Also out in only two days time ( and available to pre - order here ) is the sister boxset with another of my ebooks in . This boxset has Wandering to Belong and is one of 10 great stories . Several of which feature dragons ! What more could you want ? By Jess Recently both Sherdan 's Prophecy and Sherdan 's Legacy were moved over to the 2nd edition , complete with the shiny new covers . I 've also recently published Sherdan 's Country , the third book in the series , and that has a matching cover to the new editions . While I try to get my books in print fairly soon after the ebook it sometimes takes a little while to sort out the logistics , but we 're finally all there . As you can see the new set look wonderful together , and I 'm really pleased with them . They make me want to work on some further plot ideas for Sherdan 's world just so I can have some more with shiny covers like these . It 's just a shame I can 't think of a really good idea at the moment . By Jess This is one of my special characters . I love all my characters but a few always stick out in my head and this is one of those . He 's my first male leading character and although he 's far from perfect he 's still one of my favs . I have two books out with him in now and I 'm putting together the plot for a third , which feels kinda nice . I really like writing sequels . I suspect I 'll get bored of the characters eventually but for now starting a sequel feels a lot like visiting old friends . I just pick up where I left off . Sherdan comes across as a complete meglomaniac at the start of the first book . He doesn 't care who gets hurt in his quest for the greater good . Has people tortured on almost a whim and is more than happy to bribe people or even blackmail them to get what he wants . He also even plays God a little with his enzyme and the people he gives it to . Despite all that though , there is a softer side , he just tries to push it aside , thinking it 's weaker . He 's a scientist who , until recently , bought into the idea that we evolve and life is purely survival of the fittest . Compassion , love and mercy are often considered to be weaknesses by people in those schools of thought . However , I love throwing my characters curveballs and seeing how they react . Sherdan soon falls in love , as all my MC 's often do . This is a really good thing for him and softens him in all the right ways . Overall Sherdan is one of those characters people love , despite all his many flaws and imperfections . You just can 't dislike him , even though you know you ought to . And no matter what he does I think he 'll always be one of my favourites . Maybe because he 's my first male lead . He 's just … rather special . For any intrepid explorer types who want to find this bench and view , it 's a very short walk away from Southstoke and you can park right where Sherdan parks if you wish . Below is a map . You can come in from Bath , via Combe down and then park at the hill , then follow the black dashed line to the bench . By Jess Sherdan couldn 't say how long he had cried over Anya 's letter . The whole evening passed in a blur of re - reading the same painful words and trying to get Anne to leave him alone and go home . Now and then , the tears gave way to angry outbursts where he cursed Anya for coming to see him in the first place . He had completely lost his desire for food and ignored everything he was offered . He considered getting a bottle of brandy but knew if he started drinking today he would go too far . There was also a small part of him that wanted to feel the pain he had in his heart : the deep ache of longing to see Anya 's face again . The documents Miss Miller had given him lay forgotten on his desk since he got back . He remembered them and picked them up . If Hitchin couldn 't be there in person perhaps reading his words would lessen some of the loss he felt . He knew the second vision was in the leather bound journal he had seen Hitchin fetch recently but Sherdan felt more curious about the typed documents . He flicked through the pages , checking the dates . There appeared to be an entry for each day and , as far as Sherdan could tell , it appeared a more thorough diary than the hand written one . As he read , he grew more and more stunned . The day after Anya arrived , Hitchin had written at length about her , despite Sherdan having not yet said the intruder was a woman . Hitchin had met her . He had been in the lab she had run into when she had been breaking in . I sat with Sherdan a lot today . His talk of Miss Price has me very concerned . She should be treated like any other security risk but he has her locked in one of his bedrooms . He is a fool for thinking she will be safe there . The only way to save him from ruin is to break her . The guards were close and Sherdan will have to finish the job . I have already told him I think another vision is on the way . I know if I convince him it is meant to be , that he will force her to give him a child and have her completely submissive to his every will . He will just need pushing in the right direction and the brilliant thing is , it was Sherdan himself who gave me the idea . The guards that interrogated her told me only yesterday that they thought he had stopped the interrogation to take over himself . He had said as much over the radio . Once I have thought about all the details I will tell Sherdan he is meant to have her and he will