Dark Matter

by Christie Rich

  I stood up and walked to the buggy. Roger followed me in overwhelming silence.

  What a happy couple we made.

  Instead of taking me to the horrible cell that had become my home, Roger took me to the large building in the middle of the compound. The hallway was empty when we walked inside. White subway tiles glistened under the florescent light like frosted glass. The halls might as well have been made of ice like everything in the fire realm from how cold I felt. Was it really freezing in here or was it just my heart crusting over in preparation for my new life. Either way, my skin prickled in protest.

  I was escorted to a room that was much better than I expected. Thankfully, it had a private bathroom. I nodded at Roger, grabbed the lacy underwear that lay next to a pretty beaded white gown on the bed and headed for the shower. The other door thudded closed before I had a chance to shut mine.

  I still turned the lock. I bypassed the mirror because I didn’t want to see how horrible I looked. It would probably just make me feel worse.

  I stayed in the shower a really long time. I tried again and again to call the elements to me. I focused on turning the water to ice until my head throbbed, but instead of obeying my command it flowed happily over my body in a warm blanket. I shivered even though steamy heat enveloped my skin. The only thing I had accomplished was turning my blood frigid in my veins.

  “Won’t someone help me?” I said in a soft whisper out of sheer desperation. I slid down the wall and stretched my legs out in front of me, letting the water wash the tears from my eyes.

  A faint popping noise caught my attention. I would recognize that sound anywhere.

  Hope filled my lungs, and I threw the curtain wide, fumbling with the knobs to turn the water off. The room was so foggy that I couldn’t see him. Where was he? “Gibbit?” I asked softly. For a moment I had forgotten that I was naked. Blood rushed up my face as I scrambled for a towel.

  “No, Miss,” a tiny voice said. “I never thought to be confused for that rascal, but I won’t hold it against you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Fexlie!” I nearly shouted. I had only heard her voice once, but I would never forget the soft melody.

  “Shhh!” she hissed. “You trying to bring the whole compound in on us or what?”

  “Sorry.” The steam had cleared enough for me to see that she wasn’t actually in the room with me. “Where are you?” I whispered.

  “Here,” she said. I followed the tiny sound over to the sink, but I still couldn’t see her.

  The mirror looked funny even under the blanket of fog, so I grabbed another towel to wipe it off. I could hear her laughing in a sick sort of pleasure at my fumbling which nearly made my icy blood boil. “Fexlie!”

  “Oh, all right.” The space around me distorted like a pool being disturbed. If I concentrated really hard, I could see her small body.

  She was a couple inches tall, tops. Her hair was a brilliant green and her skin was covered in an iridescent psychedelic pattern that looked similar to camouflage. The more I stared at her, the harder she was to see. The tone of her skin kept changing like light sifting through shimmering leaves.

  When I was finally able to tear my attention away from her skin, I just as soon got lost in the depths of her vibrant pink eyes. She had long lashes that swept past her delicate brows toward her hairline.

  She smiled at me, revealing a perfectly straight set of bright gold teeth. The combination was striking yet odd.

  When I opened my mouth to speak, she shushed me. “I’ve disabled the hidden mic, but the camera is still working. I didn’t want to give them cause to think something was wrong.” She frowned at me. “If you don’t stop staring at me as if you’ve just seen your lost Gran, I’m afraid our little visit will be cut short. Pretend I’m not here.”

  I nodded fractionally then went to work drying off and getting semi-dressed. The thought that someone might be watching me was more than disturbing. What kind of sick person puts a camera in a bathroom?

  Fexlie sat on the edge of the sink. Her legs were swinging casually. “I’ve been searching for Master for days with no luck.

  “Who?” I asked before I realized. “Oh, you mean Zach. Why are you calling him master?”

  She laughed and the melody eased some of the tension I felt. “He don’t like it none, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

  “Then why would you do it?”

  “It is out of respect, nothing more. He saved me from a horrible existence.”

