by Juniper Hart
Orion sighed and turned away from them to cast Lane an exasperated look.
“I’m not your enemy,” he muttered, stalking inside the lobby. “I’m trying to be your friend.”
Not that I expect my words to fall on rational ears, he thought with anger. From the little he knew about cult mentality, they had likely been brainwashed over years of psychological breakdown. There was nothing Orion could say which would change their minds.
“Who is Eve?” Lane asked, the curiosity of her question not lost on Orion’s ears.
“She is not to be discussed!” Joseph howled, his face stained red.
“Never mind, Lane,” Orion grumbled. “Let’s go in.” He didn’t bother to wait for her and rushed inside toward the library, knowing she was hot on his trail.
Outside the room, he stopped in his tracks. He could hear voices inside.
“Hang on,” he murmured to Lane, who had already stopped, her eyes wide and wise.
“We have to get out of here,” someone insisted from behind the closed library doors. “It’s only a matter of time before the police come, and you know how well these idiots fare with outsiders around.”
“Gather only the women,” another man said. “And we’ll leave tonight.”
“Forget about them. It’s too risky to move with them.”
“We need to bring Rachel with us,” the second man insisted. “We can’t leave here without the women. We can start fresh somewhere else, but we need roots.”
“It’s too risky. Stanger already warned us about this, Dad.”
“No! We need them! Especially Eve.”
There was a deep silence.
“We need to find another way to make money, Dad.” There was an exasperation in the man’s tone that echoed into the corridor.
“Mark, since when do you question me? I have gotten us this far. Forget about Grace. Gather Eve, Rachel, and Camila.”
Another pause followed.
“What did you do to Grace?” Mark muttered. “You can’t just leave her behind.”
“Did you hear me, or are you purposely being dense?”
“Dad, what did you do to Grace and Eve? No one has seen Grace all day.”
Orion had heard enough. He needed answers of his own.
“Where are Grace and Harmony?” he demanded, kicking in the doors, his Glock ready to fire.
Instantly, he recognized the face of one man. He was the one who had watched them leave the previous week, the one with his face in the window of the lobby. He was a large, wiry man with intense black eyes and thinning hair—the man called “Father,” Orion presumed.
The younger man, Mark, gasped in shock and jumped at the unexpected sight.
“What the hell is he doing here?” the older man hissed.
“Did I stutter?” Orion told them flatly. “Where are they? And who is Eve?”
A slow, cruel smile formed on the older man’s face.
“Mr. Tanner,” he said calmly, stepping forward. “Welcome to Eden.”
“Don’t come any closer, buddy,” Orion warned him, his eyes darkening to cobalt as he stared coldly at the cult leader. “Just tell me where she is, and I will be on my way.”
He was on firm ground now, knowing that he only dealt with mortal men. The evilest of mortal men, but mortal, nonetheless. I’ve got this.
Lane remained silently at his side, but Orion didn’t need her, not as much as he’d thought at the beginning.
“My name is Randall Rivers. This is my son, Mark.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass who you are,” Orion growled. “And if I have to ask you again, one of you is getting a new hole in your body. Where are they?”
Randall shook his head, sighing. “I’m afraid you’re too late, Mr. Tanner. You should have just bought the hotel when you had the chance and stayed away. Now you’ve made a mess of everything.”
“Dad, what is going on?” Mark squeaked. “Just tell him where to find Grace and Harmony.”
“No.” Randall’s black eyes clashed with Orion’s.
“Dad…”
“Shut up, Mark!” Randall’s voice was filled with fury as he glared at his son. “You are weak!”
“Mr. Rivers, your gig is up. The police know what is happening here. It is only a matter of time before they arrive and release your members,” Orion lied. He wished he’d had the presence of mind to notify local law enforcement, but until he was sure that there wouldn’t be an immortal war, he couldn’t risk it.
“Release them?” Randall chortled. “I am the one who released them! I have shown them the way of light!”
“Save your sanctimonious rhetoric,” Orion snapped. “I am not interested in joining your cult.” He raised the gun and released the safety, pointing it at Randall’s face.
The smirk slipped from the man’s mouth, replaced by a scowl.
“You can shoot me if you want, but I will never tell you where they are,” he said mockingly.
Orion looked at the younger man, who cowered and averted his eyes.
“If either of them are hurt, or worse, I won’t hesitate to kill you,” Orion assured them.
“Orion…” Lane muttered. He ignored her, his arm steady as the gun remained posed.
Randall’s eyes widened in bemused surprise.
“I had no idea that you had become so close to my wife and my betrothed,” he replied.
Orion’s blood ran cold. He turned to Lane and smiled icily.
“It’s like he wants me to shoot him,” he said, snorting.
“Sure sounds like it,” she agreed. Orion noted that her eyes were darting about the room, like she was looking for something.
“And who is this?” Randall purred. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.”
“You can call me ‘Not Interested’,” Lane replied, her eyes narrowing as she continued to look about.
“What is it?” Orion muttered at her, distracted by her movements.
“I’m not sure,” she said slowly. “There’s something in the air…”
Randall’s eyes almost popped.
