There was a brief pause, and then, “She doesn’t match my description. Look at her. She’s just a child.”
“What do you want me to do with her?”
The one Carmen recognized as the smoker, replied, “You’ll have to dispose of her. She knows too much. Besides, she’s seen my face.”
Nausea rolled through Carmen’s stomach at his words. They were going to kill her.
Keeping her eyes shut, Carmen remained as limp as she possibly could while someone gripped her by the arms and tossed her over his shoulder. If she vomited now, she would surely choke to death.
It seemed as if hours passed with her hanging upside down, bouncing against the man’s shoulder with every step he took.
A door opened, and then slammed closed behind them, telling Carmen they were in a house. Condos and hotels didn’t have screen doors.
Another door opened, and she was tossed unceremoniously into the backseat of a vehicle.
She drew her knees up, cringing as the slam of the car door ricocheted around her.
An engine revved to life, vibrating the seat beneath her.
Carmen cracked her eyes open to stare at the back of the driver’s head. He wore a hat that prevented her from gauging his hair color.
She pulled at her bonds, praying she could loosen them enough to free her hands, but the bonds held true.
The truck bounced along on an uneven road for what seemed an eternity before coming to an abrupt stop.
Carmen screamed behind her gag, kicking out with her legs as the door behind her head opened and she was yanked out by her bound arms.
She landed in a heap on the ground at the man’s feet.
Frantically scanning her surroundings, Carmen attempted to plead with the man, making mewling sounds behind the material in her mouth.
“I’m sorry to have to do this, kid. But I don’t have a choice.” He pulled a pistol from the waistband of his jeans and pulled the trigger.
It took a second for Carmen to realize she’d been shot, and another for the sheer, white hot agony to explode inside her stomach.
Another shot rang out, sending her shoulder slamming against the earth from the force of the hit. Her eyes stared up at the millions of stars scattered through the night’s sky as she attempted to gasp for breath. Everyone dies, her mind accepted. She’d just never expected it to be so soon…
Chapter Thirteen
Zyen bolted back out of his bungalow, nearly running into Gryke on his way out. Oz stood near the steps, as did Fiona.
“We have vehicles and weapons ready,” Gryke informed Zyen, his eyes showing no animosity, no disdain; only understanding and determination.
With a nod, Zyen jumped from the porch and headed in the direction of Oz’s retreating back. Fiona and Gryke followed.
Oz rounded a large vehicle and jumped behind the wheel, leaving Zyen to climb in on the passenger side while Gryke and his mate got in the back.
“Where do we go first?” Zyen stared straight ahead. He could hear the engine come to life as the vehicle vibrated beneath him.
Oz put the vehicle in gear, kicking up gravel as he lurched forward at a high rate of speed. “We’re going into town. I know this island better than anyone. And trust me when I say, if this guy is holding up anywhere in the vicinity, my men will know about it.”
“Like they did with Howell?” Zyen shot back.
“The spy has been dealt with. You needn’t worry about my men.”
Zyen gripped the dash as Oz rounded a corner, nearly turning them on their side.
“They will kill her,” Zyen murmured softly once the vehicle made it safely around the curve.
Oz kept his attention on the road. “I know.”
A foreign sensation settled in Zyen’s chest, making swallowing difficult. Carmen was going to die…if she wasn’t already dead. The strange, tiny human who had cooked him a meal, had entertained him with the story of Jack and the Beanstalk while he’d devoured her delicious spaghetti…was going to die.
Zyen couldn’t accept that. He wouldn’t accept that. “Hurry, Oz!”
Oz merely nodded, sending the vehicle sliding around another corner.
“What of your mate? It is Maria they were after.”
Zyen glanced at Oz in time to see a muscle tighten in his jaw. “She’s safe for now. Brant, Pyre, and Syrina are with her in the basement. There’s no way to reach them behind that steel door. And if this lunatic isn’t found tonight, I’m sending Maria back to Aukrabah in the morning. I should have left her and Carmen there to begin with.”
