Naura

by Ditter Kellen

  The mortality rate of Incola victims had doubled in the past six months, bringing the death toll to more than sixty thousand. And that was only the cases they had knowledge of.

  God knew how many homeless had died without seeking treatment, Rueben thought, gazing at a dark forest painting.

  Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed at his aching temples in an effort to relieve the continuous throbbing and reflected on his time in the presidential seat.

  He hadn’t been completely naive about what his duties as the leader of the United States would entail, but he’d never dreamed he would be nothing more than a puppet, having his strings pulled by the elite financial supporters that truly owned the government.

  If it were up to Rueben, he would fire the head of CDC, Martin Raducha, for his decision to mutate the Incola virus without first consulting his colleagues. The man’s arrogance was astounding.

  Rueben had been directed to keep his mouth shut about the virus mutation, smile for the cameras, and handle the extraction of Abbigail Sutherland.

  He figured the puppeteers hadn’t counted on Vaughn’s interference, or had they? Rueben wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

  “Your pain reliever, sir.” Sally came around the desk and handed him a pill bottle, followed by a glass of water.

  “Thank you,” he murmured, accepting the medicine and water. He quickly popped the top and took four of the white tablets.

  Sally’s eyes showed pity. “Are you going to be all right?”

  “I don’t know, Sally. The virus is mutating to the point that it will be airborne in a matter of months if we don’t create a vaccine in time. And I just don’t see how that’s going to be possible.”

  Chapter Forty

  Tony sat on a boulder and watched Hauke pace the entrance to Aukrabah.

  The big Bracadyte had sent four scouts out to protect Naura, in the event that she was discovered by Navy divers.

  “I worry that the scouts will draw attention to her.”

  Hauke shook his head. “They have the cover of darkness, and they know these waters better than the humans.”

  “She’s close,” Tony reassured him while listening to Naura’s sweet voice inside his head.

  A thought abruptly hit him as Hauke made another pass next to the Pool of Life. “Strange that your scouts haven’t encountered any divers. How far out did they go?”

  Hauke slowed his steps. “Ten miles in all directions. Why do you ask?”

  Tony rose to his feet. “Something’s wrong.”

  “What is it?” Hauke stopped next to him, anxiety evident in his eyes.

  “The Navy wouldn’t have pulled their submarines this soon. Not without a damn good reason.”

  “You think they have found Aukrabah?”

  “I don’t think so. It’s just odd that Vaulcron witnessed the ships and divers approximately three miles from here when he left a few hours ago headed to Cuba. Yet your scouts haven’t reported seeing anything.”

  Hauke nodded. “I will order them to return. Perhaps it is time that we evacuate to the north end of Aukrabah.”

  “What’s in the North end?”

  “The king paid a visit to Abbie during the last moon. It would appear that the scrolls possess secrets of Aukrabah we were not made aware of.”

  “Such as?”

  Hauke paused as if wondering how much information to divulge.

  “If you know something that might help, now would be the time to spill it,” Tony demanded. “You can trust me.”

  “The north end of Aukrabah was closed off by our ancestors to protect us from being discovered by the land walkers. According to the king, the north entrance lies somewhere beneath the place you know as Destin.”

  “What?” Tony couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “Do you know what that means? It’s a way of escape for Abbie, when and if the time comes.”

  Hauke took a step forward, anger swirling in his strange-colored eyes. “Abbie goes nowhere without me.”

  “Tony?” Naura’s voice inside his head interrupted his discussion with Hauke.

  “I’m here. How close are you?”

  “I am at the falling water. I see no signs of boats or humans. Is it safe to enter?”

  “Yes,” Tony confirmed, meeting Hauke’s gaze once more. “Naura’s coming in. We’ll continue this—”

  An explosion rocked the entrance to Aukrabah.

  “Nauraaaaa!” Tony mentally screamed as he was blown off his feet and thrown through the air with the force of a train.

  His back slammed against the wall, knocking the breath from his lungs. Stars erupted behind his eyes, and his world turned black.

