by Opal Thomas
I shook my head. "No."
"Don't do this Amelia..." Tracie pleaded, playing the part.
"Be quiet!" Jerau snapped, her voice elevated and commanding.
I stared at her hard, "Be respectful towards them," I stated flatly.
With a snort, she started to laugh. "I guarantee you don't know the entire story. But when you do, you won't be so chummy with either of them."
I gulped, accepting that there was a likely a lot of history between them if Jerau had been part of the good mages, before. I swallowed and remained quiet. I knew that it would take being able to perceive beyond the deception, lies and manipulation.
"That may be. Regardless, I make my own decisions and choices," I said, determined to remain calm and pragmatic, given the situation.
"Okay. It is decided. We release them and you remain. Wise decision, Amelia," Queen Tazora said softly, looking pleased.
As they left, Tracie glanced at me, pleading in her eyes.
"I'll be okay, trust me..." I said telepathically before the sliding door closed, leaving me alone in the cell with only my thoughts to keep me company.
CHAPTER TWELVE
-- Aiden --
My cell door opened and the guard motioned for me to stand. He unbuckled my shackles and then poked me in the back with the safe end of a taser, motioning for me to move forward.
I walked through the door and was met by several more guards and their Queen.
"You're to be released, Aiden. Your beloved made a deal," she informed me with a wicked look of delight on her face. "But before we release you, we want to show you something."
I studied her features carefully for any tells or clues to what was really happening inside that dastardly mind of hers. But nothing clued me in to what I was about to witness.
We walked to the other side of the structure and up the stairs into a Great Room where a small group was assembled. At the center of the room was a man who wore a disturbing looking helmut. Like something straight out of a future horror novel. He stood perfectly still and the only clothing he had on was a pair of boxer briefs.
"Welcome, Aiden. To the future of mankind," Venom said, his voice stoic. His voice, determined.
I nodded in Venom's direction, acknowledging him.
I saw Tracie but where was Amelia?
"Amelia won't be joining us for this," Queen Tazora spoke up, looking like the cat who got the canary. "We don't want to ruin our first impressions so soon, now do we?"
I grunted. I'd never give them the satisfaction of believing I could be swayed. Not now, not ever. I glanced in Tracie's direction and she was purposely keeping her face blank and unmoving. Both of us knowing full well that the Denizen were expert body behavior readers.
"Time for the presentation. Have a seat Aiden," Jerau said, motioning towards a chair that I was to sit in.
It too appeared like it was from a future scifi movie. Ominous and technologically advanced. I sat unwillingly and was met with my wrists and ankles being clamped down by steel restraints. Remaining calm, I could only imagine what was about to happen. I prepared for the worst but hoped for the best.
Then, the Denizen sat and I saw that Tracie had been put in a similar chair opposite me, on the other side of the room.
Next thing I knew, the man at the center of the room was wearing a robe and a hood that Venom had placed on him. Then Venom took a seat next to his Queen and they held hands as if they were in a royal palace, holding court over their minions.
Suddenly, the man leaped in his spot, screaming at the top of his lungs. Almost instantaneously, I felt a jolt of pleasure pouring through me. Stunned, I looked across the room and noticed that Tracie wore a mask of pleasure too. Albeit a confused look of pleasure. Just like mine.
The Denizens began to laugh and laugh at mine and Tracie's confusion. Which pissed me off, but there was precious little I could do.
The demonstration continued and we were shown that any pain inflicted on the human slave resulted in a translation to pleasure for the Denizen, at whatever degree in which it was inflicted.
His howls of pain haunted me, while my body revolted against the rolling waves of pleasure. I couldn't explain why I felt them. Was it due to the chair I sat in? Or the helmet that he wore, or both?
Once done, the slave was a heap on the floor, passed out from the pain level and I was enraged. I yanked against my restraints to get free.
Queen Tazora stood and strode over to stand in front of me.
