Emerge- The Betrayal

by Melissa A. Craven

  “There are movies?” Navid asked.

  “We seem to have gotten off subject,” Livia said, trying to suppress her smile. “I’m sure Allie is as anxious as I am to begin training and learn more about your strategies.”

  “Right.” Navid cleared his throat. “Our goal is to free the walkers trapped in Brecken’s prison worlds and end the torment of innocent dreamers. But before we can face Brecken again, you and Livia must learn how to enter the dreamworld while your bodies remain awake.”

  “That sounds difficult.” Allie frowned.

  “It will be, so we need to get to work on this soon.”

  Allie nodded. “All right then, I’m in. Let’s do this.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Aidan

  Cologne, Germany, November

  “One more time,” Lieutenant Sinclair demanded. “Why haven’t you registered with the Senate?”

  “I’ve told you.” Aidan slumped in his chair back in the interrogation room. “I won’t answer your questions without my legal guardian present.” After two days in the magnetized cell separated from his power and his strength, Aidan almost wept when Lieutenant Schreiber brought him out and fed him a breakfast of Brötchen and Schwarzwaelderschinken—a kind of German smoked ham. He felt stronger already, but Aidan had never experienced fear like that. He could not go back into that cell. Ever.

  “You don’t have to tell me your private details. I’ve spoken with the Senate officials waiting to see you, and we just need you to provide a logical reason for why you and your entire family have failed to enlighten the Senate of your existence. Answer this one question, and we can finish booking you, and you may call your brother.”

  Aidan sat, staring at the edge of the table in front of him, refusing to answer, but terrified they would throw him back in that cell again if he didn’t.

  “Give the kid a break. He’s scared,” Lieutenant Schreiber said, looking like he was tired of this game as well. “Look, we can sense how powerful you are. Off the record, I can’t really blame you for trying to fly under the radar, but we have to take your statement, and your refusal is only going to last so long before this gets much worse. I’m going to call your brother so he’ll be here when you’re ready.”

  Aidan gave him the number, doubtful if he’d actually call, but grateful for the gesture.

  “Answer the question and your brother will be waiting for you when you’re done.” Schreiber left them alone, making Aidan wary of what would come next with bad cop Sinclair.

  “I can make you talk.” Sinclair sat on the edge of the table in front of him, a hateful sneer on her leathery face.

  “I’m sure you can, Lieutenant. I’m sure you could use your considerable talents and that torture device you keep waving at me to make me spill my guts. But I am also sure you’d have a hard time justifying your actions against an Unproven, impressionable, young, and defenseless Immortal boy.”

  “Cut the crap. We both know you’re more powerful than most Proven Immortals. The law would be on my side.”

  “Would it?” Aidan raised his brow in question. “Which of us do you think the Senate would find more useful? Me, arguably the most powerful Immortal of my generation—whom you’ve denied his legal rights? Or some beat cop who bumbled her way into my path?”

  “The young man has a point,” a smooth, cultured voice interjected. “This whole situation is well above your pay grade, Lieutenant.”

  Aidan eyed the new Immortal standing in the doorway. A beautiful Spanish woman. Powerful and intimidating. Another good cop? Or is this the part where I should pee myself?

  “Leave us,” the woman said, causing Sinclair to flee the room at the authority ringing in her voice.

  Right, pee myself. This was probably not a good development.

  “I am Cleo.” She offered an elegant hand to him as she took her seat.

  Aidan didn’t know if she meant him to shake it or kiss it. He opted for a quick handshake.

  “Do you know why I am here?” she asked, folding her hands in her lap.

  “Not at all,” he lied. He could make all sorts of guesses about this woman, but he still wasn’t offering up any information until his brother arrived to take him home.

  “The local authorities received some intel about you anonymously. Where you’d likely be, and since you are not registered with the Senate as you should be, that gave them enough cause for your arrest.”

  “And a reason to hold me long enough for you to get here,” Aidan said. That was why they wouldn’t let him call Scott.

