The Concealed (The Lakewood Series Book 1)

by Sarah Kleck

  “Sleep now, my darling,” was the last thing I heard before my eyelids became heavy and I went into a deep, warm dream.

  CHAPTER 17

  A strange tingling started from my fingertips, spread over my arms and chest, extended to my abdomen, and wandered along my legs to the tips of my toes until my body was filled with an unfamiliar, wholesome feeling. I opened my eyes and blinked. I didn’t know where I was or whether it was day or night. I looked around disoriented and found to my astonishment that I was in a strange bed. Except for my boots, which stood by the door, I was fully clothed under a down comforter. It was morning and gradually turning light outside. What had happened? How did I get here? I had no memories of the previous night. Someone must have brought me here, taken my boots off, and covered me up. I sat up and rubbed my temples.

  I strained to remember what had happened. Suddenly memories flooded in and hit me with the force of a wrecking ball. The monster! I gasped. It had lain in wait in my room and attacked me. The monster’s awful grimacing face, I thought, repulsed. Full of scars, blisters, and sores. And the stench . . . that hideous stench.

  I instantly felt sick—saliva collected in mouth, and my stomach contracted. I ran to the bathroom as fast as I could and, bent over the toilet, puked while one cold shudder after another ran down my spine. When it was over, I used my last bit of energy to drag myself under the shower and turn the water on. Water—that was the only thing that would help me now. I sat there for a long time and let the water splash down on me. Then I heard the unmistakable sound of a door handle being turned somewhere in the distance.

  “Evelyn!” someone called, almost in a panic. A heartbeat later the door was pushed open and Jared stood before me, gasping for breath. When he saw me sitting fully dressed in the shower, he instantly bent down and embraced me. He didn’t seem to care that he would be soaked.

  “I thought for a moment . . . Oh God, for a moment I thought . . . Are you all right? Is everything okay?”

  “Jared,” I said, relieved. He was here! “Jared, what happened? What . . . attacked me? What was that? Where am I?”

  “Calm down,” he said, gently brushing his fingers over my cheek. “You’re safe.”

  “But what . . . ? The monster!” I said in a mixture of panic, confusion, and relief.

  “You’re in the Order’s headquarters,” Jared explained, looking at me. “You had a panic attack,” he added, sounding almost apologetic.

  Suddenly, an image from the previous night was clearly before my eyes: the hideous monster bent over me and blowing its stinking breath into my face. “What was that thing in my room? What attacked me? What did it want from me?” I tried to swallow.

  Jared paused. “That was a damnatus, one of Morgana’s repulsive creatures . . . Enid will convene a Council meeting today—she’ll explain everything to you there.”

  I breathed in deeply. I could be patient till then, but the sooner I found out what I was dealing with, the better. Then I remembered something. “What did you do to me? The last thing I remember is that I wasn’t getting air anymore and became terribly drowsy—and then I woke up here.”

  “I let you sleep,” Jared said shyly. “You weren’t able to calm down, and I feared you might suffocate if you didn’t relax, so I let you sleep.” He avoided my look.

  I frowned. “Do you think I’m mad at you for that?”

  “Well, it’s probably not pleasant. To be put to sleep that way.”

  “Jared,” I said, taking his face into my hands and forcing him to look at me. Could this be true? He’d saved my life but was apologizing for it? I pulled him to me with resolve, kissing him. “Thank you,” I said a moment later. “Thank you for saving me—again.”

