Secrets of the Sleeper: True Nature Series: Book One

by Karen Lynn Bennett

  “Whoa, there. Auras. No, I think that would be way cool.” I had to calm him down. Uber-polite Dante was way better than hanging-by-a-thread Dante. He ran a hand over his face, pausing as if fighting for control.

  “And like every superhero, we have a weakness,” he continued. He opened his eyes, and they looked sad, yet resigned somehow.

  “We all have the same weakness?” For some reason, I felt like he was being straight with me.

  “Yeah. Afraid so.”

  “Then what is it?” I whispered. Somehow, I knew what he was going to say. No. No. No!

  “Eventually, we all go insane.”

  There. He said it. I was a psycho. I could feel the truth of his words. I’d rather die than go insane.

  “Is there a cure?” My voice wobbled.

  “No. Afraid not. But there used to be a certain individual who could temper it, kind of take the edge off, so to speak. Unfortunately, she ran away.”

  “She?”

  “Yeah, some Usemi they captured a long time ago. I don’t know much about her.”

  “Usemi?” Peter and Zander’s conversation about my mother’s accident came to mind. They said a Usemi was involved in the accident.

  “Man, I could use a white board right now.” Dante laughed. “Actually,” he continued, “I should just show you my secret website. The people I work for are not the most honorable, if you know what I mean. I’ve been saving information about them and all kinds of stuff, including whatever histories I can find about us, Usemi, Akharu, the Sethians, and all that crap, just in case I need blackmail material. Man, I’ve got quite a collection, which is totally ironic because they call my boss ‘The Collector.’ He collects us, uses our gifts for his projects.” He sighed as if to say, Oh well and stared out the window thoughtfully.

  Too much information and not enough, all at the same time. I needed to narrow it down.

  “Look, Dante,” I said, leaning forward. “I want to know more about Idimmu, Usemi, and Akharu.” I stumbled over the new words. “Can you tell me about them?”

  “Sure. Why not? You’re going to see it all up close and personal soon enough.”

  I tamped down the fear bubbling up. One problem at a time. “Go on,” I urged.

  “Here, let me bring up my website for you. It’s not published yet. I’m going to rig it to go public if I don’t enter my password periodically. Unfortunately, the Internet is really spotty out here. I have to go into town to publish it. It’s going to be amazing!” He scooted to the end of the sofa, close to my chair, with his laptop out. I peered at the screen.

  A Hello Kitty background popped up with a login box.

  “Hello Kitty?”

  He laughed gleefully. “I know, right? Who would guess that this site contains some of the biggest secrets in the world? Pink is so innocuous!”

  I had to agree with him there. He started punching in a login name: ICANCU.

  Before I thought better of it, I blurted out, “I. Can. See. You. You see auras. Good username.”

  Dante grinned, then frowned. “I know! You don’t think it’s too obvious, do you? Wait!” He turned the keyboard away from me to type in the password.

  Fine, I thought. Be secretive.

  When he swiveled back to me, sounds of sword fighting, growling, and screaming streamed from the speaker and then fell silent.

  I smirked at him. “Really?”

  He shrugged. “I get bored sometimes.”

  He ran his fingers across the keys and up popped image after image of fanged beings, some human-looking and some wolf. They looked like some of the creatures in my dreams. How was my imagination conjuring up the same things that Dante had on his computer, beings he claimed were real? I had firsthand knowledge of the wolves, but did that mean everything else he said was also true? I was beginning to think crazy Dante was telling the truth about everything.

  He pointed to a couple of wolves fighting. “Those are Usemi. Also known as werewolves or lycans. There’s a lot of myth and lore about them, some true, some not. The bare bones version is that they are real, but very rare. I don’t know how far back they go, but I do know that their population has been dwindling. If humans knew of them, they’d put them on the endangered species list. Akharu, too.”

  He pointed to another picture. A black-haired man with glowing red eyes bared his teeth ferociously. His shoulders were wide and curved, his fingers curled. He looked like a cross between a big hissing cat at the zoo and a lean version of the Incredible Hulk, except he wasn’t green.

