Immersion (Apalala Clan Book 1)

by Dzintra Sullivan

  Volos nodded as he saw Wyvern and Ladon disappear below the water’s surface. Looking at the band strapped to his wrist he raised his glacial eyes to look at Attor. “One hour,” he stated robotically.

  “It’s not far from here, V,” Attor said. “Five minutes, tops.”

  “And yet, you just wasted a minute telling me that,” Volos growled impatiently. “Let’s just go.”

  The urge to roll his fingers into a tight fist and apply pressure to the center of his brother’s face at that exact moment was trending at the fucking top of his list. Volos was lucky they had a time limit, if it’s still trending later Attor might follow through.

  Not more than three blocks up the road they came to a shiny black office building, it was trimmed in silver, and Volos’ first impression was it looked sleek and professional. They had money, and in his experience the explorers with money were far more dangerous. A small black plaque adorned the side of the front door. The elegant silver script said…

  Canadian – Oil – Drilling – Exploration

  We find the BLACK so you can make the GR$$N.

  “Fuckin bastards,” Volos spat at the door. He never understood the human’s reliance on oil, there was so many other options that were both planet and inhabitant friendly. Attor tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the small camera that was pointing at them. A whirl and a buzz indicated that they were indeed being watched.

  Stepping away from the front door, Volos turned his back on the camera assuming it was visual and not audio, he continued to talk to Attor in a hushed tone. “It’s a little late for active security?”

  Attor shrugged. “Fairly normal activity from what I know, V. You rarely come above the water level. Having active security guards around the clock is the norm.”

  Volos raised his eyebrows. “Every time I come above, it reminds me why I don’t bother.” Taking a few steps to the side, Volos glanced down the darkened alleyway beside the building. “Let’s take a short walk and see how many cameras they have.”

  The brothers walked around the four sides of this impressive three-story building. From their rough counting, they had forty-one cameras active on the outside alone. Including the twelve cameras that covered the parking spaces out the back. With the whirr and buzz of the cameras coming alive as they walked around, the brothers knew they were being very closely watched. Volos wasn’t worried too much about being watched, they weren’t going to break in tonight, they just wanted to know where and what they were perhaps dealing with. By the signs he was seeing, the trouble coming toward them was massive, premeditated and dangerous.

  They continued the entire perimeter of the building, making sure they looked over every surface they could. Apart from the front door, there was a single back door leading to a small set of steps to the parking area.

  Attor coughed and Volos looked back to him. Attor’s eyes slowly slid toward the solid black wall that was on the side mostly hidden from public view. Volos followed is brother’s eye line and tilted his head. It took him a few seconds to see it, but there was another door. The join against the glass wall was virtually invisible to the naked eye. Attor was known for his attention to details and it certainly was paying off right now.

  A simple nod from Volos told Attor his brother had seen and they continued on, not wanting to draw attention to their viewing audience that they had perhaps seen something they weren’t supposed to. They had seen all there was without breaking in, a quick glance at his watch and their time was almost up. Attor tilted his head back toward the beach, Volos nodded, and with one last gaze directly into the camera lodged above the front door, he waved goodbye and followed his brother back toward the water.

  Volos’ brain was ticking over at the speed of bullet train. What would a simple drilling company need all that security for? Surely the oil business isn’t that dangerous? Well, not for humans anyway, but for the Apalala clan it could spell certain death. Volos had instructed his brothers to meet back in their father’s office for a debriefing. It was pointless throwing assumptions around until they all sat and discussed their findings.

  He was swimming slowly back, he need a few extra minutes to digest what he’d seen. Attor had said active around the clock security was common, but when does security turn into paranoia? Somewhere about forty cameras, he thought to himself. Volos couldn’t shake this feeling there was something big happening, it was leaving him with an uneasy ripple in the bottom of his belly.