  “Oh God, I’m so glad you’re okay,” he said with a trembling voice and kissed me. Then he sank down into the shower with me and pulled me onto his lap. Suddenly, the fear, sadness, and desperation inside me were gone and replaced by a new feeling. A feeling coming from my innermost self that spread in warm waves from my center and migrated outward till it arrived at my fingertips—my love for Jared. I kissed him unbridled, letting my hands glide over his chest. The soaked fabric of his white T-shirt clung to his skin, highlighting every muscle and curve of his perfect torso. My fingers pushed under the material to touch his skin while Jared’s hands wandered down my back to my behind. I couldn’t help but run my hands over his stomach, chest, shoulders . . . Then I grabbed the T-shirt, impatiently pulling it over his head. He willingly raised his arms to let me proceed. I stared at Jared’s naked torso until he held my chin and forced me to look into his eyes. His look seemed to penetrate me as we both breathed in and out in quick bursts. A moment later I felt his hand on the back of my neck. He pulled me closer with a firm tug, pushed his lips against mine, and thrust his tongue between my waiting, open lips. Without knowing what I was doing, I pulled at the top of his jeans, tearing open the top two buttons. Jared sucked in air between clenched teeth, let his long, slender fingers wander over my soaking sweater and pulled it with a practiced motion over my head. I was riding on his lap, only dressed in my pants and bra while the warm water rained down on us. Jared took in my belly and breasts with wide eyes. He gasped, then held my waist and began covering my body in kisses. Trembling, I threw my head back, while an unknown sound escaped my throat.

  “I love you,” I heard myself say, and a golden light enveloped his hands.

  “Evelyn,” he whispered before the light moved from his hands and up his arms until finally his chest, face, and whole body were surrounded by this wonderful golden glow.

  “Evelyn?” A woman’s voice caused me to open my eyes with fright. “Evelyn?” the voice called again.

  “Err . . . yes?” I answered. “I’m in the bathroom—one moment please.” I looked at Jared, pleading for help, but he appeared as alarmed as I was and merely stared at me with wide eyes. I knew I could not ignore whoever it was and risk them coming in. So I climbed out of the shower, took off my soaking pants and socks and wrapped a large towel around my body. Then, I brushed my bra straps from my shoulders and stepped out. It looked as if I had just showered.

  Enid Speakerman stood in the middle of the room, looking at me. “Oh, there you are,” she said with a friendly smile. “I’m terribly sorry to burst in here like this, but I wanted to see how you were.”

  “Hello, Mrs. Speakerman . . . Thank you. How are you?”

  “Enid,” she corrected me, and her smile broadened. “Has Jared been here to see you?”

  “Yes,” I said, straining not to let anything show. The idea that he was sitting half-naked in the shower, trying to be dead silent, made me grin.

  “Good, then you know you’re in the Order’s headquarters. When Jared brought you here last night, you were unconscious, so I didn’t want you to wake up completely disoriented in a strange bed—that’s why I’ve come.”

  I smiled, uncertain. What would Karen have to say?

  “The High Council would like to talk to you. I’ll leave you alone now so you can get dressed in peace. The session starts in an hour. Jared will pick you up.”

  “Okay.”

  “Till later.” Enid opened the door and turned to me. “Good to see you’re well,” she added in a soft voice, disappearing before I could answer.

  “She likes you.” Jared suddenly stood behind me and put his arms around my waist.

  “What happened to my dorm room?” I asked as images of last night flashed through my head. I turned to him. “People are going to see there was a fire there, aren’t they?”

  “The Circle’s already seen to it. They’ve made it look like a gas explosion caused by a leak in the heating system.”

  “They did that?”

  Jared shrugged. “It’s the usual procedure for this sort of . . . mishap,” he said with a smile. “Fortunately, the sprinkler system came on, so the fire didn’t spread to other room
s.”

  “What happened to my things?”

  “They were brought here,” he said. “At least, whatever wasn’t burned in the flames. There.” He pointed to a voluminous closet beside the bed.

  I went over and opened the door. Indeed! My clothes lay nicely folded on the shelves. I marveled at how they didn’t smell of smoke. Had they been washed while I slept?

  “And in here,” Jared said while opening the uppermost drawer of one of two identical dressers, “are your other things. Laptop, books, phone charger, and so on.”

  I went over to look at the dresser. “Everything’s here,” I said in astonishment. “Well, almost.” The green book Ruth had lent me was nowhere to be seen. How was I going to explain that to her?

