Was it really his fault that his daddy had lots of money?
“Look, we just want to get in there, do what we came to do, and go home.”
“Why? What’s wrong with him? True, he’s a little volatile but he was defending your honor. So why don’t you want him?”
“What’s happening isn’t any of your business.”
“So you’re one of those types. The ones who can’t be honest with themselves so they can’t be honest with anyone else. I bet I’m your type of male. All I want is a nice roll in the hay. I would hit that a couple times, make you scream in pleasure, then leave. It’s not like women like you deserve a male anyways. You really aren’t good for much. Yeah, I’d leave you high and dry and start looking for someone my daddy would approve of. I mean I have to get married and produce children. I just wouldn’t let you be the mother.”
Taya screamed and charged him. She would beat him down for talking to her like that. Her anger took over. When she reached him she jumped on him. He picked her up and threw her like a rag doll through the door that was open.
“Now what do I do with you?” The block came down and Gabe’s scream could be heard reverberating through the whole canyon. “Do you really think she’s worth it?”
“Yes, damn you. Where is she?”
“She has entered the trials. You might want to go with her or she’ll never make it out in one piece.”
Gabe turned to go in.
“Word of advice before you go. Sometimes we lash out at those we care about when the pain was brought on by someone we never really loved. Well move, times ticking. See you on the inside.”
Gabe ran; his mind was already on Taya and getting her out of there alive. He never saw the shadow that entered behind him.
Where was he? The sand was hot like he was in the desert. All he could see was blazing sun and blowing sand. This is why he liked the mountains; it was always so much cooler there. He placed one foot in front of the other trudging along until a clip with a ribbon tied to it hit him in the face.
Taya, it was hers. Why wasn’t it still in her hair? “Taya!” he screamed trying to be heard over the blowing wind. He heard his voice come back to him and then he heard the faint sound of his name and a plea for help. Increasing his speed, he tried to run in the sand and fell down.
“You’re never going to get to her in time like that.” Voyager stood beside him holding the reigns to two camels. “Well, come on if you want to ride.”
“I never rode a camel before.” Gabe climbed his way on the camel’s back. It wasn’t graceful but he was up there, while Voyager seemed to float up and settle on the back of the camel.
Voyager took off in a shot, his camel going faster than Gabe would have thought.
“Giddy up, camel. Go camel. Do your thing, camel.” Nothing. He tried gently kicking it in the side. It spat, not liking that.
There was a shrill whistle in the air that made the camel begin to move across the desert floor at a good clip. He held on fast and the camel seemed to pace itself. Right side, left side.
All that mattered was saving Taya. He repeated that several times as he almost fell off when the camel changed sides.
Chapter Fourteen
She was tied up wearing almost nothing. When she had been thrown into the trials, her body landed at the feet of slavers. They swore it was their lucky day. The god of slavery was alive and well and they would get a fortune for the grey eyed witch. Before she could think, they were on her, subduing her, pulling off her comfortable clothes. Then their hands roamed her body freely.
The older male stopped the younger saying they would get more for her if she was untouched. He hadn’t been happy; he made comments about him and her ass. They finally gave her something to put on. It was almost see through but right now she’d take whatever covering she could get.
Now she was standing in the middle of an oasis tied to a long pole that was in the ground. She spent the last hour or two trying to loosen it to give her a chance to escape with no luck. Although she had no idea where she thought she was going dressed like a whore with shoes that barely kept the sand from burning her feet. One thing at a time is what she was saying to herself right about now.
Her stomach growled as they picked up their food, neither of them even remotely interested in sharing with her. It was going to be a long hungry night.
In the end, it was the words that came out of their mouth that affected her most.
“Who will we sell her to?” The younger man asked as he forked more food in his mouth. He looked at her eyes, her breast, and her legs with appreciation before turning back to his food. “Maybe she will make a good breeder.”
“No one will use her for breeding purposes. She wasn’t meant to have children. I think we will get the most from Dilla. He loves females like her to entertain his friends. They will use her like a whore, passing her around from one to the other. She’ll enjoy it. I bet she’s been used in the past the same way.” The older man eyed her and nodded.
“I wouldn’t mind using her now.”
“Keep it in your pants. We need this score, and then you’ll be able to use whoever you want. Besides, Dilla likes to share. I bet he would get a kick out of watching you break her in.”
She refused to cry. How the hell did she end up here? It was supposed to be so easy. She would come here and Gabe would be free. Then he would be able to go on, find what he needed in a woman, and not be chained to someone that every man seemed to know wasn’t meant to be a wife or mother. A knife turned in her heart as images of Mike rose before her. A crushing weight on her chest almost made her cry out. ‘You’re nothing’ his voice whispered in her ear.
