by Owens, C. M.
“Araya, that’s not fair,” Hale scolds. “She didn’t want to tell us. Grayson wanted us to know after he found out because he wanted to find a way to tell you without you going crazy. We were all working out a plan that would benefit you. She hated her father for abandoning you. She hasn’t even talked to him since she found out other than when she confronted him.”
“Keep defending her. She’s weak. She needs you to keep her safe. I sure as fuck don’t,” I growl, and then I rush out of the room and away from the pathetic girl they all love so fucking much.
“Araya,” Brazen yells. “I’m not letting you leave.”
Hale and Clay run out behind him, and their eyes show their fear and worry for what I’ll do next.
“Not letting me?” I laugh out. “You don’t get it, do you? You have no choice but to let me leave because you can’t stop me. No one can. I don’t give a fuck if the United finds out about my desertion or not. I dare someone to come after me.”
I throw out my hands to send them all flying backwards into the wall, and then I run faster than I ever have as I find my way to my office. I grab my emergency funds card along with my emergency flight bag. I sling the wall out of my way to open it up to the dark, tainted sky above as my tears continue to fall freely.
The quietness of the compound ensures the sleeping people haven’t been too disturbed. The guards above don’t seem too concerned with my mess since they know I have a tendency to break things, and one even waves at me as I climb into a compound vehicle. I crank it up, and then I fling my wrists to open the gate.
The guards still don’t react since I’m not a threat, and I sling up dust as I see Brazen and Hale running toward the parking lot. I slam the gate shut behind me, and I hold it in place so they can’t follow me. By the time I have to let it go, they’ll be too far behind to catch up.
Then something I wasn’t expecting happens. Hale uses his gift to blast through the wall, and his car comes surging out of the gap he has created.
Sorry boys. Not tonight. Not ever again.
I wink at my rearview mirror, and all of his tires go flat at once. I see him slapping the top of the car when he gets out, and Brazen follows his lead as he climbs out of the passenger seat. They barely become ant-sized by the time I see them running back toward the compound for another vehicle. They’ll never catch me now. They’ll never see me again if I can help it.
Chapter 11
The Threat
The wind whistles as it slips through the cracks of the dank room with dripping puddles. The cries of the captured sound out as a man puffs on the exotic cigar. His mild disinterest in the tortured subjects is actually layered with some amount of boredom - a heart so cold he can be bored with the excruciating pain he is inflicting.
The hybrid under his gaze falls lifelessly to the ground, and the coldhearted man rips the steel rods from his body.
“This is never going to fucking work without her blood,” he screams to the apprentice cowering in the corner.
“I’m sorry, Sir. We’re trying really hard to get her, but she keeps escaping our grasp.”
“What about the other girl? Why the fuck is her blood not working?” he snarls.
“Because her savage stays on full alert. It’s not the same as Araya Crush’s. Hers has been evolved to an even higher level than our girl. Our informants say she left Hershian. This is a good thing. It’ll give us the chance to track her down without anyone to interfere.”
“And the captains? You don’t think they’ll find her?”
“They will if we don’t find her first. She’s pissed at them right now, so that will mean she’s going to be covering her tracks.”
“You won’t find her in time. Hale Banner will find her at all costs, I can assure you of that,” a new voice interjects as his silhouette darkens the doorway.
“You never bring good news,” the coldhearted man growls.
“I merely bring you the facts. I warned you not to underestimate her, and you did. She destroyed your last place because you didn’t follow my instructions. Banner has also enlisted Brazen Mordel’s help now. The two of them together will be relentless in finding us. We’ll have to be even more careful. Hale has gotten close enough too many times. Now that he has Brazen, well, we just need to exercise extreme caution for a while.”
“You keep promising her blood is going to work. How do you know it will?” he growls.
“Because it has to. There’s nothing more complex or amazing than her blood. We created a whole fucking new breed of hybrid from it. You can walk in the sun because of it. We’ll need leverage to enlist other full bloods. Her blood is the key.”
“I need regular injections to keep the sun’s threat at bay. Brazen Mordel can live in the sun without falter.”
“Clay will perfect it now that he knows. Until then, we’ve got more than enough to pull in all kinds of help.”
“Your new hybrids can’t keep their savage under control. Your girl is the only one who can.”
“That’s because she’s special. She shared blood with Araya once. Araya saved her life. It’s also the reason my savage is working properly. Too bad we can’t use our blood to fix it. We need it directly from the source.”
The cold man sighs, and then shakes his head. “How much more do we need?”
“We’ve gotten her blood from phase one of her savage during one of her rants. We’ve gotten her blood from phase two during the fight outside Metropolis. All we need is blood from phase three to complete our hybrids. Once we’re done, the damn full bloods will be persecuted the way we once were, no offense, but you’re planning on turning hybrid as well so I suppose it shouldn’t offend you. We’ll be immortal, and the humans can just dwindle off naturally until they cease to exist. We’ll own this world, and the weak will finally be exterminated.”
The cigar smoke mingles with the tang of blood in the air as the coldhearted torturer mulls over the insightful man’s words. He scratches his scruffy chin that hasn’t seen a razor in several days, and his sweaty body stains his clothes as he sits down.
“If this works, we’ll be the only ones left. I won’t have to hide anymore since they cast me out of society for craving the human vein,” he finally murmurs.
“This will work, and this world will finally be ours. Fuck the rest of them. It’s our turn,” the silhouette growls.
“How are we going to get her blood? She’s never gone phase three as far as we can tell.”
“Leave that to me. It’s my turn to run the show for a while. You take everything underground for now. I’ll call you when it’s time. Then we’ll bring out our girl… my girl. She’ll be strong enough to take down Araya Crush. Don’t worry about that.”
He smiles as he leaves the air a little stiffer than he greeted it. The dripping puddles slosh under his feet as he walks toward the hooded girl shining her perfectly blue hybrid eyes that hold a secret in the lines that are streaked a little paler. She lowers the hood that has cloaked her from the ones she only knows as enemies so he can fully appreciate her beauty.
Her soft red lips and pale skin don’t match the usual appearance of a hybrid, but she’s special. She’s different, and that’s what makes her dangerous. He knows that because he changed her. He did what he had to in order to keep her for himself.
He won’t lose her, and he won’t let the full bloods close enough to hurt her anymore. He’ll kill them all, and the United has to go as well. They’ll never let him kill all the full bloods, and they’ll be scared of his new breed of hybrids that can accomplish such a feat. Not to mention, the old hybrids will have to be disposed of as well. Savages will collide otherwise. He’s planning for a Utopia.
“I’ll be ready,” her chime-like voice sings out.
“I know you will, baby. Until then, just stay low. I don’t want them coming after you just because you’re different. I love you,” he says before letting his lips dance across hers.
The gentle touch becomes a passionate fueled f
ire as they slam into the wall behind them. She’s his, and Araya Crush nor Hale Banner will stop him from having the queen he deserves when it comes time for him to take the throne.
He won’t just have one queen though. His needs require another… one who he has sought for far longer than she knows. One he will force to love him when she refuses, and then she’ll live her life wondering what is truly missing.
Book III, Lifted Curse, on Kindle now.