“You could not have known this would happen,” Zyen argued.
Oz shot him an exasperated look. “No, but I should have anticipated it. And once this asshole is taken care of, who’s to say there won’t be another one ready to step into his shoes?”
He had a point, Zyen thought. If Carmen somehow made it out of this alive, he would see to it that she remained in Aukrabah until she grew old and too feeble to leave. “I agree. I believe that Aukrabah would be the safest place for the females.”
“Yes, and as much as I love Cuba, I love my wife far more.”
“Zyen…”
Zyen stilled, his heart thumping erratically against his ribs. He could have sworn he’d heard Carmen call his name. But that was impossible. He hadn’t taken her blood, nor she his. And he’d never once felt her thoughts when in her presence. Not even when he’d laid his hands on her face in the bath house.
His eyes slid shut, and his mind opened to his surroundings. “Carmen?”
“No, it is Kaspyn. Why would you think me Carmen? Have you bonded with the little human?”
Zyen’s disappointment was palpable. He’d give anything in that moment to connect with Carmen. “I have not bonded. Carmen has been taken by a land walker known as Kerik. We are searching for her now.”
Kaspyn’s emotions flooded their connection. “Kerik is dead, Zyen. I killed him myself.”
“We believe the land walker who took Carmen to be Gerald Kerik’s offspring.”
“But what could he possibly want with Carmen?”
Zyen glanced at Oz’s determined profile before answering Kaspyn. “He meant to take Maria. He thought to use her as a pawn to force Oz to give him King Klause.”
“I will speak with my mate about this. Thrasher needs to inform the king of what has happened.”
The vehicle suddenly came to a stop on the side of the road. Oz opened his door and jumped out. “We walk from here. If Kerik is in the vicinity, the last thing we want is for him to see us coming.”
Zyen severed his connection with Kaspyn, exiting the vehicle as well. He waited for Gryke and Fiona to follow suit before moving to stand next to Oz.
Oz scanned the small crowd gathered in the middle of the road. “We leave the vehicle here. If Kerik is in town, he will have scouts watching the roads. Come on, we’ll go in on the west side.”
Zyen followed Oz’s lead, and headed off into the trees, keeping with the same pattern of the road. He could hear Gryke and his mate trudging along behind them.
Shifting his attention to the right, Zyen noticed a break in the way the trees grew about ten yards away. “What is that?”
Oz glanced in the direction Zyen indicated. “It’s an old service road that was once used to deliver supplies to the natives, but it washed out years ago in a hurricane and hasn’t been maintained since.
Zyen nodded his understanding, picking up his pace in his eagerness to find Carmen.
“Her grandparents abused her,” Oz murmured softly, keeping up with Zyen’s swift steps.
Zyen shot him a questioning look.
“Carmen. Back in Aukrabah, you’d asked me about Carmen’s panic attacks. I’m pretty sure they started when she was fairly young.”
Zyen’s barbs tingled with venom. “She told about them during dinner tonight. I know they were very religious.”
“They were freaks,” Oz ground out. “Controlling, fanatical freaks. They messed that g
irl up!”
“There is more to her anxiety than the damage caused by her family,” Zyen responded. “She did not confide in me, and I am not certain how I know this. I only know that I do.”
Oz continued marching forward. “It’s your Bracadyte intuition. We all have it. Even those of us with diluted blood.”
The lights of town came into view, and Oz slowed his steps, holding up his hand to stop his followers. He glanced back over his shoulder. “Fiona will come with me. She and I will easily blend in. Gryke? You and Zyen will take that old service road to your right, follow it around to Main Street. Stay out of sight. That road doesn’t get used any longer, so you should be fine. If something goes down and you’re spotted by an unfriendly, fire off a shot and we’ll be there before you can shake a stick twice.”
“My mate goes nowhere without me,” Gryke growled, showing a surprising amount of fang.
Fiona spun to face her husband, impatience etched in her attractive face. “Don’t do this now. Not here, and not tonight, please. I’m a Marine, Gryke. You know better than anyone that I can take care of myself.”