One tear after another fell as the little bit of confidence she held onto slipped through her fingers. She’d lost her dream job. Maybe being a hospital administrator didn’t seem like much, but she had worked her butt off for that position. Hours of her time at home had been spent pouring over plans for the hospital, the employees as well as the patients. She wanted her hospital to be cutting edge with employees who enjoyed coming to work and patients who recovered more often than not.
When she had to leave her job she’d been devastated. It felt more like a nail in her coffin. The belief that she wasn’t good enough hovered around her. Then to have to leave the house she worked so hard for. Her parents had been so proud of her when she recovered from her ordeal and bought her own place. Proof she was moving on, that she wouldn’t let him hold her down.
The young one got up when she wasn’t paying attention. His hand was over her mouth closing off her cries as his fingers pinched her nipples. She struggled hoping the other one would see and come to her rescue. What did it matter, a voice in her head asked? Now you will be used like you were always meant to be.
He lowered his head and bit her causing such pain she managed to cry out. A scream of outrage reached her. She knew that voice. Her eyes widened as she looked for Gabe. Was he her rescuer? The young one was pulled away from her by the older one, but it was two late because Gabe was there now. His form changed. The Matra was so big and scary looking that the men who took her were scrambling away from him, but all she saw was safety.
They reached for weapons. Gabe got to them first. He picked the first one up, the younger one. She waited, would he kill him? Run those sharp nails through him disemboweling him? Maybe she should want that but she didn’t. He threw him, the male landed in a heap having hit one of the few rocks in the oasis. He would be in pain but he wouldn’t die. Gabe shifted forms, the Arbrin coming back.
“You like stealing women and selling them into slavery?” His eyes lit up as the palms of his hand began to glow.
The older man tried to protest but a seal formed over his mouth.
“Sometimes you need a taste of your own medicine.” Flames shot out of Gabe’s hands surrounding the man until he was held tight in a set of chains. He turned to the younger one and did the same thing.
“Right on time.” He smiled at th
e two men before gathering them and placing them in the sand at his feet.
A caravan of men approached the oasis. They stopped and demanded to know what was happening.
Voyager walked behind Taya and whispered in her ear ‘that was close’ before reaching out and untying her.
“Not that it matters. Some women don’t deserve respect. We both know you’re one.”
She trembled with old demons scrambling her brain, tearing her down.
“I have a present for you,” Gabe’s voice pushed through the pain in her brain.
“What?” Another male spoke, seeming to be the one the others bowed to.
With a flourish Gabe drew their attention to the males at his feet. “They are pleasure slaves.”
The eyes of the male went over them slowly taking them in. He got down from the camel he was riding to come closer and look at them.
“They are in fine condition but what do I need with males who pleasure females? We have none of them with us.”
“These males are special; they will pleasure you with great enthusiasm.”
The male looking them over raised a brow before ripping the gag off the younger man’s mouth.
“Such a nice mouth. I could see it wrapped around my cock. How do you feel about that young one?” The man stroked his hair before lowering his lips to kiss him.
“I wish to please you, master.” The man smiled big.
“I’ll take them both. I owe you, if you ever need to, call on me.”
Gabe bowed his head with respect and quickly turned them over to him. With the transaction complete, he walked over to Taya who was standing next to Voyager and gave her a big smile.
“Now all we have to do…”
“You didn’t really think it would be that easy did you?”
Voyager turned, picked up Taya in his inhuman grip, and tossed her.
The last thing she heard was Gabe’s scream of rage.
*~*~*~*
She woke on a dirty floor. Her body started trembling long before her mind caught up with it. She’d been here before; she remembered it as clear as if she were twenty again.
Her life was good. She was in her second year of college; at the time she was taking pre-med. One day she would be a well-respected doctor. Her parents were so proud of her and saved to help her go to a rather prestigious school. Then she caught the eye of Michael Harwith II. Everything in her life seemed to make sense. She’d have the great love her parents shared with Mike, a career she could be proud of. Add a big house and children, the life she always dreamed of would be hers.
It hadn’t happened that way. Wrenching her mind away from the hell she went through, she stood feeling the pain in her legs and body like she was reliving her nightmare as she staggered towards a door. Please, she prayed, please let me out.
The knob turned giving her a momentary peace. She fell out the room and found herself in a bigger room. There were men, boys really, sleeping in there. They drank themselves into a stupor and she needed to get out without waking them. She crept to the door keeping the whimpers contained in the back of her throat and her tears firmly behind her lashes. Finally, she reached it, a silent turn of the knob and she was slipping out, running wildly across the lawn looking for salvation, vindication.
She stopped running when she was far away. What should she do next? That scene scared her. She was no longer the confident woman. Had she ever been confident? There was no way she could deal with the trauma that happened to her when she was young so she stuffed it inside. The therapist tried to reach her, but she didn’t want to be reached. She wanted to forget. Forget that men were cruel. Forget that she was weak. That was the day she gave up every dream she ever had. After that, any good thing that came her way she held onto with an open hand, because she knew with certainty that something would come her way to steal it. Like Gabe.
