Undone (The Amoveo Legend)

by Sara Humphreys

  There were black panels to the right of each with a row of red lights along the top. She wondered what they were, and her curiosity was satisfied when they reached the door at the end. Artimus placed his hand over the panel, which turned the red lights green, and the door opened with a muffled click. He pulled her into a room reminiscent of a doctor’s waiting room.

  There was a young woman sitting at a computer at the reception desk. Her brown hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, and she was dressed in all black. When she set eyes on Artimus, her eyes flickered to the bright blue of her clan, and she smiled broadly, fading as soon as she looked at Marianna.

  “Good afternoon, my king,” she said, turning her attention back to Artimus. She bowed her head in deference. “Dr. Moravian is expecting you. Please go right in.”

  “King?” Marianna said incredulously. “When did you give yourself that title? Richard is Prince of the Amoveo—leader of our people—not you. You’re a traitor.”

  “Richard is a weak and pathetic fool.” Artimus didn’t spare her a glance, but tightened his grip on her bicep. “Thank you, Francesca.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” A buzzer sounded, and the door to Moravian’s office clicked open.

  Marianna knew the girl was a pure-blood, and based on the color of her eyes, she suspected a member of a wolf clan. How could anyone, especially a woman, knowingly participate in this sick breeding plan?

  The office on the other side of the doorway was far nicer than the rest of the facility. A thick carpet in a rich brown hue replaced tile floors. The eggshell-colored walls had several photographs scattered about, as well as the different degrees that Moravian had earned. There were no windows here either.

  The mahogany desk and credenza at the far wall were framed by massive bookshelves littered with books and statues, awards of some kind. Dr. Moravian stood from his high-back leather chair behind the desk to greet them.

  “Welcome to our facility, my dear.” He grinned broadly and came around the desk with arms outstretched to embrace her, but his face fell when he saw the fading bruise on her cheek. “What on earth happened?”

  The doctor took Marianna by the hands, releasing her from Artimus’s grasp, and led her to one of the chairs in front of his desk. He helped her into the seat as he inspected the mark on her face. While she was grateful for the empathy, she was leery.

  “I guess Artimus doesn’t like girls that spit.” Marianna winced as Dr. Moravian inspected the bruise.

  “We need our participants in the program strong, Artimus.” He walked to a small refrigerator on the other side of the room and removed an ice pack, which he promptly handed to Marianna.

  “Thank you,” Marianna said, taking the ice pack and watching Artimus for his reaction to Dr. Moravian’s kindness.

  Artimus, however, seemed unfazed. He simply sat opposite Marianna. Hayden stood by his father, but kept his ugly gaze fixed firmly on Marianna. You’re going to get a lot more than a smack from me, Marianna. Hayden’s thoughts intruded into Marianna’s mind sharply. She flicked her eyes at the other two men to see if they’d heard, but they seemed unaware.

  Perhaps Artimus’s shield wasn’t as strong as he thought?

  Marianna hadn’t been shielding her mind because she assumed it wouldn’t matter. She didn’t respond, but immediately protected her thoughts from further intrusions. The smug look on Hayden’s face told her that he knew she’d heard, but hope glimmered brightly. If Hayden could use telepathy with her, then perhaps she could with Pete or Dante.

  Hayden said that she couldn’t use visualization or shift, but he didn’t mention telepathy. Perhaps it was only inside this facility that she could? She wanted to try to contact Pete, but she had to wait until she was alone.

  “You’ll want to smack her too when I tell you about a new wrinkle in our plans.” Artimus smoothed the lapels of his jacket and looked at Marianna with annoyance. “She’s gone and gotten herself pregnant by that human. We’ll need to terminate this monstrosity immediately so that we can proceed as planned.”

  “Let’s not be hasty.” Dr. Moravian pursed his lips and ran a hand over his goatee as he studied Marianna intently.

  “What are you talking about?” Artimus snapped. “We need her to breed with Hayden, and she can’t do that if she’s already pregnant and with more than one.”