“Can you smell it?” he asked, glee interlacing his words. “Are you one of them?”
Orion stared at him, his mouth twisting with contempt. He felt his back tense. Does he know about the Enchanted? Is that why he kidnapped Grace and Harmony?
He decided to shift the conversation back to Randall’s infractions.
“You can’t marry a child you kidnapped, Rivers,” he snarled back. “How many other wives do you have?”
“Five,” he confessed, shrugging. “And I didn’t kidnap Grace or Harmony. Grace’s parents didn’t want her anymore, and I saved her. She grew up here. And I saved Harmony from a life as an addict.”
More anger spiked through Orion’s veins.
“And what a life you gave her,” he shot back sarcastically.
“I permitted her to know her full potential,” Randall agreed. “I showed her a clear path for—”
“Should I just put us all out of our misery?” Orion asked Lane, who smirked slightly.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did,” she said. “But it won’t help us find Harmony.”
“They won’t want to come with you,” Randall jeered mockingly.
“Oh, Dad, don’t…” Mark muttered, shaking his head in shame. “Just tell them where they are.”
“I don’t care how much brainwashing you have done to them. I know the truth, and she will, too. They all will,” Orion hissed.
“If you can find them,” Randall laughed
Unable to resist, Orion flew forward, howling like the beast he was named for, and smashed the butt of the gun against the cult leader’s forehead. Randall crumpled into a pile at his feet, unconscious.
“Oh, Orion, really?” Lane sighed. “Come on!”
But he felt no contrition. If anything, he wished he’s smashed him harder.
Mark began to sob loudly. “Don’t hurt us! It wasn’t supposed to go this far! It was just an
idea he had which got out of hand!”
Orion froze and looked at him uncomprehendingly.
“What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded, turning the weapon toward Mark. “What idea?”
“I only did what he told us to do. Nobody got hurt, not really,” Mark blubbered.
Orion slapped him across the face with an open palm. “Tell me what you’re rambling about right now!”
Mark caught his breath and nodded, panic spreading over his face as the words rushed from his mouth in a torrent.
“We lived as a commune in the beginning,” he gasped. “Just living off the land and working together, but then one of the women got pregnant. Dad knew that childless rich couples would pay good money for healthy babies, but he knew getting the women to give them up would be hard, so he decided to tell them he was a god and that he was sending the infants to a land where they would be cared for and rule as kings and queens.”
Orion’s mouth fell open, the gravity of such depravity striking him with enough force to knock the breath from him.
“What?” he whispered. “He sold the children?”
“It was always to well-respected people, never any creeps or perverts!” Mark told him, his face gaunt as he tried to reassure the incensed CEO. “All the couples were properly vetted. I did that myself.”
“Yes, I am sure he drew the line there,” Orion hissed, swallowing his disgust. “Whose babies?”
“All the women we brought in. We had a ceremony, ‘marrying’ them to the commune when they reached legal age. You see? We waited until they were legal… everything was fine!”
“Grace was born into this shitshow!” Orion snarled. “Harmony was kidnapped!”
“She wasn’t!” Mark insisted. “She came here willingly!”
Randall moaned slightly but remained on the floor.
“Where are they, and who is Eve?” Orion questioned. Mark’s eyes darted toward the floor, and his face stained pink.
“Eve is our next bride. She is locked away until the wedding, just like the others are. It’s a ritual. It keeps them pure.”
“Locked away where?” Orion pressed. “Is she with Grace?”
“I don’t know where Grace is, but if I had to guess, I would say he put them together. Grace was charged with watching over Eve since the day she was brought here.” He paused and lifted his head to meet Orion’s furious face.
“And Eve is Harmony,” Lane concluded, stepping back up to join Orion’s side. “Right?”
Mark nodded and chewed on his lower lip. “Everyone got new names. Sooner or later, they forget their real ones.”
“I bet,” Orion spat, his fury returning full force.
“But that’s not everything, is it?” Lane said quietly. “You used Harmony’s blood for something.”
Mark’s face was almost translucent.
“I don’t know how they discovered that her blood had an element that increased fertility. We do standard blood tests to all the new recruits…” He was back to babbling again, but Orion had heard enough.
“Take me to them,” he said, spinning from the room. He paused when he saw the group gathered in the hallway outside the library, their faces twisted in shock.
Orion lowered his gaze, feeling the palpable anger and consternation sweeping through the men and women.
Everything they have ever known has been a lie, he thought. Where do you go after all that?
He glanced back at Randall’s fallen figure on the floor, reluctant to leave him unattended. As if reading his thoughts, Rachel spoke.
“Go. We will take care of him,” she said, her voice stony. “You don’t have to worry about him.”
Orion looked to Lane for absolution, and she shrugged.
“We have to find our own,” Lane said.
The words sent a fission of apprehension down his spine, but Orion knew whatever they planned for Randall would not cause him the least bit of guilt. Randall Rivers had dug his own grave.
He turned to sprint from the library, and he was already halfway up the stairs when Mark called out to him. “Where are you going?”
Orion turned to look down at him, glowering. “You know where I’m going.”
