Another small shudder rolled through her as her lids slowly drifted shut and blessed sleep finally claimed her.
Hauke continued to hold her long after her breathing grew even. What could possibly have happened to Abbie’s uncle that would create such darkness?
During their first encounter many weeks ago, Hauke had witnessed a woman and child through Tony’s memories, but nothing compared to the destruction his sister had beheld.
Abbie and her uncle emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later. A white bandage covered Tony’s wrist, with a small bloodstain on the underside.
“Is she okay?” Abbie rushed to the bedside and laid her hand on Hauke’s shoulder.
“She will live,” Hauke murmured, easing out from under Naura’s sleeping form.
“How bad is the wound?” He nodded toward Tony, who was now in the kitchen pouring a cup of cold coffee.
“I stitched him up. It wasn’t as bad as I initially thought.”
Tony gazed into the cup he held for several seconds before setting it in the sink. “I’m going to have a look outside. Hopefully the coast is clear, and I can get to my destination without being seen.”
“Where is your destination, Uncle Tony? How are you able to come and go without them spotting you?”
“The man that owns this place has a house about a mile inland with a basement similar to this bunker. As far as coming and going? I’m ex-CIA. I have my ways.”
“Who is this guy?” Abbie asked, following him toward the door. “A doomsday prepper?”
“Something like that.” Tony listened for a moment before inching the door open and stepping into the long hall that would lead him to the hatch. “I’ll return as soon as I can.”
He glanced back toward the bed. “I want her gone the minute she is able. Understood?” The door closed softly behind him.
“I am sorry, Abbie.” Hauke had listened to the exchange with mixed feelings. He respected Tony’s need to keep his niece safe, but Abbie was Hauke’s mate, his responsibility, and he would do nothing to put her in harm’s way.
He met her across the room, peering down at her still-flat stomach. “I have ruined your life.”
“You have brought me to life and given me a life, Hauke. This baby is a testament of the love we share, and no matter what happens around us, we will always have each other.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest.
“The world will be in chaos very soon if I do not do something about it, Abbie.”
She pulled back to gaze at his face. “What can you do? If the scrolls can’t help, it will be up to the Center for Disease Control to find a cure. It’s not your fault, Hauke.”
“There has to be something I can do. Perhaps if I give the land walkers the blood they desire, this madness will end.”
“Don’t you dare talk like that. If you go anywhere near them, they will capture you and torture you until you’re dead. You don’t know these people the way I do. They’re ruthless, and they could give a rat’s ass about you.”
“You have a strange vocabulary, my mate. I am not certain why they would give me a rat’s ass, but no matter. I still believe that my father knows more than he has admitted to.”
“Then we will go to him and plead with him to help us. Surely he won’t try to lock you up again if I’m with you.”
“It is difficult to say what he would do. But the safest place for you and our unborn child may be in Aukrabah.”
An explosion suddenly sounded from above, rocking the small space with the force of an earthquake.
Hauke threw himself in front of Abbie as the door blew open and a dozen uniformed men rushed into the room with weapons drawn.
“Get down on your knees. Now!” one of the men shouted, pointing his rifle in Hauke’s direction.
The venom-filled barbs on his wrists and ankles grew erect and throbbed in time with his heartbeat. He backed up against Abbie, shielding her small body with his bigger one.
If not for Abbie and Naura, Hauke would fight to the death. But he was greatly outnumbered and refused to risk the lives of his sister and mate.
“Let them go,” Hauke demanded, addressing the leader of the group. “It is me that you want. They are only women.”
The leader stepped forward, shifting his weapon toward Abbie. “Actually, it’s her that we came for. Now move aside, or I’ll kill you both.”
“Abbie?” Hauke mentally implored. “I will die before I let them take you. When I swing, I want you to get as low as you can and run to the bathroom. Lock the door and do not come out until I come for you.”
He could feel her panic, suffocating, surrounding him.
“No. I won’t leave you, Hauke. I won’t.”
“You have to think about our child, Abbie. Survive. No matter what happens to me. You stay alive.”
A shot rang out with a deafening boom, ricocheting off the walls of the bunker. It took a second for Hauke to realize he had been shot, and another for him to spring into action.
Two more explosions resonated in his ears, matched only by Abbie’s screams and the force of bullets tearing through his guts.
Fire raced from multiple points of entry to rip through his back, taking him to his knees in white-hot agony.
“Stay where you are, freak, or the next one has her name on it.” The leader of the group stood over Hauke with feet apart and his weapon aimed at Abbie.
“No,” Hauke snarled, throwing his hands out in surrender. “I will not fight. Please, do not harm her.”
“What the hell? He speaks English,” a man across the room acknowledged. “Are you sure he’s an alien?”
Someone moved through Hauke’s peripheral vision, striding toward the bed where Naura lay. “Anderson? You might want to come take a look at this.”
The one called Anderson spoke without taking his gaze from Hauke. “Spivey, keep an eye on these two.”
“Yes, sir.” Spivey stepped forward, relieving Anderson of his post. He mimicked the guy’s stance, keeping his gaze on Hauke and his gun trained on Abbie.