  * * * *

  Agony seared Tony’s head. He couldn’t seem to catch his breath. With a groan of pain, he slowly opened his eyes.

  Rocks and debris were scattered around the area in violent disarray, bringing to mind the carnage he’d once left in a small village outside Baghdad many years ago.

  What was he doing there, lying on a stone floor?

  Memory came rushing back with a vengeance. An explosion. Pain. Rocks falling around him. Naura!

  Tony gritted his teeth and rolled to his side, his gaze scanning the area rapidly. “Naura?”

  His heart began to pound a painful rhythm. Fear and trepidation melded together to form an overwhelming anxiety nearly impossible to breathe through.

  He remembered that Naura had been near the waterfall when the explosion happened.

  Fighting through the panic, Tony staggered to his feet and stumbled toward the Pool of Life.

  There on the bottom, her legs buried under a large boulder, lay Naura.

  A hoarse shout wrenched deep from Tony’s chest. He fell into the water and kicked with everything he had to reach the bottom.

  “Naura?” his mind screamed as he gripped the side of boulder and lifted with every ounce of strength he possessed. It didn’t move.

  Tony fought to move the giant rock until he was forced to surface for air. Taking a deep breath, he dove back under, pressed his back to the boulder, gripped the edge, and lifted, using his legs for leverage. It wouldn’t budge.

  He fought the massive rock until his lungs burned, begging for oxygen. Spots began to dance before his eyes, signaling a loss of consciousness, yet he continued to fight. If Naura’s fate was truly to die pinned beneath the Pool of Life; then he would die with her.

  A spasm seized him with his lungs’ demand for breath. His hands fell away from the boulder’s edge, and his body slowly drifted to the bottom next to Naura’s still form.

  Tony cupped her beautiful face and mentally whispered his last words. “I love you, Naura. I’ve always loved you. Please forgive me.”

  Water filled his lungs…

  * * * *

  Anguish unlike any he’d suffered before ripped through Tony’s body in a fiery trail of torment.

  He must be in hell, he concluded, feeling the fire burn a hole in his chest. But he didn’t care. It was less than he deserved for the pain he’d put his precious Naura through.

  She had loved him, stood by him no matter how he’d treated her, and what had he done in return? Took her innocence and broke her heart.

  Tony welcomed the scorching sensation swirling inside his chest. Anything to replace the grief of Naura’s death.

  Warmth. Energy. His hands tingled and heat touched his mouth. The searing pain stopped.

  “Tony?”

  It couldn’t be true. He’d watched Naura die.

  “Wake up, Tony. Come back to me.”

  Water gushed from his mouth to spill next to his face. Great, racking coughs forced more water from his lips.

  “My love…”

  Fighting against the darkness, Tony forced his lids open. He blinked several times until Naura came into focus.

  “You’re alive?” he croaked, unable to believe the truth. “Oh, my God, you’re alive.”

  Naura nodded. “I must have been unconscious. A second explosion mo
ved the boulder I had been trapped beneath.” She leaned down and brushed her lips across his. “You gave your life to save me, Tony. Why would you do that?”

  Wetness trickled down the sides of his face, and he realized it came from him. Anthony Vaughn, a man who’d spent most his life learning to kill or be killed…cried.

  With every tear that fell, a layer of pain fell with it, stripping him bare, leaving him vulnerable and defenseless. Nothing remained but Naura and the love he held for her deep inside. “I love you, Naura, my soul, my mate, my everything.”

  Tears dripped from her eyes to mingle with his. Tony could feel her hands trembling as she reached up and cupped his face.

  “You are my life, Anthony Vaughn.”

  Tony thought about the family he’d lost so long ago. The pain of losing his wife and child would always be with him, but it had finally quieted and no longer controlled his heart.

  He stared deep into Naura’s jade-green eyes. “I can let them go now. You have given me back my life in more ways than one, and I will spend the rest of my days giving you everything you’ve ever wanted.”