  “Very good, you learn quickly.” She pressed her full lips into a thin smile. “That bodes well for our future relationship.

  “So I’m guessing this anonymous intel came from you, but where did you hear about me?” Aidan tapped his fingers on the stainless steel table, trying to maintain his composure when he really felt like screaming.

  ”That’s not important.”

  “Maybe not to you.” Just as Lieutenant Schreiber said, Aidan had spent his life flying under the radar. He didn’t know many Immortals outside his family and the ones he did know, he trusted implicitly. So where was she getting her information?

  “Aidan Loukas McBrien, you are a hard one to track.” Cleo leaned forward, her smooth as silk voice hypnotizing.

  “What of it?” Aidan shrugged. “I’m nobody. Just an American kid going to university in Cologne.”

  “And I’m just a scientist looking for a new lab rat.” Her laughter was like music, but her words set Aidan on edge.

  ”You’re not from the Senate, are you?” The color drained form Aidan’s face. This was bad before, but it just got a whole lot worse.

  “Not directly. But that’s not important, either. I’ll admit the information I received on you was impressive, enough to bring me here to investigate. We are always looking for powerful young Immortals to mentor.”

  “I have a mentor, thanks.”

  “A mentor who can’t seem to get out of bed these days,” Cleo murmured. “It’s a shame, what happened to Jin Jing and Ming Lao Long. She was a brilliant woman, and no Immortal should be left to suffer a life without his Complement.”

  “How do you know these things?” Aidan asked, surprised he was able to control his voice, let alone not lose his shit right there. He was ten seconds away from asking for his mom.

  “I have sources.” She sat back in her seat and crossed her legs, giving him a guarded look. “I find there is much more here than I anticipated. Much more than was promised.”

  “Promised?” That one word spoke volumes. Betrayal. Someone close to Aidan had brought this woman searching for him. Aidan crossed his arms over his chest to hide his trembling hands. He’d always thought his training had prepared him to handle anything but there was only so much his father could teach him in theory. In reality, he was scared out of his mind and needed to gain control of this situation if he was going to survive.

  “Give me your hand.” Cleo placed hers palm up on the table between them.

  “Nope.” Aidan tucked his hands under his arms. “Not going to happen, lady.”

  “It won’t hurt … much.” A flash of power lit her dark eyes.

  “I’d like to call my brother now. I’m allowed a phone call, and I demand to speak to him.”

  “He’s been here since yesterday afternoon.” She gave a thoughtless wave toward the waiting room. “Would you like to see him?”

  “Finally.” Aidan scooted his chair back to stand.

  “You can stay right there.” She reached behind her placing a hand on the wall. The drywall vanished. Aidan could now see the waiting room, but his irate brother and Syntrophos couldn’t see him.

  “I need to speak with my brother, now.” Scott McBrien ran his hands through his normally tidy hair. “You can’t keep him like this. I am his legal guardian while he is in school. He’s just a kid.”

  “Take a seat, Mr. McBrien. We will call you when we have more information. Your brother isn’t in the sys
tem yet, so it seems he hasn’t been booked,” Lieutenant Sinclair said with all the sincerity of a lump of coal.

  “You’ve had him for more than two days!” Naomi looked like she hadn’t slept or changed clothes in all that time. “Just let me talk to him.”

  “Let me check his status and see if I can locate him.” Sinclair hid her smirk.

  “Locate my ass!” Scott slammed his fist on the counter. “This building is smaller than my house; he can’t be far.”

  “He isn’t,” Naomi insisted. “My bond tells me he’s right behind that wall.” Naomi took a menacing step toward Lieutenant Sinclair like she meant to tear her limb from limb.

  Naomi, shut up. Aidan groaned.

  “Sit down now, young lady.” The officer pointed to the waiting room chairs. “Like I said, I’ll check on what’s holding him up.” Lieutenant Sinclair left poor Fitzy and Naomi standing in the waiting room. Aidan watched as his brother snapped up his phone, probably calling their father.