do everything else for me . Maybe one day I will tell him the truth but not until the next female has taken his fancy . For now this project is more important . Sherdan couldn 't read any further . He felt sick at the implications of what Hitchin had written . He had almost done exactly what Hitchin had expected him to and only Anya herself had seen through it . No wonder she had left him . The country they had been planning may well have achieved all its goals but at what price ? The damage they had done , he had done , to an innocent girl just because of the paranoid worries of one man . Even if the vision had been true he realised he hadn 't deserved her . He put his head in his hands and wept . Anya wasn 't meant to be by his side and now he found the person he 'd always thought would be there , had been against him . Sherdan really was alone in the dark . Yup , that 's the end ! I hope you 've enjoyed reading this novel . If you have and want to say thanks in a financial way , please consider purchasing a copy of the ebook , and if that 's not something you can afford right now please let others know how much you enjoyed the novel , so hopefully they can enjoy it too ! By Jess Anya lazed in bed for some time after Sherdan had left for work . His final few words echoed around her head . He still thought she was everything he needed and that he could provide everything required to heal her and make her happy . As she got out of bed her thoughts turned to the day before . Her task here was now done and for both her sake and Sherdan 's she would need to leave . She had to decide when and how ; if she was even strong enough to let go of her relationship with him . The thoughts that went through her head brought tears to her eyes and an ache to her chest . She would need God to help her if she was to have the strength she needed . She thought she knew how to rely on God in this way , but the more time she spent in Utopia the more she realised she still had a lot to learn . Her dress caught her gaze . It had hung on the curtain rail since he had given it to her , so it would not get creased . She had to turn her back on it while she thought . While stroking Antonio , she thought for a long time about what she wanted to say . She wanted him to know that her only reason for leaving was her belief in it being better in the long run . Doing so was going to hurt her as much as him . The right words wouldn 't be easy to find . Anya picked up the pen and paused again . Moisture spilled from her eyes and down her cheeks , but she ignored them and slowly made her message appear on the paper . She didn 't want to still be there when Sherdan got back . I am truly sorry for the hurt this letter is going to cause you , especially considering you will know that I have left when you find this . Please know that I do love you and I will leave a large part of me behind when I go . This place feels like home to me now as much as my flat in Bath ever did . I will also pray for you . I know what I am doing will break your heart . I wish it wouldn 't but I will pray God heals you at the same time as me . Once Anya was back in her own room her pace picked up . The adrenaline of sneaking out of his house and country helped her with the task . She grabbed her suitcase and walked as calmly downstairs as she could . " You can 't leave Anya . You can 't . " She blocked the door with her body and when Anya moved she went to grab hold of her . " I have to . Please don 't make this harder than it is . I have to go . " She felt tears welling up in her eyes again . " It is very difficult to explain but one day hopefully I will be able to come back . I do have to go now though . " Julie frowned and still did not move . Anya waited , not knowing what else to say . She left before any more could happen to tempt her to stay . The button to get down into the secret tunnel was easy to find and Anya soon walked along the dimly lit passage . Her little suitcase made a gentle rumbling noise as she dragged it along behind her . When she reached the other end she paused . She hadn 't thought about any more of her journey than getting back onto British soil . Anya was trapped in a locked garage . Normal doors garage doors opened from the inside but for some reason this one didn 't . As she ran down the street towards a bus stop she also realised she had no money on her . Even if she had got out of the garage she would have had to abandon her suitcase anyway . With no money she would have had to use her ability to get transport home . Anya frowned as she stood alone at the bus shelter . There wouldn 't be any way to get the bus to stop and pick her up without someone else with her . She had no choice but to start jogging along the bus route to try and get to the train station before she reappeared . Her stomach churned as she spent the next ten minutes slowly running through the estate . She did not know where she was and had to try and follow the bus stops on the route to know she was even going in the right direction . Several times she had to retrace her steps to find where the bus route went . There wasn 't any way she would get home now without needing to spend some time , somewhere , visible . When the bus came along , she hesitated before getting on . She shivered at the thought of going visible in the middle of the packed bus . There was no better option , however , so she climbed on . She stood near the front , holding on to a nearby rail so she wasn 't likely to get bumped into . Trying to use her power to its full extent so people could pass through her would make her even more likely to stretch herself to her limit and reappear . Thankfully the journey was short . She had been much closer to the train station than she had realised . As soon as the bus stopped she ran off and into the building . Her ride had been so tense that her muscles cramped up in response but she carried on running anyway . She sighed with relief once she was locked in a toilet cubicle at the station . This was the hardest journey of her life . She never thought anything could have been harder than the train journey to Bristol so many weeks earlier but she had been so wrong . So much had changed in such a small amount of time . Being there had its downsides too . In the middle of the winter in a train station was not the warmest of places and at least there had been a heater on the bus . She soon stood there shivering but she did not dare leave yet . Tears fell from her eyes as everything she was doing hit her in a fresh wave . By now the letter would probably have been found . She hoped Sherdan would come to forgive her , but she didn 't know if she would ever forgive herself . She stifled her tears when she heard the scrape of the toilet door . There weren 't many cubicles and she didn 't want anyone to notice she had been in there for so long . She would have to move and hope she could get home now . She sank onto the edge of her bed , realising her journey had finished . She was home and safe . Her Bible was tucked under her pillow as the new one had been at Sherdan 's house . She sighed as she stroked its leather cover . When she had set out she had known the price of her task might be high . Had she known exactly what would have happened she was not sure she would have had the strength to see it all through . As usual , God knew best . Before she forgot , she flicked open her laptop and pulled up her email account . There were hundreds of unread messages but she ignored them all . They could all wait for another day . She sent a brief , but to - the - point , email to her church leadership team . She shut the lid on the laptop again and put it out of the way . There really was a lot to tell and , as she thought over it all , she sank into the corner of her bedroom . Unashamed tears poured from her eyes and with them the vast , painful emotions she had been suppressing for the last six weeks . God had a lot of healing to do and that journey was still ahead of her . By Jess Lifting up his hand , Sherdan stroked the hair off Anya 's face . She 'd not been asleep long but he was relieved she was . He pondered over the day 's events as he gazed at her peaceful face . She 'd saved his life , using her ability . He couldn 't help but wonder if it did have something to do with God . It didn 't completely match up with Hitchin 's vision but everything she had said now appeared true . She had been told to stay and , in staying , she had saved him . He fought to stay awake and enjoy the nice gentleness of being right beside the woman he loved . She filled his heart and made him feel alive in a way he had never felt before . Life was more complete with her by his side . " Sir , are you awake ? " a radio called from the floor . It still lay where Anya had dropped it earlier . She stirred as he got up off the bed and picked the interrupting item up . He wished he had gone to her the second he had suspected any kind of trouble and whisked her off to safety . It had been his unwillingness to move that had stopped him going to her as soon as the first sign of danger had appeared and it had put her in danger . He hadn 't been frightened for himself . Hitchin 's prophecy assured him of his own safety , but the thought of losing Anya now , when she had just given him such a reason to hope , terrified him . He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes to sleep . Both of his arms were wrapped around her , keeping her close . Sleep passed over him , relieving his mind from all his thoughts and worries . He opened his eyes naturally a little over an hour later . His attention fixed straight on Anya . She still slept right where she had been when he had drifted off . He smiled and kissed her on every part of her face , calling her name in between . " We 've overslept darling . I need to go to work , " he whispered . She kissed him full on his lips with more passion than he had expected . He really didn 't want to go but he knew he had to . He would be able to come back to her at least and , the following day , she would be on his arm to introduce to all the citizens . The smile on his face grew as he thought of how he could present their future queen to them . " I love you . I want to give you everything in my power to make you happy . " She reached up to stroke the side of his face but she didn 't look happy to him . " I will do more than try ; I shall succeed … " She smiled at him but her words had been like an arrow through his heart . The pain of the things he had done to her flickered in her eyes , despite the attempt at a smile , " I mean it . I love you . " He kissed her again and left the room . She may have let him into her heart but there was further to go and there were many wounds along the way . Wounds he had inflicted . He hoped she would allow him the time to heal them . " Leave me , " he