Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “Here, try these.” River handed him a pair of fur-lined boots with, of course, more laces. Jonathan was surprised to find a pair of socks stuffed into the toes. “How come I get socks but no underwear?”

  “Socks serve a purpose. They keep your feet dry so your toes don’t freeze off.”

  “As much as I like my toes, I’d rather protect the parts of my body that would be covered by underwear.”

  ***

  River made a broth out of jerky she found in a cupboard. Jonathan would have rather just eaten the jerky—there seemed to be plenty of it—but he didn’t want to seem ungrateful.

  As soon as it got too dark to see, they went to bed. Jonathan couldn’t get comfortable. The straw mattress was lumpy and smelled like a wet dog. His borrowed pants kept getting twisted every time he rolled over. His upper body was still itchy, even after removing the goat hair shirt. And River was sleeping naked.

  When Jonathan woke up the next morning, his bladder screamed for relief. River was already up, and from the looks of her, she hadn’t slept very well either. She’d obviously been crying. Was she still worried about getting sick? “Hey, kid, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She didn’t sound fine, but she obviously didn’t want to talk about it.

  “Um … is there an outhouse or something?”

  River shook her head. “There’s a chamber pot in that closet.”

  There was no way he was using a chamber pot. Not for taking a leak—actually, not for anything. He’d dig a latrine with a stick if he had to. “Any objections to using a tree?”

  “Piss off the edge of the porch. Just be sure the wind’s at your back.”

  “How stupid do you think I am?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “You’re going outside to piss in a blizzard.”

  The wind nearly tore the door out of Jonathan’s hand when he opened it. He wrapped his left arm around the porch post to keep from getting blown over. It was a good thing he decided to come with River instead of trying to make it on his own. There was no way he would have survived this. He’d thought the blizzard was bad the day before, but it was much worse that morning, with zero visibility. A total white out. The wind chill factor had to be at least fifty below. The chamber pot might not be such a bad idea.

  Jonathan made sure everything was covered then hurried back inside to retie his pants.

  River was squatting in front of the stove, poking at the fire with her back to Jonathan. “Were you dreaming about your mate last night?”

  “Mate? You mean like a wife?”

  River nodded but didn’t turn around.

  “I’m not married. Not even close.” Carrie changed the status of her Facebook page to ‘single’ three months after Jonathan deployed. She’d visited him once at the VA hospital in Denver during his recovery, but she’d brought her new boyfriend along for the ride.

  “Then who’s Frankie?”

  A fist of pain squeezed Jonathan’s heart.

  River didn’t give him a chance to answer. “You called out her name several times last night.”

  “Franklin was my brother, my twin.”

  She shut the stove door and turned around. “Was?”

  Jonathan took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He hated saying it out loud. Hated the finality of it, the shocked reactions, the pity, the gut-wrenching agony of remembering. “He died.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  Sweat beaded across Jonathan’s brow. Please, just let it go.

  “How long has it been since you lost him?”

  “I didn’t lose him, okay!” Jonathan had a hard time reacting appropriately when anyone spoke of Franklin’s death as a ‘loss.’ As if he’d misplaced his brother. Gone off and left him at the mall or something. “He was blown to bits when we hit a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.”

  Chapter Five

  Prophecies

  Jonathan’s outburst startled River, but she understood his reaction. She remembered how hard it’d been after Mother’s execution. Every condolence, no matter how sincere, triggered one of two reactions; blinding rage or overwhelming grief. It was easier to just avoid everyone. If Reuben hadn’t given her Sugar to raise and train, River would have gone crazy. The orphaned filly gave her something to focus on other than her own pain.

  Jonathan rubbed his forehead. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. Please, don’t cry.”

  “I’m not crying.” River blinked. “I was just thinking about my mother.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  No, River didn’t want to talk about it, but she had pried the information about Franklin out of Jonathan. The least she could do was tell him about Mother. “She died.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s been five years and I still miss her so much.”