  “Artimus, please.” Dr. Moravian put both hands up in an effort to calm Artimus, but kept his sights on Marianna. “This could be a unique opportunity to study our enemy. Think about it for a moment. The two hybrids we captured both died within a few weeks, and so far, we haven’t had any luck finding the others.”

  “You found other hybrids and killed them?” Marianna asked in a far shakier voice than she intended.

  “It wasn’t intentional.” Dr. Moravian shrugged. “We ran a few tests, to see if they could withstand certain temperature changes, emotional stresses, and so forth. Regretfully, they couldn’t. Granted, we found unmated hybrids that weren’t aware of what they were, but your situation has given me an interesting idea.”

  He strolled to his seat behind the desk, sat down, and folded his hands in front of him. His eyes shifted to the glowing eyes of his clan, and a sick smile cracked his face. There it is, Marianna thought, there’s the snake I knew was hiding in the grass.

  “If we keep her here and allow her to carry the pregnancy to term, we would have two hybrids to study and experiment on from birth. Imagine what we might learn from them? Perhaps there are weaknesses that we could discover and then exploit in the others we encounter.” He leaned back and turned his attention to Artimus. “When she’s recovered from that pregnancy, we can continue with our original plan.”

  Marianna’s heart sank. Experiment on her children? Treat them like lab animals? Her stomach tightened, and she thought she might vomit on Moravian’s polished desk. The only thing that kept her from losing it completely was that this plan would buy her and her babies time.

  She looked frantically between the three men, but they remained completely calm, as if what Artimus suggested was a perfectly normal idea.

  “Fine,” Artimus bit out.

  “But, Father—”

  “Silence.” Artimus didn’t look at his son, but merely raised his hand in a clear command. “The doctor has proposed an interesting plan. I’m going to allow it for now. Doctor, please make sure she has a full examination and isn’t harboring anything that may cause trouble down the road.”

  “No fucking way.” Marianna hurled the ice pack at Artimus’s head and scrambled off the chair toward the door. “You’re not touching my children.”

  Hayden came after her, but Marianna spun around and kicked him square in the crotch. He groaned in agony, clutched his balls, and dropped to the floor in a moaning heap. She grabbed the handle and pulled against it uselessly as the rumbling growl of a bear filled the room.

  She swung around, fists raised, eyes wild, ready to kick, scratch, and bite anyone who came near, and she came face-to-face with Artimus in his grizzly bear form. Glowing black eyes filled with hatred gleamed, and his dark brown fur quivered over his tremendous body as he held her prisoner.

  Even standing on all fours, he was taller than she was.

  His black-tipped snout was inches from hers, and his lips curled back with a low growl as he bared his teeth. Warm, fetid breath wafted over her face as he inched closer. Heart pounding in her chest, Marianna squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her body against the door, trying to get some distance. She prayed that he’d kill her quickly. Better that she and her babies die now than become lab rats for the rest of their lives.

  “Now, now, young lady,” Dr. Moravian simpered. He sounded close by, but she didn’t want to open her eyes to check. She knew Artimus loomed in his bear form; she could feel the intense heat emanating from his body, and his growl surrounded her. “You’ll be staying with us for quite some time, so I think it would be in your best interest to cooperate. But for now, we’ll help you along.”

/>   Before she could ask what he meant, the sting of a needle penetrated her skin as the doctor injected her with something. Cold washed up her arm and through the rest her body with frightening speed, and within seconds, Artimus’s growl faded.

  As darkness and silence claimed her, only one word went through her mind… Pete.

  ***

  A dull, throbbing headache greeted Marianna as she came out of the drug-induced sleep, compliments of Dr. Moravian. As the haze lifted, she slowly became aware of her surroundings, and the first thing she noticed was that her hands and feet were restrained to the bed. She tugged against the leather cuffs lashed to her wrists and ankles, but to no avail. Her strength had been sapped by whatever they injected her with, or maybe it was the dampening field that Artimus had placed over the facility, but either way, she wasn’t going anywhere at the moment.