replied , barely above a whisper . Hitchin was the only person he had called friend . How had the British army even known to go after him ? Tears fell from Sherdan 's eyes as he sat and thought of his friend and co - worker . They had made so many memories and plans for the future together . Some of these memories popped into his head now . Sherdan only allowed himself half an hour to stay in this emotional state . He had work to do and the four commandos needed questioning . He soon strode into the command room with the same facial expression he had worn on many occasions . " Fine . Make sure no one else finds out . Have the guards who know keep it secret and let me meet with the woman . I already have an idea of who she will be . " Tell them he is ill if they ask , for now at least . " The commander nodded as Sherdan left the room again . He sat in his private quarters , thinking over what to say to this woman . He wanted the British government to think they had failed in their tasks . He put his head in his hands as his thoughts turned to what almost happened . The country he had created was so delicate still . He would need to protect it from the shock waves of Hitchin 's murder and was relieved that Anya had been there for him . His personal angel . His thoughts settled on the warmth of her again . He could hardly help it after the events of the last twenty four hours . Her affections , and the good memories of their time together , was a salve to the ache deep within him . " Come in , " he called as soon as he had composed both his face and manner again . A tall brunette walked into the room . There were a few trace marks of mascara and puffiness around her eyes but fresh make up had been applied on top . She had her hands hidden in the pockets of a white lab - coat which covered her standard clothes . " Miss Miller , please sit down . " Sherdan motioned to the seat opposite himself . " I would appreciate talking to you about my friend . I know that it 's not easy for you to talk about this but I need to know . " " Near one of the labs … He had been working late because of some extra tests he said he needed to do . " She looked away trying to stop the moisture dampening the edges of her eyes . She still didn 't reach for a tissue . " They shot him Dr Harper . They came for you , but shot him . " " Did the soldiers see you Miss Miller ? " she shook her head , " Good , we would hate for them to know there were any other scientists working with Hitchin . You were important to him . He was only telling me that yesterday . " " It is very important how we proceed from here , however . Our country is very fragile and this could both knock the confidence of our fellow citizens , as well as give the British government cause to increase their efforts against us . We don 't want either of those things to happen . " " I know it is a lot to ask . I wish to mourn him as well . He was my best friend , but we have to put this country first . It wouldn 't honour him to let his death tear down everything he worked to build . " " I think , for the next few days , we should tell people that he is sick . It will give us time to plan the rest , " She nodded and he had to stop himself sighing aloud with relief , " If you do need to talk about what really happened , just let my security guard , Julie , know . She will then inform me , or you could even talk to her if you would prefer . " " No thank you … Sherdan . I 'll get back to my work . Someone needs to continue Hitchin 's research and I think I am the most qualified to do so , other than yourself of course . " She got up and shook hands with him , before leaving him alone with his thoughts again . Sherdan sat back and breathed out . The conversation with Miss Miller had only added to the weight of his emotions . She had taken things well but he wished it had been different . The rest of the day was a blur for him as he rushed through all his tasks . He hardly looked forward to the ball the following evening any more . Although , knowing Anya would be at his side brought him some comfort . As a way of getting back at the British government , he phoned them again that afternoon . He was given another excuse for not getting to speak with anyone of any importance , but he didn 't care . The main point was letting them know that he was still alive . " Cut the crap , " Sherdan interjected , " You sent them to try and kill me . They have failed and I am more than happy to inform the public . The bodies of the four soldiers would be excellent proof . " " Understood . " The phone clicked in Sherdan 's ear . He smiled , very pleased with how the conversation had gone . With the UK capitulating , and the resulting ceasefire , the country had achieved its first goal . They were finally established as a country . A podium had been placed outside in Downing Street and many reporters were waiting for the announcement everyone expected . Thankfully , they didn 't have to wait long before the front door of number ten opened and the PM came out . He put a sheet of paper on the podium and looked out at the crows before him . " I am pleased to announce that , after a recent contact from Dr Harper , a ceasefire has been agreed upon . Negotiations with Utopia and its representatives will begin shortly . I plan to do everything I can to ensure , not only the safe return of our soldiers , but also the return of the homes and land stolen in that countries attempts