  “You’ll have to tell me about that later, but now, I think we had better get out of here.”

  Her expression fell and with it my hope. “I don’t have enough power to transport you.”

  I ground my teeth together, trying my hardest not to let anger take over my words. “You mean you didn’t bring anyone with you?”

  She sighed, shaking her head. “No one would listen to me. Where are they keeping him?”

  “I think he is somewhere in this building, but I don’t know for sure. I’ve only seen him once.” I bent over as if I was picking something off the floor, but I really just wanted to see her better. “You have to get me out of here. They are going to make me marry Roger Wayne tonight!”

  “Good.”

  “What!” I yelled nearly at the top of my lungs.

  “Settle down! I need some time to get Master out. That distraction should do nicely. Once he is free, we’ll come for you.” She started to fade.

  I reached for her. All I caught was air. “No!” I cried, hitting my fist into the mirror. Glass shattered all around me.

  The door crashed open and Roger rushed into the room, searching for the cause of the disturbance.

  He ran his hands over me, his eyes frantic with fear. He let out a staggered breath then glared at me. “I thought you were being murdered. What the hell are you doing?”

  I stomped my foot. “I want to leave! I can’t be here. You can’t make me marry you. I have rights!”

  He cocked his head to the side. “Is that so?”

  I pushed him out of my way and started for the bedroom door. I flung it open but before I could get out he slammed it shut, pinning me against the wood, his eyes seething with anger. “Why can’t you just go along with this?”

  “What is so blasted important about me getting pregnant anyway?”

  “We’re running out of time and you might just be the answer we have been looking for.”

  “What kind of answer is that exactly?”

  “Everything about you is different. Your mother had you while bonded. You may be able to have a child while you are within the age of power. Don’t you see, you could be the first to bear a male Elemental.”

  My face flushed. I had hoped this was all a ruse to intimidate me into helping the Order. I knew they were unsavory, but I had never imagined this level of evil. “I don’t want to marry you, Roger. I barely like you and I’m not even sure about that.”

  His laugh was infused with anger. “I’m trying my best to make this as seamless for you as possible, but you keep pushing me.”

  “Not far enough, obviously.” I shoved at his chest, belatedly realizing I shouldn’t do things like that with my injured hand. It wasn’t like it did any good, either. I didn’t even budge him.

  He gave me a curious expression. Instead of being violent like I expected, he stepped back and reached for my arm. He eased the split off and began moving my fingers. They didn’t hurt at all. In fact, if I hadn’t known what happened earlier, I would have never believed it. I curled my fingers into a fist then extended them. Amazing.

  “You didn’t tell me you heal quickly,” he said softly.

  I met his gaze. “I didn’t know.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “This has never happened before?”

  I shook my head. “Why.”

  The door inched open and Mr. Lambert stuck his face through the crack. “Here you two are.” He took one look at me in my bra and panties and his face went red. “Roger, th
is is uncalled for. You can’t even wait until tonight?”

  I glared at Mr. Lambert for even thinking I would agree to such a thing. Roger started coughing spastically. “It isn’t like that. I was just checking on Rayla. She’s having difficulty dealing with our timeline.”

  Mr. Lambert came into the room then shut the door behind him. When he turned around, he held the assured confidence of a man that was about to reveal the secrets of the universe. “I realize how hard this must be for you. I wish I could give you a little time to adjust, but there are reasons for our haste.”

  “There always is,” I spat at him. “Why even bother with the ceremony? Why not have Roger rape me right here on the floor? You do realize that is what will happen later, don’t you Mr. Lambert?” I moved closer to him, trying to get him to look at me. “Is that what you want for me, Nigel?”

  His eyes flew wide at my use of his given name. “That is enough out of you, girl. Get dressed.” He faced Roger. “See that she does.”

  Roger’s voice went soft. “If she refuses?”

  I gasped at his question. There he was, looking at Mr. Lambert with a dutiful expression on his face. If I had doubts before they were all gone. These two were serious about this whole mess.

