Table of Contents
Title Page
Reclaim (The Harvest Saga, #3)
Reclaim
—My first acknowledgement is to God above for his abundant blessings in my life. I don’t deserve them but am so thankful for His love. | —They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes an army of fabulous people to bring a book to life. I want to thank my parents, my supportive husband, and our wonderful daughters. They never stop believing in me and for that I’m eternally grateful. My extended family and circle of friends are amazing. I appreciate and love you all so much. | —I cannot express how influential Jo Michaels has been in my writing career. She’s been a friend, beta-reader, co-author, interviewer, and just an inspiration to me and so many others. You are amazing, Jo. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. | —Thanks and a huge hug to Rachael Brownell, Wendy Martin, Michelle Hart, Delisa Lynn, and Cristie Lagarde for beta-reading for me and for being such divas.
There is a time to be strong and a time to lean upon others. May you know the difference when you need it most. I love you both more than words can ever describe. You are my heart. | And I carry you in mine.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read what I wrote. If you’d like to help other readers decide whether or not to read this book, you could leave a review on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com or Goodreads.com.
Reclaim
Copyright © 2014 by Casey L. Bond. All rights reserved.
First Edition.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior express permission of the author except as provided by USA Copyright Law. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.
This book is a work of fiction and does not represent any individual, living or dead. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible,
King James Version, Cambridge, 1769. All rights reserved.
Author photo taken by Sarah Dunlap.
Book cover designed by Cassy Roop of Pink Ink Designs.
Professionally Edited by Indie Books Gone Wild
Paperback and E-book formatted by Inkstain Interior Book Designing.
Published in the United States of America.
ISBN-13: 978-1508818915
ISBN-10: 1508818916
—My first acknowledgement is to God above for his abundant blessings in my life. I don’t deserve them but am so thankful for His love.
—They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes an army of fabulous people to bring a book to life. I want to thank my parents, my supportive husband, and our wonderful daughters. They never stop believing in me and for that I’m eternally grateful. My extended family and circle of friends are amazing. I appreciate and love you all so much.
—I cannot express how influential Jo Michaels has been in my writing career. She’s been a friend, beta-reader, co-author, interviewer, and just an inspiration to me and so many others. You are amazing, Jo. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
—Thanks and a huge hug to Rachael Brownell, Wendy Martin, Michelle Hart, Delisa Lynn, and Cristie Lagarde for beta-reading for me and for being such divas.
—And finally, to the readers who take the time out of their busy lives and schedules to read the words and stories that I wrote: Thank you so much for the gift of your time. This has been quite an amazing journey, and it’s all because of your love and support.
There is a time to be strong and a time to lean upon others. May you know the difference when you need it most. I love you both more than words can ever describe. You are my heart.
And I carry you in mine.
I PRESSED MY EYES SHUT feeling the cold metal against my palm. Easing my finger onto the trigger, I wondered: Could I use it? Could I take a human life? Could I be as callous as them? The sound of the firing squad’s gunshots filled my ears. Just as evil?
At one time, I would’ve said no way. I couldn’t have done it. Regardless of the situation, killing wasn’t something I could stomach, let alone imagine myself being responsible for. Living with a weight that heavy wasn’t something I would’ve been strong enough to handle.
But that was before almost everything and everyone I loved was torn away from me, ripped from my hands.
As much as it scared me, I had to take back what was mine and protect the life growing within me. They could try. But they weren’t taking her without a fight. And if it was a fight they wanted, I’d bring it to their doorstep.
The Vesuvians had proven themselves to be a danger—not only to the ones I loved, the ones still being held captive—but to every Lesser and village they inhabited. The Greaters in Vesuvius hadn’t hesitated to wipe their own kind off the map to gain power and rule absolutely. They were smart, cruel, and deceptive. They’d unleashed a hellish disease on three Greater cities, and destroyed Olympus while apprehending King Harrison Cole and his son, Crew—the Prince, the boy I’d thought I loved. After all, someone had to pay for the annihilation of the other three Greater cities. Cole was the easiest scapegoat, the easiest target, and, perhaps, the most believable. Considering his past transgressions, who better to pin it on?
Under Cole’s rule, the Olympians had produced a vaccination that would prevent The Fall from ever happening again. It eradicated every disease that ever plagued the human population. Every woman in every city had been ordered to receive the vaccination. It was for the good of the Greater race—the vaccine would assure the continuation of genetic superiority, developed specifically for their protection.
But they forgot one crucial step. They were impatient and cocky. They hadn’t tested it. Cole had rushed it from development to implementation. He wanted credit. He wanted glory.
What he hadn’t counted on was the vaccination’s side effect. By “protecting” the generation of Greaters on a level that had never before been attempted, they’d also sterilized their race.
Cole had then made sure no one knew about the problem. He covered it up, as only a King was able, and had secretly sought a means to fix the problem before knowledge of his impatience had become widespread and irreparable damage had occurred.
