered the room and began to prepare her for surgery.

A few hours later, Brynn woke up in an empty post-op recovery room, alone.

Brynn patted the bed with her unspoiled hand. Where is it? she silently asked, searching for the controller without success.

Let me help you, said a familiar voice from the doorway. You shouldn’t be here alone.

Brynn felt awful. She was nauseated and dizzy, and the last person that she wanted to assist her with her post-operative care was Chandler. It didn’t matter; in a moment he was at her side, messing with the bedding. He retrieved the controller and pushed the button that lifted the head of her bed. She closed her eyes. I just woke up, she murmured. Her mouth was dry and she couldn’t work up the means to swallow.

Where is he this time? Chandler asked.

Brynn’s eyes abruptly opened and she glared at Chandler. The last conversation they shared, eerily similar to the one that had just started, hadn’t ended well, and Brynn hadn’t seen Chandler Tyler since. Coupled with the stress of working to mend her damaged relationship with Creed, the added hassle from Chandler was ill-timed.

He’s here … somewhere.

No he’s not. I saw him take off an hour ago.

Well, he’s busy. There’s more going on in his life than just me and this stupid surgery, she whispered. She glanced at her bound arm before her head plopped back on the pillow. Creed is complex . . . and so is our relationship.

Again with that crap? Spare me.

What are you doing here, Chandler? You know I’m with him, whether he’s here with me right now or not.

Honestly … I don’t know. I guess, well … I’ve been trying to be more open lately. You know I have hard time saying how I feel.

And how’s that? Brynn asked, instantly regretting her invitation for him to respond.

I still think I deserve a chance to take care of you. I don’t think Creed takes care of you at all … still.

You have no right to say that, Chandler. You have no idea what goes on in my relationship with Creed. Brynn explained. Her head fell away from Chandler and she closed her eyes.

Look at me, Brynn. Chandler tugged gently on her uninjured arm. Brynn slowly rotated to face him. Why? Why him? What does he have that makes you put up with this? You just had surgery and you’re alone, and this isn’t the first time he’s left you alone when he shouldn’t have.

I told you—

Yeah, I know. You said he’s complex. So he’s got this complex life and he needs your support and understanding. What do you get in return, Brynn? Tell me.

I can’t. There’s a lot to Creed that’s private and as much as I wish I could tell you so you’d let it go, I can’t. All I can say is that I love Creed, flaws and all. He doesn’t have the best timing when it comes to being there for me, but I know he loves me, too. He’s just … busy.

Brynn pressed the nurse’s button with her thumb. After a full minute of silence passed, the door opened and Brynn’s afternoon care giver approached her. Ms. Moore, you’re awake. How’re you feeling? she asked. She checked the bag of saline hanging on a metal hook next to Brynn’s bed.

I need a drink and something for pain. Brynn looked at Chandler. Thanks for coming by.

Chandler blushed. His eyes bounced from the nurse to Brynn. Remember what I offered you the last time we talked? Brynn didn’t move and Chandler added, "It’s always on the table. All you’d have to do is ask, and I’d drop everything in my life for you. Nothing, no amount of—of busyness would keep me from you. Nothing." Chandler roughly turned and exited the room.

The tension in the room was at an uncomfortable level, even for the nurse. Sorry, Ms. Moore. I thought he was your boyfriend.

Brynn sighed and closed her eyes. Would you call Creed and tell him I’m awake?

I’m right here, love, Creed said from the doorway. He approached the head of Brynn’s bed. Slowly, he leaned over and kissed her forehead before he rubbed her uncovered hand. Brynn studied Creed for a moment, wondering if he had passed Chandler in the hall. He whispered, How’re you feeling?

Okay now.

Chapter 2

Creed, where should I put these? Brynn walked into the family room with a large stack of freshly washed and folded towels. She looked at the towels before refocusing on her boyfriend.

Creed was flipping through a stack of papers. With a highlighter in one hand and a ruler in the other, Creed was beyond preoccupied. He quickly glanced up. In the hall closet, he said. He resumed reading and Brynn nodded. She glanced from Creed to Dallin, then to Boaz and entered the main hall in Creed’s home. At the small closet, Brynn struggled to open the door. Her right arm was shelled with a hard, pink cast, her bound fingers unable to turn the doorknob. She wrestled with the large stack of heavy cotton towels and the handle, and grunted with frustration.

Here, let me get that for you, Creed said.

Brynn stepped aside. She watched as he opened the hall door before slowly placing the towels on an empty shelf. She could feel him step near her from behind.

Thank you, she whispered. She closed her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Creed hugged her tenderly before slowly tugging on Brynn to turn her around. Their eyes met.