  “You want to talk to them, I can make that happen.” Cleo’s hand dropped from the wall as her tone took on a mesmerizing quality, soothing and tranquil. Aidan’s pulse slowed and the tension in his body relaxed. “I can make this whole nightmare go away. Place your hands on the table. Now, Aidan.”

  She clasped her hands around his. Aidan hadn’t even realized he’d complied with her demand. He was a fly in her trap. He couldn’t look away from those fathomless eyes. Iridescent pearl, they called to him.

  “Very good.”

  Aidan winced at the sharp bite of her ability, raking through his chest like a talon. She laid him bare.

  “So many secrets for one so young,” she whispered in a rasping voice, making his head spin. She was so beautiful, he wanted to sink into her eyes and forget all his troubles.

  Taking a page from Allie’s book, Aidan shoved everything he knew of Allie and Naomi into a box in his mind, focusing on guarding those secrets to the detriment of all others.

  She pushed her way into Aidan’s mind, the talons of her gift scraping and clawing at the box holding his most dangerous secrets. But Aidan refused to let her in, resisting her with a will she couldn’t break.

  He gasped when she finally released him, pulling a great gulp of air into his lungs. Aidan shuddered at the lingering touch of her gift, like a taint of tar on his soul.

  Cleo stood, gliding out of the room without a word. She returned a moment later with a can of Coke and a protein bar.

  “Eat.” It wasn’t a request, and Aidan had little inclination to resist her. After his time in the cell, he was weak and starving, and whatever she’d done to him left him exhausted.

  ”My ability tells me much about you, young Aidan.” She took the seat opposite him again. “But you guard your closest secrets with a will even I can’t break. You are quite the find. Even for one so young, I can’t imagine what knowledge you have, coming from the family you do.”

  ”What do you want from me?” Aidan said in a weary voice, shoving the protein bar into his mouth with little interest in the taste.

  ”Let’s start with the bond that young woman spoke of. Her little slip has me even more intrigued.”

  ”She’s my sister. We have a close bond.” Aidan shrugged, hoping she would buy it.

  ”Too easy. You have two sisters. Imogen and Sasha El Sadawii. That young woman in the waiting room is Naomi Hauser, daughter of Greyson Hauser.”

  ”It’s a recent bond. We’ve always been close like family.”

  ”We both know family bonds don’t work that way. Particularly with someone you’ve been intimate with before.”

  ”Jeez, lady, where are you getting your information?” How could she possibly know such private details of his life? Someone betrayed him, but Aidan racked his brain and couldn’t think of a single person who would do such a thing.

  ”If she isn’t your sister, then what bond could she possibly be speaking of? You aren’t Complements. I could sense it if you were. So what are you hiding, Aidan? I’ve used my gift to tell me all sorts of delicious details about you, but you guard her and one other like they’re the Hope Diamond.”

  ”It’s nothing you would understand,” Aidan said desperately.

  “I can make all of this nonsense about your failure to register vanish in an instant.” She snapped her fingers. “I can send you home with Naomi and your brother today.”

  “And what do you want in return for such a huge favor?”

  “You come work for me in Milan.”

  “Can’t do it. I’m here on a student visa. I can visit most of Europe, but I have to live in Germany while I attend school.”

  “You think I don’t know your student visa is a forgery your brother, Darius, created? You think something so trivial is going to stop this? This is happening, Aidan. It’s best if you jump on board.”

  ”Then why don’t you stop beating around the bush, and tell me what this is? You want me to cooperate then give me a reason. Otherwise, you can put me back in that cell or send me home.”

  ”Very well.” Cleo leaned back in her chair, folding her hands in her lap. “This is how things are going to work from now on. As far as your family is concerned, you will receive a slap on the wrist and community service for your failure to register. You will continue pursuing your education. For now.”

  ”And what will this community service entail?” Aidan asked, mimicking her posture.

  ”Each week, you will teach one of my students.”

  ”Teach?” Aidan frowned. “That’s it?”

  ”For now.”