Was he wrong in lying about the problem, in keeping it from not only the citizens of his city but of the other Greater cities? Absolutely.
Had Crew’s plan to harvest Lesser women’s eggs, implanting them in Greater women in secret procedures, been a horrific one? Definitely.
But the Vesuvians had seen desperation as opportunity and had taken the offering placed before them. The amount of blood on the hands of the Vesuvian royalty was sickening.
And in true Abby Kelley style, I was standing in the center of the big, red hornet’s nest, trying desperately not to get stung by the writhing mass of poisonous barbs closing in on me, better known as Greaters.
Greaters had always posed a threat to my kind.
I snorted. My kind. That was funny.
I was a breed unto myself with a Greater mother and Lesser father. Being a hybrid wasn’t nearly as glamorous as it might sound. It meant, due to the sterility issue, my eggs were in high demand.
The gun felt foreign, yet familiar, in my hand. I examined the grooves cut into the metal, the soft cushion of the grip.
A hybrid might prove to be a saving grace for the Greater women, and for future generations.
Greater Scientists theorized I had the solution to the problem. I’d never received the vaccine. My eggs, and those
of my offspring, might save an entire race. Yay us.
It also meant the Greaters had performed a procedure, implanting my egg of hybrid genetics with a sperm cell of pure Greater genes. They were determined to take back their ability to reproduce, one way or another.
Rubbing the swell of my belly through the soft cottony material of my simple red dress, I squeezed my eyes shut.
I didn’t make it farther than the hallway outside my father’s bedroom. A noise from outside almost made me jump out of my skin. Quickly, I stuck the gun back where I’d found it in the top of Adam’s closet and scurried from his room, hustling down the hallway toward the front of the house.
My heart pulsed so hard I could feel the vein in my neck throbbing. I felt it in my temples.
That was when the door to the house slid open, and a swarm of red-suited soldiers flooded in. They circled me until they formed a wall by which I was completely surrounded. Intimidating guns hung over the soldiers’ shoulders and, though the weapons weren’t pointed directly at me, the threat was obvious. It always was.
A woman, clad in a simple red sheath dress that stretched to just below the knee, stepped forward. Her straight hair, which was raven black, cascaded silkily onto her shoulders. In all honesty, she was absolutely stunning. Even her stance was elegant, graceful. She had a square jaw and sharp, dark, golden eyes. The blood red of her lips perfectly matched the shade of her clothing.
“Abigail Kelley.” It wasn’t a question.
I didn’t answer. She knew who I was, so she could do the talking.
Her eyes raked over my body, sizing me up. I must’ve left her wanting, because her upper lip turned upward in disgust—but only for a moment. Her mask slid quickly back into place as she began speaking. “Your mother is one of my most trusted advisors.” She continued.
I had a feeling it wasn’t a cordial visit to check on her friend’s daughter.
“She has assured me of your cooperation.”
That woman did not give me the warm fuzzies. And I couldn’t imagine Kaia Kelley—the mother I’d only met recently—being very close with the viperous lady in any capacity.
Steeling my shoulders and expression, I responded, “Cooperation with what?”
She smiled stiffly and slowly circled me with her blood red heels clicking on the floor. “Do you know who I am?”
I answered honestly. “I have no clue.” I refused to look at her, focusing on the soldier in front of me. His gaze was fixated on me as well. Every muscle beneath his mocha skin was taut, as if he was waiting for me to make one wrong move. I felt like rolling my eyes. Could he not see my stomach? It wasn’t like preggers was going to throw down any time soon.
From my periphery, I saw the woman consuming every inch of me. Her eyes were like that of a bird of prey, not in color, but in the way they moved—darting sharply from place to place and constantly analyzing, searching for weaknesses. “My name is Lillith Alexander. I am the current Queen of Vesuvius.”
Great. A visit from the queen? This did not feel like a welcome party. Time for fake pleasantries. “It’s nice to meet you.”
She paused, continuing her evaluation. “It might be.”
And, time to stop beating around the proverbial bush. “What exactly do you want?”
Lillith smiled. It didn’t reach her eyes.
“You are to come with me immediately. We have much to discuss.”
“My father just left. Can I leave him a note or something?” I could feel the muscles of my legs tighten. They were screaming for me to run as loudly as my mind was telling me it was no longer possible.
Lillith stepped forward. “We will inform him of your whereabouts.”
It wasn’t like I really had much of a choice. When she parted the orb of soldiers, I followed her out the door and felt the guards flank us as she escorted me to an enormous black metal vehicle of some sort. The angles were sharp and harsh, nothing like the simple trucks in the village. Of course, those had been maintained for many years. Some of the floorboards, beds, and panels had rusted completely through in places, making passengers nervous to rest their feet or arms there.