  With a strong pulse of his wings, he darted toward the depths of the basin. He could see the glimmer of the dome’s surface in the very far distance when something to the right caught his attention—a foreign object floating to the bottom of the basin. Shaking his head, he went to investigate. Humans were the dirtiest creatures he’d ever encountered. The lack of respect they had for the planet on which they relied upon for survival, caused him many a sleepless night.

  As Volos got closer he could see it was a partly clothed human. Volos pulled his chest upright to slow down in the ocean, his wings decelerating as he tilted his head. A small human female was sinking to the ocean floor, her dark red hair floated around her lifeless body in a weird and captivating ethereal dance, the long curls snaked around her lithe body. Volos hung in the water mesmerized by this small human, her tiny stature made him feel like a giant. He swam a little closer, she was wearing ripped jeans and a black lace bra. Volos looked around to see if her shirt had come off somewhere, but he couldn’t see anything.

  Finding himself at a crossroads of what to do, Volos struggled with the right thing. He was a strong and powerful warrior, but this was a half-dressed small frail female human. Yes, she was dead, but Volos also knew they had medicine that could reclaim her life. It only worked within a small window of time, but give or take a few hours they could reclaim a human life within three days.

  A quick look left and right, Volos reached out and scooped the lifeless body of flesh into his muscular arms and swam off toward the Oasis. He knew his brothers would rib him about saving a human, but something about this particular human seemed important.

  He wasn’t sure yet… why.

  Payton cracked her eyes open as she stretched her legs out. Rolling over slightly on the soft bed, she took a few seconds to remember what day it was and what she had planned.

  Suddenly, she sat bolt upright, the memories flooding back with great speed. She remembered standing at the cliff’s edge, the wolf, Kylee coming to her rescue and then—then she fell. Payton’s hand went to base of her neck as she felt her lungs taking in air. She was sure she had died. Looking down to her chest, only covered in her bra, she nodded, remembering having taken it off in the hope it might help someone find her.

  Payton looked around the room, it was a room she’d never seen before. She was the only one inside it—there were four white walls and a simple door. There weren’t any windows or anything that could help her identify what hospital she’d been taken to. The linen on the bed didn’t have a hospital name embroidered on it, and she was at a loss to know where she was.

  The room was small. It had a toilet in the corner, and a single bed against the back wall. Moving her legs to let her feet rest on the, what looked like marble floor, the ice-cold feeling confirmed it was indeed made of stone. Payton tilted her head and looked at her bare feet, she was sure she had shoes on when she fell. Shrugging, she guessed the hospital staff must have removed them upon her arrival.

  Payton stood and waited a few seconds for the dizziness to leave her head. She wondered how long she’d been out, and if Kylee had been waiting the entire time. Kylee was going to be majorly pissed if she had to cut work hours to be here. And, in saying that, Payton was going to majorly pissed if Kylee wasn’t about to walk in the door with a fresh cup of coffee.

  She ran her tongue over the dryness that was presently invading her mouth. She needed to brush her teeth, gulp down a nice hot cup of coffee and take a few painkillers for a headache that was rising in the base of her skull. She didn’
t care in what order they came, as long as all three were available.

  Payton grabbed the handle of the door and pushed downward, when it didn’t budge her brow puckered with confusion. Payton leaned in a bit more, placing her body weight into the downward movement, but still nothing.

  Payton knocked on the door. She thought it was weird that the door was locked, but who was she to judge hospital protocol. Payton knocked again louder.

  A small slit in the center of the door suddenly opened with a metallic echo. Payton jumped to the side with a sharp intake of air—she hadn’t noticed the slit there before. Slowly, she stepped back in front of the door and looked at the opening.

  Payton’s heart stopped at the sight that looked back at her. The set of male eyes staring at her were of a color she’d never seen before. Her mind flashed instantly back to a time she traveled to Alaska and had ventured out on a glacial safari. The color of this man’s eyes, she’d seen a similar color on the glass-like surface of the Ice Mountains—it was like every hue of blue known to man was wrapped into a single orb and placed in his eyes. His eyes held promises of secrets known and secrets yet to be discovered, as they all danced around in an ocean colored performance.

