Keeley felt faint. “They are doing this deliberately? To create a new race?”
Abbey nodded. “It is part of their grand plan. After the Glorious Happening, when they believe they will hold all power, they will groom the new order to rule the world alongside them.” She took a long, shuddering breath. “But I don’t think it’s all about that, either. I think they just like causing us pain, and it’s another way to do it.”
Keeley paled. “What are they?”
Abbey shook her head. “I don’t know. Some believe they are aliens, from another planet. All their talk of stars and planets. They speak their own language, and their sacred text is written in it.” She lowered her voice. “They change form. They look human, but sometimes they reveal their true selves, and it is the most frightening thing you have ever seen.”
Keeley’s eyes widened. “What do they look like?”
Abbey shuddered. “Grey and leathery. Like something from the pits of hell. And they slither like snakes. The first time I saw them in their true form I almost died.” She clutched her belly. “The thought that my child will be like them is sometimes more than I can bear.”
Keeley felt a lump form in her throat. It must be heartbreaking, being forced to go through this. But she couldn’t afford to be side-tracked by Abbey’s pain, as awful as it was. She needed information. As much as she could gather. Then perhaps she would be able to help the other woman, as well.
“What happens to the babies?” she whispered slowly. “After they are born?”
Abbey’s eyes glistened with tears. “If they are deemed acceptable, then they are taken to the nursery,” she whispered. “The other women who come back have told us that they aren’t allowed to even hold them, let alone nurse them. The Sisters feed them special formula.”
Anger tore through Keeley. After all these poor women are subjected to, they don’t even have the reward of knowing their children. They were used like incubators. Live, human incubators. Thrown back into the harem almost as soon as they had delivered, to try to conceive another.
“I am going to kill Brother Damon,” she declared, her eyes glittering dangerously. “There is no way he is going to lay a finger on me. The thought of bearing his child revolts me.” Her eyes widened as she stared at Abbey, and she laid a conciliatory hand on her arm. “Oh, Abbey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s okay,” she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “I understand completely. I was like you are, once. I thought I would kill him with my bare hands when my time came.”
“What happened?” Keeley almost couldn’t bear the pain in Abbey’s eyes.
Abbey’s eyes rolled back in her head at the memory. “They plan the first time carefully,” she whispered. “It is called the First Encounter. After the first, he calls for you to be sent to his rooms at any time, depending on who he wants. But you only get a few chances to conceive. If it hasn’t happened after two months of trying, you are shipped out of the Blessed Mothers.” She suppressed a sob. “You are deemed invalid. Not worthy.”
Keeley was still, gazing at the trembling woman. She didn’t speak or ask any questions. She knew instinctively that Abbey needed to unburden herself. And that this was probably the first time that she had.
“I was so scared,” she whispered. “The first time. They made me wear a special gown, which they said all the women wore for the sacred first time. Then they locked me in his room. I had to sit and wait for him.”
Tears sprang into her eyes, and she gripped the blanket on the bed between her fists tightly at the memory.
“Then he came.” Her voice was flat and emotionless. “Dressed a special way, too. At first, he tried to ply me with wine and sweet talk. He said that it was better if I was relaxed. That I needed to be receptive. That the chances of conception were higher if I yielded to him without fear.”
Keeley nodded, growing more uneasy by the second. She knew that Abbey needed to speak of this awful moment, but it was scaring her too. If she didn’t think of a plan to escape this place soon, the same thing would be happening to her.
“But I couldn’t,” Abbey sobbed. “I couldn’t yield, or even pretend to. So, he just took me. But it was even worse than that.” She sobbed harder. “It wasn’t the same as being with a regular guy. He was so strong, and I could feel his skin changing. His face changed…”
Keeley put a hand on her arm gently. “Abbey, you don’t have to talk of it any more. I can see how much it distresses you.”
Abbey sighed, wiping tears off her face. “He became his true self. The creature that he is. I could see it happening slowly, but it was almost like an optical illusion.” She paused. “One minute I would see his human form, then another his true self. Shifting and changing like slides in a kaleidoscope. At the moment that he…finished, the creature was fully present.”
Keeley swallowed painfully. This was truly heartbreaking.
“I didn’t conceive for a while,” continued Abbey. “Not from the first time. I had to endure it six more times. But then it happened.” She gazed down at her belly, resting a hand on it. “The only good thing about it is that he leaves me alone now. He won’t mess with you when you have conceived and during your pregnancy. The babies are so prized, they won’t risk any harm to them.”
Keeley stroked her arm. “How is the pregnancy?”
Abbey sniffed. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “I was very sick in the first few months, but I am over that now. But some of the other women that have been pregnant before—with regular human babies—say that it is different. The child moves differently, and the pregnancies and births are harder with these mixed babies. It’s like they suck the life out of you.” She raised shining eyes to Keeley. “Some women die during the birth. The baby kills them.”
Keeley’s hand tightened on her arm. “That’s not going to happen to you! You will live.” She took a deep breath. “Abbey, I am going to kill him before I escape. I am going to liberate all of you. You won’t spend your life in here, having baby after baby.”
