Novum: Revelation: (Book 4) Read Online Free PDF

after Jane. “Thanks, Doc,” he said as he extended his hand. Wood didn’t shake it, but he did nod his head to Jake. That was at least an improvement over his usual demeanor.
    “Everyone fan out and gather what you can find to eat,” AJ said. “I want to save the food in our packs for later. We’ll meet under that large tree ahead in fifteen minutes and share what we find.”
    Jake glanced at his bare arm. “Yeah, let’s synchronize our watches for exactly fifteen minutes.”
    AJ frowned at him but then walked over and took him by the arm. “Break up into small groups. I don’t want anyone walking alone out here until we know it’s safe.” She looked at Jake and said quietly, “Follow me.”
    As she walked past him, heading towards a group of bushes, he snapped to attention and saluted. “Yes, sir.”
    When she didn’t react, he jogged to catch up with her. “I’m probably not the best person to pair up with,” he said. “I’m afraid I couldn’t tell the difference between a good root and a—”
    She turned and put a finger to his lips. “We need to talk,” she said in a hushed tone.
    He glanced back at the others, but none were within earshot. “Are we keeping secrets now? We didn’t do that on the Wave .”
    “We’re not on the Wave , in case you hadn’t noticed. And by the way, we actually did keep secrets. At least, you and I did.”
    He was wondering when that discussion was going to come up. She was obviously referring to the time they kissed in his quarters, right before the power went out and their little journey into the unknown turned into a desperate fight for survival. “I know we should have talked about this before. It was inappropriate of me as your commanding—”
    “What are you talking about?” she asked, wide eyed.
    “Wait…what are you talking about?”
    “I’m talking about what’s really going on here.”
    “So was I,” he tried to say calmly, but she saw through it.
    “You’re still bothered by that kiss, aren’t you?” she asked, a slight grin forming on her oval face. “I must have really gotten to you.”
    “No…I…”
    “Am I haunting your dreams, Jake? Do you feel all squishy inside when you look at me?” She batted her eyes in a mocking way.
    “Stop it,” he said, hoping to drop the subject. Obviously the event affected him more than it did her. “Just tell me why you brought me over here.”
    She dropped the smile then said, “Actually, it is sex I wanted to talk to you about.”
    Now he was the one to smile. “So we’ve jumped from our first kiss to sex, have we? What kind of a boy do you think I am?”
    “You’re no boy , Jacob Stone, but to be serious for a moment, I’m talking about your mother’s plans to match all of us up with suitable mates and start having babies as soon as possible.”
    “Oh, that,” he replied, more than a little bothered to be discussing his mother’s weird fascination with matchmaking. He saw a blueberry bush and walked over and began picking some. “It’s her ‘circle of life’ thing. She hasn’t found someone for you yet, has she?”
    She poked his arm. “Don’t worry, Jake. I’m not the marrying type, or haven’t you figured that out yet?”
    He shook his head as he concentrated on the berries. “I don’t think they require any formalities like marriage here, or haven’t you noticed? Some of the men have more than one mate.”
    She stood beside him and began to pick berries too. “And some of the women have multiple partners as well. My point is, everyone in the village seems to be obsessed with having children, like it’s their sole purpose in life.”
    “They have been all alone here for over fifteen years,” he said. “They probably assumed they would never see any other humans again, and I guess they wanted to make sure their children would survive to carry on once the original members of their expedition passed away.” He stopped picking berries and turned to her. “Why are we