Hauke could feel Abbie’s fear and desperation as he hovered on the brink of consciousness, his vision graying with every shallow breath he took. “My mate?” he whispered through her mind.
“Oh my God, Hauke. You’ve been shot. How many times were you hit? We have to get you some help,” she sent back in a rush, her thoughts jumbled to the point he had a hard time reading them. “I can’t live without you, Hauke. Please don’t leave me. Please.”
“I will be with you always, soul of my soul. A part of me now lies beneath your heart…”
Abbie’s cry was the last sound he heard before his eyes rolled back and he toppled to the floor in darkness.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Tears streamed down Abbie’s face as Hauke’s huge form slumped at her feet. She dropped to her knees behind him and pulled his head onto her lap. “Hauke? Baby? Talk to me.”
“They will take you from me. Do not resist. I will find you. No matter how long…”
Hauke’s voice faded from her mind, wrenching a cry from her otherwise closed throat. Breathing became difficult, and the room shifted around her.
“Stay strong for him, Abbie. He needs you.”
Abbie glanced up at Naura, who now lay on her stomach, her hands and feet bound.
“Leave her alone,” Abbie pleaded with Anderson. “You have us. What do you need with her?”
“I’m only following orders, Doctor Sutherland. I was told to leave no witnesses. Besides, she’s one of them.” He nodded in Hauke’s direction. “Which means she carries the same bacteria he does.”
“Then take her out and dump her in the gulf. I’m begging you.”
Abbie shifted her legs and pulled Hauke’s head up higher against her chest, laying two trembling fingers along the pulse point on his neck. “He’s dying,” she choked out. “We have to get him to a hospital. Please. I’ll do anything they want, tell them anything they need to
know, just please don’t let him die.”
A spark of compassion shone in Anderson’s eyes, however briefly. He blew out a breath before barking out orders.
Abbie watched as two of the soldiers carried Naura from the room while three others bent and gripped Hauke’s arms and legs.
“Let go of him, Doctor Sutherland,” Anderson demanded, stopping next to her. “You’re coming with me.”
Abbie only held on tighter. “Where are you taking him? Can’t I go with them?”
Anderson gripped her fingers, forcing her to release the tight hold she had on Hauke’s body. “My orders are to bring you in, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. Now get to your feet and walk, or I’ll drag you out, kicking and screaming.”
“Screw you,” she spat, rising none too gracefully from the floor. “If he dies, I will go to my grave hunting you and everyone you have ever cared for until none of you are left to draw breath.”
He had the audacity to laugh. “I have had more death threats than you’ve had dates, lady. I’ll tell you like I told them—get in line.”
“I don’t do lines, asshole,” Abbie sneered, suddenly sinking her teeth into the man’s forearm.
Anderson jerked back in shock, staring at the blood now welling up on his arm and raised his pissed-off gaze to hers. “You bit me,” he growled before drawing back his fist and connecting it with her chin.
Her world went black.
* * * *
President Reuben Howell peered through the glass of one of the nine-foot tanks of saltwater standing in the center of the room at Winchester Industries and gazed incredulously at the massive alien floating in its depths. “He survived three bullet wounds to the chest and stomach with no evidence of being shot? Amazing.”
Doug Jefferies stood next to an identical tank, seemingly fascinated by the nude female creature sleeping inside. “According to Anderson, he unloaded three rounds into him. They have the same makeup, these two?”
Rueben slowly approached, unable to hide his excitement. “It would seem so. Look at her, Doug. She’s perfection.”
A man entered the room, holding a clipboard and wearing a lab coat with a name tag that read, PHILLIPS, on the right breast pocket. He glanced up as he approached. “Good evening, Mr. President.” He nodded to Jefferies. “Sir.”
Rueben extended his hand. “Any news yet?”
Phillips accepted his palm with a grim look on his face. “Nothing that can be of use to us. The blood is unlike any we have ever encountered, making it difficult to create a vaccine. But the venom is even more odd.”
“Venom?” Jefferies asked, turning away from the female’s captivating form.
Phillips nodded, approaching the glass. “Notice the darker shade of skin on the wrists and ankles? They’re barbs that carry an obviously deadly venom.”
Reuben gaped at the man. “When you say venom, do you mean like snake venom?”
“Much more lethal than a snake’s. We learned of the barbs from Doctor Sutherland and the paralyzing effects of their strike.”
“She’s talking now?” Reuben couldn’t believe she would give up even the smallest of information on the one she called Hauke.
“Not the daughter, sir. The father informed us of it.”
“Where is Abbigail?” The question came from Jefferies.
Phillips waved an arm. “Right this way.”
* * * *
Abbie closed her eyes and mentally reached out to Hauke once again. She’d been trying to feel him for days without any luck. What had they done to him?
Begging the guards for information got her nothing but snide comments and cruel sneers. No one would divulge Hauke’s whereabouts or whether he lived or died.
Cursing and throwing things at them had proven to be a mistake. She tested her bonds, wincing at the sting of her chafed skin. Her head ached as did her bladder, and if she didn’t empty it soon, she would give them something else to clean up.
The door opened, pulling Abbie out of her mental deviation. She lifted her heavy eyelids and focused on the room’s new occupants.