  While Jared led me through the corridors of the huge headquarters, mostly built of massive stone blocks, I tried to memorize the route. He hadn’t exaggerated when he said it was easy to get lost there. The countless hallways and doors—all of them enormous and covered in ancient carvings—made me feel as if I were in a stone labyrinth. Only burning torches on the walls were needed to complete the appearance of a medieval castle. Despite the white-plastered walls and other modern touches, such as electric lights and insulating windows, this place seemed fitting for a secret society from the fifth century. I still couldn’t believe I was here. That Jared had brought me. Suddenly, I remembered I didn’t have the slightest clue where the headquarters actually were.

  “Where exactly are we here?” I asked.

  “About seven miles northwest of Oxford—in the middle of the woods.”

  “Does Karen know I’m here?”

  “Yes, of course,” he said.

  “And she doesn’t mind?”

  Jared hesitated.

  “She doesn’t trust me,” I said.

  Jared breathed in deeply. “I’m really starting to believe she’s paranoid.”

  I thought it better not to respond, though I would have preferred to congratulate Jared on this insight.

  A few moments later, we arrived at the Council chamber and stood outside a mighty double door decorated with fine carvings. Jared lifted his hand to open it.

  “What’s waiting for me in there?” I asked, holding his arm.

  “Six people who want to talk to you about what happened in your room yesterday.”

  I stared at the door with wide eyes.

  “Don’t worry. Enid will be there. Irvin and Colin, too, of course. They all like you. Nothing’s going to happen to you. And I won’t leave your side,” he added with a gentle smile. Then he raised his eyebrows. “Ready?”

  I breathed in and nodded resolutely, and Jared pushed open the heavy door.

  A reception committee was waiting for us in the spacious, light-flooded room. I first noticed Colin, who stood in the middle of the room in front of a massive wooden table that could have comfortably seated fifteen people. He gave me a broad grin. Beside him was Enid leaning on the table, and she was also smiling at me. I was able to make out Professor Martin a little farther away. When Jared and I entered, he interrupted his conversation with an ancient-looking man in a dark-blue patterned kilt and knee-high socks. Then there was an older woman, who appeared completely disinterested. She was seated and looked at me with an indifferent expression. Finally, my gaze fell on Karen Mayflower. She stood with her back to me, looking out of one of the high windows.

  “Welcome.” It was Enid’s friendly voice. I stopped looking at Karen and turned toward Enid, who waved me over.

  “Evelyn,” Jared started in a calm tone, “this is the High Council of Legatum Merlini. You already know Colin, Enid, Irvin, and Karen,” then he gestured toward the bored-looking, older woman and the geriatric in the kilt. “This is Judith McHallern and Montgomery Grey.”

  “Good day,” I said in greeting, whereupon Mr. Grey came over to shake my hand firmly.

  “A pleasure to meet you, my dear,” he said, then sat down beside the older woman.

  “The pleasure’s mine,” I said and took my seat opposite Colin. Apparently, there was a firmly established seating order here, which Jared, going by the faces of the others, was disregarding when he sat down beside me.

  Finally, Karen also came over and sat down at the middle of the large table—her back to the windows. “Well,” she began, obviously struggling not to show how distasteful she found this. “I think I speak for all present by welcoming Evelyn to the Order’s headquarters. We’re all delighted you’ve come through last night’s ordeal without any harm.” She looked as if she was on the verge of choking on her own words.

  “Thank you,” I said, causing Karen’s mouth to distort in a strange smile.

  Since nobody was speaking, I took the opportunity to ask the question that had occupied me since I awoke in the strange room this morning. “What was that creature that attacked me last night? This . . . this . . .” I tried to remember what Jared had called that thing.

  “Damnatus,” Jared said.

  Karen sat upright in her chair and pursed her lips. “I think it’s best if you don’t know everything—for your protection, of course.”

  “For my protection? How could I be protected, when I don’t even know what attacked me or, more importantly, why?”

  “We don’t exactly know why,” Professor Martin said. “But what we agree on”—he shot a look to Karen—“is that you”—he looked at me again—“have a right to know what you’re dealing with.”

  Karen almost bit her lower lip off.