  “All I want is you,” she whispered through her tears.

  “You have me. Now and forever.”

  A soft moan echoed off the cavern walls, bringing Tony out of his warm and fuzzy haze. “Hauke.”

  With one more kiss to Naura’s sweet lips, Tony stumbled to his feet and searched the floor of the entrance. Hauke lay on his back with a smear of blood on his forehead.

  Tony staggered to Hauke’s side and dropped to his knees beside him, lifting one of the Bracadyte’s eyelids. “Hauke? Are you all right?”

  “I would be better,” Hauke wheezed, “if you would stop allowing rock dust to settle in my eye.”

  Tony released Hauke’s eyelid and glanced up at Naura with a smirk. “He’s fine. We need to get him to the king and make sure everyone else is okay.”

  Naura and Tony helped Hauke stand. The three of them limped their way through the halls of Aukrabah in search of Klause.

  Four scouts were still unaccounted for, and Vaulcron was out there somewhere, hopefully still on his way to Cuba.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Naura held her emotions in check until they reached the great hall. Relief poured through her at the sight of her mother racing toward them.

  “Hauke? Are you injured?”

  “I am fine, Mother.”

  “Abbie and Arcanum?” the queen asked, frantically searching the trio’s gaze.

  Hauke murmured that he could stand on his own. “Abbie assured me that they are safe in our room.”

  What has happened, fili mi? We heard a terrifying sound, and the earth shook beneath our feet.”

  “It was a bomb, Mother. Where is Father?”

  Laurel paled. “A bomb?”

  “Yes. A human bomb. It is important that I speak with Father.”

  “I am here,” Klause announced, striding into the room in all his glory. Concern filled his eyes as he took in his son’s appearance. “You have been injured.”

  “I am well, Father. We all are.”

  Klause nodded and pinned Naura with a look usually reserved for court. “Do not think I am unaware of your part in all of this. I know that you went to Cuba.”

  Naura’s mouth dropped open. She would wring Miguel’s neck when she saw him again.

  “Do not blame Miguel. He thought you had been taken by the cartel.”

  “You know about the cartel?” Tony piped in, drawing the king’s attention.

  “You think me a simpleton, Anthony Vaughn? I have known Miguel for many moons. He does not keep things from me. But we do not have time to discuss the cartel. We must prepare Aukrabah for the next attack.”

  Hauke rested a hand on his hip. “Do you feel that the land walkers know of our location?”

  “I do not,” Klause muttered thoughtfully. “But I believe they are using the explosions in an attempt to find us. It is only a matter of time before they succeed.”

  Naura swallowed her fear. “What do you propose we do?”

  Klause gazed at each one of them for a moment before answering. “We evacuate.”

  Naura’s stomach fell. “To where?”

  “Cuba.”

  “But what about Tony and Abbie? How will they get to Cuba? They cannot swim there.”

  Tony abruptly faced her. “You don’t worry about me. Go to Cuba with your family, Naura. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “You are my family, Tony. If you stay. I stay.”

  Klause had his hand wrapped around Tony’s throat before Naura could react. “You have mated my daughter?”

  “No, Father,” Naura snarled, stepping in close. “I mated him. Now let him go this instant, or I will leave here with him and you will never see me again.”

  Laurel laid a hand on the king’s shoulder. “Release him, Klause. You cannot control what our daughter decides any longer. She is not a child.”

  Naura had never been more grateful to her mother as she was in that moment.

  Klause relaxed his hold on Tony’s throat, but didn’t let go. “You will do right by her.”

  “I intend to,” Tony responded without flinching. “I will protect her with my life.”

  “Remember you said that human, because it is your life I will take if you do not.”

  Klause dropped his hand and took a step back. “Where is Vaulcron?”

  Dread settled in Naura’s chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but Hauke answered for her. “He left before sunset, headed to Cuba.”

  The king’s voice turned deadly soft. “What is he doing in Cuba?”

  “He is going to meet with a female named Mallory Cahill in hopes of exposing the human government for mutating the virus known as Incola,” Naura admitted.

