Enigma:What Lies Beneath (Enigma Series Book 1)

by Kellen, Ditter

  He released her breast and dragged his mouth up to her ear, settling his big body between her thighs to push ever so slowly into her waiting heat. “Home…”

  That one word shattered what little amount of control she’d managed to hang on to. Hauke was her home. On land or beneath the deepest of seas. None of it mattered as long as she had him by her side.

  * * * *

  Abbie spent the next two hours in a haze of passion and wonder. She wanted to block out the world outside and stay like this forever. “Hauke?”

  “Hmmm?” The hand running through her hair as her head lay on his chest slowed but didn’t stop.

  “As much as I’d love for us to be able to remain in bed the rest of the day, we can’t. We need to talk.”

  Hauke released a long sigh and pulled her close. “The day is gone, my mate. The sun disappeared in the west shortly after my arrival.”

  He kissed her forehead as she tilted her head back to peer up at his face. “We have to leave here. And soon.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Hauke understood Abbie’s anxiety over the situation at hand. People were being hospitalized with a virus that he felt responsible for. And according to his father, nothing could be done to stop it.

  “There is nowhere to go but beneath, Abbie. The virus will spread throughout the land, infecting the humans until there is nothing left.”

  “What about Henry and Uncle Tony? My friends, coworkers. I have to warn them. Bruce can— ”

  “Bruce?” Hauke growled, rolling out from under her to sit on the side of the bed.

  Abbie got to her knees and wrapped her arms around him from behind. “He is only a friend, Hauke. Nothing more.”

  “A friend does not put his tongue inside another friend’s mouth.”

  “What? How would you know what he did to my mouth?”

  “I witnessed a memory I wish to forget.”

  He felt the hesitation in her next words. “We used to see each other, but it didn’t work out. We decided it would be better to end things on a friendly note.”

  “You decided,” Hauke murmured. “From what I saw, I do not think Bruce felt the same as you.”

  “You’re jealous of someone from my past?”

  “He is not from your past. You feel something for him, Abbie. I can sense it.”

  “What I felt for him doesn’t come close to my feelings for you, Hauke. He is a good friend and coworker. That’s it.” Her arms tightened around him. “You are the love of my life…my forever.”

  Abbie’s words penetrated Hauke’s heart, relieving him of his jealous thoughts. He turned to face her. “I apologize for my doubt, soul of my soul. You do not deserve my insecurity.”

  A sound from above caught his attention. He put a finger to his lips for silence and slowly stood.

  “It’s just Uncle Tony,” Abbie whispered, snatching up her clothes and scurrying from the bed behind him.

  Hauke waited for her to disappear into the bathroom before moving silently toward the entrance.

  The door opened, and Abbie’s uncle stepped into the room. His hand immediately went to the weapon housed on his side before recognition settled in.

  He glanced down Hauke’s big body with a raised eyebrow. “It would seem that you’re happy to see me. Too bad I can’t say the same.”

  Hauke suddenly realized he stood in front of the man in a state of undress with a semi-erection from his earlier play with Abbie.

  Embarrassed, he spun on his heel and marched back to the bed to find his clothing. He pulled on his pants with jerky movements, grateful that Abbie hadn’t witnessed the uncomfortable exchange.

  “Where have you been?” Tony questioned, picking up a coffee pot from the small counter and carrying it to the sink. He began filling it with water.

  Hauke briefed the man on everything that had happened since he’d been gone, ending with, “There is nothing in the scrolls that can help. I must take Abbie to safety.”

  “I agree,” Tony muttered, turning off the water and moving to stand in front of the coffeemaker. “People are dying by the droves, and dozens more are hospitalized each day.”

  Abbie came barreling into the room, angry and hurt. One did not need to be telepathic to read her thoughts. “I realize that you two think you’re doing what’s best for me, but I do have a say in what happens to me.”

  Tony glanced at her over his shoulder before opening a cabinet in search of a coffee cup. “You need to listen to the alien on this one, girl. You can’t stay in this bunker forever. Eventually you’ll need to go out for supplies.”