“We waste time standing about arguing,” Zyen growled, tossing a dangerous look in Gryke’s direction.
Gryke continued to stare at his mate for long moments before blowing out a defeated breath. “You will keep your connection open with me, no matter what. That is not a request.”
“Absolutely,” Fiona softly agreed. “Now, be careful. Both of you.”
And with that, she spun around and darted ahead, leaving Zyen and Gryke to make their way through the trees to the abandoned services road on their right.
Zyen stepped onto the uneven road, anxiety tightening his gut. A feeling of impending doom began to settle over him the further they walked. “Something is not right.”
Gryke met his gaze. “Other than the fact that we could be walking into a trap?”
“I am not sure,” Zyen rumbled, his gaze touching on the surrounding trees. “It feels as if…” The smell of blood drifted up his nose, stopping him in his tracks.
Gryke suddenly stilled as well. “I smell it. Which direction does it come from?”
Zyen jerked his chin, indicating the area in front of them.
Carefully moving forward, Zyen kept his senses on alert for a trap while following the scent of freshly spilled blood.
A soft moan echoed from up ahead, leaving little doubt that someone was injured. Carmen!
Zyen ran.
There, lying along the side of the road, was the tiny body of Carmen, pale as the Gulf’s floor, and covered in blood.
Zyen’s heart squeezed in his chest. He dropped to his knees next to her and placed the side of his face against her mouth. He couldn’t feel her breath.
“Is she alive?” Gryke growled, lowering to his haunches on Carmen’s other side.
Zyen couldn’t seem to answer, so great was his rage. Someone had harmed the only human he’d ever cared for. And he did care for her, he suddenly realized. She was the only person who’d ever attempted to befriend him.
Holding back a roar of denial, Zyen scooped her up into his arms and stood in one fluid motion. “Call your mate. Have Oz meet us back at the vehicle.”
Gryke grabbed hold of Zyen’s arm. “You did not answer me. Does she live?”
“I do not know. I cannot feel her breath.” Zyen broke into a run before he finished his sentence.
Apparently, Oz and Fiona hadn’t made it into town before Gryke called his mate back. They were both pacing in front of the vehicle when Zyen burst through the trees.
“Oh, my God,” Fiona breathed, rushing forward. “Is that Carmen?”
Zyen practically skidded to a halt in front of Fiona. “Help her!”
“Put her in the back.” Fiona followed Zyen to the back of the vehicle, opened it and waited for Zyen to lay Carmen’s limp body inside before climbing in next to her. “Let’s go. Now!”
Zyen closed the door, and jumped into the vehicle seconds ahead of Oz and Gryke.
Oz started the engine, spun it around in the road, and drove like a man insane back toward the beach.
Spinning around in his seat, Zyen watched in amazement as Fiona covered Carmen’s lips with her own and blew breath into her mouth. She then placed her palms against Carmen’s chest and pressed down with quick, hard pumps of her arms.
A tightness settled in Zyen’s own chest the longer he sat there, watching in helplessness as Fiona attempted to save sweet Carmen’s life.
Chapter Fourteen
Carmen couldn’t move. Her body felt cold to her bones. Where was she? She couldn’t remember getting out of bed that morning. But if she were still in bed, she wouldn’t be freezing; would she?
She attempted to lift her arm, but it didn’t want to cooperate. A numbness had settled over her, leaving her weak and helpless.
Straining to open her eyes, Carmen fought the lethargy swimming through her muscles to no avail, finally allowing herself to be swallowed up by the darkness reaching out to her.
Had she died and gone to Hell? Had her grandfather been right all along? Because it sure felt like Hell to her.
Pain continued to tear through her, ripping apart her insides while fire burned along every nerve in her body.
But nothing compared to the excruciating agony of not being able to breathe.
Carmen fought like hell to draw air into her lungs; yet, hard as she tried, it wasn’t obtainable.
Help me! she silently screamed, pleading with everything she had within her.
Warm breath suddenly forced it way down her windpipe, expanding her starving lungs in blessed relief.