“It’s this way,” Mark urged, waving him back to the main floor. Orion flew back down to join him, his brow knitting as Mark stopped in front of the mirror. Mark touched the glass, and Orion eyed him angrily.
“Is this a joke?” he asked. “Because my sense of humor is about to run out.”
“They’re back there,” Lane confirmed. A panel gave way, and Orion saw the spot for a keyhole.
“I don’t know what you’re going to find on the other side,” Mark warned. “But I had nothing to do with this.”
Orion glared at him. If I don’t like what I find, you’re not going to be let off the hook so easily, he vowed silently.
“Open it!” he snapped, and Mark obliged.
It gave way to a dead space and another doorway.
What the hell is this place? Orion cautiously walked further into the room, his heart thudding wildly, and pushed his way inside.
13
Harmony’s eyes fluttered open, and she immediately saw the speckled drop ceiling tiles, alarm coursing through her.
Déjà vu forced her up as a stranger sat at her bedside, but before she could scream, the sound died on her lips.
“You’re awake,” he said, and Harmony sank back against the stiff hospital bed, her eyes shining with wonderment.
“You came for me,” she replied, her voice dry. He hurried to get her some water, and she accepted it gratefully.
“I’m Orion. Orion Tanner.”
“I know,” she chuckled. “I’d have to be living under a rock not to know who you are.”
Disappointment clouded his clear blue eyes, but she shook her head.
“I mean, even if I hadn’t been calling out to you for months,” she added. Relief colored his face, and he perched on the edge of her bed, reaching out to push a stray strand of hair away from her face.
“Where have you been all my life?” he asked.
“I could ask you the same question,” she laughed lightly.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Orion asked her, and she shook her head, relishing the almost heady feeling that overcame her.
“No. I just want to sit here for a minute and embrace the fact that we finally found one another.”
Orion’s body sank into hers, and he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Eagerly, she returned it, marveling at how right it felt. When they parted, he smiled warmly at her.
“So, I guess you’re going to be needing a place to live,” he chuckled. Harmony snorted.
“I’m going to be needing a lot of things,” she replied softly.
“Nah,” he said. “Not anymore. You’ll never want for anything ever again.”
She closed her eyes, feeling a swell of emotion rising in her body, one she’d never known before. And she knew, without a doubt, that it was love.
Harmony’s eyes floated back up to meet Orion’s, grinding her crotch firmly against his.
“I guess this means we’re not going to make it to 21 for our reservation?” the vampire teased. She silenced him with another hard kiss, and even though he let out a breathless gasp of surprise, he immediately returned her embrace, his lips parting to allow for his tongue to tease her mouth and teeth. She felt the prod of his fangs, and the sensation only heightened the heat coursing through her body. It seemed that every time they touched, he opened a floodgate inside her, and she knew she would never get tired of being in Orion’s arms.
Harmony playfully bit at him, drawing him fully into her open mouth, and began sucking on his lower lip. He let out another noise of surprise before reaching up to pull her head back. Again, their gazes locked, and she could read the naked desire in his eyes.
Has love ever been this pure, this true? He jumped through fire to find me. He loved me before he ever met me. This is the reales
t love that ever was.
Straddling him, she snaked one hand behind her own rear and gently teased him with her nails, relishing his moans of pleasure. Her other hand twined into his golden hair, and her lips were on his neck, licking around his ear. She felt him growing hard against her, and she knew she needed him inside her.
She slipped off the chair, only to pull off the Christian Dior dress she wore before unzipping his pants and yanking them shamelessly down around his ankles. She spread her long, slim legs and remounted him, guiding him inside her.
Harmony paused to stare at him one final time and then lowered herself directly, feeling him deeper inside than anyone had ever gone. She cried out, and his hands pulled her closer, their skin on fire against each other’s.
Before she could catch her breath, Orion had grasped her hips and was pounding at her from underneath with ferocity. He thrust hard and fast, grunting with intensity, and Harmony felt herself begin to shake as her orgasm built.
“Harder!” she managed to gasp. “Don’t stop!”
Orion was happy to oblige, his eyes locked in on her as he brought her to the heights she wanted to achieve. It was a miracle that the chair did not collapse from the motion. He could hold back no longer and joined Harmony in her ecstasy, the two breathing heavily as they found each other once more. With a final shudder, they both fell still for a long moment. It was Harmony who raised her head first.
“I don’t think that it’s healthy to have this much sex,” she commented.
“We’re making up for lost time,” he reminded her. “Are you complaining? You started it.”
“Yep,” Harmony chuckled. “And I always will.”
Orion met her eyes, the passion he felt for her burning through.
“You better,” he agreed. “Because I can’t get enough of you.”
Slowly, Harmony rose from the spot to gather her dress.
“We still might make our reservation,” she said.
“Or we could order in,” Orion suggested. “I still have some last-minute things to deal with in Eden.” The smile faltered on Harmony’s face, and Orion was instantly contrite. “I’m sorry, darling. Of course I don’t—”
“No, no,” she said quickly, dropping to her knees to cup her hands around his face. “What you’re doing is incredible. I hope you know that.”