  “And you think I’m incapable of handling myself out there?” She jerked her chin toward the ceiling. “I’m not some sniveling child that needs to be hidden away from everyone and everything that can hurt me.”

  She held up a hand when Hauke would have interrupted. “I know what is happening out there, Uncle Tony, and I appreciate you both for keeping me safe, but I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this.” She stepped in close and laid her hand on Tony’s arm. “I am a doctor…a pathologist. I should be helping with this virus, not hiding from it.”

  “No,” Hauke growled, effectively stopping her display of heroism. “You do not understand how deadly this virus is for humans. It destroys the brain first and then attacks the rest of the body’s organs. The victims become more ill by the day until it eventually claims their lives.”

  “He’s right, Abbie,” Tony interjected. “The body count is great and rising by the day. There is nothing you can do to stop it.”

  “But— ”

  “No buts. Henry is working day and night along with many others, searching for a cure. If you show yourself now, you will be shot on sight.”

  Abbie’s gaze bored into her uncle’s. “How do you know so much about what’s going on with Henry?”

  Tony appeared uncomfortable with her line of questioning. “I am ex-CIA. I still have a few contacts on the inside. They are watching his every movement. If you reach out to him or go anywhere near him, you are to be taken out.”

  Rage boiled up inside Hauke at the knowledge of the land walkers’ intentions to harm his mate.

  He stepped up next to Abbie but directed his next words to her uncle. “It is approximately five hundred feet below to the entrance of Aukrabah. Abbie’s body cannot withstand such a great depth. We need a way to safely move her to my home.”

  Tony poured a fresh cup of coffee and leaned against the counter to address Hauke. “Getting her safely below would require a small submarine or an atmospheric diving suit capable of withstanding the pressures of the deep. In other words, something that will be near to impossible to acquire.”

  “But not impossible?”

  “Nothing is impossible if you have the right connections. I will make some calls and see what I can come up with. In the meantime, see that she stays put down here. They are searching high and low for the both of you.”

  Abbie’s features darkened. “Hello? I’m right here. I really wish you two would stop talking about me like I’m invisible.” She threw both hands in the air. “And before you start telling me what I should and shouldn’t do, just hear me out.”

  Hauke held his tongue as she began to pace back and forth in front of him. “If Uncle Tony can get a message to Bruce Ortega and my father to meet us at a designated safe place, we can go somewhere far from here and work on a cure for this virus. I hate running like a coward when I have the ability to help.”

  “If, and I stress the word if that can be arranged, you run the risk of being recognized. Especially with him in tow.” Tony jerked his chin in Hauke’s direction.

  “We can keep him away from the public eye, and I can cut my hair, become a blonde or a redhead. No one is looking for Bruce. It will be easy getting him out unnoticed.”

  Hauke shook his head. “I do not like it. There are too many risks. I refuse to take a chance with your life, Abbie.”

  She abruptly stopped pacing. “But that’s just it, Hauk
e. How is my life more important than everyone else’s? How can I sleep at night, knowing that thousands and eventually millions of lives will be lost while I hide safely away and do nothing?”

  Her face paled significantly, and her eyes became unfocused. She dropped her head in her hands. “I don’t feel so good.” Her knees suddenly buckled.

  Hauke instantly sprang forward, catching her a second before she hit the floor.

  “Put her on the bed. I’ll grab a washcloth,” Tony barked, rushing in the direction of the bathroom.

  “Abbie?” Hauke had never felt as helpless as he did in this moment. “Talk to me, soul of my soul.” He laid her on the bed and cradled her head in his arms.

  Tony quickly returned, holding a cool washcloth, and placed it gently on her forehead. “What’s wrong with her? Has she been exposed in some way?”

  “I do not know. I arrived only hours before.” It hurt Hauke’s heart to see her pale form lying listlessly in his arms.

  “Damn it. If she has contracted that virus…” Tony continued to bathe her brow in slow, gentle sweeps.