  Mr. Lambert smiled at Roger. It was a fatherly expression that held no residue of his interaction with me. “Take her to the cottage and do what you must.” With that said he let himself out then shut the door softly behind him.

  Roger paced the room, his eyes never leaving mine. I watched a myriad of emotions cross his face that ranged from furor to regret. He finally settled for a solid expression that held no emotion at all. “You heard him. Get that gown on before I take you up on your offer.”

  I stuck my chin out defiantly before I walked over to the bed. My back was stiff; my body was aflame with pent up fear and anger. For one instant I held the fabric in my hands fully intending to rip it into a thousand tiny pieces. Then I whirled around. “How dare you treat me this way. I am not a thing!”

  He had the audacity to look confused. “You are the one insisting on making this difficult.”

  “Yeah, because I am just supposed to accept that you are going to…” I could not get the words to come out of my mouth.

  “Would it make you feel any better if I told you I don’t want to do it?”

  I stared unbelievingly at him. “The only thing that would make me feel better is if you refuse to.”

  He lowered his gaze from mine. “I can’t do that.” His face contorted into a mournful grimace and his hands fisted at his sides.

  “Then we have nothing else to say to each other.” I slid the fabric over my shoulders and zipped the horrid dress up as far as I could. I tried to grab the zipper from the top, but Roger beat me to it.

  It fit me like it had been poured over my skin. I caught a glance of my reflection in the window. I couldn’t bring myself to care how I looked. I grabbed the shoes from the bed and bent over, secretly hoping the dress would split in the process.

  Roger lowered to his knees and helped me slip them on. His fingers brushed mine, and I recoiled. He didn’t bother to respond. He just stood up and took my hand.

  We were like a couple of robots walking stiffly down the hall to the elevators. I glanced around listening to the thing groan to a stop then followed him in. He hit the button for level four.

  The hall was deserted. The room he led me to wasn’t even decorated. Every ideal I had about what a wedding was supposed to be disintegrated in front of me.

  Two men stood by the windows. Mr. Lambert turned and smiled at me. “Oh, my dear, you look absolutely beautiful.”

  The other man, a short elderly fellow with silvering hair, nodded in agreement. He didn’t look like a priest. He wore a brown suit with fraying edges, a mismatched tie and black shoes. I didn’t bother to return his smile.

  Roger pulled me into motion. I focused on the sound of my shoes clopping over the parquet floors. Someone was going to come for me. All I had to do was be patient. The fae would never let him have me.

  We had a perfect view of the beach. The water was still ablaze with the colors of the setting sun. I imagined walking into the glowing surf and letting it carry me away from all this pain.

  Mr. Lambert said something, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was trying to hide in my mind, but there was still a part of me that was unmistakably present. I felt Roger’s hand at my waist as he guided me to face him.

  The man I didn’t know started saying things about the holy order of matrimony. I turned my steely gaze on him and he fell silent. “How can you stand here in the name of God and—”

  A hand clamped over my mouth cutting off my words. I thrashed in his arms, but Mr. Lambert was surprisingly strong. “I am so sorry, Father. Please continue.”

  The man finished his pretty words with me writhing about and moaning. He asked if we had rings. Roger reached in his pocket and pulled out a set of shimmering diamond bands. The metal was cold against my skin. I felt the burden of reality closing in on my heart, but I clamped my emotions off. I was not going to cry in front of these people.

  “You may kiss the bride,” the old man said.

  Mr. Lambert let go of me and Roger took me into his arms, his lips brushing mine lightly.

  Barely nineteen years old, at least in my book, and I was a married woman.

  This time we took a jeep up the mountain. Twilight had fallen over the jungle, and I gazed wistfully out into the trees trying not to think about where we were headed. Maybe there was a lion lurking in the shadows that would eat me for dinner? I tested my bonds again. Roger had taken one look at me when he lowered me to the seat and handcuffed me to the roll-cage.