Brynn, he said in a way all his own. Creed had said her name a thousand times before, but each time he said it, it sounded new to her. She loved his voice and the way his mouth moved when he talked. She found his voice most soothing.

How’s the work going? she asked. She leaned into him. Her cast rested on his sternum as he tried to pull her close to him.

Fine. He laughed, prompting Brynn to lean away and look at him.

What’s so funny? she asked through a wide smile.

It won’t be a second too soon for you to get this cast off. He studied her fingertips protruding from the bright pink plaster. Brynn had undergone the reparative surgery just a few short weeks before. The plaster cast—heavy and cumbersome—was scheduled for removal soon.

That’s for sure. She watched Creed’s expression with great intent. Creed had been under a lot of stress over the past months and Brynn was worried about him. His mental plate carried a load most couldn’t handle, and there were far too many people he had silently promised to care for. He was under incredible pressure from his family and friends, pressure to figure everything out, and he was tired. He was tired from lack of sleep, from working, and from stress. But most of all, he was tired of worrying about it all.

At times, Brynn worried about Creed as much as he worried in general. Is there anything else I can do for you before I go? She kissed his cheek. Brynn could smell Creed: his clean, sweet scent was intoxicating to her. Her face touched his and her insides stirred with desire. Brynn loved Creed. Their relationship, which had been turbulent at times, was important to her. She couldn’t wait for things to calm, to grow to the point where she wasn’t reserved to marry Creed and start a family with him without looking back.

No, taking care of some of the household stuff helps a lot, he replied.

Well, I have to go to work. See you tomorrow?

He leaned over and hugged her again. Be careful and call me when you get home, all right?

I will. I love you, she said. She kissed his lips and turned toward the living room.

I love you, too, he said as he playfully tugged on her undamaged arm. She wiggled free and walked down the hall into the family room. Creed followed her and watched her gather her jacket and keys.

Hey, you two, see you tomorrow, she said. Dallin Daniels, Creed’s best friend since middle school, looked up and waved. Boaz, in the middle of an intense video game, didn’t respond. His whole body worked the small hand control aimed at the TV as if it was a real weapon.

Boaz, Creed lightheartedly hollered.

Brynn, did you leave us some dinner? Boaz asked, slightly jumping off the couch. He grunted in frustration and slapped the top of his thigh before finally turning to her.

Brynn nodded. Lasagna is in the oven. Take it out in forty-five minutes and there’s a fresh salad in the fridge. She looked for her name badge and found it buried deep in her handbag. She glanced at Boaz who was once again focused on the TV.

Boaz Alexander, Creed’s younger brother, had the most peculiar appearance she had ever seen. His hair, which was so blonde it looked almost white, was thick and long, and from a lack of attention, it was constantly messy. His skin was pale, always, and he had a sickly look to him when his eyes were closed. Open, his eyes were his best feature. They were a beautiful deep green, mesmerizing and emotional. Boaz and Creed had the same shaped eyes and face, but Boaz had a look all his own, unusual but in no way unattractive.

Brynn thought he was quite handsome and was sure that he’d find someone someday who felt the same way she did. The girl for Boaz, the girl he hadn’t met yet, would have to look passed the colorlessness to see the real Boaz hidden behind the light.

Boaz, did you hear me? she asked. She moved toward the door to the garage.

Boaz didn’t answer as Dallin spoke up. Lasagna, oven, forty-five minutes … salad, fresh, fridge.

She turned to the door. Her eyes stopped on Creed and he mouthed the words, I love you to her. She smiled again. She walked out to her new car sitting in the garage and opened the garage door before backing out of Creed’s property. Headed to her part-time, afternoon job at the military base, Brynn was relieved to have some time to herself, even if it was just a short six hour shift.

She had planned to quit her job at the army base altogether after her leave of absence ended. At times she struggled to want to show up, but once she was there, she truly appreciated the quiet, alone time.

Brynn cracked the window on her car and a cool fall air wisped her face. She turned on the radio, her gaze catching a small photo affixed to the dash above the digital clock. The photo was of Brynn’s first date with Creed. Sitting on the back of her dad’s small fishing boat, Brynn and Creed were cuddling. She noticed Creed’s heavy clothing, his hat, and dark sunglasses, and the memory made her smile. That was the day she learned of Creed’s difficulty with the sun. It was the day they first kissed. So much had happened since that windy day on the boat, Brynn could hardly believe it.