  “That’s Donavitch, also known to many as son of a—”

  “I get it, thanks.”

  “Well. No one messes with him to his face.”

  “How did you get these pictures?”

  “Oh, from the different Nasaru bases around the world. Nasaru is kind of the ruling party for all these creatures, really old, run by Sethians, the third ancient purebred. The purebreds include Sethian, Usemi, and Akharu.”

  He pointed to a human-looking soldier.

  “He’s a Sethian. They don’t change into animals, drink blood, or have gifts like you or I—well, I take that back. Those closest to the top have found a way to do different mind-controlling tricks. They say they’ve been blessed. But I have a different theory about that.”

  He dismissed it with a wave. “Their tricks are only temporary. The strongest one is The Collector, of course. Not many folks know him as that. It’s kind of his secret side job. His main job is to run the Nasaru, kind of like their king or president. They call him Malku. It means ‘prince.’ Sometimes they call him Malku Kasadu, which means ‘the prince who overcomes.’ He’s their big hope for a brighter future, blah, blah, blah. Unless you were raised with them, it sounds very cult-like, I know.”

  “This place doesn’t sound very nice. Why do you stay with them?”

  He sighed. “I know, right? Like I said. Self-preservation. Once you are ‘collected,’ you don’t get to leave. But I’m different. I am allowed to leave because I find more Idimmu for him.”

  “But why go back? You’re free now.”

  “Not really. Remember what I said about our weakness? It started years ago for me. I thought it was schizophrenia at first, but then they took me to see this Usemi and she fixed me, although I was really freaked out because she seemed a little crazy herself. But I kept going back because I needed to be fixed now and then. It’s been a long time, though, and now she’s run away… I think they had her fix too many people and it broke her. ”

  “So Usemi and Akharu have special gifts, too?”

  “Oh, no, not like that. Usemi are super strong and live a really, really long time. They are hard to kill, but they aren’t immortal. They heal faster than humans, but they are definitely nothing like the creatures you see in the movies. They retain all their faculties when they change. And they don’t go around killing and eating humans.” He laughed.

  “Well, that’s good.”

  “Sure. If they did, you’d be hearing a lot more about them. Anyway, Akharu, or vampires, are super smart and live a long time, too. Again, not immortal. When I say super smart, I mean that their brains are wired differently, or maybe they just use more of their brains. I don’t know for sure. But they’re creepy in their own right. It’s like they know what you’re going to say or do before you do it because they’ve thought through all the possible scenarios in their minds, factored in all the minute personality traits they know about you, all the visual clues, and the immediate circumstances, and make the best educated prediction regarding what you’ll say or do. It’s a little like being around one of those autistic kids who can do intricate calculations in their heads, but Akharu don’t have all the social problems autistics have, if you know what I mean. At least that’s what most people say. I beg to differ, though, because the couple I’ve met annoyed the hell out of me. They can be the most pretentious snobs. They usually keep to themselves, you know, too good for the rest of us folks.”

  “Wow. They sound l
ovely.” I hoped to never meet one.

  “Yeah. Fortunately, there aren’t many left. Like I said, Usemi and Akharu are dying out.”

  “So, can they do weird stuff like you?”

  “No. They don’t have gifts like us.” He smirked.

  While I was starting to believe all this crazy stuff, I was still in denial about where I fit into the picture.

  “But you said a Usemi fixed you.”

  “Yeah, but this particular Usemi is unusual. I heard she was originally Idimmu and got turned by a Usemi. She’s the only known case of it.”

  “What do you mean? I thought that’s how one became a werewolf—you know, a bite or a scratch?”

  He laughed. “Like I said, myth and lore. Usemi and Akharu are born, not made. Remember I said they were going extinct? Usemi and Akharu can only have offspring with their mates, as in the only other living creature they can truly love and procreate with.”

  “But how did she become Usemi then?”

  “That’s a bit of a mystery. I think The Collector knows. There are lots of rumors, though. Some say that The Collector experimented on her—he’s got a lot of really sketchy stuff going on in his laboratories. My favorite story is that she was bitten by her true mate, and their love was so strong that she survived the change.”