  She cracked her eyes open and tried to lift her head but was greeted with a huge wave of nausea. Marianna shut her eyes and took a few deep, cleansing breaths, hoping to quell the nausea and ease her headache. As her stomach settled, she sought the energy signatures of the twins growing in her womb, needing to connect and know they were still safe.

  It took only a few seconds to tune into the beautiful hum of their unified energies. Their signatures were in sync, and someone else might mistake them for one, but not Marianna. Tears of relief pricked her eyes as she confirmed that they were indeed healthy, and well… for now.

  Marianna kept her head on the pillow and looked cautiously around the room. The white-walled space couldn’t have been bigger than ten by ten. Along the far side of the wall were a toilet and a sink, and directly next to the bed a small table and a chair. The door had that same square window, like the ones she’d passed in the hallway with Artimus and Hayden.

  There were no other windows. She didn’t know if it was day or night and had no idea how long it had been since Artimus grabbed her at the cabin. Hours? Days? If Pete survived the assault from Daniella, then Marianna knew that he’d stop at nothing to find her.

  But what if he hadn’t? What if Artimus was right, and Pete was dead?

  No. Marianna shook her head as if she could shake away the horrifying thought. He was alive. He had to be. She would know if he’d been killed, wouldn’t she? All Amoveo felt the loss instantly upon the death of their mate, and he was her mate—human or not—she would know if he had died. Her throat tightened, but she resisted the urge to cry. Tears weren’t going to help her or their babies.

  “Focus, Marianna,” she whispered to the empty room.

  Her eyes fluttered closed, and she concentrated on creating a mental link with Pete but was met with that same impenetrable wall. Repeatedly, she sent her energy in search of his, but each time there was no answer… she was alone.

  The tears fell freely now as she looked around the sterile room that reminded her of a psychiatric hospital. She laughed through her tears at the irony of it all because if she didn’t get out of here soon—she’d fit right in at a loony bin. Hopelessness reared its ugly head, threatening what was left of her resolve.

  The sound of the door clicking open captured her attention and sent her heart into overdrive.

  She fully expected Artimus, Hayden, or the doctor to come through the door, but much to her relief, it was none of them. A young woman of perhaps twenty came into the room bearing a tray of food and a timid smile.

  Marianna watched her carefully as she placed the tray on the table and sat in the chair next to her. Her pale blond hair was swept back in a low ponytail, and her petite frame was hidden beneath baggy, blue hospital scrubs. She looked at Marianna through sympathetic green eyes that seemed oddly familiar.

  “My name is Savannah,” she said in a sweet, melodic voice. “I’m your daytime caretaker and will be tending to your needs. Now, I could feed you, but I’m sure you’d rather feed yourself.”

  She peeled back the plastic wrap from the glass of juice and the tray of bacon and eggs.

  “So it’s daytime?” Marianna asked in a froggy voice. “It’s hard to tell with the view from here, and yes, I’ve been feeding myself for years.”

  “I’m sure,” Savannah replied with a hint of a smile. “You’ve been here for about twenty-four hours, but the medication they gave you lasted longer than anticipated. We think it’s because of your pregnancy, but not to worry, the fetuses are handling it fine. You’re only a few weeks pregnant, but they seem healthy.”

  Reading the confusion on Marianna’s face, she continued.

  “We did a sonogram while you were sedated to check on the status of the twins. We also ran a few other tests on your vitals and drew some blood. Other than the pregnancy, you’re a perfectly healthy pure-blood.”

  “Who knows what that injection did to my twins,” Marianna seethed.

  “I can assure you the fetuses are fine. We developed a sedation serum that would have minimal impact on them.” She placed her delicate hands in her lap and cocked her head. “Can I remove these restraints so that you can eat, or are you going to start trouble and make me use the Taser in my pocket?” She patted the lump in the pocket of her scrubs.

  Marianna weighed her options. She could try to escape, but the truth was that she had no idea where she was, and she was in a completely weakened state. She needed more information before she tried another getaway, and besides, getting Tasered didn’t sound appealing.

  She nodded and prayed for the strength to hold it together.