  Jonathan crossed the room in three strides and wrapped his arms around River. “Is this okay?”

  She buried her face in his shoulder and nodded. I will not cry.

  Jonathan held her head in place with his right hand and rubbed her back with his left forearm.

  Ever since she’d been attacked, River didn’t like to be touched by men—except for Reuben, and he hadn’t touched her since rejecting her in the cleansing pool last spring. At first, River had hoped that Reuben would turn to her after Hannah ran away, but he’d only grown more distant. And angry.

  Eli had finally asked permission to court her a week after Hannah left, but he didn’t visit her very often. They’d only held hands and even that felt awkward. But this … this felt wonderful. Jonathan’s caresses eased the ache in River’s heart. She hadn’t been hugged since Gabriel offered to mate with her.

  Jonathan froze. “This isn’t against the rules, is it?”

  “It’s fine.” Eli hadn’t applied for a courtship contract yet, so it wasn’t illegal, just ill-advised.

  Jonathan gave her a gentle squeeze then let go and stepped back. “So, what are the rules about this sort of thing?”

  River sat on the edge of her bed. “We may embrace each other, as long as we’re both dressed and neither of us are aroused.”

  “Okay …” A pink flush spread across Jonathan’s cheeks as he grinned at her, displaying his dimples. “So far, so good. What about kissing and stuff?”

  “Stuff?”

  “You know, making out?”

  River wasn’t familiar with the phrase, ‘making out,’ but she could guess what Jonathan was hinting at. “We aren’t allowed to do anything that might activate the mating instinct until after we merge with our spirit guides.” River gasped. Disclosing information about New Eden’s society to outsiders was forbidden. She covered her face with both hands and shook her head. “Please, don’t ask me any more questions.”

  Jonathan knelt in front of her and took her left wrist. He pulled her hand away from her face then interlaced his fingers through hers. “Are you involved with a cult? Do you need help getting out?”

  “No!” River tugged her hand out of Jonathan’s and rubbed her sweaty palms on her thighs. She had to convince him not to tell anyone about New Eden, but do it without revealing any more secrets. “My people just want to be left alone. We want to live our lives without outside interference. We aren’t hurting anyone.”

  “Really?” Jonathan placed his hand over hers. His cool, dry palm covered her hand completely. His sky blue eyes captured her gaze and held it. “Then why are you so frightened?”

  River stood up, dislodging Jonathan’s hand. “I need to go chop more firewood.”

  Jonathan moved from his knees to his feet with the grace and balance of a cougar. “I’m not helpless. I can still swing an ax.”

  “I need to clear my head. Alone.” River bolted out the door without giving him a chance to argue.

  ***

  As soon as River stepped outside, she smelled smoke. The north wind snatched the smoke from the quarantine cabin’s chimney too quickly for that to be the source. She couldn’t see the other end of the por
ch in this weather, much less the cleansing huts, but there was no doubt in her mind that someone was there.

  She ran back inside the cabin, slammed the door and pressed her back against it—as if she could keep trouble from finding them.

  “That was fast.” Jonathan quirked his mouth into a lopsided grin. “Where’s the wood?”

  “We have a problem.”

  Jonathan’s eyebrows shot up. “What kind of problem?”

  “Enforcers.”

  His body tensed, bunching his muscles. “What are enforcers?”

  “They guard and protect us.”

  “Let me guess, they’re going to see me as some sort of threat?”

  River nodded. “Unless I can convince them that you’re my recruit.”

  “Maybe I should just leave.”

  “You’ll never survive.” River pressed her fingers against her temples. “When they find your body, they’ll know that I brought you here. I’ll be punished.”

  “Okay.” Jonathan took a deep breath then exhaled with an audible rush of air. “How do we convince them I’m your recruit?”

  “You need to be unhappy with the outside world. You’re opposed to modern industry, pollution and the greed of western civilization. You need to be disillusioned and angry.”

