Born Claimed: A Dark Omegaverse Romance (Broken Angel Book 2)

by Penelope Woods

  The preacher kicked his jaw, and the mob wasted no time with their beating. No, there was nothing different about this world except for the flashy new buildings, lights, and propaganda screens Rae’s image floated on, endless through time. These people would never get the real freedom they were practically begging on their knees to receive.

  Hardly able to handle what she saw, she rushed forward, pushing through the crowd of zealots. “Stop it!” she screamed, forcing the men off the battered beggar. “Stop this at once!”

  The crowd reacted with quick gasps. A man in the front pointed and fell against the rest of the worshippers. “It’s… her! The one.”

  Rae pushed onto the podium, sending the preacher man backward. “Do not listen to these lies,” she said. “Your leaders have failed you. They locked my family up, ripping my children from my breasts before I could drain even a drop of milk. To inspire your emotions, they tortured and broke me again until I was willing to become less than worthy of myself. And now, I come into the city I once knew, and I can see that love is dead. You worship the wrong things. Turn back and find the people you love. Hold them close and never let go.”

  Hushed whispers circled her. Nearly everyone raised their hands into the air, falling to their knees, begging to touch her supple body. “Is it really her? Oh, it must be.”

  “There are still replicas. This one can’t be her!” The preacher pulled her into the fray, nails scratching against her arm. She was thrown down before she could say any more, and a group of towering men lowered around her to take her.

  But, as she attempted to kick out of the men’s grasp, three detonations shattered the nearby buildings’ windows. All around her, structures cracked open, exposing the wires and framework once hidden. Frantic cries shaped the city as it fell into a bath of smoke, rubble, fire, and death. People were hurt, but Rae couldn’t make out what direction the screams were coming from.

  Rae stumbled as she tried to stand. The warmth of the flames wrapped around her shoulders like a heated cloak, pulling her back. Boots clashed against the concrete around her naked body. She was indecent and crude, but all of the hungry-eyed men ran away as soon as the fires spread. The only one left to burn was Rae.

  As the smoke spread, she crawled on the dirty concrete, indifferent to the filthiness of the city. At one time of her life, she had been fearful of this place, even thought she might die in the sewer systems. She’d participated in all of that with her own free will, but it had transformed her.

  When the nightclubs were the big industry, she’d sought to burn it all down. Now, as the flames spread, she saw every act as an opportunity. If the citizens worshipped her, she would give them a platform to stand on. Maybe they would set her free. Then again, maybe some would use the opportunity of chaos against her. Whatever the case, she had to be careful.

  Sirens spread the cause for alarm, and she felt the shockwaves of more blasts take place underneath the city streets. She turned onto her back, covering her mouth with her palm in an attempt to breathe fresher air. The smoke ran through her lungs, as black and sticky as tar. It clung against the back of her throat, threading throughout her body, infecting her blood.

  And just when she thought she might be able to hold her breath and find a way out, she felt something shake her. It wasn’t another bomb. The rumbling came from inside her.

  “No, no, no, no,” she panted, cried, and frantically patted down her body. All of a sudden, she felt out of control and weak. She could barely breathe through the smoke. She was consumed with flashbacks of the old Dagon.

  Within seconds, she was on her feet, tripping through the opaque streets. She felt as light as a feather, floating upward into a bluer sky. A few steps forward found her a safe corner to fall into. She knelt and wiped the sweat from her forehead, lips puckering.

  “Oh God,” she whispered.

  She didn’t think she could handle any more uncertainty, especially in a world that had clearly succumbed to its inner desires again. Who set the bombs off, she did not know. However, she didn’t question that they were set off from underneath the ground. As far as she knew, Severin still held Vash and Lucas in captivity, but she prayed they might get the chance to escape.

  Through the disastrous smoke came a hand. “Get up!”

  His face was badly bruised, nose broken and flowing fresh blood. Still, he smiled and offered his hand, despite the urgency of all that was happening around him. Rae took his offer. It was the man the mob had beaten at the soapbox sermon.

  “Please… do not hurt me. I’m unarmed,” she said, sidling back against the cracked building.

  Quickly, he took his coat off and wrapped it around her body, making sure she was covered. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to hurt you. There has been another prison break,” he said. “Follow me. I know of a safe place. We won’t hurt you. My name… my name is Noah.”

  “Noah…”

  She gave into trust and took his hand, following his lead as he pulled her through a crowd of running people. He led her into an apartment building left over from the last regime, quickly shut the door, and locked it behind them.

  “Thank heavens I found you!” Noah fell forward as the plume of smoke whipped inside. Leaning back against the wall, he let his head slump and wheezed. “I have to apologize. You are her, right? Should I bow? Allow me to bow.”

  “Do not bow to me, and don’t fucking call me your queen,” she said, zipping up the coat he gave her to wear. “I’m just another woman who has been taken advantage of. Any omega could have taken my place and done a better job. The new leaders have—”

  “We know,” he interrupted her. “For years, the television screens showed your face in that cold, blue water. Silent and still, you floated like an angel. We had no one to look to for salvation. They gave us bread, even allowed new industries to rise and reform the city. We were given new freedoms, but no amount of change went to better us. Most of the population still can’t bear children. We aren’t allowed to form families without the right forms of consent, and that costs a considerable fortune. Love is still a dirty word, but we knew you’d wake, eventually.”