  “Ummm…” Payton made a sound that was barely audible. She didn’t know if it was due to the arid desert that was her mouth, or the glacial eyes that were drinking her in with the intensity of a newborn babe.

  “What’s your name?” the voice commanded.

  Payton gasped at his voice, the deep powerful baritone bounced around the room, and every time it touched her, it felt like a whip of lightning kissing her skin. “Ummm…” Payton repeated the same sound as her body lit up like a Christmas Tree, all her body hairs stood on end and she felt like she had enough energy charging on her that she’d be able to power up half of the Campbell River.

  “Are you deaf, woman?” the voice gruffly spoke. “I asked you… your name.”

  It was like the light switch suddenly turned off, a shower of ice flowed across her body as the anger of being spoken to rudely bubbled to the surface. “Woman?” Placing her hands on her hips as she pushed her weight onto the one leg.

  “That’s what you are.”

  “Ohhh…” Payton’s eyebrows raised with astonishment. “Back away from me, buddy, I’ve had one heck of a night, and I don’t care how sexy your eyes are, I have zero tolerance for insolent, boorish men. Just open the damn door, I’ll get my friend Kylee, who I’m sure is out in the waiting room, and I’ll be on my way.” Payton crossed her arms over her chest, having only just realized she was barely covered under her lace bra.

  “What’s your name?” The eyes narrowed as they intensified the stare. “Don’t make me ask again. My tolerance for stupid human females with a lack of appropriate clothing is also running at an all-time low.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Payton kicked the door. “Just open the door.”

  “Name…” he repeated low and menacing.

  “Door…”

  “Name…”

  “Fine, my name is… open the fucking door or my friend is going to come and rip your balls off, coat them in bronze, and place them as baubles on her Christmas Tree,” Payton spat. She was perplexed by this man’s rudeness.

  “There’s no friend here. I only found you,” the voice replied caustically.

  Payton paused for a second. “Yeah… but she has come and visited, after you found me, right?”

  The face shook a no behind the opening. “Only you.”

  “Only me?” Payton repeated, the wind vanishing from her sails momentarily, as she shook her head and said defiantly, “Oh well, she must still be looking. Open the door and I’ll go find her.” Payton’s voice gained confidence with every syllable that she spoke.

  “Name…” he commanded again.

  “This again? Sheeesh!” Payton rolled her eyes. “Payton, my name is Payton Hunter.” She focused her eyes on his with a dead cold stare. “Now, if you don’t mind, open the fucking door,” she emphasized the last part hoping he’d do as he was told.

  “No,” he replied curtly followed by, “How did you find us…” he paused, “… Payton?” and spat the last word as if it tasted like acid upon his tongue.

  “Wait?” she looked at him curiously. “What?” her voice grew softer. “You found me, right?”

  “I found a human where they don’t belong.” The eyes almost flickered and took the temperature of the room down a couple of degrees.

  The pit of Payton’s stomach started to boil with fear, as it slowly crept up her spinal column and into her brain. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Her voice was soft and quivering, she was beginning to process that she was in danger—this was not a hospital and she quite likely wasn’t going to get out of there.

  “That’s what all spies say.” Ice laced every sound that came out from the man behind the door.

  “Spies?” Payton gasped. “I’m not a spy. I just fell off the cliff last night. Well, I think it was last night. I’m not sure how long I was out. The last thing I remember is being in the water, and in the last few moments before I drowned, I remember taking my shirt off to help someone locate my body.” Her breath hitched as tears filled and threatened to fall over the edge. “I just want to go home. Please, let me go home.” The tears started to tumble freely down her cheeks. With a quick sweep of her hand, she tried to speak past the lump in her throat. “Please, let me go… please…”

  “Spies never leave,” he said. “At least not alive.” And with those words the small opening slid shut with a screech and the conversation was abruptly ended.