  A moan softly slipped from her throat. “Hauke?” she whispered, attempting to open her eyes.

  “I am here, Abbie. Tell me what is wrong. Are you all right?”

  “I’m going to be sick.”

  Tony grabbed a small trashcan from the kitchen and set it next to the bed, barely moving out of the way before she rolled to her side and filled it with the contents of her stomach.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Abbie couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so nauseated. The room swam before her eyes, and her body felt as weak as a kitten’s. “What happened?”

  “You fainted,” Hauke responded, taking up Tony’s task of wiping her face with the cool cloth.

  She moved to sit up, but he only pulled her back down. “You must rest easy until help arrives.”

  His words made little sense. “Where’s Uncle Tony?”

  “He is gone to retrieve a doctor for you. Now try to get some sleep until he returns.”

  Surely she hadn’t heard him right. “A doctor? I don’t need a doctor. I’m fine, Hauke. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  “You will stay where you are until Tony returns.” He pulled her up higher against his chest. “You scared me, my mate. I do not recall feeling more afraid.”

  “I’m sure it’s just stress or low iron from not eating right.” She tilted her head back to see his face. “How in the hell is Tony planning on bringing a doctor here? He’s going to get caught, pulling such stunts.”

  Hauke kissed the tip of her nose. “If anyone can do it, your uncle can.”

  Abbie supposed he was right. Tony wasn’t the average, everyday man. He knew about things that ordinary people had no clue even existed. “Yeah, I guess. But I really don’t need a doctor.”

  “It is too late. One will be here soon.”

  “How long was I out?” She watched the play of emotions in his beautiful eyes.

  “Your uncle gave you something for the nausea. He said it would help you to sleep.”

  She sat up and immediately regretted it. More nausea rolled through her stomach. “Will you help me to the shower?”

  “It would be best for you to continue resting.”

  “I know, but if he’s bringing a doctor here to have a look at me, I don’t want to reek of sex and vomit.”

  “Very well,” Hauke grumbled, standing in one fluid motion with her in his arms.

  She clung to his neck as he carried her to the bathroom and turned on the shower without releasing her.

  “I can stand, Hauke. I know I have to be getting heavy.”

  He gaped at her. “I have caught fish that weigh more than you.”

  Abbie would have laughed if her stomach wasn’t on the verge of heaving again.

  Hauke sat her on the counter next to the sink and carefully removed her clothing along with his own before scooping her up and stepping under the heated spray.

  The water felt amazing on Abbie’s skin. She tilted her head back, allowing its soothing warmth to sluice across her scalp and down her shoulders.

  “I am going to set you on your feet so that I may wash you. If you feel sick or faint in any way, I want you to lean on me. I will not allow you to fall.”

  Abbie inwardly smiled at his way with words. She blinked up at him as he slid her gently down his body. “Yes, Spock.”

  His head tilted to the side in confusion, but he didn’t question her about her statement.

  The rest of her time spent in the shower with Hauke could only be described as heaven. He washed her with the same tenderness he used in making love to her, and she would have happily spent the rest of her life basking in it.

  Abbie let her gaze move down his incredible frame, touching on every inch of skin she could see.

  She reached beneath his arms to his sides and ran her fingertips lightly over his gills, feeling their slightly raised contours while continuing to study his beautiful form.

  Her own body quickened with need the moment his massive erection came into view.

  “Abbie…” Hauke warned in a low tone. “Do not tempt me with your thoughts. I will not take you until you are stronger.”

  Disappointment was swift. She wanted him with a passion that belied her weak state.

  “Soon,” he swore, switching off the water and lifting her into his arms to step from the shower.

  “I can dry myself, Hauke. I’m feeling much better now.”

  “Nonsense. It is an honor for me to care for you.”

  Abbie’s heart melted at his words. She thought of the human men she’d known in her life and their lack of finesse where women were concerned. How sad that an alien born to the water understood a woman’s needs better than her own kind did.