Abbey stared at her. “That is not possible,” she whispered. “You are only one woman, and they are many, and so powerful. After the Glorious Happening, they will be even more powerful.”
“I am going to do it,” she replied stubbornly. “I will find a way. And it must be before he tries to take me at this ceremony. There is simply no way that is going to happen.”
Abbey’s eyes widened. “I heard rumours about you,” she whispered. “That they are planning to offer you to him at the Glorious Happening. I wondered why your process was so rushed.” She took a deep breath. “They think you are special, Keeley. They found you days before the event, and there is a story in the sacred text that foretells that the supreme mother, called the Majesty, will be found just before the stars align. One of the injections they gave you is to force your body to ovulate on the night.”
Keeley shuddered. “I knew it! I knew they were injecting me with something to aid their foul purpose. I am no queen, and I am certainly not a supreme mother. I don’t plan on having any children for years, and certainly not with this deranged creature.” She shuddered again. “They are all insane. What else is planned for this ceremony?”
“I don’t know much,” said Abbey slowly. “I know that Brother Damon plans to ceremoniously take you, so that you can conceive a child with the power of the stars, as is foretold. There will be a big sacrifice, too.”
“Sacrifice?” The mere word filled Keeley with horror.
Abbey nodded. “The event requires blood,” she whispered. “Or so they believe. I have heard whispers that all the invalids will be sacrificed on the night. The people that they have here that they deem unworthy to be a part of the new order. Linda told me that they have been rounded up and put into an outdoor compound, in preparation for the night. Apparently, there is a special one among them, a man with powers that can rival theirs.”
Shivers ran down Keeley’s spine. T
his was so insane her mind could barely comprehend it. Again, she had the strange sensation that she was dreaming. If she pinched herself hard enough, would she wake?
“You should go,” whispered Abbey, her eyes darting nervously to the door. “I’ve already told you more than I was intending, and they might get up and do rounds. If they find you here…” Her eyes rested nervously on her belly. “I never wanted this child, but now that I am carrying it, I must protect it.”
Keeley nodded slowly. “Thank you for everything, Abbey. You have been so brave, telling me what has happened to you.” She stared into the other woman’s eyes without flinching. “I promise you that everything will be okay. I am going to fix things.”
Abbey’s eyes were as round as saucers. “You will die if you try anything. Even if they think you are special, they won’t tolerate dissension.”
Keeley shrugged. She walked to the door. Then she turned back to the woman on the bed. “Better to die trying than living a life as a broodmare to an evil man, or whatever he is.” She opened the door, about to step out, when Abbey spoke again.
“There’s knives in the kitchen,” she whispered, blinking rapidly.
Keeley nodded quickly. She stepped out into the corridor, closing the door softly behind her. All was silent. Yes, she would steal a knife now, while she had the opportunity.
It took only a minute to find one that would be sufficient. It was long and very sharp, but easy to conceal. She tucked it into her sleeve and slipped back to her room, climbing into the bed, her heart thudding.
Brother Damon was going to get a very big surprise. There would be blood spilt on the night of this ceremony, but it wouldn’t be the blood of those he was intending.
***
She stirred restlessly in her sleep.
She was running through the desert. The sand was hot beneath her feet.
She stared into the eyes of the man who was by her side. Strange eyes that were neither green nor gold. Her heart thudded just gazing at him. She had been slow to trust him, but he was the one. The one who set her heart on fire.
Run, he implored her. Save yourself.
But suddenly, he wasn’t a man anymore. He was a wolf. He stared at her with those same eyes, golden as the first rays of the sun on a summer morning. And he was being attacked. She watched in horror as the dogs sprung on him. A frenzy of growling and teeth.
It was true. Everything that he had told her had been true.
She turned and ran, just as he told her. But it was useless. They were upon her. The glare of the building was blinding as they dragged her into it…
Keeley lurched upwards in the bed, her heart hammering. The dream. It had been so vivid. If she closed her eyes she was sure that she would still see his image beneath her eyelids.
Suddenly, it all came tumbling into her mind. Everything.
The reason why she had been in the desert. The book. Her father, repeating the words over and over. The strange town where they had been staying. Old Fairley, frothing at the mouth, and Josiah taking them into the desert. But most forcefully, she could see him.
The man who had been by her side, who had turned into the wolf.
Her heart hammered harder. Thad. The man who had translated the book for her and told her of this evil place. Of the creatures that had built it, and their intentions. She hadn’t believed him. Her fists clawed at the sheet.
She hadn’t believed him.
Her eyes trawled the darkened room frantically. Where was he? Had they killed him? Just thinking about him, picturing him in her mind, made her blood throb. He was special. They had kissed, and it had been the most magnificent moment of her life.
Thad. The recluse. The man with the beard and the golden eyes. The man who had retreated to the cabin in the mountains after these creatures had ruined his life. He knew them. He had battled them for years. And he had been determined to put a stop to their evil once and for all, even though he hadn’t wanted to carry on.
What had they done to him?
