by Jessie York
Suddenly, a searing pain went through Riley’s head. She gasped, dropped her backpack, and clutched her head. What was happening to her?
The pain magnified exponentially. Riley screamed and fell to the pavement. “Ahhh!” she yelled. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Every thought fled her mind except her awareness of the pain.
As suddenly as it had come, the pain started to subside. Riley took deep breaths, willing the pain to disappear. Yes, she could feel it dissipating. She was getting better. She rolled onto her side and pushed herself up onto her elbow.
There was a screech of car tires. Riley looked around frantically and saw a white van skid to a stop beside her. She stared in confusion as a man opened the driver’s door and stepped out. He was a middle-aged white man with a raged mustache and filthy hair. He was wearing a dirty old checked shirt and jeans with holes in the knees. The side door of the van slid open and two similar-looking men emerged.
Riley scrambled backwards away from them in alarm. The men quickly encircled her, however. “What do you want?” she said loudly. “Get… get away from me. I’ll scream for help!”
The men sneered. Then one of the kicked her hard in the ribs.
“Ah!” Riley screamed. She clutched her mid-section instinctively. The pain that followed was so severe it made her want to vomit.
One of the other men seized her hair and yanked up on it, laughing. “Come on, darlin’,” he said. “Get in the van. Let’s go for a ride.”
“No!” Riley yelled. She flung her hands back. One of her hands caught the man in the stomach.
“Oof,” he exclaimed. Riley looked around at him in surprise and saw him fall to the ground. Had she really hurt him? She must have. He didn’t look like he was getting up.
“You bitch!” the third man said. He swung his fist at Riley’s head.
It felt like the fist was moving in slow motion. Riley stared at it in amazement. Adrenaline was coursing through her body and she had heard that when that happened it could feel like things were moving slower than they actually were but this was different. Much different.
Riled moved to the side, easily dodging the blow. She drove her knee upwards into the man’s stomach. It crashed into him with amazing force. He dropped to the ground instantly without as much as a whimper.
There was only one man left standing. He stared at Riley with wide eyes. Then he reached behind his back and pulled out a gun.
Riley froze. She looked down the barrel of the gun. She was too terrified too even think as she waited to die.
There was an explosion. Riley shut her eyes. She heard a scream and the sound of metal crashing into metal. She held her breath and readied herself for immense pain. It didn’t come. Instead, when she opened her eyes, a silver Mercedes had replaced the man. She looked around in confusion and saw the man lying in a heap a few feet away. The car had slammed into him, saving her life.
The driver’s side car window rolled down and a pretty girl with brown hair stuck her head out. “Get in!” she said. “Hurry! There’s more of them coming.”
“No way,” Riley said. She was terrified. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m not going…”
The car door opened and the woman got out. She stood beside the car and then suddenly turned into a blur. The next second she was standing beside Riley. Before Riley could scream the girl reached up and jabbed something into Riley’s neck. “It’s for your own safety,” Riley heard the girl say. She thought she heard someone else yelling her name but it seemed very far away.
Then everything went dark.
Chapter 4 – Chace
“Riley! Riley!” Chace yelled. He watched in horror as a girl with brown hair loaded his sister into a silver Mercedes that looked to have side-swiped a white van. Three men were sprawled around on the pavement. He sprinted towards the Mercedes. “Riley!”
The other girl walked to the driver’s door, pursed her lips, and looked at him. Who the hell was she? Was she trying to help or hurt his sister? Either way, she wasn’t taking Riley anywhere without Chace. “Don’t move!” Chace yelled at her.
The woman stayed still as he approached. Then, suddenly, she leapt forward. She moved so fast that Chace didn’t have time to react. The girl punched him in the solar plexus and then spun and crashed into his knees with her back. Chace flew forward and slammed into the pavement, rolling across it before finally landing in a bloody heap.