  “You compare me to the land walker males?”

  Her lips twitched. “You must stop stalking my thoughts without permission. To answer your question? There is no comparison. Our men, or land walkers as you call them, could learn a lot from the Bracadyte males.”

  “I am glad that you approve.” He sat her on her previous seat next to the sink and carefully dried her with a towel he’d snagged from behind her before donning his pants.

  Voices coming from the other room interrupted his pampering. She slid to her feet and wrapped the giant towel around her body. “I believe Tony is back with the doctor.”

  Hauke lifted her into his arms once again, ignoring her instance on walking, and entered the main room to lay her on the bed.

  “Jesus, Abbie, what have you done?”

  She swung her gaze in the direction of the voice she would know anywhere. “Bruce?”

  Her friend and fellow doctor rushed across the room to her side. “Were you expecting someone else? You are all over the news. No one else would dare come near you.” He set a black bag on the table next to the bed and opened the top.

  Abbie was mortified for Bruce to see her in such a state, but she hated even more that Tony had endangered his life by involving him in her mess.

  Bruce reached into the bag and grabbed a stethoscope. “Tell me what happened,” he demanded, inserting the ear tips into his ears and slipping the chest-piece beneath her towel to rest between her breasts.

  The growl that came from Hauke shocked her. She took hold of his hand and squeezed. “He has to do it to listen to my heart and lungs.”

  Hauke only stood there, staring at Bruce with jealousy swirling in his emerald green eyes. “She lost consciousness.”

  “I see. Any nausea?” Bruce kept his gaze on Abbie as if ignoring Hauke would somehow make him disappear.

  “She vomited earlier,” Tony piped in from the kitchen. “I doubt she got sick again after I left.”

  “That’s because you drugged me,” Abbie accused, shooting him a go to hell look.

  Bruce reached for the towel. “I’m going to need to remove this if I’m to— ”

  Hauke’s hand snapped out, locking onto the doctor�
��s wrist. “You do not touch her.”

  Tony was suddenly there. “If you don’t let him do his job, he can’t find out what’s wrong with her. He’s a doctor, Hauke. He has to touch her to help her.”

  Abbie watched as Hauke released Bruce’s wrist and leaned across her to pull the sheet up to her waist. Then he opened the towel below her breasts, exposing only her stomach to the man.

  “If you ever put your hands on me again, freak, I will kill you,” Bruce ground out between clenched teeth.

  “That’s enough,” Tony barked, stepping in between the two testosterone-filled males in the room. “Neither of you are helping Abbie. Now, you” —he cut his gaze to Hauke— “step back and let Bruce do what he was fetched to do. He’s risking his life by being here.”

  Tony turned toward the doctor next. “And you. Do what you need to do and be quick about it. I don’t know how much longer that creature will allow you to put your hands on her before he snaps your neck.”

  Abbie closed her eyes when Hauke took a step back and the stethoscope began moving down her body. It stopped directly below her navel.

  “I think I may know what the problem is,” Bruce announced, applying more pressure.

  “What?” Abbie’s eyes flew open. “What it is?”

  He ignored her, jumping up and grabbing a pair of gloves from his bag. “I need to do a vaginal check.”

  Abbie slammed her knees together and jerked the sheet up to her neck. “What the hell for?”

  “You have never witnessed anything as severe as the death you will face if you think to lay your hands— ”

  “Stand down, Hauke,” Tony quietly interrupted. “I’m with you on this one.” He ran a palm down his face. “Bruce? Why do you need to check her…there?”

  “Because I can hear another heartbeat.”

  Speaking of hearts, Abbie’s felt as if hers would explode at any second. “You— I’m—What are you talking about?”

  Bruce blew out a breath and locked gazes with her. “I’m fairly certain that you’re pregnant, but I can’t be sure unless I examine you.”

  “That’s impossible,” she breathed. “A fetal heartbeat can’t be heard through a stethoscope before a five-month gestation period, and I’ve only known Hauke for six weeks.”