  A muscle flexed along the king’s jaw. He glanced between Naura and Hauke. “My children are supposed to set an example for the Bracadytes. If I cannot control my own flesh and blood, how am I to lead the others?”

  Naura immediately felt contrite. “I am sorry, Father. Truly, I am. But we are no longer infants, and times are changing. We must use the common sense we were born with to see us through this madness.”

  Klause watched her with something akin to admiration. “You have changed, my daughter. I see a warrior inside you, fierce and strong.”

  “I have always been a warrior, my king. Only you could not see past the female in me to notice.”

  “Perhaps you are right,” Klause conceded. “But you are still my daughter, and I do not want to see you harmed.”

  “She won’t be.”

  Everyone shifted their gaze to Tony.

  “I would never let anything happen to her, Your Majesty. She is my mate.”

  Klause’s expression hardened. “Then I hold you responsible for her care. If she dies…you die.”

  “Really, Klause,” Laurel admonished. “The human is in love with our daughter. Can you not see that?”

  The queen stepped forward and wrapped Tony in a hug. “Welcome to our family, fili mi.”

  A crease formed between Tony’s eyes. “Fili mi?”

  “It means my son,” Laurel offered, pulling back to kiss his cheek.

  Naura’s heart soared at her mother’s acceptance of Tony. Not that Naura wouldn’t have mated him regardless, but she respected her parents and wanted their blessing.

  “Father?” Hope took seed when the look in the king’s eyes softened.

  Klause cupped Naura’s face and gently kissed the top of her head. “I wish you well, my heart.”

  Easing back, the king held out his arm toward Tony. “You are now a Bracadyte, fili mi. Take care of my daughter.”

  “Until my dying breath,” Tony vowed, clasping forearms with the king.

  Klause released his hold and backed up a step. “I will send word to all Aukrabah residents to gather only what will not weigh them down. They will leave in pairs while the gulf is free of humans and travel to Playa Pilar to rendezvous wi
th Miguel.”

  Taking a deep breath, he continued. “Anthony Vaughn? Will it be possible for you to secure a vessel to carry my son’s mate and child to Cuba?”

  Tony nodded. “I will have Melvin line us up something once we reach shore. They won’t be expecting us on land.”

  “I will go with Tony,” Naura announced, her voice brooking no argument.

  Hauke faced his father. “As will I. I will not leave without my family.”

  Klause’s eyes held a sad, but proud look. “I expected no less. Fare thee well, my children. I will see you again in Cuba.” With that, he spun around and left the room.

  Laurel hugged the room’s occupants before leaving through the door her mate had disappeared through.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Another explosion rocked the gulf floor, shaking the ground beneath Tony’s feet. “Are you all right!” he yelled, running into the bedroom where Naura stood, dressing in her sharkskin clothing.

  The sight of her breasts peeking out from the material of her vest as she quickly laced it up made Tony’s mouth go dry.

  “I am fine,” Naura assured him, tying off the laces and taking a seat on the bed to pull on her boots.

  She stood and tucked a knife into the waistband of her pants, followed by a smaller blade that she slid into the lining of one of her boots. “The walk will be long. I have fashioned a makeshift sling for Arcanum that will allow us to take turns carrying him.”

  Tony watched as she hooked the material over her shoulders like a backpack.

  Skirting the foot of the bed, he laid a finger beneath her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “No matter what happens, you stay next to me. Understand? Do not leave my side for any reason.”

  “I will stay with you no matter—”

  He slanted his lips across hers, silencing the rest of her words. She tasted of warm honey and home.

  Tony could spend the rest of his life kissing Naura. He wanted to peel her clothes off and make love to her forever.

  Breaking off the kiss, he stared into her amazing eyes. “I’ve never known love on this level before. It excites me and scares the hell out of me at the same time. I’m going to be overprotective, unbearable, and a royal pain in the ass. A lot. But I’ll cherish you until I draw my last breath.”