  “When I woke weeks ago, I was flung into the clutches of power yet again. My children were missing. My husbands, imprisoned and sentenced to a life of sexual bondage, went through their own personal and isolated hells. I’m afraid I cannot lead anyone. I’m still too weak to deny myself a real life. I just want my family back,” she said, suddenly remembering the way her alphas held her when she felt this broken. The safety they provided her was something she had taken for granted.

  “We know of your origins in the test facilities. You are the next step for mankind,” Noah said. “Maybe you don’t believe in fate, but we do. It had to be you. You are the one who is going to guide us into the next and final stage.”

  A flash of anger rushed through her chest, tightening around her shoulders, leaving her feeling absolutely helpless. “Are you rash? There is no final stage! This world is dying! Do you hear me? Dying. And once that truth sinks in, we will all end with it. The only destiny humanity is fit for is bringing the light back into darkness. Maybe then, things can start over again in peace.”

  Noah stared at her without expression. His eyes did not waver as he said the next words. “We knew you’d say that, too. Maybe the world needs an end, but for now, it needs a leader. It needs you.”

  “Yeah? And who is this we? As far as I can see, you brought me to an abandoned apartment building,” she said.

  Outside, chaos reigned. Gunshots rang out, meeting the swift reply of terrified screams. She’d never wanted it to be like this. She didn’t think an entire world could crumble simply because of her existence, yet it was happening before her very eyes. After Virgil’s display of greed and rebellious licentiousness, there was no one left to trust.

  Without saying another word, Noah reached into his pants pocket, revealing a set of old keys. He waved her to follow him as he meandered toward the rusted mailboxes on the we
st wing of the building. “It’s right this way,” he said.

  Rae was startled to witness the entire wall move and separate out as an entranceway. Within seconds, she heard the vibrant sounds of eclectic music. As she stepped inside, she quickly noticed how the building had been secretly renovated to fit all of their needs. Endless rows of cots lined the walls. Above them, a library spiraled into the heavens. There were books upon books just begging to be opened. These were the only trophies this place had, besides the massive assortment of potted plants.

  Rae felt her heart beat against her sternum, but it was not a motion that brought her anxiety or distrust. Seeing this place made her whole again, similar to how she felt in the forest. Only, this place was a tangible fortress without much outside threat.

  “How long have you operated here?” she asked, still staring upward at the vast ceiling.

  “The Cathedral has been in place since the First Attack on the city,” he said. “When the buildings fell, there were too many civilian casualties to count. I tried to help in every way I could, but without any money or resources, it was nearly impossible. I slept on the street for days, huddled near the bodies, forced to deal with the cold with unsatisfactory methods. Then, a man woke me. He was an old preacher who came to spread the seeds of rebellion. He helped us build a sanctuary. He named it the Cathedral.”

  A lump caught in her throat. “Virgil,” she said.

  “He told us you would meet him. I’m guessing all of this has already happened,” he said.

  Rae lowered her gaze, and the cloud of doubt swept through her like a phantom. “He… he went crazy. He turned on us, gave us away to Severin.”

  But as much as Rae justified her hatred toward the elderly preacher, she knew that this world offered very little clarity toward the situations presented to her. There were wolves that wore sheep’s clothing, but she never thought a lamb might be smart enough to reverse the cloth.

  “He wanted you to succeed. It has always been up to you to find the right way,” he said.

  She clenched her teeth and stared at the tapestries covering the walls of the building. Endless geometric patterns extended out as fractals. She could look at any point, get lost in the disarray of detail, but if she brought her focus outward, it was obvious how connected everything was. She had never seen shapes like that before, but she quickly understood what he was getting at, despite her hot flushes of anger.

  “If he wanted me to succeed, he’d find the one husband who drowned,” she muttered.

  “Just as you do, Killian has his own journey. Every person involved in your journey is important. Do you understand?” he asked.

  Head clammy and body heavy with exhaustion, she felt defeated. She nodded and hoped things could be fixed. The dream of a utopia wasn’t something that interested her, but she would fight if it meant a better world for her children.

  “Just tell me one thing,” she whispered. “Is my husband dead?”

  Noah shook his head and took her hands, squeezing tenderly. She felt as if she might pass out. “If all things went according to plan, he is more alive than he’s ever been.”

  Rae caught her tears with the arch of her nose, smiling and laughing as the emotional pain turned into sweet relief. “What tricks do you play?” she asked. “Do you not tell me nice things to get me to help your cause?”

  Noah turned the music off, allowing for the sounds of violence from the outside world to pour in. “The world isn’t nice,” he said. “If you don’t help us, most of us will surely die, including you.”

  “At least my children will survive,” she said.

  “Well, your husbands won’t,” he said. “And the ones who raise your children will surely turn them into monsters.”

  Rae felt her chest cave in. Facing the stairs, she looked up at the tall bookcases. The urge to climb and hide away in the stories within those books was strong, but as soon as she took another step forward, a woman appeared in a hooded cloak similar to the one Virgil had given her just days ago. In silence, the woman walked down the staircase and stopped before Rae.