"Aiden, I trust you won't attempt to free Amelia, unless you want her to endure a similar ending?"
My dragon was barely being contained, the need to shift and change rolling with an internal furor that made me feel crazy at best. Livid at the worst. Struggling to remain in my human form, I spat at her.
"I don't think he approves, Tazora," Venom said, irritated that I'd disrespected his mate and Queen.
"Fuck you!" Tracie yelled from the other side of the room, in a similar state of distress. "She'll be the end of you if we have anything to do with it!"
To which was met with much laughter by all of the Denizen who'd gathered for the sadistic demonstration.
I looked at her, imploring her to calm down with a careful glance. She went quiet, but like I, was struggling to keep from changing form.
The demonstration over, we were both let free from our chairs and led outside into the night.
"You're free now. Let that be a warning. Do not come to rescue her. Do not attempt to contact her. We won't be here and neither will she," Venom said, before the door closed.
And just like that, Tracie and I were free but Amelia wasn't.
-- Devon --
The number calling my phone wasn't one that I recognized, but I answered it anyways.
"Hello?"
"Devon, it's Aiden and I. They've set us free. We need to be picked up," Tracie said, a tone of alarm in her voice. "Amelia isn't with us..."
"Where is she?" I asked.
"She made an agreement. For us to be released and she would stay... stay with the Denizen..." Tracie said with a note of defeat in her voice.
"Shit. Fuck!"
"Devon, we have to find a way to free her. They showed us a demonstration. It was monstrous..." she began to explain. "Some sort of torture device."
I heard a commotion, and then Aiden's voice. "Come and get Tracie. I'm staying here to watch them leave this stronghold. They are already rolling out of this place. They'll be taking her elsewhere and we have to prevent it. Get every man you've got, on it. Stat!"
"Understood," I said, weary that we had lost our charge to the Denizen. "I'll let Zach know straightaway."
Tracie came back on the phone, "It's a torture device, Devon. It was horrific. What they did, to a poor human. It was reprehensible. This, this - technology..." she said, stuttering over her words in horror about what she shared.
"We're coming to get you. Save the rest for us, in person. I don't want you back in their clutches ever again!" I said, so grateful my wife had been released. But I already knew that the cost was high and that Amelia was going to do a lot of growing into her power in a very short amount of time.
I was already in the car, with Zach and his team meeting me at Aiden and Tracie's identified rendezvous point.
"Devon, be careful. I don't put nothing past them. It was horrific..." Tracie pleaded.
"Of course, just stay put til we get there. We can make a plan..." I said, feeling furious that she was even in this position to begin with. But it was her calling, her life duty, a responsibility she was devoted to. To the death, if need be. I'd married her knowing this to be the case.
I could only imagine what the demonstration had entailed. Knowing that we were all compromised with whatever arrangement the Denizen had with Amelia now, we would need to operate more under the radar than usual. No more obvious moves or plans. Only sure-win's.
.
* * *
-- Amelia --
The following day arrived
with me still wide awake, having not slept a wink. Almost immediately after my agreement to remain with the Denizen in exchange for Aiden and Tracie to be freed, the Denizen's guards had escorted me to a car and drove me to another location.
I'd been blind-folded but not restrained, which I was grateful for. In every way, I was treated well and respectfully. No one rough-handled me or spoke to me derogatively.
Once we arrived and were inside, the blindfold had been removed. The home I found myself in was a classic Victorian mansion that was astonishingly beautiful in detail and decoration. Breathtaking, really.
"Where are we, if I may?" I asked, deciding that I would remain utterly polite with the Denizen family and members so long as they proved respectful.
"This is Venom and Queen Tazora's home. It's an honor to be invited here," Jerau explained.
"Thank you..." I murmured, realizing that I'd been in two amazing homes in less than a week. My former life as a college student and my apartment, both starting to recede in memory to this new version of life I still was grasping at comprehending.