“Hello, Doctor Sutherland. It’s good to see you awake.” Phillips hesitantly approached. “Are you feeling a bit calmer now?”
“Why don’t you untie me and find out.”
He pulled out a syringe along with a couple of empty vials from his coat pocket and laid them on the bedside table. “Perhaps a little later after your company has gone.”
Reaching into his other pocket, he retrieved a wrapped alcohol wipe, ripped it open, and swabbed the inside of her arm at the elbow. “You know the routine. I’m going to do a blood draw for further testing. If you fight me, it’s only going to hurt you more. I will drug you if need be.”
Abbie knew he spoke the truth; he had drugged her before when she’d refused him access to her vein. “I don’t know what you hope to find, but by all means, you piece of shit, take what you want.”
“Doctor Sutherland?” one of the men standing by the door inquired. “My name is Doug Jefferies, Secretary of Homeland Security, and this is President Rueben Howell.” He nodded toward the shorter man at his side.
“I should have known the president was somehow involved.” She glanced at Reuben. “Just so you know, I never voted for you.”
He smiled at her insult and moved closer to the bed. “Frankly, Doctor Sutherland, your opinion is of no concern to me. Your fetus, however, is.”
She nearly choked on the panic rising in her chest. “What do you want with my child?”
“It’s not what I want. It’s more what I need. The creatures down the hall don’t seem to possess the human blood required to create a vaccine that will stop this virus they have created. Your fetus, nonetheless, will.”
Bile rose in her throat. “You’re planning to kill my baby?”
“Kill the one to save the thousands,” he muttered, touching her hand. “It’s an alien, Abbigail.” He turned to go.
“Wait,” Abbie called to his retreating back. “Please don’t do this. There has to be another way.”
He slowed, but didn’t stop. “Would that there were, Doctor Sutherland. Would that there were.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Hauke felt Abbie’s terror in the far recesses of his mind, calling to him, pleading with him to help her.
He fought his way up from the dark, heavy fog that surrounded him, anchoring him to the deep.
“Hauke…”
Her normally gentle and warm voice was laced with fear along with something else he couldn’t name. “Abbie…”
“I hear you,” she softly cried in relief, her voice echoing through his mind with unshed tears. “Thank God you’re alive.”
“Are you all right, my mate? Have they harmed you? What of the child?”
“I’m okay, and the baby is fine. Don’t worry about me. Where is Naura?”
“I…I do not know.” Hauke summoned every ounce of strength he possessed and opened his heavy eyelids. It took him a moment to register that he hung weightless in water and another to realize he was trapped.
He slowly scanned the perimeter with eyes too blurry to make out anything but shapes. “I am being held in water in a room with objects scattered about.”
“What do you mean in water? Like a bathtub?”
Reaching out with his left hand, he ran his fingertips down the inside of his prison. “It appears to be some form of glass container.”
Hauke turned his head to the right, and a growl rumbled in his chest when his gaze landed on a similar container that held another body. “Naura is here with me.”
He knew it to be her by the long dark hair swirling around her head.
“Is she okay?”
He blinked several times until Naura’s nude form came into focus. Fury traveled through him with lightning speed, seeking an outlet.
Retribution would be swift, he vowed, curling his hands into fists. He would take great pleasure in killing the humans that had done this to his sister.
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br /> “Naura?” he mentally called, kicking out with his legs to slam his feet against the glass. “Naura, can you hear me?”
The silence coming from her twisted his gut in dread. He pressed his back against the glass, brought his knees up, and kicked out with everything he had, but the container held strong.
Abbie’s quiet sobs penetrated his rage, leaving him weak with anguish. “Stay strong, my mate. I will find a way to get to you.”
“I saw them shoot you, Hauke. Are you in pain?” More panic built in her voice.
He gently probed around the skin where the bullets had entered his body, wincing at the tenderness surrounding the area. “The wounds have been stitched closed and are nearly healed. They obviously gave me blood, which means they do not want me dead.”
“They are running tests on you, in hopes of finding a cure for the virus, but haven’t had any luck thus far. You and Naura have to get out of there. And quickly.”
“Open your eyes for me, Abbie, that I may see your surroundings.”
Hauke felt the moment she widened the mental bridge between them, allowing him to see through her eyes and gaze around the room they kept her in. “You are not in a cell?”
“They strapped me to a bed to make the blood draws easier for them.”
His lips peeled back over his teeth. “What need do they have of your blood?” He could feel her hesitation. “What need, Abbie?”
“They plan on taking the baby,” came her agonizing response. “They think his blood holds the answers for a cure.”
Hauke saw red. He now understood why the Bracadyte laws had been laid down all those years ago. Humans were cruel, heartless beings with very little moral fiber, and it sickened him.
“Please don’t think we are all cruel and heartless, Hauke. There is some good as well as bad in all of us.”
“I would not categorize you as such, my mate. Your spirit is good, your heart pure. You are an anomaly among the land walkers.”
He paused for several seconds. “Know this, my love. I will not rest until you and our unborn child are safe, far from this place where no one will ever hurt you again.”
Enigma:What Lies Beneath (Enigma Series Book 1) Page 14