at freedom . Thank you for all your patience in this matter . " Sherdan laughed as the Minister went back into his house . He had made it sound as if Sherdan had come running to him but it didn 't matter . He would look like the foolish one soon enough . Sherdan would let him save face where he could . In response , he did a country wide announcement , informing the Utopians that all the attacks were now over . He smiled as he thought of how happy the party would be . They had achieved their goal . " Step up to the next level , " he ordered and left the room . He was about to go through the mirror and get back to his girl when he heard a familiar tap on the door . Miss Miller came in without waiting . She had a bundle of papers as well as the leather bound journal he had seen Hitchin fetch to show him his visions of Anya . " Dr Harper , I mean Sherdan . I found these . They both seem to be Hitchin 's diary . I 'm not sure why he kept two but there is a lot in them about you , our country and a woman called Anya , " she said . Her gaze dropped down as she mentioned the last part . He smiled at the misunderstood rivalry . " I have no idea why Hitchin would keep two separate diaries either but Anya is … Well , I am hoping she will be my wife shortly . She isn 't a Utopian citizen yet . Hitchin was the only person I had told of her . " Miss Miller sighed and smiled . " That would explain a few things . I didn 't read that much . As soon as I realised it was his diary I stopped . Here . " She handed him everything she had brought with her . They shook hands again and she hurried off . He felt tempted to sit and read the documents before going home , but tucked them under his arm and opened his mirror entrance instead . The emotions of the day had worn him down and he wanted to be back in the company of his sweetheart . " Anya ! " he yelled as he started running up the stairs . He heard no reply . Panic rose in him as he continued the ascent to the top floor . He hardly knocked on her door as he walked into her room , calling for her again . She wasn 't there . He sat down on the edge of the bed , unable to do anything but stare at the paper in his hands . Eventually his fingers managed to pull the flap of the envelope open and retrieve the letter from inside . His breath caught as he saw the back of the piece of paper and the last few words she had written on it . Within moments he was sobbing so hard he couldn 't even see , let alone read . He put the paper down . He 'd not cried like this since he had been a small child , but no matter how hard he tried , he couldn 't stop the tears flowing . He had lost everything . He had been the perfect gentleman and not pushed her for anything further , but she had retreated anyway . Had she stayed any longer , she may have offered him something she would have regretted at a later date . The passion she felt for him had almost overwhelmed her as it was . Anya had decided she loved him and really believed he loved her too . Her thoughts that evening had not yet gone beyond that . What she would do if God told her to leave and not come back only then came to her mind . As Sherdan said , she was here now but how much longer would she be ? She gnawed on her lip as she thought about how reckless she had actually been . Not only could she not guarantee she could stay , Sherdan wasn 't a Christian . He may have taken an interest in her beliefs but that was a long way from a conversion . On top of all these fears , she felt the first wave of doubt that she really loved him . Love was entirely new to her and so far the relationship between them had been so mixed it could just be relief . She groaned . She still knelt , trying to pray for God 's will , when the radio Sherdan had given her started squawking . She heard Graham call for Sherdan and the following reply . Feeling curious , she got up and took the radio to listen . The messages confused her at first until she realised there were intruders . The dream she 'd had flashed through her mind . She went invisible and the radio along with all her clothes dropped to the ground as she rushed straight for the stairs . She didn 't even go through the doorway , but through the wall , in her haste . She walked into the study where she found Sherdan . He was pacing and walked through her a couple of times . It felt odd so she moved back towards the door to watch him and continue listening . When Sherdan was told the kitchen alarm had gone off , Anya almost gasped out loud . Thankfully he didn 't hear the small stifled noise she made instead . She hadn 't expected that her dream would come true . She froze to the spot in panic . After everything she had faced , and somehow managed to overcome , this made her feel frightened more than any of it ever had before . Sherdan sat down , snapping her back to reality . She closed her eyes and prayed , instantly feeling calmer . God wanted her to do it and she knew that . She had to be brave . The man she loved needed her help and she would do everything she could . As the door handle hit the bottom , the door was flung open . Anya was faced with two black clad soldiers , pointing guns straight at her . Without hesitating , she grabbed the front of the first gun and yanked it downwards . The soldier pulled the trigger and peppered the floor with bullets . She gasped , giving her location away . She had to retreat to her furthest incorporeal state as the second