Dragging herself to her feet, she started to walk. Where would she go? How could she make this nightmare stop? Why was she being punished when all she wanted to do was help Gabe?
She walked until she came to the center of a town. There were two and three story buildings around her. One caught her attention. It was dark purple but it shone like a spot light was on it.
The plaque on it said the future or the past which one will you choose.
A beautiful long haired black female stepped out. She gave Taya a smile that was enchanting.
“You, child. I can see you need my help.” She disappeared into the building leaving Taya to follow or not.
Chapter Fifteen
Walk away. It was the only smart thing to do, except she had been doing the smart thing all her life. She dropped out of college because her name was dragged through the mud although it wasn’t her fault. She walked away from a law suit because her parents didn’t have the money to fight it and she refused to bring them pain while Michael’s lawyer painted him as an angel. She had done the right things, the things that saved her family embarrassment even though they were never embarrassed by her, they simply hurt for her.
Her feet moved without a thought as she crossed the street. When she placed her hand on that purple door, she felt it throb beneath her palm. The desire to flee was closing in on her; still she pushed the door open and walked inside. She wasn’t sure what she expected but it wasn’t this.
The walls were actually painted pink and white, but it didn’t make her feel like she was ten. It calmed her down. After that vibrant purple on the outside, this actually felt normal. The furniture felt like something you might see in an old Victorian house. It was white with little flowers on it. The couch was old fashion and rimmed in highly polished wood. The place wasn’t bad and she took her first deep calming breath.
“Come in.”
She looked up to the woman gesturing towards her. Taya tried to get a good look at her but she seemed to change faster than she could see. An impression of age, ancient. Older than she thought Selma to be. This woman, female carried power with her. The kind she never encountered in her life before.
“I’m Taya, you are?”
She smiled at her turning a beautiful face into a stunning face.
“You don’t need my name, you need my help.”
“Why are you helping me?” She didn’t meet beings like her every day and they definitely didn’t offer to help her. She’d seen power and influence at work and knew just how deadly it could be.
The woman stopped and looked at her as if judging her. Then she shook her head like she made a judgement about her.
“I’m helping you because he brought you here. Without me you won’t reach your full potential.”
“You’re helping me because of Gabe. How do you know him?” A small spark of jealousy ignited in her heart. Maybe this was the one who was supposed to be Gabe’s soul-bonded. She could ask why he would want this woman, but in the end she wondered what was wrong with her. Why couldn’t he want her?
The woman was shaking her head.
“You’re not helping me because of Gabe? Then who?”
“The other one.”
Voyager? She was helping her because a snotty nosed rich boy threw her into the trials? Maybe the woman wasn’t as ancient as she first thought, or maybe she was simply foolish. Taya’s heart went out to the woman. She wanted to warn her but knew the warning would fall on deaf ears so she left it alone. For a moment she pictured Voyagers eyes. Those didn’t belong to a kid no matter how rich his daddy was.
“Normally I would ask you to pick the past or the future; however, in your case, you’ll need both.”
Taya felt her body rise from the chair, she screamed. A vortex formed around her and then her body shot through it and she was gone.
*~*~*~*
“Where is she?” Gabe screamed. Working with Voyager was trying every nerve he had. The male was unhelpful. Every question he asked was answered with a riddle. At this point he wanted Taya and a door out of this place.
Voyager’s eyes darkened before they became normal again.<
br />
“She’s not here. Looks like I might have misplaced her.” He frowned. “That is not like me. Another force has interfered and it’s powerful.”
“Get her back.”
“No. I don’t sense any malevolent intentions. As long as she is not our issue then we can focus on you.”
“Are you crazy?” He was tired of playing around pulling punches. He let the darkness of his soul come out. The air around him changed, deepening almost groaning as the weight of his mood sat on it.
“This is not a game and Taya will not be harmed.”
“You are right,” Voyager smiled and Gabe shook. “It is not a game.”
He stuck his hand out and Gabe flew into the whirlwind that was howling behind him.
How had a simple trip to the trials turned into this? Gabe picked himself up and dusted off. Where was he?
He was in the room he grew up in alone. That was the story of his life. He’d been alone since the day Ry was taken. There were two beds in this room but only he slept here. His body jerked as he cried out. It was the first time he felt the whip but not the last time. His connection to his twin was so strong, he felt everything Ry felt.
He hated himself when he was a kid because there was a time he waited for the connection to mute. For some sort of relief to be given to him but that never happened. Not even with Ry trying to tear the connection apart at its root. It simply dug deeper into Gabe. He felt everything until the day his back had been a mess of flesh when the beating finally finished. He knew death was just a step away.
Colun walked into the room that day when he was crawling across the floor trying desperately to reach a bathroom. He picked him up like he was still ten even though he was almost a man at that point and carried him to the bathroom, took care of his back before announcing that he was finally mature enough. They could now find Ry.
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