  “Wait, you said people couldn’t be turned into Usemi!”

  “Yeah, because Usemi bites are poison to humans. They die within days. Plus, it’s illegal. That’s one of the jobs of a Sethian, to enforce the laws of the purebreds.”

  “Okay. So you think her true mate bit her?” This sad story gave me a brain itch, a Ruthie-ism for times when you knew you should remember something but couldn’t put the pieces together.

  “Possibly, although if he did, he’s probably dead now because true mates can’t be apart very long. And also, she had an illegal kid with an Akharu. Heard he died when she was captured.”

  Oh my gosh! I remembered the last dream I’d shared with Ruthie, the one about the good-looking Euro vampire and the wolf.

  “I know, seriously sad and messed up,” he continued, although I was barely listening.

  “Some say the Usemi and Akharu are descendants of Cain and Abel and that they were cursed to be what they are now. There are lots of theories regarding the curses, but that’s neither here nor there.”

  Here nor there? Who says that? I thought. My head was busting with new information, old dreams involving biblical characters, and what this meant for me. I still didn’t understand how I fit into things.

  “What about the Sethians? What’s their thing? You said some have superpowers. Do they live long, too? And when you say a long time, just how long are we talking?” The picture of the soldier still displayed on Dante’s computer screen. He looked human, like any modern-day soldier. He wore fatigues and carried a gun. Other instruments were clipped to his waist.

  “Well, I’ve heard that Sethians used to live just as long as Usemi and Akharu, but many, many years ago their life spans began shortening until now they live as long as humans. I’ve also heard that there are still Sethians out there who have retained their longevity, something about them remaining uncorrupted. But I’m not sure what that means. Anyway, you remember the Bible characters like Noah and Methuselah? They were Sethian and they lived almost a thousand years.”

  “Wow.” My fall-asleep-faster tactic, reading the Bible, just got more interesting. I was definitely going to look up these Sethians—if I ever got away from Dante.

  “And their powers?” I prompted

  “Oh, no. No powers, except for the uppity-ups. But they aren’t like ours. They seem to weaken over time, so they have to reinforce them.”

  I was curious. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, the official story is that they have some kind of secret ceremony during which the Great Spirit blesses them with gifts to help them strengthen the Sethians as a whole, enforce the laws over the other races, and protect humans.” Dante’s face was skeptical.

  “But you don’t believe it?” I asked.

  “Let’s just say I think The Collector collects Idimmu for more than their gifts—Oh, I shouldn’t have told you that!”

  A cold finger ran up my spine. “Dante, what does he really do with them!”

  Dante stood up quickly and headed to the small kitchen. He crushed his empty soda can in his hand before tossing it in a trash can.

  “You know, it doesn’t really matter. Nothing you or I can do about it anyway.” He picked up his phone to check his messages.

  He wasn’t going to tell me any more about it. So I took a different approach. “Dante, I thought you said the Usemi that fixed you ran away. Why would you go back now?”

  He turned his full gaze on me then, and his eyes were wild again. A creepy smile spread across his face as he tilted his head mockingly.

  “Why, Tru! I thought it would be obvious! I have you now. You can be the new fixer. The Collector is going to be so happy with me. He hoped that I would find Dubois, but I think I found something better!” He almost cackled.

  Throughout his psychotic self-congratulations, two things stood out. One, he thought what I did for Bobby made me like whoever fixed him, and two, I’d heard the name Dubois before. It certainly wasn’t a common name. Zander and Peter referred to my wolf as Dubois. Everything seemed connected, but I couldn’t piece it all together yet. I felt dizzy and betrayed. I thought Dante was coming around. He seemed so normal most of the time. But now I saw that he truly was crazy.

  Refocusing on my surroundings, I saw that Dante had pulled away a rug in front of the sofa and flipped open a trapdoor in the floor.

