by Tawny Taylor
Black blotches obscured his vision.
He heard her speaking as he went completely blind. Felt air brushing against his skin. Something hard slamming into his body.
“Shit, that was one hell of a fall,” Drako whispered. He was staring into the binoculars, his body wedged between two trees. Malek was in the truck, listening to him via a wireless headset.
“I saw it. What a bitch,” Malek said.
“Okay, they’re dragging him into the car. Ready?”
“Yep. The engine’s running.”
“I’m coming.” As Drako sprinted toward the waiting vehicle, he unzipped his pocket and slid his hand inside. It was still in there. Smooth. Hard. His finger traced one of the edges. He wasn’t sure yet what he would do with it, or how it all was going to work, but this was it. He had sensed it for some time. The moment was coming, quickly. Two enemies would face off for one final time, and nothing would be the same afterward.
When he reached the car, Malek slammed the driver’s side door.
They were off. To save their brother.
To change the future.
“Wake up, sleepyhead.”
A voice. Female. Did he recognize it?
Maybe.
“Wake up.”
No, he didn’t know that voice.
“Damn, why is it taking so long?”
Wait, he did know that voice.
Memories started trickling through Talen’s mind. Slowwwwwly. They moved like thick molasses. Images. A face. A woman’s face.
Her. Angela.
A parking lot.
Had they met? Oh yes. They had.
Michelle. Where was she?
Angela wanted The Secret. And he’d tried to pass off a piece of old junk as it. It hadn’t worked. He remembered everything now.
“Wake up, dammit.”
Oh hell, his head hurt. Where was he?
His eyelids felt like they were glued shut. With huge effort he managed to slit them open.
“There you are. What a lightweight,” his captor sneered. “Wake up. You’re no use to me napping like a kindergartner.”
He opened his mouth to speak but his throat was dry. All that came out was a painful cracking sound. He coughed.
“At least I know you can be easily subdued now.”
“Where’s Michelle?” he croaked.
“Get the hell up. We have work to do.” Angela gave him a shake. “We need to find a way to communicate with your brothers.”
“There isn’t any. I told you, they disconnected their phones. Just let Michelle go. She’s no use to you now.”
“Wake your ass up and find a way to get your brothers here, and then I’ll think about it,” Angela snapped.
It wasn’t easy, but he opened his eyes fully, avoiding direct light. Every beat of his heart pounded in his skull. It felt like the bones might shatter.
Get his brothers here? Wasn’t going to happen. He was going to have to think of another way to get Michelle to safety. But how? His mind was still too foggy to think.
Sitting upright, he dropped his face into his hands and curled his fingers into his hair. At the moment, he was feeling defeated, powerless, lost. What the fuck was he going to do?
“You really don’t know how to reach them?”
Face still covered, he shook his head. “I told you that. More than once.”
“Fuck!” Angela left, slamming the door hard. His head felt the vibration in the air. Every fucking wave. His stomach twisted, and he almost heaved. When the nausea passed, he opened his eyes to stare down at the tile floor.
White.
His gaze slowly crept across the floor, then up a wall.
White tile.
Michelle was here somewhere. Close by. But he couldn’t get to her, couldn’t reassure her or protect her. They could do anything to her. Absolutely anything. And he was powerless to stop them.
This was hell. Pure and simple.
Someone was coming in her room. Again. Was it lunchtime? Dinnertime? Without anything to entertain her, distract her, hours dragged. Days dragged. Minutes dragged. Time had no meaning anymore.
Sleep. That was what Michelle did. As often as she could. In her dreams, she could go anywhere, with anyone. With Talen. Her mother.
Her stomach wasn’t burning yet. She wasn’t hungry. It seemed as if she’d just eaten lunch.
“Good afternoon,” Angela said as she flounced into the room. The door slammed shut behind her. “How’s your day going?”
Michelle didn’t bother answering. Angela couldn’t care less how her day was going. She pushed herself upright and hung her legs over the side of the bed.
Angela sat next to her. The thin mattress sank under her weight. “Well, I have a little good news for you.”
Good news? Right. Sure.
“I’m going to let you speak with Talen,” Angela announced.
Talen?
Michelle’s heart jerked. What did this mean? Was he here? Would she get to see him? Or would she talk to him on the phone? Most importantly, why did Angela want her to talk to him? This woman, as evil as she was, wouldn’t let her do anything unless there was some ulterior motive. “You’re going to let me call him?”
“Better than that. I’m going to let you see him. Face-to-face.”
See him! “Is he here?”
“He is. Not far.” Angela click-clicked toward the door in her little pointy-toed shoes. “Not far at all. You can go right now. This minute.”
What the hell was this woman up to? “Why are you doing this?” Michelle asked.
Angela shrugged but didn’t say a word. Instead, she knocked. The lock clicked. The door swung open, and she stepped one foot through the doorway. Pivoting, she asked over her shoulder, “Are you coming?”
Michelle hesitated for a moment. Was this a trick? Would she be lured to a room and killed? That didn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Nervous, but hopeful that somehow this was a sign that Angela had given up trying to use her to get what she wanted, Michelle walked through the door.