  His voice interrupted my escape plan. “You might as well give up. We are a done deal now.”

  I turned away from him. His fingers slid into my hair, my skin prickling under his touch. “Please don’t,” I said.

  He pulled the jeep sharply to the side of the road. As if anyone would be coming down the other side. Under the guidance of his hands my body slid around to face him. I glanced at him but had to look away.

  He hit his fist into the dashboard. The vinyl split with a screeching crack. “Do you think I want this? Do you think it pleases me to know what I have to do tonight?”

  I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath. “Funny, I don’t see anyone holding a gun to your head.”

  He took my face in his hands, guiding my eyes to his. “Yes. They are. And not just me, either. My whole family will be killed if I do not fulfill my duty.”

  “Duty,” I scoffed. “Tell you what. I’ll slit my wrists and save you the trouble. All I need is a knife.” I was surprised to realize I might actually be able to do it right now.

  His voice lowered to a harsh rasp. “You would rather die than be with me?”

  “Don’t know. Never tried either.”

  “This is no joke, Rayla.”

  I clamped my eyes closed against the tears that threatened to betray me. “This doesn’t happen anymore, Roger! Women don’t have to put up with this sort of thing. Why is the Order so barbaric?”

  “Sacrific—”

  “Don’t give me that crap. This is all about power and control. You are stronger than me, so there is little I can do to stop you, but I will cut my own tongue out before I’ll tell you it is okay for you to—”

  “Don’t say it again. Once was bad enough.”

  I tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let me claim any distance. “Let me go.” It came out as a whisper. “Tell them I escaped.”

  “You ask me to sentence myself and my family to death to belay your fear of an insignificant act.” He sat there, staring at me, his breath falling rapidly on my skin.

  How could I expect him to put his family at risk for the sake of my virginity? But it was more than that to me. It was an ideal I had clung to for strength. I leaned away from him, but the headrest didn’t afford me much room. “How did you get caught up in this mess
of a life anyway?”

  He clenched his jaw as if he wasn’t going to answer me then sighed. “My father, his father, and his father down the line for generations have been faithful followers of the Order. I can do no differently.”

  “Tradition for traditions sake? That’s a great reason.”

  He rolled his eyes as if I were an imbecile. “We can’t just give it up for Lent. It isn’t allowed.”

  “So you keep telling me. Has anyone actually tried?”

  His face went stone cold. “They made me watch my best friend get his head cut off by another good friend. It was a warning I can never escape.”

  I grimaced at the visual. My fingers strayed absently to my own neck. “That’s awful.”

  “I wouldn’t care if it was just me. Sometimes I would rather die than continue, but I have sisters. I can’t do that to them.”

  There had always been a part of me that knew evil like this existed in the world, but I had buried it in the cocoon only a small-town girl owned. I had never seen anyone killed, or robbed, or violated for the contents of a wallet. I didn’t know what it would be like to watch Cassie’s life blood spill from her body, but in that moment I felt sorry for Roger, the reluctant villain.

  He put the jeep in gear and we started up the mountain again not saying a word to each other. We rounded a corner, and I caught glimpses of a small grey cottage through the trees. It was picture perfect with a white picket fence and an overgrown flower garden.

  Roger unlatched my shackles and lifted me into his arms. I swallowed hard as he walked toward the door. The fragrance of summer blooms wafted around me. In any other circumstance it would have calmed me, now I just wanted to throw up.

  He shifted me slightly, and I heard him fumbling with keys. He glanced at me while he twisted the knob. Then we were through the threshold. My heart began to race as if I were already running out the door. He sat me on the leather sofa, kneeling in front of me. His fingers slid along my calves then clasped the backs of my knees before he buried his face in my lap. We sat there like that for a long time. I didn’t dare move. I was barely breathing. Maybe he would fall asleep like that so I could get away from him? And maybe an army would come crashing through that door at any moment. If there was ever a time for a rescue, now was it.