  Payton fell to her knees, the pain of the marble cracking against her patellas was nothing compared to the fear that was presently ripping her apart, fiber by single fiber.

  Payton buried her head in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably.

  Volos walked into his father’s office, five sets of eyes all flicked to stare at him. He was over two hours late to the meeting, something that never happened, ever.

  “Nice of you to show, Volos,” Jo said from the corner. He was sitting in his favorite chair and let his brother’s name roll off his tongue like a sticky ball of molasses.

  “Fuck off, Jo,” Volos replied while not missing a step as he walked straight past him and up to his father’s desk. Taking a seat opposite his father he looked around and asked, “Ladon, what did you find?”

  “Where have you been, Volos?” his father asked. There was no softness to his father’s voice because his father had stopped existing the day he became a warrior. He now dealt with the king—only the king—and when the king spoke, you answered.

  “I was…” Volos was apprehensive about mentioning the spy he’d captured. When he had found the lifeless female, there was something about her that made him falter at handing her over. So, instead, he’d snuck her inside the containment cell in the basement of his and his brothers’ rooms. Then he’d retrieved the life-reclaim serum and administered it to her himself. Afterward he’d stood outside for the twenty minutes it normally took to take effect, waiting for her to wake.

  Volos was positive she was a spy for the humans—at least he was ninety-nine percent positive.

  Although, she had reacted very honestly… Volos shook his head, he was still sure she was a spy, eight-five percent sure.

  Until he was sure what threat she posed to him or the clan, Volos was going to keep her a secret, his secret.

  “Volos,” the king commanded sharply, making him jump in his seat. Jo snickered from the back corner.

  “Fuck off, Jo,” he threw back at his brother. Then he turned to look at his father, the king, who was waiting expectantly for a good excuse for his two-hours of tardiness. “I fell asleep,” he stated quietly.

  “You… fell… asleep?” the king repeated each word with astonishment.

  “The mission must have taken more out of me than normal,” Volos replied quietly.

  “If you think I’m buying that bullsh
it, V, you’re sadly mistaken. However, whatever you were doing, I’m sure it was important and worthy of keeping your king and fellow warriors waiting.”

  Jo jumped from his seat and yelled, “Are you serious? You’re going to let him off with an ‘I’m sure you have a good reason…’ for fuck’s sake?” Jo stomped across the room toward the opening of the balcony. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be the golden boy, V. Kudos to you, man, your balls are truly the biggest and most amazing set of testicles ever produced in dragon history. I think they’re so gloriously amazing, so full and perfectly rounded with dragon prowess, we should have a fucking cast made of them and erect a massive testicular statue in the town center so that future generations can sit and stare in awe of the great set of balls that was VOLOS.”

  “Sit down, Josua. There’s no need for dramatics,” the king said dismissively.

  Jo’s mouth fell agape, his finger pointing to V and then flicking between the brothers who were keeping their head down and out of the line of fire. Jo threw his arms toward the roof and sighed. “Fuck me!” He then stalked out to the balcony.

  A few heartbeats silence was then followed by, “What have you to report, Volos?”

  The king dictated that the meeting continued as normal. The brothers, minus Jo, all moved their attention back to the main desk to contribute their information.

  “Attor and I counted forty-one cameras surrounding C.O.D.E.’s building. All of them were active and following our every move. We noted a front and rear door, but Attor also observed a hidden side door, which unless you were actively looking or knew it was there, it was virtually invisible.”

  “Forty-one cameras?” The king said incredulously. “That’s a little extreme for an oil drilling company, isn’t it?”

  Volos nodded. “Attor and I thought the same.”

  “That’s only the cameras we saw from the outside,” Attor added. “With the mirrored glass of the walls, there could have been three times that many hidden behind the exterior walls.”