He heard footsteps approaching him from behind. He tried to get up to face the girl but she seized the back of his neck with her hand and forced him down. “You are very attractive,” she said. “Astonishingly so.” Then the girl stunned Chance by turning around and sitting on his back. She reached underneath him and slid her hand past his belt. Chace tensed up as she grabbed his groin.
“You’re got some impressive stuff down there,” the girl said. “Ooh, I just love the feeling of a guy’s balls in my hand, you know? He suddenly becomes so docile. Hmmm… you don’t seem aroused. Do you not find me attractive? Or perhaps you have just had sex? Naughty boy.” Her grip tightened and Chace groaned. “I wish I could take you with me this time, cutie. I would love to get more familiar with you. Unfortunately, I’ve already got a passenger. Who is she? Your girlfriend? Don’t worry about her. She is becoming something much better, much stronger. If she is your girlfriend, she will probably come back for you. I wouldn’t have left a boy like you behind. If she does, I will look for you in the breeding pens. Perhaps one day I will have your daughter. Not now, though. Now you need to go to sleep. Do not bother looking for your girlfriend when you wake up. You will not see her again unless she wishes it.”
Chace felt a sudden pain in the back of his head and then he slipped out of consciousness.
Chapter 5 – Aria
It had been messy. Aria hadn’t expected to have to deal with the boyfriend. He was beautiful but he had still caused trouble. Hippolyta would not be happy. Oh well. The queen was never happy and she had to expect that someone as new to the Amazons as Aria would make mistakes. At least Aria had gotten the girl and dropped her off safely. Now Aria could enjoy the pleasures of the breeding pens. She had not had a turn with Tyler in several days and she deserved him. She was, after all, the one who had brought him in. It would reflect well on her if he was the first to give her a daughter.
Aria walked through the warehouse. It had been converted for the Amazons’ purposes but Hippolyta apparently wasn’t a big believer in comfort. The walls were dark and bare and the floors were hard cement. Aria walked up to a large, unmarked metal door and rapped on it twice. She waited until a metal slat slid open and two eyes peered out at her.
“It’s Aria, sister. I have done my duties for the day,” Aria said. “I have come to visit the pens.”
The slat slid shut. A moment later there was a grinding sound and then the door swung open. A young woman’s face appeared and she gestured for Aria to enter. Aria stepped over the threshold into a spacious area that led to a long hallway. She heard the door close behind her.
“Wrist,” the girl said.
Aria obediently held out her wrist and watched as the girl snapped a small silver bracelet onto it. A moment later Aria felt energy leaving her body. It was always sad to feel it go but what she was about to experience more than compensated for that.
“Who do you want to visit today?” The girl asked. “Travis? James? Eric?”
“Tyler,” Aria said. “The boy I brought in.”
“Ah yes, he is becoming a favorite,” the girl said.
Aria felt a flash of jealousy and stifled it. She had to get used to sharing with her fellow sisters. Technically, she was allowed to claim preference for Tyler whenever she wanted him but she had learned it was bad form to do that too often. She had patiently waited several days. It seemed her sisters had taken advantage of that. That was fine, but right now Tyler was hers.
The girl led Aria down the hallway to an empty room. Aria sat down on a wooden platform that was connected
to the wall by two metal chains. The girl left to fetch Tyler.
As Aria waited, she felt butterflies in her stomach. It was silly to still get nervous about a boy but Aria couldn’t help it. What if Tyler enjoyed her sisters more than he enjoyed her?
She waited pensively until Tyler appeared. As usual, her breath caught in her throat. He was magnificent. Today his body gleamed with sweat. He was only wearing a pair of sweat pants. He stepped into the room and looked at her silently as the Amazonian guard shut and locked the door behind him.
“You look well,” Aria said. “How are you? Happy? Did you just get done working out?”
Tyler nodded. “I’m well,” he said. “I was lifting weights with the boys.” He looked down at her wrist. More precisely, he looked at the silver bracelet on her wrist.