This was the first time she’d been out of her room, at least, while she was conscious. She checked out every little detail, in case she needed to describe where she was.
The corridor was narrow. White-walled. Institutional. There were no windows, no signs, and no way to see where the building was located or what kind of structure it was. She followed Angela through a series of turns. Right. Left. Another left. A right. Several more. Right, left, right. She was soon completely confused and sure she could never get herself back to her room.
The place had to be huge, with so many hallways. A hospital. It reminded her of a hospital. The old kind, where everything was tiled white.
Old. Yes, the building was old. The linoleum floors showed signs of wear. Gray grunge had collected in the corners. Occasionally, a locked metal door would interrupt their progress, and Angela would have to unlock it with a key card to pass through.
Maybe it was a jail or prison.
Finally, Angela stopped at the end of yet another corridor that looked exactly like the last ten they’d walked down. “Here you are. You have thirty minutes.” She slid her key card in the locking mechanism on the door and turned the knob. Smiling, she jerked her head. “Go ahead.”
Michelle peered into the room.
There he was. It was him. Sitting on the bed, his head tipped down, elbows on knees. He didn’t look up.
Something made her approach him slowly, cautiously. Was he sick? Angry?
Finally, he raised his eyes. Then he jerked his head upright. “Michelle.”
She felt herself smiling for the first time since she’d been brought to this awful place. “Talen.” Acting on pure instinct, she dashed to him. She leapt, catching her arms around his neck when she finally made contact. His arms wrapped around her, and their bodies melded. Oh, it was magical. He was here. Really here. Holding her.
“Tell me this isn’t a dream,” she whispered as she tipped her he
ad back to look him in the eye.
“It’s real.” He lowered his head, lips hovering over hers. “This isn’t the time or place, but now that I have you in my arms . . .” His mouth claimed hers. Hard. His lips smashed over hers. One of his hands cupped the back of her head, holding it in place. The fingers of the other dug into the flesh of her side as her back arched over his arm.
When his tongue pushed into her mouth, she couldn’t help moaning. Her bones were softening, turning to mush. Her blood was simmering, blasting through her body in huge hot waves.
As need rushed through her, she clung to him and kissed him back. All the emotions she had pent up over the last few days surged to the surface. She released them all, the anger, confusion, fear, sadness, and now joy, in the kiss. With her tongue, lips, and body she told him how much she had missed him, how she had longed for his touch, and how terrified she’d been without him.
And with his tongue, lips, and body he told her how scared he’d been for her safety, how much he’d longed for her touch, and how much he wanted to cherish and protect her.
The kiss lasted a long time. It was as if neither of them could bear to let it end. Their mouths were connected, their breaths mingled, their bodies pressed so tightly together nothing could get between them. That was how it was meant to be. For always.
“Isn’t this a pretty picture?” someone said.
Michelle knew that cold, cloying voice. The bitch. Of course there had been a reason why she’d let her come to see Talen. It couldn’t be because she was trying to be nice. Michelle figured she was about to find out what that reason was.
It was Talen who broke the kiss. Gently but firmly, he turned her in his arms and held her with his arms crossed over her chest. “What now? What? You said we would have a half hour. It hasn’t been a half hour.”
“No, it hasn’t. Unfortunately, I have to break up the party early.” Angela made a fake pouty face. “But it’s good news. At least for me. And maybe you.” She pointed at Talen. “There’s someone here to see you.”
Michelle twisted to glance over her shoulder, at Talen. His brows were furrowed, confusion twisting his handsome features.
“Who?” he asked.
Angela shook her head. “You’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, I need to escort your little friend here back to her room. We wouldn’t want her to get hurt if things get a little . . . rough.”
Dread settled into her stomach. It was heavy and hard, like a rock. Twisting as Angela pulled on her arm, she stole one last glance of Talen.
What was happening?
Would it be the last time she saw him alive?
“I love you,” she whispered to him.
“I love you, too,” he replied.
31
As he watched Angela escort Michelle away, his heart shattered. His eyes focused on her, only her. The slope of her neck, the curve of her cheek. If he didn’t live to hold her again, he would remember that sweet moment when she’d molded her body to his and kissed him so fiercely. God, that moment had been like nothing before. Inside, he’d felt something, a spark ignite. It wasn’t just lust or carnal need, it was more. A fire in his soul. And now, even though she was out of his sight, it still burned brightly, making him feel so strong and light that he wondered if he might take flight.
His senses seemed more acute, too. Especially his vision. Turning, he focused on the wall. There were slight imperfections between each tile. Had those been there before?
Sounds outside, beyond the locked door, caught his attention. Voices.
His brothers. They had come for him.
How had they known where he was?
Never mind that. Now that all three of them were together, here, in the clutches of the Chimera once again, the safety of The Secret was in jeopardy. They had escaped twice before. Narrowly. And not without suffering serious injuries. Would they be so lucky this time? Or would one of them, or more, lose their lives?