"Your room will be ready shortly. Are you hungry?" Jerau asked.
I nodded, choosing to keep my words few.
She brought me to the dining room and had me sit. She handed me my phone that had been taken away when we were abducted by the Denizen guard.
"Just assume nothing is private now. I mean nothing. This is a gesture of trust. Be wise and don't lose the privilege. Understand?" she explained.
I nodded again and turned my phone face down on the table. Soon, a plate of food was set on the table in front of me and deciding I would need my strength, I dug in and ate it all. Unconcerned at my present predicament.
Oddly, I was very calm.
Something steadfast and resolute kept me from feeling anxious and I marveled at the way power swayed within me. It was both universal, yet very private and personal. I knew the Denizen could read my thoughts, my mind as it were; but I didn't know if they could empathically sense how I felt.
Once done, I looked at my phone, noticing the text message from a college friend asking why I'd miss class on Monday and whether I wanted her notes. I texted back letting her know there was a family emergency and yes, please email me your notes. Other than that, my phone was quiet.
Nothing from Aiden, Tracie, or Devon.
I'd gone to bed after dinner and had laid there, staring at the ceiling, reviewing the events of the last week in my mind, over and over, like a skipped record. I was seeking clues and answers, attempting to make sense of it all. So much had happened and I'd had little time to process it.
My thoughts returned to Aiden, the kiss we'd shared right before the shit hit the fan and how I'd felt in his arms.
Most young women obsessed about finding a man to fall in love with. I wasn't like them. I believed in love but had wanted to determine my own destiny before finding love.
I'd never felt anything that had moved me so much as when Aiden had pulled me down on top of him during training. How we'd both held back, but then finally breaking the ice on our attraction for one another.
My heart was in my throat with worry and concern for him and his sister, Tracie. I wanted to be in the guest bedroom at Aiden's place. Or even better, in his bed at his place. I thought about his sexy physique and handsome face. The way he tried to hide his feelings but how his body betrayed him. The way I'd felt knowing he desired me. Never having guessed a man so Alpha and type A would be into me.
His eyes had penetrated my soul with the lust-filled gaze that did me in. And I was more than ready to surrender to the experience of him. But what now? What was to happen now? Because I knew Aiden was not the type to just lie low and wait. He was a man of action and protective as all get out.
I liked being under his care, his protection. It was exactly where I wanted to be. Needed to be. As new as it was to me, he felt like home. Already.
But something told me I needed to be braver than ever before, to dig deep and find the courage to meet the Denizen face on. Whatever their sordid plans were, Aiden, Tracie and Devon had given me just enough information and guidance to protect myself.
Exploring my capabilities, including the surprises that I could teleport objects on command, I wondered what else I was capable of.
I wanted to step back into the monolith circle and evoke my Mother again. I needed guidance and I wondered if I could do that without the assistance of the antique box I'd opened in Aiden's library. Determined to figure it out, I thought about how the power had just magically teleported me there, into another realm.
I could feel the beginning of another leap coursing through my blood, but I was weak. Tired. Needed to wait.
So I waited.
I fretted that my simple mistake, that one thought that had slipped out and away, telepathically picked up by one of the Denizen. I wondered which one?
As it was, I was feeling paranoid about my thoughts and feelings being readable. I kept practicing what I'd been trained to do. How to cloak them.
When morning finally arrived, I gave up on getting any sleep and took a long shower. I was almost done getting dressed when I heard a knock at the door. It intrigued me that I wasn't being treated like a prisoner of the Denizen, but rather like an honored guest.
"Yes?" I called out.
The door opened and stout woman who looked as if she could also serve as a drill sergeant stepped into the room. "Miss, would you like breakfast in your room or downstairs with Sir and Queen Tazora?"
I sucked in a deep sigh. There was nothing like the present, I might as well dive in to the inevitable and not hide out in my room.
"Downstairs, please. With... Sir and Queen Tazora. Thank you," I answered.