“You know how this works,” Aria said. “I don’t have any of my powers while I’m wearing this.”
That finally got a smile out of Tyler. “I like that part,” he said. “It makes this more fun.”
Aria stood up. “Alright,” she said. “Lie down.”
Tyler shook his head. “I think I’m going to take charge this time,” he said.
This was new. Tyler usually did whatever Aria told him. Just because they were physical equals while she was wearing the bracelet didn’t mean she was ready to let him take charge. It seemed that he needed a little reminder of who owned whom.
Aria walked up to Tyler and slipped her hand between his legs. She cupped his man package through his sweat pants. “Remember, boy, these balls belong to me. They’re carrying my daughter.”
“It takes two to make a baby,” Tyler said. He slipped his hand underneath the waistband of Aria’s pants. She felt his large, masculine fingers move her panties aside. Then his index finger started to probe and stroke her, teasing her. She shuddered. She closed her eyes for a moment and savored the pleasurable sensations that coursed through her body.
Tyler’s hand slid back out of her pants. He gently took hold of her wrists. She assumed that he wanted to kiss her so she lifted her head and pursed her lips. Instead, she heard the sound of metal clicking around her wrists. She looked up in surprise. “Hey, what are you doing?” she demanded. Tyler had just used the handcuffs bolted to the wall on her. “These are for boys, not Amazons.”
“No, actually, they’re for both of us,” Tyler said with a pleased smile on his face. “I’ve learned that handcuffs can be a lot of fun. Right now, they’re going to be fun for me.” Tyler reached up and placed the palm of one of his big, strong hands on the top of her head. Intrigued, she obediently followed his lead and sank down to a kneeling position under the pressure of his hand. Her head was eye-level with Tyler’s crotch. It was bulging out from beneath his sweat pants.
“I’m going to teach you something new,” he said. He pushed his sweat pants and boxers to the floor. “Open your mouth,” Tyler said. He laughed, clearly savoring his first real victory of the pens, as Aria obeyed. A moment later her mouth was full and her tongue was overwhelmed with the warm, salty taste of his sweaty skin. “I’ll bet you didn’t see this coming when you captured me,” he said. “Now be a good girl and get to work. If you do a good job maybe I’ll let you up before the taste sets in permanently.”
Aria did as she was told.
Chapter 6 – Chace
“I don’t know what her license plate number was,” Chace exclaimed. “Look. We’re out in the middle of nowhere. The only place she can possibly hide is in the Metro area. That’s like 90 minutes away. If you get out there and block the road you’re bound to run into her. Hell, if she’s already slipped away, I guarantee someone has noticed a chick in a silver Mercedes with an unconscious girl in it. You just need to get moving and start asking questions!”
“Calm down, kid,” the Harken town sheriff said. “Don’t worry, we’re calling in the Metro police and the FBI is already here.” He nodded to several men in black suits milling around the crime scene. “These disappearances have gotten everyone worried. With all these feet on the ground looking for your sister we’re bound to find her.”
Chace opened his mouth to deliver another tongue lashing but someone put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “There’s nothing you can do here,” a voice said. “Come on. I’ll take you back to your parents.”
Chace looked around and saw a young man in a black suit. The man flashed an identification card with the letters “FBI” on it. “I’m not going anywhere until my sister is found,” Chace retorted.
“Yes you are,” the sheriff said. “I’ve got your statement. The only thing you can do now is interfere in my investigation and if you do that I’ll have to throw you in jail.” He looked at the FBI agent. “Thanks for the help, special agent,” he said. “I’m sure glad you boys got here as quickly as you did. Very impressive.”
“Happy to help,” the FBI agent said. “We’ve got a field office in the Janesville metro area and like you said, we’re all in this together.” The man turned his attention back to Chace. “If you want I’ve got a book of Metro mugshots in my SUV,” he said sympathetically. “You could look through them to see if you recognize any faces.”