And then the air was gone, and something pressed against her chest, powerful and more agonizing than her mind could bear. She slipped into the darkness once again.
* * * *
“Wake up, Carmen. Today is not your day to die.”
Carmen’s eyelids fluttered open, only to close in protest against the bright lights resting above her.
“Zyen?” she moaned, turning her face away from the lights.
“No, it’s Oz.”
Darkness appeared behind her lids. “Where am I?”
“You are in my home,” Oz rumbled, his voice soft and deep.
She cracked her eyes open and met his worried gaze. He had dark circles beneath his eyes. “Your home?”
“It’s the safest place for you to be. How are you feeling?”
Carmen attempted to swallow. “I hurt all over. May I have some water?”
Oz moved out of her field of vision, only to return with a glass of water. He slid his arm behind her neck and held the glass to her dry, cracked lips.
After taking a few sips of the blessed water, Carmen asked, “How long have I been out?”
“Two days.”
Stunned, Carmen blinked up at him. “What happened to me?”
“You don’t remember?”
Bonds, a gag, waking up in a strange place…
Carmen’s heart began to pound erratically. She glanced down to find her shoulder bandaged. Her hand moved beneath the blanket to her stomach, wincing in pain as she came into contact with a bandage there as well. “I was shot.”
Oz took a seat on the side of her bed. “But you survived.” He brushed her hair back away from her face. “Do you recall anything about the man who did this to you?”
Her mind scrambled to picture the face of her captor. “He smoked. I remember him smoking a cigarette.”
“How about his face? Did he have dark hair or light? Was he tall or short?”
Carmen’s mind spun with the effort it took to conjure up any details of her time in captivity. “I’m sorry, Oz. I—”
“It’s alright,” Oz assured her, tucking the covers up around her shoulders. “You don’t have to talk about it right now. Just rest, and we’ll deal with it later.”
“How did you find me?”
“Zyen found you on the old service road. He saved your life.”
Car
men stared wide-eyed at Oz. “Zyen?”
The door abruptly opened and a short, balding man that Carmen recognized as Oz’s doctor, stepped into the room. “You’re awake.”
Oz stood and backed up to give the doctor some room.
“I’m Doctor Gomez,” the balding man informed her while placing a black bag on the nightstand. “Mind if I have a look at you?”
Carmen glanced at Oz, who took the hint and left the room.
“I remember you,” she whispered. “You took care of Thrasher’s injuries.”
The doctor softly smiled, opening his black bag. “I didn’t do much for him besides perform the blood transfusion. It was the Bracadyte woman’s blood that saved his life. Same as yours. If not for the blood of that blond giant, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be here now, either. In fact, I know you wouldn’t.”
Carmen couldn’t have heard him right. “Zyen’s blood?”
The doctor nodded. “Those creatures are an anomaly. The healing agents they carry in their blood could save thousands of lives. Millions even. They have no blood type, or not any that I’m aware of, yet a human’s body accepts it without fail. I’m surprised your government hasn’t brought them in for testing, yet.”
A soft knock sounded on the door and Maria stuck her head inside. “May we come in?”
Carmen was glad to see Maria’s pretty face. “Come on in.”
Maria pulled the door wide to reveal Syrina close behind her. Both women stepped into the room.
The doctor’s jaw nearly hit the floor when he got a good look at Syrina. Not that Carmen could blame him. Along with Kaspyn, Syrina had to be the most ethereal vision she’d ever seen.
Clearing his throat, the doctor, went back to his examination. He reached up and peeled the corner of Carmen’s bandage away from her shoulder. “Unbelievable!”
“What is it?” Carmen breathed, taken aback by the sudden paleness of the doctor’s face.
He stared at her shoulder a moment longer before replacing the bandage. “It’s nearly healed. I found it hard to believe how quickly the last guy had healed after receiving Bracadyte blood, but this just blows me away. These creatures are an enigma.”
Zyen: Science Fiction Romance (Enigma Series Book 10) Page 6