His body energized as a surge of adrenaline coursed through it. His muscles tensed. His senses heightened even more. He still heard the voices, but he hadn’t seen them yet. How long would he have to wait?
Restless, he paced. What would the enemy do this time? In the past, the individuals who had captured them hadn’t known about or anticipated the supernatural gifts two of the three brothers had somehow acquired. Still, they weren’t sure where those powers had come from. Drako had his own theory, and it related to the thing they’d been charged with protecting. Still, as far as he could tell, they were the first of the Gryffons to have possessed such powers. All Gryffons before them hadn’t. If those powers had come from The Secret, wouldn’t they have all received them?
Footsteps. He heard them tapping lightly on the floor. Little, light click-clacks. They were coming toward his room. Quickly. He guessed, based upon the pace and weight, they belonged to Angela.
She entered his room smiling. “This day will go down in history as the day when all humanity received the greatest gift of all. No longer will we rely upon expensive, dirty fossil fuels to power our cities. It will all come from us, from the Chimera. We will hold all nations in our grasp.”
“You have it?” he asked.
“Not yet. But I will. Just as soon as I prove to your doubting brothers that you are here and still alive.”
What was going to happen once Drako and Malek did see him? They couldn’t hand over The Secret. Not a chance. Still, he told her, “If you are able to get The Secret from them, you need to think about the risks—”
“Risks? There are none.” She sat in the one and only chair in the tiny room and crossed one leg over the other, revealing a lot of toned thigh. His stomach turned as memories of touching that thigh flashed through his head. “It’s a never-ending, cost-free source of clean power. Strong enough to provide electricity to every nation in the world. Just think about all the good it will do. It’ll not only shift the balance of world economic power but also improve living conditions in every part of the world. You and your Gryffons have been greedy, holding it to yourself all this time. Look at your wealth. Where does it come from? Who is paying you to keep it away from us?” Angela demanded.
“No one is paying us.”
“You can’t possibly tell me that you and your brothers earned all your wealth. You’re a computer programmer. Your brother is a jewelry maker. Hardly the kinds of careers that produce the lifestyle that you seem to be living.”
“Our father left us a large estate, worth quite a bit. We’ve merely built upon it,” he reasoned, not that he owed this woman any explanation. But he wasn’t ashamed of what he and his brothers had accomplished. They worked smart. They invested smart. And they spent smart.
“You built your wealth without the benefit of traceable incomes?” she asked.
“What does it matter whether we have been paid or not?”
“Maybe I would like to talk to whomever has been paying you. Perhaps I might agree to keep your secret safe if the price were right.”
Ah, so that was what she was getting at. Interesting. He hadn’t considered that angle. Was there any advantage to gain by making her think there was someone paying them? It might buy him a little time. But not enough to do any good. “There is nobody.”
“Well, then. We meet your brothers.” She stood and smoothed her skirt with her hands. “If you won’t tell me who your benefactor is, I’ll stick with Plan A. Making all the nations of the world completely dependent upon me for their electricity isn’t a bad way to go.”
Not a bad way, if she didn’t blow herself, and tens of thousands of people around her, to smithereens. “You don’t understand how it works. The power is beyond any human’s capacity to control. The last time it was used, it caused a whole nation to collapse. Literally. Into the sea. And that was before the power had reached its fullest potential.”
She scoffed. “That’s a silly superstition. I’ve heard it so many times. Atlantis. The famous lost continent. Sunken into the sea.”
&n
bsp; “Doubting the truth is one sure way to destruction.”
“I’m so scared.” She rolled her eyes. “Obviously I have a team of scientists at my disposal, to make sure nothing like that happens. We’ve been preparing for this day for a long time, Talen. For centuries, since the first Chimera discovered the legend of The Secret and started their search for it. It’s taken us a long time to finally get to this point. But we are prepared.”
“If you were so prepared, how was it that you didn’t know what it would look like?”
She tapped her chin. “Good question. While there was a lot of detail in the ancient documents those founding members of the Chimera found, a physical description wasn’t in them. Enough chitchat. Let’s go. I’m anxious to get on with this. Your brothers are waiting.” She made a circle in the air with her index finger. She pulled a pair of handcuffs out of her pocket with the other hand. “Turn.”
He turned his back to her and permitted her to clip on the handcuffs.
After she checked them to make sure they were secure, she rapped on the door. It opened.
“You will kill us once you have it,” he said, allowing her to steer him down the hall by the arm.
“Of course. Can’t have you trying to steal it back. You and your brothers would pose too big a risk to us.”
“What about Michelle?”
“Ah, sweet little Michelle. You know, I might consider setting her free. Might. I kind of grew fond of her over the past few weeks. Especially when she was helping me plan my wedding. It’ll be a game-day decision.” Her smile broadened. “If things go smoothly, I might be inspired to be nice.”
If there was any way he could make that happen, he had to. The farther away Michelle was from all of this, the better. Especially if Angela somehow really did get her hands on The Secret. If that happened, nobody within at least two hundred miles would be safe.
“Michelle served her purpose. Why won’t you let her go now?” he demanded. Somehow he had to convince Angela to release Michelle. He had to protect her.