  ”Darlin’, I’m afraid you’re going to have to be much more specific.” Aidan flashed a menacing grin. “If you expect me to fall in line, you’re going to have to divulge all the details. No more of this ‘for now’ bullshit.”

  ”Fine. You will teach a class of powerful and talented young Immortals who have not had access to the kind of training you’ve had. Each week, you will train one on one until you’ve met with each student individually. Then we will require you to visit our facilities in Milan, Italy, to continue training these gifted students. Think of us as a boarding school for elite young Immortals. Once a month, you will spend four days with us.” The rest of your time, you may continue with your life as usual.”

  “Not going to happen, lady.” Aidan stubbornly resisted.

  “We will work around your school schedule as best we can, but we hope in time, you will see your work with the Milan Initiative as priority.”

  “Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked to get here? Or how demanding my academic schedule is?” Aidan laughed. “I don’t get one day off, much less four.”

  “You will find a way to make it work. If that means taking fewer classes, you will adjust your schedule accordingly.“

  “That’s not possible. The program isn’t designed for part-time students.”

  “Perhaps you need further motivation.” Cleo clapped her hands once. “Ready?”

  The most beautiful woman Aidan had ever seen stepped into the room. She was tall with sleek dark hair to her waist, full lips, and perfectly sculpted brows. Her copper skin glowed like silk in the sun. But what terrified Aidan the most was the unseen. These two women were Syntrophos. And they weren’t even bothering to hide it.

  “Bring her in,” Cleo said.

  “No.” Aidan shot to his feet when he realized they had Naomi. “Leave her out of this.”

  “Naomi, good of you to join us,” Cleo said as her Syntrophos shoved Naomi into a chair beside Aidan, the slim collar at her throat matching the one he wore. “Your father and I go way back, but I didn’t know about this little detail.”

  “You don’t know anything,” Naomi spat.

  “Oh, but sweetheart, you’re the one who told us,” Cleo said. “The moment you showed your cards, we had you. We knew Aidan was exactly the kind of powerful young Immortal we’ve been looking for but this. This is pure gold.”

  They knew Naomi was his Syntrophos. They were swimming in
the deep end now, and Aidan found himself wishing for his dad like a little boy.

  “Now, what we want to know,” the dark haired Syntrophos said, leaning in with a menacing scowl, “is how you’re masking your bond so well?” Both women waited as the seconds ticked by.

  “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Naomi crossed her arms in defiance.

  “Genevieve, why don’t you catch our new friends up to speed?” Cleo asked.

  “Let’s make this short and sweet, shall we?” Genevieve said. “You two will be working with the Milan Initiative. You will help train others like us.”

  “There is no us.” Aidan scowled. “You leave Naomi out of this.”

  “I am sorry to be such a brute, I really am,” Cleo said. “But this is too important. We need you both on board with the Milan Initiative. This is non-negotiable.”

  “I’m not down for that,” Naomi said bravely, but Aidan’s bond told him she was scared out of her mind.

  “You will or Governor Naeemah El Sadawii, Greggory McBrien and Greyson Hauser will suffer the consequences of their actions.“ Genevieve slammed her fist on the table, her nose an inch from Aidan’s. “Failure to register an Immortal child is a severe crime, but withholding an important tool such as yourselves is a felony. Naeemah and Greggory will lose their position as Governor and will serve time for their transgressions along with Greyson Hauser. The Senate deserved the right to train you as they saw fit. Your parents took it upon themselves to bar them from that right.”

  “This is serious, Aidan,” Cleo said, “but it doesn’t have to be.”

  “I know a bluff when I hear one.” But he wasn’t so sure about that. These women were not Senate sycophants. They were powerful, both in their nature, their bond and their positions within this Milan Initiative—whatever that was. They probably could follow through on their threats.

  “We know everything, Aidan.” Cleo lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply. “Greggory and Naeemah are harboring another young unknown—a powerful little redhead who means a great deal to you. If your own parents aren’t incentive enough, perhaps the safety of Ms. Alexis Carmichael will give you the final, necessary … nudge.”