  Savannah unlocked her wrist restraints with the keys dangling from the cord around her wrist and removed the ankle shackles before helping her to a sitting position. Dizziness and nausea came in another stomach-tumbling wave, but a few deep breaths helped it subside.

  “Here.” She handed her the orange juice. “I’m sure your blood sugar is low, but this should help.”

  Marianna accepted it with shaking hands and drank the sweet, cold liquid greedily before handing the empty glass to Savannah.

  “I guess you were thirsty?” Savannah laughed and handed her the plate. “I’m sure you’re equally hungry.”

  Marianna accepted it and tried not to be quite as much of a glutton as she’d been with the juice, but didn’t have much luck. She was starving and ate the food like her life and the lives of her twins depended on it. Savannah said nothing, but watched her through serious green eyes.

  “Thank you.” Marianna passed her the empty plate. “Can I ask you a question, Savannah?”

  “Of course.”

  “You seem nice and nothing like the Purists that I’ve had the misfortune to know.” Marianna brought her feet up on the bed, sat cross-legged, and leaned back against the wall for support, but she kept her gaze fixed on Savannah.

  “Is there a question coming?” She looked away and made herself busy cleaning the tray.

  “Why are you participating?” She leaned both elbows on her knees, watching Savannah’s body language and struggling to read her muted energy signature. “How can you be complicit in the violation of our laws and the atrocities they’re committing against innocent people?”

  “We have to do this,” Savannah whispered as she picked up the tray and turned toward the door. Her energy signature fired in nervous pulses. She placed her hand on the black panel, and the door opened with a muffled click. “There is no choice. Our—our race depends on it.”

  “Really?” Marianna picked up one of the restraints and fiddled with it. “Do I look like a volunteer?”

  “It’s for the greater good.” The uneasiness in her signature grew stronger, and she avoided looking Marianna in the eye as she headed out.

  “If it’s such a noble cause, then why aren’t you getting knocked up? Or that chick I saw in Dr. Moravian’s waiting room? You’re both pure-bloods.” She narrowed her eyes and stared her down. “Why aren’t you offering your uterus?”

  “We aren’t part of the initial trials.” Savannah’s hands trembled as she tidied the tray and avoided her gaze. “Once all the… kinks have been worke
d out, then we’ll be the first ones in line.”

  “Kinks?” Bile rose in Marianna’s throat.

  “Sometimes there must be sacrifice before success.”

  Savannah repeated the phrase as only a good servant would, but she lacked conviction. Those were words that Moravian and Artimus had probably spewed out, and this young woman was merely repeating them—but she didn’t say it like she meant it.

  “You don’t believe that.” Marianna attempted to rise from the bed, but dizziness washed over her again. “I can tell—you lack the conviction of the others—please help me,” she said as she crumpled weakly onto the bed. “I know that I’m not the only one held here against my will. I think one of my friends is here too. Courtney Bishop, she’s a member of the Coyote Clan, and her family is worried sick.” She looked at her pleadingly and whispered, “You have to help us.”

  Savannah stood in the open door. Her sympathetic green eyes flicked to Marianna’s, and she opened her mouth to say something, but snapped it shut abruptly.

  “How is our newest resident doing this morning?” Dr. Moravian’s overly cheerful voice filled the room just before he appeared in the doorway behind Savannah. He frowned when he saw that she was free of her restraints. “Why is she not in her restraints?”

  “She’s far too weak to cause any trouble.” Savannah tore her eyes from Marianna, and her energy signature immediately hardened. “The patient ate her breakfast without incident. Although I’m quite sure that having my Taser handy helped keep her in line.”

  “Yes, it would seem that it did,” he murmured and kissed the top of Savannah’s head with a chuckle. “Leave it to you to think outside the box. See to it that the rest of the caretakers are issued Tasers. Perhaps it will discourage other troublemakers.”

  Marianna watched the affection that the doctor so freely displayed with curiosity. She looked at the two side by side, and slowly but surely, the pieces came together. Dr. Moravian kissed her on the head again and disappeared from the doorway.