soldier shot in her direction . Thankfully , Sherdan had moved out of the way and none of the bullets which passed through her found him . She stepped to her left and grabbed the gun again as she brought her knee up into the soldier 's groin . He still held onto his weapon as she yanked on it for a third time . She punched the soldier in the stomach and he let his grip go enough that a fourth tug dropped the weapon to the floor . The soldier moved forward and straight into her , sending her flying backwards . He was as stunned as she was . Improvising , she used the butt of the gun to hit his head . As more shots came her way she dropped the weapon again . All the shots passed through her , sending a chill up her spine . She really did not like things moving through her . " What the ? " the second soldier said as he followed into the room , only seeing his unconscious comrade and Sherdan . Anya turned and delivered an upper cut to the man 's face . It wasn 't strong enough to do any real damage , except make his nose bleed . Anya was so exhilarated by landing so many moves , she didn 't notice when the soldier took his second hand off the gun and punched forwards . He caught her right in the face , sending her onto her back again . Blood dripped from her mouth as the commando readied his gun to shoot at Sherdan . " No ! " she yelled as she scrambled to her feet . The soldier looked in her direction and swung the gun towards her , still unable to see where she was . As he did , one of the security guards snuck up behind and hit him on the head with the butt of his own P60 . " Thank you men , you may all return to your posts . Nathan , you too . " Sherdan waved them all off and waited for them to leave . He kept a firm grip on her hand and she didn 't try to pull away . He evidently wanted to know where she was and she had no intention of becoming visible and letting him see her naked . " Come here darling . Are you sure you are okay ? " He reached out his arms to where he thought she was . She stepped into his embrace and hugged him tightly . She had begun to shake as the shock of the fight reared its ugly head . While she sobbed , Sherdan held her and kissed every inch of her head and face that he could reach . The whole time he kept his hands firmly fixed to the same position on her back , preventing her from pulling away , even if she had wanted to . He didn 't stop kissing her until she stopped crying and rested her head on his shoulders . " I should … I should go . I need to put some clothes on , " she told him , with a great deal of effort . A part of her didn 't really want to . " I must . " She ran from the room , and him , before she could change her mind . She could hardly believe what she had managed to do . It was a blur in her head already , replaced by the warmth of Sherdan 's embrace . It amused her that she had reacted so much more to something that was trivial in comparison to her ordeal six weeks earlier , especially when it had been over and done with in minutes . She smiled and she let herself go visible again . The image in the mirror made her stop . Blood covered her whole lower face and one of her hands . " It 's okay . I 'm not bleeding any more . " He didn 't listen to her and quickly got a damp flannel . She waited , not really sure what to say . " There , back to my beautiful Anya , " Sherdan said when he had finished cleaning her up . She tried to get up and take the flannel away but she went dizzy as soon as she stood . He pushed her back and persuaded her to lie down . " Let me . You need to rest . " She allowed Sherdan to fuss over her as she lay there . She didn 't think she wanted to be alone and he evidently didn 't want to go . He tucked her into her covers and sat beside her . " Of course . Why would I leave the side of my guardian ? " He smiled at her . She wanted to smile back but another tear fell from her eyes . " I will stay here all night if you need me to . " " Thank you , " she replied , taking his hand . He lifted it to his mouth and kissed . He then gently kissed it again and again , working his way up to her wrist and then the rest of her arm . She had to pull herself away as he lay down beside her . " It has but it 's over now . Sleep and know that I won 't leave your side . You 're completely safe now . " She took his hand again and rolled over to snuggle up to him . When she was comfortable she closed her eyes . She breathed in the reassuring smell of him and allowed her exhausted body to drift to sleep . By Jess The evening passed at a rapid pace before Sherdan 's eyes . He didn 't want to stop being with Anya . He was neglecting all the work he needed to do in favour of talking to her and he didn 't care . " The church believes worship , the music and the band and everything about it , is important . It is modern and the words have real depth . It helps people connect to God and the Holy Spirit , " she paused to think . " I hadn 't realised the Holy Spirit was something I could tangibly feel . The first time I did , I felt so peaceful . I just knew I was home and had to keep coming back for more of that feeling ; those moments when all that matters is God and being with him . " He nodded . He didn 't entirely understand , but he could see how important it was to her . It gave him a lot to think about . She didn 't speak of prayers being answered , or logical reasons for God existing , but of feelings and experiences . Her whole answer took him by surprise . It was the first time someone hadn 't tried to argue him into believing but had simply explained their own feelings . Her face had also lit up in the most beautiful of ways . It evidently meant a lot to her . " Thank you for being so honest . I think I understand more of it . " She smiled and they kissed again . He had never spent time in such a sweet and innocent fashion . " I should probably get some sleep . " She stepped towards Sherdan and onto the tips of her toes to give him a kiss goodnight . He hugged her to him until Antonio began to wiggle between them . He let her go and went through to his study . There was still a mountain of work to do and it was already almost midnight . He sat for a few minutes in his favourite chair , thinking of Anya , with no regard to his work schedule . He had not felt so happy in years . " Yes , sir . " Sherdan put the radio down again , thoughtfully . They really needed to get some kind of air defence . He went back to his work , thinking no more of it . Sherdan went back to his study . Normally he would have gone over to the command room but Anya was asleep and he didn 't want to leave without her . He also had a lot of work to do . " Wait , now it 's fine , " Nathan interrupted . " I think it was a false alarm . There is nothing on the camera feed in the kitchen . " " The extra guards are almost there , sir , " Graham added . Sherdan sat down , noticing that the glass in his hand was very unsteady . His security team had unsettled him . He calmed himself as he decided whether it was best to get Anya and head to the compound . By Jess Sherdan poured himself into his work that evening . Every time he pulled another few bricks out of Anya 's walls she retreated from him or got angry . Now she 'd started reading the Bible in front of him and the message was clear : she wanted him to back off because she was a well behaved Christian girl who didn 't get involved with the likes of him . Anya went to bed at her usual time and Sherdan sighed with relief . The evening had been horribly awkward . He 'd actually done more work than he needed because he hadn 't wanted to stop and have to force another conversation with her . As soon as he was alone , he got up and poured a drink . Tonight he needed it . He sat and thought over his problem with Anya for another hour . " Maybe . I don 't know if I can talk to her about what she thinks without arguing . She sat here with her Bible all evening to show me she thought her moral opinions to be more sound than mine . " " Had it occurred to you that she may have read her Bible in front of you because she wanted you to understand it meant a lot to her and to ask about it ? " Sherdan looked at Nathan as if he 'd been slapped and he had to stop himself responding in his anger . The guard was just trying to help . " If she comes , people will know she 's been here . If she then leaves , the British government might capture her and torture her for information . I promised her that would never happen to her again . " " It sounds like most of your troubles are caused by not communicating with her properly . Talk to her . If you still need help after that , I 'll be more than happy to sit down with you again . " Sherdan nodded and let Nathan leave . With a resolution in mind , he finally got some sleep . He needed to stop getting such late nights . It was the early hours of the morning again . Hopefully , Hitchin would have some good news about his ability the following day , and he would also make some more progress with Anya . " I had another nightmare , " she told him as if it explained everything . He went to get out of bed to hug her before he thought that she might not want to see him in just his boxers . Instead , he patted the edge of the bed . She shook her head . " That 's okay , I understand . I 've not always done much to help , " Sherdan glanced at the clock and notice his alarm was going to go off in less than five minutes . " Why don 't we talk about this later ? I 'm needed in the compound shortly . " She nodded and left , leaving him unable to follow . He hastily pulled on some clothes and went through to her room . She 'd got back into bed again but she was sitting rather than lying . He reluctantly left her and headed over to the compound . Hitchin awaited him in his easy room . He smiled at his friend who appeared much happier since Sherdan had let him run all his tests . " We have a delightful new batch of test subjects … perhaps one female in particular . Quite the bright young lady . I may train her as an assistant . " " I 'm here to let you know that all your tests came back perfectly fine . You don 't even seem to be fatigued enough to explain it . I can only assume it has something to do with Anya , " Hitchin continued . Sherdan went into the command room to get away from Hitchin before he could continue talking about Anya . She wasn 't going to be made to do anything . He was still determined to win her over properly and had a couple more things he could try . " He 'd sent an email with Anya 's measurements to one of his colleagues . They were picking up a ball gown for her today . That evening he would present it to her . For the majority of the day , Sherdan had to deal with the American President . The Americans were demanding some of his defence technology in return for becoming allies . He wouldn 't let them have anything they still used