A single tear fell down her face as she pictured him. The new Thad, freshly shaven and so sexy it had taken her breath away. She had been fighting what she felt for him, but he had fought it as well. Because he knew that he probably wouldn’t survive the confrontation with them. He had wanted her to leave. He had told her it was dangerous. But she had been so consumed with finding out what had happened to her father, she hadn’t listened. Even as she had dismissed his talk as crazy.
Her fists clawed the sheet again. How had she forgotten all of it?
But then she remembered the pills. Sister Valeria smiling as she handed them to her, telling her they were painkillers. She had slept for days, apparently. Had they given her something to forget? It was entirely possible. They had given her an injection to make her ovulate on the night of this ceremony, after all. They were not of this world, and capable of anything.
Where was he?
Suddenly Abbey’s voice drifted into her mind. Talking about the people they were going to sacrifice on the night of the ceremony. Invalids, she had called them. But there was one thing that she had said that she hadn’t taken any notice of at the time.
Apparently, there is a special one among them, a man with powers that can rival theirs.
She gasped aloud. The sound seemed to bounce off the walls.
Was it Thad? He was a man with powers that could rival theirs. He was a wolf shapeshifter. He had told her that his pack, the one these creatures had destroyed, had battled them for years. And he had been the leader of that pack.
She reached down and stroked the cold blade of the knife that she had placed beneath the mattress. She had to find where they were keeping the people who were marked for sacrifice before it was too late. But how?
Chapter Nineteen
Coyote River
The door was not yielding.
Evan cursed under his breath. He had raced to the cabin as soon as he had finished speaking to Keeley’s mother. What she had told him was enough that he was very, very concerned. Thad was missing, along with Keeley. He knew that she had travelled to the desert, but beyond that, he was in the dark. He did know that Thad and Keeley had been in contact with each other in the days before they had both disappeared, and a mysterious book was at the centre of it.
With a mighty effort, he pushed the door open. The cabin was dark and dusty. He could barely see anything. He squinted, gazing around. Thad had obviously left in a hurry. There were books strewn over the coffee table. He walked over to it, staring down. Thad had left handwritten notes as well.
He picked up one, bringing it over to the window so he could read it in the light. Thad’s small, neat handwriting filled the page. Evan’s heart plummeted as he read. Something about the Vilgath. A plan that he had discovered within this book. A building in the desert where they were waiting for the stars to align at a certain date.
Evan frowned, reading furiously. Thad hadn’t known anything more; there was a question written as to what they were intending, and when. And then another question, written to himself: The location is indistinct, but the text indicates it is in the Nuevo Desert, near Farrow Valley?
Farrow Valley. That was where Mrs. Walters had said Keeley was staying.
The note fluttered from his hand. He picked it up, slowly. Thad had gone to the desert to search for this building and try to stop the Vilgath from whatever they were intending. And he had taken Keeley with him. But why?
Then he remembered. The book. The mysterious book that her mother had said Keeley was obsessed with. It had belonged to her father. Mrs. Walters had told him that she was convinced that the book was the key to what had happened to him, all those years ago.
He turned around, gathering up all of Thad’s notes from the table. He didn’t have time to go through them all now, but he needed them. And then he noticed the book on the table, lying next to the notes. A reference book about Vilgath words and symbols. He had been translating Keeley’s book.
He took that book
as well, running out of the cabin, slamming the door behind him.
What now? His head was spinning. Thad and Keeley were in danger. He had rushed off to the desert to find this building. Gung ho. But he was only one shifter against a mighty enemy. He needed back up.
He needed the Wild Keepers. Or what was left of them.
He took a deep breath. He and the others could no longer shift. But they still had their brains, and their brawn. Together they could work out something, couldn’t they?
He took out his phone. His hand trembled as he pressed the number he wanted. It seemed an eternity before it picked up. Then a man’s voice suddenly filled his ear.
“Shay? It’s Evan.” He took a deep breath. “You need to contact the others. Now. Thad’s in a world of danger, and we need to help him.”
***
Thad could feel the sun before he woke. He stirred restlessly. It was burning him. He was so hot he felt like he was baking like a lizard on a stone. His eyes slowly fluttered open.
It was the day of the ceremony. The Glorious Happening. His heart twisted with frustration and rage. He still hadn’t figured out a way to get out of this place and save Keeley.
The guard had told them last night when he had brought the bucket of food scraps. The ceremony would be the next night. “Prepare yourselves,” he had drawled, grinning. “Tonight is your last night on this world.” He laughed. “It’s all downhill from here, invalids.”
“When?” An old woman had asked. “When is it going to happen in the ceremony?”
The guard had scratched his chin. “Well, I know that it has to be before the stars align,” he had replied. “The blood has to flow for it to happen. And apparently something else is scheduled to happen when the stars are in the right position.”
“What?” The old woman’s voice had been tremulous.
The guard grinned. “A First Encounter. Brother Damon has found his Majesty, wandering in the desert. She will be a big part of the proceedings.” He took a deep breath. “The prophecy is being fulfilled.” He turned and strutted out of the compound without another word, locking the gate behind him.
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