  “What is this? You brought people to force me to help your cause?” Rae asked.

  “We don’t use force to get people to do things,” Noah said. “You will do what your heart thinks is right. My job is to help show you the truth. Plain and simple, another storm is coming, and you can choose to lead or choose to watch the world burn. In the end of days, it will be up to you.”

  “The end of days,” Rae scoffed and allowed for a ridiculous smile. “I was told the end of days would leave with Cassian.”

  The woman on the stairs removed her hood and knelt. Rae saw the vacant look in her eyes and nearly leapt back. “Some men strive to keep their families fed and hearts full. Other men seem to be willing to give up anything and everything to play the leading role of Devil. Cassian was just the beginning.”

  “You’re a clone. How is that possible? My sister ordered the shutdown of every known facility. You were all killed,” Rae said.

  “It’s hard to believe a lie when the truth is staring you in the face. So why do you insist on believing in yours? There are more of us than you know.”

  “All of you live here freely?” Rae asked, grabbing her hands. She once thought of the clones as failures of science, stupid beings whose only destiny was to die. However, as she gazed into the eyes of her clone, she saw a learned woman, someone who was exactly the same as her.

  “Most of us are here. Some work for the New Republic,” she said.

  “They are the seeds,” Rae whispered.

  “Severin foolishly allowed for holes in his plans, holes that we could crawl through and wait until more appeared. Virgil went to work faster than ever,” Noah said. “When the coup happens, they will be surrounded. No one will survive, except your sister.”

  Soon, more women appeared above her, looking down from the banisters. There were hundreds. Rae felt unbalanced and braced to fall against the banister. The clone caught her.

  “I know the news is hard, but—”

  “Why would you want my sister alive? She is just as much of an accomplice to my suffering as Severin,” Rae said.

  “Your sister was bought and sold into violence. Like so many others, she was used purely for Cassian’s gain, as he knew she would bring you to him, thus taking down any and all connections to Cassian. She cannot bear children either, and this allows him even more power. He wants to rid the government of everything new and good. She is not without blame, but we feel for her,” the clone answered.

  “I know all of what my sister has been through,” Rae sneered. “And I know what she has done to me. She is as awful as they come.”

  “Can you blame her for wanting to destroy everything in sight?” the clone asked. “You left us to die, and we are one and the same. What does that say about you? Shouldn’t we ask for your head?”

  Rae knew she was right. And, again, she remembered the small patch of land with enough green to satisfy her for decades. She envisioned a world covered in the same vibrant green, a world that allowed for growth rather than expansionary destruction. Maybe what these people were asking for was a Utopia, but she’d rather fight for a better future than allow the world to fall into further ruin.

  Rae fell into uncomfortable silence. Instead of arguing, she realized how important it was to stand with the ones without the same privileges as her. She stood before her likeness and hugged her, deeply inhaling her womanly scent. Even if their situation wasn’t entirely her fault, the guilt ran through her. Finally able to recognize the uncanny similarities, she decided to be their equal instead of Severin’s plaything.

  “I’m sorry for abandoning you,” she said. “I’ll take you to the marble towers.”

  “No,” her clone commanded. “I know exactly where to go. We’ll take the underground walkways.”

  Noah took her by the arm. “Before we leave, I have to ask—are you ready for what’s next?”

  Was she fucking ready? Rae le
t out a hearty laugh. “I was born ready.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lucas stumbled as the lone guards pulled the prisoners’ chains forward, dragging them like dogs. Once secured, Severin left them. He could have killed them, but again, he chose to keep them alive. “I want you to suffer for years before you are killed,” he said before storming away.

  They had been led on a wild goose chase, a hunt that took them right back into the belly of the beast. For a moment, he thought it might be a cruel joke, but when he witnessed Severin shoot Virgil between the eyes, it was clear they were near the end of their journey. It was completely in the realm of possibility that they would, at last, die in the clutches of power.

  Indeed, he shouldn’t have been so shocked. Severin warned them the last time they roamed these subterranean halls, if they didn’t play by his rules, they were going to end up right back in the worst ward of the New Republic.

  They were searched, prodded, and slapped before separated and shackled. Wisely, Lucas kept his belongings in a secret compartment within the sole of his boots. Still, his wrists and ankles were bound tight enough together for them to be a struggle to get to. Lucas held his breath as a guard reached down to pat down his thighs. He tried resisting, but every twist he gave to his body only helped tighten the cuffs around his wrists.

  “Wait, wait, wait,” he said with what he thought of as an award-winning smile. “Come on, guys. Let’s strike a deal.”

  The guards were trained to be silent, but the electric cattle prods spoke enough volume for the bunch of them. Without Severin around, they were allowed to be as violent as they wanted. Abruptly, they jabbed at his sides, laughing as the current sank deep within his flesh, paralyzing the muscle tissue and nerves. As much as he braced for the impact, it quickly disarmed him for minutes, and he quietly shook against the ground. As soon as he finished, they chained him to a nearby hog trough before walking away to prod the other disruptive prisoners.