regularly so he instead tried to offer them some of the country 's other advances , something that affected less military matters . The Americans believed they were a powerful enough country that Sherdan would give anything to be allies . They were wrong . America had very little to offer them and other countries were willing to be amicable for less . Sherdan repeatedly said no until the President got so cross he slammed the phone down on him . He left his diplomatist , Sharon , to continue trying to deal with it while he got on with other work . His work was never finished . It was gone eight before he got away from the compound . Anya wasn 't anywhere downstairs so Sherdan rushed up to his room to check on the dress he 'd had Anne smuggle up for him . It was a gorgeous , deep - blue , floor length ball gown . He picked it up off the bed where it lay as he heard a rap on the door frame behind him . Anya gasped as he turned around . She stood there with her hands over her mouth . " I know . I appreciate your concern but I 'd like it to be my choice , just like leaving or staying should be . " Sherdan nodded and walked towards her to place the dress in her hands . This time she took it . She held it up against herself . " Thank you . " She beamed and scurried off . He slowly walked out into the hallway . Her door was shut so he waited outside . He didn 't have to wait long before she flung the door open and came out wearing the dress . She twirled . " It really suits you . " She spun again , obviously pleased . " So will you come to the ball with me then ? " Sherdan asked . She stopped spinning and paused for a moment . " Really ? " He took her hands and pulled her towards him . She nodded and his heart beat faster . He wrapped his arms around her in another embrace but she pulled away after only a few seconds . " She rushed off before he could reply and shut her door on him again . He chuckled to himself and he went to find some food . Anne had gone home earlier than normal as it was one of her son 's birthdays . It was his turn to be surprised when he walked into the kitchen . Two trays were already laid out ready and , a casserole and some roast potatoes were in the oven . He noticed there was ten minutes left on the oven timer . Anya came up behind him as he stood , unsure what to do . " Thank you . I don 't think I 've ever had a woman , other than my mother or housekeeper , cook for me . " She blushed at this and busied herself tidying the kitchen to cover her embarrassment Sherdan was touched by the effort she had gone to and hoped it was a sign their evening would go well . He planned on trying to talk to her about her faith , if he could find a way to bring it up . It could wait until after the food , however . He intended to enjoy her company and her cooking . They ate right there in the kitchen , sat on stools at the breakfast bar . Something Sherdan had never actually done . He didn 't spend that much time in the kitchen so he 'd allowed Anne to design the room how she wanted it . " Not really . I know how to make one or two things well . It 's good to have a few dishes that can be cooked well , " Anya replied , her cheeks flushing red again . He laughed at her sound logic . " The way to a man 's heart is through his stomach . " He got up and went to her , took her by the hands and led her through to the living room . They sat side by side on the sofa with her hands in his for some time . She blushed a lot but didn 't pull away . " Has your God said anything lately about why you 're here ? " He asked and then frowned . It had come out sounding a little harsher than he had meant it . " No , I don 't know if God literally says things out loud . For me , it 's more like thoughts that come into your head , combined with feelings . It feels ' right ' to do as God asks . " " I 'm not sure . I had a dream but I didn 't completely understand it , " Sherdan nodded , " so I 'm waiting here until I know why . " He reached up a hand and stroked her cheek . " I 'm glad I 'm here too but I don 't think I can stay . At some point I will have to go Sherdan . " She looked away , " I 'm sorry . " He lifted her chin back up . " Yes , I am here now … " Whatever she had been about to say was lost as he lent forward and pressed his lips to hers . When he pulled back to look at her she followed and kissed him again , more passionately than he 'd expected . After many minutes she pulled away . Her eyes shone and she smiled in a way he had never seen before . She breathed heavily and had a brightness to her he liked . He remembered the only other time he had seen her like this . It had been right after she had gained her ability but before they had fallen out . " I understand . We don 't have to go that far . I 've … Well , there have been many women I have rushed into bed with and I do not want us to be like that . We can go much slower . " She nodded her gratitude and he pulled her in close to him again , studying her features . " Are all Christian girls so delicate and shy ? You 're perfect . Had I known I would have found one of you sooner . " She frowned . " I 'm teasing . I 've never met anyone like you and I am really not used to feeling like this , about anyone . " He shrugged . His feelings couldn 't be easily explained and it frustrated him a little . Without hesitating , she settled back against the sofa back and pulled his arm around behind her so they were cuddled up close .