Lillith paused as a guard stepped forward and wrenched open the door, holding it for us. She motioned for me to go first.
“This is a strange looking vehicle,” I remarked as I climbed in before her.
“It is armored. It can withstand both bullets and bombs. You never can tell who your enemies might be. Sometimes, it is the same with your allies.”
That woman definitely struck me as the former. Why else would she need to travel in such a protected vehicle? She felt threatened. I tucked that little piece of information away in my mind. You never knew when something might come in handy later.
Two guards seated themselves in the driving compartment of the vehicle and into similar black vehicles in front of and behind ours. The guard in the front seat on the left barked, “Engine on,” and sure enough, the giant metal beast awakened and roared angrily to life.
I gripped the edge of the door as the man barked more orders regarding the air temperature, the route we’d take, and things I didn’t even understand. I’d ridden in a PerT a few times, but the metal beast was different. PerTs were automated, my ride was under the control of a person, and people often made mistakes.
I trusted the drivers in my village. It was rare to ride in one of the pickups, but those who drove had done so for years.
Having grown up Lesser, we’d all learned to rely on one another and work together as a cohesive unit. No one could afford to be selfish. We bore our burdens as one, completed tasks as one, and were often punished as one. The only exceptions were those rare moments when one person had the time and will to violate the rules. I shuddered to think about Norris and his brand of punishment. But his whip didn’t have anything on the advanced weaponry and lack of conscience of the Vesuvians.
I knew what they were capable of.
I’d seen them tear Olympus to shreds.
I’d heard their bullets shred flesh and shatter bone.
The vehicles ahead of ours started forward, and we were off. We wound slowly through the paved streets, passing houses much like my father’s: simple, redbrick structures. The buildings slowly grew taller and more elaborate until they nearly touched the sky. They also seemed more menacing.
Olympus had been designed with clean lines. Architecture there was white, sleek, and curved. Vesuvius’s buildings were jagged and dangerous looking. Sharp spires and turrets climbed angrily into the clouds from every building, and in every direction I looked, like knives stabbing the sky.
I shifted closer to the window to get a better view. We were leaving the city and ascending a long drive up a hill. When we passed through a stone gate that was thick enough to hold a train, I got worried.
Our vehicle pulled up to an enormous building constructed of reddish-colored, thick, rectangular stones. Tall windows with panes filled with every hue stretched up from the ground. I’d seen the colored glass in the remnants of an ancient building. The lettering carved into a cornerstone had read “Zion Church.” Rows and rows of wooden boards rotted inside, sprinkled with that glass. And, like that building, the one I was looking at had spires and towers jutting into the air.
I wondered how the other Greater cities had looked and how they might have differed from the two I’d visited. Olympus and Vesuvius couldn’t have been more different in appearance. White and pristine versus red and gothic. I wondered if the Greaters had been so different in thought that their issues with one another had started right after The Fall instead of more recently.
People as a whole had trouble getting along sometimes. It was human nature.
The silence in the vehicle might have been stifling had I not been looking around at everything. I was taking in the details when the guards up front exited and immediately opened the door beside me. I sucked in a harsh breath, almost jumping out of my skin.
Lillith laughed. It was the first sound she’d made since
we climbed in. “Please follow me, Abigail.”
She was poised and elegant as she exited. I tried to be as ladylike as possible in the long dress I wore, shuffling across the back seat. In the end, I failed; and a guard had to catch me before I toppled on my face. I wasn’t uncoordinated; I’d been climbing trees since I could walk, but the whole dress thing? Not me. I was like a fish out of water. I’d stepped on the hem, which was slightly too long for my legs.
In those clothes, in that place, I wondered if anyone from home would even recognize me. The worst part? I barely knew who that was anymore. Would I recognize her in a mirror?
Everyone has a breaking point. Everyone has a line that, once crossed, forever alters his or her sense of reality and security. My line had been obliterated. And the point of breaking had come and gone for me. It was time to take back control of my life.
The guards never touched me physically, but their hardened eyes and the stern jerks of their heads motioned me forward. I followed Lillith up a stone staircase and through a red metal door lined with matching rivets, holding my dress up.
The door was at least twenty feet tall, cold and uninviting, but I followed anyway.
The farther into the building I walked, the more erratic my breathing became. I welcomed every swallow of oxygen. My lungs were shrinking. I knew little bean took up much more room, but that couldn’t be it. It had to be that my lungs were getting smaller. It was the only logical explanation.
The few Greaters milling around the place met me with strange looks, distrust mixed with disgust. Sneers, pinched mouths, and stiff backs. Whispers behind covered mouths. I could imagine how they felt having Lessers in the city, let alone the precious palace. Julia had said the Greaters were basically brainwashed into thinking we were disgusting monsters.
The saddest thing about that? Most of the people believed what they were told. They followed directions, never questioning authority. They never considered whether monsters actually existed, or if they were figments of someone else’s imagination.
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