  Jonathan’s eyes shifted back and forth as he gazed at her. “I can do that.”

  River chewed her thumbnail as she paced the length of the cabin. “We don’t recruit people with family ties. You have to convince them that you’re an orphan or that you’re so estranged from your family that they won’t bother to search for you.”

  “Some wacko environmental terrorist bombed my family’s gold mine about two years ago. It made the national news. I could claim I did it to protest my family’s disregard for the environment. That will strengthen my tree-hugger image and make me an outcast.”

  “But if that happened two years ago, you’ll need to explain why you waited so long to leave.”

  “How about … I had to go to prison for bombing the mine and just now got out?”

  River stopped pacing and smiled. “That’s very clever. Stick to the truth about how we met. The fact that you fought a cougar to save my life proves you’re strong and courageous and gives me a reason to recruit you.”

  “Anything else? What should I know about your cult?”

  “Don’t call it a cult.” River spoke through gritted teeth then sighed. “You don’t need to know anything about our society. Recruits aren’t told much the first few weeks.”

  “Okay, then. When do we go meet these enforcers?”

  “You aren’t going anywhere. Enforcers tend to shoot first and ask questions later. When the blizzard’s over, I’ll go tell them I’ve recruited you.”

  ***

  River didn’t have to leave the quarantine cabin after all. Four hours after first smelling smoke, the door burst open. The enforcer’s hooded parka obscured his face. River didn’t recognize him until he shoved it off his head. Eli.

  He pointed at Jonathan. “Who the hell is that?”

  River moved to step in front of Jonathan but he grabbed her arm and shoved her behind him, using his body to protect hers. If Jonathan weren’t an outsider, River would have sworn he was an alpha. She leaned around him and locked gazes with Eli. “Jonathan is my recruit.”

  “Recruit?”

  “That’s what I said. Are you deaf?”

  Eli’s nostrils flared. “Where did you find a recruit? You aren’t allowed outside our borders.”

  “He was wandering around in the buffer zone.”

  Eli took off his parka then turned his attention to Jonathan. “What’s your story?”

  Jonathan glanced at River then recited everything just the way they’d rehearsed it. It seemed to be going fine, until he got to the part about setting off a bomb in the mine.

  Eli whipped his hunting knife out of his boot and lunged at Jonathan.

  River gulped a lungful of air, but before she could shout a warning, Jonathan grabbed Eli’s wrist, twisted his arm around, and pressed the knife against Eli’s throat. The knife was still in Eli’s hand, but Jonathan had control of it.

  “Drop it or die, asshat.”

  The knife clattered to the floor. Jonathan had Eli’s arm twisted in such a way that it wouldn’t take much to break it.

  What’s an asshat? River kicked the knife under her bed. “Jonathan, stop.”

  “He tried to kill me.”

  “I know. What I don’t know, is why he tried to kill you.” River edged closer and rested her hand on Jonathan’s shoulder, but she spoke to Eli. “Give me your word you won’t try to hurt my recruit.”

  Eli’s glare burned right through River, but he nodded. She squeezed Jonathan’s shoulder. It felt like squeezing a rock. “Let him go.”

  Jonathan released Eli’s arm and stepped back, but maintained a defensive crouch.

  River didn’t blame him. She glared at Eli. “Why did you attack?”

  Eli rubbed his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. River knew that look. His royal highness was pissed. He shifted his gaze to Jonathan then back to her. “Your recruit is lying.”

  River’s mouth went dry. “How would you know?”

  “Because, he didn’t bomb the McKnight Mine. I did.”

  Jonathan’s face paled. His eyes widened then narrowed.

  River stepped in front of Eli. Unlike Jonathan, Eli let her shield him. Coward.

  Jonathan clenched his fist. His chest heaved as he pointed at Eli. “I was there the night it happened. You nearly killed me and my ex-girlfriend!”