Chace bit his lip in frustration but the FBI agent was right. At least he might be able to help by looking through photos. There was nothing else he could do here at the crime scene. Chace nodded. The agent put his arm around Chace’s shoulders and guided him away.
As they walked Chace glanced over at the agent. Strange. He had thought that FBI agents had to be relatively old but this guy looked no more than 20. Maybe younger. He looked at bit like that werewolf in the vampire movies his sister watched. What was the actor’s name? Taylor Lanter or Laffer or Lautner? Something along those lines.
They walked towards sleek black SUV that was unidentified except for a government-issue license plate. Three men in dark suits were standing around it. Once again, Tyler was surprised by how young they all looked. He was beginning to get a bad feeling about this and as an athlete he had learned to trust his gut.
“Hey man, I actually think I might stay a while at the crime scene,” Chace said. He stopped walking. “See if I can pick up any clues, you know?”
The agent’s smile wavered for a moment but then it quickly returned. “You heard the sheriff,” the man said. “He doesn’t want you hanging around here.”
“Yeah, the thing about that is I don’t really give a damn what he thinks,” Chace said. “My sister is missing and she is the only real family I’ve got left. I’m not going to let you or the two-bit country bumpkin cop tell me what to do.”
That was a bit harsh, perhaps, but Chace was feeling punchy. He turned to go.
The FBI agent’s hand turned into a blur as he whipped out a pair of handcuffs. Before Chace could react, the man snapped the handcuffs on Chace’s left wrist.
“That’s not happening,” the man said. His smile was gone now. “You’re coming with us.”
Chace did the first thing that came into his head. He lifted his back foot and kicked the agent in the nuts. The man’s eyes went wide and he dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Chace turned again to start running but suddenly the other three agents were on him. They tackled him to the ground and stuffed a gag in his mouth before he could even scream for help.
The men dragged Chace to his feet. Then they turned their attention to their fallen comrade. More accurately, they started laughing at him. “Way to go newbie,” one of them said. “Nutted by a Gargarean kid on his 18th brithday. Very embarrassing.”
“You know what this means, right?” another one of them said. “You’re going to be sent all the way back to first-day training.”
The third man nodded. “The king won’t put up with incompetence, even from a new trainee,” he said.
The fallen agent scowled as he got back up to his feet. He dusted himself off and walked up to Chace. “Bad move,” he spat in Chace's face. “I’m going to take you down, kid. I’m going to own you for that.”
The other three men laughed as they dragged Chace to the SUV. There was no one around to see as they threw him into a cage hidden in the trunk.
Chapter 7 – Kyle
Kyle rubbed his tender balls. The damn kid had been remarkably accurate. As angry as Kyle was, though, the truth was that he should not have been caught unawares. He had been trained better than that. The realization only made him more frustrated, however, and the only obvious outlet was the kid.
They had taken Chace Morgan to the Gargarean base – an opulent old gated mansion in the center of the city – and left him with the guards in the basement prison. Kyle didn’t have any opportunity to rough the kid up, though, because, as his brothers and fellow fake FBI agents had predicted, he as immediately summoned to the king’s office.
As Kyle walked through the hallways past his brothers he tried to formulate his excuse. He would tell the king that his brothers had distracted him. No, that was no good, he couldn’t blame them. Perhaps he could argue that kid was just super talented. Nah, no 18-year old birthday boy had full control over his powers yet. Perhaps… Kyle gave up. It was no good. He was going to get a lecture and be sent back to the first day of training and that was it.
When Kyle walked into the king’s office the first person he saw was the king’s ancient assistant sitting behind a desk in the antechamber. “Gordy,” he said. “Is the king here?”
Gordy – whose actual name was Gordias – looked up slowly. The man appeared so old that if Kyle didn’t know better he would have expected the man to drop dead at any moment. It was the man’s immense Gargarean power that had kept him alive for thousands of years but eventually that would fail. Even Gordy did not have the immortal power of King Telemachus.