"Wonderful, I will escort you down. Are you ready? Done getting dressed?" she asked.
"Yes, thank you," I said, stepping towards her and the door, to follow her lead. "May I ask your name?"
"I'm Sam, short for Samantha. You may call me Sam."
I nodded, following her lead.
The home was large, at least ten thousand square feet based on all the doors we passed by on our way to the dining room. It was the kind of home many women only fantasize about being lucky enough to live in. Utterly gorgeous in decor and Victorian style.
Stepping into the dining room, I was met by Venom, Queen Tazora and Jerau already at the table. I sat down, nodding at them, keeping my eyes averted. Once seated, Sam brought me a plate and sat it before me. She bowed, then left.
"Sleep well?" Venom asked.
Right then and there, I knew that being entirely upfront would be best, lest I lose the privacy of my thoughts again.
"I was restless. Always the case in a 'new-to-me' bed," I answered.
"I'm the same way," Queen Tazora said.
"As am I," Jerau said.
I finally raised my gaze to meet theirs. In broad daylight, they seemed by all appearances to be normal. No one in the world would be the wiser that they were evil mages who hated mankind. I certainly would never have guessed.
Venom smiled, glancing at Queen Tazora with a knowing look.
I wondered what gas-lighting tactics they would take with me and whether being treated as one of their own was just the way it was or part of their intentions to manipulate and confuse me. Chewing on this thought, I saw the three of them exchange knowing glances.
"You can read my mind, can't you?" I stated flatly, realizing that whatever attempt at cloaking I was doing, was not working.
They all nodded.
I sighed. Then laughed too. "Well, then - this is going to be very interesting to say the least," I blurted out, feeling silly.
"We understand, it's that way for any of our guests in our home. It's imbued with shields and has a way of bringing down cloaking attempts. Our apologies if that unnerves you," Queen Tazora explained.
I sucked in a deep breath. "No, it makes sense."
I started to eat and was pleasantly surprised by the delicious meal. "This is amazing
..." I complimented.
They nodded in agreement.
"We take all forms of pleasure very seriously, Amelia. It's part of who we are. We will and do, everything in our power to have pleasure in our lives, every way possible," Venom shared.
Somehow, I knew this was significant. I watched his handsome face lose some of the sternness of his features as he spoke about the importance of pleasure to them.
"This is something I need to understand... about you and... your kind, right?" I asked.
"Exactly," Jerau said, glancing at her King and Queen somewhat nervously. In their own way, they were having a telepathic conversation. How I knew this, I wasn't sure since I couldn't hear their thoughts, but I just knew it. On a gut level.
"We are the same as you, Amelia. We're hybrids, if you will. Tri-unes," Venom explained. "We are mages and reptoid shifters, like you. Our ancestry isn't separate like you might have been told. We come from the same tree, just separate branches."
I gulped. This was surprising to hear and I found myself doubting him.
Was this just a bold-faced lie or an attempt to manipulate?
"Reptoids?" I asked, confused.
"There are dragon shifters and there are reptoid triunes. You are a reptoid triune. Aiden is a dragon shifter. There is a difference. You shift but retain a humanoid appearance whereas Aiden shifts into an actual dragon. Have you shifted yet into your reptoid state?" Queen Tazora explained then asked.
I gulped and decided that there was no reason to lie or deceive them. Choosing truth made everything simpler if they could just read my mind. "Yes, it happened recently. I changed."
Queen Tazora and Venom looked at one another and then at Jerau.
"Did you do it at will or did it just happen?" Jerau asked.
"It just happened. It happened when you were in Aiden's house. I was in the safe room," I shared, unsure as to how much I should explain. But again, mind-reading. I had no choice but to be honest. It didn't make sense to withhold information. It wouldn't change anything. Not at the moment, at least.
"You can have access to our library. Jerau can show you the ancestry family trees as she shares a similar heritage with you," Queen Tazora explained.