  “Jonathan, don’t.” River’s heart hammered in her chest. She turned to Eli. “You can’t tell anyone.”

  “Why should I stick my neck out for this liar?”

  “Because I’m the one that brought him here.”

  Eli’s expression hardened. “You know the penalty for bringing an outsider over the border.”

  “I owe him my life.” River told Eli the story of how she met Jonathan, but he didn’t seem impressed.

  “You expect me to believe that? After you’ve already lied to me?”

  “Believe what you want, but I couldn’t just leave him to die!”

  “What were you planning to do with him once the blizzard ended? Let him go?”

  “Of course not! That’s treason.” River gazed into Jonathan’s eyes and silently begged him to forgive her for what she was about to say then turned to Eli. “He’s only got one hand, so I told him he needed to come up with an amazing story to persuade the council to accept him.”

  Jonathan

  Jonathan knew River wasn’t trying to humiliate him. It was easy to see from the panicked expression on her face that she was in big trouble. He should have just cut Eli’s throat when he had the chance. He’d killed in Afghanistan, but that was different. This wasn’t a war zone. His life wasn’t in any immediate danger. If he killed Eli now, it would be in cold blood.

  Eli folded his arms across his chest. “Do you know what it means to be a recruit, outsider?”

  Jonathan shrugged. It didn’t really matter. He had no intention of joining their crazy cult.

  River spoke up, blurting her words out in a rush. “Most of our men have impaired fertility. About half of them are sterile.”

  “River …” Eli dragged her name out, a clear warning to keep quiet. Which, of course, she ignored.

  “Our numbers are too small to sustain the population without resorting to inbreeding.” She pulled her braid over her shoulder and slid her hands down its length.

  “Whoa.” Jonathan tore his gaze from River’s thick, shiny braid to her eyes. “Are you saying … you want me to make babies?”

  Eli laughed, but the sound was harsh, more like a bark. “Don’t get too excited, outsider. You have to pass a battery of tests before you’d be allowed to service a servant.”

  Servicing servants? Jonathan immediately pictured Mom’s forty-something housekeeper and shuddered. He didn’t care if
they offered him a room full of beautiful, young virgins. No way would he join that group of freaks. Didn’t cults use sex as a lure for recruits? Yeah, nice try, but not falling for it. He needed to figure out how to stall long enough to come up with an escape plan. “What kind of tests?”

  “Your first test is to see if you’re strong enough to survive a complete cleanse.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Eli put the kettle back on the stove then opened a cabinet stacked floor to ceiling with glass jars. He pulled one out and grinned. “We’ll start with a purge.”

  Jonathan didn’t trust Eli not to poison him. He’d already tried to kill him. “No way.”

  “When you agreed to be River’s recruit, you promised to obey all the doctrines, precepts and covenants of New Eden.”

  New Eden? Jonathan’s suspicions were correct. It was definitely a cult. If he didn’t go along with it, River would be in trouble. If he drank the kool-aid, he could wind up dead. “I want River to prepare it.”

  “I don’t know how.” River’s eyes widened as she shook her head; but then a slow smile spread across her face. “Make enough for two people, Eli. You’re doing the cleanse with Jonathan.”

  Eli narrowed his eyes. “There’s no reason for me to do a full cleanse.”

  “Where have you been for the past two weeks? Red Cliff?”

  Eli slammed the jar of herbs onto the table. “What do you know about Red Cliff?”

  “I know it’s where you go to indulge in forbidden pleasures.” River slid her hand into her fur-lined glove then snatched a Snicker’s candy bar wrapper out of Eli’s pocket.

  A crimson flush spread across Eli’s cheeks as he tried to grab it away from her.

  River dodged his grasp and shoved the wrapper between her vest and her shirt. “I wonder what Reuben will say when I show him this?”

  If Eli was going to get the wrapper back, he’d have to feel her up. He fisted his hands and glared at her. “That’s not mine.”