  “What is a damnatus?” I pleaded with him for an explanation without concerning myself with Karen’s displeasure.

  “A damned one,” Professor Martin said, slowly shaking his head. “Damnati are evil, soulless creatures that have lost their place in the world.”

  “What exactly does that mean?”

  Heavy snorting made the rounds. Apparently, this was not a favorite subject among the Order. Before answering me, the professor’s face looked tense, and he stared deeply into my eyes. “Whenever a life comes to a violent end—a woman is raped or a child is abused, whenever someone violates the natural order—the perpetrator pays with the loss of a part of his soul. In a manner of speaking, something is split off. That is the tribute demanded by nature,” Professor Martin explained, taking a moment. “Only one thing awaits such persons—damnation. They’re plunged into the eternal darkness that we know as Hell from the Bible. Sometimes Morgana succeeds in tracking down these murderers, rapists, and child molesters at the very moment that they stand at the abyss of Hell, and then . . . Well, she offers them a deal: their crippled souls are spared a life in Hell in exchange for eternal bondage in her service.”

  I swallowed hard. That’s what was waiting for me in my room? “So, these damnati are something like Morgana’s followers?”

  Colin, Enid, and Professor Martin nodded from the other side of the table.

  “More like bondsmen,” Enid said.

  I swallowed again. There she was again. Morgana. The one—I didn’t even know what to call her: Creature? Monster? Witch? Woman?—who was supposedly responsible for my family’s death. It all felt like a twisted dream. My family, murdered by an evil witch? My boyfriend, the last descendant of the mightiest magician of all time? Myself, the last of Nimue’s bloodline?

  “A pact with the devil,” mumbled the old gentleman in the kilt, thus releasing me from my thoughts. No. I was actually sitting here. All this was happening.

  “Damnati are nothing but sick, soulless creatures who, to evade their just punishment, have bound themselves to Morgana, bending to her will,” Enid added.

  “Monstrous creatures, their mere existence violates all laws of nature!” said Professor Martin, disgusted.

  I turned to Jared. “Then Morgana is behind all this?”

  He nodded, but when Professor Martin opened his mouth to give another explanation, Karen sudd
enly slammed her palm on the table. Her face had taken on a dark shade of red.

  “That’s enough,” she said, looking at Martin with grave doubt.

  “Karen!” Jared yelled, casting her a warning glance.

  There was silence in the room for several seconds, then Enid addressed me in a gentle voice. “Evelyn, maybe it’s best if you simply tell us what happened in your room.”

  I took a moment to focus, then I told them a detailed version of what had happened the evening before. When I finally arrived at the point when Jared had placed his hand over my eyes and I’d suddenly become sleepy, he grasped my hand under the table and pleaded for forgiveness with his eyes.

  “So the damnatus was waiting for you in your room?” Professor Martin asked when I’d finished.

  I nodded.

  “But that would mean it was waiting specifically for you and not for Jared, as I had assumed,” he said.

  “What does Morgana want from Evelyn?” Colin gave me a questioning look.

  “I’d love to know,” Jared said in a hard tone, breathing deeply. “Well, in any case, you’re safe here,” he said, looking at Karen.

  “Yes, she seems to be,” Karen said with a curled lip.

  “Good, then we’ve clarified things for now,” Enid said. “How about some breakfast? You must be hungry, Evelyn.”

  When my stomach growled, everyone laughed . . . except Karen.

  Apparently, the Council session was over, and everyone rose. Jared was the first to the door but abruptly stopped when he opened it. I could clearly make out a head of red hair over his shoulder and took a step to the side to better see who was blocking our way. Claire McAdams stood right outside the door, giving Jared a frightened look. She was eavesdropping—that much was obvious. Visibly embarrassed at having been caught, she looked away and tried to appear aloof. But when she saw me half-behind, half-beside Jared, she glared and clenched her fists. Tears of rage welled up in her eyes as her lips narrowed to a thin line.

  “Is there a problem?” I heard Enid ask. She gently nudged me aside and positioned herself beside Jared.