  “No! You have it all wrong!” I couldn’t fix people like he thought. I just knew how to be nice. I wasn’t gifted. I was just a dumb girl who should have run when she had the chance!

  Dante stood behind my chair, tipping it slightly to make me stand.

  “Sorry, Tru, but it’s true!” He giggled. “Did I ever tell you I liked your name?”

  “Dante!” I leaned hard backward, desperate, desperate enough to turn in my wolf. “What if I said I knew where the Fixer was?”

  He laughed hard now. “Oh, come on! I have a feeling you would say just about anything right now.”

  There was no way I was going down into that dark hole without a fight. I rolled out of my chair, picking it up to swing at him, but he grabbed it before I could build up any momentum. His eyes glinted with fury and he growled through clenched teeth.

  “I was going to untie you first, but have it your way!”

  Pitiful

  With one shove I was weightless seconds before falling through a dark hole and landing so very, very wrong, one ankle folding like a napkin, causing me to wrench back, smacking an elbow on the cement floor. The heavy wooden chair landed and broke beside me, but not before smacking me in the hip. My elbow throbbed. It was the mother of all funny bone injuries. I felt sure that my arm was never going to straighten again and that a bone may have penetrated my skin. The pain stole my breath far too long, and then I was gasping and coughing from lack of air and excruciating agony. I tried not to move, because the tiniest shift in my position made the contents of my stomach rise up.

  “Oh, dear,” said a sickly sweet voice above me. Light from the room above surrounded me. Looking up, I could see Dante’s dark silhouette. “Did you hurt yourself?” He mocked. “Sorry about that. At least it will keep you from trying to escape. Oh, right! You can heal yourself! So what’s that saying? Physician, heal thyself? That’s it.” He pulled out his cell phone and tapped it.

  “I don’t know how, you idiot!” I screamed. With pain shooting through my entire body, my voice came out sounding as crazy as his. It was like I’d been transported to someone else’s nightmare, too horrible to be happening to me. Slowly, the initial shards of agony faded into a layer of numbness that allowed me to lie back on the ground.

  Dante squatted, a dark silhouette in the cellar doorway. He sighed dramatically. “Tr
u, Tru, Tru. You do, too. I saw you, you little liar.” He paused and squeezed his head with both hands. “As you can see, I’m not quite myself. So the sooner we get you to The Collector, the sooner I can be fixed.” He spoke sweetly, like he was talking to a little child.

  “Then why didn’t you have me fix you before you shoved me down here!”

  “Tut, tut, Tru—oh my, the alliteration! It’s lovely, isn’t it?” He repeated the words several times, smiling. “Dear, sweet, girl. Your talent could go both ways. How can I trust you to fix me instead of breaking me more? No, no, I need The Collector to make you fix me. He has ways to make people do what he wants.”

  A hopeless sob escaped me.

  “There, there now. Don’t worry. All will be well. I think you are going to make me very rich, sweetheart, yes I do.” The more he spoke, the more song-like his voice became.

  “They’re going to realize I’m missing,” I bit out with a low growl, grinding my teeth. I had to stop talking, or I’d really vomit, and that would make my misery so much worse. Cold sweat had broken out over my lip. Dante still heard me.

  “I suppose. But they won’t find you in time. Those brothers! The Collector really has silly sons. Oh! Alliteration again. Did you hear it? Silly sons. Silly sons.”

  “What?” Who was he talking about now? I suspected, but didn’t want to believe it.

  “Zander and Peter, of course! Although, they have no idea who The Collector is.” He cackled. “What? Did you really think Zander liked you? Stupid girl. He was looking for the same thing I was! But I figured it out first!”

  Suddenly, Dante grabbed his head like he was going to smash it between his palms. He yelled, “Stop it. Stop it!” And then he lay on the ground next to the opening. He must have passed out.

  I wanted to scream out loud, but kept it in my head. Zander really was using me all along. It felt like little blood vessels around my heart were popping. Maybe this was what it felt like to get your heart broken. But to do so, you had to love someone first. Did I love him? It didn’t matter anymore. Zander wasn’t coming to help me. But someone would, right?