Brynn and Creed had met during her afternoon shift at the army base in Houlton, Maine. Along with completing inconsequential tasks given to her each day by her lazy boss, Brynn had supervised the afternoon and early evening activities at the small base for nearly a decade. For the most part, she loved her job and the flexibility it had offered. She had the time during the day, when her parents were working, to care for her beloved, elderly Grandmother Ruth before Ruth passed away the year before. It also represented the place where she met Creed and for that reason alone, she’d never regret working there.

Creed had been contracted to fix the main computer system at the base. After a pleasant conversation in the main barracks while Creed reassembled the computer he had torn apart, Creed and Brynn started getting to know one another. During weeks of late evening walks, star-gazing and midnight shows, Creed and Brynn’s friendship was naturally growing into love.

Eventually, curiosity and a ting of jealousy got the best of Brynn. Thinking that she and Creed’s middle-of-the-night-only dates were due to a different, daytime girlfriend, Brynn put Creed on the spot. Reluctantly, Creed told Brynn of his trait. The traits were found to have originated through an untraceable experimental vaccine—given to willing test subjects in the form of starving men, women and children in exchange for food or money during the early 1900s—gone wrong. The mutagen in his core physiological makeup had been very much like a debilitating disease for Creed and others like him referred to as the affected. Most of the traits were similar to other scientific wonders; Creed’s dad had the sniffer comparable to that of a bloodhound. His brother Boaz was full of acid like a snake. And much like a chameleon’s ability to change color, Creed found his trait-sparked ability both amazing and unexplainable.

Creed was able to slightly alter the color of his skin after being subjected to strong UV Rays. But the side effect that accompanied his trick—severe sickness, pain and frequent seizures—had turned Creed into a recluse. He spent the majority of his adolescence indoors, and well into adulthood, Creed struggled to meet people because of the hours he kept. When he met Brynn, he was able to get to know her in the evenings following her afternoon shift at the base. The fact that they were compatible and that she was beautiful on the inside and out made their relationship all the more important to him.

Creed was a smart boy—too smart for his own good. He and his friends, Dallin Daniels and Harry Magrino, had dreamed of one day finding a cure for the traits and ridding their bodies of the mutagens within them. And after years of research, work, and test runs, Creed finally had a cure he thought was viable. Rumors of the cure flew, and other affected individuals that used their traits for all the wrong reasons took notice. They attacked Creed and his family in an attempt to recover the cure and destroy both it and its creator.

Caught up in it, Brynn had been kidnapped and told that she was going to be used as barter to get Creed and his cure. In Creed’s desperate struggle to find and fight for her, he absorbed more sunlight then he ever had in his life. Feeling the power of his trait full force changed Creed. Not only did he feel differently about his trait, he felt differently about his desire to cure it. His focus on the cure was replaced by the rush of power he felt through his trait, and after he admitted to Brynn that his trait was a part of him, Creed’s life purpose, aside from Brynn, had drastically changed.

Brynn took a second peek at the photo before refocusing on the road. She envisioned Creed, his face, and his body. Brynn found Creed irresistibly handsome. His dark hair was stylish and thick. He kept it nicely trimmed but was letting it grow a bit which caused the hair near his forehead, ears and neck to slightly curl. His face had a fresh, clean-cut look complimented perfectly by his strong jaw line. Creed had dark, curly eyelashes that flattered the striking color of his eyes and his bright smile and deep dimples. He stood five feet eleven inches tall and weighed around 180, and he was entirely handsome in Brynn’s eyes, a total package as she secretly called him, and he was hers.

She pulled into the airport and consciously worked to move Creed to the back of her mind so she could concentrate on her responsibilities at the base.

Brynn finished the handwritten to-do list in record time. Sitting at her desk, with a pair of headphones in use, she was concentrating on some basic math formulas. Thoughts of enrolling in the local community college swam around in her mind, and she wanted to test out of as many first year classes as she could. Basic math, an easy subject for Brynn in high school, was the first test she planned to take.

She finished the math exercises and glanced through a large window across the room. Not quite dusk outside. She grabbed her music player and crossed the room before walking through another. Many desks, most of them unused, were sporadically situated in the open space and Brynn maneuvered through them to the back door.

Once outside, Brynn pushed and pulled on the door, ensuring it relocked before she descended down a massive flight of stairs. When she finally arrived at ground level, she glanced around. The weather was starting to be more consistent with the promise of winter, and Brynn zipped up her jacket. She adjusted her headphones before briskly walking around the base grounds for nearly an hour.

She finished her walk, climbed the stairs, and reentered the main building of the small army base. Once used as holding quarters for German prisoners of war, the base was basically barren aside from a few employees on staff. The base held numerous buildings and altogether, spread over 200 acres of private property. It had an electronic fencing system that went all away around the grounds, which was mostly BLM, and was secluded and contained